Quality Television Research Articles

Variety in National Quality Television

Variety in National Quality Television

Masks as Becoming

This autoethnographic essay explores masks and identity management during the time of COVID-19. It addresses the author’s relationship to masked television and film characters as well as everyday literal and figurative life masks which hide and reveal aspects of ourselves. It ends with a reflection on mask-wearing during the current pandemic and its emergent entanglements.

The Transmission Effect of Costume Dramas on International Social Media

C-dramas are launched on YouTube platform, and the update speed overseas is the same as that at home. Overseas audiences can understand costume dramas through language symbols, star symbols, and they love costume dramas more than modern dramas. They have the ability to share joys and sorrows with film and television characters. The viewing of costume dramas leads to Chinese fever and star chasing behavior. In order to better spread costume drama, it can create contact opportunities for overseas audiences within the acceptable range of culture, reduce the cultural inaccuracy part of costume drama, provide background knowledge and provide quality dramas. Film and television works are an important way to tell Chinese stories. Story-based communication makes overseas audiences willing to learn about Chinese culture and history through film and television works. Swordsmen film is a folk hero myth in the Chinese world, similar to western cowboy in the United States and Bushido in Japan. Swordsmen films is the most complete in China film, and the most national characteristics of film type.In terms of TV dramas, costume dramas are rooted in traditional Chinese culture, displaying rich Chinese elements and carrying cultural symbols such as Chinese history, mythology, classical Musical Instruments, traditional costumes, architecture and Chinese food. They are unique types of dramas attracting overseas audiences with distinctive national characteristics.With the open, convenient, timely and effective features of the Internet, Chinese films and TV series have been released on overseas network platforms such as Netflix and YouTube, changing from passive communication to active communication. On YouTube, film and television organizations with copyright have opened channels to upload Chinese films and TV works.This study takes Tencent Video as the research object to analyze what efforts the online video platform has made for the spread of costume dramas? What are the comments of international audiences? How to improve the overseas communication effect of costume dramas?

Contingent interaction with a television character promotes children's science learning and engagement

While educational television or video programs are important and accessible learning resources for young children, the lack of contingent interaction afforded within this type of programming may limit how much children learn from them. In this project, we leveraged natural language processing technologies to enable contingent interaction between children and a television character, with the goal of enhancing children's learning and engagement. Our randomized controlled study involving 77 four to six year old children suggested that incorporating contingent interaction within video programs helped children better understand the science concepts introduced in the video. Children who had contingent interaction also showed a higher level of vocalization and more positive affect during video watching and developed a more positive perception of the media character, though they spent less time looking at the screen. These findings shed light on the potential of contingent interaction with on-screen media characters enabled by artificial intelligence to promote learning and engagement.

‘Tension and release and tension and…’: The Ethics of Narrative and Aesthetic Construction in Contemporary Streaming True Crime Docuseries

The critical and commercial success of the contemporary American long-form true crime docuseries has rapidly codified a series of narrative practices, particularly in works developed by streaming channels (Netflix, Amazon Prime) and premium cable networks (HBO) promoting quality television as part of their featured output. This article considers ethical concerns arising from the intersection of true crime documentary, narrative prorogation, and audio/visual rhetoric. Focusing primarily on Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos’ Making A Murderer (2015–2018), I argue that documentaries in this field develop – whilst also depoliticising and depersonalising – the narrative, aesthetic, and intellectual concepts introduced to the field by the so-called ‘New Documentary’. I outline what is at stake in docuseries works intersecting the true crime genre which utilise aesthetic strategies of New Documentary that lack foundation in either the socially-minded counter-narrative or self-critique that has historically underscored their power: namely a narrative capability enriched by a medium demanding content in terms of the durational, but thwarted by the episodic ‘bingeworthy’ form that withholds information, the unyielding commercial demands of the platform, and the clashing of earnest fact-finding with a critical artifice shorn of its reason for deployment.

Escape to Germany in Syrian Television Drama: From Cross-Cultural Gender Constructions to Transnational Tropes of Masculinity and Homeland

Looking at programs from the 1960s onward, this article shows the persistence and evolution of the gender imbalance in Syrian television characters' relationships with Germany. Before the 2011 uprising, screenwriters linked women charac ters to Germany as a way to challenge patriarchal standards of sexuality and gendered conceptions of national belonging. As the war has ensued, this trope has vanished. Meanwhile, long-standing narratives about men emigrating to Germany continue to represent abandonment of the homeland and have become intensified through nationalist nostalgia.

Game of Thrones as a Gothic Horror in Quality Television

Abstract Quality television at its heart is designed to reward sustained viewing and involvement on the part of the audience. It has distinctive visual styles, serial characters and storylines and a filmic quality, all of which is evident in Game of Thrones (2011–2019). This article discusses how the scale and cinematic production values of quality television, adds value to the Game of Thrones series through the enhancement and articulation of the Gothic horror.

Demon in a Dress?

Demon in a Dress?

“Down-to-Earth TV dramas”: The reception of authenticity, reality, and modality in Danish TV dramas

This article investigates how Turkish audiences conceptualize authenticity in their engagement with foreign television (TV) productions in the case of Danish TV dramas. The theoretical notion of authenticity is juxtaposed with empirical material from fieldwork interactions, focus group interviews, and one-on-one interviews conducted with Turkish audiences between 2016 and 2018. By employing a semiotic analysis of fieldwork data, I argue that Turkish audiences attribute authenticity to the Danish TV drama series according to a socially created modality (truth value of a sign). This article draws on accounts about modality markers in TV drama series such as authentic portrayals of Danish TV characters and plausible-realistic depictions as a verisimilitudinous representation of everyday life. In the context of cross-cultural television viewing practices, the way Turkish audiences attribute meaning to Danish TV series in terms of authenticity, realism, and modality reveals a distinct differentiation between Danish TV dramas and other nationally and globally circulating media products.

Serial „Artyści” jako przykład telewizji jakościowej

The article The series “The Artists” as an example of quality television is an attempt to analyse the original TV series The Artists [Artyści] (2016) by Paweł Demirski and Monika Strzępka from the perspective of the determinants of the quality television model defined by Jane Feuer. The researchers consider the series, whose authors are neither film nor television artists, but are representing critical theatre in Poland, to be the first such full implementation of quality television in Polish TV culture. The authors of the article begin their analysis with the first Polish productions that featured elements of quality television (starting from The Cop [Glina] series from 2003) and defining synthetically its determinants. These genre determinants are deepened in the following sections in the perspective of the analysis of the series The Artists in terms of focusing the theme of the movie on the present; constructing the script of the series about characters from different layers and environments, in opposition to accepted norms; the author(s) as a guarantee of a high-quality artistic series; stylistic means; intertextual layer.

Audiences’ Mediated Contact with Black Characters in Scripted Television and Support for Racialized Social Issues

ABSTRACT Within scripted television programs, portrayals of Black characters have improved in both quantity and quality over the past few years. Research suggests that these various television characterizations may communicate an influential social standing of the group. Using a cross-sectional multicultural sample (N = 206) and applying mediated contact theories, the current research investigates audiences’ consumption of Black scripted television, parasocial relationships with Black television characters, and support for racialized social issues. The results suggest that audiences’ consumption of Black scripted television is positively related to favorable parasocial relationships with Black television characters. Positive parasocial relationships with Black television characters were associated with increased support for racialized social issues, particularly among viewers lacking interpersonal contact with Black individuals.

Cinematic TV

Discussion| September 01 2021 Cinematic TV: A Conversation with Rashna Wadia Richards Bruno Guaraná Bruno Guaraná Bruno Guaraná is Master Lecturer of Film Studies in the Department of Film & Television at Boston University. Originally from Recife, Brazil, he received his PhD in Cinema Studies from New York University and his MA in Film from Columbia University. His current research explores negotiations of cultural citizenship in contemporary Brazilian media. He currently serves as the Page Views Editor for Film Quarterly. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar BOOK DATA. Rashna Wadia Richards, Cinematic TV: Serial Drama Goes to the Movies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. $125.00 cloth; $39.95 paper. 246 pages. Film Quarterly (2021) 75 (1): 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2021.75.1.93 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Bruno Guaraná; Cinematic TV: A Conversation with Rashna Wadia Richards. Film Quarterly 1 September 2021; 75 (1): 93–98. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2021.75.1.93 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentFilm Quarterly Search BOOK DATA. Rashna Wadia Richards, Cinematic TV: Serial Drama Goes to the Movies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. $125.00 cloth; $39.95 paper. 246 pages. Much has been said about serial dramas such as The Sopranos (HBO, 1999–2007), The Wire (HBO, 2002–8), Mad Men (AMC, 2007–15), and Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008–13) bringing about a new golden age of television. A lot of these discussions, however, have centered on the idea that quality television has become more cinematic than ever—a modifier that implies a superiority of cinema and a teleological linearity toward a particular aesthetic. Notwithstanding the overuse of the term and its implications, there is no consensus about what exactly... © 2021 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Reprints and Permissions web page, https://online.ucpress.edu/journals/pages/reprintspermissions.2021 You do not currently have access to this content.

Portrayals of Volunteering on U.S. Television: A Textual Analysis

Volunteer managers identify challenging tasks, such as volunteer buy-in, retention, and role matching. Successful management of these tasks is influenced by how volunteers anticipate and perceive their volunteer experience. Volunteers receive and interpret messages about the drivers, rules, and expectations of giving one’s time and expertise from what they observe in the media. Television portrays how society perceives volunteering and compulsory community service. We used textual analysis to interpret portrayals of volunteering in 104 storylines on U.S. television. Television characters portrayed as volunteers were primarily motivated by civic duty, committed on a short-term basis, and had a positive experience. The volunteer manager was often absent. The intended beneficiary need not be present because the volunteer was the ultimate beneficiary. The storylines on TV excluded important components of the volunteer experience, meaning volunteer managers may need to take steps to mitigate problems associated with unrealized expectations of the TV binge-watching volunteers.

Generation Z’s screen culture: Understanding younger users’ behaviour in the television streaming age – The case of post-crisis Greece

Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average. As Greek TV responds to the challenges of the streaming era, new paths are forged by young viewers/users. This article, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 students, attempts to characterise the viewing patterns of young audiences, who are early adopters and heavy consumers of streaming television. We argue that whereas young Greek media users favour streaming platforms, they value the social character of traditional television, which plays a prominent role in post-crisis Greece. Young media users’ screen behaviour can be described as mobility-centred and algorithmically naïve.

Using critical media literacy and youth-led research to promote the sociopolitical development of Black youth: Strategies from “Our Voices”

This paper examines the utility of youth participatory action research (YPAR) and critical media literacy as strategies to promote the sociopolitical development (SPD) of Black youth. We use the case example of Our Voices, an afterschool program implemented with Black high school students in which participants analyzed the representation of Black characters in television and developed action to resist historical stereotypes. We situate Our Voices in SPD theory to demonstrate how approaches from YPAR and critical media literacy can be used to promote Black youth’s analysis of racial issues, agency in making social change, and sociopolitical action. We also highlight the utility of YPAR and critical media literacy programs as opportunity structures for youth to receive resources and mentorship as they engage as advocates in their community. We conclude with lessons learned from the implementation of Our Voices and with recommendations for research and practice with Black youth.

Whitewashing diverse voices: (de)constructing race and ethnicity in Spanish-language television dubbing

When television programs are translated for global audiences, languages are changed, but so too are constructions of diverse identities. Characters who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) undergo transformations in order to be intelligible outside of their original national contexts; such transformations might reinforce these characters’ difference or eliminate it, effectively whitewashing BIPOC voices. This article unpacks this phenomenon by investigating the translation of diverse characters through the lens of the many industrial norms and constraints that shape the dubbing industry. Using the international Fox hit Glee (2009–2015) as an entry point for exploring the role of dubbing in Latin America, this study complicates conventional notions about global media’s imperialist and hybridizing implications by tracing political economy and industrial practices onto the dubbing of Black, Latinx, and Asian television characters.

Determination of DVB-T2 Signal Quality in Nigeria: A Case Study of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

This study presents the evaluation of digital video broadcasting-terrestrial second generation (DVB-T2) Television signal quality in Jos using Integrated Television Services Limited signal. The delivery of quality Television signal remains problematic in Nigeria due to signal attenuation and degradation between the transmitter and receiver station. This is primarily due to environmental and atmospheric perturbations prevalent along the signal paths. This research aim is to determine the signal quality of DVB-T2 Television system in Jos, Plateau State. The simple field measurement methodology was adopted in measuring field strength and channel power parameters. These measurement parameters were used to calculate for carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) through empirical method. Finally, CNR and SNR were used to determine the signal quality of DVB-T2 signal in Jos. The result of the research shows that DVB-T2 signal in the primary service areas has good and reliable signal apart from the rocky environments.

“See me! Recognize me!” An analysis of transgender media representation

ABSTRACT The representation of transgender characters in fictional television has often been plagued by stereotypical and negative portrayals that do not accurately reflect the real experiences of transgender people. This research thus takes as its focus more recent North American television shows in order to assess whether improved forms of representation exist. Using a combination of Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, this study analyzes how transgender characters in Orange is the New Black and The Fosters are represented. This research found that the improvement of representation in these shows is indicative of a trend toward more positive representation. The characters of Cole, Sophia, and Aaron are represented in both positive and groundbreaking ways. While there is still work to be done in terms of increasing the complexity and range of such representations, these improvements signal a step in the right direction.

Holding the Whip-Hand

Abstract This article examines two female slaveholders, one real and one fictional, to explore the relationship between gender and slave management in both history and popular culture. Annie Palmer, the “White Witch of Rose Hall” plantation in Jamaica, although the creation of folklore and journalistic exaggeration, has functioned for a century and a half as a symbol not only of the evils of slavery but of the idea that female slaveholders’ cruelty threatened the system of slavery in a way in which that practiced by males did not. In New Orleans, Delphine Lalaurie, an elite woman renowned for her elegance and piety, became a figure of monstrosity after a house fire of 1834 revealed that her French Quarter mansion held a chamber of horrors for the enslaved, and offered a similar example of the dangers of female power in slave societies. Examining these women’s continuing presence both as historical figures and as characters in novels, television shows, and other creative productions, this article illuminates the strange career of the slaveholding woman, a figure execrated in her own era and misunderstood or ignored in contemporary historiography, yet simultaneously the subject over centuries of prurient cultural fascination.

The Notion of Leadership and Civic Engagement in Adolescents

This paper aims to discuss the awakening of civility in adolescents through the conception they have about political leadership. It proposes to consider how identity relates to civic actions, analyzing what young people think of their political leaders and the notion of civism. Our hypothesis is that the idea of ethical/non-ethical leadership projection allows the identification with moral values (dignity and respect) and material values (power). Theoretically, our discussion is supported by studies on psychology and moral education. Data were collected from 219 individuals, boys and girls, aged 10 to 13 years, instructed in private schools, from Baixada Santista, state of S?o Paulo, Brazil. A questionnaire was prepared and applied to participants who were asked about television and movie characters they found most interesting. Based on their choices, it was concluded that attention to civility is strictly related to education for ethics.