Narrative and Reality TV by Kristine Tree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8 Information sourced from: http://darrenarcher.name/ftv/PDF's/Reality%20Television.pdf en-us 2016-10-05 12:29:17 UTC 2017-05-03 05:54:56 UTC hello@padlet.com kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128459925  'In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes.' Andy Warhol (1928-1987), pop artist and avant-garde filmmaker (statement made in 1968) ]]> 2016-10-05 12:43:57 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128459925 kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128462369  Reality television shows have proven to be incredibly popular with audiences. The final episode of The Block (2003) was Australia's most watched television broadcast since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Before that, only one other television broadcast had had a bigger audience - the funeral of Princess Diana. ]]> 2016-10-05 12:50:17 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128462369 What is reality TV? kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128467484  
What is reality TV? Reality television is a broad category that includes a wide range of programs aiming to be both factual and entertaining. There are various definitions. 

The creator of the Survivor format, Charlie Parsons, defines reality TV as shows containing 'producer created environments that control contestant behaviour'. But this definition excludes, for example, emergency services and police force programs. 

Television reviewer Kerrie Murphy has a broader definition. She says reality TV generally involves filming the actions and reactions of people in a set situation. This situation can be a natural one, as in Airport (UK, 1996-present), or it can be completely contrived, as in Big Brother. Jonathon Bignell defines reality TV as programs 'where the unscripted behaviour of ordinary people is the focus of interest'. An important aspect is the comprehensive monitoring of everyday behaviour. 

The boundaries to the reality television genre are blurred. Some programs, such as Big Brother, are like sitcoms. Contestants are trapped together under one roof in the same way as characters in a flat-share sitcom. Others, such as Border Security (2006) or Airport, are more like soap operas or dramas. Some reality programs resemble documentaries while others have characteristics in common with talk shows or game shows. Programs such as Australian Idol are like talent quests. 
An important factor that separates reality television from other genres based on real-life contestants is the focus on their private thoughts and reactions to the situations. ]]> 2016-10-05 13:08:39 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128467484 Types of reality television kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128481614  Types of reality television Different types of reality television have developed as a result of the use of elements from other genres. 
  • Observational docusoap. 'Fly on the wall' docusoap reality television combines observational documentary with the dramatic conventions of soap opera. The camera observes people in their everyday lives. Docusoaps are often based on high-stress work situations such as border security, law enforcement or medical emergency. Docusoap reality television has its roots in cinema-verite documentary.
  • Formulated docusoap. These reality shows take people out of their own worlds and place them in a formulated or specially constructed environment to see how they behave, says Kerrie Murphy. The Big Brother format is an example of a formulated docusoap. So too are the shows that place modern people in specially reconstructed historical settings.
  • Reality game shows. Some analysts call these types of programs 'gamedocs'. As in formulated docusoaps, contestants are placed in a demanding artificial situation. However, says Kerrie Murphy, an extra element of competition is introduced together with the threat of elimination. The Survivor format is an example of a reality game show. Big Brother also fits into this subgenre. 
  • Lifestyle reality. Ordinary people and their lifestyles are transformed by experts, who make them extraordinary in lifestyle reality shows. It's not the winning of a prize but the 'reveal' of the transformation that is the climax of the show. 'It's the reaction, not the action that matters,' says Annette Hill of the University of Westminster. Talent show reality. Reality shows based around talent quests differ from conventional talent quests in that they focus on the participants' lives during the quest. An example is Australian Idol. 
  • Clipshow reality. Clipshows are made up of amateur video clips sent in by audience members - often for prize money. An example is Australia's Funniest Home Videos. Clips of surveillance video or CCTV footage from crime scenes are another variation. 
]]> 2016-10-05 13:47:52 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128481614  Features of reality television kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128482903 Reality television programs vary considerably; however, most display some if not all of the following features. 
  • Real-life-participants. Much of the appeal of reality television is that it is based around real people, not actors playing parts. But because this is television, there is an inevitable tendency to create characters out of these people, says Sarah Malcolm of Flinders University. 
  • Unscripted performance. People being themselves is the basis of the genre. The programs are largely unscripted, although that does not mean that producers can't deliberately set up situations. A narrative structure is usually imposed on the reallife events, but it is created during the editing and isn't necessarily there from the outset. 
  • Voice-over narration. The actions of the participants are explained to the audience through the use of voice-over narration. Mostly this narration is in the present tense and is about what is happening as we watch. The narrator adopts an informal style. 
  • Observation/surveillance. Like the documentary, reality television relies on observation. But in these shows it is taken one step further to become actual, sometimes intrusive surveillance - around the clock. For professor of media studies Mark Andrejevic, this is a natural outcome of the culture of CCTV we live in now. Reality television is suggesting that surveillance can be fun! 
  • Voyeurism. A voyeur is a peeping tom. Many commentators believe that reality television has moved beyond surveillance into voyeurism. Audiences are positioned as peeping toms who gain pleasure from the exhibitionism of the participants. There is also voyeuristic pleasure to be gained from knowing the emotions displayed are real. If someone is crying, for instance, it means they are really upset. 
  • Audience participation. What was unique about reality television when it took the world by storm in the 1990s was its use of audience participation. Fans were more than observers -they became participants in the narrative. Because they could influence the outcome of shows such as Big Brother, viewers to some extent became producers. Audience participation also proved to be an effective way of enticing viewers to become committed fans. 
  •  Convergent technologies. Reality formats are also designed to utilise convergent media technologies, such as the internet and the mobile phone, says Sarah Malcolm. In the early days of reality television, viewers were enthusiastic. For example, the first Big Brother website in the Netherlands recorded 52 million hits in its first three months online. (There are only 15 million people in the Netherlands.) Viewer voting by phone keeps audiences involved, and the phone charges are another big revenue stream for the production company. 
  • Big event television. Many reality television programs become media events in themselves. They can generate major 'moral panics' in the community. They receive lots of newspaper coverage and sometimes even get mentioned in Parliament. For example, Big Brother scandals have been the subject of criticism from the prime ministers of both Australia and the UK. 
]]> 2016-10-05 13:50:53 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128482903 Activity kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128484183 In groups of 2-3 match up a reality TV show you know of with each of the different types.]]> 2016-10-05 13:54:17 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128484183 ACTIVITY 1 kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128489581 1. Get into groups of 4-5
2. Watch this clip and: 
  • discern what type of reality TV 'Survivor' is
  • discuss whether the features listed above are present in the clip or TV show as a whole
3. Each group will then be assigned either plot, character, setting, or audience and will discuss how these function in this reality TV show.  
]]> 2016-10-05 14:07:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/128489581 Rubric relevance: kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/169322792 "This Area of Study requires students to explore the ways in which the concept of discovery is represented in and through texts."

"Students consider the ways composers may invite them to experience discovery through their texts and explore how the process of discovering is represented using a variety of language modes, forms and features."]]> 2017-05-02 02:41:27 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/169322792 Activity 2 kristinejenifertree https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/169326094 Now we're going to do the same for our main text.


1. Watch this clip and: 
  • identify what type of reality TV show 'Go Back To Where You Come From' is (OR create an argument as to why this is not a reality TV show)
  • provide examples of what reality TV show features listed above are present in the clip (or TV show as a whole)

2. Get into groups of 3-5. Each group will then answer these questions sourced from the rubric:
  • How is discovery (or future discovery) represented in this clip? (consider plot, character, setting, film techniques, etc.)
  • In what ways have the composers invited their audience to experience discovery?


CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTION:
  • From your brief encounter with the text so far, do you believe the moments of discovery in this text will be sincere or entirely contrived?
]]> 2017-05-02 03:19:53 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinejenifertree/tt3dcvh9yvp8/wish/169326094