Do reality TV talent shows such as The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent challenge the concept of being a "Star"? Why might this be so?
Introduction:
• Explanation of what the stereotypes of a Star are, with examples of a few famous faces.
• How has this changed, example of controversial winners now?
• Rise of reality TV, this is because of the gratifications if offers viewers (how they get to chose who wins).
• But do they challenge the stereotypes? End by posing a question, but hint out my answer, (which I think is no, they do not challenge the stereotypes of a star, because after the contestants win they change their image to fit the contemporary landscape.)
First Paragraph:
• Ownership and control – SyCo TV, Power of Simon Cowell, ITV is an entertainment channel. Maybe I can link hegemony? Piers face when he sees Boyle?
(“Ideologies do not remain fixed or static. In many respects, the media are part of a battleground in which different power elites fight for supremacy in terms of the acceptance of their ideas.”) AS Media Studies: The essential Introduction – Philip Rayner, Peter Wall, Stephen Kruger.
“It can be argued that the effect of these representations is cumulative and, as we saw with stereotypes, they deny the complexity of human existence and reduce it to a basic issue of right or wrong.”) AS Media Studies: The essential Introduction – Philip Rayner, Peter Wall, Stephen Kruger.
• Talk about auditioning process on shows, how certain shots influence the viewer’s opinion on certain contestants, then link this to...
(“One way in which ideology works through media texts is by the simple process of repetition. This is particularly true of repeated representations across media forms which can have the effect of naturalising a way of seeing an issue so that it seems that no other interpretation is possible.”) AS Media Studies: The essential Introduction – Philip Rayner, Peter Wall, Stephen Kruger.
• Linear narrative, how the viewers follow their story and then also hear about them on different platforms (Use quotations of how YouTube helped create the hype around Boyle) link this to...
• Maybe if you can identify with the contestants then you like them more and give them a “star” quality?
Second Paragraph:
• Historical examples of talent shows and compare their winners to our winners, link this to...
• Context, what the period of time was like, the rights of people, who were famous etc.
• How are “stars” now and why? (Talk about the moral panic of obesity and anorexia leading to the revolution of programs such as How to look good naked and you are what you eat, which tell people to embrace their body as perfection is impossible to achieve).
Monday 3 January 2011
Task Four
http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_real_women.html
Goody and Boyle: A tale of two (real) women.
“The Susan Boyle story symbolises the start of ‘new media’s’ power in disseminating information and allowing audiences to be part of the construction of a story; at the same time it highlights the rise in influence of new technologies such as YouTube and Twitter.”
“Within days, Boyle’s’ performance was the ‘most watched’ video on YouTube and the singer had achieved international fame by the end of the week”
“her next appearance on Britain’s Got Talent was eagerly anticipated; the impact of the sudden fame on a ‘simple woman from Scotland’ was discussed and her physical appearance and its changes became a story in itself”
“Now the hype has died down it’s worth considering what the story was really about. ‘Woman can sing’ is hardly news even if ‘contestant in TV talent show can sing’ is slightly more unexpected. Boyle appeared to be newsworthy in the first instance, not because she could sing but because of the way she looked”
“Susan Boyle surprised people because she does not meet audience expectations: she is a middle-aged, plump woman who has talent.”
“The most common positive representations of women, in today’s media are as being thin, young and attractive. Despite the recent ‘Size 0’ debates, the idealised physical image of women is still very narrow and often a woman’s accomplishments are secondary to her physical appearance. Myleene Klass for example is a classically trained pianist. This fact has been played on in recent Pantene ads but the main point of the campaign has been that Myleene has great hair.”
“What is clearly visible in people’s faces is mockery and disdain because Boyle did not present the image expected of women singers. She was immediately judged on her appearance and seen to be ‘other’, an outsider in a culture that favours physical perfection, grooming and youth”
http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/mm26_stars.html
Star Struck
“Stars have a persona; a recognizable image constructed through their physical appearance, on-screen roles, and media coverage of their off-screen life.”
“To be a star is to represent glamour and an aspiration to succeed.”
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-representation-stereotyping/
Representations
“Representations change over time depending on society’s view of a social group, and are influenced by cultural and legislative changes and, arguably, by media texts. Social groups that are now represented in a progressively more positive way include working women, homosexuals, ethnic minorities, the disabled and the homeless.”
“Many people think that if you point a camera at an event or person the ‘reality’ of that event or person will be immediately apparent. Seeing something through a lens changes not just the perspective and size of a person but also how the audience perceives that person.”
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/
Understanding Reality
Programmes created to entertain a large audience involving putting real people in manufactured situations and filming what happens. The entertainment values are increased with a competitive element and audience involvement using interactive voting to eliminate contestants. Examples include: Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, The Apprentice.
Reality TV has become an important part of celebrity culture as it creates and maintains ‘celebs’ such as Jade Goody, and reinvigorates faded personalities in reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here.
Goody and Boyle: A tale of two (real) women.
“The Susan Boyle story symbolises the start of ‘new media’s’ power in disseminating information and allowing audiences to be part of the construction of a story; at the same time it highlights the rise in influence of new technologies such as YouTube and Twitter.”
“Within days, Boyle’s’ performance was the ‘most watched’ video on YouTube and the singer had achieved international fame by the end of the week”
“her next appearance on Britain’s Got Talent was eagerly anticipated; the impact of the sudden fame on a ‘simple woman from Scotland’ was discussed and her physical appearance and its changes became a story in itself”
“Now the hype has died down it’s worth considering what the story was really about. ‘Woman can sing’ is hardly news even if ‘contestant in TV talent show can sing’ is slightly more unexpected. Boyle appeared to be newsworthy in the first instance, not because she could sing but because of the way she looked”
“Susan Boyle surprised people because she does not meet audience expectations: she is a middle-aged, plump woman who has talent.”
“The most common positive representations of women, in today’s media are as being thin, young and attractive. Despite the recent ‘Size 0’ debates, the idealised physical image of women is still very narrow and often a woman’s accomplishments are secondary to her physical appearance. Myleene Klass for example is a classically trained pianist. This fact has been played on in recent Pantene ads but the main point of the campaign has been that Myleene has great hair.”
“What is clearly visible in people’s faces is mockery and disdain because Boyle did not present the image expected of women singers. She was immediately judged on her appearance and seen to be ‘other’, an outsider in a culture that favours physical perfection, grooming and youth”
http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/mm26_stars.html
Star Struck
“Stars have a persona; a recognizable image constructed through their physical appearance, on-screen roles, and media coverage of their off-screen life.”
“To be a star is to represent glamour and an aspiration to succeed.”
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-representation-stereotyping/
Representations
“Representations change over time depending on society’s view of a social group, and are influenced by cultural and legislative changes and, arguably, by media texts. Social groups that are now represented in a progressively more positive way include working women, homosexuals, ethnic minorities, the disabled and the homeless.”
“Many people think that if you point a camera at an event or person the ‘reality’ of that event or person will be immediately apparent. Seeing something through a lens changes not just the perspective and size of a person but also how the audience perceives that person.”
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/
Understanding Reality
Programmes created to entertain a large audience involving putting real people in manufactured situations and filming what happens. The entertainment values are increased with a competitive element and audience involvement using interactive voting to eliminate contestants. Examples include: Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, The Apprentice.
Reality TV has become an important part of celebrity culture as it creates and maintains ‘celebs’ such as Jade Goody, and reinvigorates faded personalities in reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here.
Task Three
New Faces (1973 – 1978): First talent show to have a judge’s panel as well as a studio audience panel. Judges included famous producers and songwriters, very much
like today’s X Factor. Winners were given “star quality”
Opportunity Knocks (1956 – 1978): Viewers could vote on who would return next week. It was a BBC show and had transformed from a radio show to a TV show.
A point to consider is what society expected a star to be, what was accepted on the TV, the current situation at the time of the show, which has drastically changed now.
Previously women were very much objectified, whereas women now self objectify themselves as it is a post feminist society. Women were expected to look ‘perfect’, however now with shows like How to look good naked, women have been able to accept themselves no matter what they look like. So on talent shows historically, women would have had to have the typical image of a perfect lady. With the revolution caused by bands like The Beatles, talent was pretty much based upon them, “stars” appealed mostly to women. Furthermore, talents such as Dance were not yet discovered on these shows whereas these days most talent shows consist of dance.
Most winners these days are younger around 18-30 years old and rather good looking with a sense of sex appeal around theme. However historically the winners would have some sort of “talent” and are mostly either rather young or fairly old.
http://mancunian1001.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/uk-television-talent-shows-through-the-ages-the-not-so-perfect-ten/
like today’s X Factor. Winners were given “star quality”
Opportunity Knocks (1956 – 1978): Viewers could vote on who would return next week. It was a BBC show and had transformed from a radio show to a TV show.
A point to consider is what society expected a star to be, what was accepted on the TV, the current situation at the time of the show, which has drastically changed now.
Previously women were very much objectified, whereas women now self objectify themselves as it is a post feminist society. Women were expected to look ‘perfect’, however now with shows like How to look good naked, women have been able to accept themselves no matter what they look like. So on talent shows historically, women would have had to have the typical image of a perfect lady. With the revolution caused by bands like The Beatles, talent was pretty much based upon them, “stars” appealed mostly to women. Furthermore, talents such as Dance were not yet discovered on these shows whereas these days most talent shows consist of dance.
Most winners these days are younger around 18-30 years old and rather good looking with a sense of sex appeal around theme. However historically the winners would have some sort of “talent” and are mostly either rather young or fairly old.
http://mancunian1001.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/uk-television-talent-shows-through-the-ages-the-not-so-perfect-ten/
Task One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk
The scene begins with parallel music, and sets and atmosphere where audiences anticipate something hysterical than stunning. As she states she’s 47, we get a close up of Simon Cowells face, one of the most powerful and influential men in the media at the moment, looking shocked, and we then see Boyle shaking her hips, leading to Piers Morgan giving her a weird look. As the viewers see this, we base our opinion depending on their facial expression. Also shots of the audiences making faces, again leads us as viewers to also feel repelled by Boyle. As she sings we hear the audience cheer, and get long shots of the audience standing to give her a standing ovation, with this, the viewers gain a different perspective on Susan Boyle, and we start to like her. The song she sings is a classic and alongside her age, we can assume that the people more appreciative of her music taste would be
older.
“When you stood there with that cheeky grin and said I want to be ling Elaine Page everyone was laughing at you, no one is laughing now” Piers Morgan.
“Everybody was against you, I honestly think we were all being very cynical and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever” Amanda Holden.
From these comments we can see that Susan Boyle does not appear to have any stereotypical features suggesting that she can potentially be a star. The audience and the judges laughed at her because of her quirky personality, age, dress sense and looks. However because of her talent she was put through and came second in the whole competition, she has gone on to sell millions of copies of her album and has become a sensation around the world. She is now a “star”, however consists no stereotypes of one.
Issues and Debates to link –
• Representation: How Susan Boyle was represented in the scene. Compare how she was represented in the beginning to the way she was represented in the end.
• Stereotyping: How Boyle does not conform to the stereotypes, as suggested by the judges.
• Ownership and control: Simon Cowell manages Sycho productions, and signs on many artists that become famous overnight by winning competitions.
• Reality TV: as the show is reality, the audiences come to terms with the
fact that anyone can be a “star”.
MEDIA LANGUAGE:?
INSITUTION: ITV1
GENRE: Reality
REPRESENTATION: Depends on the talent, and the music played, alongside with certain shots
AUDIENCE: Family TV show, prime time?
IDEOLOGIES: Anyone can be a star. Britain had got talent.
NARRATIVE: Linear
SOCIAL:?
HISTORICAL: BGT has been running for 5 years.
ECONOMICAL: Dubz.TV - Website, SyCo TV – Record label, talkback THAMES – production Company, part of fremantle media.
POLITICAL:?
The scene begins with parallel music, and sets and atmosphere where audiences anticipate something hysterical than stunning. As she states she’s 47, we get a close up of Simon Cowells face, one of the most powerful and influential men in the media at the moment, looking shocked, and we then see Boyle shaking her hips, leading to Piers Morgan giving her a weird look. As the viewers see this, we base our opinion depending on their facial expression. Also shots of the audiences making faces, again leads us as viewers to also feel repelled by Boyle. As she sings we hear the audience cheer, and get long shots of the audience standing to give her a standing ovation, with this, the viewers gain a different perspective on Susan Boyle, and we start to like her. The song she sings is a classic and alongside her age, we can assume that the people more appreciative of her music taste would be
older.
“When you stood there with that cheeky grin and said I want to be ling Elaine Page everyone was laughing at you, no one is laughing now” Piers Morgan.
“Everybody was against you, I honestly think we were all being very cynical and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever” Amanda Holden.
From these comments we can see that Susan Boyle does not appear to have any stereotypical features suggesting that she can potentially be a star. The audience and the judges laughed at her because of her quirky personality, age, dress sense and looks. However because of her talent she was put through and came second in the whole competition, she has gone on to sell millions of copies of her album and has become a sensation around the world. She is now a “star”, however consists no stereotypes of one.
Issues and Debates to link –
• Representation: How Susan Boyle was represented in the scene. Compare how she was represented in the beginning to the way she was represented in the end.
• Stereotyping: How Boyle does not conform to the stereotypes, as suggested by the judges.
• Ownership and control: Simon Cowell manages Sycho productions, and signs on many artists that become famous overnight by winning competitions.
• Reality TV: as the show is reality, the audiences come to terms with the
fact that anyone can be a “star”.
MEDIA LANGUAGE:?
INSITUTION: ITV1
GENRE: Reality
REPRESENTATION: Depends on the talent, and the music played, alongside with certain shots
AUDIENCE: Family TV show, prime time?
IDEOLOGIES: Anyone can be a star. Britain had got talent.
NARRATIVE: Linear
SOCIAL:?
HISTORICAL: BGT has been running for 5 years.
ECONOMICAL: Dubz.TV - Website, SyCo TV – Record label, talkback THAMES – production Company, part of fremantle media.
POLITICAL:?
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