The Best US TV Drama leaves British TV Drama looking quaint and dated

The British do costume dramas and eccentricity very well but that seems to be about it for their TV series. Life on Mars was the last truly imaginative offering by the BBC. The US has been making ground-breaking TV drama series since the turn of the century.  Think of The Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men, Six Feet Under, In Treatment, Breaking Bad,  Damages, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing, Dexter, House, True Blood to name just a few!

Stultified by middle and upper class uniformity in which, conventional narratives, cynicism and wooden speech supposedly represents "our speech and values," British TV drama is cliched, tired and unimaginative. It's enfeebled by a monied, class structure every bit as strong as India's cast system; however the latter is out in the open whereas ours is obscured by modern consumerism, a divided education system and a narrowly owned media which has rarely represented British people in a realistic manner.  Here's a timely article on the state of British TV drama  by The Guardian's Mark Lawson; he examines some issues but, alas, he does not dig for the root causes deeply enough.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/mar/29/state-british-tv-drama


A concept map for TV drama will appear on this blog soon.

POMO Study Links for True Blood

Wikis
A great wiki with useful background information on this TV drama's characters, for instance, ages, progenies, etc. There's also a run-down of a myriad of terms explained which make up the programs cultural "reality."

http://trueblood.wikia.com/wiki/Vampire#Life_Span

HBO's website for True Blood
http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/index.html

The "Original" Fansite - great links
http://true-blood.net/

Links to the "best True Blood websites."
http://www.daemonstv.com/2009/08/08/best-true-blood-websites/

True Blood's facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/TrueBlood

Information Archive
http://true-blood.tv/Videos/Videos.html
http://americanvampireleague.com/


Poster analysis
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21385064/True-Blood-Analysis-Poster

On HBO's viral advertising for the show
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/hbo-kicks-things-up-with-true-21673.aspx


Writer, Alan Ball's script for the pilot episode
http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/True_Blood_1x01_-_Strange_Love.pdf

The controversial allusions in the show
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5724596/true_blood_addresses_controversial.html

Articles 
There are several intelligent ones here, with comments from viewers
http://www.slate.com/id/2256893/landing/1/


This one states that True Blood and Mad Men are both melodramas and similar to soap operas.
http://blog.japhygrant.com/2010/08/29/true-blood-and-mad-men-are-the-same-damned-show/

Essays
Interesting for the argument against reading this text as being post modern. The writer thinks True Blood is hypermodern and not post modern. Do you agree? Hypermodernity is also called "supermodernity."
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/lcurraspaper.pdf

Here's what hypermodernity means and how to apply it to texts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermodernity

The origins of the theory of hypermodernity
http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=133

The revolutionary mobile ad campaign with a must-see video. This raised audience figures by 38%! Film marketing is following a similar route.
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/6855.html

The show's opening credits were made specifically by Digital Kitchen. The You Tube video below also features the show's closing credits.


These two sites offer an analysis of the opening credits
http://criticalcommons.org/Members/ironman28/clips/trueBloodTitleSequence.mov/view
An analysis of the opening sequence from (a student?) at Northallerton College: http://mediaweb.northallertoncollege.org.uk/mediablogs/lucyhart/2010/03/17/analysis-of-true-blood/


This was taken from Wikipedia on the show's opening title sequence:

Title sequence

True Blood's Emmy-nominated title sequence was created by Digital Kitchen, a production studio that was also responsible for creating the title sequence of Six Feet Under and Showtime's Dexter. The sequence, which is primarily composed of portrayals of the show's Deep South setting, is played to "Bad Things" by Jace Everett.^[13]

Digital Kitchen wished to explore themes of redemption and forgiveness in the opening title sequence.

Conceptually, Digital Kitchen elected to construct the sequence around the idea of "the whore in the house of prayer"^[14] by intermingling contradictory images of sex, violence and religion and displaying them from the point of view of "a supernatural, predatory creature observing human beings from the shadows ..."^[13] Digital Kitchen also wished to explore ideas of redemption and forgiveness, and thus arranged for the sequence to progress from morning to night and to culminate in a baptism.^[14]

Most of the footage used in the sequence was filmed on location by Digital Kitchen. Crew members took a four-day trip to Louisiana to film and also shot at a Chicago church and on a stage and in a bar in Seattle.^[14]Additionally, several Digital Kitchen crew members made cameo appearances in the sequence.

In editing the opening, Digital Kitchen wanted to express how "religious fanaticism" and "sexual energy" could corrupt humans and make them animalistic. Accordingly, several frames of some shots were cut to give movements a jittery feel, while other shots were simply played back very slowly. Individual frames were also splattered with drops of blood.^[14] The sequence's transitions were constructed differently, though; they were made with a Polaroid transfer technique. The last frame of one shot and the first frame of another were taken as a single Polaroid photo, which was then divided between emulsion and backing. The emulsion was then filmed being further separated by chemicals and those shots of this separation were placed back into the final edit.^[13]

Eight different typefaces, inspired by Southern road signage, were also created manually by Camm Rowland for cast and crew credits, as well as the show's title card.^[14]

In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, the show's opening title sequence ranked #5 on a list of TV's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers.^[15]

The Six Mini Episodes before Season 3
A recent innovation has been the mini episodes, made to create interest in new audiences and keep old ones satisfied before Season 3. There were six episodes of 3-5 minutes long; each one focusses on particular characters in the series. Some have adult content. Here's the final one featuring Jason Stackhouse, a character not known for his intellect.


In another mini episode Eric The Northman (the Sheriff of Louisiana) and his "progeny," Pam, look for a dancer for their nightclub, Fangtasia.

Channel4's Concept Map of Media Studies

This was produced by Channel4 for a television news programme, but it could equally be used to understand key concepts that affect institutions and audiences in the production and consumption of media products such as films and TV programmes. The map offers an interesting overview of the circular relationships between the producers and audiences. The centrality of technology is crucial as this is developing every year. This overview enables us the see implicit relationships between institutions and audiences in an explicit way.

http://www.channel4.com/learning/breakingthenews/schools/downloads/learningmaterials/btn_conceptmap.pdf

Click on the image to enlarge

The King's Speech - facebook page

Helpful for exhibition and exchange issues
http://www.facebook.com/TheKingsSpeech

Disney's "Mars Needs Moms" - A flop so bad it could end the 3D boom!

For the Institutions and Audiences paper  a film's failure is sometimes more instructive than its being a success.  Disney's $175 million flop could spell the end of the current spate of 3D film making and end  expensive spending in CGI and other costly effects using digital technology. There's a recession on, you know. And it may be set to get much worse after the summer. The impact of this for big tent-pole and 3D films could be dramatic, especially when films like The King's Speech can be produced for less than $12 million dollars and win Oscars and Baftas.

This is an interesting read for its facts, statistics and arguments about the current state of films which are destined for US and UK audiences.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/the-175m-flop-so-bad-it-could-end-the-3d-boom-2247778.html

Institutions and Audiences - The 7 Key Concept Areas Listed and Explained

Section B: Institutions and Audiences
Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition, candidates should be familiar with:


• the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing;
• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;
• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;
• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions;
• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.


This unit should be approached through contemporary examples in the form of case studies based upon one of the specified media areas.  See explanations below.


Section B: Institutions and Audiences.
The Exam Board will select one concept to devise a question for the exam.


Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition, candidates should be familiar with:


• the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary (current) media practice
The depth and range of ownership across a range of media and the consequences of this ownership for audiences in terms of the genres and budgets for films. How for instance, can Channel4's Film4 survive in the British market place against the high concept, big-budget films made by Newcorp's FOX, Warner Bros, Disney, Universal, etc.? What kinds of niche audiences are left for Film4 to attract? Are mass audiences out of reach given the genres of films Film4 have the budgets to make? How successful have they been in reaching mass audiences with their films? How healthy is it that just a few mega media groups can own such a range of media and can decide what the public may see, and, perhaps, shape audience's tastes?


• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing
 Digital technology is enabling various media to converge in hubs, platforms and devices. For instance, mobiles phones do a lot more than act as hand held telephones: you can download and watch films and TV programmes, use them as alarm clocks, watches, play music on them, take photos and short films, text, go online, use GPS functions, a range of apps, and a whole lot more. New HD TVs, Playstations, X-Boxes, I-Pads, Notebooks, MacBooks, etc. are also examples of hubs which in which a variety of media technologies can converge for convenience for users. Media convergence is having an enormous impact on the film industry because of the ways in which institutions can produce and market for audiences/users on a widening range of platforms, capable of receiving their films.

Synergies can come out of an organisation's size; smaller media organisations such as Channel4 can-cross promote their films, etc. but the scale of cross-media promotion is nowhere near as great as that which can be gained by massive media organisations. Film4 is therefore unable to promote their lower budget films on a level playing field.


• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange
The audience's ability to interact with films by, for instance, using digital technology to put extracts on You Tube and overlay new sound tracks on them, etc. and make answering videos has been greatly enhanced by Web 2.0; Film studios can make films using CGI, greenscreen and other special effects that were impossible to make only a few years ago. The ways of filming and editing films have changed, too, with the introduction of digital film and film cameras, editing software, laptops, digital projectors, etc. Distributors market films using the latest software for designing high-concept film posters and trailers. They can use phone apps., online marketing, Face Book, etc. File-sharing and piracy are growing issues because the software exists to take the protective encryption of DVDs, etc and WEB 2.0 enables people to make and share copies of films easily. One way in which film companies are trying to get around this is by releasing films soon after theatrical release by selling them on video-on-demand, premium TV channels and downloads. US and UK cinemas chains are not happy about this, especially after all the investment some have made on digital equipment, projectors, etc. which unfortunately quickly goes very quickly out of date!


• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences
This means the increase of something: i.e. digital cameras, software, CGI, 3D films, film genres, etc. which are part of current trends; how significant is this for See Saw Films or Film4? Or are they still able to be successful without it by making films with genres that do not need the latest breakthroughs in digital technology? Research the film company's use of cameras, special effects, software, posters, digital distribution of films, etc.


• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences
This is a WEB 2.0 issue and how technology is coming together in hubs like laptops is one of the features of our age; the mobile phone in your pocket is a great example of technological convergence: it can do so much more than a simple phone call; think how this is affecting film making at the production, marketing and exhibition stages? The Internet is acting as a hub for many aspects of film: you will find film posters, You Tube videos on films, interviews, trailers, official film and blog websites, etc. on it.  Audiences can also remake their own films by creating extracts and running new scores over them and then posting them on You Tube. This often leads to answering videos, never mind the comments, etc. that people make  on such sites. The internet, film and videos games seems to be converging in so many ways. People can watch films in a range of ways, using an astonishing range of hardware and software. They can also find audiences of their own. This amounts to free publicity for film institutions for their films and "A Long Tail" sales into the future through endless exchange.


• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions
"Slumdog Millionaire" was originally aimed at Asian audiences living in various parts of the UK and also at Danny Boyle fans. The film's unexpected success at film festivals and being nominated for the Oscars led to another theatrical release and a crossover from the "indy" art-house into the mainstream. British film makers often make social realism films and aim them at local and regional audiences whereas this would never be enough for the major media players who tend to make high budget, high concept films. They have boutique offshoots who make and often distribute lower budget films, aimed at more high brow audiences. Disney's Mirimax and Fox's Fox Searchlight are examples of such boutique, art-house film distribution.


• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour
How you consume films whether it is as a social activity after visiting a shopping centre or on an MP4 player or Playstation, is what is at issue here. Visit Pearl and Dean to see how multiplex cinemas are adapting the experience of cinema-going to gain audiences. In an age of falling DVD sales, home cinema and an increase in downloading for both music and film audiences are changing in how they want to consume film. Identify trends and consider where the audience trends are going in the near future.


This unit should be approached through contemporary (up-to-date) examples in the form of case studies based upon one of the specified media areas. Our students are studying the British Film industry with See-Saw Films and Bedlam Productions' The King's Speech or Film4's Slumdog Millionaire; for comparative purposes they are also preparing a case study of US film production/distributor with an example film.

The King's Speech - Case Study Links for Institutions and Audiences

This link will take you to ALL you need to know. It includes the production notes for the film.
http://asanda2mediastudies.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20King%27s%20Speech

Production issues for case studies on "The King's Speech" - concept map

Double click on the image to enlarge.

Marketing and Distribution Issues to research for case studies on "The King's Speech" - Concept Map

Double click on the image to enlarge.

Exhibition and Exchange Issues to research for case studies on "The King's Seech" - Concept Map

Double click on the image to enlarge.

Intertextuality - how it can make texts richer in meaning

This is a great video for illustrating how meaning is enhanced for audiences from picking up intertextual references.