The Concept of Audience Impact - Assignment Example

Comparison of Concepts between Two Essays The objective of the current dis is to compare concepts from two strikingly different essays: one is written by Stuart Fischoff (2012) entitled “Confession of a TV Talk Show Shrink” and the other essay is entitled “Movies and History” written by Eric Foner and John Sayles. One concept which apparently was similarly discussed in the two essays is the concept of audience impact. That movies, films, talk shows, or other literary works of art are created to serve the demands of the audience. According to Sayles, “You do the things that you think are going to strike people” (Foner and Sayles 137). In a follow up question by Foner who inquired whether “the portrayal of White Sox owner Charles Comiskey in Eight Men Out (was) accurate” (Foner and Sayles 138); Sayles responded by stating that: “what I tend to do is to make these guys a little bit more appealing than they really were so that people would believe them” (Foner and Sayles 138). This was clearly corroborated by Fischoff who asserted that talk shows exist to satisfy the demands of the audience. As contented, “the audience provides tribal impact, people provoking people to say and do things they would never say or do” (Fischoff: The Jeering Crowd par. 1). Thus, these authors have similarly affirmed the relevance of the audience in the creation of a film or a talk show, for that matter. Another concept that emerged from the essays is the relevant facet of catering to a particular gender. In “Movies and History”, Foner openly disclosed that “not many historical films are really that interested in women” (Foner and Sayles 149); of which, Sayles responded that “about ninety-five percent of them were directed by men. The decision-makers who finance the big films are also ninety to ninety-five percent men. So part of it is just a lack of interest in women’s stories” (Foner and Sayles 149). On the contrary, in Fischoff’s essay, it was revealed that “like the soaps, shopping networks, and endless women-in-jeopardy movies of the week, talk shows owe their popularity primarily to women. They constitute over 70 percent of the viewing audiences” (Fischoff: Help, I've Tuned In par. 3). These authors have disclosed that gender influences the creation of a film or talk show. Although, it was taking the perspectives of the creators for the creation of historical movies, who were identified to be predominantly male, it was interesting that the gender of the audiences were not taken into consideration. On the other hand, in talk shows, it was clearly identified that since the composition of the audiences were predominantly women, therefore, the subject should actually cater to the demands of these women. There has been some revelation regarding the concept of taking diverse perspectives or points of view when creating or viewing a film or a talk show. It was therefore insinuated that “talk shows occupy two realities. There's the reality of witnessing a talk show on television in the familiar, benign environment of your home--the "passive reality." Then there's the "active reality" of actually being a guest or expert confronted by the kaleidoscope of glaring studio lights, perambulating cameras, charismatic hosts, stares of the studio audiences, and the mesmerizing fact of being on television” (Fischoff: Circus Gratuitus par. 2). On the other hand, Foner seemed to corroborate the points of view concept when he indicated that “there may be more than one accurate version of history. In other words, there may be not just one “correct” view of something, with all other views incorrect” (Foner and Sayles 147). Simply put, these authors were trying to relay that the in the creation of a film or a talk show, several points of views or perspectives need to be taken into context. The point of view that is finally projected to the audience could be revealed as that which is significantly deemed most acceptable to all stakeholders given the situation at hand. Concurrently, there is also the concept of using expert opinions in the making of a historical film or in using experts in talk shows. Fischoff realized that experts “give the talk show a frisson of legitimacy. But in the main, experts are the laugh track to help audiences identify whom to blame, whom to side with, and who ‘just doesn't get it’” (Fischoff: Call in the Clowns par. 3). On the other hand, when asked whether historians’ expertise need to be sought when making historical movies, Foner emphasized that when a historian’s professional expertise was sought regarding details of the Ganhi film, the historian, Ainslee Embree, reported to teach history of India in Columbia, noted a lot of “little historical errors that were of no importance to the drama…and, of course, not a single one of them was changed” (Foner and Sayles 140). These disclosures just prove that in film making or in talk shows, experts opinions are only needed in so far as they jive with the format of the show; and that their opinion or expertise does not, in any way, significantly detract what is expected by the audience. Finally, there is the concept of whatever the producer of the show wants, the way or manner that the film or that the talk show is created is definitely impacted. This was proven from the narration of Sayles who asserted that “preserving the spirit of what happened is really up to the filmmaker’s abilities and intentions, though his work can be changed enormously by the studio and later by the test audience” (Foner and Sayles 142). This was corroborated by Fischoff who averred that in one situation, he, as the expert, was told to wear a costume of a referee to emphasize the role of a mediator: “he Montel Williams Show became corrupted by its own modicum of success and its quest for ratings. The day I got a call from one of the show's producer-bookers to mediate battles between couples in a boxing ring while wearing a striped referee costume, I knew the wind had shifted. Montel had joined the talk show circus in earnest” (Fischoff par. 19). These author validated that although there have been some agenda or manner that filmmakers or even experts expect movies and talk shows to be structured, the end result could significantly change depending on the producers’ ideas or the audiences’ demands. The current discourse has thereby presented a comparative analysis of concepts which appeared in the two essays written by Fischoff and Foner and Sayles, respectively. The concepts that were evidently compared delved in the following: audience impact; catering to a particular gender; taking diverse perspectives; use of experts; following what the producer wants. As such, the textual discourses were effectively analyzed through comparison and discussion of the abovementioned concepts. Works Cited Fischoff, Steven. "Confession of a TV Talk Show Shrink." 15 June 2012. Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/confession-tv-talk-show-shrink. 23 July 2013. Foner, Eric and John Sayles. "Movies and History." n.d. 133-150. Print. Read More