Television - Research Paper Example

San Francisco is a place where many television shows have been shot and produced, or where storylines of shows take place. Starting from the old westerns and up until modern television shows, its been one of the most popular places to either film a show or where the shows storyline takes place.One show that was shot in San Francisco is called "The Streets of San Francisco", which was a 1970s police drama than ran for five years between 1972 and 1977. The show was about two police officers who investigated homicides in the "city by the bay".

The city of San Francisco and its sights were incorporated very well in the show, as locations in the city were shown each episode and given the emphasis and focus on the city itself and its popular locations.Another show that was shot in San Francisco was a reality show called "The Real World: San Francisco" and featured various people from the city living together for a few months in a sealed house and being followed and monitored by cameras. The city itself was clearly not incorporated in the show, but the mentality of the city and its residents was expressed as all of the contestants were local.

A show called MythBusters was also filmed in San Francisco. It was a popular science program that focused on urban legends, popular beliefs, rumors and other myths. In each episode, the cast would focus on one or more of those and go out to try and prove or disprove them. The locations the crew went to were all in San Francisco, but the city doesnt play a major role in the show.Contrary to these shows, many shows have been filmed in other locations, mainly Los Angeles or Vancouver for example, but "took place" in San Francisco.

In other words, the plot was about the city of San Francisco, while the show wasnt actually shot in the city.For example, the popular show Charmed was filmed in Los Angeles but also featured opening and closing shots of San Francisco, especially the Golden Gate Bridge and skyscrapers in the city. The show was about three sisters who were witches and that fought the forces of evil, including demons, warlocks, evil witches, and dark wizards and so on. In this show, the city was always in the background.

Although it wasnt shot in San Francisco, the filming locations tried to give the sensation of San Francisco. Also, there were many scenes featuring the Golden Gate Bridge and taking place in it.One other example for such a show is the show Full House, which told the story of a widower named Danny Tanner who is raising his three young daughters with the help of his best friend and his brother-in-law. In the shows opening and closing songs, the Golden Gate Bridge appears, as the family is driving through the bridge.

Other locations of the city were also used from time to time, but not very frequently.Finally, a show called "Have Gun- Will travel" was a western television series which followed the adventures of Paladin, a gentlemen/gunfighter who preferred to settle problems in a non-violent way. He lived in the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco that was constantly shot and incorporated into the storyline, but the show wasnt filmed there at all. However, the city of San Francisco was a main component of the show and was deeply felt in the content of the show right up until the final episode, in which Paladin leaves the city.

In summation, a relatively large number of shows were either filmed in San Francisco or supposedly took place in San Francisco. 47 shows fit the description of one of these demands, as well as many more movies.Decades ago, it was more common for shows to be filmed in San Francisco and many other cities, sometimes even not in the United States but in Canada. Today, with the modernization and dominance of Hollywood in the television and movie industry, the vast majority of television shows and movies are filmed in Los Angeles, and only a handful of movies and shows are filmed elsewhere.

Still, the common use of San Francisco as a location for many shows continues to exist, which alludes to its importance and significance.