Introduction to film and television studies Studying television

Audience studies: who watches what, why and when Effects: role models, consumer behaviour, ideology → identity formation Media education – who is responsible? Television in everyday life (at home and outside) Social, political and economic connections and functions Media history, organization, practises, ties with other media Genres and formats

Organisation Public service vs. commercial enterprise Financing of public service television National vs. regional broadcasting National vs. transnational production Responsibilities of programming – how are decisions made? Changes and challenges caused by political and ideological developments Changes and challenges caused by technological development

Aspects of television as a medium Segmented flow ”I saw a film” vs. ”I watched television” ”We” (the audience + the TV people) vs. ”They” (those observed people in the real world) News broadcasting hierarchy: who may and who may not look straight into the camera? Presence of the everyday on the telly / lifestyle programming Stars on film and television / bringing celebrities down to earth Participation in live events – but how live is live broadcasting? Recycling Hybridization Self-referentiality Bringing out the raw reality

Lembo: Thinking Through Television Open interview format Context: how watching television connects with other activities – Is the telly simply put on as one gets back home or for specific programmes? – How does watching relate to other activities? – Is watching telly a social activity? Three modes of viewing and their chief characteristics – Concentrated viewing: need to control one’s use of time, thoughtful and involved viewing – Less concentrated viewing: reluctance to formulate opinions, strong social aspect – Simultaneous viewing: mingles with other activities, concentration only when something catches one’s interest Degree of mindfulness – ”Continuum of mindfullness” – continuities in surfing on the programme flow – personal observations

Lembo: Thinking Through Television Studying television in conjunction with other signifying practises ”Presentational symbolism”: meanings that are not tied to narration or explicit messages but which function on the imaginary level Spectator between the stimuli offered by: – the television – the environment – her own fantasies Attitudes: serious, critical, ironical, humorous … What is discussed among family, workmates, friends? What is learned? How are patterns of life affected?

Television as a friend De-localization of social life Belonging to imaginary communities Pseudo participation in dramatic incidences (human relationships, crimes, ilnesses) – real of fictional Parasocial interrelationships (compare: asymmetrical dialogues) Television friends and acquaintances Talking to people on television

Television and political reality How do international and local news agencies function as filters and gate keepers? To what degree is international attention focused on certain areas and people and not others? Which features of a country or a continent are brought out, what are kept in the dark? How independent is news broadcasting of political, commercial and other such interests? What kind of rhetorical strategies have been adopted and how are they used to give certain emphasis on news items?

The blurred boundary between fact and fiction Popular urban stories Rumours: hearing is believing? Tabloid journalism Realistic fiction Fiction (supposedly) based on real events Drama documentaries Reality television

Varieties of reality programming Candid Camera from1949 Home videos Following the life of real people (observational documentaries) Talk shows with either ordinary people or celebrities telling about their personal or professional life to a professional advisor (and studio audience) Revealing people’s secrets: Cheaters Adventure, survival, mating etc. programmes Competitions: Big Brother, Idols, Dragon’s Den Police television People in other interesting or exciting professions

Police television (Nichols) Voyeurism and exhibitionism Showing crimes and misdemeanours is justified by moralizing - tends to turn into camp Raw vs. cooked; direct vs. framing material Condensed story format, emotional appeal, fascination of the strange and forbidden ”Isn’t that amazing!” effect Reality television/ documentaries/ = perversion/ sexuality

Media education should train in recognizing propositions and background assumptions concerning reality analyzing them and criticizing the values they are based on measuring those assumptions and values against one’s own views and experiences relating what media offer to one’s own reality and experiences