Reality Television

How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.

Television in its own right has come a tremendously long way. Hill's vivid interpretation of the reality genre is a fantastic starting point in gaining a fair understanding of the topic.

The 1960's docudrama titled 'Cathy Come Home' showcased the deplorable struggles of UK citizens during the years of hardship and unemployment. It also marked the dawn of soap opera's in which Hill's brings up in his discussion. He also brings to the table how the television network is all about bring expansive and taking necessary risks. "..television often cannibalises itself, feeding off successful genres and formats in order to create new hybrid programmes." (Hill, 2005, p.42)

I suppose this gives way to the possibility of introducing more intellectual and captivating genres. In this case, the reality genre features a category consisting of game shows and programmes orientating around the subject of lifestyle, for instance. "Other British terrestrial, satellite, cable and digital channels categorise reality TV under a variety of headings." (Hill, 2005, p.43)

Reality shows such as game and talent are intended to evoke entertainment and are therefore labelled as factual entertainment. The other half of this sophisticated genre is Popular factual television which is more tied in with soap opera, discarding any real entertainment value. "The industry terms of factual entertainment and popular factual television are umbrella categories for a range of formatted as well as non-formatted programmes and series." (Hill, 2005, p.42)

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

Sye Johnson Week 11 - 12: Reality TV.

How does Hill define reality TV?  Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.

The evolution of the reality TV genre over time makes it difficult to give an exact definition as noted by Hill "the treatment of 'reality' in reality programming has changed as the genre developed over the past decade" (2005).  however several elements have remained consistent.  The use of non-professional actors as the major 'talent', surveillance footage styled as 'fly on the wall' and the notion that the audience are seeing events as they unfold on the camera are frequently used conventions within the genre of reality TV.

According to Hill the television industry "often cannibalises itself, feeding off successful genres and formats in order to create new hybrid programmes" (2005).  Through the combination of the Soap Opera genre (e.g. Days of Our Lives) with the Observational Documentary genre (e.g. Cops) came the creation of the Doco-Soap genre which created shows like Bondi Beach and Rescue 1.  This implies that the genre of 'Reality TV' there are multiple sub-genres another being the Game Show genre.

The United States of America is one of the largest producers of game show television.  Shows like Survivor, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance have run for multiple seasons, each of those examples having run into the double digits in season quantity.  These shows are further examples of a new genre created by cannibalising others.  "Taking the 'raw' ingredients of on-scene emergency services reality TV and processing them into more 'cooked' reality formats" (Hill. 2005).

Survivor is an excellent example of this, as one of the longest running reality TV series it has grown and changed with the industry.  Initially it started as a game show in which two teams or 'tribes' compete to win immunity and the losers vote out a member until they were left with the 'sole survivor' who would win one million dollars.  This version focused heavily on the human psychology of surviving in a stressful environment with strangers over the sensationalised drama that arose.  However over time the show began to include twists like tribe swaps and immunity idols for an individual to increase the tension and drama.  This has taken the show from a more realistic look at a survival game show into a over-dramatized soap opera game show.

"There is no one definition of reality programming, but many, competing definitions of what has come to be called the reality genre". (Hill. 2005).  Through the growth of the television industry and audiences the definition of any genre, not just reality TV, has become difficult to accurately describe.  Reality TV does have a few element that are consistently utilised, the use of 'real' people in lieu of actors and the use of surveillance footage are mainstays of the genre and are found in most shows ranging from the game shows to the doco-soaps.

References:

Hill, A. (2005) The reality genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and popular factual television. (pp. 14-40). Oxon: Routledge.

Week 11 & 12 Reality TV

How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.?

Reality TV is a genre of television programming that documents unscripted situations and actual issues, and often features a previously unknown cast. Annette Hill (2005) points out that there are lots of definitions of reality TV show, because it has relevance to many genres. He mentions that the traditional definition of Reality TV is “factual entertainment” (Hill, p. 42). In addition, Hill describes ‘Reality TV’ as a range of popular programming with factual events. He also points out the difference between the Reality TV shows in UK and USA. The UK audiences tend to have the factual programming that are similar to documentaries, current affairs and investigate journalism (2005) and the audiences in USA, are more likely to lean towards reality entertainment shows, such as survival, game or audition. Therefore, reality TV is commonly used to describe a range of popular factual programming in UK, and the reality TV is described as reality entertainment in USA.

 According to Goodari (2014), 'reality programming is so popular it has changes the dynamics of the television industry (Hill, 2005).' It actually shows that TV has a super power in this media age like television as well. In the article, Hill also defines most of the reality TV shows combine unscripted dialogue, hand-held cameras as the factors (2005). And nowadays, the Reality TV shows always have different themes with variations of styles, for example, audition, survival, game, or talent. In addition, Reality TV shows have been changing over periods of time. It has focused on the footage of law and order or emergency services at the beginning. It has become a variety of Reality TV shows, which are more likely relating to households’ lives these days. It is now diversified with talk shows, game shows, lifestyle shows or different other competition shows, which has led to the formation of many sub-genres within the Reality TV genre. In fact, from a different perspective, Reality TV shows brought a wide range of audience regardless of gender and age. Therefore, the audiences helped Reality TV as something familiar. Likewise, the media can manipulate what people think, People also can affect media, especially Reality TV shows. The diverse numbers of people can also affect it make more drama within the shows which in turn increases the rating of the shows. Moreover, he concedes that reality TV is a genre that gas transformed into different sub genres, which became a multi-industry corporation (2005).

In the beginning of Reality TV, majority topics was mostly crimes and law, because, they were more interested subjects to people. Over the years, Reality TV as of today is not just about the crimes. It is dealing with a wide variety of reality TV genres such as unscripted dramas, lifestyle-change shows, prize winning shows and even talk shows. The ordinary people can also participate in the Reality TV shows. Due to the changes in the reality TV genre during few years, it is difficult to define Reality TV, but there is a common thing. As Hill stated all those sub-genres are differentiated between the rapidly expanding and somewhat bewildering range of programming that comes under the category of reality TV, and it is the capacity to let viewers see for themselves. It is because the audiences find the reality TV shows are about the real-life people and it is literally a reality which might be closely connected to the audiences.

References list

Hill, A. (2005) The reality genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and popular factual television. (pp. 14-40). Oxon: Routledge.

 Goodari, A. (2014). Reality TV. [online] Academia.edu. Retrieved 22 Oct, 2014, from http://www.academia.edu/4417268/Reality_TV. 

Week 11 and 12 - reality TV

How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.

Reality TV has developed immensely in the last few years, creating shows like The Amazing Race to Big Brother to Survivor that have over 20 seasons each. The audience always coming back for more each and every episode, committing themselves into participants of the show and rooting for them to win, they emotional connect with them which is what the producers of the shows want. The reason that reality TV has became popular is due to high demand to real life drama and producers are not complaining because reality TV only costs one sixth of the amount of money it cost to make a drama production.

Hill acknowledges the demand of reality TV in society today and even states that “there is something for everyone in the reality genre”(Hill, 2005, pp.14) he continues on to say that “the genealogy of popular factual television is convoluted, as the type of hybrid programming we have come to associate with reality TV is difficult to categorise, and has developed within historically and culturally specific media environments. There are three main [areas of reality TV] tabloid journalism, documentary television, and popular entertainment”(Hill, 2005, pp.15). These three main divisions were the basis of what reality TV has become today. Tabloid journalism involves all those shows that are factual and informative, e.g. 20/20, 60 Minutes, Talk shows. These shows make us feel smart watching them as we are learning new information about thing we did not know. The second form of reality TV is documentary television; this type of reality TV discusses feature length documentary films that focus on a problem in the community or something bigger. With the large spread of documentaries in the recent years television providers have dedicated channels specifically for the broadcasting of documentaries. The final division in reality TV is popular entertainment; these are the reality shows that an audience watches for entertainment. These are shows like Wipeout, The X Factor, The Amazing Race, The Kardashians, Geordie Shore and Jersey Shore. All of these shows have been created in the recent years since the reality TV genre has grown.

Hill continues to add two more aspects of reality TV with its development, docu-soaps and reality game shows. Reality game shows have ruled the prime time slot on television for years, shows like Who wants to be a Millionaire and Wheel of Fortune, hook viewers in by thinking that they could do that, that it doesn’t look that hard to win. On the other hand docu-soaps had become rare, most popular in the 1960’s. ‘Cathy Come Home’, the first docu-soap created in 1966 written by Jeremy Sandford and played on the BBC television network, was the type of docu-soap that cried out to the audience. ‘Cathy Come Home’ was the first docu-soap to capture the viewer’s attention and hold it. It was a dramatized documentary about the life of the homeless in Britain at that time and it displayed how it can happen to anyone. This relates back to Hill’s statement “there is something for everyone in the reality genre” because anyone can relate to something if they can see themselves in that position.

Reference:

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

week 9 & 10 - Cult TV

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV? 

How is new media central to this?

It is basic knowledge that a TV series cannot be successful without a wide fan based. A fan base is what leads to higher ratings, more successful seasons and more money. The TV genre that is most likely associated with the devotion of fans is “Cult TV”. Hills (2004) states “the three major definitions of cult TV that I will discuss correspond broadly to different levels in a three-part model of text/inter-text/audience”, Hills is explaining that cult TV has three main elements that makes it work. The main element being the fan base as Hills continues to say “cult status arises, ultimately, through an audience’s passion for a TV show”, he carries on to say that this positions cult TV as a “‘grassroots’ phenomenon, assuming that it is created by fans rather than by media producers.” (pp. 510) The way that fans influence a TV series, especially cult TV, is that they are the buyers, they are wanting to watch what happens because they are devoted to the characters. Their devotion, ultimately, is what continues the series. This type of attention is what started the idea of “fan-fiction”, writing alternate endings to current fan bases.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) is an example of cult TV, the show had a massive following and since ending still continues to obtain new fans. There are hundreds of fan fiction pieces based around Buffy the Vampire Slayer which relates to the new media aspect of our generation. There are websites such as Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram which allows fans to post images and communicate with one another to create an online fan group about certain cult television shows. The media industry demand that kind of attention from an audience to make a successful series.

Therefore, agreeing with Hills (2004) fans play a vital factor in the success of a television show. This is especially important with the new media aspect of this generation e.g the Internet.  

References: 

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.

Monique Porteous week 12 - Reality TV

How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.

Hill defines reality TV as a hybrid genre. "feeding off successful genres and formats in order to to create new hybrid programmes." (Hill, 2005, p.42). While Hill does mention that there is not just one definition but many open ended definitions in the genre, to me he seems to take a shining to defining reality TV as a hybrid genre. Under Hill's definition of the hybrid genre he mentions five different sub-definitions: Docu-soaps, reality gameshows, popular factual television, documentaries & contemporary factual and docu-dramas. The docu-soap, which Hill describes as a soap opera and an observational documentary combined, is very common in the USA. 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' is an extremely popular show which emerged in 2007, coming from the the E! channel. The show follows the real lives of a family which gives it the observational documentary element while the soap opera element is made from how scripted the show is (Ryland, 2014). Hill's next sub-definition of the genre and it's hybrids is the reality gameshows. The formula for this is: gameshow + the observational documentary = reality gameshow. 'The Amazing Race' spans 25 seasons and also has many international variations (as the show is originally from the USA). Hill describes these 'gameshows' as a part of the reality TV genre which dominates prime time television. "Popular factual television commissions formats, celebrity profiles and entertaining documentaries" (Hill, 2005, p42). To say the least, popular factual television is very 'people' orientated. 'Katy Perry: Part of Me' truly fits into this sub-definition due to having the formula of celebrity profile + entertaining documentary. The film follows her California Dreams Tour as well as speaking of her 'whirlwind' life and the lead up to fame (Duff, 2013). Documentaries & contemporary factual is a smaller sub-definition but includes shows which involve crime and consumer affair programming - all with some sort of 'fly on the wall' filming technique. 'Police Ten 7' is a New Zealand show which follows police all around the country and shows what these law enforcers have to 'deal' with on a daily basis. The camera man uses the fly on the wall filming style to show how 'raw' and 'real' the show is. Lastly there is the docu-drama, while Hill does not exactly define this style of reality TV, it is important to mention. The docu-drama is less common in contemporary times but it was very important to the reality TV genre pre-millennium. 'Cathy Come Home' was the first docu-drama produced by the BBC and it caused a public outcry within Britain in the 1960's when it was aired. 'Cathy Come Home' did exactly what the reality TV genre is meant to do: Make the audience feel attached to what they are watching (Brooks, 2011). All in all reality TV is a hybrid genre, it takes elements from other shows on television to create something completely new. 

References:

Brooks, L. (2011, September 4). Cathy Come Home still rings true today. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/04/cathy-come-home-rings-true

Duff, S. (2013, June 25). Top 10 Celebrity Documentaries from One Direction This Is Us to In Bed With Madonna. Retrieved from http://metro.co.uk/2013/06/25/top-10-celebrity-documentaries-from-one-direction-this-is-us-to-justin-bieber-never-say-never-and-katy-perry-part-of-me-3856048/

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


Ryland, A. (2014, February 21). More Kardashian Fakery Exposed: ‘KUWTK’ Episode Featured Kim’s Engagement Ring BEFORE Kanye West Proposed! Retrieved from http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/02/kardashian-show-fake-scenes-kim-engagement-ring-keeping-up-kardashians/

Week 9 & 10 - Cult TV

2. What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV? How is new media central to this?

Cult TV can be thought of as a group of texts, often hailing from the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror. According to Hill (2004), “The three major definitions of cult TV that I will discuss correspond broadly to different levels in a three-part model of text/inter-text/audience.” The existence of fans is an essential part in improving, developing and making successful material rather than by just media producers. In terms of fan activities on TV shows, in my opinion, it affects not only for the cult TV genre. Hill also describes that the “cult TV” forms an ‘intertextual network’ which almost expresses a communication network that preserves fans on the loop for every kind of popular materials, for example movies, books and comics. Therefore, there is similarity between pop genres’ characteristics and cult TV’s characteristics.

The fans can help promoting the TV shows, because they would find their own appreciation society for the TV shows. “Cult TV” is set apart from the mainstream, and is often distinguished by its high style, innovative subject matter, sexual outrageousness or uncompromising political stance. Anything is set apart from the mainstream, which is always difficult to increase its awareness, especially by the producers of it. Therefore, the fans should play an important role for it. According to Hills (2004), cult TV can be neither made nor promoted as such by the media industry, but instead is entirely reliant on audience devotion. When the appreciation societies are developed to honour a programme, the fans can discuss it with the like-minded people.

The fans of cult television also create toys, costumes or other merchandise items for the programmes. All these side-products always have a huge impact and influence to the public, and they can help building a greater appreciation society for the cult TV. While they are creating such a thing like that, it can make more people recognize the programmes. Hill has mentioned the fans use the inter-texts to link to a wider network of popular materials, which includes comics or novels or other platforms for the fans. He cited Jenkins (1992) “Fans often find it difficult to discuss single programs except through references and comparisons to this broader network. This can be the description of the fans dependence on this inter-textual network.

Hill also points out how the fans can provide the details and create the comments and reviews on the shows or the episodes that they have missed. All those information can help a lot to the new people who may be interested to join in. The fans can now use the social media or communicate with others online. Therefore, if they use the internet wisely it allows them to have a platform to form their appreciation societies.

Personally, I am a big fan of Vampire stories shows. I have watched diverse Vampire series shows. But the origin of those shows is Buffy, showed literary intertextuality and narratives good and evil. In the relationship to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the internet plays a big part in its cult TV fan base. Buffy is one of the biggest Cult TV shows of all time, and has an enormous follower's group worldwide. Fans have created many websites dedicated to Buffy, character analysis, further plot development, alternate endings, but this is only the beginning. Regarding to the research, I did on the internet to find out what kind of online activities Buffy fans participate in and the lists are so huge!. It ranges from quizzes, gaming and role-playing, poetry, visual art and crafts, debate and discussion, and sharing files.

References

Hills, (2004). Defining Cult TV; texts, inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.

UK Terrestrial TV; What is cult TV?. (n.d.).  Retreieved  Oct 20, 2014, from http://www.culttv.plus.com/whatis.html  

Week 11-12

How have the documentary genres ‘Direct Cinema’ or ‘cinéma vérité influenced reality TV and the presentation of the ‘real’? Discuss in the context of a contemporary reality TV show.

I think it is arguable to say that cinéma vérité has profoundly influenced reality TV shows due to the apparent low quality realism of present day shows like Survivor. In Survivor there is this heavy feeling of manipulation of reality through the use of the shows host. The host is constantly initiating confrontation between contestants through the use of subtle dialogue which otherwise would remain unknown to some of the contestants until after their departures from the show and this almost always has an enormous effect on the final outcome of the game. For instance, the host named ‘Jeff Probst’ would ask certain contestants questions at the section of the show which contestants vote one another off and those questions always provoke conflict between not only enemies, but even allies as well. While techniques like these make the show far more interesting and confrontational, it tends to reveal things that wouldn’t have been revealed until later on and therefore it arguably influences the realism and final outcome of the show.

Now looking at direct cinemas influence on the same show, I think one could say that if Survivor was purely restricted to direct cinema techniques and maintained that true style of realism, it could be one extremely boring television show. "In terms of reality programming, the extent to which programs such as Cops or Survivor address issues of realism, accuracy and truth is significant precisely because these programs do not eschew such values, and yet at the same time are unable to stay within the conventions of documentary realism due to their reliance on entertainment formats" (Hill, 2005). If a contemporary television show like Survivor was entirely realistic with no outside influence, then it’s quite possible that it would have never passed the first season. “A series such as survivor relies on contestants facing life-transforming decisions in order to ‘survive’, both physically, emotionally, and in relation to the game” (Hill, 2005). Conflict and drama is what makes Survivor and without interference and manipulation, the majority of the time it would be severely lacking in the entertainment department. Although it does have some aspects of direct cinema, if it relied solely on those aspects it would more than likely be doomed to fail.

 

Hill, A. (2005) The rise of reality TV. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. (pp. 15 – 40). Oxon: Routledge.

           

Sye Week 9 - 10 Cult TV.

Wilcox and Lavery (2002) identify 9 defining characteristics of ‘quality TV’ – can you apply any of these to other television series that you have viewed recently? Are there any other characteristics that you could add to their list?

The 9 characteristics of 'quality TV, as defined by Wilcox and Lavery (2002) are

1. "Quality TV usually has a quality pedigree".  In the case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) they use the example of Joss Whedon as the creator and the cachet he brings to the project.  Another TV series that can be used as a similar example of excellent pedigree is David E. Kelly's Boston Legal, a personal favourite of mine.  Kelly had already had a number of hit series, such as The Practice and Ally McBeal, before creating Boston Legal, which established him as a creator of successful and marketable series.

2. "Quality shows must often undergo a noble struggle against profit-mongering networks and non-appreciative audiences".  the example of BtVS and it's long, strange trip to a secure home on the WB network is used by Wilcox and Lavery.  Boston Legal had a similar struggle, while it was green lit easily (primarily due to Kelly's name) it suffered problems with the network constantly shifting the time slot and air day, and issues with low ratings while still being highly regarded by critics.

3. "Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast".  True in BtVS  with the titular character, her 'scoobie gang', recurring villians and high school characters the show was heavy with cast numbers.  With Boston Legal the show had, over the course of 5 seasons, 19 main characters and even more recurring characters (including the incredible Betty White).

4. "Quality TV has a memory".  In BtVS characters remember their past and events that have lead to their current situations, even over the course of several seasons.  Boston Legal does the same thing with the characters referencing past cases and personal relationships.  This even went as far as a case that took place near the beginning of season 2 having consequences that stretched into the end of the following season.

5. "Quality TV creates a new genre by mixing old ones".  BtVS took the existing genres of the supernatural, high school soap and comedy and mashed them together to create a new, fresh series.  Similarly Boston Legal took the genres of legal drama, comedy, slapstick and relationship drama to create a funny, sometimes outrageous, poignant drama that could produce tears of laughter just as easily as tears of heart ache.

6. "Quality TV tends to be literary and writer-based". With BtVS the example of Whedon comparing it to his own favourite author, Charle Dickens, is used.  With Boston Legal there is a high emphasis of literary articulation and eloquence.  This is consistently and more regularly shown through the character Alan Shore's long closing arguments which are often speeches detailing the perceived injustice within the cases of the shows or a rousing political argument outlining a current societal issue in America.

7. "Quality TV is self-conscious". BtVS uses numerous pop culture references throughout the series and even breaks the forth wall at times.  With Boston Legal breaking the forth wall was so common that it has been placed among the series with the most breaks in all of television history.  A couple examples are in the second episode of season 3 when two new cast members appear, Denny Craine (a character that has been in the show from the first episode) meets the and says to them "if there were new guys they would've shown up in the series première.  Welcome to Boston Legal" followed immediately by the opening credits.  Also during the final season a cast about TV for senior citizens is being argued by a main character and he states that "the only show brave enough to have cast over the age of 50 is B.... Well I can't say, it'd break the wall" as he looks and points directly at the camera.

8. "The subject matter of quality TV tends toward the controversial".  Throughout it's run BtVS dealt with several controversial topics ranging from homosexuality to high school massacres.  Boston Legal dealt with controversial issues almost weekly.  The topics covered ranged from homosexuality, discrimination (gender, racial and sexual orientation), political controversies and euthanasia.

9. "Quality TV aspires toward realism".  BtVS has been called 'a fantasy show that rings truer than most shows on TV'.  This is due to the focus of the show not being on the supernatural elements but rather on the very real way the characters react to and deal with this world they are in.  Boston Legal has its unusual moments, generally centred around the antics of the lawyers at the centre of the show, however at its heart it is driven by the real relationships and reactions of the characters as they go about their lives.

These 9 elements as detailed by Wilcox and Lavery are all excellent pieces that add up to quality TV but personally I would add one more to the list.

10. Quality TV has well developed characters and  excellent chemistry between them".  By this I mean the acting within the show must be of a high quality.  BtVS has this in spades with Sarah Michelle Geller, Anthony Stewart Head and Alyson Hannigan all of whom bring their characters to life in a believable way and make them real people and not caricatures.  The chemistry between Geller and David Boreanaz who played Angel is so palpable that fans demanded more and more of the character.  With Boston Legal the acting was of such a high calibre that the series main actors, James Spader and William Shatner, were nominated and won several awards.  The chemistry between the two of them was also, in my opinion, the greatest chemistry between any two male characters on television ever.


References:
Lavery, D. & Wilcox, R. (2002). Fighting the forces: what's at stake in Buffy the vampire slayer. (Introduction). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

Weeks 7 & 8, Science Fiction

What was does Dick (1995) himself theories about the I Ching?

As most people would know, the I Ching is an ancient Chinese divination text, it is commonly used by people who want to find out about their future. Firstly, the person asks a question, throws some coins and looks at the way in which they fall. Then the person reads the I Ching to decipher what the coins mean. However, Philip K. Dick had his personal opinion about the I Ching. Dick theorized that we can use the I Ching for anything except for fortunetelling in the future. He also added that it is not a fortunetelling device, despite what’s been believed by both China and by Richard Wilhelm for many centuries. Although Dick thinks that the book contained a vast amount about fortunetelling as it lays before your eyes, for your scrutiny. Indeed, he refers that “the book is analytical ad diagnostic, not predicted.” (Dick, 1995)

Dick also describes the I Ching, which is based on about synchronicity, as a device by which synchronicity. In addition, he can relate deeply to schizophrenic people because he was once diagnosed with schizophrenia. He emphasizes that it is vital to have a good idea about a thought process that people’s analyzed or suffering from the disease itself in the Schizophrenia & the book of changes.

Thus, Dick uses the I Ching to develop the direction of his novels. In the story, I Ching the ancient Chinese divination text have had a huge influence throughout the whole story, it connected each and every single plot together, even though some people say there is no “main plot” in this novel.

Dick has mentioned the I Ching several times through the book. For example, one of the characters, Hawthome Abendsen who was an author wrote a novel in the story, “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy”. He used the I Ching to write the novel, and even Dick himself used it to decide some important plots for “The Man in the High Castle”. Dick also wrote about the Japanese and Americans by using the I Ching to make any important decisions. In addition to that, Dick used the I Ching to decide whether a character should tell Abendsen that he was the target of the assassins. Dick even made the character himself to use the I Ching to decide if he should be in the story.  Therefore, you can tell that Dick likes to use the I Ching as an important literary device throughout his writing.

For Dick himself, he also uses the I Ching to get advice for his own life. He mentioned in an interview, “If you use the I Ching long enough and continually enough, it will begin to change and shape you as a person.” From this point, Dick obviously showed that he appreciates the influences of the I Ching. He also claims that the I Ching analyzes the situation for him more accurately than he does, and from there it gives out advice.

Reference 

 Dick, P.K. (1995). Schizophrenia and the I Ching. In Sutin, L. (Ed.), The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (pp.175-182). New York: Vintage.

 The Yijing / I Ching oracle. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2014, from http://www.eclecticenergies.com/iching/

Monique Porteous week 10 - Cult TV

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV? How is new media central to this?

Hills believes that the fans are what define cult TV. He suggests the role that fans play within this genre is that they control what happens within the show(s). Fans work within this role is varied. The fans all work together in helping the producers and writers to know what to do/write next. These fans produce magazines, online groups and organize real life events. Producers and writers look out for these events and activites; it helps them to find new ways to work with their fan base. Secondly, the fans play the role of having control in cult TV by giving a reason to have memorabilia - something which helps to keep a cult show going. "fans of cult TV create a market for memorabilia, merchandise and props that relates to their much-loved TV shows" (Hills, 2004, p.519). Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a cult following with some extremely devoted fans, even with the show ending back in 2003, websites related to the show still continue to have many views from these fans (such as buffyworld.com) Thirdly, the fans of cult TV are extremely active viewers. These fans will not just watch a show because it's 'the only thing on', they make time to watch the show be involved with it during and after. It could be said to be the 'highlight' of their day watching their cult show. Lastly the way these fans play their role in the construction of cult TV is through their sheer love for the creators work. "proper fandom exists when an enthusiasm for some cultural object or other takes on . . . a totalizing, defining role in people's lifestyles and identities" (Grispund, 2002, p.119).

Fans heavily rely on new media, causing it to be central in the construction of cult TV. "The concept that new methods of communicating in the digital world allow smaller groups of people to congregate online and share, sell and swap goods and information. It also allows more people to have a voice in their community and in the world in general" (PCmag, n.d). Fans function through new media. The writers and producers thrive off of this - it helps them to construct their shows. To expand on my first point in the previous paragraph, new media is counted as 'online groups' such as facebook pages, twitter and niche sites specified to a certain show. Shows become constructed from fans use of new media, especially twitter. Twitter enables the fans to project their opinions about a cult show on social media (New media) within seconds of the show airing and ending. (Chastine, 2012). To sum it up, new media is absolutely central to fans playing the role in the construction of cult TV.



References: 

Chastine, L. (2012, June 21). 5 TV Shows with Twitter Hashtag #wins. Otto Pilot Media. Retrieved from http://ottopilotmedia.com/social-media/5-tv-shows-with-twitter-hashtag-wins/

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.

PCmag. (n.d). Encyolpedia; Definition of New Media. PCmag. Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/47936/new-media

Cult Television

Wilcox and Lavery (2002) identify 9 defining characteristics of ‘quality TV’ – can you apply any of these to other television series that you have viewed recently? Are there any other characteristics that you could add to their list?

The fantasy/teen series titled 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' made its public break when it first aired back in 1997 and was created by Joss Whedon. The introduction text written by Wilcox and Lavery gives a greatly broad and sophisticated view on network television as well as delving into said TV show with specific detail. There is a numbered list of nine points which showcases the characteristics of quality TV and is mainly centred around Joss's ties with this particular medium. Joss has contributed to not only the world of television but also cinema in quite a vibrant way.  '..he has contributed, often as a highly paid-and sometimes uncredited-"script doctor" to a variety of films..' (Lavery & Wilcox, 2002, pg. xxi) Screenplay writing is clearly a strength and passion of his as it has paid off very positively with hit films of which he has been involved with.

Joss did have some rough patches when it came to developing Buffy and his ability to write up a decent script. This spans back very early in his career when Buffy was the project determining whether or not he had a place in this chosen field. Though he did not direct it, the film released back in 1992 received a very dismal response. This overall experience helped to perfect Joss's vision in which he then put towards further development in incorporating Buffy into a television series. The third point supports the idea of quality TV consisting of a large cast. Having a big family of characters with there own individual persona brings out conflict and therefore drama. Fourthly, memory - 'On Buffy, however, characters remember, and we remember with them.' (Lavery & Wilcox, 2002, pg. xxiii) Consistent continuity is very important as characters may make recollections from past episodes. The final point being realism sits firmly on top in my opinion. Joss's goal was to create a third dimensional character who is faced with challenges in her every day life. 'In the world of Buffy, by contrast, the problems that teenagers face become literal monsters.' (Lavery & Wilcox, 2002, pg. xix) The monsters Buffy battles against are meant to be a subtextual reflection of teenage issues.

Lavery, D. & Wilcox, R. (2002). Fighting the forces: what's at stake in Buffy the vampire slayer. (Introduction). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

Week 9-10

What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV? How is new media central to this?

Hills third definition of cult states “Cult TV can be defined through analysis of fan practices and depends on fan activities” (hill, 2004) and then follows shortly after by saying “This type of argument positions cult TV as a ‘grassroots’ phenomenon, assuming that it is created by fans rather than by media producers” (Hill, 2004). It is highly possible to say that cult TV is extremely dependent on fan base and even my personal experiences with cult TV appear to draw the exact same conclusion. For instance while I was growing up, Buffy the Vampire slayer was a household name and one could say that it’s because of the immense support of its dedicated fans that it was able to become so successful around the world. Had it never received the same kind of support then I most likely never would of heard of it before and it probably wouldn’t have continued on for as many seasons as it did. Without a strong fan base backing it, it’s arguable to assume that regardless of genre it’s doomed to fail and one of those reasons being that there are just too many TV shows to compete with in not only the cult genre, but every genre. Hill goes on to state that “The overwhelming majority of those series that evolve substantial creative fan cultures belongs to the fantastic genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror (Hill, 2004)”. By saying that I think that it’s possible that the popularity of fan bases of those certain series were also due to the Cult genre appealing and including elements from those three different genres compiled into one which unifies everyone under one interest and furthers the Cult genre.

The new media is central to all of this because it plays a huge role in how the public views cult TV. Things like how and where cult TV is presented and advertised all contribute directly to the possible fan base. Without a driving force such as new media, shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer would quite possibly have never even amassed a fan base to start with. It’s so much easier for fans to gather and celebrate their shared interests thanks to new media. 

References

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies   Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.