COMM1073

Post 2 : Terror News – Liveness & Interrupted Flow

Posted on by Karen Anne Wei (s3498079)

The 9/11 terrorist attack is one of the most shocking and devastating catastrophe captured on live television. The above video clip is the Live Unedited CNN News Coverage on 11 September 2011 from 8.50am – 11.30am.

The news is always structured, segmented and prepared. When a crisis happens, the terror news erupts spontaneously and takes over the schedules (Marriot 2011).Live_Television_Time_Space_and_the_Broadcast_Event

From the beginning of the clip, it is evident that the live coverage interrupts an advertisement with the voice-over of presenter saying “This just in…”. This interruption highlights the fact that live tv, just like real-like occurrences, are unexpected. This is explained in a Gadassik reading (Spring 2010)  : “the attraction of television liveness, as an ideological (or simulated?) media construction, depends precisely on such brief, unexpected ruptures in television’s controlled daily flow.

Gadassik (At a Loss for Words: Televisual Liveness and Corporeal Interruption) : https://lms.rmit.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-6027190-dt-content-rid-12384773_1/courses/COMM2626_1510/Alla%20Gadassik_Televisual%20Liveness%20and%20Corporeal%20Interruption.pdf

Marriot’s article on the Live Event also mentions getting information directly (first-hand witness) and from second or third hand knowledge from external sources at the scene of the event. In the case of the 9/11 coverage, the anchors relied heavily (for at least the first 15 minutes of the coverage) on eye-witnesses and people that had a different viewing perspective of the World Trade Centre. The anchors themselves were taken aback and unsure of what was happening, and just speculating to fill air time. They had multiple phone interviews with different people to get eye-witness information, which also led to the anchor not being able to be fully in charge of the news “program”, as evident from 12:28 to 14:32 when the eye-witness Winston was just going on about what he saw and what he is currently witnessing, and the anchor was trying to get him on hold after awhile, saying “let me put Winston on hold for just a moment…i just don’t want to panic here on the air”. This sudden reliance on many third party sources via the phone live on air is an intrusion of routine, and the anchors are seen at this point trying to gain control to get some “routine” back in the broadcast even if they are improvising.

I agree with Mary Ann Doane cited in Gadassik who argued that “the catastrophe is crucial to television” because that disruption of flow brings about the realness. In this case, the realness of the catastrophe is best conveyed to the audience tuning in to the broadcast through first-hand reports. Later in the coverage, CNN had their reporters on the rooftops where they could be both eye witnesses while anchoring. The unanticipated reactions of the anchors while reporting also add to the liveness of the coverage, as no one is certain of what might come out of their mouths next, just like how no one is certain what was going to happen to the World Trade Centre next at that moment.

I feel that terror news reports are the fastest and best way for the world to witness what is happening “live”, and at least for those moments, the information and content of the broadcast are ad-libbed – a break from the scheduled and structured way television programmes would run.

Post 1 : Dead Set – A Black Comedy

Posted on by Karen Anne Wei (s3498079)

The title itself is a play on words – Dead Set.

The 5 episode television series is set in the UK and revolves around a popular favourite reality TV show Big Brother, where the contestant/housemates have to live in the specially constructed house where they are monitored during their entire stay, and are dictated by the omnipresent Big Brother. When a zombie outbreak plays out, the Big Brother house becomes a shelter from the zombies. The contestants are also oblivious to the catastrophe for most parts of the first episode.

The first thought I had in relation to the wordplay was how reality or trash TV has a zombifiying effect on its audience, and how the audience and contestants are so consumed and obsessed with the human characters. Almost to a form of worship, as evident from the large turn out for the live elimination in the first episode.  In episode 4, one of the contestants even says “This place (Big Brother House) used to be like a church to them”. The consumption of reality television is interpreted in an article by Paul Mezo (Metro Magazine p96)  where different character archetypes are “plated up” for the viewers to deliberately reflect stereotypes that are popular in reality television internationally. Viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at how Big Brother is produced, which show how every single element of the show has been planned with the motive of encapsulating and keeping the audience entertained, to keep them wanting more.

In an interview with the creator Charlie Brooker, he explained that he was creeped out by the camera run during eviction, which he described was like a quiet dark aquarium, with creatures on the other side of the glass unaware of your existence. He expressed “…so you start to think how scary it would be if there was something in the camera run, and you didn’t know it was there. So it could see you, but you couldn’t see it”. This is played out in Dead Set when a zombie finds its way into the camera run and the contestants had no idea it was there.

Link : http://www.cultbox.co.uk/interviews/syndicated/charlie-brooker-dead-set-interview

Dead Set also reveals the kinds of people behind such productions. The Producer in particular is portrayed as a verbally abusive, bad-mannered brute who ill-treats the rest of the cast and crew, all for the sake of good television. In episode 4, he goes so far as to say “I hired her (Davina), I can do what I like”. His crude persona can be read as a stereotype of how television producers are like, in order for the show to run effectively.

The producer(s) want to feed their content to gratify the mass audience. They know what the audience wants, the types of characters which will be popular and dramatic moments etc. Mezo also suggests that we (the viewers), if unconscious of what we are watching, may ingest all the images and narratives, just like how the zombies would eat everything, which can potentially have a negative impact on us (p97). This reminded me of the Hypodermic Needle theory that I learned before, which suggests that media messages get injected into the brains of the passive audience.

The television to the viewers of Dead Set and Big Brother is perfectly summed up by Simon Pegg who wrote in The Guardian (4 Nov 2008) about the series “As a satire, it took pleasing chunks out of media bumptiousness and, more significantly, the aggressive collectivism demonstrated by the lost souls who waste their Friday nights standing outside the Big Brother house, baying for the blood of those inside”.

This got me thinking – are we really like the zombies to devour whatever is presented to us on television, wanting more and more? That is something to ponder on, especially since my weekends are mostly spent binge watching such shows, and craving for the next season or episode when I’m done.