Difference between revisions of "Style and Stylistics (Discussion)"

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'''Group 1:''' Be prepared to define these basic terms: "style," "stylistics". Then, pretend you are an "evaluative" stylistician. How would you study ''Outsourced''? Devise a research project that you might attempt with this TV text. How is evaluative stylistics often connected with auteurism? Who is ''Outsourced"'s auteur?
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=="Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s"==
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<gallery mode="packed" heights=200px>
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File:Table 5.3-resized.jpg|alt=Television Style, table 5.3|''Television Style'', table 5.3 "Multiple-camera and Single-camera Schemas," full table.
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File:Table 5.3 part 1 Cinematography.jpg|alt=Television Style, table 5.3|Table 5.3: Cinematography.
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File:Table 5.3 part 2 MeS and Editing resized.jpg|alt=Television Style, table 5.3.|Table 5.3: Mise-en-Scene and Editing.
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File:Table 5.3 part 3 Sound and Misc resized.jpg|alt=Television Style, table 5.3.|Table 5.3: Sound and Miscellaneous.
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</gallery>
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<gallery mode="packed" heights=400px>
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File:Mindyproject 20131112qq00 00 55qq00040.jpg|alt=The Mindy Project screenshot.|Morgan, Mindy, Cliff, and Yana (from left).
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</gallery>
  
'''Group 2:''' Be prepared to define these basic terms: "style," "stylistics". Then, pretend you are a "descriptive" stylistician. How would you study ''Outsourced''? Devise a research project that you might attempt with this TV text.
+
View a scene from ''The Mindy Project'' (see Blackboard and [http://tvcrit.org/Classes/Jbutler/BUI301/MindyProject_20131112/index.html screenshots online]).
  
'''Group 3:''' Be prepared to define these basic terms: "style," "stylistics". Then, pretend you are a "analytic" stylistician.  How would you study ''Outsourced''? Devise a research project that you might attempt with this TV text. Be sure to account for the five "functions" of style discussed in the textbook.
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*'''Table 5.3''' in "Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s" (see above) lists elements of the "single-camera televisual schema".  
 +
**How many of those single-camera elements do you see in ''The Mindy Project'' scene? Each group will account for one or two groups of elements (click a thumbnail above to enlarge it):
 +
**#'''Group 1:''' cinematography
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**#'''Group 2:''' mise-en-scene
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**#'''Group 3:''' editing
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**#'''Group 4:''' sound ''and'' "miscellaneous"
  
'''Group 4:''' Be prepared to define these basic terms: "style," "stylistics". Then, pretend you are a "historical" stylistician. How would you study ''Outsourced''? Devise a research project that you might attempt with this TV text. Be sure to account for "craft practices" and "schemas."
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<gallery mode="packed" heights=400px>
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File:Table5.6ATelevisualContinuum.jpg|alt=Television Style, table 5.6 "A Televisual Continuum".|''Television Style'', table 5.6 "A Televisual Continuum".
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</gallery>
  
'''All groups:''' What elements of your stylistic approach do you see in "Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s"?
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*'''All groups:''' '''Table 5.6''' from the essay outlines a "televisual continuum"--ranging from ''very'' televisual (''The Simpsons'') to not televisual at all (school-play recordings).
 +
*#What does the term "televisual" mean--as conceived by John Caldwell (see p. 175)?
 +
*#Where does ''The Mindy Project'' fit on the continuum? Table 5.6 puts ''The Honeymooners'' in the second category, ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' ([[Editing: Multiple Camera Mode (Discussion)|which we discussed three weeks ago]]) in the third category, and ''Scrubs'' in the fifth category.
 +
*#Where would you place ''The Office'' (see Ethan Thompson's and Brett Mills's discussion of comedy ''vérité ''; p. 214?
  
==Auteur theory -- if time allows ==
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==''Television: Visual Storytelling and Screen Culture''==
#What problems does the auteur theory, which is based in film studies, have when applied to television? For example, how are "pitch sessions" a problem, according to Caldwell? Who are "showrunners"? What do auteurist critics look for in TV shows? If there are no true auteurs, can TV still be "art"?
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#'''Which stylistic approach does Butler's essay take?'''
 +
#*Emmy, Emily, Jalen, and Stephen had the best response:
 +
#**Our group came up with that it could be a blend of all four!
 +
#**Overall, it's more analytical, but there are some moments when you would give historical context (the laugh track for example. you discussed how tv originated as a "spin-off" of radios so it was more audio-focused in the beginning but it's slowly advancing to be more visual-focused). That gave historical context as to why shows needed the laugh track to be successful until a certain point in time.
 +
#**It becomes more descriptive when breaking down scenes, like ''the New Adventures of Old Christine'' scene, shot by shot.
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#**Evaluative is the least we found.
 +
 
 +
===Questions ''not'' covered in class===
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#'''All groups''': Explain how the textbook defines the term "style" in your own words.
 +
#'''Group None:''' Explain the work of "evaluative" and "descriptive" stylisticians. How might they approach ''The Mindy Project''?  
 +
#'''Group 1:''' Explain the work of "analytic" stylisticians. How might they approach ''The Mindy Project''? Be ready to define the following purposes or "functions" of style discussed in the textbook.
 +
#*symbolize
 +
#*decorate
 +
#'''Group 2:''' Explain the work of "analytic" stylisticians. How might they approach ''The Mindy Project''? Be ready to define the following purposes or "functions" of style discussed in the textbook.
 +
#*persuade
 +
#*hail or interpellate
 +
#*differentiate
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#'''Group 4:''' Explain the work of "historical" stylisticians. How might they approach ''The Mindy Project''? Be ready to define these terms: "craft practices" and "schemas."
  
 
== Bibliography ==
 
== Bibliography ==
#Butler, Jeremy G. ''Television: Critical Methods and Applications''. NY: Routledge, 2011.
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#Butler, Jeremy G. ''Television: Visual Storytelling and Screen Culture''. NY: Routledge, 2018.
 
#Butler, Jeremy G. "Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s," in ''Television Style'' (NY: Routledge, 2010), 173-222.
 
#Butler, Jeremy G. "Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s," in ''Television Style'' (NY: Routledge, 2010), 173-222.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
*[http://www.tvstylebook.com/pix/images-by-chapter/?album=1&gallery=15 ''Television Style'' illustrations]
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*[https://www.tvstylebook.com/ ''Television Style'' official homepage]
*[http://www.tvstylebook.com/ ''Television Style'' official homepage]
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*[https://tvcrit.org/Classes/Jbutler/BUI301/MindyProject_20131112/index.html ''The Mindy Project'' screenshots]
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*[https://criticalcommons.org/Members/jbutler/clips/blending-multiple-camera-and-single-camera/ Hybrid mode of production] in ''How I Met Your Mother''
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*[https://tvcrit.org/Classes/Jbutler/BUI301/NewAdventuresofOldChristine/ ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'': screenshots]
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*[https://tvcrit.org/Classes/Jbutler/BUI301/NewAdventuresofOldChristine/Table%20502_OldChristine.pdf ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'': découpage]
  
[[Category:TCF311]]
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[[Category:BUI301]]
[[Category:TCF311 Discussion]]
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[[Category:BUI301 Discussion]]
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[[Category:JCM311]]
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[[Category:JCM311 Discussion]]

Latest revision as of 14:58, 23 October 2020

"Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s"

View a scene from The Mindy Project (see Blackboard and screenshots online).

  • Table 5.3 in "Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s" (see above) lists elements of the "single-camera televisual schema".
    • How many of those single-camera elements do you see in The Mindy Project scene? Each group will account for one or two groups of elements (click a thumbnail above to enlarge it):
      1. Group 1: cinematography
      2. Group 2: mise-en-scene
      3. Group 3: editing
      4. Group 4: sound and "miscellaneous"
  • All groups: Table 5.6 from the essay outlines a "televisual continuum"--ranging from very televisual (The Simpsons) to not televisual at all (school-play recordings).
    1. What does the term "televisual" mean--as conceived by John Caldwell (see p. 175)?
    2. Where does The Mindy Project fit on the continuum? Table 5.6 puts The Honeymooners in the second category, The New Adventures of Old Christine (which we discussed three weeks ago) in the third category, and Scrubs in the fifth category.
    3. Where would you place The Office (see Ethan Thompson's and Brett Mills's discussion of comedy vérité ; p. 214?

Television: Visual Storytelling and Screen Culture

  1. Which stylistic approach does Butler's essay take?
    • Emmy, Emily, Jalen, and Stephen had the best response:
      • Our group came up with that it could be a blend of all four!
      • Overall, it's more analytical, but there are some moments when you would give historical context (the laugh track for example. you discussed how tv originated as a "spin-off" of radios so it was more audio-focused in the beginning but it's slowly advancing to be more visual-focused). That gave historical context as to why shows needed the laugh track to be successful until a certain point in time.
      • It becomes more descriptive when breaking down scenes, like the New Adventures of Old Christine scene, shot by shot.
      • Evaluative is the least we found.

Questions not covered in class

  1. All groups: Explain how the textbook defines the term "style" in your own words.
  2. Group None: Explain the work of "evaluative" and "descriptive" stylisticians. How might they approach The Mindy Project?
  3. Group 1: Explain the work of "analytic" stylisticians. How might they approach The Mindy Project? Be ready to define the following purposes or "functions" of style discussed in the textbook.
    • symbolize
    • decorate
  4. Group 2: Explain the work of "analytic" stylisticians. How might they approach The Mindy Project? Be ready to define the following purposes or "functions" of style discussed in the textbook.
    • persuade
    • hail or interpellate
    • differentiate
  5. Group 4: Explain the work of "historical" stylisticians. How might they approach The Mindy Project? Be ready to define these terms: "craft practices" and "schemas."

Bibliography

  1. Butler, Jeremy G. Television: Visual Storytelling and Screen Culture. NY: Routledge, 2018.
  2. Butler, Jeremy G. "Televisuality and the Resurrection of the Sitcom in the 2000s," in Television Style (NY: Routledge, 2010), 173-222.

External links