Tasks & exercises

Charlie Sheen & Voyeurism

charlie-sheen-voyeurism.pdf (35.4 kb)

Time perspective: 30 minutes
Working method: Pair-work
Product: A written reflection on reality TV and voyeurism

American psychiatrist and writer Mark Goulston reflects on why human beings are attracted to other people's lives. Read the six points and try to answer the questions. Remember to write down your answers.

Reality of Reality Television

reality_of_realitytv.pdf (102 kb)

Time perspective: 40 minutes
Working method: Individual work, pair-work or group work
Product: A visual illustration/poster of the different sub-genres of reality television

The Indian writer Ronaq Zahoor presents a definiton of reality television and the different sub-genres in the opening chapters of her book Reality of Reality Television (2021). Read the text and create a visual illustration of the different sub-genres of reality television.

Black Mirror - Fifteen Million Merits (2011)

Time perspective: 45 minutes
Working method: Group work
Product: Written analysis and subsequent class discussion
Aims of the exercise: Analysis, communication

Analyse Charlie Brooker 's Black Mirror , season one episode two, Fifteen Million Merits (2011) focusing on the characters, themes and setting. Try also to consider the use of cinematic techniques. Write down your analytical observations and be prepared to discuss and share your analysis in class.

Dated and related (2022)

Time perspective: 45 minutes
Working method: Group work
Product: Written answers to questions
Aims of the exercise: Analysis, communication, genre overview

Dated and Related is a British reality TV series presented by Melinda Berry. It was released on Netflix on September 2, 2022. Answer the questions below related to the first episode, Set Free the Siblings, of season one, as well as the show in general.

Questions
1. Describe the narrative arc of the episode.
2. How are the participants introduced?
3. What is the premise ¹ of the series?
4. What type of reality show is this?
4. Identify the elements of fiction and non-fiction used on the show.

Elements of fiction and non-fiction

Elements of non-fiction

Authentic people	Real life people who are portraying themselves.
Authentic environments	The events are situated in real people's living-, working-, creative- or spare time environments. In other words, real places and not on a set.
Hand-held camera	The hand-held camera can be considered an element of non-fiction in itself, as it often reflects an authentic situation.
Inconsistenet quality of audio	The quality of audio such as barely audible dialogues etc. is considered an element of non-fiction.
Inconsistent quality of image	The images can be grainy and blurred, often in situations that include critical information and content.
Minimal editing	It might be quite difficult to decipher the exact amount of editing, but non-fiction genres should, per definition, be minimally edited.
Medium cuts	Even if there are higher paced events of action, a of non-fiction will typically cut at a medium pace.
Natural lighting	Non-fiction can make use of interview sequences, however, it will typically be using a natural source of lighting.
Neutral angles, compositions and framing	Angles, compositions and framing will usually be as neutral as possible in order to suggest authenticity.
Visible equipment	Cameras, microphone and so on will often be visible in the shots of non-fiction.

Elements of fiction

Animationer, CGI etc.	Animation, CGI and other computer-generated images are typical elements of fiction.
Angles, composition and framing	Framing such as close-up and ultra-close up are elements of fiction that can affect our perception and interpretation of the shots.
Artificial lighting, filters and colors	Fiction often makes use of artificial lighting, filters and accentuated coloring.
Consistent quality of images	You rarely see professional productions with an inconsistent quality of images unless it is done in order to convey a particular effect.
Fast cutting	The use of fast cutting, parallel editing, cross-cutting and montages are also typical for genres of fiction.
Invisible equipment	Cameras, microphones, cables and so on are not visible in the shots.
Non-diegetic sound	Non-diegetic sound, such as underlying music, is often added as an element of fiction.
Travelling/tracking shots	Another element of fiction is the use of travelling camera shots through the use of dollys, cranes and so on.

If you need to brush up or see examples of some of the terms used on this page, please visit the section on how to analyse film & tv-series.

5. Who is the target audience? Why?
6. Comment on the style of language used on the show. You must include examples.

What About You?

Time perspective: 60 minutes
Working method: Individual & pair-work
Product: Written reflexion and subsequent class discussion
Aims of the exercise: Writing, communication

Prepare an interview of a classmate on his/her relationship to reality. You must prepare at least 10 questions and you should try to consider the diachronic ²- and synchronic ³ approach in the creation of your questions. Afterwards, you must answer the questions in written form.

Stephen King - The Running Man (1982)

runningman-ch1.pdf (140 kb).

Time perspective: 30 minutes
Working method: Individual work, pair-work or group work
Product: Written analysis in the form of answers

The text in the following assignment is chapter one of science fiction novel The Running Man (1982) written by American writer Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Read the chapter out loud in groups, write a brief summary of the chapter and answer the questions below.

Questions:
1. Where does the text take place?
2. Why are they watching the Free Vee?
3. What is the premise of Treadmills to Bucks?
4. What characters are introduced during the first chapter?
5. Comment on the plot and structure of the text.
6. Describe the writing style of the text.