HBO and The Wire

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HBO built a reputation as being a network that offers high-quality original programming. It's first successful series was OZ, a show that took place at Oswald State Correctional Facility.

HBO is different than any other network. Due to the fact that it is a private channel that people have to subscribe to, HBO can get away with creating programming that is more violent, profane, and sexual.

One of the most successful series ever to be on HBO was The Sopranos. The Sopranos premiered in 1999. In it's run on air, it received 111 emmy nominations, resulting in 21 wins- two of which were Best Drama.

Other hit shows on HBO include: Boardwalk Empire, Bored to Death, True Blood, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, John Adams, Flight of the Concords, Rome, Deadwood, Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under, and The Wire.

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The Wire is a drama series set and produced in Baltimore. Created and produced by David Simon, it was a show that was meant to portray real life in Baltimore. Each season focused on a different facet of Baltimore: The illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, the school system, and the print news media.

It never received commercial success, but it is regarded among scholars and critics a being the greatest television series ever made. The casting of the show has been praised for avoiding big-name stars and providing character actors who appear natural in their roles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed0UxGLay_g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkfSx8hujw

The Special FX of CSI

Q: With so many shows of the same genre on the air, how do these programs set themselves apart from each other?

A: The answer for CSI is special effects.

CSI has two components working for it visually. One is the special effects used to show forensic technology and forensic investigators at work. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3cu1cdwVys

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Generally in CSI slowed down explosions like the one in the video above are used to visually explain what the characters on the show are verbally explaining. According to Danny Cannon, former writer-director of CSI, the writing team had to learn how to write "visually."

The same can be said for forensic instruments in a lab. Often in CSI, autopsies of dead bodies are portrayed through the point-of-view of the small camera used to get an inside look at a body without really cutting it up. Also, like the explosion, as a character on the show is describing how a person was killed, a visual portrayal will play as they are speaking. For example, if a person was shot, we the audience see a slowed down, detail by detail scene of how it happened.

The second component that makes CSI interesting visually is the color used to make the show darker and ultimately more unrealistic looking for TV crime shows. Lots of dark greens and blues are used to light the shows interior locations. Generally if a scene is taking place indoors, the lighting in the scene is very dark. This especially adds to the surroundings where a person was killed. Low lighting would give a place like this an ominous and unnerving quality. This heightens the audience engagement within a scene like this.

Verisimilitude

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 Verisimilitude: The quality or state of being verisimiliar: 1.) having the appearance of truth  2.) depicting realism (as in art or literature)

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Shows like CSI, House, Law & Order, and others; these shows are a type of television show that Nichola Dobson, an independent scholar based in Edinburgh, calls generic verisimilitude. By generic verisimilitude she means that these types of shows spend less time depicting the realism of the text, but rather the text's conformity to the rules of the specific genre.

CSI is a crime investigation show that continues to gain profit by sticking to it's generic conventions. There is a bad guy, there are the investigators, and there are a couple of suspects before the investigators finally catch the bad guy.

CSI continues to gain success by the consistent high ratings it and it's spin-off shows garner. The show ranked number one from 2002-2004 with approximately 25 million viewers. The new season to date has 14 million viewers.

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and HOW?

Something the LOST show did was constantly keep its audience guessing. Whether it was a mysterious monster that sounded like a subway, or a random polar bear, LOST's apparent mission was to keep viewers on their toes.

So skilled were they at this that many fans began to doubt the writers' ability to close off all the mysteries they presented. According to the article written by Askwith, fans started to leave LOST during it's second season due to the fear that the writers had no plans of clearing up all the confusion and ultimately were just making it up as they went.

One argument that arises is that LOST presents too many questions than it does answers and the most frustrating things for fans is that the show answers questions with questions. It is this maddening logic that scared some away from LOST.

The 'Smoke Monster' from LOST. (Spoiler Alert!)

Another thing that the show does is present flashbacks (or what we are led to believe are flashbacks) in order to explain certain characters. Fans argued that at times these flashbacks were redundant and showed that the writers were stalling for time.

A third argument is that at times things happen in the show that are refused an explanation. Characters who were thrust into some new mystery refuse to tell other characters and the audience what happened.

The mysterious 'hatch'.

And finally a fourth argument is that LOST presented too much symbolism in its episodes that really didn't mean anything or would ultimately mean nothing.

Despite LOST losing some viewers for the reasons above, most viewers stayed with the show because they realized that one should watch this show with different factors in mind. Askwith lists four factors in his article: LOST is structured and written more like a novel, LOST insists that 'everything happens for a reason', LOST's non-linear chronology creates unique expectations, and LOST is a serial narrative being developed in a time of transition.

Despite it's relentless mystery, LOST still managed to keep a loyal fan base for the reasons above. LOST cannot be watched like an episode of HOUSE. It requires your undivided attention.

JJ Abrams wants you to drink the Kool-Aid.

JJ Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, composer, and founder of Bad Robot Productions.

He is the master at creating cult television: Felicity, Alias, Lost, and his latest project, Fringe. Lost is the biggest television cult phenomenon to date gaining an average of 13 million views per season. It lasted from 2004-2010 with 6 seasons.

The term "Cult Blockbuster" is a term created with two opposing meanings. The basic definition of blockbuster is, one (movie) that is notably expensive, effective, successful, large, or extravagant.
The term cult in media refers to a relatively small but devoted audience of a film or television show.

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In the article, How Lost Found its Audience: The Making of a Cult Blockbuster, Stacey Abbott states,

"In this light, Lost can be read as a form of 'event television': aiming for a large and diverse audience while simultaneously fostering the interactive engagement with the series that is often associated with cult, and in so doing courting the niche demographics of loyal and interactive cult TV fans as well as inviting viewers who might not normally engage in fan practices to commit to the show on a cult level."

He uses transmedia to gain his shows' and movies' popularity. For example, the Lost website allows fans to explore certain incites on the show, play games related to the show, and keep up on fan controversy and theories. It is because of transmedia that television and film can gain cult status.

Youtube

I want to expand on my last post. There is something else about the Internet that is having an effect on Television. That something is Youtube.

Youtube celebrated it's 5th birthday this year. Five years, that's how old Youtube is and it is one of the most lucrative business ventures in history. In 2006, just one year after it's founding, Google bought Youtube for 1.65 billion dollars. Three men who worked at Paypal were the creators of this new phenomenon.

Youtube provides users with the ability to upload videos they create.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8

The Youtube community is massive! Some videos, like the one above, have gotten millions of views.

Youtube is also important because it has given us the ability to access world events in moments. People who capture riots, government violence, police abuse, public speeches, news on wars, etc put these videos up on Youtube. What would have never been seen in our news is now uploaded for the world to see. For example,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F18X2ARcHXk   (Graphic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25EWUUBjPMo (Graphic)

There was also a case where Youtube helped spread awareness of the crookedness of the Iranian Presidential Elections in 2009.
This Youtube video explains it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXN_yCSbUYk

Youtube has also brought a new form of entertainment to the Internet and media in general. Youtube has paved the way for what is called "vlogging" a new form of blogging. Many people have become famous due to this new form of communication.

Charles Trippy is a Youtuber who has become famous in his own right with a fan base of about 500,000 people.

Youtubers with extremely high subscribers and channel views actually get paid by Youtube.

The "Shaytards" channel stats.

 

The Shaytards make enough money with their daily vlog that, Shay the father of this family, doesn't need to work. His vlog is his work. He makes enough money to support a family of six. It is all done with the ads that are placed on his channel.

With this influx of Youtube viewers the question has to be raised, Are more people attracted to the entertainments of the Internet? Is television becoming old technology?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

Help or Hindrance: How the Internet is effecting television

Since the birth of the Internet, the television industry has had to make some adjustments and adaptations in order to keep it's audience. Many changes, in not just television but in all forms of media, have occurred due to the Internet. Newspapers and other print media have either moved to online editions of their publications or shut their doors. CD sales in the music industry have plummeted as a result of download-able music and television has had to adapt as well.

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Many people have said that their biggest reason for not watching as much television as they used to is due to their desire to watch their favorite shows at their own convenience, not waiting until a program comes on in it's specific time slot. People have to work and run errands. Therefore they may not be able to catch their favorite show during the day. In one way, the invention of the DVR or Tivo has helped out with this predicament, but in another way many people state that they prefer to watch their programs on the Internet due to it's ease of use. There are many sites where one can view his or her favorite show, Hulu for example, but in trying to adapt, most television networks have created websites where individuals can stream their favorite programs from the networks' own site. Which ensures that the network still makes money if only a fraction of what they would make on the air. (Ads on websites still generate some revenue depending on how many people visit a given site, or how many 'hits' a site gets.)

Sites like Hulu offer a collection of hit shows from different networks.

Some scholars and researchers believe the newly formed link between the Internet and television has created or increased what some are calling, "tele-participation." The idea is that the role of the Internet has extended the television experience beyond the weekly or daily shows. It has given fans a place to go and interact with their favorite programs. An example would be the show Mad Men. On it's site, one can "Mad Men Yourself" in order to see what one would look like in the 60's as a cartoon. It is little things like this that really stand out to fans. Using online tools like this, researchers can better understand the impact of fandom on a specific show and how to better engage the fans.

Hit shows, such as It's Always Sunny..., generally provide bonus content on their websites for fans.

What do you think of the relationship between the Internet and television? Do you believe it to be a symbiotic bond? Bad for television?

Peter Hirshberg discussing TV and the web