A 2500 word Production Plan Portfolio

This module offers you an accessible introduction to the study of television genres and will identify significant conventions, forms and debate surrounding their function when consumed and interpreted by audiences. The module will also critically examine the classification of texts and whether this is an appropriate approach to consider contemporary schedule output. The module intends to allow you to explore and reflect upon the range of television forms, with a particular emphasis upon popular programming and their relationship within the multi-channel broadcast climate. The theoretical issues surrounding genre and the aesthetic pleasures created by these will be addressed through specific reference to the more familiar genres, such as 'soap' & 'sport' and will also introduce alternative genres such as black comedy and avant-garde television. The module will include specific case studies on:

Soap Opera
Sports TV
Black comedy
Access Television
Make-over TV
Avant-garde TV
Music
Chat shows
Current Affairs
Police & Crime

The second half of the module will consider the ways in which genre construction can be applied to thedevelopment of a programme format, taking into account audience, text, reception and other contributing factors affecting the pre-production stages.

There will be a programme of weekly lectures for the whole of the module and seminars for the first half of the module. The remainder seminar time will be devoted to group tutorials to discuss TV genre programme ideas and programme form plans. There will be some short pieces of formative work, which will contribute to the production portfolio.

Glen Creeber (ed.), The Television Genre Book (London: BFI, 2001).
Glen Creeber (ed.), Fifty Key Television Programmes (London: Arnold, 2004).
John Fiske, Television Culture (London: Methuen, 1987).

Library, Media lab access to the internet, Film Theatre, TV/DVD/Video playback facilities. Stephen Griffiths, updated 31.03.04
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available (where relevant) to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.