Sit-Coms and Soaps Are they really for real?

Genre 1
Film
Some sitcoms have films created of them. This can be seen with
The Inbetweeners. They had 2 films created of them as the cast
wanted to regroup and record it again as a reunion. With my sitcom,
however, there hasnt been a film made of it. This means that this
heading isnt applicable with my sitcom.
Video
Video is all the sitcom that can physically be seen on the screen that it is
being shown on. The video is just the part that can be seen though, this
doesnt include any of the dialogue or sounds that are in the sitcom. The
video is the most important part to it, as without it then it wouldnt be a
sitcom because nothing would be seen, it would just be classed as
something like an audio book.
Audio
Audio can be quite important within sitcoms, but in different ways.
In some sitcoms, there are laughing tracks that are played over it
whenever something funny happens or a joke has been said.
However, not all sitcoms use these laughing tracks, as they dont
suit the style of some of these sitcoms. Another part to audio is all
of the dialogue and the actual sounds within the sitcom. These are
one of the most important parts to it, as without any of this it would just
be a silent video.
Print
Print media is anything that is printed on to something that you
can physically touch or pick up. These are things like posters and
different forms of advertisements. Print media isnt applicable
with my sitcom though.
Digital
A lot of TV shows are available on the internet to digitally download or
buy. This makes it so that the shows can reach a larger audience than
they would if they were only available on television. Modern family is
available to watch online, which makes it better for them to attract a
larger audience. It also attracts a larger audience as a lot of people prefer
to watch episodes one after another, rather than waiting a few days to
watch the next episode. With them being available to digitally download, it
makes it so that the viewers can watch as many episodes in a row that
they want, or watch whichever episode that they want to.
Television
Television is the main platform for where sitcoms and other
shows are shown. This is because it was the first platform for
TV shows to be released on, which is why they are named
TV shows. Television it the platform where this sitcom was
first shown, however only on an American channel, as it is
an American program. This means that it cant be watched in England
because they dont have the same TV channels, which is why it is usually
watched on the internet.
Cinema
The cinema is also a large platform for new films to be
shown. However, there isnt usually TV series that are
shown in cinemas, its just newly released films that are
shown. This makes a cinema useless for a sitcom, unless it
is a film based on that sitcom, like The Inbetweeners did.
However, modern family doesnt have a film out, so it has
never been shown in a cinema. Another reason that it
hasnt is because each episode is only around 20 minutes long, which is a
length of time for a TV and not the cinema.
Radio
Radio doesnt apply to a TV sitcom.
Internet
The internet is always a good platform for a sitcom to
be shown on. This is because the majority of people
have access to the internet and they are on the internet
for a long period of their lives. The internet gives
access to different websites, which could show the
sitcom on, so the audience has a choice for where they
want to watch it. When someone browses the internet
to watch a TV show, there are hundreds of websites that show up that
they can choose from. The basic options for the websites are things like
Netflix, which is a subscription based website for watching TV shows or
films on. However, there are many other websites that people can access
to watch TV shows on, which is why the internet is a good choice to show
this sitcom on.
CD/DVD
TV series usually get released on DVDs or DVD boxsets.
This is so that the viewers can watch them whenever they
want by just buying the DVDs. Modern family has a boxset
from season 1 to 6, but season 7 is on its own single
DVD. This is because the series hasnt finished and they
are still creating and releasing episodes and seasons of it.
IPod
This doesnt apply to my TV sitcom.
Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are a popular way of watching TV shows, as
they have access to the internet and different apps that are
made for watching TV shows or films on. Mobile devices is a
good platform to be able to watch this sitcom on, for different
reasons. The main one is that, like with the internet, it can
only be watched on TV in America, so being able to access the internet is
useful. Another good thing with this is that mobile devices can be carried
anywhere, which means that this series of sitcom can be watched by
people anywhere that they go, so long as they either have it downloaded
in an app or they have access to the internet in some way.
Computer
A computer is exactly the same as the internet and
mobile devices. However, the difference between a
computer and a mobile device is the size of them and that
computers cant be carried around and used anywhere.
This is probably the largest platform that people use for
watching TV series of films on. This is because there are a
lot of websites on the internet that can be watched for free, which can be
accessed by using a computer.
Hand-held Consoles
Hand-held consoles doesnt apply to my sitcom.

Genre 2
Content
The sitcom that I have chosen to analyse is called Modern Family.
Modern Family is an American mockumentary sitcom that first premiered
in 2009. It follows the lives of Jay Pritchett and his family, who all live in
suburban Los Angeles. Jays family consists of his second wife, his son and
stepson, and his adult son and daughter and their spouses. Modern Family
revolves around three different types of families (nuclear, step and same-
sex) living in the Los Angeles area who are interrelated through Jay
Pritchett and his children, Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett. Patriarch
Jay is remarried to a much younger woman,
Gloria Delgado Pritchett, a passionate
Colombian with whom he has a baby son,
Joe Pritchett; and a son from Gloria's
previous marriage, Manny Delgado. Jay's
daughter Claire was a homemaker, but has
returned to the business world. She is
married to Phil Dunphy, a realtor and self-
professed "cool Dad". They have three
children: Haley Dunphy, a stereotypical ditzy teenage girl; Alex Dunphy, a
nerdy, smart middle child; and Luke Dunphy, the offbeat only son. Jay's
lawyer son Mitchell and his husband Cameron Tucker have an adopted
Vietnamese daughter, Lily Tucker-Pritchett. As the name suggests, this
family represents a modern-day family and episodes are comically based
on situations that many families encounter in real life.
Style
The style that modern family uses for its series is a mockumentary style. A
mockumentary is when a set of fictional characters in a series talk into the
camera, as a person would in a documentary. These productions are often
used to analyse or comment on current events and issues by using a
fictional setting, or to parody the documentary form itself. While not
always comedic, comedic mockumentaries are common. This makes
modern family different to most other commentaries; it gives the audience
more interaction with the fictional family, which means that they are
entertained more. Mockumentaries also dont tend to use laughing tracks,
which creates more realism and it sustains the atmosphere more.
Symbolic
Symbolic is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood
as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to
go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise
very different concepts and experiences. All communication (and data
processing) is achieved through the use of symbols. Symbols take the
form of words, sounds, gestures, ideas or visual images and are used to
convey other ideas and beliefs.
Cultural
Culture can be defined in many ways. In the words of anthropologist E.B.
Tylor, it is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art,
morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by
man as a member of society." Alternatively, in a contemporary variant,
"Culture is defined as a social domain that emphasizes the practices,
discourses and material expressions, which, over time, express the
continuities and discontinuities of social meaning of a life held in
common."
Technical
Technical, in the terms of media, means relating to the knowledge and
methods of a particular subject, which in my case is a sitcom. The
technical parts can be things like the editing and all of the special effects
that are used throughout the production process. These are all used to
make the sitcom look a lot better and to entertain the audience a lot
more. Special effects arent usually used within sitcoms, especially the
one that I have chosen. With modern family being a mockumentary,
special effects wont give it the impression of real life, which is what the
whole point of that style is.
Changes over Time
Any sitcoms that have been going for a few years have changed
throughout them. One main way in which they change is the settings and
the quality of the recording. With modern family, one big way in which it
has changed is the age of all of the actors. With it being a mockumentary,
the audience follows the lives of the family throughout the seasons. This
means that the audience watch the family grow older and age with each
season, as the actors are aging in real life when they are filming it.
Audience
The audience is always an important aspect of any TV
program or series, not just sitcoms. This is because the
programs and series are there and created to interest and
audience and gain a reaction from them. If the audience
isnt there, then there isnt any point in the programs being made or
shown.
Ideological Shifts
Historically the role of ideology in media studies was largely determined
by the paradigm shifts; from Marxist to pluralist, from pluralist to critical
theory, from critical theory to neo-Marxist, from neo-Marxist to critical
paradigm. These paradigm shifts in turn were determined by different
historical and political contexts of society. With the advent of technology
and major changes in socio-legal, economic and political institutions of
society over the past decades, the content, form, ownership pattern,
control and function of the media have mediated into a very complex
structure which requires a combination of different theoretical views in
media studies. By analysing both the strengths and weaknesses of each of
these different theoretical views, this paper suggests that a critical
analysis of 'ideology' is essential in any media studies when the question
is how the media work.
Re-definition
Media redefinition pertains specifically to the labels and descriptors given
to individuals in news stories and which change as the public perception
of a given individual shifts. Often, a racist element is involved - for
example dropping or downplaying an individual's foreign heritage when
said individual succeeds but emphasising it when they are disgraced, as in
the case of Ben Johnson.
Obsolescence
Obsolescence is the state of being which occurs when an object, service,
or practice is no longer wanted even though it may still be in good
working order. Obsolescence frequently occurs because a replacement
has become available that has more advantages compared to the
disadvantages incurred, by maintaining or repairing the original.
Spoof
A parody film is a subgenre of the comedy film that parodies other film
genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of
many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often
overlooked by critics, parody films are commonly profitable at the box
office. Mock busters are another type of genre for parody films and the
mixing of sci-fi, horror, war, thriller films also known as black comedy film.
It is known as a sketch comedy film or a crossover humour film.
Pastiche
A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates
the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike
parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates.
Pastiche can also be a cinematic device whereby filmmakers pay homage
to another filmmaker's style and use of cinematography, including camera
angles, lighting, and mise en scne. A film's writer may also offer a
pastiche based on the works of other writers (this is especially evident in
historical films and documentaries but can be found in non-fiction drama,
comedy and horror films as well).
Parody
A parody (also called a spoof, send-up, take-off, or lampoon) is a
work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original
workits subject, author, style, or some other targetby means
of satiric or ironic imitation. As the literary theorist Linda
Hutcheon puts it, "parody is imitation, not always at the
expense of the parodied text." Another critic, Simon Dentith,
defines parody as "any cultural practice which provides a
relatively polemical allusive imitation of another cultural production or
practice." Parody may be found in art or culture, including literature,
music, animation, gaming, and film.
Narrative Structures
Single Strand
A single strand narrative is when you're watching or reading a story that
has one central character or hero acting in a single plot while surrounded
by a group of minor characters. This usually happens more often in
superhero films.
Multi-strand
Multi strand is when many different works are made up of several different
strands, for example, the film 'Love actually' has around 8 different story
strands that link in the end. By using juxtaposition on the strands, the
audience will not only be concerned about the action, but also the
outcome of each strand and how they're related to each other.
Closed
Closed narrative films usually have a 'tight' reading; theyre usually 2
hours and have a 'The End' to complete the story. The time is usually
compressed, fitting many years into 2 hours. There is usually a
soundtrack, a lot of non-diegetic music backing the story.
Open
Open narratives usually have many characters and no foreseeable ending.
A good example of Open narrative is Soap Operas, such as EastEnders
and Holly Oaks. They're usually multi-stranded and in chronological order
or 'Real-Time'. It is rare that shows that have this narrative have non-
diegetic music or sound.
Linear
A linear narrative is very simple. The story
that is being told in the film or program has a
beginning, middle and an end. This is a
common type of narrative for a lot of films.
This is because it is a basic structure which is easy to write a script from,
as it is in a chronological order and follows time.
Non-linear
A non-linear narrative is the complete opposite
to a linear one. Instead of having a
chronological order to it by using a beginning,
middle and end, non-linear uses things like
flashbacks, rewinds and re-plays, in a non-
chronological order. They can also finish with no ending to them, so they
just end with a cliff hanger. These can be quite effective films as they drag
the audience into them and make them want to watch more once they
have finished, making them have a larger audience and therefor making
their next production popular before it has been released.
Enigma
The definition of an enigma is a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or
situation. This can be within films or TV programs quite often. A lot of
programs have a section to them that uses an enigma narrative, as it
gives the program something else to entertain the viewers with. The
audience usually get easily interested in watching a program when it has
a scene that doesnt make sense at first. This is because they want to find
out the reasoning for that scene or find out what happens after it.
Climax
The climax of a film or program is the most exciting or
most important part of it. Almost every film or program
has a climax. This is because it is what entertains the
audience the most and its the part that attracts a larger
audience to watch it, as they want to find out more about
it, what will happen afterwards or what happened to lead
up to that point.
Equilibrium
The main definition for equilibrium is a state in which opposing forces or
influences are balanced. In TV programs or films, this means that
something might go wrong in the middle of it, but it will always get fixed
and go back to how it started at the end. Modern family uses this quite
often in some episodes. The episode will start normally, then something
will happen or someone wont be able to do something, but by the end of
the episode they will find a way around it and go back to normal by fixing
it or doing that task, either on their own in some way or with some help.
Representation
Negative
In the terms of negative representation within sitcoms, its never usually
anything big or important. This is because they wouldnt be allowed to be
shown on TV if there was anything in them that was too bad or negative.
The only real negative representation that can be found within sitcoms are
some of the jokes or the humour that is used. Small groups of the
audience may think that some of the joke are bad or not suitable. This is
only really because it is how people see the programs when they are
watching them.
Positive
The positive representation of sitcoms is probably the largest part of it.
With sitcoms being comedies, the jokes in them have to be good enough
to make a large group of people laugh or enjoy them. In modern family,
the positive points to it are probably the jokes and just how everything is
acted out with all of the actors in it. The jokes that they use arent just
spoken, a lot of the time they are acted out so that they are a visual joke,
which sometimes entertains an audience more. Another positive part to it
could be that a lot of people could think that they relate to the fictional
family in the sitcom. This is because of it being a mockumentary, meaning
that it is meant to be scripted and acted out as if they were a real family
in real everyday situations. However, they just make these slightly more
exaggerated so that there is more humour and entertainment to it.
Social Groups
The list of social groups that are shown in most media
productions are: Class, race, age, gender and sexuality. All
of these groups are shown in most sitcoms, as there is a
slight area where there can be humour from them and it
relates more to real life. In modern family, all of the areas
are shown within the fictional family that is in it. With
class, the main father of the family, Jay, is upper class as
he owns a large business and he is a rich man. However,
with one of the spouses, Cameron, he shows a lower class than Jay as he
comes from a farming family background who clearly didnt have as much
money as Jay does. It is also shown when him Mitchell are wanting to buy
the top part to their apartment, but they dont have the money to do it at
first.
Race is shown quite often within the sitcom, but for the small part of
humour that can be gained from it. Cameron and Mitchell have an
adopted daughter called Lily, who was originally Vietnamese. This bring
some jokes that are made between the two parents and Lily that are to do
with her race, however they are only small jokes and there is no harm that
comes from them.
Gender and sexuality are a large group that is shown within modern
family. This is because it is trying to represent all of the modern day
families and groups of people. In the sitcom, there is a gay couple,
Cameron and Mitchell, who go to a bowling alley which is there just for
gay people. I think that this is part of it as it shows how big these social
groups actually are in modern day life. Gender is also a big part of the
show, which can be seen through the women and their actions in it. Gloria,
Jays wife, is a young women who uses her body to her advantage, which
could be seen as sexism towards some viewers, but they make it subtle so
that it doesnt offend anyone. However, Claire, Jays daughter, takes on
more of a masculine role in the sitcom. She becomes the manager of
Jays business and is then a busy person because of her work, which is
usually shown through men. I think they also did this to show what
modern day life is actually like now.
Social Issues
A social issue is a problem that influences a considerable number of the
individuals within a society. It is often the consequence of factors
extending beyond an individual's social issue is the source of a conflicting
opinion on the grounds of what is perceived as a morally just personal life
or societal order. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues;
however, some issues (such as immigration) have both social and
economic aspects. There are also issues that don't fall into either
category, such as warfare.
Stereotyping
Stereotyping can be a large aspect of sitcoms. This
is because it can bring a lot of humour when it is
used correctly. There is some stereotyping within
modern family, because it is set to bring all the
different types of families and people together.
Stereotyping is when someone is positioned with
their stereotypes of a person or group of people. In
modern family, stereotyping is used quite often, however it is sometimes
used on a small level so it can be hard to spot. They dont use it in a bad
way though, they use stereotyping for the humour that can be gained
from it. This is what makes it a successful sitcom and it is what makes it
so that the audience are entertained and enjoy watching it.
Presence and Absence
The terms absence and presence describe fundamental states of being.
For this reason, they are difficult to define without referencing the terms
themselves. The definitions of both terms are self-referential: the fact or
condition of being present and the state of being absent or away. The
difficulty of these terms stems from the fact that they are dependent upon
their original words (present and absent).