Page 189 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 7

the drama of the series. As an example, in 2005, Jerry Gildehaus and
his family appeared in Town Haul (The Learning Channel), a makeover
reality show, in which several homes and businesses in a community are
refurbished, and then it is shown how these changes affect the lives of
the residents. One segment was set in the town of Washington, Missouri,
where Gildehaus owns and operates the Corwin Café. In the episode,
the editors inserted a voiceover from Gildehaus’s wife, Oma, saying that
“Washington’s downtown wasn’t what it used to be.” When combined
with the visuals of the rundown areas of the city, this remark sounded
like a criticism of the community. As a result, after the episode aired,
Gildehaus’s business suffered; customers were offended by what they
considered to be an insult to the town. However, Gildehaus contends
that the producers took Oma’s remarks out of context: “They filmed
everything so many times. They did stuff out of sequence. I’ve just lost
my faith about reality television being real.” 12

Color

Color is a visual element that has a powerful effect on audiences. In
general, the affective nature of colors is as follows:

• Warm colors, like red, orange, and yellow, tend to make us feel
happy, secure, positive, and intensely involved.
• Cool colors, like blue or violet, make us feel calm.
• Dead colors, like gray or black, make us feel sad, alone, or uncom-
fortable.

Color contrast may also evoke particular moods that convey messages.
Warm colors and pleasing color contrasts generate a positive response in
the audience. However, two contrasting colors (i.e., red and purple) are
visually disturbing, producing a tension that is sensed by the audience.
However, the precise meaning associated with a particular color can
depend on several factors. Primary colors contain degrees of saturation,
or shades, which can evoke a range of emotions. Thus, while blue is
generally thought of as a cool color, a light blue feels warm and envel-
oping. Further, the cultural context of a color can have an impact on its
meaning. As an example, in the Indian Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi
Kabhie Gham (2001), director Karan Johar uses color as a code to convey
meaning. The film is the story of two young people, Rahul Raichand and

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