A Comparison of the Genres of TV Studio Productions

Television shows exist in many different genres in the modern climate, all different in
many ways, but no less successful than each other. There is more than enough difference
between soap operas, sitcoms and all the other genres but they all receive regular viewers at
home and therefore are still in demand. TV productions are vastly unique, with many minute
details between each that separate them. For this reason, at first glance it is difficult to
categorise these programmes into genres, as many shows are, without a doubt, far too similar
to one another.

However, when the area is truly studied, it can be found that the differences between
separate genres in television are striking. From the very first days of production, a television
show is defined by the genre it sits in. All decisions from lighting, set design and use of
audience come down to the category in which the programme sets itself inside.

Sitcoms
The point is that when writing for sitcoms, it might be useful to think of each series as being
its own genre -Evan S. Smith (2009, p27)
Situational comedy (known more colloquially as the sitcom) has long been a form of
entertainment on television that brings in a large audience. The nature of the genre made it so
that it was accessible to many viewers out there and most productions within the genre often
find success when they relate to these people. This is why most sitcoms are either set in a
family setting, for example Roseanne (ABC, 1988-97) and Third Rock from the Sun (NBC,
1996-2001), or they take place within a work setting, which includes Allo, Allo! (BBC,
1982-92). When a sitcom is based in these settings, often it reaches success due to people
relating to the characters, even when based on aliens or during World War II, because the
shows focus more on the theme of family or friends at work, an aspect everyone has had
some time in their lives.

For this reason Friends (NBC, 1994-2004) was so popular not only in the USA, where
it was produced, but it also succeeded overseas. The premise of six twenty-somethings
living in New York didnt require an audience member to have any specific prior experiences
as the characters and their experiences are entirely situational. Each individual episode was a
solely unique and wholly unconnected storyline from the rest of the season, a convention
within the sitcom genre, and this allowed first time viewers to start watching without any
needed information to understand what is happening on screen. The characters on Friends
have very little development throughout the run of the show, once again another trope of the
sitcom genre. For example, the character of Joey (an unsuccessful actor with a childlike
personality and a love of eating) falters very little for the way he was portrayed in the pilot
though the ten season run. This links in to how the episodes are individual because if there
were much character growth for Joey, first time viewers would be puzzled at the change
between episodes.
 A trait shared by a majority of sitcoms that many find unnecessary and/or annoying is
the coined phrase of canned laughter. Also known as the laugh track, this is the sound
mixer of a sitcom adding in pre-recorded or perhaps even false and manufactured laughter so
as to generate more of a response from an audience member towards a joke. This habit was
mainly in use in American television, with European countries favouring the more natural
live audience than adding in the effect later. Live audiences were often present at the studio
of Friends and other such American sitcoms but a laugh track was also added over to any
jokes the producers feel didnt get enough laughs.

Friends was filmed mainly on the rather expensive 35mm so as to create a more
homely film look. This effect is shared by a lot of American sitcoms of the 20th century, as a
sort of homage to one of the first of its kind, I Love Lucy (CBS, 1957-60). The money spent
to have this effect was rectified by the masses that tuned in to watch Friends and other such
sitcoms.

Just as most sitcoms are, Friends is filmed with a multi-camera setup. At all times
there is at least three cameras recording the scene, with more being brought in depending on
what the scene must show. Often the camera would be showing a mid-shot of the actors
(showing waist-up) with a main camera in the centre of the studio filming a wide shot of the
entire scene. This camera shot is used to track character movements across the set as they
move fro conversation to conversation. There is no use of overhead cameras on booms as
well as very little close-ups to actors faces. The lights were often soft to show a homelier and
old-fashioned image, a trait that did not really survive in the sitcoms of modern day, those of
which having a brighter image to portray a happier tone to the show.

The set design of Friends (and all other sitcoms) is carefully planned to be decorated
with many objects that define and represent the character that owns them. For example,
Monicas room where a lot of the dialogue between the main cast takes place is perfectly neat
and organised which mirrors Monicas personality and here obsession for cleaning whereas
Chandler and Joeys shared apartment is filled with many oddities and colourful items, which
shows the two characters wacky interactions and capers. The carefully planned set design
works closely with the costume department of the show to define the character traits, flaws
and quirks to make a much more detailed personality.

Soap Operas
One reason we may be staying tuned is because as audience we are either fantasizing
or reminiscing about being part of one big happy family Suzanne Frentz (1992, p5)

Soap operas are another type of fictional programme one of which that has found
varying success over the years. Soap operas often are not humorous and focus heavily on the
drama created between the characters. Dialogue is a large part of soap operas due to its
history of being created for radio in the 1930s. The genre transferred over to television rather
easily but still, the writers rather focused on dialogue than the camera set up or any form of
technical techniques.

Quite the opposite of sitcoms, the plotline of soaps run continuously, often depicting
the lives of the characters the show is involved in. The plots often are situational, with the
personalities and traits of the characters interacting with one another creating most of the
tension and the drama that attracts viewers to the genre. Because of the nature of the plotline
of soap operas, they have the potential to continue their run indefinitely if given enough of a
constant viewership and dedicated fan base.

It is for this reason Coronation Street (ITV, 1960-Present) is still continuing with
unwavering popularity. Known to be quite relatable due to its focus on the working class and
use of humour, Coronation Street (affectionately nicknamed Corrie) depicts pretty much
ordinary characters with no truly special qualities. But these qualities endeared themselves to
viewers and rapidly fans of the show grew. It is only to modern day where the viewership is
dropping (where previously the average viewers per episode was 20 million, it is now
between 14 and 15 million). The ever-present storyline drags in the audience as well so as
that when a season ends; it is more likely the audience will come back next season if the story
is not finished. The end of episodes would usually involve a cliff-hanger ending as well,
where a character says something intriguing followed by the swift closing credits. This is a
clever tactic employed by many soap operas to entice the viewers to watch the next episode.

The sets of Coronation Street are based in the studios of Trafford, with a nearly full-
scale row of terraces, mock shops and the pub being erected out in the back lot. This set was
made after 1982, when coronation started becoming even more popular with the British
audiences and most scenes that take place in the television show occur in this location.
Because of this, camera crews work on a tight schedule so as to not interfere with each others
filming. Like most soap operas, Coronation Street is filmed using a multi-camera setup due
to how each individual camera in the setup can focus on a single character and the
performance of the actor, a must for the genre in question. Also, because of the high demand
for episodes and the alarming rate in which they are produced, soap operas often record onto
tape, which is a much cheaper alternative for recording the episode. This is why the picture
quality of a soap opera is rarely sharp and/or bright.

Other than the famous opening theme, Coronation Street uses no music in the
background so as to create a more grounded and realistic atmosphere to the show. It is
sometimes used during more stressful and dramatic moments in the show, and the use of
these sparse periods of music makes the moments they are used all the more impactful and
memorable. However, the very apparent lack of music also makes the drama of the scene
affect the viewer much more, with the deathly silence at times contributing just as much to
the intensity on screen as the performance of the actor/actress.

The reason soap operas often look different to most other genres of television studio
productions is partly to do with the lighting. In the case of Coronation Street, the lighting is
often soft with natural light also playing a major role in the lighting. Due to often being in
tight and restrictive sets, the studio often makes use of backlighting (the lights that are placed
behind the actors and look directly at the camera) which makes the actors stand out from the
background. This is important due to how the costumes of said actors are often bland or
normal and without being brought out, they can fade into the background if wearing a
similar material to the set.

Quiz Shows
These interactive games seem to offer the possibility for an enhanced interaction with the
program and even other viewers-Olaf Hoerschelmann (2006, p15)
Moving away from the fictional studio productions, quiz shows are an excellent way
to provide entertainment to the audience. The shared premise television shows in this
particular genre have is how the host or hosts ask questions to contestants from the public in a
chance to win a prize of a certain kind. This is a simple formula for a television show that
generates excitement in the eyes of the people watching at home. Often a new quiz show will
bring a gimmick of a kind so as to generate a new level of excitement; for example, new rules
can be made to hinder the contestants further.

A rather new quiz show that perfectly shows how studios bring in different and
complicated ideas to change things up from just simply asking questions is The Chase (ITV,
2009-Present). The idea of this programme is that a quizmaster goes head-to-head with a
contestant in a round of general knowledge. If either party gets an answer right, they get a
step forward and closer to putting the cash prize in the bank for a later chance to win that
money. If they answer wrong, they stay in place. As the title suggests, if the chaser
overtakes the contestant with more right answers, the contestant is disqualified and leaves
with no money. This high-risk system along with a possibility for huge amount of tension
when the chaser encloses on a contestant creates an entertaining watch for those viewing at
home.

The host of a quiz show (Bradley Walsh in the case of The Chase) is always happy
and chirpy with a welcoming personality. When a person tunes into the show, the host should
be a friendly face that audience can enjoy as they watch. Sometimes they also entertain the
viewers at home or audience in the studio if there is one with quips and short jokes. Bradley
Walsh on The Chase is often portrayed as an advocate of the contestants with a begrudging
and friendly rivalry with the chasers. This is a trait in all quiz show hosts in that they support
the people competing on the show and offer words of encouragement.
 Just like nearly all quiz shows throughout television history, The Chase features a
very brightly lit studio with equally bright colours making the props in the room stand
perfectly out. This high-key lighting is used so that the movement of the host, the chaser
coming up to the podium or the contestants moving from the team table to the podium is well
lit and there are no dark areas on the stage. Many producers wish to see the set look different
from other quiz shows in the market and so put much money into luminous columns and
tables so as to stand out to anyone who is watching for the first time.

The Chase is filmed using a multi-camera setup, however there are much more
cameras than the traditional three or four. There can be at least two cameras atop booms to
get overhead shots of the stage as well as upwards of five cameras to get close up shots of
contestants faces as they react to certain events. A mid-shot is used when viewing the chaser
to show their body language as they engage in dialogue with either the contestant or Bradley
Walsh. These cameras at eye-level are EMI 2001 studio cameras, a top quality camera that
gives a good picture.

Large amounts of graphics are necessary to be edited into each episode. Both the
progress of the contestants and the chaser during the final and the questions being currently
asked are necessary to be shown on the bottom of the screen. The graphics had to be designed
at the beginning of the run but at this stage, all the editors have to do is add the already made
graphics and type in the necessary details.

Conclusion
As seen with the comparison of the different genres, television studio productions
differ largely between each other. In ways such as the use of audience, the lighting, the set
design and structure of the average narrative, we see how genre defines television and can
easily categorise productions when all aspects are considered. Although the styles of the
television programmes fluctuate from production to production, there is no doubt they can be
grouped together in such a critical manner as genre is.

Bibliography
Smith, E.S. (2009). Writing Television Sitcoms. London: Penguin.
Frentz, S. (1992). Staying Tuned: Contemporary Soap Opera Criticism. Madison:
Popular Press.
Hoerschelmann, O. (2006). Rules of the Game: Quiz Shows And American Culture.
Albany: State University of New York Press.
Walker, T. (2011). Independent. [online] Viewed 20 October 2017,
<https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-return-of-the-
sitcom-2201279.html>
 Creber, G. (2008) Television Genre Book. 2nd edition. Hampshire: Palgrave.
Miller, T. (2009) Television Studies: The Basics. Abingdon: Routledge.
Butler, J.G. (2011) Television: Critical Methods and Applications. 4th edition.
Abingdon: Routledge.
ITV Studios. (n.d.) The Chase. [online] Viewed 15 September 2017,
<https://www.itv.com/hub/the-chase/1a7842a0564>
Thurston, K. (2017) Thoughtco. [online] Viewed 18 October 2017,
<https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-the-most-popular-daytime-soaps-2528006>
Adalian, J. (2011) Nymag. [online] Viewed 20 October 2017,
<http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/laughtracks-2011-12/>
Warner Bros Pictures. (n.d.) Warner Bros Shows. [online] Viewed 19 September
2017, https://www.warnerbros.com/search?qt=friends&s_b=
(2013) BBC. [online] Viewed 25 September 2017,
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25151472>
Strinati, D. (2000) An Introduction to Studying Popular Culture. New York:
Routledge.

Footnotes
In researching for this assignment, I attempted to reach out to Potato, the production
company who produce The Chase, and Granada (who produce Coronation Street) via e-
mail. However, up to the present date, I have not received any word back from the
subsidiaries of ITV.
Many of the references used as seen in the bibliography are texts written by well-
established TV critics or genre theorists and reading these texts helped shape the views
projected in this assignment. The websites shown are either articles on the subject of a
particular genre that I found particularly useful in research or are the website of the
production company that produces the highlighted television production within the piece.