Assessment 1

• A true Community service
• Shamelessly stealing our hearts
• Taiwanimate everything
• An oral culture

An oral culture

In The Message of Television by Roger Silverstone, Silverstone argues that television offers a more enriched experience of communication versus the established medium that is the written word. He continues to say that humans communicate through their senses, be it through sight, sound, smell, touch, etc. And, television offers an enhanced line of communication through its stimulation of more senses, in comparison to literature. It “is no more than a magnification and revitalisation of…the everyday culture of oral communication” (Silverstone 1981). Gestures, tone, expressions – things that can’t be experienced from reading can be felt in face-to-face discourse as well as (some) through TV. These points are not meant to undermine books and literary works. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Television is a communicative vehicle based off of literature, in the words of Silverstone, a “story-based medium” (1981). Without writing, there would be no television. But, “television is not written” (Silverstone 1981). It is a show, an act, a performance, sometimes (and usually) of a written piece. Television simply reaffirms the verity of human oral culture.

In class, we discussed how modern media differentiates itself from print media by allowing people to feel as though they belong in a community. In regards to Silverstone’s case, I think he would agree. Television can feel more personal than other mediums. Of course, there are local papers, and those can surely generate a sense of community, but TV offers a voice and an image of a person speaking to you as opposed to paper with shapes printed in ink.

Taiwanimate everything

They actually play it on their news. For years now, Taiwan channels have been on for hours each day in my house. Granted, my parents are from Taiwan, and I guess it helps my mother feel some sort of closeness to her home and place of birth. She likes to check up on their weather. Connection. Just another thing that television helps bring to us. The Internet too. But I digress. These animations are “3D-ish” cartoons that capture/demonstrate current affairs, usually with absurd tangents and bizarre characters, settings, actions, etc.  The actions include, but are not limited to, cross-dressing, recreational drug use, and sex, lots of sex. It’s a little hard to explain and a lot more difficult to process. Basically, it is current affairs mixed with a (lot) bit of comedy. Again, this is all aired on Taiwan news networks, and the sorts of things pictured would never fly on any major news network in the US. To be honest, I would prefer including some sporadic animated clips throughout generic, structured news segments. People are too uptight and tragedy is rampant on the News at 10. Why not toss in some (informative) comedy?

    a typical evening with Brett Favre – I’d expect no less

Taiwan animated news could be categorized as a form of a post-broadcast, free-form framework of news and media. It is certainly unorthodox and by no means the traditional, organized framework, but it does inform people of global happenings/events as well as get its point across of the underlying issue(s). For instance, there is one clip about the changes to American TSA regulations, regarding the introduction of extensive pat-downs and body scans that can see through passengers’ clothing.

These animations have also made their way into American shows. In fact, I recall multiple instances of these clips being shown on late night talk shows, such as Conan on the TBS Network.

Are these animations becoming transnational? I am hopeful but doubtful that it will be, as I cannot see a lot of other countries adopting this type of style, but it is certainly entertaining as well as effective.

Shamelessly stealing our hearts

Having recently come across the post-first-season show, Shameless, from the Showtime network, I have completed all twelve episodes in a matter of days. I inhaled these episodes as if they were pure oxygen and I was an overweight asthmatic sprinter. Taking place in the less-than-great South Side Chicago area, Shameless follows the lives of the Gallaghers, a poor, dysfunctional family of six children and their single father, Frank, a non-functioning alcoholic.

Different Strokes for different folks

“Imitation is the sincerest form of television” – Fred Allen, comedian

Like other shows, such as The Office, this U.S. version of a British television series does a phenomenal job of taking mimicry while simultaneously creating its own identity. And, it is flattery. And, it is television. It’s virtually the same but different. The same characters, the same script, the same situations, but a different setting, different actors, different camera work, and, as an amalgamation of all these components, a completely different atmosphere. That does not mean that one can be classified as “better” than the other. Undeniably, one version was made first. However, the other was still made. Does seniority necessarily denote superiority? Is the chicken better than the egg? Bad example. All in all, it just comes down to personal preference. Too many hours have and too much energy has been poured into these across-the-pond arguments. Which Office is better? That’s easy. The one you like more!

cast away

What I like the most about the U.S. version of Shameless is the casting. The cast is believable. And, not only are they all great actors, they look the part too, just like the cast of Arrested Development. It really makes you appreciate the work of casting agents, who are definitely underappreciated, at least by the audience, but their work for these shows are of utmost importance to these shows’ success.

Family Matters

In the Week 2 lecture, I was intrigued when the speaker introduced the term “transformative technology,” a technology that transformed/revolutionized human life. Like movies and radio, television became a device that forever altered man’s existence (and even moreso than the others). He continued, explaining that television has been even more transformative as it allows for opportunities to bring cultures together and creating global events. For example, the Olympics.

And, when you think about it, these inventions really have changed our ways of life. For instance, the conventional family room now revolves around the TV. Furniture is purposely positioned to face the television and with as little obstruction to one’s view of said TV as possible. Television also creates ritual. Back home, my family eats dinner every night while watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. We do speak to each other…just during commercial breaks. TV is our other family member that does all the talking.