Pop Genres 2020

Week 11 Question

How real is Reality TV?

According to Hill(2005), “Reality TV is a catch-all category that includes a wide range of entertainment programmes about real people.” Reality TV also became a mainstream genre of broadcasting programs located on the border between information, entertainment, documentaries and dramas, as it was called factual television. Moreover, it features real people participating in real-life events opposed to virtual creation by telling stories about everything from health care to beauty, from people to pets. Hill(2005) generally creates the question of how real reality television is by assuming that viewers can’t distinguish fiction from reality on television.

In general, reality TV is closely linked to the form of documentary television. Among many types of documentaries, observation documentaries, in particular, tend to deal with current events unfolding in front of cameras, relying on the use of light, portable cameras, although claims of observing real life are not much included in the game show format, even traces of observational documentaries remain in reality game shows such as Big Brother. Big Brother is a setting in which participants live together for 24 hours under camera surveillance in a space cut off from the outside world and regularly vote for each other and the last of the cohabitants to win the prize. The people who produced the broadcast were entertaining, satisfying our desire to be curious about the behavior of the other person and to watch the other secretly. “Reality TV does not just represent individuals and character types. It shows us social interaction, group dynamics, interpersonal struggles, the process of voting, and even, perhaps, the workings of power itself”(Escoffery,2014).

So it blurts the line, making us connect with our reality, whether it is real or fake. In addition, extreme places and prize money expand interactions to make attractive television sets, but we learn human interactions as “truths.”

t is also an entertainment factor that plays an important role in Reality TV. Reality TV mainly involves a wide range of human activities, with broadcasters aiming to draw their attention by associating the subject with viewers’ lives or experiences, no matter what subject they deal with. So they add a lot of entertainment elements to gain popularity and don’t let them know that they have been manipulated dominantly. What’s important for broadcasters is to make the audience feel mentally or socially and culturally connected to what they see on TV. Such entertainment elements can attract people’s attention or popularity, but they can be reduced to reality by extreme exaggeration or portrayal.

References

Escoffery, D. S. (Ed.). (2014). How real is reality TV?: Essays on representation and truth. McFarland.

Hill, A. (2005). Reality TV: Audiences and popular factual television. Psychology Press.

Week 11 – Reality TV

How real is reality TV?

Reality Television has seemed to really take off within mainstream media, and gain vast popularity over the past two decades. Reality TV programs have become engrained in most American and European television cultures, and this something that can be associated with the past twenty years, though early forms of reality TV have existed since the fir Cist quarter of the last century. In a very broad understanding, reality TV is the portrayal of real people doing real things, mostly in exceptional situations and with a focus on personality and drama. Some TV stations make the differentiation between scripted and factual content, programs which are still in the realm of portraying something real, but harboring different commercial and creative intentions. The important question is, how real is reality tv in actuality, and should it still be considered factual content, if most of it is orchestrated and scripted?

The initial motivating force for filmmakers was to create something which could persuade the viewing public that what they are watching has a direct connection to real life. One of the first generic influences on reality were documentaries. The term documentary was coined by John Grierson in 1926, and he called documentaries ‘the creative treatment of actuality’. Up until that point the most important screen was cinema, which depicted an overly glamorized view of life, which stimulated the counter narrative of documentaries. The main intention of documentaries at that time was to enlighten the masses to the circumstances of their society, in the hopes that a social reform could be achieved. This type of documentary was creative and experimental using interviews, music and camera tricks. They used an almost omniscient, voice of god type narration, which was condescending to the viewers. Another early influence was direct cinema which was a more discrete and observational type of filming which offered no attempt at analysis. It used a fly on the wall type of technique, valuing intimacy and immediacy. It used a more scientific approach and avoided the social responsibility agenda. Cinema Verite was the French movement of documentaries in the 1960’s, also using a fly on the wall technique, but allowing for the camera and cameraman to appear in the frame. The defining feature of this type of documentary was self reflexivity, condemning the voice of god type narration as falsehood. Free cinema arose in Britain in the 1950’s, using a filming style of handheld camera, real locations and a raw style. The subject matter was ordinary culture and ordinary people, portraying the regularity of everyday life. These documentaries were poetically staged and often focused more on the aesthetic and visual beauty than the actual motive.

All of these early types of reality TV have influenced the way we perceive what is real on the screen, thanks to the techniques, constraints and worldviews which they implemented in their work. One thing that all genres of documentaries have in common is the revelation of the ordinary as knowledge. “There is now a general recognition that all notions of ‘realism’ are historically determined and that the criteria for judging the realism quotient of a text have just as much to do with the audience expectations and with sets of established conventions as with any objective measure for judging how much reality can be transposed to the screen.’ (Kilborn, p.:422)

While the early influences of reality TV may have had the pure intention of portraying real life in a raw way, the reality TV genres which have evolved today have merged the essence of reality and dramatization in order to gain commercial success and accumulate views and public affinity. While these programs feature real people, their actions and relationships with each other often times orchestrated to fit the perceptions and expectations of the audience.

References :

Kilborn, R. (1994). ‘How Real Can You Get?’: Recent Developments in ‘Reality’ Television. European Journal of Communication, 9, 421-439. Doi: 10.1177/0267323194009004003

Smith, P. (2020). REALITY TELEVISION, Popular Genres (ENGL602) Week 11. Powerpoint.

Week 10

Philip K. Dicks novel The Man In The High Castle (1962) is classified to be his breakthrough piece of work and has been hugely critically acclaimed in the realm of alternate history genres. The premise of the novel is the alternate historical situation which would have occurred if Germany would have won the second world war, and Nazi power were to have ruled the world. The story is set in America in the 1960’s and shows the East coast under Nazi, and the West coast under Japanese occupation. The central plot device relies on the characters periodically using the Chinese oracle, the I Ching.

“The I Ching has existed for thousands of years as a philosophical taxonomy of the universe, a guide to an ethical life, a manual for rulers, and an oracle of ones personal future and the future of the state.” (Eliot Weinberger) While writing the novel Philip K. Dick also used the I Ching, to help guide the events of the story and determine the pattern of decision making. This established an interesting metaphysical dynamic between the author and the protagonists, as the oracle harbors existence within the authors reality and the fictional reality of the protagonists. The use of the oracle lays down a philosophical foundation which branches out into the realms of meaningful coincidence and infinite alternate realities. The Man In The High Castle transcends beyond the boundaries of causality and linear chronological storytelling, and enters the realm of postmodern fiction. Because of the novels philosophical complexities, the constraints of genre fiction do not apply to it, and the bounds of literature are challenged. The concept of many worlds interpretation can be applied to way the oracle summons many different realities and this crosses into the study of quantum physics.

The genre of The Man In The High Caste has been debated, mainly because of how complex and philosophically articulate the novel actually is. Because it portrays and alternate historical setting, it is easy to reduce the novel to simply be alternate history, but because of the philosophical intricacies and the intellectual depth, the genre of alternate history is too narrow to fit the extensive and ever widening expanse of The Man In The High Castle. It would be more accurate to label the novel as postmodern alternate history, as it still possesses the basic premise of portraying a world in an alternate historical setting, but breaks away from causality and the more traditional, diachronic view of time. Postmodern alternate history uses a synchronic view of time and applies theories of postmodern relativism to the complexities of the story. It shows a multiple coexistence of factors or facts and establishes a web of interrelationships, which allows for a more complicated plot structure. Dick’s notion of history is certainly synchronic rather than diachronic, in the terms of Jameson’s analysis, both in his evocation of a web of interrelationships and in his sense that the profusion of possible realities could radically undermine our sense of the real. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a better summary of High Castle’s philosophical implications. (Mountfort, p.:301)

Another defining feature which makes the novel postmodern is the importance of the I Ching and other eastern influences. By implementing a metaphysical plot device which connects to eastern beliefs such as Taoism, the philosophical and spiritual roots of the novel moves away from western norms and wishes to intellectually expand the readers perception of not just reality, but of cultural views as well.

References:

Weiberger, E. (2016) What is the I Ching? https://www.chinafile.com/library/nyrb-china-archive/what-i-ching

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

Week 11

Rija Faisal

How real is reality TV?

By definition, reality TV is a genre of television programming that is unscripted and documents purportedly real-life situations, starring unknown individuals rather than professional and well-known actors.

The genre of reality TV has morphed from game shows and amateur talent competitions into a genre that now includes a wide variety of particular styles of TV programs. Now, reality TV encompasses unscripted dramas, makeover sagas, talent extravaganzas, lifestyle shows and celebrity behind-the-scenes exposes, dating shows and various competition shows.

Nowadays, on any given night, one can watch The Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model, to name just a few.

Reality TV shows often involve the use of a host who runs the show or a narrator to tell the story to the audience, or to set the stage for the events that are going to unfold in the show. Unlike scripted shows such as sitcoms and dramas, reality TV does not rely on writers and actors, rather, the majority of the show is run by the producers and a team of editors.

The defining aspect of a reality TV show is the manner in which it is shot. It does not matter if the reality TV show takes place in a real setting involving real people, (in the manner of a documentary), if it is shot in a studio in front of a live audience or if it involves the use of hidden cameras, as reality TV relies on the camera capturing everything as it unfolds naturally. The camera is simply there to capture the spontaneous events as they happen.

So how real is reality TV? While the concept may vary from show to show, each concept is created by someone, usually the producer, the people starring in the show are either hired or land their role through an audition, and though the footage may bereal, it is, usually, heavily edited. Hours of footage are also shortened in order to fit into the restrictive time frame of a single episode. Some reality TV show contestants have claimed that their actions are often taken out of context and edited to be presented in misleading ways.

While reality TV shows typically do not have a script, often, though, they may have a shooting script or an outline detailing the aspects of an episode or a particular part of the show. These outlines might include directions for particular rooms or cameras to focus on, or they may set up a specific challenge that the contestants have to take part in, etc. A shooting script could also be used to create conflict between the participants (e.g, by pairing two people together as competitors for an episode, etc). Sometimes, a shooting script could also include a storyboard or a visual representation of the concept of a particular episode.

Producers and editors of reality TV shows have a lot of control over what happens in the show. They put people together in certain situations, and they get to choose what footage gets aired and what gets cut, so it could be argued that reality TV shows are not as “real” as their name would suggest, as the producers and the editors are free to manipulate the show as they like.

Editors can also edit together excerpts and sound bits and pieces to create entirely new conversation or dialogue, creating a ‘false’ representation of reality. Alliances, fights, relationships, etc, can be created through editing, and footage that might have been captured over a period of days can come to appear as one single scene or situation.

So while reality TV does feature real-life people and portrays real-life events, it can be manipulated in ways that make it seem very ‘unreal’.

References

Winifred Fordham Metz, n.d. , how stuff works, How Reality TV Works, retrieved from: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/reality-tv.htm

Week 11 Question

How real is reality tv?

Reality TV as Hill (2005) explains, is a relatively common umbrella term used to describe a variety of popular and factual tv programming. There is a broad range of techniques and styles used in reality tv, from non-professional actors, unscripted dialogues, surveillance footage, as well as seeing events occur just as they happen in real time. In fact, in the early days of the genre, most of reality programming consisted of live footage of law and order, or emergency services. However, throughout the years, this genre has developed immensely and can be associated with almost anything from people, pets, and even sports.

The evolution of reality tv has enabled a sense of ‘hybridization’ of different successful genres to increase its market value. Although traditionally, reality tv does consider itself a form of factual programming, it also merges with entertainment-based programs, thus becoming a hybrid genre with varying styles. Another useful term is, popular factual programming, which connects popular audiences with a range of factual television genres and formats. Evidently, the reality tv genre is made up of a range of distinct and historically significant other genres like ‘lifestyle shows,’ or documentaries. Through merging these genres, new hybrid genres such as the reality tv we know today have been created. Moreover, one of the defining aspects that brings the groups of reality tv programs together is the extent to which they let the audience ‘see for themselves.’ The viewers then get to judge the ‘reality’ of reality tv, which its initial purpose is to capture the ‘reality’ of everyday lives.

Furthermore, many different television networks around the world produce their own reality programmes and have been successful on the television market, however the term ‘reality tv,’ has gained some criticisms (Kilborn, 1994). Regarding the beginnings of film and tv, one of the main goals of moving image producers was to persuade their viewers that they are watching something that is directly connected to the ‘real world.’ This idea led to many debates on how to present reality in a more genuine way, and how changing the onscreen representations may affect the attitudes of the viewers. More importantly, all notions of ‘realism’ differs based on history and culture and it can be difficult to set a standard for what is considered ‘real’ in reality tv.

Another important factor to consider in the making of reality tv, is the entertainment value. Factual programming can only be factual if it concerns representing what is real, but if there is no entertainment factor, then it can be difficult to keep the viewer’s attention. Kilborn (1994) also explains that whatever the format of the reality program (whether it is a docu-soap, or dramatic fiction), the aim of the creator is to highlight the effect of shared experience or a lived in reality. The events that cover reality tv involve a wide range of human activities, from the mundane to the most dynamic. A key requirement, is that no matter what the subject matter, the audience must easily find a way to relate to what is shown on screen. Nonetheless, this can be a skewed notion at times, as some shows may over-dramatize the real-life events, or the depiction might be different to increase entertainment value.

Ultimately, reality tv does feature real-life people and depicts factual information/events, however it can be over-sensationalized to an extent which makes it seem fairly ‘unreal.’

References

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

Kilborn, R. (1994). ‘How Real Can You Get?’: Recent Developments in ‘Reality’ Television. European Journal of Communication, 9, 421-439. Doi: 10.1177/0267323194009004003

Week 9 Question

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

Cosphotography is the art of capturing cosplay through the medium of photography. Throughout cosphotography’s lifespan, it has developed new methods and styles that have expanded our perspective of the global phenomenon. The art of cosphotography originates back to the early 1910s, in which a rising interest of sci-fiction costuming was gaining mainstream attention with photos appearing in newspaper articles. However, it did not begin to resemble modern cosphotography until the late 1930s, with the inception of an influential sci-fiction convention, Worldcon (Mountfort, 2020). During the 1940s, sci-fiction conventions began to gain widespread popularity. Consequently, cosphotography also continued to develop, later embracing new genres and styles. Mountfort et al. (2018) state that there are three main types of cosphotography, the runway style, hallway shots and the studio-style.

Firstly, the runway style. The runway style of cosphotography is achieved by capturing active cosplayers on a stage or runway. The mainstream fashion culture heavily influenced the runway style of cosphotography, essentially transforming cosplay into a fashion show event. This style of cosphotography provides numerous cosplayers with a platform to showcase their costumes and designs. Additionally, it allows the audience to appreciate the craft and quality of the participant’s costumes (Mountfort, 2020). First accounted by Mike Resnick in the 1940s, the Chicago Conference annual masquerade served as a precursor to the runway style of cosphotography (Mountfort et al., 2018). This approach towards cosphotography produced a formal perspective on the art form. However, during this period, informal styles of cosphotography had begun to emerge, the hallway shots.

Secondly, hallway shots. The hallway style of cosphotography is considered fairly casual in comparison to the other techniques. The hallway style tends to be more relaxed and spontaneous. Instead of being photographed in elaborate settings and areas, cosplayers are often photographed wandering the convention space (Mountfort, 2020). Controversially, these photos are often taken without the consent of the cosplayer, emerging questions regarding the morality of this style. The hallway shots were the result of emerging portable cameras in the late 1930s (Mountfort et al., 2018). This accessibility of which allowed participants to capture their favourite cosplay moments through their own lens. By the 1940s, portable cameras were widespread, consequently increasing the popularity of the hallway style of cosphotography (Mountfort et al. 2018).

Finally, the studio-style. The studio-style of cosphotography functions as an opportunity for amateur photographers and fans to capture photos of cosplayers in a designated space during a convention (Mountfort, 2020). This style of cosphotography came into notability during the 1970s, thanks to stars of the genre such as Angelique Trouvere. Furthermore, one of the defining features of the studio-style was the “presentation of the costumed self in a consciously staged manner in ad hoc settings” (Mountfort et al. 2018, p. 51). Therefore, the studio-style can be understood as a combination of the runway style and hallway shots. However, in these early stages, this style did not maintain the same quality as a studio style photoshoot. Sets tended to be simple backdrops with a few additional props (Mountfort et al. 2018). However, as this style developed, it continued to adopt many features from professional photographic shoots. Now, the studio-style of cosphotography tends to operate independently from conventions, within professional photo studios.

References.

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

Mountfort, P. (2020). Popgenres week 9 cosphotography and fan capital [PowerPoint Slides]. Blackboard. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/

Week 9 – Cosphotography and Fan Capital

What are some of the problematics around cosphotography in terms of various (potentially unwelcome) gazes?

The purpose and intention of cosphotography has evolved alongside social values, gender ideologies and individual agency. In the broadest sense, soliciting attention is part of cosplay, giving cosplayers an opportunity to share their hard work in a performative way rather than verbally (Morrison, 2015). But enjoying the validating gazes of other attendees unfortunately comes with it unwanted, alienating gazes too (Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy, 2018). Mountfort refers to one of these gazes as the ‘tourist gaze’, occupied by a “less specifically fan-based demographic of gazers” who may interpret and convey cosplayers and the convention environment as alien environments filled with strange people of questionable status (2018). As with any phenomenon, there comes with it controversy and critique, both within the cosplay community and outside of it. The prominence of social medias and ever-growing popularity of cosphotography leaves cosplay enthusiasts vulnerable to social media flaming, including but not limited to topics of body shaming and racism. It’s important to remember that not all photographers want to celebrate cosplayers and their work, with some having a goal to diminish cosplayers with their gazes. These gazes poison the socially inclusive and heterotopian ethos of Cosplay (Mountfort, 2018), contributing to the restraint of challenging mainstream hierarches – a pillar of cosplay practice and cons. Another problematic gaze is the objectifying male gaze, especially in regards to female cosplayers. Mountfort (ibid. 2018) states that cosplay is reduced to a “a realm of normative cliches” surrounding girls in kinky, sexy and fetishized outfits within this male gaze. Cosplay scholar Kane Anderson provides a different lens, in discussing the idea that it is source content itself that is hypersexualised, rather than cosplay itself. Convention attendees who objectify female cosplayers do so due to an expectation to see their idealized and fetishized favourite characters represented as “faithfully” as possible (ibid, 2018). This leads to the issue of depictions of people in these texts as “not just hypersexualised to the point of caricature, but ‘extra-human'” (ibid. 2018). Although this can explain an element of why the male gaze is problematic, it is still important for this not to be an excuse or justification, but more so an pressing reminder to be aware of what media you consume and how it may augment pre-existing ideologies. “Women learn that in order to be worthwhile in society, they must appear attractive in the eyes of others—or specifically, men ” (Lamp, 2018) This highlights that it is a historical and ongoing journey for bodily agency for females that has existed long before cosplay and popular media, despite the artificiality of source texts being increasingly free of determinitistic gender constraints of biological bodies to become entirely aesthetic and affective vessels (Mountfort, 2018).

References

Lamp, S. J., (2018) The Sexy Pikachu Effect: Empowerment and Objectification in Women Who Cosplay. Student Research Submissions. 295. Retrieved from https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/295

Morrison, A. (2015) Understanding Gender Identity Among Women Cosplayers of the Gotham City Sirens. HIM 1990-2015. 1728. Retrieved from https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1728

Mountfort, P., Peirson-Smith, A., & Geczy, A. (2018). Cosphotgraphy and Fan Capital. In Planet Cosplay: Costume Play, Identity and Global Fandom (pp. 23-38). Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press.

Week 11: How real is Reality TV?

How real is Reality TV?

Reality television is a genre of television that is highly popular, reality television encompasses television series that focuses on individuals who are placed in exceptional situations with a group of people. The goal of the show for these individuals may be a reward that changes depending on the show. Reality television genres can take on many different forms including game shows, cooking shows, video diaries, talent shows, etc. Despite the many different genres of reality television, they all feature real people participating in real events as oppose to fictional creations. However, the line between reality and fiction has become increasingly blurred leading to the question, how real is reality television.

The truth is that reality television provides viewers a glimpse into the entertaining life, a lifestyle that is extremely exaggerated and does not reflect the real world in any way. It is an unachievable lifestyle for practically every viewer of the programme, nor does it account for the fact that the situations presented are predominately fabricated. What exactly is real is not the appeal of reality television, rather human interest that creates popular reality television.

Reality television was given the name not for its accuracy to average everyday life but rather because it uses real people and focuses on the conflict that arises because of their clashing personalities, despite these real people being in abnormal situations. This is how reality television creates the illusion of reality as it “places an emphasis on the representation of ordinary people and allegedly unscripted or spontaneous moments that supposedly reveal unmediated reality” (Biressi & Nunn, 2005). Reality television also does not use actors, instead using real people which adds to the illusion of reality because the audience presumes that these people are behaving like themselves and not playing a character. The style of cinematography that reality television implores also constructs the perception of reality the audience is shown. Reality television will often use handheld cameras to present most of the footage and lack narration which resembles a documentary, a genre that people know for its accuracy to reality (Murray & Ouellette, 2004). Hidden cameras are also used to suggest to the audience that because the people on screen are unaware, they are being filmed that their behaviour is more real than if a camera was in their face.

Because reality television creates the illusion of reality theorists have suggested that audiences are less concerned with the absolute truth that reality television may occasionally achieve. Instead, they are more interested in the experience that sits somewhere between reality and fiction (Murray & Ouellette, 2004). Audiences of reality television want to view something that will entertain them regardless of how real or fake it is, but the best content that comes from reality television is when that line is blurred leading to the most entertaining moments of a series.

References

Biressi, A., Nunn, N. (2005). Reality TV: Realism and Revelation. London; Wallflower.

Murray, S., Ouellette, L. (2004) Reality TV: remaking television culture. New York; New York University Press.

How real is RTV?

How real is Reality TV?

Some people love it other people love to hate it. You don’t have to watch reality TV to have an opinion of it, it’s a conversation starter and it is often more talked about then watched (Hill, 2015). RTV has the ability to address a huge audience in original ways and it is able to retain the audience’s attention for a long period of time (Biressi & Nunn, 2005). Slade (2014) points out “As a television viewing culture, we have become more obsessed with instant gratification and the bigger and weirder, the better.”
According to Hill (2015) minor reality soap series can attract more Twitter followers then actual viewers and big TV shows are considered to have failed if they don’t make the headlines. Hill (2015) writes that “Reality TV is caught up in what is happening now. Individual shows, news headlines, social media trends and even big events date very quickly.”
As most of us know there are several different types of reality TV shows, but all of them evolve around ‘real people’. According to Escoffery (2006) RTV doesn’t just represent people and types of characters, but also “social interaction, group dynamics, interpersonal struggles, the process of voting, and even, perhaps, the workings of power itself.” Reality TV is now one of the most obvious cultural grounds for debating the status of modern fame. The fame culture is centred around the “famous for being famous” concept, and it now rules over the concept of talent and hard work (Escoffery, 2006).

Let’s have a look at how the reality TV producers tailor their shows to engage the biggest audience possible. As Escoffery (2006) points out it is important to look at how power and social interaction is represented in RTV, how they are depicted and how the are perceived by the audience. Wyatt & Burton (2012) talks about how we need to ask questions and make distinctions between the ethics of RTV and in RTV, are the shows made honestly, do they treat their participants in a morally responsible manner? They point out that we have to look at “whether they communicate a sense of ethics in their narratives and whether they assume, or even prompt, an ethical response from their audience.” (Wyatt & Bunton, 2012).
Wyatt & Bunton (2012) mentions that there are several examples of deception in reality TV such as misleading editing to create drama or to piece together quotes from different contexts, basically forcing the contestant to say what the producer needs them to say. According to Deery (2015), editing is often used to build characters and to make them seem shady or more innocent. Clips can be shown out of sequence or the editor can choose when to release certain information to maximize the dramatic effect (Deery, 2015).

This combined with the evidence and information provided in Philippa Smith’s lecture (Reality Television, Popular Genres week 11, 2020) where we looked at comments from people who had taken part in reality TV shows, makes me conclude that we have to be critical. Knowing that producers edit the narrative, cast people who are bound to create conflict, retake shots for maximal dramatic effects etc, makes me conclude that RTV probably is real to some extent but, like my mother once told me; you can’t believe everything you see on TV.

Sources:

Biressi, A., & Nunn, H. (2005). Reality tv : Realism and revelation. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Deery, J. (2015). Reality tv. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Escoffery, D. S. (Ed.). (2006). How real is reality tv? : Essays on representation and truth. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Hill, A. (2014). Reality tv. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Slade, A. F., Narro, A. J., & Buchanan, B. P. (Eds.). (2014). Reality television : Oddities of culture. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Smith, P. (2020). REALITY TELEVISION, Popular Genres (ENGL602) Week 11. Powerpoint.

Wyatt, W. N., & Bunton, K. (Eds.). (2012). The ethics of reality tv : A philosophical examination. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Week 6: Horror

What is the philosophy of cosmicism and how is it used to convey a sense of dread in both The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Colour out of Space?

The philosophy of cosmicism was developed by H.P Lovecraft an American writer that naturalistic fusion of horror and science fiction which is known as ‘Lovecraftian Horror’. A common theme in Lovecrafts novels was fear of the unknown fear of species or an entity that is beyond our understanding as said my Lovecraft himself “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” this theme can be seen as comicism which is conveyed in Lovecrafts work such as, The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Colour out of Space.

Lovecraft’s ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’ has a supernatural entity which is called the ‘deep ones’ who are half human and fish hybrids that take control over the town as the inbreeds change fully into hybrids they lose their humanity while gaining immortality in the story they are described as repulsive. The cosmicism horror is shown through the protagonist Robert Olmstead who in the end turns about be a descendant of the ‘deep ones’ which leaves him in a state of shock which ultimately leads him to insanity because he fears of what will become of him. This theme of the unknown is repeated once again in Lovecrafts ‘The Colour out of Space’ where a meteorite crashes into a family’s garden the meteorite is from an exoplanet which is occupied tentacle entities the meteorite has an unknown energy beyond human understanding it mutates and kills anything that is around it. This classic weird horror themed story by Lovecraft shows that his stories were consistence with the theme of fear of the unknown.

Lovecrafts stories start of as uncertainty which quickly coverts into dreadful horror beyond humans capacity to comprehend as Slåtten (2016) writes in his article “idea of “cosmicism” which consists in the notion that humanity is utterly insignificant in and in relation to the cosmos-at large” Which shows, that cosmicism is used as dread in both The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Colour out of Space and many other stories by H.P Lovecraft he used cosmicsim to simply reinforce the readers natural fear of the unknown because it is the oldest feeling that humans have. He uses it in his interest to create dread and horror in the readers minds which ultimately keeps them captured into his weird stories.

References:

Slåtten, K. Ø. (2016). Humans in a hostile cosmos: Science, cosmicism and race in HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Master’s thesis. University of Stavanger, Norway.

Jones, N. (2020). Lovecraftian Horror Video Lecture. Retrieved from AUT Blackboard.

Wikipedia. (n.d.). The shadow over innsmouth. Retrieved october 10, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_over_Innsmouth