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 shown on TV is without some measure of fiction effected by implied interpretation, and technical choices. TV works to construct an Illusion of Reality, which in turn impacts viewers expectations. Unscripted or Non-Narrative

Television s Reality Reality is polymorphous, and has no inherent meaning. Historical World/Historical Reality (Unmediated Reality) Creators of Non-Narrative TV act as gatekeepers that represent a wide scope of real events to individuals. Because any text manipulates reality, we must learn to separate historical reality from representations of reality. Social Actor: a person representing themselves to others, engaged in the performance of self. They often function in the historical world and/or among others in a society Modes & Genres

TV Reality: Form & Modes Modes of Representation Expository (or rhetorical) Interactive Observational Reflexive Individual nonfiction genres (news, sports, game shows, reality TV) are not limited to one single mode, but draw upon each as needed.

Expository Mode Expository Mode: Presents an argument about the historical world. Structure and purpose are rhetorical, rather than narrative. Direct Address Particular Interpretation of historical world. Commonly used in: commercials, news.

Expository Mode

Interactive Mode Interactive Mode: represents a mixing of the historical world with the realm of the television world. 1. The social actor is brought into the TV studio. 2. A representative of TV goes out into the historical world to provoke a response from social actors. The address of interactive texts is not aimed at the viewer, but TV representatives and social actors address one another (indirect address) Structured by dialogue, controlled by TV producers, hosts. Pseudomonologue: Social actor is interviewed by a TV representative, who is not shown or heard. In these sequences, the social actor may seem to be giving a monologue. Commonly used in: interviews, game shows, talk shows, docudramas.

Interactive Mode

Observational Mode Observational Mode: mode in which a non-fiction program takes an observational role, rather than posing an argument or showing interactions between social actors and TV representatives. No direct intervention, voiceovers, or narrative imposed on the footage; avoids interviews or use of direct address; social actors speak for themselves; little interaction between social actors and TV representatives. An American Family (1973) PBS Series The Real World (1992-) MTV

Observational Mode

Reflexive Mode Reflexive Mode: Non-Fiction mode that invites the viewer to examine the techniques of TV production and the conventions of non-narrative programs themselves. These texts reflect back on their own devices. Shifts focus away from historical reality to the relationship between reality and TV s process of depiction. The Thin Blue Line (1988) Errol Morris & Problematic Relationship w/ Documentary form. Commonly used in: non-narrative comedy programs (parody, pastiche), commercials. The Colbert Report (2006-) Comedy Central

Reflexive Mode

TV Reality: Genre Four Main Types of Non-Narrative Programs: Newscasts Sports Programs Game Shows Reality Television Other minor and sub-genres include: talk shows, science programs.

Network & Local Newscasts Only represent events that disrupt ordinary, day-to-day life: catastrophes, international relations, national politics, law & order, economics, celebrities. Primarily use expository mode (anchor gives interpretation of events), or interactive mode (for interviews). Local News: incorporates weather, follows or precedes national news in TV flow. View the historical world in terms of conflicts; Balance assumes TWO sides of a dispute/contest/conflict. Often show large conflicts using individual stories. Anchors use authority to make ideological sense of the day s events. These are represented in packages with teasers that maintain TV s flow and shape content (formally and ideologically). Hard/Soft News: Social/Personal. Hard news includes timely prominent, and pertinent events; Soft news includes individual stories, sports, weather.

Newscasts Continued: Structure of newscast determined by producer, according to journalistic principles, aesthetics, & economic determinants. Basic Journalistic Guidelines for News Structure: Timeliness (How recently did the event occur?) Prominence (How famous are the participants?) Proximity (Did it occur close to the viewers?) Pertinence (What s in it for me? Will it affect viewers lives?) Unusualness (Is it a common or unique event?) Conflict (Will it lend itself to the pro/con news structure?) Visual Impact (Are strong affective images available?) Cost (What kind of broadcast & reporting is necessary?) Promotional Value (Does the story boost the network s prestige?)

Sports Programs Sports as commodity designed for spectators (since before TV). Games are commercial events, spectacles marketed to attract audiences. Right to broadcast sports events must be purchased by networks from sports leagues and team owners; thus, networks are invested in promoting sports. Journalistic Objectivity in sports coverage? Integrating advertisements into games (green screen). Ratings: Pro and College sports now depend on TV revenue for funding. Techniques: Multi-Camera Shooting, Telephoto Lenses, Sports Adjust Rules for TV.

Sports: Organization of Time Football: lull between plays provide time for commercials. Television Time-Outs have been added for broadcast commercial breaks. Sudden Death Overtime provides quicker resolutions to games for TV schedules. Instant Replay : repeating plays and slowing down action accommodates TV s need for repetition and keeps viewers from becoming distracted. Games must fit into TV s segmented schedule. Monday Night Football with ABC. Sports Announcers: Color: Former athletes/coaches with firsthand experience. Contribute narrative elements and help convert athletes into characters. Play-by-Play: Professional broadcasters serve as program s apparent authority and guiding forced, narrating the game s events. They prompt the color commentator, but are more distant from players.

Sports: Organization of Space & Scoring/Competition CGI First-Down Marker New stadiums built for cameras. Names on uniforms for announcers (process of becoming character types). Often reduces team rivalries into personal conflicts between individual players Personality and character often determine coverage of athletes, rather than athletic talent. Scoring allows coverage to form conflict narrative.

Game Shows Have no existence outside of TV; do not represent a historical reality. Social actors are brought into a TV space (interactive mode) Draw from gaming history in radio, but otherwise are original to TV and its conventions. Rely upon narrative enigma: Who will win? (just like sports events).

Game Shows Continued: Contestants drawn from ranks of TV viewers. We are invited to see ourselves as potential contestants and in competition with contestants. Time is strictly regimented into segments to fit TV s structure and allow for commercial breaks. Very little repetition. Competition in types of knowledge: factual, academic, everyday, human/interpersonal/specific individual. Contestants must have fast data retrieval or specialized interpersonal knowledge, luck, or a special skill.

Game Shows

Reality Television 1990s: Cops (1989-), The Real World (1992-) 2000s: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Big Brother, Survivor, American Idol. Diverse set of texts, employing all four modes (expository, interactive, observational, reflexive). Shared Qualities: 1) Minimum of scripted dialogue and action, 2) Cast of social actors drawn from the historical world, 3) A style of sound and image drawn from documentary and/or the game show.

Reality TV Subgenres Courtroom & Law Enforcement Dating Docusoap & Docudrama Gamedoc Hidden Camera Makeover/Self-Improvement Reality Sitcom Talent Contests/Searches Daytime Talk Shows

Reality TV

Reality TV & Criticism Not Authentic: Criticizing Reality TV for not being real enough presumes a naive viewer who does not know that all nonnarrative TV results from manipulation (which everyone knows). Not Well-Made TV: Denigration of Reality TV: use of particular kinds of social actors and stereotypes, unscripted, focus on emotions, dramatic narratives (soap opera). We must remember that these biases/assumptions often conceal discourses of class, race, gender. How does Reality TV make a claim to the real, and what is meant by the real? What realist discourse does it engage? How does it talk about reality/authenticity? How does it present reality through specific styles of sound and image? What technologies does it use to present the historical world? How does Reality TV choose to capture particular types of social actors? To what logic/framing are these social actors subjected? Why are TV s representations of specific groups of social actors and types (stereotypes) popular with specific audiences?

Reality TV & Modes of Representation Reality TV conceals its expository mode (hides argument, narrative framing, production process). Condense hours of raw footage to minutes. Build narrative tension with sound, organization of footage. Interactive with the TV viewer (voting, polls). Reflexivity: mockumentaries (the office) explore the reality TV genre and its conventions self-consciously. Reality TV participates in creation and construction of celebrity: create celebrities and expose this process (demystifying TV spectacle, debunking celebrity, creating new stars, exposure of Hollywood s processes). Political Economy: Reality TV is inexpensive to produce, and effective in competitive TV programming environment (networks, cable, satellite, etc.)