TV as Culture as Communication

COMN 3316

Agenda

• Visit to website to look at resources• Questions about exam• Lecture: Genres– Sit Com •Commercials •News •Talk shows

•“Public Television”

Genre in TV

• Is a recognizable pattern that allows us to sort and categorize television shows, personalities, technologies connected

Genre and TV: Ancestry

• The patterns may have historical roots in genres that preceded television

• The patterns may have historical roots in genres that preceded them (ex. reality TV)

Example 1: The Littlest Hobo: 1963-1965, and also 1979-1984

Rin Tin Tin: Radio and movie; Call of the Wild: Jack London; Lassie (book, TV (1954)

Genre and TV: Place

• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at necessary ties to place:examples: Sports; News, Canadian Idol, This Hour has 22

min• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at artificially

constructed ties to place: Examples: Survivor ; Soap Operas; Sit Com (Corner Gas)?Gilmore Girls (SET?): comedy drama ?Road to Avonlea? (drama/book adaptation)

Genre and TV: Place• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at necessary and

artificial ties to place and also by looking at broadcasting, distribution, channel informationexample: Corner Gas: Originally, created and distributed by CTV (CTV

distributes a commercial television, that satisfies CRTC and Domestic Heritage Standards, and such programming is eligible for federal supports in tax grants and other funding options), and is now also available through YouTube and other variants, On Demand (and its variants), DVD.

Corner Gas: Broadcast in varied forms, but is only currently easily accessed in broadcast forms through cable stations that air in Canada (or borders).

Genre and TV: Place• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at necessary and

artificial ties to place and also by looking at broadcasting, distribution, channel informationexample: Reality TV:Love It or List It: Takes place in varied Canadian Cities, and

allows a glimpse of our country. Yet never identifies these cities. Canadian reality shows around home improvement rarely ID the place, thus they can be marketed in US on HGTV (at least 50% of its programs are Canadian, but the only programs that identify the place they are in for the home improvement – are US.

Genre and TV: Place• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at necessary and

artificial ties to place and also by looking at broadcasting, distribution, channel informationexample: Reality TV:Love It or List It: W the Woman’s Channel: there is nothing

like this channel in the US. It is unavailable there: Mandate seems to be: Home Reno, Domestic support shows; Style shows (not so much any more); Romance movies and now TV crime dramas which feature women, and sitcoms women audiences like.

Genre and TV: Place• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at necessary and

artificial ties to place and also by looking at broadcasting, distribution, channel informationexample: Reality TV:Love It or List It: W the Woman’s Channel: Was originally

started as a channel to support women in response to varied CRTC concerns through 80’s & 90’s: example

Genre and TV: Place• Genre maybe analyzed by looking at necessary and

artificial ties to place and also by looking at broadcasting, distribution, channel informationexample: Reality TV:Love It or List It: Original WTN programming was to support

women in struggles, concerns that were under-supported by other channels. Example: Movie night would be followed by a discussion: For example the 1997 made for TV movie Prison of Secrets which tells a true story of a wrongful conviction of a women. The call in discussion following would be around wrongful convictions in Canada and how to help family members who have been or are are affected by a wrongful conviction.

Love It or List It: Current programming. Features the dual of the sexes in which a strong designer woman leaves her mark through winning most of the design challenges. Explores family issues through the contest.

Genre and Production: Style

• Choices in lighting, staging, entry, exit, audience address

• Choices in transitions between shots• Interfacing shots• Length of shots• Even choices in color pallets

Genre and Production: Style• EXAMPLE News: • Even choices in color pallets• Choices in lighting, staging, entry, exit, audience address• Choices in transitions between shots• Interfacing shots• Length of shots• Rhythm of the shots• Choices in what is shown• (Choices in distribution styles)

• Fox news excerpt• CTV news• Internet News: Local• BBC • Al Jazera• Al Jazera/Fora.tv

Genre and Dramatic Form: Plot• EXAMPLE : CSCI (crime show) VS Historical Drama vs?• Even choices in color pallets• Choices in lighting, staging, entry, exit, audience address• Choices in transitions between shots• Interfacing shots• Length of shots• Rhythm of the shots• Choices in what is shown• Storyline numbers

– CSI A– CSI B (see next image)– CSI C– Hockey, a People’s History– Heritage Minute example– Investigations on violence

Genre and Dramatic Form: Plot• EXAMPLE : Commercials• Even choices in color pallets• Choices in lighting, staging, entry, exit, audience address• Choices in transitions between shots• Interfacing shots• Length of shots• Rhythm of the shots• Choices in what is shown

• fido• CC• CC like to• CC historical? (see next slide)

• H and S