Media Culture : Genre

Well folks it's time to whip on your slippers, reach for that bottle of wine in the fridge and listen to another one of Gonzo's journey through Media Culture! As I understand it I've been classed as an academic and to earn such a term I need to produce some academic orientated pieces. I know, I know I have also pondered over the principle of this and have decided to look in depth at genre, in particular gameshows.
Not only will I discuss the backround and history of UK gameshows but factors which have helped it evolve and its ability to survive on our shiney little plasma TV's!

   Starting out as light hearted entertainment in public service broadcasting, competition for audience appears to have propelled the gameshow genre through significant change. It seems to have shed the un-materialistic ethos of fun, becoming a product of social phenomena and a network rating battle. It becomes apparent that audience’s dissatisfaction of prizes, wanting more from a show each time has stepped up competition. Audiences now want more, not only more materialistic value but the means by which this is attained. This has played a significant role in the hybridisation of genre, spawning new generations of Reality Television. Could the increasing audience expectancy be representational of our modern consumer culture?

   1955 brought about the introduction of independent television network (ITV). Significantly different from the BBC, introducing commercials as well as regionalised programming. Double Your Money! Was the first gameshow aired by ITV in 1955 an adaption of an American CBS programme. This was to change the concept of UK gameshow’s forever, creating a battle for audience ratings. A pre-recorded programme with a Celebrity host the contestants aim was to correctly answer a series of questions in order to obtain cash prizes. The notion of winning large sum prize money was un-heard of in previous years of BBC programming and changed the aim of having a jolly good time to a more serious and even life changing development for contestants. The notion of prizes and celebrities had now become a recognisable convention within the gameshow genre, a convention now established throughout the majority of future shows. These conventions now cemented into the gameshow show genre could well be a reflection of the post war era in the UK, developing into a more prosperous and wealthy Country although this may be a result of the competition between networks.

   Prize orientated shows now took precedence in the gameshow industry, leading the way for large valued prizes. The mid to late fifties quiz shows became one of the most popular genres on TV, similar to our friends across the pond in the USA. Popularity in the UK illustrates a link between the popularity of the genre and the size of the prizes. This response could prove to be one of the reasons hybridisation of the gameshow genre has occurred, providing new ways to market a genre to changing audiences. Development into the more recently popular Reality Television such as Big Brother is a creation developed from basic elements of gameshows. Branston and Stafford state “Big Brother is like a genre operating a loose ‘repertoire of elements’, combining two distinct TV forms”. By this we can see that Reality Television shares similarities with both documentary and gameshow genre. Reality television shares the convention of prizes as it portrays the competition through an unscripted, unformatted reality. This ‘reality’ will undergo heavy mediation through studio editing and manipulating time, even the perception of competitors.

   The genres structure composes of a repertoire of elements such as the non-diegetic music, sound bridges and high-key lighting. These create a ritualistic reassurance and familiarity of entertainment for audiences. Branston and Stafford state “Audiences understandably seek the pleasures of the familiar” .Illustrating how genre can provide conventions and codes of the familiar that establish recognition. These conventions and audience expectations were developed and learned over time. Technical codes seen in modern shows such as Deal Or No Deal were certainly not a part of earlier shows such as Spelling Bee.

    Non-diegetic music and sound bridges are a key example of developed technical codes. They create a signifying effect with suspenseful, exciting theme tunes and sound bridges. Often unique to each show and a widely recognised element of modern gameshows they set the atmosphere of the shows narrative. Even the tone of the opening theme tune has developed dramatically. Now conveying a serious and tense emotion in comparison to the simple jingles and light heated melody’s of the 1950’s and 60’s. The dominant sound clips in modern shows such as The Weakest Link almost resemble a heart beat increasing as the pressure builds, amplifying the tense atmosphere.

   Studios now use high key lighting within gameshows. This removes the natural occurrence of shadows enabling the studio to achieve a spot light affect on contestants. High key lighting has always been an element of gameshows although technological advances have enabled producers to create an almost ‘Las Vegas’ effect. Shows now are marked with fast paced editing and lighting. This can almost represent intertextuality between fast paced action sequences in modern Hollywood movies and gameshow entertainment.

   These technical codes not only establish recognition of the genre for audiences but punctuate the shows narrative signifying a beginning, middle and end. These components are now a consistent element of modern game shows such as Deal Or No Deal! They have evolved from a number of stylistic changes originating from earlier, simper generations of gameshows. Originally gameshows seem to have been a simple form of entertainment embedded within BBC public service broadcasting. Consumer culture and Ratings battles between Networks have driven the genre to new heights even hybridising it into sub-genres such as Reality TV.

   Many argue that the BBC’s mandatory license fee has become an outdated concept.  Producing and providing entertainment of high standard which independent networks fail to, an argument the BBC are able to implement justifying the license fee. If this is the case then why would the BBC enter into ‘competition’ for audiences, providing lower brow entertainment such as Strictly Come Dancing or Fame Academy? “Viewing figures are its Alpha and Omega” Illustrating that the BBC also justify its success (and cost) by rating figures. The argument arises that why should a public service be charging its audience if is providing the same standard of entertainment as other networks? Dominic Lawson of the independent states “Public service, in the widest sense, should exist where market fails.” showing that the broadcasting provided by the BBC and ITV networks should be diverse. With the BBC’s broadcasting of low brow entertainment such as gameshows they fuel the concept that programming is becoming similar to ITV and other commercial networks, networks that do not charge a license fee. This argument now begins to empower the notion that the license fee is an anachronistic idea.

 Established at the beginning of the UK’s broadcasting history gameshows began as lighthearted entertainment, programming representational of a simpler time. It becomes apparent the pressure to meet audience expections as well as increase viewing figures has created significant change. Change that developed the codes and conventions we now commonly see within any modern gameshow. Technical codes such as the Lighting and Sound as well as conventions like the Celebrity Hosts and large prizes have all been developed and established over time. Gameshows now begin a dismantling of genre, classic shows such as Family fortunes begin to become celebrity orientated, a strong reflection of modern British culture. From this original genre new hybrids of programming have spawned creating Reality Television. This hybridisation increases the ability to survive with changing audiences and their viewing patterns as well as providing opportunity for exploiting the genre. X-Factor alone creates a brand saturation synergised through tabloid newspapers, music charts and even travelling shows, something Spelling Bee in the late 30’s wouldn’t comprehend as a possibility!

Referances used:

[1] Vahimagi, T. (1994) British Television. Oxford: Butler & Tanner Ltd.

[2] Gameshows (2010) History of the game show [Internet] Available from: <http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/History_of_the_Game_Show> [Accessed 24 December 2009]

[3] Branston, G. Stafford, R. (2007) The Media Students Handbook. Fourth Edition. London: Routledge

[4] Gameshows (2010) History of the game show [Internet] Available from: <http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/History_of_the_Game_Show> [Accessed 24 December 2009

[5] http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-publicinterest-game-shows-rubbish-1791177.html

 

[6] http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/dominic-lawson/dominic-lawson-publicinterest-game-shows-rubbish-1791177.html