Week 11- Reality TV

What signifiers of reality have emerged from the documentary genre?

There are variety of styles and techniques associated with reality tv, such as non-professional actors, unscripted dialogue, surveillance footage, hand-held cameras, seeing events unfold as they are happening in front of the camera. However, the treatment of 'reality' in reality programming has changed as the genre, has developed with one scene footage such as emergency and birth. Now days Reality Tv is associated with anything and everything. You can turn on the tv and find hundreds of shows based around reality. There are TV networks specifically for them. Many shows have emerged in the documentary genre such as lagona Beach, The Hills, the City, The Real world, The Osbournes, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kendra, Police 10 seven, Airline, and even shows such as American Idol, X facotor and Master chef. Many celebrities are even getting their own 'reality' tv shows, as it is a way of upper their star appeal. Reality = Big ratings. A Reality tv category has even been included into the Emmy Awards as it is so popular and often gets more ratings than other shows on prime time TV.

How has the Documentary genre influenced reality tv and how it presents the 'real'?

Documentary genre has been a huge influence on reality tv and the so called notion of "Real". It gives viewers a chance to get an insight into what is happening in peoples lives or what is happening on the streets of their town. It is like the audience is in on this secret that they are not supposed to know about, and that power is addictive to addictive to audiences. "There is a huge future- just as theres been a huge past - in British tv for so-called real people on tv.. some of those so-called reality shows are more factual, some are more formatted, like pop idol. A lot of them used to be called documentaries, but people are now just more inventive with them." The Hills is a Prime example of how a documentary style of reality represents the 'real'. The setting is as though they are being secretly watched, the camera is around in the most private and complicated situations, every little piece of their lives is displayed on tv, and that got audiences hooked, the fact that they could be in on other peoples drama sent shock waves across the world, and soon it was a sensation. There was a contrivers e on whether or not it was fake, and the series finale when it shows the actors on a sound stage and ditching the scrips, just proves how they took us all for a ride, but it was affective. and it is still being talked about now. Documentary genre is a way for the camera to catch every moment, it is supposed to be like you are looking in the mirror of realism. Most of these reality shows are like that, but you do get the ones when it is scripted to look 'real'. "Far from being the faithful depiction of reality it is assumed to be realism through the various forms it has taken throughout its history, shows itself to be neither window nor mirror but a set of convections."

Rererences -

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

Biressi, A and Nunn, N. (2005). Real Lives, documentary approaches. In Reality TV: Realism and Revelation. (pp. 35-38) London: Wallflower.

NO SCREENING

There won't be a screening this week or next week - this will give you all more time to focus on the blogs and the assignment.

Week Ten - Cult TV

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

Reading through Beth Braun’s critical study on ‘The Ambiguity of Evil in Supernatural Representations’, she states that Buffy is a good example, but not a new example of “using supernatural settings and characters to play out narratives of good versus evil,” Braun (2000, p.1). She goes onto say that hundreds of films and literacy examples have focused on the exact same theme. Yet, referring back to Buffy as an example of good versus evil, we can see that by mixing this whole good versus evil theme with the likes of teenager ‘angst’, how this theme is a lot “less fixed,” (Week Ten Slide Show, Slide 6). This whole idea of good versus evil, as suggested, has been slightly deconstructed in comparison to traditional ‘good versus bad’ notions.

One example of this in Buffy is where ‘good’ and ‘bad’ becomes a lot less defined. Good characters such as Buffy herself, express emotions of anger and bitterness towards ‘Angel’ as she feels as though she has been betrayed by his change in ‘demeanour’ and ‘character’ since making love to him, something that he cannot help due to a curse he is under. Even Braun talks about this idea stating that “good characters may develop in frightening sinister ways; villainous ones surprisingly reveal complex and even selfless motivations,” Braun (2000, p.1). So this whole idea of Good characters and Bad characters is slightly more ambiguous.

“Although initially portrayed as a dark and somewhat morally ambiguous character, Angel quickly became a romantic interest for Buffy.” Braun (2000, p.2). Here we see that Angel has already undertaken a change from evil to good as he initially like Braun suggests, was an evil character who used to go round sucking innocent peoples blood. Angel eventually makes love to Buffy; “however the curse that gave him his soul states that if he ever experiences a moment of perfect happiness his vampire nature would return.” Here again we also see another change in Angel, from good back to evil. “Angelus begins to kill again and tries to destroy Buffy. Buffy struggles to come to terms with the idea that Angel is now her enemy,” (Slide 19). So like stated earlier, this whole idea of good and evil being fixed terms are challenged and changed from that of traditional ideas which have been portrayed in similar literacy genres.

Braun (2000, p.3) sums this whole idea up nicely stating that “what makes Buffy the Vampire Slayer different from many current television offerings is that it portrays these psychoanalytically charged themes so effectively through the use of supernatural mythology.” She also mentions how this “moral ambiguity” is also reflected throughout the “development” of other main characters on the show. Mainly referencing Anya, (a non-human) who “was once an immortal and avenging demon,” to the sensitive band member Oz who, for three nights of every month, transforms into a werewolf are fine examples of this whole moral ambiguity idea portrayed throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “Current episodes continue this theme of the shifting nature of good and evil, as characters are portrayed as sometimes making not only bad choices but also morally wrong choices,” Braun (2000, p.3).

Reference List

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 10 cult two 2

Hey everyone, I have really enjoyed reading all your posts lately. can't wait to read more.

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

Traditional literary romanticism express admiration for a male romantic hero who struggles with the opposing forces of his psyche, but in buffy it is in complete reverse. The main narrative is from a females point of view, with blonde hair i might add. She is the complete reverse of traditional literary notions, for one she is a female hero who is fighting against evil, but she also kicks butt at it. Rose states, Buffy employs Romantic ideology in contemporary contexts and terms and suggest alternatives within that framework. Buffy is forever fighting with evil and even had a very intense relationship with a good vampire which then turned evil again. The concept of good and evil is questioned in every episode, sometimes many characters don't even know what team they are playing for. Good and Evil is forever shifting, especially between the characters. "Evil" is often less fixed in these shows, with many characters demonstrating both decent and demonic traits and behaviors across episodes or seasons. "Good" Characters may develop in frightening sinster ways; Villainous ones many surprisingly reveal complex and even selfless motivations." Spike once "evil' turns 'good' and ends up help Buffy and her scobby gang throughout the seasons. Angel was "Good" often helping Buffy to slay Vampires in the first and second season, even going as far as saving her life. After they have a sexual relationship, he then turns evil again, turning into a demon trying to turn the world into Hell. Buffy puts her feeling aside for him and trys to slave the demon inside of him. Which she then succeeds in doing on the season 2 finale. The concepts and themes of this show are so different from traditional ones, as Buffy isint some damsel in distress, she can fight on her own, although she does invest in the help of her some her friends, proving that she is a true hero. In doing so, the show also affirms the possibility of retaining our humanity in an increasingly mechanized and impersonal world and posits ways in which we may do this. Buffy working from the modern strengths as well as weaknesses, powerfully announces the arival or evils that Mary Shelly foresaw. Buffy protrays rel human personalities and relationships, which alot of things don't when it comes to this genre. Good and evil is constantly being messed around with. Some characters even knowing what is morally wrong when they are evil which results in them trying to find some good in the world.

How do you think Buffy has influenced the contemporary vampire drama "True Blood" and the "Twilight" series of novels and films? Looking at every vampire drama that has surfaced in the last couple of years such as "True Blood", "Twilight" and "The Vampire Diaries" it is hard not to see where they got their inspiration from. Most of the female main characters are strong just like Buffy, they don't need to be protected, and all of them are hungry to learn about the vampire world. True blood's main character even has the blonde hair that Buffy had. In these shows and films, the real world doesnt know that these vampires exist. They hide away in their own little world, oblivious to humans eyes. In Buffy, this is the same thing. To humans the had no idea that vampires even existed, which worked for Buffy the Vampire slayer, as it left audiences in wonder about what was really happening in their own lives. The setting of Buffy (being mostly at a high school or chemetry) has defiantly influenced the vampire diaries as the show is based in there high school of mystic falls and often the main character is found in the chemistry where the vampires lurk around. Sookie in true blood, lives right next to the chemetry and in the season one finale got attacked by a vampire hating person and then found her vampire boyfriend sleeping in one of the graves. Twilight is more focused on the forbidden relationship of the mortal and the vampire, which i guess could be related back to buffy, since she couldn't be with Angel in the end, as he was what she she was fighting against. All in All i think that these dramas have been greatly influenced by Buffy, and i just wish Buffy was still on so it would be widely appreciated.

References -

Rose, A (2002) Of creatures and creators: Buffy does Frankenstein, in R. Wilcox & D. Lavery (eds) Fighting the forces: what’s at stake in Buffy the vampire slayer. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

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 7 SF

What does Brown (2001) identify as the central themes and concerns of the novel? What elements conform to the wider generic features of SF?

Brown (2001) identifies elements of the novel’s central themes and concerning of the novel. The novel should have literary style, psychological dept and delicate social understanding to the genre. Brown (2001) evaluates that Dick’s novel has these elements even his many books are SF genre; Dick displayed his sufficient knowledge, huge capability to get information. In addition, there are philosophy, psychology and religion in his novels. Also, Dick reflected his own life in his writing and ordinary person’s life in extraordinary circumstances illustrating effect of events on individuals. Although SF genre were regarded as the space adventures and mostly low quality involving crazy scientists, destructive alien monsters, lumbering stories of futuristic, technology with little awareness for the better style or characterization in the fifties, In America, Dick achieved very high quality of works on both SF and fiction.

What was does Dick (1995) himself theorise about the I Ching?

Dick (1995) theorises about the I Ching that when people on the situation of schizophrenic which happen things at the same time not according to the time like yesterday, today and tomorrow, they can come into the I Ching world which is the behind the world that has the power he or she does not know. People who are schizophrenic which means synchronicity can be helped by I Ching which tells every thing including what to do next or what is going to happen.

Reference lists

Brown, E. (2001). Introduction. In Dick, P.K., The Man in the High Castle

(p.v-xii). London: Penguin

Dick, P.K. (1995). Schizophrenia and the I Ching. In Sutin, L. (Ed.),

The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (pp.175-182). New York: Vintage

Week Nine - Cult TV

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

Hills suggest that the role which fans play in the construction of cult TV is just one of the three definitions which also defines Cult TV. As suggested by Hills (2004, p.510), “cult status arises, ultimately, through an audiences passion for a TV show.” In this case, the fans, being the audience, are the ones who have constructed or come up with this whole concept called Cult TV. “Assuming that it is created by fans rather than media producers,” Hills (2004, p.510) shows how it is truly the fans influences and followings over a programme which deem weather it is worthy to be labelled Cult Television or not. Hills also questions the activities which fans of cult TV participate in in order to see who is labelling Cult TV. (How do fan activities produce cult status?”), Hills (2004, p.510).

The qualities of the fans which construct Cult TV were studied in order to see what kinds of people were influencing Cult television. According to Hills (2004, p.517), “fans of cult TV have played a part in generically re-organising TV programmes into the category of Cult.” Looking towards their characteristics, Hills notes that Cult TV watchers are generally more avid and higher in participatory. Also, influences from fans which determine Cult TV, involve things such as social gatherings and contributions to online fan-fic sites. “But [Cult TV] also allows temporal gaps in real life and narrative gaps in the fiction that support or provoke the creation of fan fiction.” And Hills also states that the benefit of Cult TV, unlike soaps, is that it allows fans to write fan fic as there is a big enough gap in the narrative. Cult TV is often based around “format-defining and endlessly deferred narrative question,” Hills (2004, p.518). With fan fic, there are endless possibilities for new and endless plots, another way in which fans can play a part in the construction of Cult TV via fan fiction forums.

So Hills (2004, p. 518), pretty much supports this idea stating that “fans arguably create cult status in a number of ways,” like mentioned above.

How is new media central to this?

New Media, such as blogs or online forums make it a lot easier for fans of Cult TV to distinguish their own ideas in relation to Cult TV. Like Hills (2004, p.519) says, the internet and new forms of media makes it “easier for fans to contact other like-minded devotees” and “the web increases the possibility of small-scale organised forums emerging around a wider variety of TV shows.”

It also allows for a wider audience and fan base as mentioned afore. “It has achieved this by opening up the boundaries of fandom allowing more people to participate in fan culture, and designating more television programmes… as worthy of fan activity.” Hills (2004, p. 519). With the help of the internet also, it can become more mainstream and a lot more people can come to appreciate and enjoy it.

So I guess with the likes of these ‘new medias’, it does become a lot easier to target a wider audience range due to the amount of people who use these new media forms on a day to day basis.

Reference List

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 Eight - Sci Fi

How does Dick’s essay (1999; 1964) illuminate his use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle?

Dick’s essay was really interesting. His use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle was highlighted throughout. High Castle, as we know, revolved a lot around the I Ching. However Dick points out that there are also other strong references including Nazism. To me personally, like I have stated in my previous blog, “High Castle has a lot of history behind it such as WWII etc.” So this whole idea of Nazism being relevant to High Castle doesn’t really come as a surprise seeing as it does have a lot of WWII history behind it. One example where Dick references Nazism is right at the start of his essay, “Many moon have passed white man review my book Man in the High Castle, and have commented...on Nazism – which is right and proper, because that is the true topic, far more so than any novel…,” Dick (1964, p.112). He cuts straight to the point on this matter.

Also, the main reason that people have associated High Castle with Nazism is summed up by this quote from Dick himself, “we are still very much afraid, still rightly so very much disturbed, and, as Harry Warner so correctly said, we might identify with the war guilt with the Germans because they're so similar to us.” So all in all, we can relate due to this common factor; fear. “The man in the High Castle illuminates Nazism by highlighting how fear is sub rational.” Dick (1999).

There is this feeling of equality expressed throughout this Nazism motif. Dick goes onto express his feelings in regards to this, stating that “I am not a white man. My German friends are not German, nor my Jewish friends Jew’s. I am a nominalist. To me there are only individual entities, not group entities such as race, blood people, etc.,” Dick (1964, p.117). In reference to Nazism, this kind of sums up how Dick believes that the German’s were not a bad race and that we shouldn’t all classify them to be bad people (i.e. the Nazi’s), because as he realised some of the Germans were just as scared as the Jews themselves and at the end of the day they were all just individuals trying to survive just like everyone else going through the Depression. Also he describes how the everyday Germans actually felt sorry for the Jews, “German citizens poked bread into the sealed cattle cars carrying Jews to their death through the Reich…,” Dick (1964, p.113). He also goes onto say that the Nazis even had feelings themselves, “So even this unman, this thing, reified into the top ranks of Nazi officialdom had feelings,” Dick (1964, p.113). Dick pretty much wanted to express his feelings, you could say, of racism and individualism and how stereotypes need to be broken down and stopped as it can damage lives and create war. This motif is tied nicely into High Castle with its references to WWII when these events were taking place showing also how even though we are different, we can still relate as we do, at the end of the day still have feelings etc. And we’re all human.

According to McKnee, what relationship did Dick’s ideas have to (a) Christianity (b) religion and philosophy in general?

According to McKnee, Dick’s relationship with Christianity, in general, has been highlighted throughout his work. “Ubik itself speaks in the terms of Judeo-Christian theology: “I am Ubik. Before the universe was, I am. I made the suns. I made the worlds… I am the word and my name is never spoken, the name which no one knows,” McKnee (2004, p.5). He also goes onto say that “In nearly all of Dick’s own analyses of Ubik, he begins with a religious interpretation, likening his concept to Christian concepts such as logos and the Holy Spirit.”

One thing that I have taken from this is the similarity between Dick’s choice of words “Before the universe was, I am. I made the suns. I made the worlds…I am the word…” to the likeness of the Christian Bible. If we quickly look to the book of John (the forth book of the Bible in the New Testament) it states this, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In him was life…” It’s quite uncanny how similar the two are. There is definitely a reference to the Christian faith no-doubt. However in saying this, this by no means, can qualify to be evidence that Dick himself was a highly religious man. To me, it isn’t really a big deal whether Dick has used religious references; maybe it just makes for good reading. But whatever his reasoning, there is no doubt that there are biblical references.

Another point which McKnee notes is the numerous references to religion. “And it is to Christianity that most of Dick’s qualifications eventually return… After lengthy discussions of the gnostic idea of an evil demiurge as the creator of our universe, Dick here returns to Christian doctrine: Christ as the world’s sole creator, redeemer and judge… (it was Christ, the real presence of the actual Christ, Dick (1981)),” McKnee (2004, p.31). McKnee also goes onto say that “countless similar comments can be found…” showing that weather or not you like it, Dick’s references to religion and the Christian faith are evident throughout his work.



Reference List
Dick, P.K. (1995). Nazism and the High Castle. In Sutin, L. (Ed.), The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (pp.112-117). New York: Vintage.

Linklater, R. (Director). (2006). A Scanner Darkly.

McKee, Gabriel (2004). A Scanner Darkly: Dick as a Christian theologian. In Pink
Beams of Light from the God in the Gutter: the sciencefictional religion of Philip K. Dick. NY: U Press of America.