How important are high production values to your three main texts? TV

How important are high production values to your three main texts? TV

1. Casualty

   • BBC One - Public broadcast - public funded
     • approx 20-30million/season (season of 20+ episodes)
       • Low production value
     • High production values unimportant because audiences expect a low budget program from public funded TV
       • Budget does not stop Casualty from having 5million+ viewers per episode - good ratings
       • High production values not key because its a hyper real tv drama - hyper realistic mise en scene (ordinary/hospital costumes, hospital iconography, posessions of lower/middle class people ie Connie's iPhone), simple shot-to-shot editing, basic cinematography shots used ie facial closeups, straight on angle, closeup of wine glass breaking
       • However some viewers may have an oppositional or negotiated reading because of low production values- ie episode 16 season 29 when woman is seeing witches- women in cheesy green masks

2. Made in Chelsea

   • E4 - Freeview - adverts, not public funded - Audiences expect mid-range production values
     • Lower ratings - 1-2milion viewers per episode
   • Stars are wealthy socialites - while budget is not officially released, the approx value of a star's wardrobe alone is over £100,000 - this funding may be from their own accounts as it is a reality show
     • Royally connected starlets such as diamond dealer Francis, sons of wealthy businessmen ie Jaime (son of McVities owner)
     • Expensive, hyper real mise en scene ie Aston Martin cars, diamonds, expensive holidays abroad (like s1 ep 2, gabriella and ollie go skiing), finely decorated homes, trendy brunch locations
     • Show centers around aspirational culture - starlets, aspirational iconography - therefore high production values are likely quite important
       • However its very likely that as a scripted reality show with simple editing and cinematography, it is not high budget to produce and much of the aspirational iconography may come from starlets themselves (wardrobe)
         • Cinematography hack- highly simple cinematography - edited with colour correction to up blues and yellows, give hazy/muted look - appears expensive

3. True Detective

   • HBO - high production drama network - pay to watch - viewers expect high production values to be visible. Target audience also consume programs such as Game of Thrones and Mad Men
     • 11 million viewers per episode
   • HBO has not released budget officially, however, paid over $4million to acquire each episode of True Detective and paid creator Nick Pizzolato millions as well
   • High budget cinematography - long shots, sweeping birds eye shots, and muted palette only attainable with high end cameras and expensive external equipment such as helicopter
     • High budget editing visible in complex, visually stunning intro with many layers, green screen used
     • High budget mise en scene - filmed in modern day USA south, mise en scene used throughout to make it appear as if its in the 90s - find computers, fashion, cars, gas pumps, everything 90s - hyper real 1990s mise en scene
     • Star theory - main men are celebrities Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaghey, also features stars such as Vince Vaughn and Rachael McCadams
     • High production values made for the key elements of the tv show which attract audiences - HBO's reputation, star theory, visually stunning, convincing

4. Conclusion: Casualty, a public funded TV drama does not at all need high production values. MIC, a public broadcast scripted reality show, needs it somewhat. True Detective, a pay-to-watch drama, needs it a lot.