Week 10 Sara

How does Buffy deconstruct traditional literary notions of good and evil?

It is becoming increasingly common for modern television shows, especially those marketed as 'edgy' to the demographic of 20 to 35 year olds, to have an 'unambiguous morality' bent as a theme. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this literary device; especially when shows 'jump on the bandwagon' to create controversy, and when a sudden change in motivation in characters appears to contradict all their past plot arc, but when done well, I think it can be quite amazing.

Braun (2000) talks of how Buffy subverts traditional views of good and evil by having characters, both 'good' and 'bad' make choices that are ambiguous or contradictory to their past. An example of this is in the storyline between Buffy and Angel (Angelus). Angel was a former demonic vampire who had his human soul restored to his body by a curse. Upon meeting Buffy, he vowed to fight demons with her, and he soon became a romantic interest. After they slept together for the first time, his soul reverted back to the demonic one it once was, and Buffy was forced into a position of agression torwards someone she had once loved. Buffy, over the course of a season, comes to terms with the fact that "her perfect lover also embodied great hostility and rage targeted toward her" (Braun, 2000). During the season, the characters of Buffy and Angel come to terms with both the love and accompaning rage that is inside of both of them. This plot device can be seen as symptomatic of an increasingly modern world which embraces shades of grey.

References
Braum, B. (2000) The X-files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The ambiguity of evil in supernatural representations. Retrieved 18 October, 2005 from: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0412/is_2_28/ai_64688900

Week 12

Why is reality TV so popular for both programme makers and TV viewers?

I guess this is because for one part the creators can rely on the fact that they didn't need to hire actors, and originally didn't even need to write scripts, merely needing to supply the situation and film and go. This is an idea supported by Hills (2005) when describing original reality TV. But he does go on to mention that this is no longer the case and that they are now largely scripted and sometimes even have actors. Although I can offer no reference for as to why it is so popular to viewers, is because people like to watch other people and see their insecurites and flip outs in a way to make themselves feel better about themselves or relate to characters and take some kind of pride that a character that they believe is like them is on TV.

Reference

Hill, A. (2005) The reality genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. Oxon: Routledge.

Trevor week 1

Do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media?

I don't believe that comic books are strictly Adult or a child genre. I think there are many examples of comics that are sctrictly adult comics, with violent and graphic portrails within them unsuitable for children. at the other end of the scale there are comics that themes of which only serve to feed the minds of children; and there are the ones in between. I can remember reading Tin Tin with my Father when I was a child, and he still has the books lying around at his house today, although I lost my use for them he didn't, so I guess in this sense they can be either adult, children' or both orientated. Farr(1991) Also discusses the notion, in regards to Tin Tin, that he is a chracter to be enjoyed by a vast age group from child to adult.

KT's week 10

Why is reality TV so popular for both programme makers and TV viewers?

The reality TV has become so popular for programme makers, like producers and executives. Hill(2005) states reality formats provide a never-ending fresh supply of non-professional actors in new series of existing formats. In other words, minor changes to the formats are required for allowing programme makers to create series. For example, ‘Survivor’ needs only new contestants, and new house is provided for ‘Big brother’. I think the reasons that the programme makers are prefer to reality TV are the fact that there is no difficulty to cast the actors or actresses, and no necessary to factitious story. It is convenient to produce the programme by putting the camera to the real situations.

In addition, TV viewers seem to love reality TV as well. Because viewers can be involved to reality TV easily as voting for contestants and it is, also, possible to participate in the reality TV as a contestant for all viewers.

Reference

Hill, A. (2005). The rise of reality TV. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. (pp. 15-40). Oxon: Routledge.

Week 11 Farish

How does Hill define reality TV?

Hill describes early reality tv as programmes with non-professional actors, hand held cameras, surveillance footage, seeing events unfold and a nonexistence script. But recently all of this has changed as reality tv is part of anything and everything from people to pets, from birth to deaths (Hill, 2005). Sometimes this can be seen in game shows like “Big Brother” or realistic survival shows like “Survivor” or a recent trend that has been evident can be shows like “Cops” or something more informative like “Animal Hospital”; and “16 and pregnant”, a show divulging the ‘real’ life of a pregnant teenager.  Through shows like these one cannot define a genre like reality tv or factual television but instead give a series of definitions.  Reality tv seems to be made up of a number of hybrid genres created by the merging of different television genres, rather than just limited to any one genre.  

Hill, A. (2005) The reality genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television.(pp. 14 – 40). Oxon: Routledge.

Week 9 Farish

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV? How

is new media central to this?

Hills(2004) indicates that the role which fans in cult tv play is not just a typical “special devotion”, but instead they can drive off attacks on their fan cultures, defend their passions and even examine and value favored texts. New media has been central to this, since fans have been known to not just pursue their activities in real life, but also through the internet. Creating fan fiction, commentaries, information on episodes and history of productions, using their expansive knowledge and reviewing the favored programme. A market also has been constructed for memorabilia, props and merchandise used in their much loved shows by fans. The fans rather then just sitting back and taking a back seat when it comes to their role in cult tv is found to par take in a much more active role, constantly reviewing their favourite shows, trying to develop a better understanding and appreciation in regards to the plot as well as the characters, even minor ones.

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.

Week 9 Sara

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult tv? How is new media central to this?

Hills (2004) has three differing definitions he uses to explore how cult tv is formed. One of these is "Cult TV can be defined through an analysis of fan practices, and depends on fan activities." This definition of cult tv states that fans play the most important role in making a tv program into 'cult tv', starting with just a grassroots, generally avid, appreciation among a small group of people. Hills (2004) suggests that cult tv fans display signs of fandom that are not seen in your everyday, casual tv watcher, and, as a community, they form networks of interlinking texts; of programs, films, books, comics and other materials, that all interelate. Fans of cult tv also "have played a part in generically re-organising TV programs into the catergory of 'cult'" (Hills, 2004).

New media is central to this in a number of ways. Appreciation Societies, for instance, which are formed around cult tv shows, are a visible way for television media to report on this growing phenomenom. These appreciation societies often have conventions, which are organised on the internet. The internet has revolutionised the cult tv community, leading to more engagement in fan activity, and accessibility to any new fans (Hills, 2004). The internet is a place for cult tv fans to post fan fiction, discuss episodes and characters, and share commentaries and production histories with other like-minded fans.

References
Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Intertexts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R.C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.