Television Programs
There are many useful techniques greatly in television programmes and
in their opening sequences. They are used to attract the viewer's
attention while also creating a great way to show what the upcoming
program is about. One of these techniques is the use of split
screening; this is a very attractive way to put across what a
programme is about, tone or genera.
In the television soap 'Hollyoaks' the beginning shows a short clip of
around thirty seconds to around a minute that gives a little incite
into the episode, which is followed by the use of split screening in
the opening credits. In this introduction there is a blue background,
which shows a mellow tone while clips of other parts of past or
upcoming shows pass down the screen. This is used to 'grab' the
viewers attention by showing the more essential parts of the soap
while not giving away much of the story line or spoiling the plot. The
use of all these techniques clearly shows the viewer that they are
watching a soap opera about groups of people mainly in their late
teens to middle twenties. The producers do this by showing mainly
clips of these characters throughout the opening sequence, this would
also be the target audience of the programme 'Hollyoaks'.
In the mock documentary 'Operation Good Guys' techniques are used
cleverly to 'trick' the viewers. They do this by firstly making the
viewer believe that this programme is of a more serious tone by making
it appear to be a documentary about general police life. At the start
of the programme the police are seen carrying out normal tasks that
always go horribly wrong which shows the humour behind it. Th...
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...or a whole.
Signifier is the part that explains why that particular part is used.
Signified is the production or programme is shown and understood.
Narrative structure is the way is told or explained and can largely
influence the audience responds to the event or programme. In a film a
producer will make the audience feel sorry or show symperthy to make
them feel more close or connected to the characters. One narrative
code is the use of fighting and explosions in an action film.
Action codes are the way the story line is solved through the use of
action while in a programme with enigma codes it is solved through
puzzles or mysteries.
Three types of narrative are they use of guns and car chases in action
movies, the use of murder, mystery and twists in a thriller and the
use of monsters and horror in a scary movie.
A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning. Symbols can be very useful in shedding light on a story, clarifying meaning that can’t be expressed with words. It may be hard to notice symbols at first, but while reflecting on the story or reading it a second time, the symbol is like a key that fits perfectly into a lock. The reason that symbols work so well is that we can associate something with a particular object. For example, a red rose symbolizes love and passion, and if there were red roses in a story we may associate that part of the story with love. Although many symbols can have simple meanings, such as a red rose, many have more complex meanings and require a careful reading to figure out its meaning. The first symbol that I noticed in Ethan Frome is the setting. It plays an important role in this story. The author spends much of the first few chapters describing the scene in a New England town Starkfield. When I think of a town called Starkfield, a gloomy, barren place with nothing that can grow comes to mind. As the author continues to describe this town, it just reinforces what I had originally thought.
Launched on February 1, 1984, Lifetime was created by the merger of Daytime and Cable Health Network. Lifetime was crowned “Television for women” in 1994 and began an ambitious expansion of original programming and public service initiatives targeted to women. Lifetime is dedicated to providing contemporary, innovative entertainment and information on-air and online that is of particular interest to women.
Director Christopher Bayes and comic actor Steven Epp have come up with a production of a play about police corruption that is breathtakingly funny. The two hour and twenty minute production hauls the audience down to the station for a rollicking interrogation of our culture. An investigation is undertaken with an over-the-top maniac with a gift of impersonation. He masquerades as the official sleuth sent to cut through officialdom, police exploitation and political malfeasance with astounding energy and cleverness and tells the audience "I'm a freaking insanity genius." Steven Epp plays the maniac almost like the legendary Groucho Marks would play the role.
According to Etherington-Wright and Doughty, “The signifier is the form that the sign takes. It can be a word. It can be a word. It can take the form of a specific sound or marks on a piece of paper (a combination of letters of letters or symbols). The signified is the conceptual stage of communication. This is when the sign stimulates a mental idea/image” (Doughty, p. 65). A signifier in Alice in Wonderland, is the world of Wonderland itself. The signified is her quest for knowledge. The signifier is her physical journey through wonderland, but signified is her search for understanding. Another example is the signifier of the white rabbit. The rabbit signifies a figment of her imagination. While the thing that is signified by the rabbit is her curious nature as whole. In the Wizard of Oz, a signifier is the ruby slippers. They symbolize magic, and what’s signified by them is Dorothy’s potential power. “She has it, she just doesn’t know how to use it yet, which is really why Glinda sends her off to see the Wizard. Only after all of her adventures, and the attendant self-reliance that comes with taking out two wicked witches single-handedly, can she tap into that power and use it to get what she want” (Shmoop). In the move Big Fish, the fish is another great example of signified and signifier. The signifier is the fish, representing Edward himself, while the signified is his life and
Since the birth of Anime, the American television market has been a player in the industry. When Tetsuan Atom made its debut in 1963 as the dream of a humble comic book artist, few would have guessed the impact it would have on the world of entertainment and the economy of Japan. Discovered by a NBC executives in Japan selling shows for syndication, Astro Boy as it came to be known in the states, started a revolution in Japanese entertainment and giving America, and the world, its first taste of Anime.
Can you believe that reality television has actually been around since 1948? Most of us may have thought that this idea of real television just came about in the last decade but actually it’s been around for quite some time. In 1948 Candid Camera was the first reality show to be broadcasted on television. Many considered this to be the “granddaddy” of the reality TV genre (History of reality TV). This show actually began in radio broadcasting. Allen Funt was the man in charge of this whole new production. He started by simply taping complaints of men in service and broadcasting them over the Armed Forces Radio. This is what later became known as the television show, Candid Camera. Candid Camera was known for “catching people in the act of being themselves” (History of Reality TV). Funt passed away in 1999 and his son, Peter has now taken over for him to continue these series.
Television does much more then entertains its viewers. Reality shows has given the American people a bad reputation. The reality shows that Americans watch every day are also shown all over the world. For example, shows like Jersey Shore, The Real House Wives, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Hunny Boo Boo, and Duck Dynasty is representing Americans. The rest of the world sees Americans as childish, aggressive, spoiled, rich, dumb, disgusting, or/and as red necks.
...T., Reiner, R. (2012) ‘Policing the Police’ in The Official Handbook of Criminology. Ed. By Maguire, M., Morgan, R., Reiner, R. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 806- 838
A set of practices concerning the narrative structure compose the classical Hollywood Paradigm. These conventions create a plot centering around a character who undergoes a journey in an attempt to achieve some type of goal (). By giving the central character more time on screen, the film helps the audience to not only understand the character’s motivation but also empathize with his/her emotional state. Additionally, some antagonistic force creates conflict with the main character, preventing immediate success(). Finally, after confronting the antagonist, the main character achieves his or her goal along with growing emotionally(). This proven structure creates a linear and relatively easily followed series of events encompassing the leading character and a goal.
...verything around us is made by our actions. Positive or negative they cause an effect that will ultimately lead to a different story base on how we interpret life. Narrative elements are used as a bridge by the directors in their film to create any master plot that is currently known. Any modification at any narrative element used by the director at important moments inside the story can help you portray a different master plot. This used of narrative elements can be best described as an ever changing process that takes place inside an individual’s head. Depending on the individual that may be exposed to those narrative elements can create different meanings. This new interpretation can be different for everyone. We have to be aware that one change in the surface scenery can lead to many ideal outcomes in our minds and that is the main power the audience has.
Lane, P, J. (2001) “The Existential Condition of Television Crime Drama” Journal of Popular Culture Vol. 34. p 137.
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. (2009 Open-Ended Question for AP English Literature and Composition).
The United States’ longest running program is actually a news/talk show called Meet the Press. It began as a radio program in 1945, and had little changes when it was aired on NBC for the first half-hour television broadcast in November 1947. Meet the Press May have been the first talk show to be shown on television, but it wasn’t the first regularly scheduled talk show. Sylvester Weaver produced the first regularly programmed talk show called Broadway Open House from May 1950 to August 1951. Two Veteran Jerry Lester and Morey Amsterdam, who were stand up comedians, shared the hosting duties for this talk/variety program. Broadway Open House was a mixture of routines, singing, dancing and comedy, which would start a trend of new talk shows to soon follow. The Tonight Show staring Johnny Carson, which premiered October 1, 1962, was one of those shows that followed Broadway Open House. With Johnny’s little competition, appearing on his show became one of the first big breaks for many upcoming stars on the road of fame and fortune. His show became so big that Johnny negotiated a deal with NBC to give him 2 million dollars per year, while his taping schedule included twelve weeks of four shows weekly, twenty-five weeks of only three shows a week, and fifteen weeks of vacation. Some of the stars that made got their start on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson were people like Jerry Seinfield, Roseanne, and Gary Shandling. When Johnny Carson decided to retire, his show was given to comedian Jay Leno, making The Tonight Show one of the greatest and longest running shows ever.
After a long day of classes, I just like to lie down on the couch and relax while watching my favorite television show. Like me, this is how many college students end the day. After conducting a series of surveys and interviews, I realized that, even though we all like to watch our favorite shows, we prefer different shows and watch them at different times in different ways. My overall goal was to determine if there was any difference in television viewing based upon gender. In addition, I hoped to learn: how much TV college students watch per day; if viewers look forward to watching a particular show; if college students use TV as an escape from the everyday pressures; and, if they “channel surf” or remain with one channel throughout an entire program.
Television comedies have been on the air for decades, and throughout this time many different shows have come and gone. Due to the dominance of these shows, comedies are one of the biggest draws on television. There are many different types of comedies, each with their own unique characteristics and features that differentiate them from others and lead to their popularity. Whether the show is a sketch comedy, sitcom, mockumentary or dramatic comedy, each utilizes different types of humour, locations, themes, and situations to appeal to the audience; which is likely why they are so popular today.