Spotlight on Popular Culture. Kate Thompson Aurora College

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1 Spotlight on Popular Culture Kate Thompson Aurora College

2 The creation and development of reality TV Like all popular cultures, reality TV is a profit-driven activity. Different types of programs are constructed and edited by media professionals to create the most commercially viable product possible. 1 Reality TV first came to Australian television as the 1992 program Sylvania Waters. Ensure that the popular culture you ve chosen satisfies the four distinguishing characteristics listed in the syllabus. Once you ve had a few class discussions and done some background reading, attempt to answer the question below from the 2011 HSC exam paper. Marking guidelines can be found on the BOSTES website. Origins of Reality TV Reality TV is a genre of television program with certain styles and characteristics are unique to this type of program. Ordinary people who are largely unscripted, are usually put in dramatic, humorous, exotic or abnormal situations. This is vastly different to other genres of television such as news, crime shows, and children s programs for example. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is a federal government body and it compiled the list of following characteristics of realty TV for the purposes of their 2007 study. Reality TV: Has an emphasis on factual and unscripted content Employs the use of real people (not professional actors) Portrays unscripted interactions between ordinary people Includes a competitive game show element in which participants compete with each other Presents situations or modified environments controlled by producers which may be highly contrived or manipulated Means editing live footage to enhance and create storylines 2 But is reality TV a genre in its own right? It is considered to be a highly edited reality and a blurring of genres. Many programs borrow elements from other television genres such as variety shows and lifestyle shows. Since its development, reality TV has changed and evolved significantly. The most recent forms of the genre draw upon game shows, documentaries and elements of drama (dramality). It can actually be broken down in to sub-genres such as: The gamedoc: Survivor, The Apprentice, Big Brother, Next Top Model The dating program: Bachelor, Beauty and the Geek The makeover: What not to wear, Extreme Makeover The docusoap: The Real World, Real Housewives The talent contest: Australian Idol, Dancing with the Stars, The Voice The cooking comp: Masterchef, My Kitchen Rules The home improvement: The Block, Renovations 1 Pitner, S. (2009) How Media constructs Reality Television shows: do they depict real life or fiction? accessed via Media Literacy Suite on 27/10/10 at URL 2 ACMA (2007) Reality Television Review: Volume 1, Final Report, Australian Government, March 30

3 The development of reality TV was linked to the emergence of multichannel television in the 1990s which created the need for provocative programs to attract audiences in an increasingly competitive media environment. 3 As Daniel Minahan, an American film director states, Reality TV is a symptom of a world where the lines between reality and fiction and news and entertainment are blurring. People are disillusioned with formulaic TV dramas and sitcoms and are looking for something that seems more authentic, although as we all know, it is completely contrived and manipulated, but that's part of the fun. People are willing to go with it. Activities 1. Brainstorm what you already know about Reality TV. 2. Examine your own interaction with reality TV. Eg: time spent, what you think of the values presented etc 3. Is reality TV a new phenomenon or just a different combination of existing genres? 4. Address the paradox that reality TV is not really reality. 5. How would you define the term genre? 6. Outline the origins of reality TV. Extra reading on the evolution of TV cooking shows Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows By Kathleen Collins Development of reality television (local to global) Unlike some popular cultures, such as Japanese Anime and Bollywood films, reality TV doesn t appear to have evolved in a linear fashion from a local to a national to a global level. Due to the nature of television broadcasting it is very easy to bypass access at the local level and immediately make programs available to national and international populations. Reality TV appears to have occurred first in the USA with Candid Camera and was shortly followed by The Family in the UK. Ever since its inception there has been widespread access to reality TV across the US and Europe via free-to-air television, with millions of followers and die-hard fans catching all the crucial moments, conversations, evictions, challenges and scandals. Figure 3 below shows a simplified timeline of reality TV s development. The origins of reality TV are therefore also quite anglo-centric, primarily being produced and broadcast in western cultures. Two television channels, Fox Reality in the US and Zone Reality in the UK dedicate every hour to reality shows. It should be noted that not as much research and news media covered reality TV programs many decades ago in non-western cultures so this presents a challenge 3 Baltruschat, D. (2009) Reality TV formats: the case of Canadian Idol in Canadian Journal of Communication 34(1) pp accessed on 18/3/13 at URL

4 when judging the precise origins of such a genre. However, research has indicated the popularity of reality TV in Asia is growing, with a significantly large uptake. Japan has quite unique game shows and reality shows with enormous followings (see link to news article below). This is an example of the development of Japanese reality TV and its widespread access. News article The ultimate in reality TV by Shane Green Japan Correspondent, November 22, 2003 URL: Questions: 1. What programs triggered the reality TV industry in Japan. Explain its relationship to the Japanese value of endurance? 2. Who was Nasubi? Describe the challenges he faced? 3. Compare Australian reality TV programs to those mentioned in Japan. 4. Outline the positive and negative aspects of Japanese reality TV programs Formats, or the way the program is branded and produced, of contemporary programs allow for global access as producers can buy the rights to local version of the reality TV program. For example, Big Brother began in 2000 and caused a sensation. This brand new format spread worldwide from the USA to Australia, South Africa and many other countries. It was different, available 24 hours per day and people could watch the participants do anything, even in the bathroom! But what was the appeal about watching university age students going about their daily business such as brushing their teeth or putting on make-up? Was it naughty to watch? Everyone was getting used to the intimate genre of reality TV where emotion was raw, interaction was real and controversy ruled. The fact that it was the first televised contemporary reality program in Australia was in itself addictive. After you ve looked at the nature and control of the popular culture, answer the question below from the 2005 HSC exam paper. Marking guidelines can be found on the BOSTES website.

5 1940s s Filming peoples reactions to contrived situations, eg: Candid Camera (1948) first put ordinary people in the spotlight Talent shows, game shows and practical jokes were introduced in the US 1960s s Series following individuals or families lives emerged in the US and UK eg: Seven Up! released in Since then, the lives of the same British children have been tracked every 7 years. In the US, American Family (1973) was a 12-part series and followed a family through California, Santa Barbara and even a divorce. Attracted controversy for misrepresentation of real events In the UK, The Family (1974) followed a similar format and likwise generated a great deal of attention 1980s First season of COPS was lauched and still continues today (US, 1989) in which hand held cameras were used to follow and record police on their daily rounds allowing events to unfold on camera. This occured in response to 5 month 'writers union strike' in 1988 where the quality of soap operas fell, viewers became tired of David Letterman re-runs and were craving something more. 1990s Real Stories of Highway Patrol (US, 1993) used interviews, re-enactments and real-time policing. Sylvania Waters (Australia, 1992) followed a family over a six-month period. This had the same producer as The Family Putting strangers in a house and filming what happens originated with MTV's The Real World (1992) and proved to be popular as it was one of the longest running reality series with over 24 seasons. 2000s Intense competition between a range of reality TV progams originated from a range of genres including panel, game shows, quiz shows, documentaries, home improvement and variety shows. Reality show formats are able to be adapted to suit local tastes by casting local participants in local settings Pop Idol (Australian Idol equivalent for the UK) has been created for over 30 different coutnries and Big Brother for over 70, each has been adapted to suit local preferences 2010s What will be they key reality programs making their mark in this decade? Keeping up with the Kardashians?

6 Activities 1. Explain how reality TV can be accessed at local and global levels. 2. Should reality TV programs in Australia be more Asia-centric? 3. How can formats be adapted to address local needs? 4. Add more information, thoughts and observations to the 2010s section of the timeline. 5. Why do you think Big Brother was such a success in the first few seasons? Now, try to answer the question below from the 2013 HSC exam paper by thinking about the expansion of the pop culture and applying the concept of technology, including communication technologies. Marking guidelines can be found on the BOSTES website. The role of mythology in the creation and perpetuation of reality TV Mythology refers simply to a story, legend or image and is often an exaggeration of real life people or events. It is often invented by journalists, stakeholders, gossip columnists and fans usually to increase inter increase consumer interest. Mythology is strongly linked to stereotypes and is most prevalent in drama, crime and comedy genres. But contrary to belief, perhaps there is less mythology in non-reality programs. Packed to the Rafters for example, is a home-grown drama that depicts one family and their interactions, where storylines are not considered extreme and where mythology is not overt, yet appears to be refreshingly mild. The blonde daughter, Rachel, is an intelligent advertising recruit, the father, Dave, is a hard working tradesman, which contradicts the stereotypical characteristics of both blondes and tradies. In the same way, reality TV selects certain contestants that fulfil audience expectations. Heroes are those people in reality TV that are celebrated and appear to live on. They tend to demonstrate positive characteristics. Participants start out as regular, ordinary people but as they progress through the reality show, they are built up. For example, Altiyan Childs in X-Factor (2010) had a rather large following. His success was reinforced by four famous judges in addition to a story on a current affairs program digging up his past and casting speculations about being crazy. This is not uncommon for successful reality TV participants, as numerous people have to prove they can do anything if they put their mind to it, to overcome troubled childhoods and inspire people to follow their dreams. Other examples are Anna Heinrich from and Sam Wood, both from different seasons of The Bachelor.

7 How times have changed. A New York TV study in 1953 did not have Reality TV as a category when identifying programs but did reveal the following facts and statistics about stereotypes and mythology on television drama programs. The trends have continued until today. Major stereotypes have been reinforced in reality TV due to the following: Males outnumber females Young people are overrepresented in comparison to the real population Heroes are identified as younger attractive people. They are usually white males and have more sexual power. Their personalities and character corresponds closely with the values held in our culture. Villains represent the menace of the older generation. They are usually not white and have more social power. They represent the antithesis of our culture. Overrepresentations of people at work compared to the percentage who actually work or are at home Among those who work, managers and service personnel are overrepresented compared to the population really engaged in professional or official positions. Law-abiding people are more likely to be white Unemployed people are endowed with less honesty, weakness and lower levels of personal hygiene Activities 1. Distinguish between heroes and mythology. 2. Debate the statement Contestants on reality TV programs can be heroes. They have the opportunity to positively affect society. 3. Explain how the role of heroes and mythology perpetuate reality TV. 4. Watch a few episodes of a reality TV program that you re familiar with and list all the stereotypes you see. 5. Interview someone about why they like or dislike certain characters on reality TV programs and determine the reasons behind this. 6. For further information (opinion article) on cultural stereotyping in popular culture, visit the URL below and make a list of all the ethnicities and the stereotypes mentioned. A note on continuities and changes in reality TV It has become more pervasive and diversified 4 Non-scripted formats have become increasingly specialised and stylised It has remained on the cusp of media convergence, interactivity, user-generated content and greater viewer involvement 4 Murray, S. and Ouellette, L. (eds) (2004) Reality TV: Remaking television culture, New York University Press, 2 nd edition

8 Now attempt to answer the question below from the 2014 HSC exam paper. You might be batter placed to answer this after studying the control of the popular culture, but it is good to constantly think about and apply the concepts of the depth study, of which conflict is one. Marking guidelines can be found on the BOSTES website.

Beyond and Beside Narrative Structure Chapter 4: Television & the Real

Beyond and Beside Narrative Structure Chapter 4: Television & the Real What is real TV? Transforms real events into television material. Choices and techniques affect how real events are interpreted. Nothing