The Revealed
Encyclopedia
The Revealed project with the subtitle Slightly different reality show is project of Český rozhlas
, Prague Zoo
and telecommunication company Visual Connection. It is based on reality shows like Big Brother
. The difference is that contestants are not humans but Western Lowland Gorilla
s from the Prague Zoo.
The main goal is to show behaviour of gorillas living in captivity. Viewers could have seen gorillas eating, sleeping, playing, socializing, solving special brain-teasers and even giving birth.
s have been presented on the website of the project. People could observe the gorillas 24/7
and vote for their favourite one by texting
. On 15 January 2006 the winner, fifteen years old male Richard, won 12 melons
as a pun on Czech slang that uses the word melons instead of millions when speaking about large sum of money.
Originally, the show should have lasted for 3 months but it has become so popular that its producers decided to continue and it has been running till today.
project. Cuts of all the webcasts from the beginning until today commented by a gorilla zookeeper
, primatologists
, ethologists
and other specialists, podcast
s and articles about the project are preserved and accessible on the website of the project. It is also possible to chat in online discussion
s or have own blog
on the website. One of the blogs belongs to the gorilla zookeeper. He answers there all the questions about the life of gorillas asked by visitors of the website. Online games and an interactive map of the gorilla house are available too.
(in the category ARKive interactive award) in 2006.
The website of the project was fourth at Prix Europa
(in the category Internet Project of the Year 2006).
strategy. Thanks to its original idea it has attracted attention of many people and brought publicity to the Prague Zoo. News channels and news service as BBC
, Fox News Channel
, NBC News
, Yahoo! News
, Reuters
and Agence France-Press informed people all around the world about this project.
The project has brought in new visitors as watching the gorillas online entices people to come to the Zoo and see them live. Website of Český rozhlas has registered increased number of hits too.
Creators of the show has used its publicity to caution about the problem of gorillas being critically endangered species. Money earned by selling gorilla T-shirts, books, CDs, DVDs, postcards and puzzles in an online shop, money raised from SMS
sent by gorilla fans and money gained in a charitable online auction
of paintings and photos of the Prague gorillas has been used to help wild gorillas in Africa. News about the supported gorillas in Africa are also presented on the website of The Revealed.
Ceský rozhlas
Český rozhlas is the Czech Republic's publicly funded radio broadcasting organization.It offers the following radio channels:*ČRo 1 – Radiožurnál: news and information*ČRo 2 – Praha: talk and family programmes...
, Prague Zoo
Prague Zoo
Prague Zoo is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in the north of Prague. The zoo occupies 45 hectares and houses about 4,400 animals that represent 670 species...
and telecommunication company Visual Connection. It is based on reality shows like Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
. The difference is that contestants are not humans but Western Lowland Gorilla
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
s from the Prague Zoo.
The main goal is to show behaviour of gorillas living in captivity. Viewers could have seen gorillas eating, sleeping, playing, socializing, solving special brain-teasers and even giving birth.
History
The project started on 7 November 2005. Český rozhlas installed 16 cameras in the gorilla pavilion housing in the Prague Zoo and live webcastWebcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
s have been presented on the website of the project. People could observe the gorillas 24/7
24/7
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...
and vote for their favourite one by texting
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
. On 15 January 2006 the winner, fifteen years old male Richard, won 12 melons
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
as a pun on Czech slang that uses the word melons instead of millions when speaking about large sum of money.
Originally, the show should have lasted for 3 months but it has become so popular that its producers decided to continue and it has been running till today.
Gorillas
- Richard: male, * 9 November 1991 in the Frankfurt Zoological GardenFrankfurt Zoological Gardenthumb|300px|Main entranceThe Frankfurt Zoological Garden is the zoo of Frankfurt, Germany. It features over 5,000 animals of more than 600 species on more than 13 hectares.The zoo was founded in 1858 and is the second oldest Zoo in Germany...
- Kamba (Liana): female, * 1972 in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
- Shinda (Victoria): female, * 14 June 1991 in ApenheulApenheulApenheul Primate Park is a zoo in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. It specializes in apes and monkeys. It opened in 1971 and was the first zoo in the world where apes and monkeys could walk around freely in the forest and between the visitors...
- Kijivu (Grey): female, * 18 March 1993 in Apenheul
- Moja (One): female, * 13 December 2004 in the Prague Zoo, daughter of Richard and Kijivu, sister of Tatu and Kiburi, the first gorilla born in the Prague Zoo
- Tatu (Third): male, * 30 May 2007 in the Prague Zoo, son of Richard and Kijivu, brother of Moja and Kiburi
- Kiburi (Proud): male, * 24 April 2010 in the Prague Zoo, son of Richard and Kijivu, brother of Moja and Tatu
Multimedia
The Revealed show is multimediaMultimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
project. Cuts of all the webcasts from the beginning until today commented by a gorilla zookeeper
Zookeeper
A zookeeper is a worker in a zoo, responsible for the feeding and daily care of the animals. As part of their routine, they clean the exhibits and report health problems...
, primatologists
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
, ethologists
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
and other specialists, podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s and articles about the project are preserved and accessible on the website of the project. It is also possible to chat in online discussion
Online discussion
Online discussion is a relatively new form of communication, facilitated usually by computer networks. The first such communications were on mainframe-based systems such as the PLATO and CONFER systems in the early to mid 1970s. By the mid 1980's, dial-up bulletin board systems or "BBS's" run by...
s or have own blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
on the website. One of the blogs belongs to the gorilla zookeeper. He answers there all the questions about the life of gorillas asked by visitors of the website. Online games and an interactive map of the gorilla house are available too.
Awards
DVD based on the show was awarded the Comenius-EduMedia 2007 award by Gesellschaft für Pädagogik und Information. It was also awarded the Panda Award at Wildscreen FestivalWildscreen Festival
The Wildscreen Festival, an initiative of The Wildscreen Trust is an international festival of film, television and digital media inspired by nature and natural places...
(in the category ARKive interactive award) in 2006.
Prix Europa
Prix Europa is the Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. Its open juries sample and select the best television-, radio- and online productions of each year...
(in the category Internet Project of the Year 2006).
Marketing success
Although the project was primarily a parody of human reality shows and an educational programme it has also become an effective internet marketingInternet marketing
Internet marketing, also known as digital marketing, web marketing, online marketing, search marketing or e-marketing, is referred to as the marketing of products or services over the Internet...
strategy. Thanks to its original idea it has attracted attention of many people and brought publicity to the Prague Zoo. News channels and news service as BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, Yahoo! News
Yahoo! News
Yahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....
, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
and Agence France-Press informed people all around the world about this project.
The project has brought in new visitors as watching the gorillas online entices people to come to the Zoo and see them live. Website of Český rozhlas has registered increased number of hits too.
Creators of the show has used its publicity to caution about the problem of gorillas being critically endangered species. Money earned by selling gorilla T-shirts, books, CDs, DVDs, postcards and puzzles in an online shop, money raised from SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
sent by gorilla fans and money gained in a charitable online auction
Online auction business model
The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. The functionality of buying and selling in an auction format is made possible through auction software which regulates the various processes involved.Several types of online auctions are...
of paintings and photos of the Prague gorillas has been used to help wild gorillas in Africa. News about the supported gorillas in Africa are also presented on the website of The Revealed.