Page 56 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media
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FORMULAIC ANALYSIS

                  Figure 3.2  The Amazing Race















































                  Three weeks after introducing “villains” Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich into The
                  Amazing Race, ratings jumped from 10.3 million to 12.4 million viewers. (Photo by
                  Donald Weber/Getty)

                    Conflict is central to any plot. Characters are initially confronted with
                  some sort of dilemma, which must be resolved by the end of the story.
                  As horror film actor/director Wes Craven observes, “The story begins
                  when the conflict starts and ends when it’s over.” 12
                    In the reality genre, conflict is artificially built into the plots. For in-
                  stance, in Survivor, one cast member is voted off the island at the end of

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