Research

Conduct unique research into the TV industry
Apply your research findings to your chosen show
1:Develop your own original interpretation of how your show relates your selected area of study
Final Paper | Option

2: Create Your Own Series Final Paper Option 2 | Create Your Own Series Overview For this project, you will conduct a multi-faceted analysis of television by proposing your own original series. By focusing on a single series creatively, you will be able to dig deeply into TV as a complex system and use course concepts along the way to guide your thinking. Through the research and creative process, you will be using and displaying your understanding of course concepts to develop a show that contributes uniquely to culture and society.

The goal of this paper is to create a show that is grounded in TV history but gives us something new to add to our culture. Think about creating a series that will make an original contribution to TV studies and society.Formatting Requirements6-8 double-spaced pages
1-inch margins
12-point Times New Roman font
You want to be sure each section builds and flows.

Your paper should flow (meaning: ideas in one section should carry over to ideas in the other section) and build (meaning: your ideas should get more complex – the ideas in the second or third section should add to our understanding of ideas in the first section). It is also important that you explain key terms and concepts in your own words. Do not assume the reader knows what L.O.P. stands for or the difference between episodic and serial TV.CitationsFor this paper, you should have a minimum of 4 original research sources.

This does not include our textbook, though you can definitely use textbook chapters as additional sources beyond the requirement. You will need to provide a detailed list of all the sources you have consulted in researching or creating your show. Including websites, news articles, journal articles, books, reviews, etc.

You can use APA or MLA format – just be sure you are consistentthroughout your paper! There are many websites that can help you with citations. Citation Machine (Links to an external site.) is a good website that helps you format your citations properly. There are two types of citations you need to be sure you make:1. In-text citations: This means if you reference a source in your paper (a book, article, TV series, interview, website, etc.), you must be sure to cite it in the sentence or paragraph where you use it. See the Purdue Online Writing Lab (Links to an external site.) for excellent and detailed descriptions and examples – here is the APA In-Text Citation Guide (Links to an external site.) – here is the MLA In-Text Citation Guide. (Links to an external site.)Example: According to Kiley (2021) “TV is a complex social system in which our cultural ideas and values are mediated.” Levine (2007) provides an example of this dynamic in her discussion of 70s television series featuring sexualized and empowered women. Shows like Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981) and Wonder Women (1976-1979) were key places where changing ideas about women and new values about gender roles were explored. “Indeed, TV’s sex-symbol women allowed viewers to accept and reject ideas about sex and gender that were up for debate in the era of women’s liberation and the sexual revolution” (Levine, 125).
2. Reference List/Works Cited Page: At the end of your paper, you provide a complete list of every source you used in your paper (for APA they call this the “Reference List” and for MLA they call this the “Works Cited Page”). Your Reference List/Works Cited Page should be properly formatted, alphabetized, and comprehensive. Every article, book, and website you use in your research should be included on this page at the end! Again, the Purdue Online Writing Lab has great resources for APA Reference List formatting (Links to an external site.) and MLA Works Cited Page formatting (Links to an external site.). Please note: your Reference List/Works Cited Page is not included in your final page count

Example:
Kiley, Aleah. (2021) “How to Study TV.” FS105 Lecture. Santa Barbara City College. Levine, Elaina. (2007). Wallowing in Sex: The New Sexual Culture of 1970s American Television. Duke University Press.Components of Paper Use the following format as a template for your paper. You must cover all the sections below but can choose to use the sections below as headings in your papers to help organize your writing. If you use these headings, be sure the paper is still written in an academic essay format with overall cohesion and organization.Your paper will be divided into four main sectionsIntroduction, Background & Context
Description of Your Series
Cultural Relevance Statement
Sample of Series
Research Resources are also provided below Introduction, Background & Context (1-2 pages) Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)This section opens your paper and lays out the basic information about your show and the areas you will be exploring. If you think of your paper as a journey, the introduction is like the directions or map that tells the reader where they will be going and what they can expect to see as they read your paper. After reading your introduction, the reader should be pretty comfortable knowing what will be explored and discussed in the paragraphs to come. Don’t leave any major elements out so that the reader is confused or surprised by something that comes up later. Also, don’t include ideas or facts that aren’t relevant to your overall paper and argument. Your introduction should be no longer than two paragraphs. Your cultural relevance statement should be bolded and the end of your final intro paragraph. Your introduction should include:Brief information about your proposed show: format, setting, who will distribute it, any notable above-the-line talent, studio/showrunner information, and intended audience.

Industry & Cultural Context: A general statement about how you think your show will fit within the overall industry landscape and what it is culturally and socially responding to or engaging with.
Cultural Relevance Statement: This is your larger statement about what is industrially and culturally important about your original TV series. Your cultural relevance statement should be succinctly stated (no more than two sentences!) and should be BOLDED at the end of your introductory paragraph(s).
Example: The Beautiful Death of a Supernova is a serial teen drama that will subvert genre expectations by engaging in more complex and controversial social issues than traditional teen serials.

The show will be a mini series following the development of a young woman’s life struggles with eleven total episodes. In each episode, the main character will grow and her narrative will unfold sequentially in each episode. This show is similar in format and structure to Euphoria and borrows from its style and structure. The Beautiful Death of a Supernova will focus on re-presenting experiences of mental health, sexual assault, and addiction in a complex and nuanced way. The cast will be made up of young adults of color as well as LBGTQIA+ talent to challenge trends of symbolic annihilation and under-representation. The intended audience is primarily 17-39, urban, educated, and progressive people. TheBeautiful Death of a Supernova is meant to be a cultural forum for important social issues, and I will encourage fansto create both transformational and affirmational content to have important conversations about these issues. The Beautiful Death of a Supernova is an important series that will act as a continuing platform that explores teenage obstacles and relevant social issues to promote cultural acceptance of mental health struggles, addiction, and diversity while also seeking to drive social change about sexual assault and intolerance. Industry Background (~1 page)In the remaining portion of your Introductory section, you want to expand on relevant industry background to show how your show fits within the overall TV landscape.

Here, you will provide an overview of the industrial context that your show is circulating in. You want to highlight the industry trends, key players, and practices you plan on using in your series. You want to show that you have a clear understanding of the industrial environment that your show will have to compete and survive in. For this section, you can imagine you are pitching your show to an industry executive in this part and want to be sure you know who and what to reference when they ask, “Who do you want to produce this?” “Who is going to be in it?” “Who will run/air the show?” “What shows are your biggest competitors?” “What kind of programming strategy are you using?” “What kind of partnerships or advertising deals do you have to bring in money or promote the show?” Social & Cultural Context (~1 page)Include here the social and cultural context that your show will be engaging with. Part of your task in this paper is to show that you understand how TV operates in a broader historical, cultural, political, and social context. This section is where you can articulate how you see your show responding to our current moment. Pick at least one of the following contexts to engage with or address in your show: social issues
cultural dynamics
global issues
economic trends
political conflicts or movements
Some questions to consider for this section to help you apply this context to your show: What forms of popular culture are circulating in your intended audience?
Are there any social movements or cultural identities that you want to highlight?
Have any major events changed the way people are making sense of the world?
Are there any major political conflicts or issues you want to engage with?
To bring this section together it is essential that you fully answer this question: How will your show fit in with, challenge, or address these issues?

Description of Your Series (3-5 pages)This section is the majority of your paper. Here, you will provide a detailed description of your show’s format/structure, mode of representation, and intended audience. Throughout this section, it is important that you provide a justification for why you made these decisions.Thematic DimensionsFor your proposed show you will address three specific thematic dimensions from the course. Describe how you see each of these dimensions working in your show and explain why you chose them.The three thematic dimensions you must include:format
representation
audience

FormatProvide a detailed description of your show’s format, conventions, and structure. Again, be sure as you discuss relevant class terms and concepts, explain why you made these decisions, and how these course concepts fit within your show. Elements of format to include and questions to consider:Genre & conventions: What genre or format is the show? What expectations does this type of show carry with it? Will your show meet or subvert genre expectations and conventions? How will it do that? After describing the format, provide a historical and industrial justification for your show: Is it the first of its kind? Is it drawing on other shows? Is it reinventing a historical show?Episode structures: What typical patterns will structure the episodes? What will the basic formula of each episode be? Will you use a three- or five-act narrative arc? Will it follow an operational aesthetic? Will use utilize a three-part reality competition structure? After describing the episode structures, explain if there are any episodes or seasons that you envision challenging these patterns?Length of series: Will this show be a limited series (miniseries)? Will seasons be limited to 6-10 episodes or longer 15-20 episode seasons? How long will each episode be (15min, 30 min, 60 min)? After describing the length of the series, explain why you think this is the best format for the show and how it informs the types of viewing you want to create.RepresentationBased on our discussions of “re-presentation” in the course, provide a description and justification for the versions of identity and social life that your show will re-present.Elements of re-presentation to consider:Social Life:

What version of social life will you re-present? What settings, populations, challenges, lifestyles, experiences, and realities will your show re-create?Talent: What types of actors and talent will you highlight? Non-professional? Professional? Performers of color? All women cast? Disabled stars? Non-professional lifestyle or interest groups? Above-the-line stars or writer-producers? Justification: Why choose this mode of re-presentation? What do you hope to accomplish with this?

Describe who your intended audience is and your approach to dealing with audiences and fans

Elements of audiences to consider: Target Audience: Who will be your target audience? Why do you think they are the best audience for your show? What do you know about them? What other content and/or major brands do they consume? What are their lifestyle habits? Promotion: How will you target and promote the show to your target audience? What types of language, branding campaigns, and imagery will you use to speak to that audience? Why do you think that will work? For example: If you want to cultivate loyal fan bases and long-term fan investment, you might want to think about how to create moments of synergy, product integration, transformational/affirmational fan content, or affective engagement with your fans.

Fandom: Will you attempt to generate fans? How will you intentionally cultivate fan followings? On the other hand, how do you plan to address issues of transformation or unauthorized fan controversies and content? Will you embrace or control fan expansions of your creative world? Cultural Relevance Statement (1-2 pages)In this section, you will bring all of your research and creative work together and explain why your TV series matters. Think of this as the pitch for why your show should get made and the importance it will have on the industry and society. I encourage you to think beyond profits and ratings and emphasize how your show is important and relates to the themes we have touched on in class. You can think of this as a justification for why your show should be made in our culture at this moment in time. Questions to consider when crafting your Cultural Relevance Statement

What does your show say about our culture and society at this point in time?
Does it reveal anything important about the industry? How it is changing? What the power dynamics are?
How does it address the needs of audiences in new or important ways?
Does it fill any gaps in re-presentation?
Does it create any new format elements, meanings, and pleasures?
What does your show say about our changing beliefs, ideas, and values?
What does it say about our fears, anxieties, fantasies, hopes, and dreams?
Example: Addressing the resurgence of racist rhetoric in our current politically polarized climate, my proposed series The National Mutt Championship will provide a creative spin on traditional dog competitions by destabilizing re-presentations of purity, excellence, and exclusion. This series will be a live, network event bringing in contestants and audiences from around the world to celebrate unique mutt looks, emotional canine/family bonds, and important canine contributions to society.Sample of SeriesIn this section, you will really engage your creativity and generate something substantial from your series. This can be anything that creates a sense of the show for potential audiences and investors. Think of it as a way to “pitch” your show. The sample can be:The first few pages of the pilot script
A promotional poster
A brief trailer
A storyboard
Some character sketches or set designs
Research Trade Journals (many are online, some with access to archived articles)Advertising Age

The Hollywood Reporter
Television Quarterly
Billboard
Broadcasting
The Industry Standard
Television Week
Broadcasting & Cable
Communications Daily
Daily Variety
Entertainment Law & Finance
Mediaweek
Screen Finance
Variety
Video Age International
Scholarly Journals(some full-text articles can be accessed online through library databases)American Quarterly
Cinema Journal
Communication Studies
Convergence
Critical Studies in Media Communication
Cultural Studies
Historical Journal of Film, Radio and TV
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Journal of Popular Film and Television
Journal of Popular Culture
Jump Cut
Media, Culture and Society
Screen
Television and New Media
The Velvet Light Trap
Wide Angle
Popular Press Newsweek
Sight and Sound
The Los Angeles Times
The New Yorker
The New York Times
Time
TV Guide
Wired
Writing Issues & Tips

Here are some writing-specific issues students experience. These are areas where all students can think about how to improve college-level writing skills.

Defending your answers as you go through and address the areas of the prompt, it is important to remember that you should be referring to ideas, concepts, and examples from the course and your research throughout. It’s important to show how the material is informing your thoughts, conclusions, and ideas. While in some places it might be helpful or appropriate to offer your own opinions and personal reflections, it’s important to remember that these should be informed by the work we have done in this class. Sometimes this might look like trying to “wrestle” with and apply some of these concepts, ideas, examples to your own area of research. When we force ourselves to “engage” with these ideas by applying them to our own research and case study, it forces us to learn them on a deeper level. So, try whenever possible to integrate ideas, concepts, and examples from the readings into your paper and writing argumentation

In addition, when you address areas of the prompt with your own research, insights, or reflections it is important that you “defend” your position. You can make your work stronger by “defending” your assertions with ideas from our readings and lectures as well as your outside research. This is how we provide evidence for what we are claiming or asserting. When you support your insights and ideas with ideas, examples, or concepts from the course or outside research this makes a “well-defended argument.”One of my professors in college always said: “There are no right or wrong answers, just well-defended or poorly-defended ones.”
Specificity

The more specific you can be, the better. Good answers and college-level writing should be specific in nature. This means not just presenting general ideas or statements. Instead, try to: give the reader specific examples, refer to specific concepts and ideas from the book, ask specific questions, etc. It is also important that you explain key terms and concepts in your own words. Do not assume the reader knows what L.O.P. stands for or the difference between episodic and serial TV.

Example: Let’s say you are referencing how a show fits into “TV history.” Do Not: Simply say: “This show is important to TV history.” Do: Be as specific as possible about which time period you are referring to. Say something like: “This show was extremely important during the late 80s when the networks were losing large audiences and control to cable channels. who were targeting narrower audiences with niche programming.”Example: Or let’s say, you are talking about positive representations of women. Do Not: Simply say: “This series depicts many strong women characters.” Do: Be as specific as possible about what you think strength looks like in the show, what types of characters they are, and how they relate to course concepts about re-presentation. Say something like: “This show includes three women as the main characters in high-level and high-pressured jobs (describe them). These three characters also have a range of body presentations and racial backgrounds (describe them). Furthermore, these women are also shown in a variety of different romantic and sexual relationships as well as family configurations (describe them).RepetitionSometimes it feels difficult to meet the page length requirement (trust me, I have been there too!). However, this does not mean you want to “fill” the remaining space by repeating what you have already stated. This tends to read like a generic answer without any specific material. You always want your work to build instead of repeat. This means that ideas from the beginning sections are added to and made more complex in the next section. If you find yourself stuck here are a few helpful tips!
a) Revisit the prompt and try to find some areas that you haven’t addressedb) Go back to the readings and ask yourself: ‘Does anything else relate to the questions or areas of the prompt?’c) Consider adding more details, evidence, examples, or context. You might be able to find another example that provides a new understanding of your argument or ideas. OrganizationSometimes it’s easy to just address each section of the paper prompt as if you are answering essay questions. This can result in a paper that feels disjointed and scattered. Be sure to take some time to think about how you are laying out the sections of your paper. You want to be sure your writing builds and flows. Flow: Your paper should flow. This means that ideas in one section should carry over to ideas in the other section. Each section should make sense and have clear and logical transitions between them.Build: Your writing should build. This means your ideas should get more complex as the reader goes along. The ideas in the second or third section should add to our understanding of the ideas in the first section. This can be a good way to extend and expand your writing by talking about initial details and then slowly adding more detail and complexity with new examples and detail as you go along.
Requirements: requirements