Weeks 10 and 11 – Buffy.
1) Q. Wilcox and Lavery
(2002) identify 9 defining characteristics of 'quality TV' - can you apply any
of these to other television series that you have viewed recently? Are there
any other characteristics that you could add to their list?
2) What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans
play in the construction of cult TV? How is new media central to this?
3) Hills (2004)
lists a number of defining characteristics of cult TV that contain similarities
to the defining characteristics of pop genres (e.g. fantasy, science fiction)
discussed earlier in the Pop Genres paper. Can you identify these and discuss
why you think that these characteristics are repeatedly viewed as underpinning
popular genres?
ENGL 602. Blog.
ReplyDeleteWeek 9-10 Cult TV: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Alister Kreft. 17974588.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been lauded as one of the most enduring Cult TV shows of all time. To understand what this means we must look for ways to define what Cult TV is and how Buffy has been able to remain an important piece of pop-culture to so many, years after its production ended. Hills (2004) identifies several characteristics of Cult TV, we will look at these in their relation to other pop-genres and how fandom and new media play a role in determining a shows cult status.
Hills (2004) attempts to define Cult TV in three ways: through textual analysis, examining its secondary or inter-textual features and the involvement and activities of a shows fan base. Textual analysis can be useful in determining a pop-genre and more specifically a cult production as there are a number of parallels. Formulaic plots and limited character development as well as their presence in imagined worlds are common themes in pop-genres and Cult TV. While shows that have a long running narrative arc allow for many different stories; within the context of an episode or season a general plot formula is applied, with somewhat predictable and recurrent resolutions to complications faced by the characters. (Hills, M. 2004) This is true of Buffy in most cases, someone is designated the ‘chosen one’ or hero, they are presented a call to arms, they are reluctant and deny, a complication arises, the hero must take arms, an important revelation occurs pertaining to the complication, hero confronts villain and is ultimately successful. The roles, in terms of character archetypes, of each character in Buffy is established early on and these roles do not change drastically over the course of the show, with few exceptions. Buffy’s presence in an imagined world is not uncommon in pop-genres, her story is set in Sunnydale High, a fictional American high-school, which also happens to be the gateway to Hell, much like Phillip K. Dicks the Man in the High Castle, which is set in San Francisco, though fictional and imagined in the sense that German and Japanese forces have occupied America.
When Hills (2004) refers to defining Cult TV by inter-textuality this means observing the related public and journalistic practices that surround Cult TV. Essentially this definition means that Cult TV is defined as such because related media (reviews and criticism etc) call it Cult TV. Hills (2004) recognises this as tautological though insists it is an important aspect of defining Cult TV, he goes on to state that these media provide a connection for the fans that otherwise would not exist. It takes the represented aspects of TV, characters, plot, setting and reveals them in the light of the real through interviews with actors and directors, and behind the scenes content. This also relates to pop-genres as they are often identified as being multi-modal and receiving coverage across a range of media. Reviews and critiques of Buffy and works like Princess Mononoke(anime) and The Man in the High Castle(sci-fi) are still appearing to this day despite being years old.
ReplyDeleteThe final definition that Hills (2004) provides for Cult TV relates to fan practices. A point Hills (2004) stresses in his study is that both producer/text and audience are integral to defining Cult TV and tries to avoid the dichotomy of text vs audience. Jostein Gripsrud says, “fandom exists when an enthusiasm for a cultural object or other takes on… a totalising, defining role in peoples’ lifestyle and identities.” (Hills, M. 2004) Cult TV fans often express their enthusiasm through: organisation of inter-textual networks separate from the TV or media industry (grassroots and fan-led), self-consciously identifying these networks as being ‘cult’, organisation of appreciation societies and conventions (making distinct and recognisable groups), and by creating a market for related memorabilia and merchandise. (Hills, M. 2004) This also relates to the growth of pop-genres as the advance of and access to technology has aided this process of definition immensely. Early works of Sci-fi were known as ‘pulp’ or ‘trash’ as they were printed on cheap paperback covers, this was not possible without modern printing presses making these works affordable to produce and highly accessible. Buffy has a huge fan base and this has been made possible by the internet, allowing fans the ability to identify each other and share news, experiences and even their own works of fan fiction on an unprecedented scale.
Reference list:
Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
ReplyDeleteDivyesh Kumar
16949662
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a teenage, supernatural TV series following the life of a high schooler named Buffy Summers. She is the newest in line to be what is called a Vampire Slayer. Slayers are determined by destiny to combat demons, vampires, predators and other evils of the dark. She slowly learns to adapt and control her abilities as the TV series develops. In the early years, conventional thoughts of good and evil has been exceptionally black and white. It doesn’t take much investigation to determine who the good guy is and who the bad guy is. In televisions shows and movies such as ‘The Avengers’ (2012), and ‘Avatar: The last airbender’ (2005 – 2008), it is evident as to who the good and bad characters are. In season four, Maggie Walsh, the highly professor and director of The Initiative sends Buffy on a suicide mission because of her dislike towards her. This scene goes to show that someone who is leading such a powerful organization based on good principles can do something so horrible. Someone like a character like Spike is portrayed evil, visually, however he turns to the ‘scooby gang’, bargaining his for self protection in exchange for his knowledge of the Initiative. Buffy begins to fall in love with a vampire named Angel. Although he may be a vampire, he also has a sensitive heart and seeks to help Buffy throughout her journey. Braun (2000) suggests that Buffy is a good example, “using supernatural settings and characters to play out narratives of good versus evil,” Braun (2000, p.88). Good protagonists whose desire was to protect civilisation battled antiheroes whose only tenacity annihilate and dominate. However, the lines between good and evil in this text has been much of a ‘grey area’ by giving the characters a vigorous combination of righteousness and immorality. What makes this show interesting is the fact that ethics between characters have been role reversed. The good characters are believed to be evil and wicked characters are believed to be good. Rather than having a black and white thought on good and evil characters, they have the capability to shift between the two.
Braun, B. (2000). "The X-Files" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": The Ambiguity of Evil in Supernatural Representations
ReplyDelete1. Wilcox and Lavery (2002) identify 9 defining characteristics of 'quality TV' - can you apply any of these to other television series that you have viewed recently? Are there any other characteristics that you could add to their list?
The nine defining characteristic of ‘quality television’ according to Wilcox and Lavery (2002) are as follows;
• “Quality TV usually has a quality pedigree.”
• “Desirable demographics notwithstanding, quality shows must often undergo a noble struggle against profit mongering networks and non-appreciative audiences.”
• “Quality TV tends to have a large ensemble cast.”
• “Quality TV has a memory.”
• “Quality TV creates a new genre by mixing old ones.”
• “Quality TV tends to be literary and writer based.”
• “Quality TV is self-conscious.”
• “The subject matter of quality TV tends toward the controversial.”
• “Quality TV aspires towards realism.”
These characteristics can be found across many cult TV shows on television, not just Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Supernatural, a show I myself am a big fan of and can somewhat be called a cult follower of. This television series shows that it identifies with a lot of the mentioned characteristics of quality television and therefore is now on its 13th season and has gained a cult following despite the viewership for the showing decreasing and hitting an all-time low on the 7th season. Supernatural has a quality pedigree, with a powerful and engaging storyline involving Angels, Demons, Satan, Heaven, Hell, Vampires, Werewolves, Wendigos etc; and works well with the mythology and world building behind all the content it presents. “The show creates a complex universe, with angels, demons, Heaven, Hell, witches and spells and vampires and exorcisms and a whole new set of rules. It’s a whole new world existing inside the one we know, for though Supernatural is set in the familiar world of the American Midwest, it also exists in an alternate reality in which the supernatural hides in every nook and cranny. It’s the kind of detailed reality that hooks viewers and leaves them pondering questions long after the episode is over” ("The secret to Supernatural's longevity", 2017). Supernatural has also gone through its desirable demographic notwithstanding as the show’s viewership is not as high as other popular shows which get higher viewership numbers but within its own network against similar genre shows it has a higher viewership number in comparison. It also manages to hit its intendent target audience and therefore the fandom for Supernatural has not allowed the show to die off. Supernatural also has a larger ensemble cast. Apart from the series regulars, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki who play Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester respectively it has other constantly recurring cast members which include; Misha Collins as Castiel, Jeffery Dean Morgan as John Winchester, Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester, Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer, Mark Sheppard as Crowley, Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer and Rob Benedict as God/Chuck Shurley to name a few. Supernatural does tend towards controversial subject matters. As supernatural deals with a lot of Christian heavy influences as well as mythology from other religions, its portrayal of certain characters and certain subject matters relating to religion can be seen to be somewhat offensive by certain audiences. These are just some of the characteristics Supernatural portrays which allow it to be defined as cult or ‘quality TV.’
ReplyDeleteThe secret to Supernatural's longevity. (2017). Den of Geek. Retrieved 27 October 2017, from http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/supernatural/26827/the-secret-to-supernaturals-longevity
Wilcox, R., & Lavery, D. (2002). Fighting the Forces. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.