My aim with this piece of work is to show how archetypes and genre conventions are used in sitcom through the use of text and film form. For example, how a scene is effected depending on whether you choose to film it as a multi camera based studio sitcom, a duel camera on location sitcom or a single camera on location and how the writing can be used to subvert the preconceptions of the audience using these camera setups. To explore the possibilities of this piece I have filmed three scenes in the three different setups and plan to illustrate my points through these and several professional sitcoms. As sitcom has developed over the past 70 years the tropes and jokes have become cliche, this has lead to a surge in post-modern sitcom. This sub …show more content…
I explored this practically by filming three separate scenes in the three film forms stated above, the scripts are from Men Behaving Badly (MBB) (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 1992) Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (TPLPC) (BBC, 2001) and Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (WOVPIC) (BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, 2012). Because MBB and TPLPC are written for the studio based sitcom I chose to film these two in dual and single camera respectively, in an effort to illustrate how the text is …show more content…
American and British sitcoms have proved to be extremely exportable around the world, using a formula so ‘transparent’ that they could stand in for “‘indigenous’ programming for the local audience.” (Olson,1999) This mass market appeal for American and British sitcoms cemented the structure of the sitcom being shown all over the world, either as a self contained show or as a showpiece for a specific comic actor like John Cleese in Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975) or Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean (ITV, 1990). Typically there are two forms of sitcom writing, one reflects on the the homelife and the interconnection therein be that a sibling rivalry or the connection between parents and children. Whereas the workplace sitcom tended to be more tongue and cheek, ‘Are you being served’ (BBC, 1972) was one of the first sitcoms to use the format for flirtatious innuendo and raunchy story
This essay will discuss how national attitudes towards the working-class and the impoverished are represented in American Television. The purpose of this paper is to comprehend that television shows are not solely designed to entertain consumers but also contain a hidden agenda whose task is to protect certain ideological perspectives and therefore constant framing strategies take place. The paper will commence the analysis by discussing how males and females are represented in the television show Friday Night Lights, secondly it will look at the
Nelson, R. (2009). Modernism and Postmodernism in Television Drama. In: Creeber, G Televisions: An Introduction to Studying Televsion. 2nd ed. London: British Film Institute . p.90.
The average family: a married man and women, 2.5 children, with a beautiful home that has a white picket fence and a dog. However, this “average” family image has changed drastically over the past decade particularly with the acceptance of gay marriage and green cards that are easier to obtain; this has had a substantial influence not only on our society but leverage on social media. An example of this changed media dynamic is displayed through the comedic mockumentary, Modern Family. Within this fictional, interview style comedy series, three families that are extremely stereotypical, live their interrelated lives. The series follows these three families, an “average” American family featuring a married man, Phil, and women, Claire, who have three children, a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, who adopted a child and an older man, Jay, that is Claire and Mitchell’s father, married to a hot young Columbian women who also have a son. Modern Family, which is given a reality-style, has cameras following around each stereotypical family, portraying a very dynamic interrelation.
Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.
For a large part of the history of TV sitcoms women have been portrayed as mothers or as having to fulfill the woman's role in the private sphere. Family based sitcoms were one of the forms of sitcom that keep women in these roles, but what is interesting is that even in other forms of sitcoms women do not truly escape these roles. Sitcoms, like Sex and the City and Murphy Brown showcase women whom have seemingly escaped these roles, by showing liberated women, but that does not mean that both do not fall into the gender role showcased in family sitcoms. It draws the similarities between ensemble sitcoms and family sitcoms when it comes down to the role of women. The starring women in both Sex and the City and Murphy Brown, and even the Mary
“The Simpson’s” is about the satiric adventures of a working class family in the city of Springfield. “The Simpsons" is an example of an American sitcom. A sitcom is situation comedy, which is when the same setting and same characters appear in every episode. Sitcoms surfaced in the 1950's in America showing the "ideal" family. Slowly sitcoms started to show the reality of life and dealt with social issues such as divorce and unemployment. Sitcoms have become very popular because people could relate to the program, since they show problems that happen in every day life. In this essay, I am going to analyze "The Simpsons" and demonstrate how it follows the conventions of the sitcom genre.
The more familiar of the two modes of self-reflexive cinema make use of a comedic style, and what's more, many contemporary comedies embody comedic self-reflexivity (Prince 291). These comedies do so because it facilitates a more personal rapport between the characters and the audience, thus amplifying the humor that can be seen in the narrative. However, there are certain limitations to comic self reflexivity. By presupposing the audience’s familiarity with the humor or references in the narrative, the mode risks reaching an audience that does not relate to the material presented. Some films are unable to meet a large audience because their narratives are constructed from “inside” jokes that can not be understood by all who will see it. (Prince 290)
Television would not be successful if there was not a controversial aspect to it. TV would be boring without it, and isn’t the whole point of television to magnify human emotions and situations, and to make their lives seem more appealing than our own. Everything that is aired on TV has some sort of sexual aspect to it from Pinocchio running around in thong underwear in the hit movie Shrek, to the homosexual relationship qualities of Sponge-Bob and Patrick on the TV show Sponge-Bob SquarePants, and the profanity found on the cover of The Little Mermaid. It almost seems like a game to the producers of certain shows; who can push the limits so far on TV before the show will get banned. TV shows known for this are the vulgar South Park, the highly racy Simpsons, and Family Guy who has been cancelled twice since the series premiere in 1999. Mature television shows are okay for mature adults to watch, but children should not be exposed to mature media because it can potentially harm them in the future. One child television show like this is Sponge-Bob SquarePants, and in this essay I will be analyzing the origin behind the characters of the show, its understated sexual and homosexual humor.
Sitcoms are commonly seen as one of the most popular programs on T.V, across Australia and the world, but what makes sitcoms so engaging to the masses? Fox 8’s The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom and is appealing to the masses due to its hilarious humour and the unidentifiable fact that the show draws you in and makes you feel as if you are part of the Simpson family, Matt Groening and James L. Brooks innovative episode of the Simpsons, ‘Lisa on ice,’ supports the argument, that sitcoms should not be pulped. From the start to finish of every show there are many comedy and humor techniques, character stereotypes and camera techniques show to help give the show a more original prospective.
National identity through sitcoms greatly influences how a nation or culture represents its shared unity within humor and determining how successful a TV series will be. Identity plays a major role in the media world especially in television. Nevertheless, the successful sitcom “Modern Family” is the best example on how American culture interprets humor based upon the shows context of how a typical family operates on a daily basis. “Modern Family” is the first family show to be filmed as a “mockumentary”, which is a television show viewed through a documentary style that creates a parody (New York Times). In each episode it shows different perspectives that can easily relate to the American viewers and how most of our families function with internal conflicts. Modern Family is successful because of how well it connects with its audience through internal monologue and the diversity shown throughout the show, which in turns represents our national identity.
For the past 60 years television has had a powerful impact on all sides of life from our entertainment to forming stereotypes against people. Modern T.V. Situational Comedies portray men as clumsy fools.
This essay will examine my thoughts and those of David Sterrit on the critically acclaimed television show The Honeymooners. First, I will talk about the Honeymooners and it’s setting in postwar America. Secondly, the social and cultural issues the series portrayed. Next, would be the psychological perspective and the aesthetics of the show. Finally, the essay would conclude with my thoughts on how the Honeymooners were impacted by these aspects, but also how the show managed to leave a legacy in television today.
Americans tend to believe there is an explanation for the success or failure in their lives. Since the country allows them the freedom to create their own paths, citizens predict situations to happen a certain way. It is common for people to feel the desire to gain complete control over future outcomes, and this is especially true in American society. Television shows portray many different aspects about society. The series How I Met Your Mother and the episode “Lucky Penny” in particular from season 2, describes the relationship of typical American friendships and reveals various cultural issues such as American superstition. Creators of the television shows present arguments about society by appealing to their audience within the context of entertainment. How I Met Your Mother makes satirical arguments about the character’s lives by appealing to an audience that enjoys comical entertainment.
... sitcoms that lead parallel lives to real people, it automatically makes the sitcoms very influential to the public. The prime example being the characters of Alf Garnett or Eddie Booth. Although the original intent of the creation of these characters was to show an exaggerated version of the British public’s views, it actually heightened its audience’s perceptions of the black community. But then in later years as black sitcoms began to appear on television, the opinions of the public began to change. This is because of the strong consistency of black representation that was being shown on TV between the 1980s and 2000s. Black people were being shown in the same types of everyday situations, and there wasn’t an issue of negative racial epithets being used, which in turn showed that black presence on television was being respected, and audiences were respecting it.
In a genre analysis, stories, issues and concerns are explored. Researchers who study genre focus on broad patterns within those texts in the genre (Brennen 204). Since my research involves studying sitcoms, my sample will consist of ten popular sitcoms that aired from the 1980s to the present. These sitcoms include Roseanne, 30 Rock, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I Love Lucy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Friends, Will and Grace, Cheers, The Simpson and Seinfeld. The reason why I am choosing this sample is because I believe that it is broad enough to display the growth and evolution of the situational comedy genre and most (if not, all) of its pertinent aspects. Each of these shows all fit the standard conventions of a sitcom, however, the each bring a something different to the program, which allows them to stand out and be successful. I also chose them because they are all listed on the Rolling Stones top 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. This list was gathered by actors, writers, producers, critics and showrunners in the television industry (Sheffield,