Quality TV

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Subject guarantor:

Name of lecturer(s):

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

Acquiring practical and theory knowledge about Quality TV

Mode of study:

Two-day lecture and practical. Screening of audio-visual material, working in groups, discussion and working with writings.

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

None

Course contents:

Quality TV

Series have been, until recentl, considered an ancilliary audio-visual discipline. Endless repeating cycles, artistically and intellectually looked at, at best as a consumer good for filling the free time of the television audience, and, at worst judged as part of the degradation of culture and intellect of the people.

The new wave of series, which date from the series „The Sopranos“ or „OZ“ (HBO), have innovatively redifined the pigeon-holed medium and, in the last 15 years have lead to the so called second golden era of television and won favor with the critics and prestige status for artists. Film critics write reviews about the new era of television, prominent world artists have begun to experiment with creating episodes, and film festivals with awarding awards to series and mini-series.

The aim of the Modern Series course is an analysis of the so called second golden age of television from the most comprehensive perspective. Individual sections will be divided into two halves; the first will be theory and its aim a general introduction to various production-creative ranges. Gradually we move towards a fundamental introduction to the economics and technological backgrounds of serials; we will analyse new narrative procedures and dramaturgic innovations which reject earlier television television „rules“ and compare new manners of distribution which have changed the manner of the type of audience for them.

In the practical section of each lecture, the students, in groups, attempto to develop one part of a series. First we watch a few introductory parts of newly created series. Upon analysis of characters, manner of narration, topic range and overal style, the students will work in their groups to think of, construct and defend the synopsis of the next section. In the last class, the winning synopsis is selected and is compared to the original section and at the close is evaluated in the differences from the students' version of the original.

The Quality TV course connected with the interest and success of the 2 part module of the same name, which took place on the 16th and 29th of April last year. The module was attended by more than 60 people and many could not attend the following module because of the capacity of the U2 classroom. Various departments were represented in the students and the Quality TV topic appeared to be connected across departments. Most students were interested in a more detailed continuation in a regular course. I believe the Production Dept. would be the best organizer of this course.

The course has been divided into 7 individual parts, but more could be added. I believe that a combination of my personal interest in the contemporary series world, theory basis in professional writings and finally, personal production practice on two miniseries produced for HBO (Burning Bush and Desert) are solid foundations for an attractive and practical instructive course for students of the Production Dept. and others.

Basic curriculum and division into individual classes:

1)

a. from MItch Buchannon to Rust Colh - series history told through the changing character of their protagonists.

b. Showrunner as a director and producer - hierarchy in creative and production crews of a new series, manner of collaboration with television, production systems and the introduction of standard devleopment, production, basic business models of cable channels, terestrial and internet players. Budgets and accounting of serials - what pays and does not pay in doing a series for a narrow public, what budget and what manner works in Europe and the US.

c. New narratives and old narration procedures - how serial narration has changed, dividing a serial into a series, narrative over ten hours, working with classic tools; cliffhangers and twists. (Guest: Petr Szczapanik)

d. Violence, sex and realism in new age series like Narcos, Game of Thrones and Knick

e. Brainstorming basic ideas and further procedures in a series, writing and short presentation

f. Guest: Štěpán Hulík

2)

a. New era of the internet - class focused on contemporary serial models from internet giants Amazon and Netflix. Overview of contemporary world web serials and analysis of the situation in Europe and the Czech Republic

b. Streaming and bench watching - Internet producers Amazon, Netflix and other players

c. New manners on series consumption, new web formats

d. Gues: Janek Rubeš and producers from Stream.cz

e. Excursion to practice, examples of basic post-production procedures, workflow, shooting plan, etc.

f. Execution of a serial and its promotion - individual approaches to shooting, chronological shooting, manner of developing a series in the course of shooting. Series promotion, working with social networks, general marketing strategies, viewership and general cultural effect of independent parts.

g. Further teamwork on a series

3)

a. Marketing and distribution - How do contemporary serials get to the audience?

b. Basic scheme of distribution channels, sales and manners of using contemporary qualities of a TV series.

c. Most significant marketing campaigns for various serials (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead or Mamon in the Czech Republic)

d. Miniseries in the Quality TV context - from Roots to True Detective

e. HIstorical analysis of the development of closed serials

f. Budgets and strategies of world players in miniseries production

g. Comparing treatments of new episodes with originals. Feedback analysis of the creative decision of students and creative decisions of series' writers.

h. Series remakes - House of Cards, The Killing or In Treatment - comparing remakes and originals

i. American remake strategies, historical and contemporary

j. Licencing issues and the financial realities of their marketing

Recommended or required reading:

1.The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers, and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever by Alan Sepinwall,

2.The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts by Ellen Sandler

3.Inside the Room: Writing Television with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program by Linda Venis

4.The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts by Ellen Sandler

5.Nejsme HBO, jsme televize.“ Etnografická analýza skupinového psaní seriálu První republika - https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/jaro2015/FAV281/Pjajcikova_Szczepanik_Nejsme_HBO__jsme_televize_Etnograficka_analyza_skupinoveho_psani_serialu_Prvni_republika.pdf

6.Writing and Producing Television Drama in Denmark From The Kingdom to The Killing Eva Novrup Redvall

Assessment methods and criteria:

The condition for credit is attendance at both modules and completion of assignments

Course web page:

Note:

Curriculum Vitae of the Tutor:

Tomáš Hrubý

In 2009 he co-funded the production company nutprodukce. He produced the Burning Bush (2013), directed by the world-renowned director Agnieszka Holland for HBO, which became the Czech Oscar nominee and has won more than 11 Czech Lions (Czech Film Academy awards). He has also produced Pandy (2013), an animated short movie, which won the third prize in the Cinéfondation Section of the Cannes Film Festival. His works also include documentaries, the award winning Fortress and The Great Night co-produced with HBO. He is currently working on a TV-series for HBO called The Wasteland.

Lectures will be specified

Further information:

No schedule has been prepared for this course

The subject is a part of the following study plans: