Bianca essay plan: How do Reality TV shows like Wife Swap and Supernanny construct "Reality" and why is this genre so popular?
Introduction: the development of reality TV
1. Outline essay question
2. I will be discussing why there are so many reality TV shows e.g. cheap production, no scripts, no actors (E)
“Reality programming provides a cheap alternative to drama. Typically, an hour-long drama can cost approximately $1.5m (£875,000) per hour, whereas reality programmes can cost as little as $200,000 (£114,000) per hour."
"It seems clear why producers make reality TV: these programmes are relatively cheap to make, certainly compared to drama, and they appear to guarantee audiences."
3. How the genre has been developed from a range of television genres such as game shows, talk shows, drama and documentary. (G)
Observational strands “always rely on a mix of fact and fiction, of popular elements of documentary or news, combined with popular elements of lifestyle or talk shows and even little bits of drama like melodrama or soap opera."
4. The genre is popular because it adds dramatic entertainment factors to reality (G)
"Though some of the new formats carry echoes of more serious categories of work…the feature that is common to all these newly devised formats is their entertainment orientation. Manifestly designed to appeal to a prime-time audience, the new formats have frequently imported structures and components from other TV genres to enhance their attractiveness"
4. I will explain my two case studies (Wife Swap and Supernanny) and how they take from the fly on the wall documentary genre, and how they differ from reality game show and TV talent such as Big brother and Britain's Got Talent (G) Yet the entertainment factor that makes them more reality than just factual documentary
Point one: Reality TV shows use the conventions of documentary to construct reality
"They see these developments as a more or less systematic attempt to replace the more serious and challenging forms of documentary with so much lightweight, undemanding pap"
Why? "Factual/documentary programming is now seen as having to fight for its place in the schedule alongside other genres."
1. The history of fly on the wall documentary and historical examples (H)
2. Documentary has high status and regard of representing reality fairly: (H, P, G)
3. Conventions of documentary (G, ML)
4. Analysis of Wife Swap and Supernanny and the conventions adopted from documentary e.g. voice over, music, mise en scene etc. (G, ML)
Point two: Reality TV's institutions manipulate reality to present their own ideologies
1. Channel 4 is the broadcaster of both Supernanny and Wife Swap, and I will discuss the ideologies of the channel e.g. strong entertainment values (IN, ID)
“Channel 4 and ITV are the organisations that broadcast the most popular reality television formats."
2. Institutions select characters for their shows
"First in their choice and deployment of real-life performers, programme makers are well aware that they are looking for a special kind of performance ability."
E.g. in Supernanny, all the families selected for the show have extremely bad children. All the people in these shows are REAL ordinary members of the public: the audience believe that the shows representing them are real too. (IN) Supernanny and her authority over the children could reflect the ideologies about adult power, authority and status (ID) This could then create moral panics about bad behaving children being the root of moral panics relating to young people in society: Aim to fix problems with difficult teens, (Wife Swap and problematic families)- it also reflects society. (Issues and debates- representation and stereotyping, S)
Hyper reality: "The simulation of something which never really existed." - Jean Baudrillard
"What reality TV does is bring up a moral issue and make people confront it and say, well, what kind of position are we going to take? Whether it resolves the issue for people is another matter."
Wife Swap “Subjects are clearly chosen on the basis of their demographic and psychographic heterogeneity (or difference); it is no coincidence that moderns are swapped with traditionals, urbans with rurals, etc...These binary oppositions in the organisation of the programme are a basic prerequisite; no friction, no show.”
3. Institutions use editing as a way of manipulating reality e.g. Wife Swap constantly uses binary oppositions through paralleling the families to highlight their differences (IN, ID) In particular, one family reflects the dominant ideologies of the institution which links to hegemony (ID, Issues and debates)
"The structure: Stock situations throughout the majority of the show include disagreements between husband and new ‘wife’ in both homes as the two narrative strands of each family are cross-cut to imply parallel action, usually over cleaning, cooking and disciplining children. The narrative climax is provided by the showdown between the two wives in the debriefing.”
"As well as the chained people, there are other people in the cave. Plato calls them the puppet-handlers, the ones holding those in the cave captive". e.g. the institution or authority...possibly the voiceover who constructs meaning or makes "puppet show". "If we think of the puppet handlers as the ‘elite’ or ruling class then this idea of a reality television-obsessed audience becomes controversial, drawing on the Media Studies concept of hegemony."
“Theories of hegemony are based around the idea that dominant classes persuade subordinate or lower ones to accept and adopt their values.”
“It uses ‘real’ people in certain kinds of ‘real’ situations, but it chooses and manipulates them in order to produce narrative, drama and conflict.”
4. In episodes, people are manipulated into character roles e.g. the children in Supernanny are seen as the villains (violent, abusive), the parents the princesses (victims, vulnerable) and Supernanny as the hero (dominant, authoritative) (R, N, Todorov)
5. In both Supernanny and Wife Swap, the narrative structure is always clear linear narrative with equilibrium, disequilibrium and a new equilibrium. In Wife Swap there is the recognition element too, as the families don't realise they are flawed, and there is not always a new improved equilibrium at the end. (N) I will then explain this construction and link it to the institution (IN)
Point 3: The genre is popular because audiences see themselves in the texts
1. I will discuss the audiences for Wife Swap and Supernanny e.g. families, mothers and women (A)
"Reality TV couldn’t be the success story it is if it didn’t appeal to lots of different kinds of audiences. It’s an all-round pleaser, an all-round entertainer. It manages this by drawing on the things we like about other genres. However, we do know some things: first of all, it appeals to younger viewers. I would call some older viewers ‘reality refuseniks’, whereas a lot of younger viewers, especially around 15-35 are much more attracted to the experimental nature of the genre, and the fact that it’s about people, about following ideas and subjects and emotions, and seeing what unfolds. Women tend to like it a bit more than men, and that’s certainly related to the fact that much reality TV draws on soap opera which, traditionally, has been a genre that appeals to women."
2. Uses and gratifications theory- mostly identification (A)
Contestants "mirror the manner in which all of us, in our everyday lives, are called on to produce a not dissimilar kind of performance"
“And we get to think about our own relationships and what we do in similar situations in some way. So the ‘people’ element and the emotions is crucially important."”
3. The element of self improvement for the contestants of the show- can provide information for the audiences who identify (A , Media effects)
"Such a narrative resolution is common in the ‘self-improvement’ broadcasting trends of the early twenty-first century."
Point 4: The genre is popular because it reflects society
1. Wife Swap and Supernanny deal with the family, the domestic etc- something that many people can relate to. (A ,S)
"If the genre continues to deal with big issues to do with health and education and mind, body and spirit matters or family breakdown, or the ‘broken Britain’ theme, then the programme-makers really need to build trust with the viewers. They’re dealing with serious issues and this requires a basis of trust that people have been treated fairly, that it’s a well-made programme with an ethical consideration to participation."
"It draws people in and forces them to take a position, often a critical position, often by imagining, would I do that in that situation? Would I behave in that way?"
2. It could be argued that Wife Swap aims to fix the idea of many failing marriages in the UK (S, Issues and debates)
3. Supernanny aims to reinforce the authority and hierarchy ideologies in society (S, Issues and debates)
4. Appeals to the voyeuristic nature of society e.g. journeying along side the lives of members of the public, seeing their highs and lows etc. (S)
"The success of reality TV is partly due to the increasingly voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live, and in part due to the obsession with celebrity and everyone wanting to be one. I would also argue that we are living in a much more ‘open society’; not open in terms of freedoms (in fact we have less freedoms), but open in terms of the ‘nothing is sacred’ philosophy."
Scopophilia: "Put simply, scopophilia is the pleasure of watching"
"The spectator’s gaze: the audience looking at the subject on the screen...The gaze is inextricably linked to power relationships – the bearer of the gaze has the power."
Conclusion
1. Summarise essay
2. It could be argued that reality TV is decreasing popularity
a. I will talk about the criticisms of reality TV and how it’s dumbing down society e.g. Big Brother, and the end of it (S, Issues and debates)
"there's a danger that in the rush to deliver more and more, quality will slip and standards will not be maintained"
"It’s often claimed that reality TV only appeals to stupid people, and we have to start by saying that that’s just simply not true! Firstly, it’s precisely the experimental nature of it, the fact that it is a mix of the things you like in other shows, a bit of soap opera, a bit of documentary, a bit of a talk show. We’re attracted to that hybrid nature of the genre."
b. Or are audiences becoming more active as they become aware of the mediated element of reality TV. (A)
"It is interesting how the recent discussion of reality television has heightened general awareness of fakery here, although it is not clear just what impact this has had on public perception of other, more serious, kinds of documentary work"
c. The decrease of docu-soap could reflect the future of reality TV’s popularity decrease (H)
"The unexpected popularity of series such as Airport, Driving School and Vets in Practice has, as suggested, led to a veritable feeding frenzy among programme makers, as rival channels sought to come up with their own docu-soap offerings."
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Task 4: Web research (An introduction to Documentary- MediaEdu)
Documentaries have a reputation for being serious, reliable and objective in their reporting, with a commitment to truthfulness. There are documentary programmes with elements of comedy, or drama, and the modern documentary uses elements from entertainment programming to attract an audience and be entertaining.
This highlights the idea of mediation and construction to fit the ideologies of the institution or director
"In a documentary programme we the audience interpret the reality of what we see on the screen, according to our own preoccupations and prejudices. We construct our notion of reality. The freedom fighter on your screen is the same terrorist on someone else’s television. The viewer’s interpretation of the programme is an integral part of the viewing experience."
The origins of documentary
"British filmmaker John Grierson: ‘the creative treatment of actuality’ using ‘fragments of reality’ ... Grierson understood that he could not film ‘reality’, because the director or programme maker always had some input into the interpretation of any scene"This highlights the idea of mediation and construction to fit the ideologies of the institution or director
"In a documentary programme we the audience interpret the reality of what we see on the screen, according to our own preoccupations and prejudices. We construct our notion of reality. The freedom fighter on your screen is the same terrorist on someone else’s television. The viewer’s interpretation of the programme is an integral part of the viewing experience."
Argues that audiences have an involvement in the construction of "reality"
Documentary Types - The Observational Documentary
"This approach is also known as ‘fly on the wall’ as the participants become so used to the cameras and sound equipment they live as if the equipment was not there at all, as invisible as a fly on the wall. This type of documentary can still be original, interesting and provocative."
Definition of fly on the wall
"Modern variants of this technique tend to be set up and cleverly managed, and highly edited to highlight content that is sensational or startling."
" The set up becomes the format for the programme, as for example: Wife Swap (right) and Brat Camp"
the set up is a convention of documentary where situations are created- this is what makes wife swap
An Introduction to Documentary
Jeremy Orlebar Monday April 26, 2010
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/an-introduction-to-documentary/
Thursday 23 December 2010
Task 2: Bibliography
1. Butler, Jeremy G.. Television critical methods and applications. 2nd ed. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum, 2002. Print.
2. Casey, Bernadette. Television studies: the key concepts. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.
3. Creeber, Glen. Tele-visions: An Introduction to Studying Television.. London: British Film Institute, 2006. Print.
4. Hill, Annette. Reality TV: audiences and popular factual television. London: Routledge, 2005. Print.
5. Hill, Annette. Restyling factual TV: audiences and news, documentary and reality genres. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.
6. Holmes, Su., and Deborah Jermyn. Understanding reality television . London: Routledge, 2004. Print.
7. Kilborn, R. W.. Staging the real: factual TV programming in the age of Big Brother. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003. Print.
8. Murray, Susan, and Laurie Ouellette. Reality TV: remaking television culture. New York: New York University Press, 2004. Print.
9. Taddeo, Julie Anne, and Ken Dvorak. The tube has spoken: reality TV & history. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. Print.
2. Casey, Bernadette. Television studies: the key concepts. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.
3. Creeber, Glen. Tele-visions: An Introduction to Studying Television.. London: British Film Institute, 2006. Print.
4. Hill, Annette. Reality TV: audiences and popular factual television. London: Routledge, 2005. Print.
5. Hill, Annette. Restyling factual TV: audiences and news, documentary and reality genres. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.
6. Holmes, Su., and Deborah Jermyn. Understanding reality television . London: Routledge, 2004. Print.
7. Kilborn, R. W.. Staging the real: factual TV programming in the age of Big Brother. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003. Print.
8. Murray, Susan, and Laurie Ouellette. Reality TV: remaking television culture. New York: New York University Press, 2004. Print.
9. Taddeo, Julie Anne, and Ken Dvorak. The tube has spoken: reality TV & history. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. Print.
Wednesday 22 December 2010
Task 3: Historical context
An American Family (Craig Gilbert, USA, 1972) http://www.subcin.com/americanfamily.html
"AN AMERICAN FAMILY was television's first reality show, shot documentary style in 1971 and first aired in the United States on PBS in 1973. The show was twelve episodes long, edited down from about 300 hours of footage, and chronicled the experience of a nuclear family, the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California"
This is an american example of where the entertainment values of reality tv were mixed with the documentary style.
Police (Roger Graef, UK, 1982) http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/464502/
"Fly-on-the-wall documentary about the routine and life of the men and women of 'E' division of Thames Valley Police"
"Police was quintessential fly-on-the-wall fare. Favouring long takes over fast editing, and shorn of commentary, background music or interviews, the series offered instead the drama of real, unpredictable, life and challenged the fictional stereotypes that had dominated television police drama."
Reality TV can construct reality by showing alternatives and varied representations different to the repeated representations
"In episode three, 'A Complaint of Rape', a woman with a history of psychiatric treatment claims she has been raped by three strangers and is, in turn, bullied and cajoled by three male officers who dismiss her story out of hand ... As she is subjected to the most hostile questioning, the accusing officers fill the frame in penetrating close-ups and the viewer gains some sense of her double violation."
This example shows how the use of shots and editing have an emotional and shocking impact on its audiences, as the show "caused a public outcry and led to a change in the way police forces handled rape cases ... Police showed that the fly-on-the-wall doesn't just watch the world. It can change it too."
Sylvania Waters (BBC 1, 1993)
"highly selective and skillfully edited" page 209, staging the real
Titcut Follies (1967)
"Wiseman's cinema-verite masterpiece about the horrid conditions at a Massachusetts asylum for the criminally insane is very possibly the greatest documentary film of all time, and it is not the kind of film that you just sit back in your oversized bean bag chair to enjoy. Forget about
what youve seen in Hollywood films, this is the raw, hellish reality of living in a cement cell,
as indifferent and sadistic guards taunt and abuse the inmates. Watch in horror as a doctor
forcefeeds a patient through a nose-tube, while carelessly dropping cigarette ash into the mix.
Screaming, babbling maniacs galore... the lunatic is on the grass, indeed"
http://www.subcin.com/titicut.html
"AN AMERICAN FAMILY was television's first reality show, shot documentary style in 1971 and first aired in the United States on PBS in 1973. The show was twelve episodes long, edited down from about 300 hours of footage, and chronicled the experience of a nuclear family, the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California"
This is an american example of where the entertainment values of reality tv were mixed with the documentary style.
Police (Roger Graef, UK, 1982) http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/464502/
"Fly-on-the-wall documentary about the routine and life of the men and women of 'E' division of Thames Valley Police"
"Police was quintessential fly-on-the-wall fare. Favouring long takes over fast editing, and shorn of commentary, background music or interviews, the series offered instead the drama of real, unpredictable, life and challenged the fictional stereotypes that had dominated television police drama."
Reality TV can construct reality by showing alternatives and varied representations different to the repeated representations
"In episode three, 'A Complaint of Rape', a woman with a history of psychiatric treatment claims she has been raped by three strangers and is, in turn, bullied and cajoled by three male officers who dismiss her story out of hand ... As she is subjected to the most hostile questioning, the accusing officers fill the frame in penetrating close-ups and the viewer gains some sense of her double violation."
This example shows how the use of shots and editing have an emotional and shocking impact on its audiences, as the show "caused a public outcry and led to a change in the way police forces handled rape cases ... Police showed that the fly-on-the-wall doesn't just watch the world. It can change it too."
Sylvania Waters (BBC 1, 1993)
"highly selective and skillfully edited" page 209, staging the real
Titcut Follies (1967)
"Wiseman's cinema-verite masterpiece about the horrid conditions at a Massachusetts asylum for the criminally insane is very possibly the greatest documentary film of all time, and it is not the kind of film that you just sit back in your oversized bean bag chair to enjoy. Forget about
what youve seen in Hollywood films, this is the raw, hellish reality of living in a cement cell,
as indifferent and sadistic guards taunt and abuse the inmates. Watch in horror as a doctor
forcefeeds a patient through a nose-tube, while carelessly dropping cigarette ash into the mix.
Screaming, babbling maniacs galore... the lunatic is on the grass, indeed"
http://www.subcin.com/titicut.html
Books and relevant quotes
Annette Hill, Reality TV: audiences and popular factual television, Routledge, 2005
"From a positive perspective, certain reality TV programmes can encourage viewers to apply an ethics of care in their everyday lives...an ethics of care presented in lifestyle programming is primarly about the care and responsibilities of individual households."
Reality TV adopts elements from documentary:
Different types of documentary:
Observational
Reflexive/performative
Docu-drama
Mock documentaries
Staging the real: factual TV programming in the age of Big Brother
The decrease in popularity of documentary in "Factual/documentary programming is now seen as having to fight for its place in the chedule alongside other genres." page 8
The shift from documentary to reality genres: "They see these developments as a more or less systematic attempt to replace the more serious and challegening forms of documentary with so much lightweight, undemanding pap"
Histrical example of the documentary and its values:
Civilisation (BBC 2, 1969)"When first transmitted it was generally considered to have enhanced the status of documentary by the way in which it brought a difficult high culture topic to the attention of a mass TV audience" page 9
"Though some of the new formats carry echoes of more serious catagories of work (the observational documentary, the investigative report), the feature that is common to all these newly devised formats is their entertainment orientation. Manifestly designed to appeal to a prime-time audience, the new formats have frequently imported structures and components from other TV genres to enhance their attractiveness" page 9
This shows how reality TV adopts elements of other TV show
Selection process of reality shows: "First in their choice and deployment of real-life performers, programme makers are well aware that they are looking for a special kind of performance ability." page 13
Audience appeal: "checking out how well subjects are able to maintain this level of performance"
Audience appeal: "mirror the manner in which all of us, in our everyday lives, are called on to produce a not dissimilar kind of performance" page 14
Audience appeal: "the pleasures that audiences take in measuring the subject's ability to generate an appropriate performance as a reflection of that real-life role-playing in which all of us are required to indulge on a daily basis." page 15
"It seems to me that all this inclusion and democratization fosters a culture which values participaton over ablity and popularity over excellence: the karaoke culture" page 15
Docu-soaps dumbing down- could reality tv be doing the same? "there's a danger that in the ruch to deliver more and more, quality will slip and standards will not be maintained" page
The decrease of docu-soap- could this suggest how post-2000 reality might end up?
"The unexpected popularity of series such as Airport, Driving School and Vets in Practice has, as suggested, led to a veritable feeding frenzy among programme makers, as rival channels sought to come up with their own docu-soap offerings."
Suzan Murray, Laurie Ouellette, Reality TV: remaking television culture
http://books.google.com/books?id=4_W19oHGzZQC&pg=PA179&dq=channel+4+and+reality+tv&hl=en#v=onepage&q=channel%204%20and%20reality%20tv&f=false
"Producer Craig Gilbert described the above nonfiction program, An American Family, as a "real-life soap opera" in regard to its narrative structure." page 65
"it is now alternately discussed as an observational documentary and an early form of reality television" page 66
This is one of my historical examples and shows how the genre is not clear cut like my contemporary shows Wife Swap and Supernanny
"The types of reality programs that share the most textual and aesthetic characteristics with documentaries tend to focs on the everyday lives of their subjects in somewhat "natural" settings without a game set up...or the promise of prizes"
This shows how my two case studies can be considered as taking from documentary because there is the natural element
Television: critical methods and applications By Jeremy G. Butler http://books.google.com/books?id=9ZtBYbEGhi8C&pg=PA80&dq=reality+and+narrative+structure&hl=en&ei=DigTTZy0BKGShAfoxOm2Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=reality%20and%20narrative%20structure&f=false
"they should have structure and conflict, problem and denouement, rising and falling action, a begining, a middle and an end" page 80
narrative structure of my case studies
"the media manipulate and process those events that they have selected for us... it is also mediates according to ideological, institutionalised parameters" page 81
the link between mediation and the institution that does it
An ordinary person in a reality show is called as "social actor" as they represent themselves in the show- though it is still somewhat a performance. Page 84
The feeling of personal audience interaction: "The characters interact as if there were no one watching...there are millions watching" Page 85
The tube has spoken: reality TV & history By Julie Anne Taddeo, Ken Dvorak
http://books.google.com/books?id=NBHXVBEHVzEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=wife+swap+reality+TV&hl=en&ei=eikTTeDkLYabhQfO8qy3Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=wife%20swap%20reality%20TV&f=false
Tele-vison: An introduction to studying television
"It is interesting how the recent discussion of reality television has heightended general awareness of fakery here, although it is not clear just what impact this has had on public perception of other, more serious, kinds of documentary work" page 62
"From a positive perspective, certain reality TV programmes can encourage viewers to apply an ethics of care in their everyday lives...an ethics of care presented in lifestyle programming is primarly about the care and responsibilities of individual households."
Reality TV adopts elements from documentary:
Different types of documentary:
Observational
Reflexive/performative
Docu-drama
Mock documentaries
Staging the real: factual TV programming in the age of Big Brother
The decrease in popularity of documentary in "Factual/documentary programming is now seen as having to fight for its place in the chedule alongside other genres." page 8
The shift from documentary to reality genres: "They see these developments as a more or less systematic attempt to replace the more serious and challegening forms of documentary with so much lightweight, undemanding pap"
Histrical example of the documentary and its values:
Civilisation (BBC 2, 1969)"When first transmitted it was generally considered to have enhanced the status of documentary by the way in which it brought a difficult high culture topic to the attention of a mass TV audience" page 9
"Though some of the new formats carry echoes of more serious catagories of work (the observational documentary, the investigative report), the feature that is common to all these newly devised formats is their entertainment orientation. Manifestly designed to appeal to a prime-time audience, the new formats have frequently imported structures and components from other TV genres to enhance their attractiveness" page 9
This shows how reality TV adopts elements of other TV show
Selection process of reality shows: "First in their choice and deployment of real-life performers, programme makers are well aware that they are looking for a special kind of performance ability." page 13
Audience appeal: "checking out how well subjects are able to maintain this level of performance"
Audience appeal: "mirror the manner in which all of us, in our everyday lives, are called on to produce a not dissimilar kind of performance" page 14
Audience appeal: "the pleasures that audiences take in measuring the subject's ability to generate an appropriate performance as a reflection of that real-life role-playing in which all of us are required to indulge on a daily basis." page 15
"It seems to me that all this inclusion and democratization fosters a culture which values participaton over ablity and popularity over excellence: the karaoke culture" page 15
Docu-soaps dumbing down- could reality tv be doing the same? "there's a danger that in the ruch to deliver more and more, quality will slip and standards will not be maintained" page
The decrease of docu-soap- could this suggest how post-2000 reality might end up?
"The unexpected popularity of series such as Airport, Driving School and Vets in Practice has, as suggested, led to a veritable feeding frenzy among programme makers, as rival channels sought to come up with their own docu-soap offerings."
Suzan Murray, Laurie Ouellette, Reality TV: remaking television culture
http://books.google.com/books?id=4_W19oHGzZQC&pg=PA179&dq=channel+4+and+reality+tv&hl=en#v=onepage&q=channel%204%20and%20reality%20tv&f=false
"Producer Craig Gilbert described the above nonfiction program, An American Family, as a "real-life soap opera" in regard to its narrative structure." page 65
"it is now alternately discussed as an observational documentary and an early form of reality television" page 66
This is one of my historical examples and shows how the genre is not clear cut like my contemporary shows Wife Swap and Supernanny
"The types of reality programs that share the most textual and aesthetic characteristics with documentaries tend to focs on the everyday lives of their subjects in somewhat "natural" settings without a game set up...or the promise of prizes"
This shows how my two case studies can be considered as taking from documentary because there is the natural element
Television: critical methods and applications By Jeremy G. Butler http://books.google.com/books?id=9ZtBYbEGhi8C&pg=PA80&dq=reality+and+narrative+structure&hl=en&ei=DigTTZy0BKGShAfoxOm2Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=reality%20and%20narrative%20structure&f=false
"they should have structure and conflict, problem and denouement, rising and falling action, a begining, a middle and an end" page 80
narrative structure of my case studies
"the media manipulate and process those events that they have selected for us... it is also mediates according to ideological, institutionalised parameters" page 81
the link between mediation and the institution that does it
An ordinary person in a reality show is called as "social actor" as they represent themselves in the show- though it is still somewhat a performance. Page 84
The feeling of personal audience interaction: "The characters interact as if there were no one watching...there are millions watching" Page 85
The tube has spoken: reality TV & history By Julie Anne Taddeo, Ken Dvorak
http://books.google.com/books?id=NBHXVBEHVzEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=wife+swap+reality+TV&hl=en&ei=eikTTeDkLYabhQfO8qy3Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=wife%20swap%20reality%20TV&f=false
Tele-vison: An introduction to studying television
"It is interesting how the recent discussion of reality television has heightended general awareness of fakery here, although it is not clear just what impact this has had on public perception of other, more serious, kinds of documentary work" page 62
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Task 1: Wife Swap Series 7 Episode 1 Textual Analysis
The main analysis refers to the introduction of the two families: 1.20-4.20
I watched this episode on 40D via Youtube and now has come off due to its 30 day viewing time, but the family names are the Escotts Vs Ahmeds
The narrative structure is simple and ends very much like a fictional show; there is mostly a happy ending. The linear narrative show allows the audience to journey along side the family; the voyeuristic element allows intimacy with their lives. The show starts off with the equilibrium of two families living their lives. The disequilibrium is the swap itself, the disruption of a new wife with very different values and life style which then leads onto the rule changes, disrupting the family lives even more. The show ends with a “show down” where the two families attempt to resolve any issues. The ending usually shows the two families with a happier ending and provides the audience with denouement. This repetative structure of the show relfects how society lives in the fictional world with films and dramas, which reinforces the idea of hyperreality: "The simulation of something which never really existed" (Baulldrid) and the inability to distinguish reality and fantasy.
One of the narrative techniques that makes the show unique is the strong binary oppositions of the two families which connotes and foreshadows conflict. The binary oppositions come from the contrasting representations of the families and their ethinicities. The first family introduced is an asian family called the Ahmeds. In terms of Structuralism, shots of the mosque, clothing and close ups of cultural food all signify how the institution has chosen to highlight their strong religious and cultural background. This distances and alienates the family from some audiences as they may not recognise the things they've seen. In particular the use of non-digetic music reinforces their culture and is unrecognisable to the audience. This contrasts with the British family where the non-digetic music is a well known allowing British and majority of other audiences to identify with this family. This all suggests that not only are opposite families are selected to create contrast and conflict, but that the institution mediated the swap process to make one family favoured by the audience; in this case it is the Escotts. This is because the Escotts reflect the diverse nature of families in Britiain with a lesbian daughter, bredwinner mother and a step father. The Ahmeds may have been poorly represented as the text allowes space for post-9/11 attituedes towards them from the audience, and does little to challenge and accuratly represent their religion and culture.
Though there are little educational elements of the show, its aesthetics adopts the conventions of documentary. Wife Swap is a fly on the wall documentary with entertainment and self improvement values which sometimes classes it as reality TV. Fly on the wall documentaries such as An American Family (Gilbert, 1972) show the origins of shows surrounding the voyerism of family life. Wife Swap uses conventions such as the humorous voice over, interviews with the family member characters and sound bridging all add to the feel of a documentary. The most noticable convention is the hand held camera providing voyeristic elements to the show. This is one of the elements that make reality TV so popular as it highlights societies love of viewing and prying in others lives in our "open society"
Wife Swap’s entertaining nature strongly reflects the ideologies of its broadcaster, Channel 4. Channel 4 is a commercial channel which means unlike a Public Service Broadcaster, it's sole intention is to make lots of money which mean providing programmes that audiences want to watch. In the current tv landscape it seems that reality tv and its entertainment is what audiences want and therefore many of the shows Channel 4 broadcast such as "Alan Carr: Chatty Man" or "The Simpsons" reflect its strong entertainment values and at times this entertainment can be of adult content suggesting why Wife Swap is aired after watershed. Channel 4 also has aims of reflecting a multicultural society and this shows why it would air this programme and in particular this episode of the show, highlighting its positive and liberal ideologies. As money is important to this institution, a show such as Wife Swap with a cheap production cost, real people, no scripts or expensive settings would attract such a broadcaster.
Like other reality TV shows, Wife Swap has a larger audience compared to other genres, which makes the show very popular. Wife Swap is targeted at 16-45 year olds with a wider audience of 14-60 year olds. Interestingly the show has the capability to appeal to all of the 4C’s as the show represents theses people through their lifestyle and values which audiences can identify with and support. For example the Ahmed’s are a resigned family as they stick to historical and cultural traditions, while the Escotts are Reformers, independent with their individual values. Not only does it appeal to a wide range of 4Cs but a wide range of ethnicities as they want to see how they are represented in the show. The show is targeted at a family audience due to its house hold setting and family orientated characters. The show provides narrative pleasure such as the happy endings, suspense of how the wives and families will interact and there are always strong expectations for conflict as this is the main source of entertainment. In terms of the uses and gratifications theory, escapism allows audiences to voyeuristically interact with another home and family life, see how they live in the comfort of their own home. With this comes the entertainment, seeing how the wife’s and new families struggle to get on with each other or settling into the new rules. The ways in which families respond to the Wife Swapping situation allows audiences to identify with the families as well as identifying their own faults and possible improvements in their own lives: this becomes the information and learning element of the uses and gratifications theory.
I watched this episode on 40D via Youtube and now has come off due to its 30 day viewing time, but the family names are the Escotts Vs Ahmeds
The narrative structure is simple and ends very much like a fictional show; there is mostly a happy ending. The linear narrative show allows the audience to journey along side the family; the voyeuristic element allows intimacy with their lives. The show starts off with the equilibrium of two families living their lives. The disequilibrium is the swap itself, the disruption of a new wife with very different values and life style which then leads onto the rule changes, disrupting the family lives even more. The show ends with a “show down” where the two families attempt to resolve any issues. The ending usually shows the two families with a happier ending and provides the audience with denouement. This repetative structure of the show relfects how society lives in the fictional world with films and dramas, which reinforces the idea of hyperreality: "The simulation of something which never really existed" (Baulldrid) and the inability to distinguish reality and fantasy.
One of the narrative techniques that makes the show unique is the strong binary oppositions of the two families which connotes and foreshadows conflict. The binary oppositions come from the contrasting representations of the families and their ethinicities. The first family introduced is an asian family called the Ahmeds. In terms of Structuralism, shots of the mosque, clothing and close ups of cultural food all signify how the institution has chosen to highlight their strong religious and cultural background. This distances and alienates the family from some audiences as they may not recognise the things they've seen. In particular the use of non-digetic music reinforces their culture and is unrecognisable to the audience. This contrasts with the British family where the non-digetic music is a well known allowing British and majority of other audiences to identify with this family. This all suggests that not only are opposite families are selected to create contrast and conflict, but that the institution mediated the swap process to make one family favoured by the audience; in this case it is the Escotts. This is because the Escotts reflect the diverse nature of families in Britiain with a lesbian daughter, bredwinner mother and a step father. The Ahmeds may have been poorly represented as the text allowes space for post-9/11 attituedes towards them from the audience, and does little to challenge and accuratly represent their religion and culture.
Though there are little educational elements of the show, its aesthetics adopts the conventions of documentary. Wife Swap is a fly on the wall documentary with entertainment and self improvement values which sometimes classes it as reality TV. Fly on the wall documentaries such as An American Family (Gilbert, 1972) show the origins of shows surrounding the voyerism of family life. Wife Swap uses conventions such as the humorous voice over, interviews with the family member characters and sound bridging all add to the feel of a documentary. The most noticable convention is the hand held camera providing voyeristic elements to the show. This is one of the elements that make reality TV so popular as it highlights societies love of viewing and prying in others lives in our "open society"
Wife Swap’s entertaining nature strongly reflects the ideologies of its broadcaster, Channel 4. Channel 4 is a commercial channel which means unlike a Public Service Broadcaster, it's sole intention is to make lots of money which mean providing programmes that audiences want to watch. In the current tv landscape it seems that reality tv and its entertainment is what audiences want and therefore many of the shows Channel 4 broadcast such as "Alan Carr: Chatty Man" or "The Simpsons" reflect its strong entertainment values and at times this entertainment can be of adult content suggesting why Wife Swap is aired after watershed. Channel 4 also has aims of reflecting a multicultural society and this shows why it would air this programme and in particular this episode of the show, highlighting its positive and liberal ideologies. As money is important to this institution, a show such as Wife Swap with a cheap production cost, real people, no scripts or expensive settings would attract such a broadcaster.
Like other reality TV shows, Wife Swap has a larger audience compared to other genres, which makes the show very popular. Wife Swap is targeted at 16-45 year olds with a wider audience of 14-60 year olds. Interestingly the show has the capability to appeal to all of the 4C’s as the show represents theses people through their lifestyle and values which audiences can identify with and support. For example the Ahmed’s are a resigned family as they stick to historical and cultural traditions, while the Escotts are Reformers, independent with their individual values. Not only does it appeal to a wide range of 4Cs but a wide range of ethnicities as they want to see how they are represented in the show. The show is targeted at a family audience due to its house hold setting and family orientated characters. The show provides narrative pleasure such as the happy endings, suspense of how the wives and families will interact and there are always strong expectations for conflict as this is the main source of entertainment. In terms of the uses and gratifications theory, escapism allows audiences to voyeuristically interact with another home and family life, see how they live in the comfort of their own home. With this comes the entertainment, seeing how the wife’s and new families struggle to get on with each other or settling into the new rules. The ways in which families respond to the Wife Swapping situation allows audiences to identify with the families as well as identifying their own faults and possible improvements in their own lives: this becomes the information and learning element of the uses and gratifications theory.
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