Page 206 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

PRODUCTION ELEMENTS

in his or her own words. It appears to be the most informal setting, but is
actually the most “produced,” using standard three-point lighting, nearly
eliminating shadows and putting the subject in the best possible light. An
exception in the three shows examined here is that in most reality shows,
the narration/diary section is actually combined into one section with a
single style. In Colonial House there are actually two very different styles.
The narration sections follow the same general production rules as other
shows, but the video diary sections look much more like a documentary
when a subject is given a camera on a tripod to talk to without the help of
a lighting designer, camera operator, or sound designer. These segments
are lit with ambient light and have very harsh shadows. They are also
framed poorly and contain a good deal of ambient background sound. The
overall feel of these segments is that the subject is really talking directly
to the audience in the absence of any production help. In Colonial House
this is evident in the scene with Michelle Rossi-Voorhees that starts with
a narration and ends with a video diary.

Establishing Transitions. Unlike other types of programs, reality shows
have to “go where the action is.” While some reality shows are formatted
so that the action takes place in a single location or in a few controlled
locations, most use multiple public locations. Additionally, many shows
have to follow multiple subjects or competing teams of subjects. For
that reason it is important to have a standard transitional sequence that
notifies the audience of the change in the action, establishes where the
action is taking place, and connects it to the program as a whole. Many
reality shows have borrowed the establishing transition from another
genre, most notably crime/detective shows. The establishing transitions
use a series of quick scenes of people, places, props, and signage that
help the audience understand where the action is taking place and who
is involved. In terms of lighting, many of these establishing transitions
are done using exterior shots, quite often at night. They are nearly always
very long or extreme long shots that use ambient light.

Color

Voyeur. The colors in the voyeur section of the reality shows are used
to heighten the reality and emphasize the mood. Colors tend to be over-
saturated, like the lush greenery and sweeping landscapes under the bluest
of skies in Colonial House to the bright pinks, greens, and blues of the

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