Visual trends in American TV. Shows

Visual trends in American TV. Shows

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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).


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".


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.


"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.


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”.


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.


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


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.


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


- 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.


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”


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.


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.


- 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”


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.


- 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.


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


-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-?


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.


-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.


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


- 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.


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

Visual trends in American TV. Shows

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