69504 - Analysis of Television Language

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have acquired a good knowledge of the main perspectives on both television languages and its consumption, from its birth up until its most recent trans-media evolutions (premium TV, Web TV, satellite TV). The student will also be able to effectively analyze different TV format and genres.

Course contents

 

Analyzing television languages currently involves looking at  continuously and profoundly changing media. The field of television extends from the context of traditional use to that of digital platforms via the Internet, with different modes of consumption. Television language is no longer delimited by a single medium through which it is conveyed, but it is a discursive form constantly hybridizing with other languages. On the other hand, "television" content can be watched in the most diverse locations, in a media system that is totally included in everyday life practices.

The course therefore provides tools for a semiotic analysis of the different audiovisual languages crossing the television landscape, including a wide range of genres: documentary, news, media events, serial narration, cinema, commercials, music videos, up to cases such as the fashion film, where many of these forms are recombined.


The course is divided into two parts, with topics divided - roughly - over the weeks.


FIRST PART: a presentation - with examples - of theoretical and methodological tools.

Week 1: Introduction to contemporary media, evolution of television models (from "paleo TV" to platforms), basic notions for media text analysis.

Week 2: Historical evolution of television language

Week 3: TV genres (documentary, fiction, news, entertainment).

Week 4:News, reality, sound/image, camparativer analysis

Week 5: Commercial: Covid, music, case histories.

SECOND PART: case studies analysis, and comparisons between different types of languages.

Week 6: Semiotic Analysis of audiovisual texts.

Week 7: Analysis of global media events

Week 8:Musica and tv: opening titles, series, music supervision.

Week 9:Music videos

Week 10: Fashion film, fashion communication, its evolution and language analysis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory readings

 

FIRST PART

Spaziante, L. (2021), Elementi di linguaggio televisivo (handouts updating).

Grignaffini, G. (2021), I generi televisivi, Carocci (brand new edition required).

Spaziante, L.(2017), "Riprese di realtà: indicalità ed efficacia sensibile, tra eyewitness video e news", RIFL/SFL, pp. 230-244 (available online).

Spaziante, L.(2019), "Master of None: serie tv o food guide? Alla ricerca dei confini del genere, tra stereotipi italiani, filtri culturali e location gastronomiche", E/C, vol. 27, pp. 1-11. (available online).

Spaziante L. (2005), “Suoni e musiche dagli spot” in Bianchi, C., Spot. Analisi semiotica dell'audiovisivo pubblicitario, Roma, Carocci, pp. 153-177.

Spaziante, L. (2020), "#Spotcheresiste: strategie pubblicitarie e lockdown (Covid-19)", Filosofi(e)Semiotiche, Vol. 7, N. 1 (available online).

SECOND PART

Spaziante, L. (2021), “So disarmingly European”: Eurovision Song Contest and the European Identity in F. Mangiapane, T. Migliore (eds.) Images of Europe, Springer.

Cardini D., Sibilla G. (2021), La canzone nelle serie tv. Forme narrative e modelli produttivi, Pàtron.

Spaziante, Lucio (2020), "Tv playlist: serie tv, musica e supervisione musicale", Mediascapes Journal, (16) (available online).

Di Marino, B. (2018), Segni sogni suoni: quarant'anni di videoclip da David Bowie a Lady Gaga, Meltemi (chapters 1, 2, 4).

Peverini, P. (2004), Il videoclip, Meltemi (chapters 1 and 3, available online).

Spaziante, L. (2020), "Fashion Film: un formato audiovisivo tra pubblicità, videoclip e videoarte", in M. Federico e R .Ragonese (a cura di), Pubblicità e cinema. Testi e contesti tra semiotica e marketing, Carocci.

 

Recommended readings

Dusi N., Grignaffini G., (2020), Capire le serie Tv. Generi, stili, pratiche, Roma, Carocci.

Grignaffini G., Bernardelli A. (2017), Che cos'è una serie televisiva, Carocci.

Lotz A. D. (2017), Post Network: la rivoluzione della TV, Minimum fax.

Menduni E. (2015), I linguaggi della radio e della televisione. Teorie, tecniche, formati, Laterza.

Scaglioni M., Sfardini A. (2017) (a cura di), La televisione: modelli teorici e percorsi d'analisi, Carocci.

 

Teaching methods

The module includes lectures which, depending on health situation may be held:

• online through Microsoft Teams
• in presence (possibly in blended mode, i.e. in the classroom but with remote streaming).
  
  

Students participation is encouraged, as audiovisuals will be shown during the lessons, and collective or group analyzes will be carried out.

Assessment methods

This module does not distinguish between attending and non-attending students.

Assessment is divided into two phases:

1. FIRST PART of the program can be taken at the end of the first 5 weeks of lessons, with an ongoing written test (in the classroom or online via EOL + Zoom, depending on the health situation) providing a fist step evaluation.
   
2. SECOND PART, based on case studies and examples of different television languages, will give rise to a second evaluation (which will average with the first grade obtained), and may be supported with a final written test (in the classroom or online via EOL + Zoom, depending on the health situation).

 

 

• In all the sessions following the first one, it will always be the chance to take a single part test separately, during the whole academic year.

Teaching tools

During the module, the IT supports and multimedia tools used in the classrooms will be used as needed:

• lectures
• pc and audiovisuals
• online Microsoft Teams platform
• blended mode teaching

Office hours

See the website of Lucio Spaziante