Week 11: Long Form Television



Image result for it crowd
This week we’re talking about Long Form Television. 

I’ve watched a hilarious British T.V series called “The I.T Crowd,” which appeals to my family roots in I.T. Watching this piece in a series was a treat, with its internet jokes and fun pacing. Here’s a link to one of my favorite moments, when IT worker Moss is faced with a paper on fire. Just try not to laugh. 

This show doesn’t have as many interconnecting story-lines such as BBC’s Downton Abbey or USA’s White Collar, two of my favorite series. In fact, it has very few connections beyond the characters and their environment each episode. There are no lasting hooks and no cliffhangers, but it’s just as fun. It makes it an easy watch, being able to drop in and out as I please, while never feeling lost.

Since the series ended in 2013, it is something I wouldn’t have been able to watch easily without the flexibility and long-lasting streaming services.

Other notes we discussed in class about Long-Form Television were:
  • We get attached to the characters, developing more of a relationship with them.
  • We can learn about another area or culture (Crime shows or Law and Order)
  • If the series (Like Downton Abbey or White Collar) have more interconnecting pieces or longer stories, they keep you watching with hooks.
  • The series develop fandoms (Like Firefly or Game of Thrones)
  • It becomes a cultural talking point, and to know it is to be connected to society.
  • TV series can develop more material for less of a budget than film.
  • They can have flexibility with episode length; one week can be a special 120 minute episode, while another week can be 40 minutes.
  • There’s a dynamic between length and content that can be explored.
  • There is also a fan dynamic governing an increasing amount of the production decisions.


Happy watching!

Kat




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week Six: Marriage of a Thousand Lies

Image
In S.J Sindu’s book, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, we follow Lucky, a queer Iranian woman struggling with the constraints of her culture’s expectations and rules. While talking to S.J Sindu in class, I was struck by her comments on movement. As a past gymnast myself listening to her book, I felt the authenticity in her words when Lucky, a past dancer, first meets the rugby team. She spoke of how much she missed moving, of controlling her body. I really felt this moment, whether because I could relate to it, or because the author did, or both. Regardless, I thought it was a powerful aspect of the story, giving depth to Lucky and strengthening relatability. S.J also talked about her personal struggle with adding emotion to characters through a show-not-tell mentality, which I thought was interesting. It is something I also struggle with in my work, where I focus on movement over emotion, leaving too little time to feel with my characters. In a way, it’s nice to know tha
Read more

Assessment: Suddenly, a Knock on the Door

In class today we're reading the short story " Suddenly, a Knock on the Door " and responding to 3 questions. #1: What is your reaction to the text you've just read?  I thought this was very interesting. Within the story, the author, or narrator, has control over the outcome. Whatever he says begins to come true. Yet, he is nervous about telling this story with all three men looking on with weapons. Also within the story, the three men are demanding something interesting. They object to the boring start of "There's a knock on the door", until finally the pizza man juts in to let him continue. "As long as it brings a story." This made me think how the humblest of beginnings within a story can lead to something greater. We don't need a super complicated setup. Life is a story. This simple encounter of four men in a room was interesting, left me asking questions, and got me thinking. Within telling this story, the author tells several
Read more