Reality Television

REALITY TELEVISION GOOD OR BAD?

Achievement Standard 1.5 • Worth 3 credits

• You are writing a persuasive article to be published in

a book that will explain young people’s views to an adult audience.

• Your piece of writing should be at least 350 words. • Your article should clearly present your opinion about

the topic.

• You may argue one side of a topic or you may present

arguments for both sides.

Where do we see formal writing? • Newspapers articles • Film/Novel reviews • Literary pieces

• Literary responses • Letter Writing

• Opinion Pieces

Purpose of Formal Writing To inform, persuade and communicate with a variety of different audiences. This can be done in many different types of mediums e.g. Newspapers, Magazines, Books, Internet etc.

FORMAL WRITING GUIDELINES • No Abbreviations Write out words like New Zealand,

• •

• •

television, and Presentation. Always write out the word "and"; do not use symbols like "+" or "&." No Slang Don't use slang like "guys," "I like, really, don’t think so," "cops," "flunked," "he was really cool," etc. No etc. Don't use "etc." in your formal writing. If there is more to say, you need to say it, not allude to it through the use of "etc." No Contractions Write out "he is" not "he's"; write out "who is," not "who's"; write out "do not," not "don't"; etc. No Extra Words Avoid extra words like "well," "anyway," or "you know" that have no meaning. Don't write "I think" or "in my opinion"; because this is your writing, the point of view is clearly yours.

FORMAL WRITING GUIDELINES • Avoid First or Second Person In a formal paper, only third

person is acceptable: he she, it they, and related forms (one, the reader, etc.). Don't use first (we, I, me, my, us, our, etc.) or second (you, your, yours) person unless approved by the teacher. • Write Out Numbers Spell out numbers: "six" not '"6"; twentythree" not "23." Dates and long numbers may be written numerically: 1997, 1845, 1,234,890. • Titles: Underline titles of major works or place them in italics: novels, plays, movies, etc. Short works (short stories, poems, etc.) should be in quotation marks.

• Proofread Check your paper for typing,

spelling, and grammatical errors.

• Quotations NEVER copy an author's words without using

quotations and crediting the source.

Layout of a formal essay • Introduction • Paragraph 1 • Paragraph 2 • Paragraph 3 • Conclusion

Introduction It needs to state your argument or topic, introduce your main points Grab the audience’s attention (rhetorical questions, surprising statistic) Make the reader want to carry on reading your essay.

Body This is the most important part!! It includes your ideas mentioned in your introduction. Aim for three ideas with each being explained in a new paragraph. Start with the strongest point and place your weakest point in the 2nd paragraph. Use SEXY for each of your ideas. For the Your Opinion part – avoid using the words “I believe”. . Instead use phrases like: “This highlights” or “This proves” or “In order for society”. Or even place a suggestion or rhetorical question.

Conclusion This is the last part of your essay and should leave the reader to think about what they have just read. Restate the main points of your essay, reinforce your attitude without introducing any new information and give a strong thought provoking statement or rhetorical question.

Videos Why is Reality TV so popular? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAnAoM96wxE • Reality TV is Not the Real World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJA27h6ETc&feature=related

History of Reality Television • Reality TV as we know it began back in

1992 when MTV first broadcast The Real World.

• It was an experimental show • 7 people from different backgrounds

• Live together for several months and

have their interactions filmed. • It wasn't even known as reality TV back then, more so as a documentary. http://www.reality-tv-online.com/articles/history-reality-tv.html

Survivor • It was in 2002 when CBS's

blockbuster hit called Survivor finally gave reality tv a name. • A cast of regular people were exiled to a desert island to survive and undermine each other to win the Grand prize of one million dollars. • Elizabeth Hasslebeck is now a

famous star in her own right thanks to Survivor

The negative changes • Another way reality tv has changed is that it is

much more graphic now. • In the first season of The Real World, it was real people living together. • Now it has become seven people who are acting as they think they should based on the past sixteen seasons. • Sex has become rampant since the Las Vegas season and roommate hookups, something only thought of the first few seasons, is now common place.

IN OTHER WORDS – THE MORE DRAMA THE BETTER PEOPLE SIMPLY BECAME OVERWHELMED AND BORED WITH TV, SO THEY CONSTANTLY REINVENT THE GENRE

The good • Trista and Ryan

from The Bachelor

• Found love for

one another

• Now they are

married and have a child

• ABC paid for

their million dollar wedding

The good and the bad • The Kardashian Family now

earn millions of dollars through their reality show and their endorsement deals.

• They find it difficult to film

their series because of the cult following they have occurred.

• Should Baby Mason be

filmed? What are his right?

• Do they value their privacy?

The bad • People love to

stereotype humans , here are just a few examples.

• Omarosa from the

Apprentice, America hated her.

• Is it okay to publicize

negative behaviour? Eg Nicole “Snookis” drunken arrest?

The Sad • Jade Goodie’s life was enriched

financially, once she had appeared in Big Brother • She was foul-mouthed to the point of bullying. The producers had introduced her for ratings – and it worked. • The end result shamed her, and the nation, with accusations of racism and bullying. • Her star began to fade but the outpouring of public goodwill, once it was clear that she wouldn’t survive the cancer, was amazing.

The Ugly • Susan Boyle • Found international acclaim

as a singer

• Pressure to conform to the

industry’s expectations

• Following the shows finale,

she suffered a mental break down

• Does money buy happiness?

Media Effects • Some critics believe that audiences take in without question, and are influenced

by anything, that the media throws at them. They describe the audience as passive. This is sometimes known as ‘the effects model’ or ‘the hypodermic syringe theory.’ • People who believe in the effects model often assume that:

 people (and society) will be ‘dumbed down’ by watching

reality TV  audiences may be influenced by the ideas and values in some reality shows (e.g. celebrity, getting something for nothing, putting other people down, etc)  certain types of viewers – e.g. teenagers, lower social grades, the less educated – are more vulnerable to such influences. Reality TV is often said to inspire crime cases, ‘copycat’, anti-social or passive behaviour.

Satisfying Our Needs • The ‘Four Needs’ (or ‘Uses and Gratifications’) theory by Blumler and

Katz suggests that audiences use the media in four different ways. • Entertainment and diversion: to find personal pleasure and

enjoyment; emotional release from everyday life and its problems. • Surveillance and information: to learn about the world, new experiences, other people; to satisfy curiosity; acquire new knowledge. • Personal relationships: to enhance and explore relationships with other people, find companionship or substitute friendships on screen. • Personal identity: to find support and reinforcement for one’s values and beliefs; to help understand oneself; to help explore one own identity. • How far might these explain the popularity of reality TV with audiences?

How do Audiences Watch? Different ‘Readings’ of a Reality Show • Some people find The X Factor offensive or tedious, others find it riveting;

some find CBB fascinating, others find it idiotic. How you respond depends on who you are, your background, age, attitudes and values. • Some critics identify 3 main ways in which viewers react to – or ‘read’ – a

text. • The preferred reading (the way the producers want you to see it)

The X Factor is great family entertainment and full of lovely Cheryl Cole and talent. • The negotiated reading

The X Factor is OK but only for older, undiscriminating, couch potatoes. • The oppositional reading (opposed to the way the producers want you to see it)

The X Factor is offensive and degrading to contestants, is destroying the music industry, and undermines originality and creativity.

• How do you read The X Factor?

Scheduling

Targeting the Audience • ‘stripping’ a programme at the same time daily over a week • finding the right time-slot for the target audience's needs; • running repeats, extras, special events • personalising with online and on-demand downloads

Interactivity (the latest buzzword – what every producer wants to achieve) • phone-ins, votes, competitions, web-based forums, chat-rooms, social network groups, text-message updates etc.

Synergy • keeping you interested through cross-media promotions –

merchandising, websites, presenters/participants on TV and radio talk-shows, photo-opportunities and PR stories in the press, lifestyle and celeb magazines and so on.

• Which methods work for you?

Group Activity- Reality Bites • Get into groups of 4-5 and complete the

following hand out.

• You will have 15minutes to complete the task. • Be prepared to share and justify your

answers

•

These questions will help you to formulate your point of view when it comes time to write.

Positives and Negatives As a class we are going to brainstorm as many positive and negatives of Reality Television.

Try to think of specific examples, to help back up your argument  Split your page into 2 halves and rule up your page.

Editing: How many mistakes can you find?

Anthony Visits Nick On sunday, Anthony went over to Nicks house to play basketball. They played a gam of one-on-one. Anthony made six baskets, bute nick made eight Nick was the winner. After the game, both boys whent in side to have some snack’s and watch television.

Editing: How many mistakes can you find?

Miniature Golf Phil Matthew, and Andrew played miniature golf. On the first hole, Phil got a hole-in-one! At another hole, Matthew's Ball went into the water The best golfur of the day was Andrew who finished with a score of 28. Everyone had a grate tim

10 Types of Reality Shows 1.Talk Shows 2.Game Shows 3.Celebrity Shows - these include celebrity documentary style shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List, as well as celeb based dating shows like Flavor of Love and Rock of Love 4.Fly on the Wall Shows - these include shows like Big Brother, whose premise is simply throwing people into a unique living situation and filming the results 5.Dating Shows - these include single episode dating shows like Fifth Wheel as well as dating shows that depict a search for a partner over several episodes, like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette 6.Competition Shows - these shows are different from game shows in that they span several episodes and include things like Survivor and The Amazing Race

10 Types of Reality Shows 7.Job Based Shows - these programs have a competition component but the prize and the challenges are all based around a particular career. Think of The Apprentice, Top Chef and Project Runway 8.Hoax Based Shows - hoax based reality shows feature the manipulation of either all of the participants or some of the participants. This includes shows like My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancée and Joe Millionaire 9. Hidden Camera Shows - Hidden camera shows are in the style of Candid Camera and Punk'd 10. Talent Shows - these are among the most popular reality shows and include things like American Idol and America's

Got Talent

Could you be a reality Star? Producers look for people who are: Opinionated and outspoken and Display outrageous behaviour while being Attention seekers and sometimes be Aggressive towards other Then they mix these crazy cats with: Shy, quiet and seemingly “normal” people PLUS more opinionated and aggressive people to create

How real is it? • Generally there are hundreds of hours worth of

footage , cut and edited to make an episode which is generally between 22 to 48 minutes long!

• Scenes are reshoot.

• Hair, make up and stylists to help them get ready for

the day.

• Ads promoting the show use voice clips to misconstrue

what really happens in a episode.

Mark Schedule Achievement

Achievement with Achievement with Merit Excellence

Develop and structure ideas in formal writing.

Develop and structure ideas convincingly in formal writing.

Develop and structure ideas effectively in formal writing.

Use language features appropriate to audience and purpose in formal writing.

Use language features appropriate to audience and purpose with control in formal writing.

Use language features appropriate to audience and purpose with control to command attention in formal writing.

Language features: • Personal Pronouns • Statistics • Rhetorical Questions • Triple construction • Repetition • Incomplete sentences • Vary your sentence lengths

Do it now! • Get out the assessment hand out from Tuesday. • Read the merit and achieved exemplars.

Underline language techniques of both exemplars as you read: • Personal Pronouns • Statistics/ Examples • Rhetorical Questions • Triple construction • Repetition • Incomplete sentences

Activity • You are going to rewrite the introduction of

the Bullying Article (Not Achieved exemplar).

• You are going to rewrite it from the negative

point of view. Make sure you include a convincing 3 reasons why bullying is negative.

• Be prepared to share your intro with the class

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Introduction- Enticing your readers to want to carry on reading • A strong opening: This will command your readers’

attention from the start. Imagine your reader is asking “Why should I care?”

• A clearly stated opinion: Your case should be clearly

and strongly stated so that it is easy for readers to understand your point of view.

• State your 3 main points

Example Bullying is an issue we all need fight together. Imagine seeing a punch being delivered to one of your fellow classmates. That person falls to the ground. They hit the ground. They die. All whilst other students are filming this fight with their cell phones. Every year more and more students are being bullied and the footage is being uploaded to YouTube. Bullying is a reality for every school in New Zealand and with the advances in social media and technology, bullying is increasing throughout our country.

Paragraphs Statement- which states your main point. Explanation – Explain your point of view and the reasons behind it. You need to be convincing so the more explanation the better. Example- Use specific statistics, examples and quotes.

Opinion- avoid using the words “I believe”. . Instead use phrases like: “This highlights” or “This proves” or “In order for society”. Or even place a suggestion or rhetorical question.

Conclusion • Re-state your opinion and your three

points. Finish off on a strong point.

Try using language features: • Personal Pronouns • Statistcs • Rhetorical Questions • Triple construction • Repetition • Incomplete sentences • Vary your sentence lenghts

Proofreading  strengthen your opening to command attention  replace informal words or phrases with words more appropriate for

formal writing  improve the flow of your sentences  vary the way your sentences start  improve the links between ideas  add more supporting evidence  add explanations to link your evidence to your ideas.  Proofing means that you should check your work carefully for errors. Here is a list of some common problems in student writing:  missing punctuation (for example, full stops, commas, apostrophes, speech marks)  missing or misused capital letters  incomplete or incorrect sentences  incorrect paragraphing  misspelt words  mixed-up tenses

Formal Writing Checklist Check for missing punctuation(for

example, full stops, commas, apostrophes, speech marks) Capital letters for names, places. All words need to be spelt in full e.g Television All

titles of TV shows needs to be italics. Print your work off and read out loud to help you find the errors