MTV has begun production on The Paper, a new docu-reality series that will follow a group of students who contribute to their high school newspaper, Daily Variety reported Tuesday.
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The Paper is set at Weston, FL's Cypress Bay High School, according to Variety, which added the eight-episode series will chronicle the work of those youth who write and manage its The Circuit student newspaper.
While focusing on a student-run newspaper may sound dull, Cypress Bay is The Sunshine State's largest high school -- with an enrollment of 5,400 students -- presumably providing The Circuit with more happenings to cover than some small towns.
"It's just a great way to get inside high school," The Paper executive producer Marshall Eisen told Variety.
Eisen, apparently aware of the less-than-actual-reality allegations that have been made against other MTV shows like The Hills, told Variety the network is not classifying The Paper as a "reality series" because producers are filming a pre-existing situation instead of creating storylines in a prefabricated setting.
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"It's more of a docu-series, where we're talking about the lives of our participants," he told Variety.
Earlier this month, a source told the New York that while dining at the city's Da Silvano eatery, MTV's camera crews took several takes of The Hills' star Lauren "L.C." Conrad having dinner with three friends.
"It was clear that this show is not a reality show. They took five takes of Lauren ordering dinner," the source told the Post. "The film crew took over the outside eating area by setting up lights and cameras everywhere. They should go back to California."
Regardless of how Eisen wants to classify it, The Paper is reportedly scheduled to premiere early next year.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio