Unit 4 task 2

Unit 4
Media Audiences and Products

Task 2
Looking at ‘reality TV’

Task 2: Looking at ‘reality TV’

‘Reality TV’ is a TV GENRE

• What do we mean by the word
Genre?

• How do we recognise the ‘reality
TV’ genre?


What do we mean by the word Genre?

Genre is a word which describes how we
can group types of media product
together because they are similar
e.g. horror and action


Example: Film Genres
Horror: Prometheus +mirrors

Comedy: The Hangover + the inbetweeners movie

Superhero: Spiderman + batman


Can you list some TV Genres?

• Soap Opera Emmerdale , Coronation street
• Sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Friends

• Reality TV Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity
• Documentary wildlife, history
• Drama Downtown Abbey, Mrs
Biggs


How Do We Recognise Genres?

All genres have conventions. Conventions are not
set rules, but a set of practices that have proved
successful and become established

Genres are recognised by their conventions, which
the audience recognise through regular contact
and repetition
.


How Do We Recognise Genres?

Audiences become familiar with codes and
conventions of particular genres

Audiences develop certain expectations of
particular genres, which they expect to see and
enjoy seeing


How To Recognise A Genre
We can look for certain elements which are
repeated:
C
L
I
N
T
S


repeated:

CHARACTERS
(e.g. ‘the bitch’ in a teen movie)


repeated:
C

LOCATION
(e.g. sitcoms often set in a house or workplace)


repeated:
C
L

ICONOGRAPHY
(props and costumes, etc.)


repeated:
C
L
I

NARRATIVE
(Romcoms have a split up and then a happy ending?)


repeated:
C
L
I
N

THEMES
(e.g. Soap operas often look at how families work)


repeated:
C
L
I
N
T

STYLE
(Pop videos have fast cutting and hand held camera


repeated:
CHARACTER
LOCATIONS
ICONOGRAPHY
NARRATIVE
THEMES
STYLE


What Is Reality TV?
“Reality TV is used to describe a
wide range of programmes that
are based on real lives and real
life situations and events”
(From TV Studies
Casey et al 2002)


Can You list some examples of ‘Reality TV’
shows?
• X factor
• I'm a celebrity
• Big brother
• The voice UK
• Britain's got talent


The REALITY TV GENRE
This genre is called a HYBRID because it takes
some of the conventions from a range of
different genres:
• Game Shows
• Fly on the Wall Documentary
• Soap Opera
• Talent Show
• Etc.


Reality TV: A Case Study

X Factor


X Factor: Background

• The X Factor is a reality TV talent show for aspiring pop
singers who compete for a record contract

• Finals have attracted 20 million viewers

• The format was created by Simon Cowell and the UK
series is produced by his company, Syco TV for ITV

• The format is now successful in many different
countries and Cowell has launched a US version


• In the sixth series the programme was expanded
from just a Saturday night programme by adding a
Sunday night results show, increasing the viewing
hours

• The programmes include auditions and live shows
with pop star guest appearances

• There are ‘spin off’ shows on ITV’s digital channels
such as ITV2’s Xtra Factor



• The UK version is responsible for the launch of Leona
Lewis, Alexandra Burke and JLS

• It has also turned new judge Cheryl Cole into a major
star

• Her appointment coincided with the highest rated
series in the shows history, averaging more than 10
million viewers and improving its audience among
advertiser friendly young viewers.

Friday night dinner
• In Friday night dinner we would expect to see the same family having
dinner on Friday night, we expect the characters in the program to be
funny and entertaining.
• Adam Goodman
• We expect him to be the one who has to do all the dirty work and get into
trouble and to be one of the funnier characters.
• Jackie Goodman
• We expect her to be one of the more fiery characters but also funny at
times.
Setting clothing
• At the Goodman's house . Normal cloth's that you would
• the park near a river. Were around the house e.g.
• The corner shops. Shirts, jeans, vests, coats when
out and about dresses, skirt's.

X factor
• Lucy spraggon
She comes across as a bubbly, down to earth, character and when she
takes to the stage and sings the song she wrote herself, a lot of her
personality came but the lyrics were also funny and the audience could easily
relate to them, then again she was also able to control the audience and was
also she was dresses casually. Had lots of expression when singing and really
performed the song well, she was quite over welled by the audiences
reaction. The camera was mainly on Lucy and the audience they have also
used close ups because they want to show the emotions and to make us
empathise with the character.
Afterword's Lucy was very emotional and started cry with excitement
The judges
The was a lot surprise normally the judges would know if they are going to get
anything decent or but with Lucy they didn’t know what to expect

X factor
• Lucy spraggon

• Following her second audition Lucy was at an all time low. The build up to
her third audition, It is a bit of a gloomy story, that tugs on the heart
strings. There are a lot of close ups as well. Lucy had a lack of confidence
In herself. Her third audition she reverts back to her old style which the
judges and the audience actually prefer and although she is a down to
earth character, the stage show is very professional.


I'm a celebrity
Ant and Dec come across as funny, confident and also entertaining to the
audience. When on live TV they are very professional and don’t panic for
example when Dec trips over on live TV. They laugh it off instead of making a
big deal out of it. This shows their experience because they have been
presenting live TV shows for many years now.
Most of the contestants that appear on the show are ex celebrities.
Based in the jungle that isolates the celebrates From shops and hotels and
family/friends .
Ant and Dec also appear in smart clothes where's the celebrities are in


http://www.youtube.com/user/thexf
actoruk?feature=results_main


• Before (first audition )
• The use a lot of emotional music to go with the preface after they have sung
• They use images of when they were younger
• The audience are involved a lot in the auditions e.g. if they have done well they will cheer but they be
very poor they will boo . They can also be used if the judge tells the audience to do something .
• Ella Henderson is a very emotional character when she takes to the stage and when she performed
she sang one of her own songs that she had written.
• She is only 16 but looks a lot older
• A simple performance with just her on stage .
Afterword's
• Six weeks into the live shows and Ella Henderson is more confident and cry's less
• She has gone from wearing normal casual cloths to wearing better more stylish smarter cloths and
made her more glamorous.
• They try to take her away from her own style by making her sing up-tempo songs and tried to make
her dance but the judges gave negative comments this could have been to create conflict and interest
around Ella
• She then went back to sing songs to the style she is comfortable with.
• They have flashing lights ,screens with effects, dances and also backing singers .

The Judges
• Before
• In the beginning the judges dress smart but casual.
• The two female judges always have a different hair style.
• we see their different personalities of all the judges and the different style of act they like.
• They work together as a team to find the best acts

• Afterwards
• They dress more glamorous with dresses and suits .
• They are all a lot more serious because they have there own category and they want their acts to
win.
• On the live shows there is a lot more conflict and arguing between them.

• The judges auguring http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN4KCrIqjms
• We see in this video the judges auguring and disagreeing over who should go through and who
shouldn’t and they all have big egos therefore are to proud and wont back down because they
want to keep the acts that they like to stay in the competition.
• This would keep views watching the program because the more judges there are h

• The flash back what's gone on before hand behind the scenes.

The Xtra Factor/Spin of Shows
• The Xtra Factor
• It lets the public in on all the back stage gossip it lets them debate on all the contestants
• Spin off shows – wider audience
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qso9qQJj5DE&playnext=1&list=PL856F31E7FCC3BC02&f
eature=results_video
• Results shows include, established music artists performing this makes sure that there is a
large audience the second night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlTEaHXRgf4
• They have there own twitter, Facebook and even there own YouTube page this also to not
only get you evolved in the debate but also to keep you interested in the program .
• They uses the media to keep you watching the program because the constantly build up the
profiles of the contestants through the newspapers and also on bbc/granada news when the
start to mention the x factor.

How they build up tension
They build up tension by delaying results, opinions and keeping the audience waiting
Even know people hate the program they keep watching just to criticize it and now the
judges are as dramatic as the acts them selves people in fact even more dramatic then
the acts. So people are watching the show just to see the judges moaning and
groaning and falling out. that is why I hate the show.

Ofcom Regulations
• Ofcom keep track of complaints received from TV programs then they will
step in and sort out the complaints received to them.
One of the complaints I have found is about an incident found from the realty
TV program x factor. There were 35 complaints from the performance of a 51
year old mother called Alison Brunton .Who was sing lady gaga , because the
teenage boy and girl back stage were shown really embarrassed and anxious
and x factor Presenter Dermot O'Leary told them: "You want to be anywhere
else but here right now." this was criticized because this could cause bulling
towards them at their school.
http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/reality/the-x-factor/news/ofcom-investigate-x-
factor-teen-impact-complaints/17693

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