GENRE STUDIES IN MASS MEDIA Art Silverblatt is Professor of Communications and Journalism at Webster Univer- sity, St. Louis, Missouri. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 from Michigan State University. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages (1995, 2001), The Dictionary of Media Literacy (1997), Approaches to the Study of Media Literacy (M.E. Sharpe, 1999), and International Communications: A Media Literacy Approach (M.E. Sharpe, 2004). Silverblatt’s work has been translated into Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and German. GENRE STUDIES IN MASS MEDIA A HANDBOOK ART SILVERBLATT M.E.Sharpe Armonk, New York London, England Copyright © 2007 by M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, New York 10504. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Silverblatt, Art. Genre studies in mass media : a handbook / Art Silverblatt. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 978-0-7656-1669-2 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Mass media genres. I. Title. P96.G455S57 2007 302.23—dc22 2006022316 Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1984. ~ BM (c) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To my “first generation” of friends, who have been supportive for so long: Rick Rosenfeld, Linda Holtzman, Karen Techner, John Goldstein, Alan Osherow, and Gary Tobin. CHAPTER 1 vi Contents Figures and Tables xi Preface xiii 1. Introduction 3 Overview 3 A Media Literacy Approach to Genre Studies 3 2. Process 5 Analysis: Function 5 Overview 5 Other Functions of Genres 7 Comparative Media 16 Overview 16 Audience Considerations 22 Lines of Inquiry 26 3. Formulaic Analysis 28 Overview 28 Evolution of Formula 31 Formative Stage 31 Popular Stage 32 Mature Stage 33 Formulaic Elements 33 Formulaic Premise 33 Formulaic Structure 35 Formulaic Plot 40 Stock Characters 49 Formulaic Setting 51 Trappings 52 Formulaic Twists 53 vii Franchise Formulas 56 Lines of Inquiry 56 Genre Analysis: Formulaic Approach by Kim Wood 62 4. Historical Context 66 Overview 66 Tracing the History of a Genre 70 Formulaic Elements 77 Premise 77 Plot 78 Character 79 Inter-genre Historical Analysis 82 Lines of Inquiry 82 Genre Analysis: Historical Context by Art Silverblatt and Richard Rosenfeld 84 5. Cultural Context 106 Overview 106 Cultural Preoccupations 107 Sex 108 Appearance 108 Celebrities 109 Crime 109 Worldview 116 International Perspectives 121 Inter-genre Analysis 124 Lines of Inquiry 125 Genre Analysis: Cultural Context of Celebrity Genre by Adriane Hall 128 6. Ideological Approach 136 Overview 136 Genres and Social Commentary 143 Parody 144 Allegories 146 Modes of Analysis 148 Point of View 148 Worldview 150 Function 150 viii Formulaic Elements 154 Inter-genre Approach 158 Lines of Inquiry 160 Genre Analysis: Ideological Approach by Meredith Wurm 162 7. Production Elements 169 Overview 169 Analysis: Production Elements 172 Editing 173 Color 174 Lighting 175 Shape 177 Movement 178 Angle 179 Music 180 Lines of Inquiry 180 Genre Analysis: Production Elements 181 Production Elements in Reality TV by Kara Gibson 181 Production Values and the Reality TV Genre by Beverly Hacker 189 8. Industry Perspective 195 Overview 195 Conservative Sensibility 201 Derivative Programming 203 Industry Abuses 207 Cyclical Nature of Genres 207 Revenue Streams 210 Syndication 210 Sequels 210 Prequels 211 Ancillary Products 212 Franchises 212 Advertising 212 Lines of Inquiry 215 9. Mythic Approach 217 Overview 217 ix Mythic Premise 220 Mythic Themes 220 Genre and the Transmission of Cultural Myth 224 Historical Period 225 Mystical Places 226 Idealized Times 227 Cultural Beliefs 228 Inter-genre Analysis 229 Lines of Inquiry 230 Genre Analysis: Mythic Approach 231 Galaxy Quest Teaches Us Why We Should “Never Give Up, Never Surrender” Our Cultural Myths by Debra Finkel 231 The Andy Griffith Show as Cultural Myth by Barb Koch 234 Notes 237 Index 249 x Figures and Tables Figures 2.1 The Exorcist 10 3.1 Law & Order 39 3.2 The Amazing Race 41 4.1 Without a Trace 67 5.1 Tarzan 114 6.1 Stephen Colbert 145 7.1 Use of Lighting in Film Noir 177 7.2 Soliloquies 184 7.3 Audio Manipulation 185 7.4 Background Music 185 7.5 Video Effects 186 7.6 Editing Effects 186 8.1 The Bachelorette 204 9.1 Beauty and the Beach 228 Tables 2.1 Subgenres 23 2.2 Average Prime-Time Viewers, Ages 18 to 49, 2002 25 3.1 Structure—Genres 37 3.2 Plot Characteristics of Genres: Conflict Between Order and Chaos 42 3.3 Stock Characters 50 5.1 Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, Montel Williams: Topics and Guests, March 27–31, 2006 111 8.1 Familiarity Breeds Receipts: A Look at Domestic Box Office Sales for Film Sequels 211 9.1 Mythic Themes 222 xi CHAPTER 1 xii Preface Genre Studies in Mass Media offers a range of theoretical approaches to the study of genre. Each chapter consists of at least two parts. The first part consists of a detailed discussion of one of the theoretical approaches to genre study. This is followed by a “Lines of Inquiry” section, which summarizes the major points of the discussion section and suggests directions for analysis and further study. Some chapters also include examples of genre analysis that illustrate how the particular theoretical approach is applied. The text focuses on the process of genre analysis, using the selected ap- proaches discussed. The book provides examples and analyses of genres in an effort to support, illustrate, and extend any abstract concepts that have been introduced. More important, it gives students the theoretical tools to conduct their own primary research into genres. In that sense, the methodology is expansive rather than reductive. Presumably, two students could conduct an analysis of the same genre using different ap- proaches and come up with divergent interpretations. In all cases, for an interpretation to be valid: (1) the analysis must be systematically applied, and (2) the analysis must be supported with concrete examples from the text (i.e., film, television episode, newspaper). It must be emphasized, however, that depending on the specific area of study, one approach may be more useful than another. This text builds on the qualitative methodologies I developed in previous works (Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages and Approaches to Media Literacy: A Handbook), and applies many of the principles of media literacy discussed in those works to the study of genre. For this book, I relied heavily on the popular press for resource materials, particularly the New York Times. My strategy involved moving from specific accounts to exploring the implications of these articles. The stories that appear in the press about genre (often in the business sec- xiii PREFACE tion, or “looking at the arts” section) illustrate the ways in which genres reflect, reinforce, and shape cultural attitudes and preoccupations, and are products of historical events. Although a familiarity with media literacy principles is helpful, this text should provide you with the necessary theoretical tools to apply to the study of genre. For those who would like additional discussions of these concepts, I would refer you to the Keys and Approaches texts. For those who are already familiar with the concepts, the brief discussion in the text should be a helpful review. I would like to thank my research assistants, Don Miller and Jeff Nelson, for their support and contributions to the text. xiv GENRE STUDIES IN MASS MEDIA CHAPTER 1 vi – – – 1 – – – Introduction Overview We are all familiar with TV reality shows such as The Apprentice, Sur- vivor, or Big Brother. But what exactly is a reality show? What elements are common to all of these programs? Their shared characteristics are what define the reality genre. The word genre simply means “order.” As applied to artistic works, a genre is a type, class, or category of presentation that shares distinctive and easily identifiable features. Examples of genres include romances, science fiction, situation comedies, and news programming. Even popular music falls within basic genres—or, as they are more commonly known, formats. Radio stations are organized around particular formats, such as country, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, and talk radio. A genre can be identified by its own distinctive patterns in premise, plot, structure, character, worldview, style, and conventions. Because of these characteristic elements, genric programming (that is, a program that belongs to a particular genre) can be considered as a body of work. Brian G. Rose explains: “The term genre implies that these groups of formal or technical characteristics exist among works of the same kind, regardless of time or place of composition, author, or subject matter.”1 (For a discussion of formula, see Chapter 3.) Because most media programs belong to a particular genre, such as science fiction or romantic comedy, a genre acts as a portal through which the audience typically receives media messages. Each genre presents a consistent worldview that shapes the ways we think about our world. A Media Literacy Approach to Genre Studies A media literacy approach to genre studies presents a range of approaches to the study of genres. Becoming familiar with these various approaches 3 CHAPTER 1 provides students with a number of theoretical “lenses” through which they can conduct primary research into the genre. These strategies also provide a framework that can facilitate the discussion of media content with others—including children, peers, and the people responsible for producing media programming.