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: Introduction to audiovisual language, liveness, spatiality and temporality, reality / fiction dynamics.

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

Week 4: Genres and television seriality.

Week 5: Audiovisual language and syncretism, sound and musical supervision.

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

Week 6: Analysis of shows (reality show, Viva Raiplay and various).

Week 7: Analysis of global media events (London Olympics 2012, Bataclan, Eurovision Song Contest).

Week 8: Music videos, music / image relationship, evolution and language analysis.

Week 9: Commercials, brand communication, its evolution and language analysis.

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).

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

Brembilla, P., Spaziante, L. (2020), "Sfide della trasgressione e nuovi limiti del visibile, dagli Usa all’Italia: i casi di The Deuce e The End of the F***ing World", Cinergie, n.17 (available online).

Malavasi, L. (2019), Il linguaggio del cinema. Pearson (only chapter 4), or as another option: Sibilla G., Cardini, D. (2016), "Soglie sonore: la canzone nelle scene e nelle sigle delle serie tv", Imago: studi di cinema e media, 14, 2.

Menduni, E. (2016), Televisione e radio nel XXI secolo, Laterza.

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

 

SECOND PART

Bianchi, C. (2005), Spot. Analisi semiotica dell’audiovisivo pubblicitario, Carocci (only chapter 6).

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

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

 

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 course includes lectures which, depending on the health situation related to Covid -19 during the period of February / May 2021, may be held:

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

Beyond the limits due to the Covid-19 emergency, presence or in any case participation of students is encouraged, as audiovisuals will be shown during the lessons, and collective or group analyzes will be carried out.

Assessment methods

This course 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) which will provide evaluation.
2. SECOND PART of the course, 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 possible to take the individual tests separately during the whole academic year.

Teaching tools

During the course, the IT supports and multimedia tools used in the classrooms of the Department of Philosophy and Communication will be used:

• pc and audiovisuals
• online by Microsoft Teams
• blended mode, i.e. streaming classroom

Office hours

See the website of Lucio Spaziante