Page 80 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media
P. 80
FORMULAIC ANALYSIS
Production values of soap operas are also applied to The Bachelor.
Dramatic music, concentrated close-ups, and long suspenseful pauses
all come into place when intensifying climactic moments. For instance,
during rose ceremonies when Andrew would cut women he did not feel
a romantic interest in, the camera would remain on the women’s face
to show the emotions that they were feeling, however awkward it was.
This method and others were utilized in order to add more passion to
the show.
A study of The Bachelor reveals many indications that reality televi-
sion shows follow conventional formulas that have been around for many
years. While, instead of characters, there are real people and, instead
of a script, there is natural dialogue, the real people and real dialogue
ultimately appear to succumb to the old formulas of television: sex, lies,
and good versus evil.
Kim Wood earned her B.A. in Media Communications from Webster
University in 2004.
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