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Week 12 Question

Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?

Reality television is an ever-expanding media giant. Though it may have started as a simple genre, as it has risen and fallen, the genre has expanded to create hybrids, mixing together aspects of both its genre and other genres that had already existed on television. Holmes (2004) states that “The combination of forms that are themselves already generic hybrids emphasizes the complex matter of defining ‘reality TV”. Some examples of these types of reality shows would be cooking shows, cop shows and makeover shows. I am going to discuss cop shows in more detail as one prime example of this, then I will conclude with my final thoughts.

Shows such as ‘COPS’ or ‘Police 10-7’ are part of the crime/emergency sub-genre of reality television that has been popular and prominent since the 1980s. A big reason for this is the subject matter, the adrenaline rush and even the violence itself. As Biressi and Nunn (2005) say on the reasoning, “The vicarious pleasures of witnessing crime, disaster and other life-threatening occurrences that are sanctioned by the moral discourses of criminal justice”. These shows have been made for three primary reasons. The first reason is to improve the reputation of law enforcement. The second reason has to do with how the police are ‘inspirational’. The third reason is that it encourages people to help the police in cases. The final reason is surveillance. In crime television, the viewer is given access to surveillance footage. Of course, before these shows came around, police shows were still on television. There were documenteries around the police departments, as well as soaps involving the police department, such as ‘Chips’. Reality television has never been defined as being a reflection of reality, only that it involved ‘real’ people. In the case of reality cop shows, the cops presented on screen are professional cops, doing their jobs, although the show may glorify their jobs for reasons explained above.

So, can reality television still be thought of as a genre. In short, I believe that reality television can be considered a genre, even with the levels of hybridity. Though there are countless sub-genres and hybridity within the genre, there are still common threads that link these genres together. First off, all of them involve ‘real’ people. Whether it is a show based around celebrities such as ‘The Anna Nicole Show’ or members of public, in shows such as ‘Survivor’ or ‘Big Brother’, the people within the shows are not fictional. They are real celebrities, and real members of the public. Another common thread would be hosts of some description, whether it’s a judge on a cooking show, Jeff Probst from ‘Survivor’ or even someone like Andy Cohen, the producer and unofficial host of the ‘Real Housewives’ franchise. Though there are differences, there are enough common traits between most shows that makes reality television still deserving of its title.

References

Holmes, S, Jermyn, D (2004) Understanding Reality Television. Routledge.

Mapp, C (2014) Reality Television: Oddities of Culture. Lexington Books

Vox (2019 May 2nd) The truth behind the TV show ‘Cops’ [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTQTcfk5Bmw

Week 12: Brendan O’Neill

Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?

The massive amount of hybridity that currently exists within reality tv makes it very difficult to define as a genre, bringing the question of whether reality tv can even still be considered a genre.

The definition of reality tv according to Oxford dictionary are “Television programmes in which ordinary people are continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative.” Immediately this is very broad, if the only requirement for a show to be considered reality tv is that it is designed as entertainment, then that would incorporate a massive amount of media. 

The problem however, is that many of the hybrid and niche shows do not fit into any other genre asides from reality tv. According to Wood (2004) the sense of realism that reality tv makes as a defining genre trait is also shared by most if not all media in one form or another, and although this is true, the issue is that this is not a problem that is exclusive to reality tv.

There are a number of examples when it comes to genres that have highly specific but popular sub genres. Genres like crime and fantasy have giant lists of sub genres some you can likely name off the top of your head, while broad genres like comedy and drama are often crossed with other genres which results in new ones.

As the broad appeal of reality tv increases, so will the issues of hybridity, especially as new niche concepts are brought into the genre, rather than rejecting reality tv’s status as a genre, perhaps it should be accepted that it has the potential to be a broad and large spread genre like fantasy or drama. The answer is that yes, reality tv can still be a genre.

Wood, B. (2004). A World in Retreat: The Reconfiguration of Hybridity in 20th-Century New Zealand Television. Media, Culture & Society, 45-62.  

Oxford English Dictionary, (1884). Oxford  

Week 11 Question

How real is reality tv?

The Oxford Dictionary defines reality television as “television shows that are based on real people (not actors) in real situations, presented as entertainment”. This definition is a simplistic one, and is made up of two main ideas; that it’s based on ‘real’ people and that these people are in ‘real’ situations. However, reality television does provide a distorted view of reality (Barton, 2007). Though the people may be ‘real’, for example in a show such as ‘Project Runway’, the challenges and situations are pre-prepared. Alternatively, in a show such as ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, the situations might be ‘real’ to them, but it is debatable whether they are being truly genuine, or even whether they can be called ‘real’ as the Kardashians are celebrities. Trottier (2006) defines reality television by giving it characteristics such as it being unscripted, starring real people, having producer involvement and it being spontaneous.

Some people do still believe that reality television reflects real life. In shows such as ‘Big Brother’ or ‘Survivor’, part of the appeal for the audience is seeing people for who they are. Being in stressful conditions, such as being trapped in a house with strangers or living off the land, can bring out strong emotions in people, causing their so-called ‘mask’ to slip. These may be real emotions, but the question is whether these emotions fully reflect them for who they are in reality, or simply whether their emotions are out of control due to their conditions.

Some reality shows are perhaps more real than others. For example, the game shows sub-genre are less about contestants and more about the game format or general knowledge. Cop shows do show real cases and arrests, however the producers of these shows pick and choose specific cases, that are interesting to watch from a viewer’s perspective. So although the situations are real, it may not be realistic in terms of portraying the average policemen’s job position.

I personally believe the reality television rests somewhere in the middle, between reality and fiction. This isn’t always a bad thing, in fact audiences prefer this in many ways. If a reality show involved everyday people doing everyday things acting like every other person, reality television would be less interesting to audiences. Reality television is a genre that most adults would agree is not particually “real”. However, a smart producer knows how to truly invest audiences in a television personality. Highlighting particular traits in particular people can create strong feelings in audiences. So although people understand that reality television is not truly a reflection of “reality”, the fact that the people in these shows are “real” to an extent can heighten emotions in audiences, causing their perception of reality television to shift.

References

Andrejevic, M (2006) How real is reality TV? Essays on representation and truth. McFarland And Company Inc Publishers

Barton, K (2007). The mean world effects of reality television: perceptions of antisocial behaviors resulting from exposure. The Florida State University College Of Communication.

Mapp, C (2014) Reality Television: Oddities of Culture. Lexington Books

Week 10

What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

The alternative history subgenre is used in a wide variety of medias. This subgenre can be connected to a few different genres. Fantasy is one example. In the fantasy television show ‘Once Upon A Time’, an episode deals with an alternate history created when a villain travels in time to ensure a King and Queen never meet. However, the genre it affiliates with most often is science fiction. This is probably because of science fiction’s mysterious, unknown beats. One common trope of science fiction is multiple dimensions, parallel universes. For example, the multimedia Star Trek franchise has the ‘Mirror Universe’, a dimension where the same characters and places exist, but they are more savage, and dark due to altered events in history. Science fiction also is centred around a ‘what if’ idea. This is an idea that coincides closely with alternative history. For example, a common question used in alternative history involves a world where the Nazis won WW2. That idea has been adapted into multiple works, most famously the novel ‘The Man In The High Castle’.  Alternative history can be split into three sub-genres.

The first sub-genre is pure alternative history. This is one of the most popular sub-genres of science fiction. Alternative history gives us a version of the world that has some similarities to our present, but due to one particular event in history that has been altered, the present that is shown is different. For example, if the JFK assassination attempt was unsuccessful, or as mentioned earlier, if the Nazis won WW2. This change can be positive or negative. In this genre the event leads to a singular line of effect. Basically, all of the changes that have occurred is due to one single event. Alternate history looks at how these events would unfold in reality, showing us an alternate timeline. A great example of this explanation can be seen in ‘Avengers: Endgame’. In this scene, the Ancient One, played by Tilda Swinton, shows us a single timeline, and explains how a single change in the timeline creates a completely different timeline.

The second sub-genre is postmodern alternative history. This genre has similarities to traditional alternative history, however it focuses on a single point in time where a doomsday type of event must be stopped in order to save the world. A great example of this is in the ‘Days Of Future Past’ saga in the X-Men comic series. Robots have enslaved most of the world’s population, and have killed the others. One of the team, Kitty Pryde, is sent back in time to alter the singular event that triggered this apocalypse. Postmodern alternative history uses this apocalypse in order to further a plotline, unlike alternate history, where this event has already happened. Postmodern is about preventing the event, rather than the aftermath.

Uchronie is the third sub-genre. This genre’s origins lie in France. This genre has similarities to both alternative history and postmodern alternative history. It is the idea of alternative universes, worlds, and timelines, “pure uchronia,” consisting of one alternative world; “plural uchronia,” in which this and an alternate world exist in parallel; and “infinite uchronia,” in which there are many, even infinite parallel worlds” (Mountfort, 2017). The genre shows how simple changes could totally alter the world we live in. This idea of multiple realities tells readers that we can make positive changes, and a better reality, if we work hard to make these changes. This could be done through things as simple as protesting.

References

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. SF-TH Inc.   

Week 11: Brendan O’Neill

How real is reality tv?

Discounting a significant amount of asterixis, you could say that reality tv is real. Ultimately though, the reality that gets presented to the audience has been through several layers of artificiality that result in a highly questionable product in terms of authenticity. People are interested in watching conflict, and people find conflict to be far more interesting when it is real, reality tv then seems like the perfect storm of real conflicts and drama that is uncomplicated and easy to understand and therefore consume. The way in which this reality is brought to the screen is what ultimately makes reality tv unreal. According to Hill (2005), “reality TV Is a range of popular factual programming”, the term factual implies that there are no scripts, no second takes, and only a small amount of editing, these are claims that many reality tv shows make that we are going to look into. 

The first suspicious claim is that reality tv only has a small amount of editing. Reality tv has turned manipulation of reality through editing into an artform, there are a number of ways that editing is used to present a false reality to the audience. A common convention of reality tv is the confession cam, where a contestant stares at a camera and talks about their feelings or opinions. The editors will only pick the quotes from the contestants that leave the strongest impression or may be the most controversial statement. Editors will go as far as mixing up different things the contestants say to form sentences that the contestant never said. Editors also pick scenes that will highlight the relationships of contestants in however way they want that relationship to be seen by the audience. Editing doesn’t necessarily create a lie, but sometimes it makes the truth more apparent then it should be or less nuanced than it really is.

The claim that there are no scripts may be true, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t staged. Although not all events are staged, it’s exceedingly difficult to believe that several vitally important things happen to these people in the span of a week, and the no second take claim is the one that is most false, even compared to the low editing claim. 

The use of editing and staged incidents in reality tv does hurt its authenticity considerably, but what makes RT unreal in my opinion is how it is set up, and what I mean by that is the contestants themselves. Reality tv casting is one of the most calculated processes in any entertainment medium. The contestants are picked to fit specific character archetypes, and are picked as antithetical counterparts to other contestants. These contestants are also incentivised to act in a disagreeable or extreme matter. Love or hate, if the audience feels strongly about you there is an incentive for the showrunners to keep you on longer, and since there is usually some form of reward for ‘winning’ the show, that is often the most important thing to the contestant. 

To conclude the very premise of reality tv is often false and reality tv is almost never entirely real. 

Kilborn, R. (1994). How real can you get?: Recent developments in ‘reality’ television. European Journal of Communication 9.  

DOI: 10.1177/0267323194009004003

Week 9 Question

According to Mountfort et al. (2018), what are the three main genres of cosphotography, and how did they historically develop?

Cosphotography could be simply defined as the videoing and photography of those participating in cosplay. However, this is a simple definition for a large subject. This concept dates back to over a century ago, in 1908, where a man dressed as a character from a cartoon strip at a masquerade ball. Since this humble beginning cosphotography has expanded extensively, moving from cartoon strips to more common medias of the 21st century, such as film and anime. Mountford (2020) says that “photography plays a crucial role in contemporary cosplay”. As time has gone on, cosphotography has split into three main genres, which will be my main subject in this blog.

The most traditional genre of cosphotography is official costume competitions, or fashion shows of cosphotography (Mountford, 2020). In these competitions, cosplayers would model, act and show off their cosplay skills in front of crowds of people. In these crowds there were photographers and videographers, who would record these performances. Usually, there would be prizes and rewards for these competitions. This genre of cosphotography originates back to the early 1900s, where many masquerades had formal costume competitions. Another genre of competition influenced by masquerade competitions would be pageants, which involve outfits, performances and rewards.

The second genre, and perhaps the least official would be hallway cosphotography. This genre is more casual and perhaps the most common in the modern age, where these simple shots can be taken and posted on social media sources, such as Facebook or Instagram. This genre is often seen at conventions, when a cosplayer will dress up and have photos taken of them, usually without permission. However, if it is a shot with another fan, there is always opportunities for a cosplayer to gain fans, or even capital. Mountford (2018) says that “Cosplayers see it as a compliment when fans do want to have a photo taken with them”. Historically, these shots originated from the first cosplay conventions, in the 80s.

The final genre of cosphotography is the studio portrait. Unlike the other two genres, this one is not usually done in front of large groups of people, and it is not done in a public setting. Cosplayers are in a private location, getting photos and videos taken pre-arranged by the cosplayer and photographer/videographer. Full consent is given to share these photos and videos themselves, and the rewards from these photos are purely their own. Historically, this genre dates back to the 70s, when polaroid’s and instant cameras were in their prime. However, these beginnings were in convention settings, instead of private studios as we see nowadays.

References

Mountfort, P. (2018). Cosplay as Citation. In P. Mountfort, A. Peirson-Smith, & A. Geczy, Planet Cosplay. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Week 10: Brendan O’Neill

What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

Originally pegged as being a piece of the alternative history genre, the true identity of Phillip K. Dick’s 1962 novel The man in the high castle has been disputed, and several alternatives have been offered.

Alternative history has its place as a subgenre that has applications in both literary and historical fiction, but its true home seems to be as a subgenre of Science Fiction. Science fiction is a genre that speculates on futuristic and scientific concepts, like space travel, time travel, and parallel universes. Alternative history belongs in this genre because they are both speculative in nature. Alternative history has been expanded upon further, with texts being classified into several distinctive types of genres.

The first genre is alternative history. Alternative history presents the viewer with a version of the real world that is substantially or slightly different because of one significant event in world history that happened differently from reality. In pure alternative history the cause, or the event that plays out differently, leads to a singular line of effect. The implications then are that all of the effects that play out within the alternative history text, are all directly connected to the same cause. 

Postmodern alternative history has a more complex suggestion. That even after the significantly altered event has transpired, the different occurrences after the event are still only one of many possible occurrences (Mountfort 2020.) Because of this distinction, the revelation of alternative timelines within the world of the text, postmodern alternative history becomes much more deserving as a sub genre of science fiction.

Uchronie is the French equivalent of alternative history but is far more similar to postmodern alternative history. A large influencing presence from the I Ching or book of changes, in texts such as The man in the High Castle offers different solutions and outcomes to determine character action and outcome within the book (Mountfort, 2016). The usage of something like the I Ching implies that there is a sense of chance within the outcome, and that alternative possibilities exist in different realities, without a change in material circumstances, only in a metaphorical dice roll with different results. 

The distinctions between the genres of alternate history, postmodern alternate history, and Uchronie are based in the layers of complexity offered in regards to ideas such as cause and effect, alternative universes, and chance. The complex nature of The man in the high castle is what makes classifying it a surprisingly complex task.  

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. SF-TH Inc.   

Mountfort, P. (2020). Week 10: The Man in the High Castle, uchronie and the I Ching. PowerPoint Part 1 and 2

Week 9: Brendan O’Neill

According to Mountfort et al. (2018), what are the three main genres of cosphotography, and how did they historically develop?

Cosphotography is a category of photography based around the photographs of cosplayers. These photos often exist as a result of the work of the cosplayer to create the cosplay in addition to the efforts of the photographer, making it an interesting form of photography where the subject matter is more credited than the photographer for the final result. According to Mountfort et al. (2018), There are three main genres of cosphotography.

The first genre of cosphotography is the runway style of cosphotography. The runway style is meant to replicate the way that mainstream fashion culture functions at the professional level. Like mainstream fashions shows this genre of cosphotography are typically held on a catwalk or stage. This genre is unique because the quality of the costume is usually the more significant factor, taking precedent over the cosplayers ability to accurately enact their character. In addition to this the stageshow format of this genre also limits the extent to which the cosplayer can represent their chosen character. Being limited to music choice and body language.

The second genre of cosphotography is studio style cosphotography. Studio style is often impromptu or organised shortly beforehand. Studio style comes as the result of an agreement between the photographer and the cosplayer. The photographer often either wants to take the photo out of admiration for the character being cosplayed, or the quality of the cosplay itself, and the cosplayer will cooperate as an expectation of the results of cosplaying at a convention and because the impromptu photo request is a form of compliment. 

The final genre of cosphotography is hallway shots. Where the photographer photographs the cosplayer in the middle of their ‘performance’ within the improvised cosplay space, and then distributes the content through social media. Unlike the other genres, this genre doesn’t necessarily require the knowing cooperation of the cosplayer. 

Mountfort, P, Peirson-Smith, A, & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Intellect Books.       

Week 8: Brendan O’Neill

What does the terms détournement mean and how is it applicable to cosplay?

Détournement in French means ‘rerouting’ or ‘hijacking’ but can be defined as a variation on a previous work that in some way contradicts or critiques the meaning of the original work. When someone dons their cosplay of their chosen character, they are, without the consent of whoever or whatever owns the original material, given the power to represent that character in any way they desire towards an audience, usually people at conventions. Through this cosplayers can ‘hijack’ the character’s presentation for a number of different results.

The most common and obvious application of Détournement in cosplay is for comedic purposes, when a cosplayer hijacks the representation of a fictional character, and are surrounded by conventiongoers and cosplayers that have an inside understanding of that fictional character, it creates a rare opportunity for humour. Due to popularity and the simplicity of design, the most common cosplays at your average convention are going to be Spiderman and Deadpool. In the in text-cannon, the two characters share a comical dynamic of the funny guy and the straitman, but in the context of cosplay the non-cannon dynamic which is created by cosplayers can be changed in the way in which both characters are in on the chaos, as well other forms of the relationship in a way that extends that comedic dynamic past the limitations of the in text-cannon.     

The next application of Détournement in cosplay is as a means to critique. The manner in which a cosplayer can accurately represent the character they are hijacking are based around their own limitations. Cosplayers have differences in height, weight, physique, and gender that can potentially limit their ability to replicate their chosen character (Mountfort, 2018). This is an inadvertent critique on the often unrealistic appearances that many fictional characters present. 

The final application of Détournement is one that is limited mostly to video game cosplay. In a huge majority of existing video games there exists an unspoken conflict between the canonical game and player cannon. What I mean by this is the canonical way in which a character would interact with their world, versus how a player uses that same character to interact with the world in a non-canonical way. Michael De Santa from Grand Theft Auto 5’s main goal is to retire peacefully, yet the player is enabled through mechanics to make Michael go on an unwarranted destructive rampage. The conflict between game-cannon and player-cannon, is an issue that many games, especially one that attempt to be immersive and story driven suffer from, but in the non-cannon world of cosplay, the tides turn completely. Now that the player has hijacked the character and brought that character to a new world through cosplay, player-cannon is now free to take over. 

Mountfort, P, Peirson-Smith, A, & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Intellect Books. 

Week 7: Brendan O’Neill

King (2010) describes Horror as being defined through three basic elements. Explain, using references, what these three elements are. Think of a horror story you’ve read/watched/heard that makes use of all three of these elements and show how King’s definition is at play in that narrative.

King (2010) describes Horror as being defined through three basic elements. First is revulsion, things that are gross to look at can cause the consumer to be disturbed by pure disgust. Second is horror, or portrayal of the unbelievable, showing the audience something that simply cannot exist within the context of the story. Finally there’s terror, where the specifics are left up to the audience’s imagination, and therefore it is whatever it is that scares them the most. . 

It may be ironic to pick a film that Stephen king has personally expressed his dislike towards, but I think Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is an excellent choice for this post.

There are a few examples of revulsion used in The Shining. The first is the bathroom scene, where Jack Torrence finds a beautiful naked woman in the bathtub and makes out with her. but once he looks in the mirror he sees that she has become bloated and decrepit with massive infected wounds in her flesh. Not only is it a surprise but the woman’s repulsive appearance makes this a good example of what King was referring to. Another example is the elevator scene, where blood comes flooding out of the elevator, it is disturbing and unnatural. 

There is also Horror used in The Shining, The first example is the hallway scene, but first some context. Large portions of the film are spent with the characters mundanely in the hotel, these scenes establish that the Torrence’s are completely alone in the hotel. So when Danny is riding through the hallway on his tricycle, it completely catches the audience off guard when he turns the corner and sees the twin ghosts standing in the middle of the hallway. More than just being a surprise it is also unexplainable, The Torrence’s are alone in the hotel, how are they here? Why? What are they? The mind rushes. 

Finally there is terror, which is where I believe the Shining truly… In the documentary Room 237, different interviewees discuss their different interpretations of the shining, and they have theories from The Shining being about The holocaust, to it being about the genocide of American Indians, all the way to someone believing that the entire film is actually a secret message from Kubrick that he helped NASA fake the moon landing. My point is that this film makes people believe that there is more to it than meets the eye. The unknown is everywhere in this film with all kinds of questions that the audience is left to speculate on. Is the mansion a living entity? Is it Haunted? How did Jack get out of the food cellar? And the moment that truly illustrates my point at the very end when Jack appears in a photo of a party at the hotel in 1921. The answer had been sitting right in front of us the whole time, as for what that answer actually means? That’s what makes it terrifying, because they never clue us in. 

Neilan, D. (2017, September 13). Stephen King breaks down the different levels of horror. https://www.avclub.com/stephen-king-breaks-down-the-different-levels-of-horror-1806112160

King, S. (2010). Danse macabre. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-5320793-dt-content-rid-12699647_4/institution/Papers/ENGL602/Publish/Stephen%20King%20Danse%20Macabre%20reading%20%281%29.pdf

Tyler, A. (2020, October 6). The Shining: Every Theory On What Kubrick’s Movie Is Really About. https://screenrant.com/shining-movie-stanley-kubrick-real-meaning-messages-theories/#:~:text=Perhaps%20the%20most%20popular%20theory,then%20fake%20the%20whole%20thing.