Tuesday 6 November 2012

Year 13 Critical Investigation Proposal

Working Title

Do structured reality TV shows like 'Geordie Shore' dumb down our culture and are the criticisms justified?


Angle

To understand the new craze which has been deemed 'Dramality' TV, why it is so popular, the other key players in this new genre and possibly why show's like Geordie Shore could have a negative effect on Britain or is it a good thing for us.

Hypotheses

The Dramality genre has dumbed down our culture and given Britain a negative perception  Example the main text is Geordie Shore; gives Newcastle stereotypes.

Linked Production Piece

Opening piece to a new Dramality show.

Contemporary media landscape

.My main focus will be Geordie Shore.
.Other texts include: The Only Way Is Essex, Made In Chelsea, Jersey Shore and where the reality TV was originated from Big Brother.

SHEP

Social  Geordie Shore is of course a spin off from the American show Jersey shore, again started as a special after receiving the average view of 631,000 the show got the go ahead for a second season. The show raised a lot of eyes brows and questions particularly in Newcastle as it was so different to it's original show 'Geordies' became offended by the show and were adamant this is not what their City is like. From a social look on things the show defiantly had a lot of its success from 'word of mouth' it is defiantly the kind of show that gets people talking.

Historical  The show is a spin off and it first aired on 24th of May 2011 bringing in a total of 635,000 viewers to the show. 

 Economical  This show doesn't have the biggest budget so revenue is most probably high allowing it to continue and still be going strong to the present day.

 Politics One politician who continuously has a lot to say about the show is Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah. She described the show as "Bordering on pornographic" She then went on to say the show is not representative of Newcastle or Geordies.

MIGRAIN

Media Language
  • High key lighting to glorify the glitz and glamour of the show
  • Star appeal knowing who is who, who dislikes who and understanding what the particular character stands for
  • Setting, the heart of Newcastle. Glorifying the night life, happy people and glitz and glamorous lights.
  • Costume for female, stereotypical dresses, heels, fake hair, tan and high make up. On the other hand more stereotypical in Newcastle males in V cut shirts high make up, high grooming products and styling. 

Institution

  • MTV famous for these kind of show now such as Jersey Shore, The Valleys etc. Appealing to a very specific young audience
  • Of course being a music channel first and foremost they still play a lot of music in the back of the show especially recognisable music to the niche audience MTV target.
  • The production company 'Lime Pictures' most famous for their break through soap Brookside went onto produce hollyoaks and grange hill.
  • They now have tapped into the recent boom of reality TV and structured television and now produce the award winning show The Only Way Is Essex as well as Geordie Shore.

Genre

  • The official genre of this show is deemed as Reality TV
  • however throughout the years we have come to notice a lot of this is structured and the situations are planned so it has been given the name of Structured television
  • More recently and abbreviation and a new genre for these kind of shows has been named 'Dramality' TV. The mesh of Drama and Reality TV.
  • Codes and conventions of Dramality TV (alcohol, sex, fake, accents, stereotypes and partying)

Representation

  • Representation is of the 'Geordie' lifestyle that we see on our television as the cast members often refer to the partying and drinking antics as 'Geordie Style' representing the city as these kind of people.
  • The male and female gaze, when the cast often go the party the low angle shots of females assets the close up angles of the males topless etc.

Narrative

  • The narrative is always done by the cast with little cut always of them explaining or reacting to a situation as they look back on it
  • There is no main character, so every character will have a specific story in every episode.
  • Regarding setting they tend to travel and go to different cities howeever the narrative mainly stays within Newcastle.

Audience

  • Demographic the audience is a E unemployed, students and causal workers. This is probably students aspiring to have this life while watching it as it is a young audience.
  • Star Appeal, the audience becoming attached to a specific character as they become likeable. For example the funny, cute and innocent Charlotte who is very likeable and fragile. Compared to the loud mouthed, strong minded and violent Vicky take different likes to the Audience.

Media Effects

  • The Hypodermic Theory, youngsters want to then go out and live this lifestyle. Evidence of the hypodermic theory in action regarding this show one of the cast members Garry 'gaz' has a catchphrase this has reverberated round youngsters in the E section of the demographic graph and tend to use it while drinking 
  • Blumur & Katz escapism. The student life can become very stressful and watching this shows gives them a chance to rightly or wrongly aspire this kind of lifestyle.


Issues and Debates

Geordie Shore is frequently under scrutiny about the shows actual content. It has been said that you can sum up the show in seconds. Drinking, partying, fighting and sex. The show lacks direction and substance as we watch the tanned gang live the lives that the aspirational audience lust for.

It also asks questions of what type of message does it convey the youth of not just Newcastle but UK. Having dreams to become famous for nothing and just party and have sex is what this target audience is looking up to. One of the stars Holly Hagan's quote is "I'm fake, flirty and got double F's." The teenagers then believe this is acceptable and look up to these people and aspire to be them.


And a critic for the Metro wrote: "I can usually take a fair amount of slop before I start with the moral proselytising and mourning of the death of television and I must confess to at times being amused and grimly entertained by this opening episode, but after an hour of wayward genitalia, shag pads in sheds and unprotected underwater sex, even the bawdiest DC's (daft c****s, thanks Vicky) can't help but be scornful." 

News Value

Regarding news Geordie Shore hardly makes headlines unless it is another MP slating the show about it's representations or a segment on how negative shows such as these have on the UK. But MTV being such a large institution it has its own news therefore having it's own news values where politics is probably not on the agenda. It frequently gives Geordie Shore a lot of stories like the 'gossip' who is leaving and hints and new stories. 

Regulation and censorship

There is not much that is censored in this show. Nudity is at a moderate level and swearing is not held back. This is why this show receives a lot of negative criticism. The high level of sex, violence and inappropriate language is what makes the show so gripping and 'Geordie'  

Digital Revolution

Geordie Shore has a very specific audience and of course with technology being so amazing nowadays the show use social networking sites to advertise the show. Before every programme they remind viewers they can 'hash tag' Geordie Shore and join the discussion. On top of this past and present cast members have their own personal twitter accounts however they still promote the show on behalf of MTV despite claiming this is the view of them and not the company. Facebook groups and pages never go amiss also all of these aspects that just ring in those extra viewers and fans.

Ownership and Control

As mentioned before the two production institutions are Lime Pictures and MTV. This show is particularly low budget as there is not much special effects and expensive things that go into these kind of shows. The main thing that money goes into is the house that the Geordies stay in. Geordie Shore is deemed a home-grown show from MTV as most of there shows are imported from the US within all there other channels like MTV UK and Ireland, Spain Base, VIVA, TMF and much more.

Online Research

The Guardian Articles


Front Cover
Reality TV restores a crucial, and often absent, element to the critical debate about reality television: the voices of people who watch reality programmes. From Animal Hospital to Big Brother, Annette Hill argues that much can be learned from listening to audience discussion about this popular and rapidly changing television genre. Viewers' responses to reality TV can provide invaluable information to enhance our understanding of both the reality genre and contemporary television audiences.
Drawing on quantitative and qualitative audience research to understand how viewers categorise the reality genre, and how they judge the performance of ordinary people and the representation of authenticity within different types of reality programmes.
* Do audiences think reality TV is real?
* Can people learn from watching reality TV?
* How critical are viewers of reality TV?
Reality TV argues that audiences are engaged in a critical examination of the development of popular factual television. The book examines how audiences can learn from watching reality programmes, and how viewers think and talk about the ethics of reality TV.







Front Cover

Jonathan Bignell presents a wide-ranging analysis of the television phenomenon of the early twenty-first century: reality TV. He explores its cultural and political meanings, explains the genesis of the form and its relationship to contemporary television production, and considers how it connects with, and breaks away from, factual and fictional conventions in television.
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