Slide 1

BBC Television Comedy Case StudyUnit B322: Textual Analysis and Media Studies Topic

Tuesday 7th May 2013

Why?

Aims & ObjectivesRe-cap prior learning of Section B: TV Comedy expectations.

Introduce 1 of the 2 Case Study examples YOU MUST learn for the exam

Look at some of the key information YOU WILL need to know for the exam such as Institutional output, regulation and Audience reception.Review the learning.

Because you need to know about the inter-relationship between Institution and Audience for this popular genre.

YOU WILL also be assessed on your knowledge and understanding of media products and the contexts of their production and consumption (A01)

Prove what you know already Starter3 minutesYOU MUST write down what you think this Television Comedy will focus on based on the image you are about to be shown.

Extension:

YOU COULD refer to key concepts such as Narrative and Representation in your analysis.

FEEDBACK

Re-cap Exam expectationsSection B is worth 30 Marks out of the 80 Marks available.

There a 2 areas to address within the question provided for example:

4 a) and b)- Both are worth 15 Marks EACH

YOU WILL need to know 2 Case Studies from the Television Comedy genre in a lot of detail.

YOU SHOULD be able to use and apply Audience theory and know both Institutions that exhibit both case study examples on their channels for example:

Vs.

Therefore knowledge of the following is important for BOTH Case Studies:

HOW they provide similarities and differences in terms of representation and audience pleasure(s)

HOW both texts are successful on the channels they are exhibited on Do they follow any trends in terms of existing programming on the channel?

HOW they target their intended audience through their scheduling and themes and issues presented.Re-cap Exam expectations

Key Information!

A Sitcom that focuses on the Dysfunctional, nuclear, middle class Brockman family, which is set in the familiar setting of the home in London.

Follows a long line of successful BBC sitcoms over the past 40 years such as Only Fools and Horses and Gavin & Stacey.

Does NOT contain Canned Laughter as a lot of the comedy an example of difference (Steve Neale) in the genre is improvised.

Contains a lot of Intertextual references to other popular sitcoms for example the 3 part narrative structure (Todorov) is present just as it is in Only Fools and Horses and has a similar narrative feel in terms of simplicity to the popular American sitcom Seinfeld.

Television Sitcom GenreHas become a important component for the BBC institution over the last 40 years, as they will see this as an accessible and popular genre for audiences across a wide range of demographics.Safe Genre programming It seems as though the lack of production value connotes how this genre is cheap and lucrative in terms of viewing figures.Outnumbered is conventional in terms it formulaic structure 30 minute episode; focus on the antagonism of family dynamics; presents a comic disequilibrium (Todorov); setting is familiar and themes and issues are exaggerated to engage a predominatly passive audience.

Viewing figures (BARB)

On average around 20% of our TV Consumption EACH week came through BBC 1. Key Information!

Key Information!

CONTINUEDWeekday programme Usually on a Thursday

Exhibited at 9pm on BBC 1 (Series 4) but shown slightly later on Dave at 9:30pm

What is significant about this time for programming & scheduling of TV shows?Watershed

John Reith (1889 - 1971)Since the BBCs launch in 1922 its remit was to:Inform, educate and entertain

How does this ideology apply to the case study example YOU MUST refer to in the exam?

John Reith (1889 - 1971)Inform, educate and entertain

A big Media Institution like the BBC, according to Louis Althussers Interpellation ideology, have the power to mediate and control the messages and values presented in their programming.

For example in Outnumbered they have chosen to repeat (Steve Neale) the generic themes and issues of families being dysfunctional and chaotic, yet something to laugh at and with.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fq31t

The BBC have adapted to the current zeitgeist of multi-platform exhibition of TV programming, with VOD (Video On Demand) services such as BBCs I-Player providing the catch-up that fans of the show (and other TV Comedies) crave for.

Survivors (Maslow) in particular will appreciate the accessibility of consuming the show through an E-Media service, especially those of a younger age as there exposure to new media technologies is something the BBC have had to adapt to before being left behind.

The show is also syndicated out to a commercial TV channel in the form of Dave, a channel that specializes in exhibiting popular comedy and repeat programming to their audience.

WHY would the BBC find this option appealing?

WHY is this sequence amusing and what pleasures do the audience get?FEEDBACK

Inform, educate and entertain (John Reith)WHAT are they informed of?YOU MUST answer the following questions and present your answers in the following format:WHAT are they learning about family dynamics/dilemmas of family life?Is it entertaining and if so WHY?

For Section B of the Exam YOU WILL have to answer 2 questions 1 of the questions WILL require you to consider how the programme (or text) offers audience pleasuresBased on your existing knowledge of sitcoms such asYOU MUST:

Establish where the comedy comes from based on the clip you have just analysed?

HOW does this compare to other sitcoms you are familiar with?

WHO would this sitcom appeal to and WHY?

YOU SHOULD work in pairs to address EACH of these 3 areas and give specific examples from the text (Verbal, Non-verbal and/or Technical codes) to support your understanding.WE WILL WATCH THE SEQEUNCE AGAIN!

FEEDBACKAudience Interaction with

The characters professions reflect the BBCs intentions of providing an accurate window into the World (Wendy Helsby) of suburban family dynamics and disequilibrium (Todorov) For example Pete (Hugh Dennis) is a History Teacher and his wife Sue (Claire Skinner) is a part-time personal assistant.Audience Interaction with

Katz Uses & Gratifications theory

Personal Identification with the characters and the nuclear family environment.Personal relationship with certain characters across a spectrum of different demographics for example an older audience can form a relationship with Pete and Sues battle with their children.Diversion away from their own live and immerse themeselves into the World of the characters.

Maslows Hierarchy of needs

Caregivers may sympathise with the losing battle of Pete and Sue against their children this is an example of comic binary opposition (Levi Strauss) though.

Richard Dyer Star Appeal

Hugh Dennis has appeared in other BBC Comedy programming such as the Panel Game shows Mock the Week and Have I Got News For YouAudience Interaction with

Maslows Hierarchy of needs

Caregivers

Humiliation and embarrassment are key ingredients for the Sitcom genre and are elements of repetition (Steve Neale) often seen in other sitcoms Can you tnink of any examples?Audience Interaction with

http://www.slideshare.net/dphillips4363/reception-theory-presentation-833299 Audience Reception Theory Stuart Hall

The audience, according to Stuart Hall, take on a Dominant position when consuming a show like Outnumbered for example they will fully appreciate the natural representation of the family and accept it to extent quite passively.

The audience will NOT (likely) take an Opposed position when consuming a TV Comedy like Outnumbered as the characters seem realistic and provide a fair reflection of a typical nuclear family.

A comedy series depicting a slightly dysfunctional middle-class London family in which the kids threaten to dominate the adults (Storry & Childs 2013)

Can the audience personally identify (Katz) with this level of dysfunctional behavior?

YOU MUST answer this question in relation to what you have learnt today about:

YOU MUST draw upon the areas we have covered today, in particular how the characters, narrative themes and genre codes & conventions provide audience pleasures through theory such as:

Katz Uses & Gratifications theoryHartleys seven subjectivitiesSocio-economic needsMaslows Hierarchy of needsAudience Reception theory Stuart Hall

YOU SHOULD structure your answer in a clear and logical order and draw upon other theory where relevant for example the use of star appeal (Richard Dyer) and the presence of an actor/comedian synonymous to the BBC and the genre as a whole whats his name though and what else is he involved in with the BBC?

You have 15 minutes to answer the question and MUST be completed for Homework if incomplete!Useful links for further reading/information on the showhttp://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/outnumbered/about/ http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/outnumbered-case-study/

Prove what you have learnt Plenary3 minutesYOU MUST write down 3 things you have learnt about

YOU SHOULD refer to theory/key terms/statistics in your answer.

YOU COULD give more than 3 examples!