Susan Gottlieb – CI5472
Final Task Module 6 – HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOWS GENRE – FICTION AND REALITY
A. B.
A = Paige Davis, host of “Trading Spaces” on TLC. http://www.tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tradingspaces/tradingspaces.html
B = QuickTime “how to” video from Popular Mechanics site http://popularmechanics.com/popmech/movie2/2HMOHIP.html
The genre I would have fun showcasing would be home improvement shows/movies. The idea of home improvement through a variety of media texts ranges from non-fictional do-it-yourself (or do-it-with-our-designer) type project shows to fictional shows (on TV and film) that depict characters engaged in building, renovation, or creating their dream house and/or about a family connected to the building industry. Examples of non-fictional programs that feature home improvement themes include This Old House (PBS), Trading Spaces, Trading Spaces Family, and While You Were Out (TLC). Fictional stories depicting characters involved with home improvement in some form or fashion range from Home Improvement (ABC), Life as a House, and comedies about horrible renovation projects gone awry such as The Money Pit. Here are the main characteristics of this genre:
Prototypical Roles –
· Congenial and knowledgeable host/hostess/narrator who introduces the project, the “rules” for the show and episode, and gives background information necessary (if, for example, the show is carrying over from a previous episode)
· Master designer(s) and/or carpenter(s) who create solutions to design problems for homeowners and showcase their solutions through the episode(s)
· Helpful homeowners who put sweat equity into renovation/construction of their home project
Prototypical Roles –
Fictional Shows/Films:
·
Ambitious homeowner(s) who want to take
on a large renovation/rehabilitation project on their home
·
Bumbling idiot/surly live-in who
interfere with the project
Setting(s):
· (Reality show) Usually the home owned by the participants in the show, indoors and out
· (Fiction) Varies; often centered on the interior (and sometimes exterior) of the home being renovated/rehabbed; town/location of house established to indicate cultural values present
Language/discourse:
· (Reality show) Stock phrases that introduce the parameters of the building project (time allotted, cost, materials to be used); language associated with construction, design, and architectural concepts; some technical language
· (Fiction) Much less about technical language, more emotional indicating relationships within the framework of the home project; uses language about the building process and tasks to be accomplished to enhance/hide emotional interaction between/among characters
Typical storylines:
· (Reality show) Narrator introduces project and parameters (cost, time constraints) and introduces homeowners; project gets underway with designer/carpenter involved in the action; progress is documented bit by bit showing lots of before and after shots of project and space; finished product unveiled and homeowners reactions are recorded
· (Fiction) Much more variation. In comedy, usually involves an ambitious and costly project facing homeowners who must overcome the obstacle of either a 1) bumbling idiot who moves in next door and wrecks the progress of renovation or 2) the house itself which starts to fall apart with comic timing, and resolved by homeowners either 1) kicking interloper out or 2) moving out. In drama, homeowner has huge house project, but also has relationship issue. House project takes lots of time and energy, which leads to tensions mounting between people who live within. Tensions erupt and reach a climax and is resolved as the house project is completed.
Values expressed:
· (Reality show) “With a little money and elbow grease, you too can have your Dream Home.”
· (Fiction) “The American Dream is impossible to achieve” or “By building a house, you’re repairing your relationships with those you love” HOUSE = LOVE