Discuss how you see two of John Caldwell’s five elements of convergence television (outlined on page 46 of his essay) applying to the television you consume today.
Of the five elements of convergence television, three of them have been applied to television that I currently view today and even from when I was a child. The ritual textuality form, I know all too well as developing and pitching show content was one of my duties as an intern for one of the now larger conglomerate networks, Discovery Communications. From scripted dramas to unscripted reality, the idea must be pitched to specific development committees and then to higher executives and to a larger board before the idea can be greenlighted. Two of my favorite shows Power & Insecure created by women of color had to have different rounds of pitching and went as far as including music in the background and teaming up with renowned talent to sale their idea to their given network, Starz & HBO. Shows like Big Brother use the conglomerating textuality heavily. Viewers are able to experience Big Brother day in and day out during an entire season by visiting their website, voting for their most or least favorite player, voting who should win den of temptation, a secret power to give a specific player an advantage and if fans are a true fan, they will go as far as paying for a network subscription and viewing players every move within the house online. The experience of TV is brought to websites and are slowly becoming critical for audience engagement.
Another form that I’m most familiar with during my childhood is the programming textuality. As a major Disney Channel fan, for the network to allow stars from their given series to cross over to a different series was major thing watch during it’s time. The stunt was always publicized for a good three weeks and built a large momentum and excitement over the idea of stars visiting the space/set/universe of a different popular show. i.e. High School Musical movie stars visiting Suite Life of Zack & Cody set; That’s So Raven, Hannah Montana and Suite Life of Zack of Cody airing all within the same hour and a half. Overall, it was a great technique to keep viewers like myself engaged in all of the shows after they premiered on the network as well.
I remember years ago, I saw an advertisement for the show Cougar Town, starring Courtney Cox as the lead, in a magazine. The whole advertisement was the cast sitting on the edge of a pool with their feet in the water. However, there was a space left in between two of the characters with something like an arrow pointing down into the empty space. The words above read “insert Jennifer Aniston.” The two famous actresses, Cox and Aniston, starred together on the hit series Friends, years before, so using a famous name like Jennifer Aniston might make people want to watch the reunion of the two stars. This episode would be an example of “stunting,’ because the number of people watching the episode with in it, is deceiving as they might not watch the show, but just wanted to see the two actresses together again on the screen.
For conglomerating textuality, I used to go on the Disney channel website with my friends, and we'd play games involving the characters from shows like Suite Life of Zach and Cody. A viewer could actually write an e-mail to a character, and they would get an automated response back from the character. It was a way for Disney to promote television by giving fans activities catered to the show specifically.
One of the five elements of convergence television that describes what I used to watch as a child is programming textuality. I remember watching the three-part special on Disney Channel That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana. What was amazing about this special was that all the characters were able to step outside of their own storyline/show structure and mingling with their fellow Disney stars. It was always fun watching my characters interact with each other. This style was done in the 1990s and early 2000 programs as well. Shows that come to mind that did either a crossover style episode or just had a character a different show on the same network guest star are Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens. Ray Romano has appeared as his character from everybody loves Raymond and long with other members of his cast.
Another element that describes mine, and probably others, television consumption is conglomerate textuality. Since I did not have cable, I would log on to my favorite cable websites watch my favorite shows and play games based on the characters of my favorite programs. Networks like Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and other networks use websites to promote their programs and create content for the fans of their favorite shows.
In society today I believe there are obvious convergence methods instilled in television and internet content. One show that comes to mind and that I have been binging for the past year is Grey's Anatomy. I enjoy medical drama and after finishing up House, I clearly needed another med drama "fix". Grey's takes the "collage" approach in putting together its content. It feels like a blend of Sex and the City mixed with ER. The show took these models and "repurposed" them to create a unique spot in the genre. The show depicts a world in which many women can become surgeons and compete in a typically male dominated field. No one really seems to harass these women at all, which seems highly unlikely. Shonda Rhymes seems to imagine an ideal world where women as surgeons isn't unusual. Kind of like Sex and the City, in which the women are all highly successful and embrace their sexuality. It also incorporates the "ER" feel where not only are the characters dramatic relationship problems in focus, but also their careers. It centers on the characters relationship with patients and varying hospital scenarios. The show took two successful programs and used similar elements to create a niche for itself on television.
Of the five elements of convergence television, three of them have been applied to television that I currently view today and even from when I was a child. The ritual textuality form, I know all too well as developing and pitching show content was one of my duties as an intern for one of the now larger conglomerate networks, Discovery Communications. From scripted dramas to unscripted reality, the idea must be pitched to specific development committees and then to higher executives and to a larger board before the idea can be greenlighted. Two of my favorite shows Power & Insecure created by women of color had to have different rounds of pitching and went as far as including music in the background and teaming up with renowned talent to sale their idea to their given network, Starz & HBO. Shows like Big Brother use the conglomerating textuality heavily. Viewers are able to experience Big Brother day in and day out during an entire season by visiting their website, voting for their most or least favorite player, voting who should win den of temptation, a secret power to give a specific player an advantage and if fans are a true fan, they will go as far as paying for a network subscription and viewing players every move within the house online. The experience of TV is brought to websites and are slowly becoming critical for audience engagement.
ReplyDeleteAnother form that I’m most familiar with during my childhood is the programming textuality. As a major Disney Channel fan, for the network to allow stars from their given series to cross over to a different series was major thing watch during it’s time. The stunt was always publicized for a good three weeks and built a large momentum and excitement over the idea of stars visiting the space/set/universe of a different popular show. i.e. High School Musical movie stars visiting Suite Life of Zack & Cody set; That’s So Raven, Hannah Montana and Suite Life of Zack of Cody airing all within the same hour and a half. Overall, it was a great technique to keep viewers like myself engaged in all of the shows after they premiered on the network as well.
I remember years ago, I saw an advertisement for the show Cougar Town, starring Courtney Cox as the lead, in a magazine. The whole advertisement was the cast sitting on the edge of a pool with their feet in the water. However, there was a space left in between two of the characters with something like an arrow pointing down into the empty space. The words above read “insert Jennifer Aniston.” The two famous actresses, Cox and Aniston, starred together on the hit series Friends, years before, so using a famous name like Jennifer Aniston might make people want to watch the reunion of the two stars. This episode would be an example of “stunting,’ because the number of people watching the episode with in it, is deceiving as they might not watch the show, but just wanted to see the two actresses together again on the screen.
ReplyDeleteFor conglomerating textuality, I used to go on the Disney channel website with my friends, and we'd play games involving the characters from shows like Suite Life of Zach and Cody. A viewer could actually write an e-mail to a character, and they would get an automated response back from the character. It was a way for Disney to promote television by giving fans activities catered to the show specifically.
One of the five elements of convergence television that describes what I used to watch as a child is programming textuality. I remember watching the three-part special on Disney Channel That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana. What was amazing about this special was that all the characters were able to step outside of their own storyline/show structure and mingling with their fellow Disney stars. It was always fun watching my characters interact with each other. This style was done in the 1990s and early 2000 programs as well. Shows that come to mind that did either a crossover style episode or just had a character a different show on the same network guest star are Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens. Ray Romano has appeared as his character from everybody loves Raymond and long with other members of his cast.
ReplyDeleteAnother element that describes mine, and probably others, television consumption is conglomerate textuality. Since I did not have cable, I would log on to my favorite cable websites watch my favorite shows and play games based on the characters of my favorite programs. Networks like Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and other networks use websites to promote their programs and create content for the fans of their favorite shows.
In society today I believe there are obvious convergence methods instilled in television and internet content. One show that comes to mind and that I have been binging for the past year is Grey's Anatomy. I enjoy medical drama and after finishing up House, I clearly needed another med drama "fix". Grey's takes the "collage" approach in putting together its content. It feels like a blend of Sex and the City mixed with ER. The show took these models and "repurposed" them to create a unique spot in the genre. The show depicts a world in which many women can become surgeons and compete in a typically male dominated field. No one really seems to harass these women at all, which seems highly unlikely. Shonda Rhymes seems to imagine an ideal world where women as surgeons isn't unusual. Kind of like Sex and the City, in which the women are all highly successful and embrace their sexuality. It also incorporates the "ER" feel where not only are the characters dramatic relationship problems in focus, but also their careers. It centers on the characters relationship with patients and varying hospital scenarios. The show took two successful programs and used similar elements to create a niche for itself on television.
ReplyDelete