Differences between television and the Film | CTCS 191, Study notes of Humanities

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What is Quality Television?

Differences between television and film  Television focuses on character development  Film focuses on plot points  Comedy plays a bigger role on television; more commonly displays satire and farce.  Films are associated with stardom.  Motion picture scripts posses a central enigma looming on one life- altering event - - characters in movies are larger than life (has been situated in the fantastical realm)  Television relates more to reality—everyday events (common and domestic series).

How is TV watched now? How does it compare to ten years ago?  Now, TV viewing revolves around our schedules with portability, internet, and recording devices.  Back then, the media controlled viewing schedules.  Networks are at crisis in trying to get viewers to tune in at certain times for advertisement purposes  DVD boxed sets sales have significantly declined in the past 2 years

TV shows are targeted towards the same age range that consumer markets are targeted at.  Advertisements target young people (18-25); enthusiasm of the television fan lends to consumer trends.

Television production  Creative force in television is the show runner – responsible for the overall look and feel of the show; approve directors and hire writers.  Show runners are prominent figures in the TV industry-big names are sought after, but have not reached the success of film directors.  Screen time limits shows to certain content and speed of events… runs more efficient and exhibits continuity and connections between episodes.  Directors have less authority in television but do help out in casting  A one hour drama usually has 7 shooting days…  TV is a rare commodity; its success in one country determines its syndication to other countries. Television has a really long shelf-life in its distribution and there is a lot of money to be made in it.  TV aims to sell the audience. Film aims to sell the movie.

o Certain age groups  What types of programming would be underreported?  What types of programming would be overreported  What social stigma surrounds TV statistics? o Biases towards film..people who don’t like TV Nielsen Percentages  Share  Rating points (1 percent = 1 point) o Viewers live + same day viewing on DVR  DVR defeats the purpose of advertisements  relevance of ad in relation to when the show is being broadcast

Sporting events – people want to watch it live…live shows buy ad space for consumer products and future television programs that will air.  Why the Superbowl ads are so expensive – most watched event in the world.

More data for Sale  Publicized “horse race” data tiny subset of what is collected by Nielsen  Sliced and diced for particular target markets  Expensive subscription  Why do we hear so much about box office receipts and Ratings nowadays?

Milsestones in 1960s TV  February 1964  Live appearance of Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show  More than half of tv sets across the country were on  73 million people (more per set)  a 60 share  45.3 rating

2010 Nielsens for Event TV  Superbowl XLIV 106.5 million  Oscars 41.3 million  Emmys 13.5 million  Compared to MASH finale in 1977 106 million

Television shows viewings have significantly gone down.

Premium cable like HBO  Make the money off setting the price with cable provider  Don’t make money off ad space  HBO has fees for subscribers who cancel and resubscribe

HBO  Production is highly valued  Above the line talent difference between premium program and show on Fox  Content is more pervasive  Long shots – more like a movie
Compared with Glee  Appeals more to a broader audience  Wanted it to do well so they could reaffirm how good of a show it is.  Topic that has been reinvented in a new fashion – openness towards differences (its okay to be gay)

Music and TV  Perfect promotion for music industry and artists who want to showcase o Illegal downloads have killed salaries o TV provides an outlet for musicians to reinvent their distribution

Music Videos  compare three examples today  Gentleman Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks 1953) Marilyn Monroe  Material Girl – Maddonna  Alejandro –Lady Gaga
 Not as big budgets
Lady Gaga (the exception)  Big promotion  High production value  Almost as big as the song itself if not bigger

Monroe’s Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend  Describing a totally dystopian situation  males exploit beautiful women for sex…so the women better be compensated with diamonds o This painful emotion is expressed in glamorous content of the musical number

Styles for Monroe, Madonna, Lady Gaga:  Plotted on the ideal blonde diva  Borrow from gay culture, latino culture, black culture Radiohead  Avant-garde traditions (independent)  Musical performer has very little role – not center of attention 01/12/2011
Keeping It Real: The Global TV Format Trade. – Guest Speaker Eric Hoyt

Viewings: Jersey Shore, The Real World

Media is an outlet for an exchange of culture between domestics and foreigners  What we portray on TV and syndicate to other countries is the initial impression we give off ourselves.

What is a format?  A “recipe” – popular industry metaphor that has the basic ingredients of a show  A “technology of exchange” – Albert Moran o Scripted, game shows…formats occupy the characteristics of genre television

Two Titans of Reality Format Trade  Endemol (Netherlands)  Fremantle (UK)

Western Europe conglomerates stationed in LA

Why License an unscripted format?  TV industry is risk-averse. Formats mitigate risk; cheap costs and very popular  TV execs believe viewers don’t want shows that feel too foreign. Possibility for adaptation  Relatively inexpensive for local producers to make  Little copyright protection, but producers often license shows even when they legally don’t have to.
***Copyright does not protect ideas..it protects the expression of ideas; thus NBC can get a pitch from a producer but they can take that idea and twist it into a television show.  If a producer submits a pilot to a new series, then there is a case of copyright infringement without a contract.

Many people have the same ideas anyways, something that is brought up in a pitch to a studio may actually already be in some kind of development

How can the format trade operate without strong copyright protections?  Bounemouth University o Licenses desire “know-how which cannot be easily gleaned from watching the show.” o Format sellers shore up trademarks and any other legal rights that might be available  Ex. Catch phrases of game shows have been copyrighted. o Reputations matter in tight-knit community. Bad for business to become known as an idea thief.  Jon Kroll (Executive Producer): o The licensed format serves as a “sales tool” for a producer selling to a network.
***Studio execs want material from writers that are pre-branded (battleship is being made into a movie) – material that has already been tested for consumer safety. Terrible market for original screenwriting.

Adaptation  An example of strict adaptation: o Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Celador, UK) o The Weakest Link
Spanish and MBC versions show that there are opportunities for localization

Russia: Cruel Intentions  Competition is taken way more seriously  Music is more suspenseful  No one laughs when they fall

Battle of Ukrainian Cities (2010)  Comprised of well-trained athletes  Sound effects are taken away from sweeper  Competition emphasized over humor  Season-long contest  Promotes the regional  Celebrates the nation
**In essence, this example of Wipeout versions all over the world shows how programs are catered for different cultures that strive to exemplify their values.

Runaway Production in Unscripted TV: On the Rise  The global recession has increased the demand for high production values at low prices  For years, unscripted TV represented alternative to expensive scripted shows; now many reality shows are seen as too expensive  Production hub shows can express local cultures, but they do so at the expense of local media infrastructures. o Work is being outsourced.

The role of casting directors:  Trying to find unknowns and real stars in the crowded bar or at the coffee shop – the new wave of TV casting.
01/12/2011
Genre

As industry term,  Useful for identifying fiction to audiences  Descriptions to a production (labels)  Audiences exposed to various types of mediums are familiar with rules and conventions relevant to a genre  Genres copy previous examples o For sci-fi, certain types of FX houses, actors, directors, etc.  Existence of genre helps to keep the studios running smoothly.

Sundance and Film Festivals refer to genre as movies that exhibit conventions and myths and iconographies of those of studio films even if they are low budget.

Genre criticism in TV  Quality TV and cable programming are always advertised as original but usually is like many of its predecessors o Nothing on TV is completely original  Familiar topics are always revisited in light of the time context  Genres always look for recurring plots, recurring themes, and recurring iconographies and motifs

Lost genres  Action/adventure  Sci-fi/supernatural**probably the main category  Not supernatural, sci-fi  Aiming for nieche audience of intellectuals  Not as high expectations as Lost; pilot was low budget  Shocking for the time period (rape/murder)



01/12/2011
Research Papers  Descriptive analytical  No original thesis  Sum up the trajectory of network  Analyze its brand; what strategy it uses in branding***sometimes a channel doesn’t have a branding because it is hard to find one… may be some discrepancies  If parent company, talk about that relationship  Unlike networks, cable captures nieche target audiences  Pick ad-supported cable (supported cable), or premium channels o Supported by advertising fees from commercials, and subscribing fees from the MSOs (Time Warner cable)  Use online resources and book material

Branding  TV channels were not always branded  Brands typically affiliated with consumer goods- it is intended to ease consumer identification with a symbol, a slogan, a product  By the time you get to 300 channels, branding is in full force to try and grab your attention for even a split second.  HBO does this buy grabbing a hold of 8 or 9 consecutive channels to get you to eventually stop and see one of those channels  Discovery takes hold of others like Animal Planet to be able to expand; also allows them to sell that channel for other purposes o Discovery Health to OWN – Oprah
 Similar to shampoos and soaps; at the core of any TV genre show – they are branded with the same labels and core. If you break down any soap product, almost identitcal chemicals inside

Cable Channels  Often owned by the same parent company, which allows a lot of channels to be very similar (you run into a lot of similar dramas and reality tv shows)  How big media conglomerates influence what gets made and where it is placed o Keep in mind studios that own TV channels and market on those channels streams of ads that propel movie hype

Premium channels  Free to air  Least amt of restrictions  Very dependent on Nielsen ratings to see who’s watching their programming  Up to 100 if you count very obscure and explicit content-driven channels  Highly dependent on parent company (close relationship) USA Network  Characters welcome tagline  Piecing together lots of different/various reruns to umbrella under channel  Bankrolling NBC/Universal programs and movies

Ad supported cable channels  How are they defined? By genre o CNN – news o ESPN – sports 01/12/2011 0 Guest Lecture: Jane Shattuc 

Talk Shows  By 1995, there were an avg. of 15 hour-long talk shows on the air during the daytime in the major TV markets in the U.S.  This new genre had ended the near 50-year reign of soap operas as the most popular daytime “dramatic” form. – possibly as a result of the rise of reality tv  Talk shows had become the most watched tv genre for women
**How does a show become genderized?
**What is the role of history in television programming? (cultural impacts)

Oprah Winfrey Show  In May 1993, show aired  15 million viewers tuned in  Now, talk shows are lucky to get 4 million Generic shift in 1990s  Phil Donahue (1967), Oprah (84), Sally (85)  Dominance of political rants in talk shows. o As a result, loss of personal connection was lost and  This gave way to shows like Montel Williams, Jerry Springer (conflict)  Most narratives in talk shows are based on a conflict model  Topics moved from personal issues connected to a social injustice to interpersonal conflicts which emphasized the visceral nature of confrontation, emotion, and sexual titillation  The expert high class individual disappeared.  Talk shows began to target younger audience as opposed to stay at home moms o Historical context – rising unemployment rate who stayed at home. Everything also got Younger  The guests, the studio audience, the host, and even the demographics  People on shows were not qualified to talk about news…they came from entertainment  The Partridge Family, Beverly Hills 90210, The Cosby Show  Suddenly, they were nominated as experts based on claims of their “averageness” as products of middlebrow commercial culture o Things like interracial dating o Oprah giving away free things o Simplification to white and black (racial conflicts)  The studio audience moved from the role of citizens making common sense judgments

Political Change  Talk shows became a venue for citizens to battle out social tensions o Particularly popular for underrepresented classes  Voyeuristic spectacle rather than a venue for social change  “Go Ricki!” had become the rallying cry of one particular talk show

Left and Right condemn Talk Shows  Very exploitative  Non-intelligent level – the body, materialism, sex  Cheap programming
TV is not a matter of generic public taste, it is constructed by several factors including economical and historical consequences.

Role of New Networks  Expansion of the broadcasting environment with new national networks such as Fox and UPN affiliates and independent stations o Fox initiated reality TV because it had captured youth audience by 2000s. o Branded itself towards that demographic  Programs competed on different network and if a talk show did not prove itself on Nielsen ratings within 2-3 weeks, it was dropped

Today: Jersey Shore is as tabloid as it gets; now centered more upon the conformism and standardization of youth culture-everyone is into it mentality.

Politics of Programs  In many ways, Jerry Springer Show remains the slast successful vestige of the 2nd generation of talk shows  It can be read as a celebration of outlaw culture—gay, black, and/or female  None of the newer talk shows were as simplistic or mindless as the established press said  At its worst they exploited and made people inured to social injustice  But at their best, they finally offered an active even aggressive “in your face” identity to people who have been represented either as victims or perverts by a dominant culture o After the big bucks to appear on the show, the cast of guests are cast away by society.

Carnivalesque  Talk shows drew their framework on physical excess  Reproduced much of the same iberatory pleasures that carnival provided in Rabelais’s world o Middle class values are forgotten and low class inhibitions are exploited – people enjoy the freedom of not being polite, which talk shows are not. o The suspension of all hierarchical rank, norms, and prohibitions.

Authorized Transgression  Are exploitation and tabloid shows liberating – should we have it?  Umberto Eco cautions how much rule-breaking could also be a form of “authorized transgression”  He argues that although comedy is built around breaking rules, the rules are always in the background.  We are able to embrace our animal-like individual nature watching shows like Jersey Shore.

The Office (both versions)
BBC- Ricky Gervais  14 total episodes
Differences between them were that it is inconceivable to American networks that a successful show would be let go so easily.  In part this is the problem with American television..too repetitive and unoriginal after successful few seasons. (want to extract every bit of profit from the show)  Loosely based on typical BBC documentary – mockumentary of handheld cameraman walking around office o Very gritty and unpleasant to watch at times o Differences in style of humor
American version  Lazy, fat workers adding comedic element.  Steve Carrell’s character – more sympathetic and sentimentalized  Mockumentary purpose has been exhausted to the point that it doesn’t make sense anymore o Style that has become incorporated into modern language of TV  Worked very hard to make the actual office setting genuinely dull and unattractive to add to satirical aspect (half of the workers are non-actors)
**Distributors will not run the risk of getting sued –entire production has to be cleared for copyright liberty (music, company logo, painting, insigna)

Adhesion Contracts:  Online distribution  YouTube and Facebook owns all pictures, videos, music, etc. you put on there

Historically, “work for hire” by TV actors, writers and directors was negotiated in exchange for residuals.
Residual payments are especially important in tv
Residuals are the highest for Broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW)
Less or non existent on cable (virtually) non existent on the internet
***Especially affects the creative personnel (camera crew, actors, writers) – not getting paid when programs are streamed online; network claims that it is promotional material not broadcast…but too many people now watch shows online.
--Jonathan Handel (scribid – union involvement in payroll)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/28926954/Residuals-Summary-Chart

Why Reality TV is so cheap:  Writers replaced with Editors; often a denial that writing takes place  Non-union crews  Trained TV actors who are members of SAG and AFTRA replaced with non-union talent/contestants  No residuals, no worker protections

America’s Next Top Model: when writers went on strike, all were fired.
Once you are in SAG, you cannot be on a non-union show anymore; many of the contestants are pulled from a list of aspiring actors/models.

Survivor vs. I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here  Latter was not found to be infringement because it was more comic and light-hearted than Survivor

Copyright Infringment  Even if you are found not guilty, litigation in lawyer fees and court appearances is very costly and takes a lot of time  Likewise, the plaintiff better have good reason to go to court gains from settlement should be much greater than costs of litigation.

Effects of Copyright Litgation  Favors the big and the powerful  Leads to requesting licenses when they should not be required  Curbs fair use

To prove infringement:  That you have a valid copyright (not in public domain.  Access to the copyrighted work (creators of IACGMOOH had to have had access to Survivor)  Substantial similarity between the two works

Substantial Similarity  Film and television constantly blur this line – so many plotlines and characters overlap repeatedly
After ruling out
Scenes a faire
Generic conventions
Locations
Stock character types

**Ex. Legally, it is expected that in crime dramas you will urban scenes at night interviewing prostitutes and drug addicts (lot of leniency in this respect, but less so when it comes to the actual writing of the script)

Post-The Bachelor  Turkish writer comes up with idea of “The Perfect Bride”  Became highest rated show on Turkish tv  Premise: mother would pick son’s bride o Culturally fit to matchmaking abroad  Sells it to Turkish television (independent production company runs the show)  Turkish network sells it to Italy, Lebnanon, India
Ryan Seacrest did not license the Perfect Bride  developed the show, Momma’s Boys…  Gave the show a different connotation – the brand is what is important  Turkish developer tried to sue Momma’s Boys but lost the case
Same thing happened with Mexican tv network Azteca, which bought the show from the producers of The Perfect Bride, but was sued by the Turkish developer  Azteca made the claim that there show differed in name  Turkish man only had 2page format to show for his ownership… Azteca paid the wrong guy. 01/12/2011
Satire  2 more quizzes before end of semester.
Non-cumulative; based on material from now until end  Take home final  Distributed in class on April 27 o Due May 9 o One essay question on comedy

Politcally Motivated Comedy

Satire  Draws out absurdity of a particular political position by highlighting it for you  Agenda to distinguish right from wrong and drawing conclusions for you often times  Aggressive; “biting satire”  Assumes that the audience will come to understand this particular POV because it is an educated audience.
Parody  Tons of parody that doesn’t draw on political sense  Aims to mimick genre – its myth, conventions, iconographies o Also includes a lot of things that aren’t in it; makes it appropriate for a renewed time period  Spam a lot  Camelot ; Urinetown musicals  Musicals are often heavily parodic  Talk shows, speeches, films, situational comedies  Aims to change our perception of the genre (shed comedic light on something that is not traditionally)  Not always satirical o Colbert Report  O’Reilly Factor; but also satiric

SNL – 1978; Fred Willard host
Two Guys who are Lawyers  Bad lawyer commercial  Intertextual with historical tabloids and topical – Patty Hearst’s kidnapping  BAR association did not allow lawyers to advertise their services before this; immediate parody when they did allow it.  James Meredith --> civil rights issue
**This topical aspect sometimes prevents satire from having a long lifespand and being syndicated.  Parody however, does hold up over time.  Satire requires more sophistication and judgement. South Park example  Passion of the Jew episode  Not a parody of the movie  Satirical take on the movie  Exposing as egregious the anti-semtic undertones taking them to their logical extent in Cartman’s neo-Nazi rally  Mel Gibson  Parody of situation comedy?  Depictions of small town life  Close connection to All in the Family  Norman Lear politically motivated sitcom  Archie Bunker=Cartman Chapelle’s Show  Satire on white supremacy  Blind, Black KKK Leader  Frontline parody: “Blind Supremacy”  Satirical in an aspect of historical reality exposed to ridicule- aggression is important  Satire demands shared comprehension between satirist and audience  Black and white audiences react differently  Male and female audiences, too  Parody of Real World  Parody of car commercial  Chapelle’s increasing unease over white audience’s laughter at Black stereotypes  He intended a satire on how whites fear and denigrate Blacks  Were whites laughing at the stereotypes without any satirical comprehension?

Parallels between neo-nazi idea in both of these shows  Obscenities and vulgar pokes at politics like South Park

What if you were only getting newstream from these shows? More or less info than alternative, CNN?
Do they promote political involvement?//Civic responsibility?? Or do they just promote social cynicism of politics?

Similar to many talk shows like Late Night or David Letterman

Even conventional news always had a ritualistic tradition than information-based…  Watched after dinner  Part of a domestic routine  You get this feeling that you are tuned in with a community of people…makes you feel part of a nation  Most likely here tragic events happening o BUT, people feel attachment through neutral mediating factor of news anchor who is delivering the news.  Does watching conventional news prompt political engagement?

Comic relief – does it improve voter turnout?  Many say that Obama’s success owes a lot of success to satire news programs.

South Carolina episode  Absurdity of campaigning  Informs audience of upcoming SC primary  The role of corporate sponsorship...and the laws behind that  Mocking the process  Satire of corporate sponsorship in politics
Aiming to elicit some kind of response from young people in SC to get involved by riling up republican with comedy (bible and a gun, get your help..)
-- postmodern parody --> pastiche of Bill O’Reilly

Fake presidential campaign:
Pat Paulsen, 1968
Satirizing demands of presidential race  Generally directed at same features of political candidacy  Advantages of no-name incumbents over the popular candidates.  Stereotyping different parties and the differences between them.  Jokes are focused on Vietnam war  Speech making – boring; rhetoric and persuasive techniques are not inherent in all politicians…particularly Nixon. Jon Stewart Episodes 01/12/2011
Quality Programming (Premium Channels)

TV Nowadays  Degraded form/medium  Low brow cinema

Pierre Bordeau (Distinction) – psychologist  Social distinctions get made depending on tastes  Tastes are revealed through all material goods

TV functions in the same way – what we watch determine our tastes  Media attempts to school us in what to wear, how to act, etc. o Character transformation, for example, can portray how lesson can be applied to our lives By 16th century, taste begins to emerge as a subtle cultural weapon by which different classes can distinguish one another Hegemony – when you rule by making something seem natural or right. Certain modes of taste appear to be natural. Upper class is naturally associated with a Rolls Royce Nouveau riche vs. old riche (when is high class a form of excess) Wedding ceremony  what you choose to display at the wedding, (flowers, cake, cards, etc.) – doesn’t have to be expensive but has to be of good taste…what we realize is that good taste is expensive  How do we get to this stage  Cable television operates on different restraints than network TV  South park intentionally uses low quality production value – aimed at exposing the hypocrisy and absurdity of authority; a show made for youth…that’s why it’s a cartoon
1st amendment prohibits regulation of speech.  Regulating broadcasts fall under this amendment  For broadcast tv, the courts uphold decisions that distinguish broadcasts from print media o Telecommunications Act of 1936 – broadcast is different from other forms – airwaves are a limited spectrum; national resource so it could be more heavily regulated. o The gov. regulates the airwaves because they are a public domain o Electronic media permeated the public sphere and more easily influenced children
Why South Park could not air in 1980s  Rise of cable changed this  Rise of premium programming pushed envelope all the way  Premium programming continues to push cable programming to cross the boundaries

George Karlin’s comedy standups  ruled indecent but not illegal

Cable Act of 1984  80s to late 80s – cable explodes

Howard Stern – offered new possibilties for the boundaries  Accrued huge fines from FCC but not nearly as much as he gained from his show o In fact added to his bad boy street cred and gained him more of a fan base

0 Premium Cable (continued) 01/12/2011 
Showtime and The L Word

Topic of final paper: Nieche cable and quality TV
Email about ctcs classes next fall

Aired 6 seasons (2004-2009)  Group of Lesbos living in LA
what DOES audience expect?  Authenticity of work – real time, as close as it gets to reality  Unique topic not covered on basic cable  Explicit content
Deliberately willing to exclude certain audiences in order to reach a particular nieche, who are increasingly loyal and endearing  Not afraid to sacrifice controversy for art

Branding  No limits  TV, At its best  “Brace yourself”
***Redefining what TV is and what it can be
--slogan defines a network’s brand identity. » Weeds > housewife selling drugs  US of Tara  multiple personalities o Feature sexuality as central to the show’s theme and its intentions o Does need to draw audiences and does need to please them  that’s why it is so important for who watches the programs as opposed to how many; have to create buzz online (central to success or failure of a show) – make sure people know it is there.

Quality defines the audience of a show  Tolerable audiences are key for premium programs  Sophisticated, open-minded

Initial ad campaign sponsored L WORD as lesbian version of Sex and the City  Wanted to make the content associated with a successful show  “Same sex. Different City”

Other ads accentuated female-driven ads that portrayed them as sexy, in the limelight, raunchy  Images of them without clothes  sending a signal that we are not a cable show…its better, more edgy  Female entourage  Stereotypically feminine women

Show was coined as groundbreaking b/c it was the first time an ensemble lesbian cast had been featured in a big time series  Director Eileen Shaken was openly lesbian and claimed that her show was based on her upbringing in LA and her friends, much like Mark Walhberg in Entourage o Auteur presence, not as much bc it was her first show, but Showtime did a good job of crediting her b/c it was her vision

Why is Lesbian programming marketable?  Quality TV  Subscription cable  Branding  Niche marketing  Lifestyle  Technology  Sexuality
All of these factors contribute to ultimate fan affinity/loyalty

 In what ways does South Park humor allow it to portray different elements that Chappelle’s Show could not  What restrictions still exist?  Are Comedy Central shows like SP, Colbert Report considered Quality Television.

Animé  Pokémon as a revolutionary form of anime o Targeted children from young age with Warner Bros tv series, card game, movies, gameboy video games, action figures. o Banned in schools – many children pursued purchasing everything affiliated with it. o Main competitor was Digimon and fused out as quickly as it came up when more competitive anime followed its footsteps. o Led many people from that generation to become more interested in Japanese anime, studying Japanese, and learning about its culture o Comicon and the role of anime in pop culture  People spend dozens of hours online to capture video when it airs on Japanese times, spend time dubbing/subtitling the episodes to share on P2P file sharing networks o Producers trusted the fans to buy the DVD box sets later on.

General Conventions of anime narratives  Usually complex and intricate plots

Magnetic Rose and Lain  Avant guard artistic exploration of the human afterlife through digital technology is explored  What is existence if physical reality is gone  Sci-fi genre, much about discovery o Anime comes in dozens of genres – formalistic portrayal of tv drama o Very different from American comics  no superheroes or villains
 Ambiguous characters…long running episodes, huge moral questions, flawed characters  resembles quality drama television elements

Stories often seem existential  Limited animation, not full motion animation  Saving the work of animation by giving you a single backdrop and having the character pan around the background  resembles a moving manga  A lot of time with introspect characters – reflection, interior monologue  Gender identity is shifting and ambiguous…also there is always a lot of young love involved typically has one central female character  Spin off motion pictures