TV Formats - Coursework Example

TV FORMATS by Student’s Name Code + Name Course Professor Date Introduction –TV Formats Television formats producers are increasingly getting quick fix, hit and sure shot solutions from TV formats in the modern day highly competitive national television market. Formats cost less money and time to produce compared with creating original shows. Moran and Keane (2004) notes that formats entail linking together television systems, programme ideas, nationalized television industries, and various versions, individual episodes of various versions and systematization of different within repetition. According to Moran and Malbon (2006), a TV format comprises of a set of constant aspects in a programme out of which the variable aspects of an individual episode are generated. Formats are created in the TV market of a particular country and the distributed all over the world, usually maintaining the core of the programme; however, recreating or reproducing some aspects to localize in accordance with the local sensibilities and tastes. Formats are usually created in all programming genre, however the popular ones are in the reality, factual entertainment and game and quiz genres- their localization however does not diminish the show real significance. Formats usually have a high potential for high advertising revenues, phone-in revenue, merchandising, multimedia games as well as other brand extensions in addition to getting the broadcasters considerable viewing figures. All these revenue sources further heighten the appeal of formats for broadcasters. This is evident in the large amounts of mount the broadcasters are willing to pay in some markets or territories for a license or option for the original booming format. The huge revenues have led the international format trade to grow and accelerate considerably over the last decade. The FRAPA Report 2009 showed that the number of traded formats has considerably increased- During the research period, 445 original formats were aired on foreign screens in 2009, which was an increase from 259 in 2002. According to FRAPA Report (2009), the production volume from traded formats increased from €6.4bn to €9.3bn for the years 2002 – 2004 to 2006 – 2008 respectively. The United Kingdom was ranked no. 1 in terms of the number of exported formats, followed by the United States, the Netherlands and Argentina. The format international heavyweights such as Fremantle and Endemol have been facing increasing competition from numerous new players. Some examples of various TV formats include reality TV such as Big Brother; I am a Celebrity-Get me out of Here, Strictly Come Dancing, Britain Got Talent, Pop Idol, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Wife Swap and The Weakest Link. This paper will focus on the different versions of Big Brother in different countries-Australia and Brazil. TV Format-Big Brother The Big Brother reality TV that initially began in Netherlands is a TV format, which has been adopted in numerous countries such as Italy, United States, Brazil, United States, Turkey, South Africa, and Australia among others. The basic concept of the TV format is a group of both men and women living together in a house while under surveillance 24/7 under microphones and cameras. They have to win challenges in order to buy food and luxuries and to receive money. Each week the audience votes out a contestant. The last remaining candidate wins the cash prize. The house is usually watched on pay-per-view digital channels or on the internet. Several weekly and daily shows sum up the happenings and have ex-housemates, experts and other related persons discuss on television (Campanella 2009). The origin of Big Brother in Netherlands reflects the Dutch culture by the concept of the format itself. Zoonen and Aslama (2006) argue that it entails observing of ‘ordinary’ lives of ‘ordinary’ people is said to be part of Dutch culture as it relates to the Dutch tradition of not closing the curtains in the evening and hence allowing by-passers to watch other people’s lives through the large windows. Big Brother Australia and Big Brother Brazil have been modified and localized in accordance with the local sensibilities and tastes. Big Brother Australia usually shows various changes, which relate to the way the Australian culture, is seen. A swimming pool in the main house is a good example of this. The outdoors is an important tool for the get-togethers’ and the challenges. The Australian weather influences the culture and for the producers of Big Brother Australia it seemed important that the aspects are represented. Additionally, the candidates portray Australian way of life through giving outdoor activities and fitness high relevance. Additionally, their generally non-competitive and laid back attitude in challenges is considered typical Australian, particularly to the other Big Brother adaptations (Roscoe 2001). Big Brother Brazil has a very striking aspect in the way the storyline is structured and created. The daily summary of events was turned into a hybrid show through including a narrative of soap operas. Videos, cartons and other usual aspects of Brazilian soap opera dramaturgy are included. This type of editing is unique in the Big Brother history and shows the audience expectation towards television programs in Brazil, a culture that is strongly influenced by telenovelas and soap operas (Campanella 2009). Both Big Brother Brazil and Big Brother Australia are similar in that they are based on the Dutch television series of Big Brother, which was originally created by John de Mol in 1997. Both shows are based on a group of strangers referred to as housemates who live together 24 hours every day of the week isolated from the outside world mainly from things such as television, internet, telephones and newspaper. They are usually watched every single minute by camera and usually have no privacy for three months. Like the original Big Brother, in both the TV formats, there is a grand cash prize for the last housemate who avoids the weekly eviction. In Big Brother Brazil, after every eviction, other than the first week, the housemates usually compete to become the head of the household. The head is chosen by winning a weekly physical endurance challenge, which is derived from a particular skill, a lucky event, or a general knowledge quiz. He or she is awarded special privileges such as a personal private bedroom, maid service and gifts or photos from home and is also not nominated. The head usually nominate one housemate for eviction. Though only one housemate retains the Leader privileges and responsibilities for a week, there have been exceptions. The heads usually reign for a short period during a double eviction week- the first head reigns for a period between one hour and three days whereas the second head reigns for the remaining days. During such time, the first head does not receive some special privileges such as using the private bedroom. There have also been instances when two housemates share the head position. In Big Brother Brazil, a power of immunity is introduced and determined in different seasons such as season 8 and season 3. The housemate granted this power is at times allowed to choose another housemate to save from eviction. There was an exception in season 7 when the chosen housemate was granted the Power of Veto to invalidate the saving power. Since season8, the housemate granted the power of immunity has also been given the power to punish one or more housemates and instruct them to undertaken an unpleasant party or forbid them to go to the party. There is also a food or estaleca competition in Big Brother Brazil, which enables the housemates to win estaleca or food for the week. The housemates usually work as a group or in teams or individually in the competitions, which are mostly games of skills. The Estaleca (Z$) was introduced in Season 5 and it is the house official currency. Every housemate usually has their personal credit card with some set amount of Estalecas. The housemates usually use their currency to buy things for using in the house such as food, rent items for their own use, and even buy luxurious products or services. The weekly winner of the Estaleca competition usually gets the right to do the house shopping and choose what the housemates will eat for the following week. The Estalecas is treated like any other normal currency and the value of the products can deflate or inflate. During the Sunday live nomination shows, the head of the house and the power of immunity winner nominate their respective housemates for eviction. The remaining housemates then vote on the housemate they want to face an elimination match in the Diary room. The most voted housemate is sent to the elimination match and faces the two other housemates nominated by the head of the house and the power of immunity winner. An audience poll usually begins by internet, SMS, or phone to determine the two or three housemates who will face elimination. The nomination show is followed by a Live Eviction show on Tuesday also regarded as the eviction night. This is whereby the poll results are revealed and the highest voted contestant faces an elimination and eviction from the house. The evicted contestant usually prepares and leaves the house immediately after the show. After leaving the house, the evicted contestant is usually greeted by a live crowd, which usually cheers or boos him or her according to his or her popularity. There is usually a live final show where the winner is announced and awarded the cash prize. In this last show, only about two or three contestants are in the house- these are contestants who have survived many evictions. The public is then usually asked to cast their votes for the contest they want to win the cash prize. The winner is usually the housemate with the most votes. A cheering crowd usually meets the surviving housemates who leave the house together as well as a fireworks display. Big Brother Brazil usually introduce different twists in different seasons of the show, for instance in Big Brother Brazil, the house was separated into a rich and poor area. A white room as well as a Glasshouse was introduced and the white room led to a housemate withdrawal from the show after the third week. In Season 10, the house was divided into cliques where a whole clique was safe from being evicted in case one of their members became a head of the house. There was also introduction of a Higher Power during this season, which could overthrow the house vote, or the head of the house vote. Big Brother Brazil 11 featured a saboteur, whose role was to undertake a number of tasks in order to disrupt the housemates’ life to win $ 10,000. The public was allowed to vote for a housemate to go back to the house. The winner of Big Brother Brazil wins a cash prize $ 1.5 million. Big Brother Australia Version Like Big Brother Brazil, the housemates are usually under the Big Brother’s control at all times, Big Brother is an authority figure who enforces and monitors the housemates behaviors, sets tasks as well as punishments and offers the method for the housemates to make external requests. In order to support the well-being of the housemates, the housemates are allowed 24 hour access to a doctor and a psychologist. Like Big Brother Brazil, the winner in this competition receives a cash prize for emerging one of the contestants who have survived the most evictions and the highest voted for by the public. These are some of the similarities between the two formats of Big Brother in Brazil and Australia; nonetheless, there are some differences in the formats. For instance, in Big Brother Australia, there is a fine system, which was introduced in 2005 whereby the $ 1,000,000 cash prize decreases by $ 5,000 every time a housemate violates the rules set by the Big Brother. The 2006 season house also had a punishment room whereby the housemates were sent for punishment in addition to the set fine. In the 2007 version, the producers subtracted the monetary fines from the house budget instead of the prize money; however, they maintained the punishment room. In 2012, they introduced a small and rectangular kind of shaped room, which was connected to the lounge. The room was regarded as the naughty corner. There were no fines in the 2008 season; however, Big Brother mostly used the original striking system whereby housemates who received three strikes were evicted from the house. The other distinguishing aspect, which distinguishes Big Brother Australia from Big Brother Brazil, lies in the nominations. A very strongly enforced and important rule of Big Brother Australia is that the housemates are not allowed to discuss the use of twists or nominations. In particular, not all the housemates are allowed to disclose to their fellow housemates the persons they nominated earlier, the person they play to nominate in future nominations or the persons they have used their Twists on. They are also not allowed to make assumptions on the persons who might attract nominations votes and the reasons. Big Brother bans all such discussions and considers them collusion as they serve to give some contestants a competitive advantage. Housemates who break the rule incur punishments, fines or they lose their right to nominate in the next round. The other distinguishing aspect is the intruders’ aspect where the show producers add new housemates as an on-going housemate when the series is ongoing. Producers usually attempt to add the housemates who may add a considerable change or stir up things in the house. Such contestants are eligible to win the ultimate cash prize however in most seasons they do not last very long in the house. From the above analysis, it is evident that both Big Brother Australia and Big Brother Brazil share similar aspects however they differ in various aspects. This difference arises to localize some aspects in accordance with the local sensibilities and tastes and to capture a large number of viewers and increase revenue. The adaptation ensures that the local tastes of the views and their culture is taken into consideration (Mittel 2004). For instance, since the Australian culture is strongly influenced by telenovelas and soap operas, the Big Brother series producers consider this and incorporate some aspects of this in the series. The differences thus arise from the need to adapt an increasingly transnational television format to reflect the local socio-cultural sensibilities. The different formats have provided producers with a license for experimenting with the ideas of the original format. The differences reflect the role that the national media system plays in the extent of and concrete production of the international format local adaptation in the two countries. According to McFadyen, Hoskins and Finn (2000) the local audience does not usually identify with foreign programs to a similar extent as if they were watching a program that is produced locally. In this sense, the two different formats of Big Brother minimize cultural discounts because they are neutral linguistically and are filled with local agents and settings, local cultural and social values and local institutions. Reference List Big Brother Brazil Big Brother Australia Campanella, B 2009, TV Review: Big Brother in Brazil, Global Media and Communication, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 137-140 McFadyen, S, Hoskins, C & Finn, A 2000, Cultural industries from an Economic/Business Research Perspective, Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 25, p.1 Mittel, J 2004, Genre and Television, Routledge, New York. Moran, A & Malbon, J 2006, Understanding the Global TV Format, Intellect Books, Bristol. Moran, A, & Keane, M 2006, Cultural Power in International TV Format Markets, Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 71-86 Roscoe, J 2001, Big Brother Australia. Performing the ‘real’ twenty-four-seven, International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 473-88. The FRAPA Report 2009, TV Formats to the World, viewed January 1 2013, www.frapa.org/ Zoonen, V & Aslama, M 2006, Understanding Big Brother: An analysis of current research. European Journal of Cultural Studies vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 85–96. Read More