Even though mise-en-scène plays an important role in crafting meaning in television programs, the impact of the mise-en-scène only works when a narrative is present. Most readers may be familiar with the idea that television programs tells stories, but Mittell argues that even unscripted television programs use narrative structures in their programming as well. While chapter five of Jason Mittell’s book. Television and American Culture, focused on mise-en-scène and the stylistic elements that contribute to the meaning made inside a television show such as setting, staging, costumes & makeup, and lighting, chapter six focuses more on the creation of the television narrative.
There are many facets to the creation of the television narrative.
…show more content…
Mittell goes over character characterization, the difference between story and plot, the different types of narration and narrators, narrative time, narrative modes and plot structures and the the definition of a television genre along with the types of television genres. One important distinction that he makes early on in the chapter is to define the difference between story and plot. Story is a term that refers to all events and characters within a show, while plot refers to events shown on screen and can include any information that is presented on screen including background music, captions, voice overs, etc. In addition, plot also refers to the particular choices that are made in the presentation of the material. The biggest difference between story and plot comes from what is shown on-screen. An on-screen television plot can be about a story, but the nuances of a television story don’t always have to be shown on-screen. In addition to stating the differences between story and plot, he also uses the term narrative time to refer to the different categories of time within any narrative. Story time refers to how time passes within the television story world, plot time refers to how time is presented on screen, and the last aspect, screen time, refers to the actual device and the physical time (in reality) that is used to watch the story, like 30 minutes or an hour. I thought that this chapter was pretty dense in terms of reading, though I did find Mittell’s discussion of the difference between story and plot pretty interesting.
After reading Mittell’s chapter six, I agree with Mittell’s argument that story and plot are both integral parts of a television program. While many people would agree that a television plot is necessary to draw viewers into getting invested in the lives of the characters, I would argue that the television story is even more important, especially now in the social media and internet age. With easy accessibility to television shows, it is easier than ever to find new television shows. But due to the increased saturation of the television market, shows are constantly being changed every few years. When a television program ends, the story of the television program takes on a life of its own. The ending of a television program illustrates the interdependence between television story and fandom culture. Fandom culture and the creation of fanworks depend on the creation of the television story. The television story sets limits for the fan characterizations of characters like their personality and limits, as well as setting up basic information about the universe the characters inhabit. For example, if Kratos is known to hate tomatoes, to state in a fanfiction that “Kratos loves tomatoes” would be mischaracterizing Kratos. But at the same time, fandom culture and fanworks also expand and expound upon the television story created in the television program, allowing fans of a show to enjoy additional adventures of their favorite characters long after their story has ended on-screen. If one searches Archive of Our Own, Pixiv, Livejournal, Devianart and Tumblr, one can view various fanworks that individuals create for these long ended television stories. The accessibility of these platforms and their status as community hubs allow people to create stories and expand on a television’s story. In return, people can
continue to enjoy and consume their television programs through the creation of fanworks and other created fan content.
Not only educational shows accomplish these goals, but fictional television programs can often incorporate information that requires viewers to grapple with a topic using logical reasoning and a global consciousness. In addition, not to diminish the importance of reading, television reaches those who may never pick up a book or who might struggle with reading problems, enabling a broader spectrum of people to interact with cognitive topics. Veith has committed the error of making generalizations about two forms of media when, in truth, the situation varies depending on quality and content. However, what follows these statements is not just fallacious, but
Throughout the evolution of television shows, one thing that is evident in them is that the families follow some sort of sociological theory. By observing these shows, it is easy to perceive what the struggles and achievements these families may experience. Specific examples of television families that display a sociological theory is: Switched at Birth showing conflict theory, Full House presenting symbolic interactionalism, and finally, The 100 which showcases feminist theory. In all of these shows, the families involved each go through their own issues with themselves and each other as well as barriers that may get in the way of their success. Analyzing families through the sociological perspectives open up opportunity for people to better
The Americanization of Australian Television is a sad and terrible thing. It is a process whereby ordinary Australians are bombarded every day with images of American lifestyle, so much that it merges almost unnoticed into their own lifestyle. It is a process whereby our home-grown entertainment industry is overwhelmed by the enormous powerhouse of the American economy, with drastic effects upon the modern Australian nation. Not only is Australian free to air TV being dominated by American produced shows, but a lot of the content on the Australian TV shows is sourced from America. American culture is part of Australian mass consumer culture, It dominates our television.
Popular culture is the artistic and creative expression in entertainment and style that appeals to society as whole. It includes music, film, sports, painting, sculpture, and even photography. It can be diffused in many ways, but one of the most powerful and effective ways to address society is through film and television. Broadcasting, radio and television are the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world, and they have become a crucial instrument of modern social and political organization. Most of today’s television programming genres are derived from earlier media such as stage, cinema and radio. In the area of comedy, sitcoms have proven the most durable and popular of American broadcasting genres. The sitcom’s success depends on the audience’s familiarity with the habitual characters and the situations
How much of television is comprised of real life? By examining one show within its context, one can find the answer. Reality is reflected in the themes; rhetorical strategies; and audience, importance, and popularity. By examining the situational comedy series: Drake and Josh, a popular teen show from 2004, it is possible to see how reality shapes television. Drake and Josh is centered around two brothers in San Diego, California: Drake and Josh. Drake is portrayed as the suave, charming, bad boy in a band. He gets all the girls, leaving Josh in the dust. Josh is a nerdy brainiac, who has an unhealthy infatuation with Oprah Winfrey. They also have a meteorologist father and a kooky mother. Plus, a younger sister who painfully pranks them in
The media has been a part of the daily life of the American people for the longest time, because of this fact, the media influences the decisions and views of how people should live. One big part of the media that tends to start to develop a sense of how the day-to-day American should live is Disney. Since kids are the main source of Disney’s billion dollar industry children have become an important dimension of the social theory (Giroux 1999: 65). “Within this context, television emerges as a consumer-oriented medium that reflects advertisers’ desire to reach a young, upscale, and primarily White audience” (Goodale1999; Henderson and Baldasty 2003: 100). As a result other races and ethnic groups other than white Americans are often put aside when it comes to the social media view of how Americans should live.
“A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory” argues that the application of film and literary genre theory do not fully translate when analyzing television, because of “the specific industry and audience practices unique to television, or for the mixture of fictional and nonfictional programming that constitutes the lineup on nearly every TV channel. 2” The goal of media genre studies, Mittell asserts, is to understand how media is arranged within the contexts of production and reception, and how media work to create our vision of the world.
Being There is the story of Chance, a simple gardener turned American media hero. He seems to know nothing but television and gardening. His thoughts and judgments are products of television and his gardening experience. Yet through his simple mild mannered ways he unintentionally becomes the center of America’s business news. The author of Being There, Jerzy Kosinski said “To read a novel is to practice for real life. Fiction doesn’t change anybody’s life, it merely hints at the different ways of looking at oneself, at others, and at society” Since Chance was not able to read, television shows were his novels. Television was his practice for real life.
Television adds many qualities to the nineties life. This is even true of the prime time teen angst drama. Dawson’s Creek (classified with the above prime time teen angst drama) can and does contribute interesting qualities to a written work. This show is a prime example of social interactions. Every character is at least acquainted with every other character, which gives the watcher the chance to see one character in many different situations. The word situation does not always mean social interaction though. Situations encompass the setting also. In television the set is made to be large, bright, and overall catching to the eye. Since a television screen is so small all of the important aspects of the set are brought forth they are easily viewed. This show of blatant importance can help an author decide on what is a really important part of their literature. Television though is not the only tool a writer can take advantage of. Indeed movies can also be of great importance.
Up until recently television has been the most prominent medium of entertainment and information in our lives. Nothing could beat Saturday morning cartoons, the six o'clock news and zoning out from the world by the distractions of prime time sitcoms. It is all of these things and more that formed television into what was thought to be the ultimate entertainment medium, that is, up until now. Television in the twenty-first century is not the television our parents watched or in fact what we watched as children. Today’s generation are no longer satisfied with the traditional television experience. Today’s audience no longer has to follow the network’s predetermined schedule nor is television the one dimensional experience it used to be. Viewers no longer need to schedule a fixed time in order to gather information or watch their favourite show (Smith 5). They can record it with the push of the DVR (Digital Video Recording) button or watch it on a device and obtain background information via the Internet. In addition, viewers now have the opportunity to interact with, share, and produce their own material from their favourite show (5). In order to not lose the authenticity of television, media theorists have created transmedia. This new twist on television gives the user more control and more involvement than ever before. The concept has been termed as transmedia storytelling. The online journal Infoline defines transmedia storytelling in its January 2014 issue as “social, mobile, accessible and re-playable.” Originally coined in the 1990’s it was not until 2003 when Henry Jenkins, a professor of communications at the University of Southern California, wrote his article “Transmedia Storytelling” that the term began being ...
America has a long history with television, and since the very beginning those who produce it have been trying to use the medium to spread messages and encourage discussion between audience members. With a show like the one I’m going to analyze, Breaking Bad, very little information gets laid out plainly for the audience. Instead, subtle clues are spread throughout the show through textual elements such as camera work, visual design, and character’s actions, left for the audience so that they may piece it together and discover what lies beneath for themselves. This type of direction for a show also intends for audience discussion and debate, just in a more convoluted way. This is how shows today function as cultural forums. In this essay I will analyze the television series Breaking Bad and examine how it functions as a cultural forum in this way and poses the question,
However in this essay, I am going to analyse what is the enduring appeal of crime drama for a television audience through a close analysis of crime theory, the narrative as well as the gender of the crime drama genre. I will illustrate my analysis with three detailed examples of Oz (1997-2003), 24 (2001-2010) and The Bill (1983-2010).
Fan Culture is something that has been around for a while, but it the last twenty years, since the introduction of the Internet, it is also something that has changed dramatically. A fan is an enthusiast of something and now the Internet is a good home for fans to gather and build together a community of fans, a ‘Fandom’. The turn Fandom means a community of a group of people who all enjoy them same thing and the Internet has created a place for online communities. Fan Culture has irreversibly changed the media industry because of the ability share information and fan made created content. The creation of these online based communities have meant that people from all over the world can talk about the latest TV shows, movies, books, comics and other forms of content and create groups dedicated to them. The Internet has also become a platform for the creation of a collective community, where individuals who all have shared interests can go. “Fans uses of technologies bring a sense of playfulness to the work of active reading” (2010; 12). Digital Fandoms are user-led forum of content creation, the fans create a number of things; fan fiction, fan blogs, fan made videos, fan art work, wiki leaks. The fans create a whole new life, another side of the TV show, film or book, that is complicity run and used by the fans. These fan made creation do not have to stick to what is canon in the show and can do what they wish with the character and the storylines. However is this an okay thing to do, Henry Jenkins refers to the fans who create these things are ‘Textual Poachers’. Those fans are now active interpreters instead of passive consumers. In this view the fans are poaching the created content of the writer. The fans have power to create t...
Lane, P, J. (2001) “The Existential Condition of Television Crime Drama” Journal of Popular Culture Vol. 34. p 137.
escape from the pressures and stress of day to day life. The television, to them,