Tag Archives: TVC

TVC – Reflection

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I’ve never really been a big television watcher- in saying so, I’ve been a big VOD kinda gal. I pick shows to watched based on recommendations from friends and family rather than anything else, and don’t really pay much attention to television promo ads.

While I never gave into big hits such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, I have been sucked in to lighthearted, easy to watch programmes such as Geordie Shore, Ex on the Beach, Parks and Recreation, Bob’s Burgers and Friends (Oh God, I love Friends).

Over the semester as I tracked my viewing habits, I did catch myself logging in actual scheduled television hours (wow, go me) however these moments did come at times when I had been too lazy to turn the television after mum left the living room, or after The Bachelor/Bachelorette finished running (one of the only shows I watched all year without time shifting).

Almost always my television viewing was done on my laptop through catch-up television such as TenPlay, or through web-streaming services. I usually always watched television at night or before bed, or sometimes even in the morning before I got out of bed! I found that even whenever I watched, I had the screen on a half-window so I could multitask by checking the weather, scrolling through social media, or even using my phone to snapchat parts of my viewing session to friends, and even to talk to my friends about something totally unrelated.

I admit I am a big user of second screens, but not convergence culture. More often than not, I had a phone or tablet or as earlier said, my laptop on half-window while viewing content. But my use of second screens was rarely to access further content from the programme I was watching. I usually spent most of my time aimlessly multi-tasking (I have a very short attention span).

My attentiveness to liveness was apparent when watching the scrolling bylines/live news feed on banners during the news, and my hate for live elimination shows on X Factor have grown significantly as I held out behind my laptop as mum anxiously yelled profanities at the television during the infinite pauses between saying “THE PERSON WHO IS SAFE IS… ”

 

*crickets*

 

 

* eight thousand years pass, the earth has turned to dust and we are all but minute beings floating throughout space*

 

 

 

 

“*INSERT NAME OF LOSER*”

 

Was that an accurate depiction of live television or what?

 

Another thing that occurred to me throughout looking back upon my television habits included how dependent I am on the Internet to watch TV. Since most of my viewing is done in a time shifted or streamed manner, I literally NEED the internet in order to watch the content that I want to watch. Because I am at work or at uni, I am unable to watch scheduled television as I please. While I have the capability to record a programme on VHS, I must admit I would have 0 clue on how to do so, since I have grown up with the World Wide Web. Also, my household has no sort of video time shifting mechanisms because my dad is an anti-hoarder and throws away anything that is any bit outdated.

Comparing the times when my dad and I used to sit down every Saturday at 2PM sharp to watch WWF (back when it was called WWF) and now, where I wait until whatever day he and I are both free so I can hook my laptop up to the tv so we can stream 3 episodes of Suits in one go, my dependence on the advancements of time shifting capabilities has increased dramatically, as it has for majority of the modern content viewer. With increasing accessibility to platforms such as Foxtel IQ, Stan, Presto, Netflix and catch-up sites like JumpIn and TenPlay, the digital world has not only identified us as individual beings with individual schedules, but has encouraged us to do so, allowing us to fit television around our schedules rather than making us work around a networks programming.

My tether to time shifting is definitely the biggest takeaway I have had through recording my habits and reflecting on them, but I have definitely learnt so many key concepts that have opened my eyes to television from a wider perspective and I have gained a stronger insight into the power and potential of users in the industry.

TVC – Screening/Genre: The Bachelor/Reality TV

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Currently on television, reality tv shows seem to be the newest fad. Shows are popping up everywhere trying to put a spin on even the most mundane experiences. Cooking dinner, losing weight, running a business, and even watching television itself! Shows such as The Biggest Loser capitalises on unhappy, overweight individuals, couples and families looking to shed their excess weight, and is an international coproduction with many different international versions, the two largest being American and Australian. Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, America’s Next Top Model, Farmer Wants a Wife, Big Brother, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Block… The list goes on! But one of the most talked about reality franchise in Australia right now would have to be the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

In Week 10, the cement-faced monster Blake Garvey was addressed, who notoriously picked hot blondie Samantha Frost as his winner, proposing to her, before promptly shutting her down after the season had ended and breaking her heart to pursue a previous contestant.

The Bachelor is a show which takes one seemingly eligible single man, and making him the centre of attention to 20 odd girls who are dumped in a house together where they sit around and wait for him to pick them out of single or group dates so that he can find “the one”. The attraction of this show lies in firstly, the attractiveness of the Bachelor (us ladies love us a hot bachie) and additionally, the drama that comes along with 20 girls in one house all dating the same man, who seem to sometimes forget that they are not the only ones dating the Bachelor and consequently get upset or jealous when he spends time with the other ladies.

As self confessed, complete and utter sucker for drama, I am also a complete and utter sucker for reality television. And the main reason I would say so is because I love the excitement of the drama; particularly, when I’m not involved in it. Reality TV is great at picking the most ridiculous characters and filming 24/7 before editing and cutting bits and pieces together to create a preposterous storyline. ‘Characters’ are created by producers who cleverly cut and edit footage as they please, and throughout filming they have a heavy say in who says what and retakes, etc. Nevertheless, despite knowing this- I was sure to turn on the tele at the exact time I heard Osher’s voice and the opening theme for the Bachelor/Bachelorette. Ignoring the fact that the genre is “reality”, these shows are popular and draw in their target audiences because they are dramatic. Each week is exciting, and each week there is a new bit of gossip- As I said before, there is a strong excitement about drama when you’re not in it. And the typical target audience being females aged 16-34, we love it.

The main question, is whether or not reality television can even be considered “real”…!?!? As audience members, know scripts are partially written, and we know people are told to say certain things or act a certain way- but at the end of the day, when there are life decisions to be made or prize money at stake… how can we judge a person for their “natural” reactions and their behaviours on television? If I were up for $1,000,000, there’s a whole bunch of stuff I’d do without question. Would I do it because my intentions were good? Or would I do it because I have zero dignity? OR would I have not done it at all, and it was simply edited in a way that made me fill a certain role in the programme? Where the Blake Garvey is concerned, it would appear that he did it for publicity rather than for love; as he made claims (or excuses, rather) that the producers “made him do it” more or less. when asking him to propose to Sam despite him having feelings for Louise. But how much we know is true and how much we know to be fake, is left wherever we suspend disbelief. So where do we draw the line between Reality TV and Drama? You know what they say though, any publicity is good publicity… And now Blake Garvey is on Celebrity Apprentice and every time I see his smug monotonous, droopy face I curse out loud- even though I hate him and Celeb Apprentice… I still hate watch and give him attention because I HATE HIM THAT MUCH (see how invested I am in the franchise?! I’ve been sucked in!)

However, reality television is an easy production template for networks looking to fill holes in their programming or ensure they get good ratings. International co-productions such as Big Brother, The Voice, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor and Geordie/Jersey Shore, are productions which grew successful in their country of origin, before being coproduced and taken overseas where television ratings can be predicted ever-so-slightly more accurately. By doing this, reality television remains a love-to-hate staple television genre that I hope stays forever and ever.

TVC – Concept: The Serial Narrative

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In week 6, one of the concepts discussed was the “serial narrative”. 

Characteristics that define a serial narrative include:

  • a multiplicity of characters with individual storyline
  • overlap of characters
  • a larger narrative web where most of the main characters are connected

This all can be explained by the fact that the biggest overarching attribute of a serial narrative is that the narrative continues over the entire season or multiple episodes rather than having stories resolved within 30-45 minutes. 

An example of a serial narrative can be demonstrated by the popular ABC series, Suits. While within an episode, smaller issues are usually resolved, the overall narrative and the bigger-issue stories continue throughout the season- these narratives may affect one or two individuals, but usually later branch out and affect most main characters. At the end of each episode there is usually a cliff-hanger moment to entice viewers to watch the next episode. 

The series also features a multitude of characters, with two to five main characters, introducing supporting characters such as antagonists, trouble makers and love interests along the way. While some characters are recurring throughout an episode, season or the series, they are obviously crafted in a way as to not overshadow the purpose and storylines of the main characters- In suits, these main characters are Harvey Specter, Jessica Pearson, Louis Litt and Mike Ross.

These characters all have intertwining storylines who are affected within their social circles and also through work related law cases which cause conflict and disagreement between parties. As previously mentioned, these conflicts branch out and usually involve other characters as well to create a larger, intricate narrative web.

While a series makes it harder to watch episodes out of order or on a one-off occasion, serial narratives like Suits are fantastic and crafty as they engage viewers from episode one and keep them engaged from the beginning and throughout the entire season in order to build rapport with viewers. 

The elements of a serial narrative can be made more obvious when comparing to a show like Modern Family, where episodes can easily be watched out of order. Despite character and plot arcs throughout multiple episodes, these arcs are not too extreme or narrative dependent and the episode-long conflicts are usually solved within the shorter time frame.

With the rise of the public sphere and increased fan-cults, the serial narrative has increased. With shows that existed in the 60s and 70s such as I dream of Jeannie and Bewitched, conflicts and problems were solved by the end of the episode, allowing closure for viewers who were unable to watch the show religiously or on a regular basis. Now with the societal changes such as the public sphere and the easy accessibility for viewers to share what they want, with the introduction of heavy binge watching -due to time shifting mechanisms like VHS and Foxtel IQ and VOD such as Netflix and Stan- shows can be created with long character arcs and developments throughout an entire season rather than episodic conflicts which are resolved in 40 minutes or less. While these kinds of narratives are not new, they have definitely become the more popular type of programme for networks- types of popular serial narratives include Game of Thrones, Suits, Greys Anatomy, True Detective, House of Cards and Madam Secretary. 

Described by Journalist Tom French, a serial narrative is a “promise that the end is worth waiting for”. Due to the long developmental arcs and season long suspense while building rapport, audiences fall into the trap of being extremely invested in a television show. This is how the cycle of fan-cults and fandoms begin, and of course the power and influence of fan cultures are invested back into the television series, which carries on as a two-way relationship. Due to this, producers must work hard to market and creatively construct their series- a show needs to avoid repetition in order to stray from the dull “wallpaper” approach a self contained series would have. Fans hold out for seasons at a time, waiting week upon week in order to get one step closer to the final developments and to uncover the outcome/resolution. In saying so, programmes such as Game of Thrones and Suits are crafty by introducing larger conflicts which overlap throughout the series, so that during the season finale, one major conflict can be solved, and another can offer a cliff hanger moment, to entice current viewers into the following season, as well as to encourage new viewers to jump on board.

With heavy focus on the investment of viewers from start to finish, this is not to say that viewers are unable to switch the channel and stumble upon an episode of Suits and not follow. While it may take some time for the viewer to acquaint themselves with the characters and their respective storylines, serial narrative programmes cater for such viewers by adding episode recaps- “Previously… On Suits…”- In order to jog the memories of the poor viewers who have waited a full week to see the new episode (unless you’re watching a Netflix Original) and also in order to give new viewers some background knowledge and context so they can follow the current episode. 

Serial narratives are extremely constructed in a way that caters to both casual and religious viewers while providing the opportunity for a larger, stronger fanbase and heavy, passionate investment. 

REFERENCE:
McDougall, J. & Potamitis, N. 2010, The Media Teacher’s Book, Hodder, Hodder Education, Great Britain, London 2010

TVC #1 – Screening Post: Broad City

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Much like any program, in order for a show to be successful… it needs viewers! Many shows on networks get dropped after one or two seasons because they do not produce enough revenue, or do not receive enough views from consumers. Show’s like ABC Family’s ‘The Lying Game’ didn’t get picked up for a third season due to bad ratings.

The general norm for networks such as ABC Family is to have a new show created and trialled, as demonstrated by ‘The Lying Game’. Of course, this is a gamble for the network as they won’t have a ratings measurement until the show runs for a couple seasons- Like ‘Breaking Bad’ shown on the AMC network, the program began to pick up only towards the end of Season 2. From there, the show proved to be an enormous success even after it’s finale with AMC also picking up a ‘Breaking Bad’ spin off, ‘Better Call Saul’. However, Comedy Central made a smart move by picking up a program which already had a fan-base and a solid following.

‘Broad City’, a program discussed in the Week 3 Lecture, started out as a webisode created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Their first episode, “Making Change” was a quick two minute sketch premiering in 2010 on YouTube, and currently has a surprisingly small 503,152 votes. However, the episodes that followed were so uncannily relatable that the show’s fanbase began to grow exponentially. ‘Broad City’ ran for two seasons on YouTube, and coincidentally, was noticed by a very influential fan; Amy Poehler! Amy Poehler helped boost the show’s following, and after two seasons, Comedy Channel picked up the web-series to be turned into a television series, which Amy Poehler currently produces.

The move from web-series to television series was a smart move by Comedy Central as they essentially achieve guaranteed or at least more accurate projected ratings due to the already existing fan-following and quantitative measures from ‘Broad City”s YouTube channel. Of course, the show itself must undergo changes in format and production in order to meet the standards and requirements of Comedy Central, but the format has not seemed to affect the show negatively and it currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8.6/10 on IMDB.

The way that ‘Broad City’ has found better success is an example of the influence fans have over network content. Despite the extremely influential push from Amy Poehler, the show has found such steady success due to having an already established fan-base. Viewership proves to be an extremely influential part of network contracts; reflected in the current ratings of ‘Broad City’ on television and the fact that it has already been renewed for a 3rd season in 2016.

This Webisode-to-Spin-Off situation ‘Broad City’ has highlighted changes in viewership and distribution channels, as discussed in the lecture. Regardless of what platform it is broadcasted on; whether television or web, ratings are an accurate measurement of viewership and viewer-approval, thus demonstrating how viewership and fan-following proves to be an enormous factor in the success of a production.

 

RESOURCES:

TVC #2 – Concept Post: Second Screens

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In a post broadcast world, we as users are now able to make conscious decisions about our own television consumption. Some would say scheduled TV is slowly becoming redundant as we progress into a post-broadcast era in which we are able to use services such as Foxtel IQ, Stan and Netflix and YouTube which allow us to watch content as and when we please, in accordance with our own schedules. With the increasing popularity of these new services, we must also identify and acknowledge the transitional changes that come alongside the move from the Broadcast into Post-Broadcast era.BUT, for some programs that we do try and watch at a scheduled time (i.e. reality tv competitions which involve voting- SYTYCD, The Voice, X Factor, Australia’s Got Talent), we as viewers try our best to find time during the allocated time slot to sit down (with a second screen) and watch while we browse the web or use social media simultaneously! The way we watch scheduled TV now, has evolved from the television being the sole stimuli in the room; where families used to gather in the living room after dinner and sit together to watch a show with no distractions, we now have multiple platforms which allow us to interact with a show in different ways, with different stimuli allowing us to multitask. Now, the television is competing with other screens during broadcast. Whether it be a phone, a laptop or a tablet, it is now extremely common for viewers to use second screens while watching television.

In order to maintain the flow of a 26 minute production in a 30 minute time slot, networks cleverly introduce interactivity to keep viewers participating or on the channel while commercial breaks play. Shows such as ‘The Voice’ urge viewers to jump on to the website during the ad-breaks (featuring a website on a tablet, thus encouraging second screen use) to interact in the show, and to also participate through the second screen while the program is running! Many programs acknowledge the use of Second Screens by suggesting hashtags during key moments of programs, for example, Suits uses hashtags such as #LittUp and #SaveDonna during relevant moments throughout the broadcast to encourage viewers to take to social media and share their views. With the introduction of social media as yet another avenue to discuss our favourite TV shows, viewers have become active members of the public sphere, creating communities through fandom and engaging in discussion with other viewers.

Convergence Culture was another concept addressed in the lecture, which refers to the ability of the consumer to make our own decisions about consumption, and the ability to do lots of different things with the same technology. With smart phones, tablets and new generation TVs now we are able not only to watch content, but also use the internet to follow up on the internet and see the content on the network or show’s websites, as well as follow social media fan-bases and contribute to the fandom via Facebook, or Twitter, amongst many other platforms. Second screens allows us to do this while simultaneously watching content, or in the case of broadcast tv, during ads to maintain content flow!

In today’s transitional era between Broadcast to Post-Broadcast, Second Screens have become quite a regular occurrence in modern households; while watching a program on television, we have our phones, laptops or tablets out as well. We use social media while watching TV, allowing us as consumers to be more active in our viewing process. This transition from simple broadcast television to a post-broadcast era with second screens and multiple platforms for discussion encourages consumers to be more active in their viewing and allows a shift in power and control. Consumers are now given the power and the ability to choose what we watch, when we watch, how we watch it and how we interact with fellow viewers.