Game Shows Flashcards
What is the ‘Game Show Formula’
Competition + knowledge/skill + reward
What are the 3 elements
Competition
Knowledge/ Skill
Reward
Format
The general idea for a show including the rules, name, style
Syndication
Selling the rights to broadcast the format (or recreate it) in other countries or regions
Conventions of game shows
Larger than life presenter with catchphrases/ jokes
Competition for some kind of reward/ prize
Easy viewing
Humour - usually ‘low brow’ / innuendo filled
Celebrity and/ or real world contestants
Fast pace
Short episodes and/ or ad breaks with focused adverts
High level of editing
Often heavily scripted
What are the different codes
NATS
Narrative
Audio
Technical
Symbolic
Mise en scène
Refers to what you can see before you
What does mise en scène contain
CALS
Costume
Acting
Lighting
Setting
Conventions of game show presenters
They must:
Be likeable to a wide range of audiences
Be animated/ enthusiastic
A strong personality and a personality ‘type’
Create memorable catchphrases
Encourage audience interaction (home and in studio)
‘Relate’ to their audience
Be ‘reasonably’ physically attractive
Be in control and able to guide contestants both verbally (helping make jokes or move them along when time is short) and physically ( manoeuvring them around the stage where necessary)
What are the audience theories
Uses and gratifications
Hierarchy of needs
What is the Uses and Gratifications Theory
Five reasons people use the media: Education Entertainment Escapism Social interaction Relating to characters and situations
Other examples - the V’s
What are the V’s
Visceral
Vicarious
Voyeuristic
Visceral
A physical or emotional response
Vicarious
Experiencing something through someone else
Voyeuristic
‘Spying’ on other people
How do shows get made
Production company makes a pilot episode and sells the format to TV broadcasters
Broadcasters show the show
Broadcasters look at the viewing figures and feedback and decide whether to order more episodes
Representation
A version of the truth
What are the main needs which the media meet
Diversion
Personal relationship
Personal identity
Surveillance
Diversion
A media text provides an escape from everyday life
Personal relationships
A media text, such as a TV programme, provides a point of conversation for people to have with each other
Personal identity
E.g. A storyline in a soap opera which the viewer can relate to
Surveillance
Let’s the audience know what is happening in the world e.g. the news
Audio codes
This refers to dialogue, sound effects and music. When analysing audio codes you look at the way the sound adds to the images
Symbolic codes
Often used in opening sequences, symbolic codes help provide information about the genre and format of the show
