Introduction to Film and Television Studies

1
Introduction to Film and Television Studies

• Studying television

2
Studying television

• Audience studies who watches what, why and when
• Effects role models, consumer behaviour,
  ideology ? identity formation
• Media education - who is responsible?
• Television in everyday life (at home and outside)
  
• Social, political and economic connections and
  functions
• Media history, organization, practises, ties with
  other media
• Genres and formulas

3
Organisation

• Public service vs. commercial enterprise
• National vs. regional broadcasting
• National vs. transnational production
• Responsibilities of programming - how are
  decisions made?
• Changes and challenges caused by political and
  ideological changes
• Changes and challenges caused by technological
  development

4
Aspects of television as a medium

• Segmented flow
• I saw a film vs. I watched television
• We (the audience the TV people) vs. They
  (those observed in the real world)
• Who may and who may not look straight into the
  camera?
• Presence of the everyday on the telly / lifestyle
  programming
• Stars on film and television / bringing
  celebrities down to earth
• Participation in live events - but just how live
  is live broadcasting?
• Recycling
• Hybridization
• Self-referentiality
• Bringing out the raw reality

5
Lembo Thinking Through Television

• Open interview format
• Context how watching television connects with
  other activities
• Studying television in conjunction with other
  signifying practises
• Presentational symbolism meanings that are not
  tied to narration or explicit messages and which
  function on the imaginary level
• Spectator between the stimuli offered by
  television and her own fantasies
• 1) Continuum of mindfullness, 2) continuities
  in surfing on the programme flow, 3) personal
  observations
• Attitudes serious, critical, ironical
• What is discussed among family, workmates,
  friends?
• What is learned? How do the patterns of life
  change?

6
Television and political reality

• How do international and local news agencies
  function as filters and gate keepers?
• How is international attention focused on certain
  areas and people and not others?
• Which features of a country or a continent are
  brought out, what are kept in the shadows?
• How independent is news broadcasting of
  political, commercial and other such interests?
• What kind of rhetorical strategies have been
  adopted and how are they used to give certain
  emphasis on news items?

7
The blurred boundary between fact and fiction

• Popular urban stories
• Rumours hearing is believing?
• Tabloid journalism
• Realistic fiction
• Fiction (supposedly) based on real events
• Drama documentaries
• Reality television

8
Varieties of reality programming

• Candid Camera from1949
• Home videos
• Following the life of real people (observational
  documentaries)
• Talk shows with either ordinary people or
  celebrities telling about their personal or
  professional life to a professional advisor (and
  studio audience)
• Revealing peoples secrets Cheaters
• Adventure, survival, mating etc. programmes
• Competitions Big Brother, Idols, Dragons Den
• Police television
• People in other interesting or exciting
  professions

9
Police television (Nichols)

• Voyeurism and exhibitionism
• Showing crimes and misdemeanours is justified by
  moralizing - tends to turn into camp
• Raw vs. cooked direct vs. framing material
• Condensed story format, emotional appeal,
  fascination of the strange and forbidden
• Isnt that amazing! effect
• Reality television/ documentaries/ perversion/
  sexuality