Everybody Loves Raymond: An Episodic Sitcom

TV programs are normally grouped into two categories: episodic and serial. In serial programs, the plot continues from one episode to the next with more complex characters and a more intricate storyline. Sitcoms, which are usually episodic, are less intricate, with problems and resolutions within each episode but little transferred from one episode to the next. Because of this, sitcoms are written with short story arcs and a viewer can watch any single episode without requiring much if any background from previous episodes.

The episodic nature of sitcoms functions within the genre by influencing the structure and the nature of each program’s episodes. Because people are believed to have a limited attention span for comedy, TV producers make sitcoms a half hour long instead of a full hour as dramas are. In addition, as sitcoms contain a complete story in each program, every episode is organized into a modified three-act structure. These qualities and structures limit the possibility for character development and growth within the program since all must be explained within the half-hour episode.

A prime example of the effects of the episodic structure on sitcoms is the show “Everybody Loves Raymond”. This program includes a host of caricatured characters common in middle class America, such as the intrusive mother, nagging wife, lazy husband, and jealous brother. These characters are immediately evident even to someone new to the program based solely on the context in which they are placed. Most of the humor in the show is easily understood and built upon simple situations requiring little explanation. While the characters may change in small ways over long periods of time, for the most part they do not grow and tend to fulfill the same roles in every episode.  As a result, “Everybody Loves Raymond” is a perfect example of the episodic sitcom structure, providing simple, light humor in a complete story within a half hour. 

Shots in The Matrix

For this week’s blog discussing types of shots and shot progression in film, my movie of choice is one of my absolute favorites, The Matrix. The film has a complex plot in which the human population has been enslaved by machines capable of intelligent thought, and the mind of every person has been connected to a computer generated simulator called the matrix in which everyone lives out their lives while the machines use their bodies as energy sources. In the reality outside of the simulated world, a small resistance fights to free the rest of mankind from the machines and searches for “The One”, a prophesized man with the ability to change the matrix itself and break its rules.

A very iconic scene takes place when the protagonist, named Neo and played by Keanu Reeves, awakens from the matrix for the first time and finds himself within a fluid filled pod. He pulls a lengthy tube out of his throat and discovers tubes connected to every limb of his body. This scene is both essential to the film’s narrative and makes use of three types of shot, giving it a foreboding emotional aura.

As he first awakens, breaks through the outer covering of the pod, and notices the plugs attached to him, the director uses a close up shot and focuses directly on him, at just about eye level. This gives the viewer a keen perspective of his emotions of confusion and fear upon reaching consciousness in such a frightening environment. It is imperative that this shot comes first so that Neo’s initial feelings can be most accurately conveyed before the scene can continue, and only a close up will allow such focus.

Neo next turns to his left and a medium shot is used. The camera is positioned behind his head at eye level so the viewer is given the perspective of seeing what he sees. Peering to the left, there are several other pods identical to his in a row, each containing a person unconscious and encased in an organic fluid just as he was moments earlier. This shot is important not only to give the viewer greater information about the situation in which the protagonist finds himself but also amplifies his emotions and confusion. Up until the point Neo is in a strange situation but it is not known whether he is alone or not. The medium shot answers this question.

The last and most important shot used in the scene is the long shot. After looking over to his left, Neo looks down over the front end of his pod. The director positions this shot far above Neo’s head, making him appear smaller in relation to his surrounding environment. As he sees what is over the edge, the viewer too is alerted to the fact that his pod is in a tower of thousands upon thousands of other pods, and the ground is so far away it cannot be seen. All within view are his and other towers composed of pods like his. It is the ultimate shot in terms of loneliness for in this moment Neo realizes that he is completely alone and isolated from all he knows, the only awakened person in a sea of comatose individuals.

Studios and the Star System

The studio system of movie production in the Classical Hollywood era was a method of producing films in a factory-based, assembly line method creating hundreds of films a year in predictable formulas. One particular aspect of this method utilized by the few most powerful studios of the time was called the star system. With this approach, popular actors deemed “stars” were contracted by the studios and used in many of their films, often becoming associated with a certain genre and role which the star often if not always played.

Because the studios knew people would not flock to see a movie simply because it was a crime or romance film, they were forced to come up with some other method to attract their audience to the theater. Their solution came in the form of the star system. Instead of simply marketing a film based on its content, the studios found that it was much more profitable to base their promotions around the stars themselves because the people were not drawn to the movies necessarily because of the subject matter but because of the stars. Because of this, many stars became associated with certain types of roles, such as Judy Garland as a lovable girl who sang to musical numbers, and these stars were the faces of the studios that contracted them. Since this system brought in huge profits for the major studios, they continued to recycle the same ideas and storylines as their movies grew repetitive, establishing genres such as western, horror, musical, and crime.

A good example of the effects of the star system in action is the career of Humphrey Bogart. After starring in the film “The Maltese Falcon”, Bogart became the symbol of a hardboiled and cynical character, someone courageous, sly, and possessing his own ideas on morality. In such later films as “Casablanca”, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, and “The Big Sleep”, Bogart reprised the same sort of role, donning the fedora and clever demeanor. Bogart was the face of Warner Bros. and specifically the detective/crime genre, himself the main attraction for many films in the classical era of Hollywood. 

The Big Sleep Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGp26VI2270&feature=channel

All in the Family vs. Everybody Loves Raymond

“All in the Family” was a television sitcom that aired from 1971 to 1979 and was unique in its depiction of issues such as racism and homosexuality, which had previously been viewed as unsuitable for television comedies. Comparing “All in the Family” to a contemporary sitcom such as “Everybody Loves Raymond”, similarities and differences can be found in both the themes and structure of the two programs.

            One of the major differences between the two shows is that “All in the Family” dealt with very controversial issues of the time period and satirizing the protagonist, father and obvious bigot Archie Bunker, and his views on the issues. Beginning in the early 1970s, the change and social movements of the 1960s were fresh on the minds of many citizens, so the show sought to capitalize on the sentiments of the period. In the episode we watched in the screening, Archie was portrayed as a staunch homophobe and the presence of homosexuals around him was troublesome to his beliefs. In “Everybody Loves Raymond”, in contrast, did not deal with much in the way of controversial social issues, possibly because many such issues had already been dealt with in earlier comedies such as “All in the Family”.

            Similarities can be found between the two sitcoms in their basic family structure and certain elements of the comedic timing such as “one-liners”. “All in the Family” centered on Archie, his wife, daughter, and son-in law with whom Archie had many differing beliefs leading to constant argument. “Everybody Loves Raymond” focused on Raymond Barone, a successful, lazy sports writer, his wife, mother, and father. Raymond’s wife Debra constantly butts heads with Raymond’s intrusive and insulting if caring mother Marie. The conflict between parent and son or daughter-in law is very similar in both programs. Another commonality is the indifferent and sometimes oblivious parent spouting hilarious “one-liners” at awkward moments. Wife and mother Edith Bunker fulfills this role for “All in the Family”, as does husband and father Frank Barone for “Everybody Loves Raymond”.

            For the most part, “All in the Family” dealt with far more controversial issues ranging from rape and menopause to racism, and in our particular episode, homophobic views and willingness to identify against. The time period for the show was very fitting as a parody of the social struggles and issues not long ago overcome at that point. “Everybody Loves Raymond”, on the other hand, dealt with less controversial issues associated with the common family such as the nagging wife, overprotective mother, competition between brothers, and the lazy husband.

Everybody Loves Raymond, season 3 intro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kNOyHm5gsY&feature=related

Government in the radio

Government regulation and intervention shaped radio in the 1920s by issuing broadcast frequency licenses in 1923 and through the creation of the Federal Radio Commission by the Radio Act of 1927.

When a new media becomes viable for transmission of ideas for commercial, military, or other purposes, the government must choose whether or not to intervene in its functioning. If it does not intervene, the media will continue to evolve without any direction provided by the government. If the government does choose to intervene, which it often does, it can either incorporate the media entirely into its purview and remove it from public use, or it can choose to regulate its function within the public sphere. If the government does choose to regulate the media, as it has with television and radio, it selects guidelines for the media to follow including what content is suitable for presentation.

After World War I, the U.S. Navy returned radio to civilians for public use after a period of military usage. In the early 1920s, as many sought commercial uses for the radio as a medium, there was a flood of interference as a plethora of frequencies were being used in the same areas. In 1923, the Commerce Department decided to intervene and began supervising radio, issuing out licenses for frequencies in order to limit interference. In 1927, the government chose to intervene once again, this time establishing the Federal Radio Commission under the Radio Act of 1927 to regulate the medium for the foreseeable future. The new agency set broadcast bands, limited night broadcasts, and standardized the names for frequencies. These two acts allowed the government to retain basic control of the airwaves and influenced the evolution of radio by keeping some formalized structure and function of the medium in a time when the threat of chaos was imminent. 

Just for grins, here's a link to one of the more popular radio stations back home: http://www.mix1029.com/main.html

Catharsis

The concept of catharsis aids me in understanding the appeal and effects of violent video games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and how it aids people in living out their inward desires that may not be socially acceptable in the real world.

The catharsis hypothesis states that sex, violence, and other unacceptable social actions shown in the media lead to a positive result. It argues that the media allows people to indirectly satisfy these desires by living them out in a non-real world. While other social theories state that the media contributes to violent and sexual actions in the real world, catharsis says that the media instead provides a means of purging emotion and desires unfit for real life in a fantasy setting such as a tv show, movie, or video game.

A good example of this theory is the video game series Grand Theft Auto. The central purpose of these games is to break the law and cause mayhem to your heart’s content. As a citizen of an imaginary city, you can steal cars, shoot at and destroy police vehicles and helicopters, engage in promiscuous activities with prostitutes, and a host of other illegal and a host of other destructive activities. According to the catharsis hypothesis, the havoc produced by players of these games allows them to release their emotion and fulfill their antisocial desires, and judging by the commercial success of the games, people obviously enjoy that prospect. 

Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHzG0bKTa1g&NR=1

Framing in advertising

Media framing as a concept aids me in understanding commercials and ad campaigns such as the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial and McDonald’s “My Me Time” ad by enabling me to view the contexts of the ads for what they really are: carefully crafted settings designed to illicit a specific response from the viewer.

Framing is the act of presenting a subject in such a way as to tell an audience how to think about the topic. It is a common force in media of any sort to frame a message in order to curry favor or disdain and attain a certain reaction from that audience. Everyone from journalists to screenwriters to directors to advertisers utilize framing by specially composing not only the tone, facts, and images presented but also the context in which they are placed in order to portray their product in the manner of their choosing. 

            Advertising commonly uses framing as a method to present their products in a favorable light and hopefully increase sales of their products and services. One such example is the recent and popular ad for Old Spice body wash called “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”. In the commercial, a handsome African American man directly addresses the women in the audience and tells them that while none of their men will ever be him, if they use Old Spice body wash they can at least smell like him. While the setting of the commercial – changing from a bathroom to the deck of a boat to riding a horse – and some of the actions – diamonds flowing out of the hand of the man followed by a bottle of Old Spice – are intentionally ludicrous, they clearly frame the product as absolutely positive with no possible downsides.

            Another example of framing in advertising is the new McDonalds commercial entitled “My Me Time”. In the commercial, a series of young adults in various situations are portrayed in settings of low desirability, such as a man in the rain, a woman forgetting where she parked her car, and a man on a driving range having golf balls launched at his vehicle. In each circumstance, however, the person involved is not complaining but rather quite happy due to having a McDonald’s frappe drink. This obviously increases the desirability of the frappe drink in the eyes of the viewer by presenting it in such a way that it seems an absolute good and something everyone should want.

The ad does not point out the caloric content of its drink just as the Old Spice ad does not point out any foreseeable negative aspects of its body wash. That information does not serve the purpose of the advertiser and therefore is not included in the frame. It is in this way that advertising frames are utilized to sell their products on the basis of attractive imagery.

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

My Me Time: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_mLSVLByKA