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Reality TV

Reality TV. A Critical Perspective. Realism. A genre that blurs fact, fiction and realism. Hard to define – a hybrid genre that continues to change. All reality shows are constructed and audience viewpoint manipulated. Is ‘reality tv’ as a label ironic?

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Reality TV

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  1. Reality TV A Critical Perspective

  2. Realism • A genre that blurs fact, fiction and realism. • Hard to define – a hybrid genre that continues to change. • All reality shows are constructed and audience viewpoint manipulated. • Is ‘reality tv’ as a label ironic? • Inhabits a borderline territory between information and entertainment. • The genre is often used to illustrate arguments about the alleged ‘dumbing down’ of television.

  3. Recurring elements - transformation • Typically ‘lifestyle’ self improvement/makeover programmes involving real people in real situations. • These people usually are experiencing some sort of trauma in their lives with regards to their appearance, their house/garden etc which is then transformed and improved by the experts. • Transformation...of an individual (How to look Good Naked) • Group (Supernanny, Jamie’s Kitchen, Brat Camp) • House (Changing Room, 60 minute Makeover)

  4. Recurring elements...Voyeurism • Voyeurism is a term used to describe the pleasure that people get from watching other people. • Much of the interest in reality TV surrounds the audience’s voyeuristic interest in people having sex in front of the cameras. • Internet has influenced how we consume TV. • It is essentially a voyeuristic medium – audience is generally anonymous but able to access a whole range of images and information about other people’s lives.

  5. Symbolic Violence • When experts or other contestants criticise participants or the show’s format involves humiliation. • X factor/Britain’s got Talent • Big Brother • I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here

  6. Celebrity • The reverse side of voyeurism is exhibitionism. • The web encourages people to behave in an exhibitionist way that they might not consider in public. • The webcam allows people to give worldwide access to the intimate details of their lives. • Celebrity status was once reserved for those who had achieved highly in their field, eg. Hollywood actors, sport stars. • Celebrity has now become central to our everyday lives.

  7. Celebrity • In our media saturated society there is an insatiable demand for celebrity to fill TV schedules and newspaper columns. • The manufacture of celebrities is essential to fuel this demand – reality TV is one way of doing this. • The voyeurism and exhibitionism that is now central to our culture has its origins in and is a reflection of society’s fixation with surveillance. • Post modern culture has taken surveillance and turned it into an opportunity for people to become stars in their own films.

  8. Entertainment Values • Why do we continue to watch?? • The variety of formats means there is something for everyone. • We enjoy the feeling of empowerment when we can influence the outcome – Big Brother. • We enjoy emotional realism as we recognise and perhaps empathise with the emotions (insecurity, excitement, antagonism etc).

  9. Homework • Read pages 8-11 from textbook on ‘Celebrity’ and make notes.

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