Fictional Drama Research Articles

The Impact of Comparative Moral Superiority on Protagonist Appeal

Four studies examine the appeal of protagonists who are sometimes immoral in real-world (Studies 1 & 2) and fictional (Studies 3 & 4) settings. In both, character appeal is influenced by the combination of moral/immoral behaviors a protagonist performs and their moral/immoral behavior relative to another person’s (i.e., their moral superiority/inferiority). Additionally, Study 2 examines the effect of character behavior (moral/immoral vs. highly self-beneficial) on appeal, finding that if two protagonists are equally immoral, one who elsewise behaves morally at times is more appealing than one who is elsewise self-beneficial. Studies 3 and 4 replicate these findings using a fictional drama and fantasy premise instead of a real-world setting. Findings suggest the effect of characters’ immoral behavior on appeal varies based on the moral behavior of comparison characters regardless of the setting’s fictionality. Discussion considers whether moral superiority alters the likelihood that audiences will emulate an imperfect hero’s immoral actions.

Psychic TV: The Paranormal as Popular Culture in Japanese Television of the 1990s

NIGHT HEAD was a science fiction drama that aired on Japan’s Fuji TV between 1992 and 1993. The series arrived during a wave of interest in the paranormal, a trend that was embraced by commercial television in both dramatic programs and variety/infotainment talk shows. This boom of interest in the paranormal happened within the thriving economic and cultural environment of Japan’s Bubble Era, a period that saw a rapid expansion of television in addition to the prosperity of markets in real estate and industry. NIGHT HEAD portrays a darker vision of 90s Japan, using visual effects and moody, intense images and sounds to conjure a desperate sensibility. This article will offer an analysis of the “attractive” paranormal turn in Japan during the 1990s, using NIGHT HEAD as a case for considering the intersection of youth, visual effects, and the desire for an alternative way of understanding the world beyond rationality.

A short-form drama series created for the digital media environment: A randomised controlled trial exploring effects on girls’ body satisfaction, acceptance of appearance diversity, and appearance-related internalised racism

‘Edutainment’ micro-interventions are a scalable public health strategy that can challenge media-related body image pressures and race- and weight- based stigma. This study evaluated the impact of viewing a brief, theoretically-informed, short-form drama episode on Black and non-Black adolescent girls’ body image, acceptance of diversity of appearance (assessed by acceptance of an individual in a larger body and a Black individual), and appearance-related internalised racism (among Black girls only). The fictional drama depicted characters of diverse body sizes and race/ethnicities, with each episode focusing on a risk or protective factor for body image concerns among adolescent girls (e.g., appearance-related teasing and conversations). Participants (N = 686; 50.4 % Black, 49.6 % non-Black) aged 13–18 (Mage = 15.72 years) were randomly allocated to view either the first episode of this series (focused on social media’s unrealistic appearance ideals and strategies to resist pressures) or a non-body-image-related control video. Findings revealed no significant differences in body satisfaction between conditions but significant improvements in the acceptance of appearance diversity among all girls who viewed the body image episode. Black girls who viewed this episode experienced significant improvements to appearance-related internalised racism. Edutainment micro-interventions constitute a promising avenue for promoting acceptance of appearance diversity and reducing appearance-related internalised racism.

The Church Sinister

Abstract The exorcism of Michael Taylor in 1974, which led to murder, pushed Anglican exorcisms into the public gaze. This article proposes a particular trajectory of Anglicanism and the preternatural into popular culture and popular awareness of religion. The Taylor case was one of the catalysts for private anxiety among clergy about the preternatural in the Church of England. By the early 1970s, some clergy ignited public debate including open letters and television appearances to declare the Church of England should not exorcise and complete belief in the accounts of the Gospels was not necessary. Their debate moved to television, some clergy declaring on talk shows the Church should not exorcise, others consenting to be filmed exorcising. Clergy exorcising on screen gave visual cues and content to fictional drama that traversed different genres and channels. This article identifies a common element to drama showcasing the Church and the preternatural, showing the institution and its clergy as weak or absent in the face of evil. Drama brought to the fore clerical concerns that engaging publicly with the preternatural made the Church seem theologically confused and denuded of spiritual authority, a point reinforced by the tragic real-world consequences of the Anglican exorcism of Michael Taylor.

Utilization of Science Fiction Drama in Higher Education: An Innovative Pedagogy for Brain Warm-up, Inspire Futuristic Views, and Foster Creativity.

The research aims to examine the potentiality of utilizing science fiction drama in higher education learning environments. The research team initiated the study by surveying the preferences of both students and instructors in range of higher education institutions towards science fiction drama. The surveys have been extended to explore the existing practices of utilizing science fiction drama in educational processes. The students and instructors’ surveys provided evidence of expressed personal interest in watching science fiction drama with diverse preferences towards various types of science fiction drama. However, the results of the surveys demonstrated low utilization of science fiction drama in the existing teaching and learning practices. Accordingly, an experimental study was conducted in a sample class where a subject on ‘Sustainability’ has been delivered by presenting selected sections of a relevant science fiction movie to a group of students followed by a lecture with reflections on the presented scenes. The students were assigned to reflect on the subject in a structured questionnaire in terms of understanding and innovative thoughts around the subject. The students’ feedback provided valuable insights on the positive impact and effectiveness of utilizing science fiction drama within higher education learning environment. The research contributes to the development of innovative pedagogies at higher education institutions by introducing the approach and outlining the mechanism of utilizing science fiction drama in teaching and learning processes as alternative tool for brain warm-up, better understanding of subject, forming futuristic views, and fostering creativity while enhancing students’ engagement. Keywords: Higher Education, Science Fiction Drama, Educational Processes, Pedagogy, Brain Warm-up, Futuristic View, Foster Creativity, Learner Interest and Engagement.

Dramatising a contemporary childhood sexual abuse narrative: reinforcing a hierarchy of victims

ABSTRACT Following a number of high-profile sexual exploitation/grooming cases, such as that which culminated in the trial of nine men in Rochdale, UK in 2012, and accusations against Jimmy Savile and other celebrity figures, the sexual abuse of children has been recognised as an issue of major public concern. These cases received considerable news coverage, but there has also been a proliferation of dramas covering both “real life” events and fictional stories. In this article I take a narrative approach to explore the construction of victims in two such dramas both aired on UK television in 2017 and later broadcast worldwide: Three Girls, a docudrama based on the Rochdale case, and Unforgotten, a fictional drama that resonates with the Savile case. In drawing on a singular narrative of childhood sexual abuse and the ideal victim these dramas, I argue, leave many stories untold, and help to consolidate a new victim hierarchy—based not on what is done to a person, but on who they are or might (have) become. The dangers of this or any other singular story, I argue, go beyond the UK context of these two dramas.

Heartland (2007–2021 and ongoing)

<i>Heartland</i> (2007–2021 and ongoing)

In the Footsteps of Galileo

Abstract Italian scientific biopics experienced a period of extraordinary media hype in the 1970s, when some intellectuals personally committed to bringing the lives of the scientists of the past to television in order to discuss the relationship between knowledge and power in the present. Nevertheless, might we properly speak of “Italian-style” historical-scientific fictional drama? To answer this question, we will focus on Roberto Rossellini, Liliana Cavani and, above all, Lucio Lombardo Radice, a promoter, scientific consultant, author and presenter of, and sometimes even actor in, some of the most controversial of these scientific biopics. This article aims, first of all, to reconstruct this history, explaining the reasons for the success of the genre, starting in the 1960s, and the crisis it underwent in the 1980s; secondly, to ascertain the influences these ideological works exerted on choices, approaches and styles of the next generation of science historians and communicators.

MEMORY ALTERING TECHNOLOGIES AND THE CAPACITY TO FORGIVE: WESTWORLD AND VOLF IN DIALOGUE

AbstractI explore the impact of memory altering technologies in the science fiction drama (2016–2020) in order to show that unreconciled altered traumatic memory may lead to a dystopian breakdown of society. I bring Miroslav Volf's theological perspectives on memory into conversation with the plot of Westworld in order to reveal connections between memory altering technologies and humanity's responsibility to remember rightly. Using Volf's theology of remembering as an interpretive lens, I analyze characters’ inability to remember rightly while recalling partial memories of their trauma. In virtue of this examination, I contend that memory altering technologies may inhibit individuals from relational processes of healing, such as forgiveness. Consequently, I argue that this study leads to a richer understanding of the potential that memory altering technologies have for undermining humanity's ability to interact in a relational capacity, specifically in terms of forgiveness.

Pembuatan Film Pendek Bertemakan Persahabatan “How Bromance Us”

A good relationship is not always shared by most teenagers especially in socializing, even not just teenagers, the bigger a person, the more difficult it will be for them to have sincere friendships. In the present era there are many bad things that cause a problem and also have a negative impact that starts from a friendship that is not good. According to an extreme statement by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, we could have hundreds of friends, but no more than 5 could understand us. This statement and phenomenon is the inspiration for this short film work entitled "How Bromance Us". How Bromance Us is a short film with a fictional drama genre, this friendship has been going on for more than nine years, started from the thought of Edgar who strongly does not believe that there are friends in this world who are truly sincere in undergoing friendship. In one situation Edgar realized that what he always believed was the wrong thing because he realized that his little relative Ryan was a true friend because he had gone through good and bad things together and gave each other support to each other. This work uses steps for developing ideas, writing scripts, determining players, selecting sets and properties, reading, shooting and, and editing. The results of this work last 20 minutes accompanied by a moral message that being yourself is very important, but do not forget to keep the feelings of others, especially true friends. It is hoped that this non-thesis work can change the way the viewer views his friendship relationship and can inspire other filmmakers to continue producing works that have a strong moral message.

German pressure: Spy films and political censorship in Norway, 1914–40

This article explores the relationship between spy films, political censorship and Norwegian foreign policy during the period from 1914 to 1940. Espionage was a popular topic in Norway during this era, both in the news media and as a theme in fictional dramas. Based on a survey of the vetting of 57 spy films, both silent and sound, by the state censorship board, the article focuses on the Norwegian government’s hidden role in political film censorship throughout the period. While Norway’s Constitution and film censorship statutes provided no legal foundation for political censorship, there is nonetheless ample evidence that it took place. The article concludes with an in-depth analysis of the process of banning the US film Confessions of a Nazi Spy in July 1939, the German involvement in that process, and the subsequent effort to change the censorship law to reflect what was happening in practice.

The dialectic of climate extremes between reality and fiction

تتناول هذه الدراسة موضوعة الجدلية القائمة حول ظاهرة التطرف المناخي كحقيقة واقعية شغلت العلماء والمختصين القائمين عليه في هذا المجال، خاصة في السنوات الاخيرة وكيف تم تناوله وفق البناء الواقعي والبناء الخيالي في الوسيط السينمائي على الشاشة. تناولت الباحثة في هذه الدراسة اثنان من المباحث هي : المبحث الاول: التطرف المناخي والطقوس الانسانية والدرامية المبحث الثاني: البناء الواقعي والبناء الخيالي في الوسيط السينماتوغرافي. وقد استندت الدراسة على تحليل الفيلم السينمائي (جيوستورم) الذي يركز على قضية العواصف الطبيعية العالمية والظواهر المناخية الخطيرة التي تهدد الارض نتيجة الاهمال والعبث بالموارد الاستهلاكية الحية على نحو خاص دون الالتفات الى المخاطر الناجمة عن ذلك، فضلا عن تسليطه الضوء حول الاستغلال السياسي للسيطرة على أنظمة التحكم المناخي في إطار درامي خيالي مستند الى الواقع.

Between Sensorimotor Data and Conceptual Message: Embodied Simulation as an Approach to the Reading of Two Science Fiction Plays, Jennifer Haley’s The Nether and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s Boom

This paper explains how the activation of the reader’s cognitive capacity of embodied simulation can improve the perception of science fiction and its interest in exploring the materiality of bodies. It offers an embodied cognitive interpretation of Haley’s The Nether and Nachtrieeb’s Boom, stressing the role of close reading of sensorimotor data in triggering the mental process of simulation and reinforcing the reader’s embodied involvement within the text. This paper also illustrates the cognitive link between linguistic input data in the process of reading science fiction and the stimulation of the capacity of embodied simulation. It argues that the more intensive the sensorimotor data is, the more appealing to the capacity of embodied simulation the text proves to be. The paper attempts to prove that the close reading of science fiction drama, abundant in sensorimotor data, is capable of generating an embodied simulative experience which guarantees a deeper understanding of the thematic content and an empathic engagement with the characters.

Brief Report: Does Watching The Good Doctor Affect Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Autism?

Individuals' knowledge and attitudes about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) work together to shape the stigma held about ASD. One way that this information is communicated to the public is through popular media; however, little is known about the effectiveness of fictional depictions of ASD in educating and shaping attitudes about ASD. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact media has on knowledge about and attitudes towards ASD, compared to that of a college lecture on the subject. Exposure to one episode of a fictional drama depicting ASD, compared to watching a lecture, resulted in more accurate knowledge, more positive characteristics associated with ASD, fewer negative characteristics associated with ASD, and a greater desire to learn more about ASD.

Virtual Trauma: Prospects for Automediality

Unlike some current discourse on automediality, this essay eschews most of the analysis concerning the adoption or modification of avatars to deliberately enhance, extend or distort the self. Rather than the automedial enabling of alternative, virtual selves modified by playful, confronting or disarming avatars we concentrate instead on emerging efforts to present the self in hyper-realist, interactive modes...

EKSISTENSI SASTRA ANAK DALAM PEMBENTUKAN KARAKTER PADA TINGKAT PENDIDIKAN DASAR

The impact of globalization can be seen from the emergence of some of the interesting phenomenon that afflicts young people, especially children in Indonesia. Various problems that characterize the world of education makes the noble values and behaviors wisdom as torpor. Efforts to es- tablish the character of the child to do one through children ’ s literature. The approach used in this research is descriptive qualitative. This article studies focus on the role of children ’ s literature in the formation of char- acter and learning of children ’ s literature relevant to build the character of students at the elementary level. Learning about the character of dis- cipline, honesty, responsibility, admit mistakes, religious, and others will be more effective if delivered through stories with characters that charac- ter. Through literature, the child will also be directed to think logically about the causal relations and childbirth imagination will significantly correlated with creativity so that children will be able to think creative- ly (creative thinking) to always be productive. As a form to convey or inject character education to students in literature there are some efforts that can be done by educators. Educators reveal the values contained in children ’ s literature with direct integration of character values are an integral part of these subjects. Literature learning in primary schools can be classified in three groups, namely; fiction learning, learning poetry, drama and learning.

Race, criminal justice professionals, and intellectual authority in fictional crime dramas

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this research is to extend the existing media and crime literature by discussing how minority criminal justice personnel are granted or not granted intellectual authority in fictional crime dramas by their representation as presenters of crime and non-crime fact-based statements. An analysis of 117 episodes from four fictional crime dramas appearing in the top 20 Nielson ratings from 2003 to 2010 indicate that Black characters are not given the same intellectual authority as White characters, and therefore are imbued with less power and status than their White counterparts. In some cases, Black characters are not even given intellectual authority within their respective intellectual fields.

Realización, lenguaje y elecciones narrativas de radioteatro: tres aproximaciones a la creación de espacios sonoros en el tiempo

Crear en el ámbito del tiempo un espacio que no existe en ningún otro lugar y hacer que en ese espacio actúen los personajes es lo que denominamos radioteatro. El radioteatro es un género de ficción que tuvo destacada presencia en las principales cadenas de radio españolas hasta finales de la década de los ochenta. Desde entonces, salvo excepciones como, entre 1994 y 2003, las celebradas Sobrenatural e Historias de Juan José Plans en Radio 1 y la apuesta de Radio 3 entre los años 1999 y 2003, con la emisión del serial de Carlos Faraco Cuando Juan y Tula fueron a Siritinga y otras muchas ficciones dramatizadas para radio, el formato ha tenido escaso protagonismo en la radio española. Sin embargo, a partir de la segunda década de este siglo, que ha asistido incluso a la convocatoria del Congreso Internacional de Radioteatro impulsado por la Escuela TEA FM de Zaragoza, ya por su IV edición, crece el interés entre profesionales y estudiantes por el radioteatro. Igualmente, las grandes cadenas empiezan a recuperar, aun tímidamente, este tipo de programas. Dos ejemplos: en la radio pública estatal espacios como su producción estelar serializada El Quijote del siglo XXI, además de otros contenidos de ficción con periodicidad semestral; y, desde la radio privada, en la Cadena SER, la serie de Mónica León Negra y Criminal o el Cuento de Navidad, con el que ha venido felicitando a los oyentes las tres últimas temporadas. En este artículo se aborda el concepto de radioteatro, otras expresiones de ficción radiofónica y el devenir de este género de programación por las parrillas de las principales cadenas de radio a lo largo de su historia. Finalmente, se ofrecen los resultados de tres aproximaciones a la ficción dramatizada para la radio, a través de diferentes maneras de abordar la narración, la acción y el lenguaje radiofónico en tres obras producidas por Radio Nacional de España: Cabeza de Vaca: Las vidas de Alvar Núñez, Herederos del tiempo y El corazón de las tinieblas

Drama and Citizenship - Devised Drama for Education

Purpose: In this article I will give an example of a linguistic program I have been doing with sixth form college students from Finland and the Netherland and link this action research to the meaning of drama education, and of the potential of devised drama as a part of civic Education.Method: I will explain the theory of devised drama, then I will highlight the research and finally, I will conclude the research findings. The analytical framework used in this article is well-suited for drama education with youth. I would like to characterize drama education dramaturgy not as Aristotelian nor Brechtian, but as an 'open or joint - making together - dramaturgy'.Findings: The term 'drama' is often used to describe the process of making work that does not necessarily demand an outside audience, and 'theatre' to identify work, that is focused on performing to an outside audience. 'Devised drama' relies both on process and product. Leaning how to make devised drama is an important as learning about its processes and start thinking: 'why we came up with these ideas of us and fictional drama world?'

Taking time to go to Mars

The idea of traveling to the Red Planet has inspired many fictional dramas, but the television series Mars is one of the first to get the science right. The idea of traveling to the Red Planet has inspired many fictional dramas, but the television series Mars is one of the first to get the science right.