Unit34:TelevisionStudioProduction

AssignmentTitle:Writeanessaytoexplainandcomparethegenre
conventions,narrativetechniquesandtechnicalcharacteristicsof
threeTVStudioProduction.
Televisionhasbroughtbackmurderintothehomewhereitbelongs.Alfred
Hitchcock(1)
Thefoundationoftelevisionstudioproductionsrelyonthebasisofgenre
conventions1,narrativetechniques2,technicalcharacteristics3andofcoursetargetaudiences.
IhavechosentoexplainandcomparetheabovetopicswithAmericanTVcrimedrama
TheMentalist,BritishcomedypanelshowHaveIGotNewsForYouandsitcom
FawltyTowers.

BrunoHellersAmericancrimedramatvseriesTheMentalisthasbeenknownto
includethetypicalidentifiersforthisgenre.HoweverTheMentalistisuniqueinthesense,
thatitpresentsitselfasacrimedramawithmorepsychologicalandmindmanipulating
aspects.ThestorycentresaroundCBIconsultantPatrickJane.Onceafraudulentcelebrity
psychic,heuseshisskillsofobservationandunderstandingofhumanbehaviourtohelpthe
CBIsolveitscrimes.ThedefinitionofamentalistisSomeonewhousesmentalacuity,

1 a set of typical identifiers that are used in each example of a genre

2 the techniques used to tell the story of a media text

3 the equipment and facilities used to create the production

hypnosisand/orsuggestion.Amastermanipulatorofthoughtsandbehaviour.Typicalto
mosttvseries,TheMentalistcontainsawellusedformulatoallowviewerstoidentify
whattypeoftelevisionprogrammeitis.Thegenreconventionsofacrimedramaseriesare
undeniablyeffortlesstorecognise.ThisispartlyrelatabletoCBSseriesTheMentalist.In
particular,crimedramasareusuallysetinawellknowncityorcapital,whichareoften
viewedasadangerousplaceanditwouldbecommonforcrimestobecommittedfrequently
inthatparticularsetting.Withmostcrimedramasbeinginrealisticsettings,locallandmark
recognitionisoftenusedforestablishingshotstogiveviewersasenseofwheretheyare
watching.TheMentalistissetinSacramento,theCalifornianstatecapital.Wecanseea
linkherebetweenthistypicalconventionandhowithasbeenemployedinTheMentalist.

Anotheridentifierthatstandsoutwithintvcrimedramaseriesaretheprogramme
titles.Thesefamoustitlesusuallygiveusaclueaboutwhattypeofshowwewillbe
watching.ForexampleCSI:CrimeSceneInvestigationgivesusaclearunderstandingof
whatwewillbeviewing.ThisisrelatabletoTheMentalist,asdefinedabove,thistitle
allowsviewerstounderstandthatthistelevisionprogrammewillperhapsinvolvemind
manipulationandperhapspsychologicalaspects.Theemphasisofthecharactersportrayed
throughoutTheMentalistseriesrelatetothetypicalcharacterswecanseeinmostcrime
dramatvseries.Theyareusuallydividedintothecrimesolvers,(PatrickJane,Teresa
Lisbon,GraceVanPelt,KimballChoandDwayneRigsby)thecriminals,thevictimsand
thevictimsfamilyandfriends.Itisclearthisconventionisnotablyemployedonceagainin
TheMentalist.VladimirProppscharactertheorycanbeappliedtothisgenreconvention.
AswecanseefromProppsanalysisofmediatextsandproductions,histheoryindicates

thatmostnarrativescontainsevendifferentcharactertypes,whichcanbeappliedtocrime
dramatelevisionseriesandofcourseTheMentalistitself.Forexample,the hero(the
detective/police, which would be Patrick Jane and the CBI Team), the villain(the criminal) ,
the donor(helps the hero/detective/police and this is usually the witnesses involved in the
crimes), the dispatcher (this would often be Teresa Lisbon helping Patrick Jane or visa
versa) , the false hero (perceived as a good character in the beginning but emerges as evil,
which is usually one of the suspects who audiences believe is innocent at first), the
helper(helps the hero in the quest, which similar to the dispatcher, usually Teresa Lisbon
helping Patrick Jane close a case or visa versa), and finally the princess(person the hero
marries, often sought for during the narrative, in this case, usually the victim of the crime).

Likemostfamouscrimesolvingtelevisionprogrammes,aregularpatternoftv
sleuthshaveappearedthroughouttheyears.TheunbreakablebondofHolmesand
Watsontypepairingshavegraduallybecomerecognisableincrimedramatvseries.We
canseethesetvsleuthsmostclearlyinBritishtelevision,howeveritishighlyrelatableto
CBSTheMentalistasthewittyPatrickJaneandhisaccompliceTeresaLisbonsolve
crimes.Itiscommonforbothtobringexceptionallyuniqueaspectstotheduoandtheir
charactersareoftendrasticallydifferentfromoneanother.InSherlockHolmes,weseethat
Holmesbringstheidealisticsidetotheduo,althoughunrealisticattimes,itismostoften
thatHolmesistheonetocrackthecase.Watsonisperhapstherealisticandanabidebythe
rulestypeofcharacter,akeyaspecttotheoutcomesoftheHolmestales.Thisisdepicted
throughoutthecharacterduoofJaneandLisbon,Janebringsthewit,humourandalmost
alwayssolvesthecasethroughmanipulationandmindgames,whilstLisbonattemptsto

mediateJanewithherprofessionalandrealisticviewsandworkethic.FilmcriticSergio
Angelini,fortheBritishFilmInstitutestatesthatThegenre'sappealliesinitscombination
ofstrongnarrativelines,colourfulcharactersandanunusualdegreeofviewer
participation.(2)ThesecolourfulcharactersportrayedinTheMentalistareanextremely
memorablegenreconventionofitskind,highlyassistingtheaudienceapproval.

Thenarrativetechniqueswithincrimedramatvseriesareundeniablyeffortlessto
expect,withaudiencesoftenclaimingtheyknowwhattoanticipatenext.Thiscanberelated
toTheMentalistinsomeaspects,howeverwiththeshowsuniquequalitiescombinedwith
themindmanipulationfromcharacterPatrickJane,viewersareoftenleftplayingaguessing
gamethroughoutanentireepisode.Thenarrativecommonlyinvolvesacrimethatneedsto
besolved,endingtheepisodewithJaneandtheCBIteamhavingclosedthecase.This
repeatedstorylinehasperhapsbeenusedineverycrimedrama(policeprocedural)tvseries
thathaseverbeenaired.WithineachepisodeofTheMentalist,viewerswillrecognisethe
narrativepatternthatPatrickJaneisconsideredtheunderdogintheCBIoffice,butinfact
closeseverycasewithhismindtrickstofigureitout.TheMentalistisaserialtelevision 4
series,wherethecrimesaresolvedattheendofeachepisode,yetthelivesofthelead
charactersoftenhaveabackstoryandareintertwinedintoeachepisode.Crimedramatv
analysisauthorSueTurnbullstatesthatcrimedramashaveadoptedanumberofdifferent
formats(3)forexampleserialnarrative,withstoryarcsthatcanlastthelengthofa
seasonorevencontinueacrossseasonsinwhathascometobecalledthelongterm

4 tv series that include individual episodic storylines but also have intertwined back stories of the
lead characters that can cross from series to series.

narrative.(4)ThemostdominantbackstoryinvolvedintheTheMentalististhestoryof
RedJohn.RedJohnwasaserialkillerwhohadkilledPatrickJaneswifeanddaughter,and
hisdesperationtohuntthenotoriouskillerdownwashissolereasonforjoiningtheCBI.
Thisnarrativeintertwinesitselfwiththeepisodiccrimes.Thebondsbuiltbetweenthelead
charactersgrowthroughouttheseriesandplayacrucialroleinthenarrativeandaudience
approval.SueTurnballagainstatesthatcrimeserieshavevariedinthedegreeofattention
theyhavepaidtothedramaoftheongoingcharactersasopposedtotheinvestigationof
thecrime.(5)

Thenarrativesinvolvedintvcrimedramaseriesmostoftenincludeamysteryorapuzzle
allowingstrongviewerparticipationandmostimportantlykeepingaudiencesinterested.
Thefrequentuseofcliffhangersareanothernarrativetechniquethatwritershave
continuouslyusedwithincrimedramatvseriestopersuadeeagerviewerstowatchnext
weeksepisode.Thesenarrativetechniquesareusedtoengageaviewerandkeepthe
audienceratingsashighaspossible.Acompellingnarrativetechniquethathasbeen
employedinTheMentalistandmostothercrimedramatvseriesistheuseofbinary
oppositions5.Thisaspectofthenarrativecankeepaudiencesattheedgeoftheirseatswith
suspenseorperhapsinfitsoflaughteratthehumourtheconflictproduces.Eitherwaythe
binaryoppositionswithincrimedramatvseriesandTheMentalistitselfarethereforone
solereason,andthatistoentertain.Forexample,the crime solvers versus the criminals, the

5 pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system by
which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against
one another.

police versus the criminals, the truth and justice versus the lies and injustice and finally the
innocent versus the guilty.

Theuseofcameraanglesareanextremelyusefultechniqueemployedtoportrayacertain
narrative.Mostcommonlyincrimedramatvseriesthecamerafollowsthedetectivewhois
solvingthecrime.Ifthecrimeisonthevergeofbeingsolvedorperhapsatensemomentis
occurring,repeatedcloseupshotsareusedtoconveytheemotionsinthenarrative.We
oftenseeanestablishingshotatthebeginningoftheepisodestogiveaudiencesasenseof
whattypeofsceneitis,thisestablishingshotusuallysetsinmotionthemoodfortheentire
episode.InTheMentalistestablishingshotsaremostcommonlyusedontheCBI
headquarterstogiveasenseoflocationthataudiencesassociatewellwiththeshow.The
Mentalistsnarrativefeaturesmiseenscene6,whichhasinparticularbeenusedtopresent
anddevelopthenarrativethroughthecharacterofTeresaLisbon.Forexample,miseen
sceneisusedwithinTheMentalistwhenthelightinguponLisbonsfacethroughoutseries
onewasusedtoconveyheremotions.Inakeymomentinthefirstseries,lowlightingis
usedonLisbontohighlighthertraumatisedexpressionandherdistraughtemotions,which
differlargelyfromthepilotepisode.Thislightinghasdevelopedthenarrativeasitshows
viewersthatLisbonsextremelystiffandserioustraitshaveevolvedintoamoreaffectionate
characterwhodoesinfacthaveemotions.Therepeateduseofdarklightingaddstothe
seriousnessofTheMentalistandothertvcrimedramaseries.Thiscanbeseenmost
frequentlyintheinterrogationrooms.

6 The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing

ThemusicusedinTheMentalistplaysacrucialroleinportrayingamoodinevery
moment.Tocreateatenseanduncomfortablemoodforaudiences,thereisoftena
monotonehumminginthebackground,whichremainsconstantthroughoutandusuallyonly
changesifthereisadramaticchangeinthestoryline.Howeverincontrasttomosttypical
crimedramatvseriesTheMentalistoftenutilisesbubblyandupbeatbackgroundmusic
toemphasisePatrickJanesuncontrollablewitandhumour.Thiscontradictsthemoodof
thisparticulargenre,allowingTheMentalisttostrayawayfromthecommoncrime
televisionshowandinfactcontradictsthestereotypesoftvcrimedrama.Thestyleofcrime
dramatvseriesalsoplayanimportantroleinconveyingaparticularnarrative.The
Mentalistconveysanaturalisticandrealisticstylewhichpairswellwiththeuseofthe
realisticsettings,propsandsoundeffects.Thisissimilartothebodylanguageportrayed
throughouttheepisodes.Duetothecloserelationshipaudienceshavewiththelivesofthe
centralcharacters,viewerparticipationiskey.Thenonverbaluseofcommunicationfrom
thecentralcharactersoftheseriesandthecriminals,suspectsandwitnessesoftengiveclues
tothenarrativeoftheepisodeorseriesitself.InTheMentalistwebegineachepisodenot
knowingwhothecriminalis,yettheuseofbodyposture,gesturesandfacialexpressions
oftengiveviewersasenseofwhothecriminalmaybeandwherethestorymaytakeus.
TheconflictandoppositiondepictedincrimedramatelevisionseriesandinThe
Mentalistinparticulararethecentralideasofthenarrative.Thisconflictandoppositionis
almostalwayscreatedthroughfastpacedediting,togeneratetensionandsuspense.Yetthe
momentsintheseriesthataremovingandwhenasadrevelationismade,slowpaced
editingoftencreatesthis.ThetechniqueofcontinuityeditingisemployedwithinThe

Mentalisttodrawaudiencesattentiontothestoryandtheillusionofcontinuousaction,
otherthanaconstructedpiece.Theabovetopicsdiscussedinrelationthethenarrativeof
crimedramatelevisionseriesandTheMentalistareinconclusion,relatedhighlyto
TzvetanTodorovsnarrativetheory.Todorovstheorysuggeststhattherearethreestagesto
anarrativestructure.Howevertherearestagesbetweenwhichbringabouttheresolution,
forexample,Equilibrium (ordinary life), Disruption (crime is committed), Recognition
(detectives/police find out about the crime), Attempt to repair (attempt to solve the case),
New equilibrium (crime is solved, return to normal life).
ThetechnicalcharacteristicsofTheMentalistarethevitalaspectswhichbringthe
ideasfrompapertotelevision.TheMentalistisshotmainlyintheWarnerBrosBurbank
studioinCalifornia.HowevertheyhaveseveralonlocationshootsincludingDowntown
LosAngelesandSacramento.TheadvantagesTheMentalisthasofshootingthemajority
oftheseriesinasoundstage7hasproventocreateasuccessfultelevisionprogramme.The
productiondesignforTheMentalistreliesontheartdepartment.Usingasoundstagefor
thiselementofTheMentalistmeantthatallofthesetshadtobebuilt,whichisakey
reasonfortheshowshighbudget.Onceshootingonlocation,thespacesarealreadybuilt
whichperhapsmayhaveneededextrawork,butforthisaspect,onlocationshotscostless
forTheMentalist.Theuseofthecameraononlocationshotsmeantthatthecamerais
lockedtothespacethatexists.Howeveronceshootinginasoundstage,thecamerahas
moreflexibilityastowhatiswantedineachshotandforcameraplacement.Thecamera
technologyusedwithinTheMentalistisArriAlexa,PanavisionPrimoLensesand
7 a sound stage is a soundproof structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical
filmmaking and television productions usually located on a secured movie or television studio
property.

PanavisionPanaflexMillenniumandthenegativeformat(35mm(KodakVision250D
5201,Vision2250D5205,Vision2500T5218)Codex).Thelightingandlightingstyles
usedwithinTheMentalistasmentionedabovearestronglyusednotonlyforpracticality
butalsotoconveyemotions.Theuseofinstudiolightingmeansthatthereiscomplete
controloflighting.Ifperhapsastudiowastorecreatesunlightfromacertaintimeofthe
day,theydonothavetofilmatthisparticulartimeofdayandcanrecreatethislightsuiting
themselves.Themostapparentadvantageofinstudiolightingistheelectricitythatcanbe
usedonset.HowevershotsthathavebeenfilmedonlocationoroutsidewithinThe
Mentalisthavetobereliantonthesunlight.Thesunandweatherconditionssuchasclouds
playacrucialroleonthelightingofashot.ForexampleifTheMentalistcrewwereto
spendawholedayfilmingonlocationforentirelyonescene,theywouldneedthelighting
toremainthesame.Duetothis,additionallightingwouldhavetobeputinplaceasthe
daylightchangesfrommorningtoeveningandtomaintaincontinuity.Thesoundstagesare
completelysoundproof,allowingnoothersoundtoruinatake.Thisisastrongadvantage
whichallowsTheMentalisttobefilmedmorepracticallyandmoreincoherencewithtime
restrictionsanddeadlines.

ThenextstudiotelevisionproductionIamgoingtodiscussisBritishcomedypanelshow
HaveIGotNewsForYou.ThistelevisionprogrammehasbeenairedontheBBCsince
1990.Ineachepisode,showcreatorsIanHislopandPaulMertondividethemselvesinto
oppositionalteams,bothhavinganewteammateeveryepisodewithAngusDeayton
presenting,untilnewpresentersbegantoappearineveryepisodesin2002.Panelistsusually
consistofpoliticians,journalistsorcomediansthatarewelluptodatewithcurrentaffairs.

Theshowsmainpurposeistodiscussnewstopicsoverthepastweek,leavingnoparty,
personalityoractionunscathedinthepursuitoflaughs.Thetelevisionprogrammelieson
thebasisofsatiremostdominantlytowardspolitics.SeniorcuratoroftheBFIMarkDuguid
writesthattelevisionsatirebeganbecauseitwasanexpressionoffrustrationwiththe
extraordinaryconservatismofthe1950s,adecadewhichhadseenunbrokenToryrulefrom
1951,andinwhichtheprogrammeofsocialrenewalbegunbythepostwarLabour
governmenthadbeenhaltedorreversed.(6)
Thegenreconventionsofasatirecomedypanelshowarequitehardtodefine,yet
theydohavetheirtimelessqualities.Forexamplemostshowswithinthisgenrelink
themselvessolelytocurrentaffairs,similarinHaveIGotNewsForYou.Thecurrent
affairsmontagetitlesequenceisonethathasbeenusedtimelesslyinthisgenreoftelevision
programmesandithasbeenemployedinHaveIGotNewsForYou,whichareoften
animated.Theupbeatandfastpacedmusicusedwithinthetitlesequenceandthroughout
theepisodeskeepthemoodsoftheaudienceshappyandcheerful.Thisgenreoftelevision
programmesusuallyshowshotsofaudiencesclappingandperhapslaughingasthepanelist
speak.InHaveIGotNewsForYouwecanseethesetofthepanelistsandpresenteris
backlitwiththeshowtitlebehindatthebeginningandbecomeslitaftertheaudienceclaps.
Thisisarepeatedaspectofthisgenreandisalmostusedwithineverytvpanelshow.These
televisionpanelprogrammesfollowthesameformateveryweek,withHIGNFYs
explainedabove.Rulesareoftenputinplacetodictatethedirectiontheshowwillgo.
WithinHIGNFYthepanelistsoftenhavetoguesswhatismissingfromanewspieceand
soon.Theyarealsoalmostalwaysfilmedorrecordedwithalivestudioaudience.Typical
tocomedypanelshows,thehostaddressesthecameradirectly.Thisgenreconventiongives

theprogrammesastrongpersonalaspectandpromotesaudienceparticipationathomeas
wellasonset.Thehostandpanelistswilloftendressconservatively.Thehostalsotakeson
anauthoritarianmanner.ThiscanallbeseeninHIGNFY.
ThenarrativetechniqueswithinacomedypanelshowandinparticularHIGNFY
aresimilartomostgameandquizshows.Thenarrativefeaturesofmiseenscenewithina
comedypanelshowareassuch;brightlightingcentredonthehostandpanelists,panelists
andhostsseatedbehindadeskoraspotlitchair,thestudioaudiencearelitmoresubtly,the
hostistraditionallyseatedbetweentwoopposingteamsandthebrightlylitthemed
backgroundsbehindthepanelistsandhostaccordingtothenatureoftheshow.Theshot
typesaddtothenarrativesastheysetthesceneandmoodofthepanelshows.Theyoften
showparticipantsandaudiencereactions,whicharekeytothistypeofnarrative.The
establishingshotusuallyshowsallofthepanelists,thehostandtheirbackground,perhaps
fromtheaudiencesperspectivewhichaddstotheaudienceparticipationathome.The
establishingshotisusuallycuttothroughouttheshowtoremindtheviewersofthis.The
mediumshotisalwaysemployedtoshowoneteamofpanelists,whichismostlyusedwhen
itistheirroundintheshowandfortheirreactionstotheiropposingteam.Finallytheuse
ofthecloseupismostdominantlyusedtoportrayparticipantsreactionsandincrease
tensions,thereforeaddingtothenarrative.Thereactionshotsofaudiences,hostsand
participantsenhanceoursenseofengagementwiththeshow.Theshotreverseshotallows
ustofollowthelogicoftheformatoftheprogramme.AsHIGNFYisacomedypanel
programme,audiencereactionsiskeyforthesuccessoftheshow.Thestudioaudience
laughtercreatesnarrativefortheshowasitproducesasenseofnaturalisticstyleanditfeels
nonrehearsed.

Onceagain,wecanseeanothertvstudioproductionusingbinaryoppositionsto
createastrongerandmoreengagingnarrative.TvshowsofthisgenreandHIGNFY
employbinaryoppositions,forexample, team versus team, winning versus losing,
knowledge versus ignorance and public recognition versus public shaming.
Thenarrativestructureofapaneltelevisionprogrammeiscloselylinkedtoitsformat.Each
newstageoftheformatisoftensignifiedbyacombinationofmusic,graphics,dialogue
fromthehostandperhapsaudienceapplause.Thetargetaudiencesforcomedypaneltv
showsandHIGNFYareadultswhoappreciateBritishsatire.HoweverRichardDyers
audiencetheoryapplieswelltocomedypanelshowsandHIGNFY.Histheorysuggests
thatmediaaudiencesconsumemediaproductstomakeupforthefivethingswemissinour
dailylivesduetothepressuresofmodernsociety;transparency,energy,community,
abundanceandintensity.WecanclearlyseetransparencywithinHIGNFYasitshows
littlevariationandcreatesasenseofsecurityforviewers.Theenergyisdepictedthrough
thefastpacednatureoftheformat,themiseensceneandtheheightenedatmosphere
contributedbythesoundandlighting.Thecommunityisportrayedthroughtheteamwork.
Theabundanceappearsthattheremaybeaprizetowin,howeverwithinHIGNFYitis
simplytheprestigeofwinning.Finallytheintensityisincorporatedthroughtheconflictof
opinionsbetweentheopposingpanelists,mostoftenbetweenIanHislopandPaulMerton.It
isinfactthispairingofwitandhumourbetweenpanelistsHislopandMertonthattheshow
thrivesoff.MarkDuguidexplainsthatThecurrentaffairsquizHaveIGotNewsForYou
(BBC,1990),anotherproductofRadio4,thrivesonthebanterbetweentheinspired
reactivecomicPaulMertonandhiscostarIanHislop.(7)

HaveIGotNewsForYouisfilmedinstage2ofTheLondonStudiosin
Southbank,London.Thecomedypanelshowhasmanyadvantagesduetoitbeingfilmedin
astudio.Forexampletheshowhasfullcontroloverlighting,whentolightthehostsandthe
panelistsandalsotheaudience.Theshowalsohasmostcontroloversound,inparticularthe
microphonesforhostsandpanelists,themusicandsoundeffects.Howevertheydonothave
suchcontrolovertheaudience,aswecanheartheirlaughter,wecanalsohearifan
audiencememberraisestheirvoice.Obviouslytheseaudiencesareunderstrictrulesnotto
doso,butrecordingastudiowithaliveaudiencemeansthereisinsomewaysalackof
controlofsound.Howeverduetotheshowonlybeingrecordedliveandnotairedlive,these
mishapscanbeeditedout.Withthefullprogrammebeingfilmedinstudio,thereareno
transportationcost,provingtheshowhasaneasybudgettostickby.Thestudioisalwaysin
closeproximitytomanagementfacilities,allowingtheshowtorunassmoothlyaspossible,
yetifeveraproblem,managementandsecurityarealwayscloseby.

ThefinaltelevisionstudioproductionIamgoingtodiscussisBritishsitcomFawlty
Towers.FawltyTowersisafarcecomedywherecocreatorJohnCleeseentertains
audiencesthroughsituationsinhishotelthatarehighlyexaggerated,extravagantandthus
improbable.BFIwriterPhilWickhamstatesthatSitcomisadeceptivelysimpleconcept
comedyarisingfromaconsistentsituation.(8)Thegenreconventionsofasitcomare
timeless.Sitcomshaveidentifiableyetsimplelocationsoftenbeingaworkplace,apub,a
livingroomandinrelationtoFawtltyTowersahotel.Theexteriorofthehotelisused,the
reception,thediningarea,thekitchenandoccasionallybedrooms.Therewillonlybea
limitedamountofcharactersinsitcoms,forexampleinmostlyallepisodesofFawlty

TowersweseeBasilandhiswifeSybil,chambermaidPollyandthehotelwaiterManuel.
Almostallsitcomshaveathemesongthatremainsthesamethroughouttheseries.Fawlty
Towersonlylastedfortwoseasonshoweverthethemetuneremainedthesameandwasa
memorableidentifierfortheshow.Theuseoffarcecomedyisanunquestionablegenre
conventionofaFawltyTowers.Forexample,BasilFawltyshumorousencounterswith
hishotelguestsandthemishapsthatfollow.Theuseofsmallsocialgroupsarecommonly
portrayedwithinsitcomsandmostdefinitelyinFawltyTowers,wherewecanseeagroup
orworkers/friendsthatallhavedistinctpersonalitiesfromoneanotherandaredepicted
withineachepisode.Finally,theprimegenreconventionofasitcomisinfactthecomic
trap.Thecomictrapisthepremiseinwhichasitcomisbuiltanditisthesituation
characterscannotescapefrom.InrelationtoFawltyTowersitispredominantlyBasilwho
findshimselftrappedincertainsituationswithhotelguestsandhisattemptstohidethem
fromhiswifeSybil.
ThenarrativetechniquesusedwithinFawltyTowersaretypicaltomostsitcoms
today.FawltyTowersfollowsthesameformatforeachepisode.Thestructureis;
equilibrium(normalityforBasilandthehotelstaff),disruption(somethinghappenstohotel
stafforguestswhichcreatesthestorylinefortheepisode),resolution(Basilusuallyfindsa
humorouswayoffixinghisproblems)andfinallybacktotheequilibrium(backtonormality
fortheendoftheepisode).FawltyTowershasaclosednarrative,allowingaudiencesto
watchepisodesindividuallyfromallotherepisodes,yetthestorylinesstillmakesense.The
charactersandtheirtraitsofasitcomsuchasFawltyTowersultimatelybringaboutthe
narrativeforeachepisode.Forexample,withinFawltyTowersBasilwillalwayshave
thwartedambitionstokeephishotelguestshappyanddisillusionedfromtheproblems

goingoninthehotelatthetime.Yethisfailedattemptsatdoingsooftenbringsthecomedy
tothesituation.Asmentionedabove,thecomictrapisusedwithinFawltyTowers.Thisis
themainaspectofthenarrativeasitiswhatthestoryisbasedupon.Contrastingcharacters
withinthesesituationsalsogivemanyopportunitiesforcomedyandmostimportantly
withinFawltyTowersthefrustrationBasilFawltyhaswithhotelchefManuel.The
completeabundanceofironyandsarcasmisatraittothenarrativetechniquesofFawlty
Towers.Astheshowisbasedoncomedy,ironyandsarcasmispartlywherethecomedy
arisesfrom.Thebodylanguagealsoplaysamajorroleinportrayingthenarrativeofeach
episode.InparticularBasilFawltyholdslittlebackofhisimpatienceandfrustrationwith
hotelguestsandstaffalike.Mostoftenheexpressesthesefeelingsvocally,buthedoes
indeedexpresshimselfthroughcomicalhandgestures,facialexpressionsandsnideremarks
andsidecomments.
FawltyTowerswasrecordedliveinStudioTC8,BBCTelevisionCentre,Wood
Lane,Shepherd'sBush,London.Thiswaswherethemajorityofthesceneswereshot,
howeverafewonlocationsshotswerefilmedfortheexteriorofthehotel.EachFawlty
Towersepisodetookfivedaystorehearseandwasthenrecordedinthestudioinfrontofa
liveaudience.FawltyTowershadamulticamsetupwhichallowedaudiencesathometo
seeallaspectsofthenarrativeandallreactionsfromthehotelguestsandstaff,whichwere
alwaysextremelycomical.Astheshowwasairedfrom1975until1979,theediting
techniqueswereasgoodastheycouldbeforsitcomsatthistime.Theeditingwasfast
pacedcomeamomentofexaggerationfromBasilinparticularandmomentsofsheer
comedytokeepthemoodandpaceoftheepisodelight.FawltyTowershadmany
advantagesofrecordinginastudioset.Forexamplethecontroltheywantedovertheir

choiceoflighting,sound,setdesignandalsotheirproximitytomanagementandsecurity
facilities.
Bywayofconclusion,itisclearthateachtelevisionstudioproductionIhave
discussedtakesmanyadvantagesfromtheirstudiofilmingchoice.TheMentalist,HaveI
GotNewsForYouandFawltyTowershaveallbecometimelessandsuccessful
productionsthatisduetotheabovetopicssuchasgenreconventions,narrativetechniques
andtechnicalcharacteristics.

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