Download - Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Tecnocampus Mataró Building Future
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
The American TV shows broadcasted during the first decade of this century (XXI) took the lead that
was previous held by Hollywood’s cinema, over the second half of the twentieth century.
We are living the third golden age of television shows, just like the one that took place in the 70’s.
The American TV shows have had three golden ages in American television history:
1. The first, in the late 40s and early 50s.
2. The second, ranging from early 80s to mid 90s.
3. The third, starts with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS: 2000 -) and The West Wing (NBC: 1996-
2006).
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
First Golden Age
The first Golden Age of television drama in the United States took place during the 50’s, thanks to
one hour live broadcasts recorded in New York studios. The current shows are historical sequels to
anthology series from the first golden age of American TV (between 1948 and 1956). These
episodes were characterized by:
1- Independent episodes with no evidence of seriality between them, to enhance a single theme or
plot.
2- Scripts which are closer to the radio and theater rather than to audiovisual narratives.
Some successful shows of that period were "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone".
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Second Golden Age
The increasing competition between cable and premium channels like HBO and Showtime (in 1981
reached 30% of american houses) will facilitate the new age of what Robert Thompson has called
the Second Golden Age of American Drama.
This second period starts during the beginning of the 80’s, precisely with the rollout of "Hill Street
Blues" and continues until mid-90’s with "ER" (NBC: 1994-2009) (Thompson, 1996). TV Shows like
“Hill Street Blues ", “Moonlighting", ”ER” and" Twin Peaks” gave birth to the Second Golden Age,
thanks to a combination of formal and thematic quality.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
"Hill Street Blues" takes TV shows’ quality a step further, developing the narrative genre, and
inventing the modern series. Novelistic elements are incorporated, like characters which have a
previous past, present and future. The steretotype of hero evolves into a character who has a
postmodernist halo. Additionally, the director creates a show where the characters have a collective
memory and history throughout the whole season. "ER," "Ally McBeel" (1997-2002, FOX) and
"Dawson's Creek" (1998-2003, WB) are good examples of this.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Third Golden Age
We often speak of the last years of the second Golden Age as a consolidation period that eventually
lead to the third Golden Age. This time starts at the end of the twentieth century, with the
beginning of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS: 2000 -) and The West Wing (NBC: 1996-2006).
The rise of quality dramatic series leads us to use the expression ”The era of the drama" when
referring to the current fiction series, "The West Wing" (1999-2006, NBC), "CSI" (2000 -, CBS), "24"
(2001-2010, FOX), "House MD", (2004 -2011), "Desperate Housewives" (2004 -, ABC), "Lost" (2004-
2010, ABC) or "Grey's Anatomy" (2005 -, ABC).
These quality series are considered heirs of the cult series from the 90’s, like "Twin Peaks" (ABC
1990-91), "X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002), "Northern Exposure" (CBS : 1990-1995) and "Murder One"
(ABC :1995-97).
The first example of the genre is "Hill Street Blues” to continue with "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet
Under” or “The Wire” or “Breaking Bad”.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
The main features of these shows are the following:
- Productions with high quality standards.
- A very rich insight on the design of plots, themes, genres and characters.
- A very specific target audience (unconditional support)
- Unlike conventional television, these shows have pedigree, attracting an upper-middle class
audience.
- Characters and seasons have memory.
- Hybridization of genres.
- Focus on the figure of writer.
- Self-reflective talks about controversial issues.
- Aspire to realism and often win prizes and other awards.
This new stage in actual American television is a product of the quality television that emerged in
the 80’s and 90’s.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
There are 7 camera positions within this triangular formation, each of them represented by 3
camera positions. This is the most classical form of filmaking setup when we want to shoot with at
least 2 actors, since we can combine them to record all of the actors movements.
Case 1: Camera Positions
1
2
3
4
1+2+3+4
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Theatre on Television. Always remains the same thing…
Example: The Big Band Theory
“The Russian Rocket Reaction" is the fifth episode of the fifth season. This episode was first aired on October 13, 2011.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship
between a character and another, or an object within a scene. An imaginary line named “The Axis”
connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the
scene. If the camera passes over the axis, it is called jumping the line or crossing the line.
Case 2: Axis Jump
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
- Or how to break the rules using them with a narrative purpose and according to the characters.
Example: The Shield
"Pilot" is the first episode of The Shield. It was originally broadcasted on March 12, 2002. 7 seasons. 2002-2009. Ended.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
From a strictly narrative point of view when we talk about editing, the classical convention tells us
that images and movements must have continuity, either of movement or/and shape and therefore
the continuity and the editing have to go hand in hand to achieve that point, or otherweise we will
have “raccord” problems.
Case 3: Continuity and lack of “raccord”
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Example: American Horror Story
The first episode of “AHS”. It was originally broadcast on October, 5, 2011. 2 seasons at the moment. 2011-? Not ended.
- The importance of an Opening Title sequence related to the story.
- Nouvelle Vague rescue us! Or editing techniques to help us raise an emotion.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Case 4: Audiovisual experiment
The HBO Voyeur Project was a theatrical multimedia experience and marketing campaign
launched in the summer of 2007 using vouyarism as a vehicle. Content related to the
characters was scattered online in fictional web pages, in photo and video clips on media
sharing platforms such as Flickr and YouTube, in blogs and social networks, on the HBO
channels, and through mobile content. The focus of this campaign was were the
characters living in eighth fictional apartments on the corner of Broome Street and Ludlow
Street. The display was projecting on a massive scale on the side of a building on Broome
and Ludlow street on June 28th - July 1st, from 9 - 11pm, and again from July 5th - July
8th.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
- This is not internet neither TV. Is HBO Voyeur.
Example: HBO Voyeur
Promo of the Show.There are 5 story locations with their respective addresses:
West 41st Street, "The Artist”East 85th Street, "The Housewife”Prince Street, "The Meditator"West 72nd Street, "The Mortician”
Broome & Ludlow with 8 individual stories:
Apartment 1A, "The Tempted”Apartment 1B, "The Departure”Apartment 2A, "The Discovery”Apartment 2B, "The Proposal”Apartment 3A, "The Killer Within”Apartment 3B, "The Grown-Up Table”Apartment 4A, "The Delivery”Apartment 4B, "The Temptress”
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Case 5: When the FX helps us with the storytelling and also with characters development
The artificiality in narrative language can hold different purposes. It can be weilded as a symbol of taste for the baroque or abundance and pedantry. It can also can be used on behalf of the narrative itself, or even become a stamp of identity and identification.
Sherlock is a sort of consultant detective who sometimes works with the police. He appears to us as a fan of new technologies and their applications.
SMS recieved or sent by the characters are displayed on the screen, as so do Sherlock’s thoughts and deductions.
Being it a very dynamic show, which is continuously changing scenario, transitions between sequences are vital.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
- Fx techniques to build characters behaviour.
- Fx to jump over diferent scenes.
- Editing techniques.
Example: Sherlock
”A study in Pink” and “The Great Game” are episodes of the first season. Started in 2011. “The Reichenbach fall” is the third episode of the second season, released on 2012 January 15th. 2 Seasons. 2011-? Ongoing.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
In visual terms, we find a documentary style, in terms of the script, with a
predominance of the reference, indirect reference, and dosed information. The worlds
created by the TV series start at a moment of crisis (change), seed for great stories. No
introduction. No previosly on. No “dramatis personae”. Just us, with our naked eyes in
front of an often, breathtaking narrative.
Case 6: The beginning
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
-Without references the only thing left is excitement and questions to be answered.
- Who is Jessica Hyde? When the viewer knows less than the director.
- Thriller/ Alfred Hitchcock
Example: Utopia
Episode “1.1” First Season. It was originally debouted on 2013 January 15th. 1 season at the moment. 2013-?
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Case 7: Is it cinema? No, it is “Breaking Bad”
Breaking Bad brings the visual techniques and aesthetics of the “cinema verité” to the cinema
and American TV. This carries the implementation of a new methodology to shoot fiction as if it
was the reality itself, developed by European authors as response to the Hollywood paradigm.
The use of the camera has become an essential element of television narratives of our time,
because it refers to its ontological status, to what it aspires to be.
The pilot episode presents professional and familiar characters, along with their mask. The new
world is bluntly surrendered to the viewer's sight, using cameras faltering over the shoulder, in
moving shots and through textures that look dirty or camera shots that emulate security
cameras. This happens not only in realistic works, but also in fantastic or sci-fi shows.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
-POV.
- Without a face there’s no emotion.
- Cinema Techniques.
Example: Breaking Bad
“Cornered" is the sixth episode of the fourth season released on 2011 August 22th. “Madrigal” is the second episode of the fifth season broadcasted on 2012 July, 22th. 5 season, the last one will start this summer. 2008-2013. Almost ended.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
The split screen is a technique used to depict multiple scenes occurring
simultaneously. It is also often employed to show both sides of a phone
conversation.
In 24, the split screen technique is thoroughly used due to the show's real time
format and simultaneous multiple plot lines. A split screen showcasing multiple
characters and locations is always featured along with the ticking clock on each
return from a commercial break (the act-in clock). Additionally, the final few
minutes of almost every episode are prefaced by a split screen, often with urgent
music, to update viewers on the status of each major character and plotline as
the hour ends.
The split screen effect was created by David Thompson, the editor of the first
episode of 24.
Case 8: Split Screen
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
- Split screen.
- When fictional time and real time match.
Example: 24
”12.00 am to 01.00 am” is the first episode of all seasons, released on 2001 November 6th, 2001. 9 seasons. 2001-2014. Ended.
Visual trends in American TV. Shows
Everything is portrayed with the same illusion of truth that we find in a
documentary or in films that have built their aesthetics. Because the TV shows aim
to create a world. They seal, since its inception, a deal with the viewer who assumes
that what you see it as real as possible, and as fiticional as life itself.
A parallel world through addiction.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME