serial orientations

93
Serial Orientations: Mapping the Narrative Worlds of Contemporary Complex Television Jason Mittell (@jmittell) Middlebury College,Vermont, USA Lichtenberg-Kolleg, University of Göttingen (2011-12) http://justtv.wordpress.com http://tinyurl.com/complextv

Upload: jason-mittell

Post on 01-Nov-2014

14.221 views

Category:

Education


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Presentation given at Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) on 10 November 2011. Full text of paper available at http://wp.me/p3JAa-dy

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Serial Orientations

Serial Orientations: Mapping the Narrative

Worlds of Contemporary Complex Television

Jason Mittell (@jmittell)Middlebury College, Vermont, USA

Lichtenberg-Kolleg, University of Göttingen (2011-12)http://justtv.wordpress.com

http://tinyurl.com/complextv

Page 2: Serial Orientations

Serial Orientations: Mapping the Narrative

Worlds of Contemporary Complex Television

Page 3: Serial Orientations
Page 4: Serial Orientations

Commercial US Television

accessibility

Page 5: Serial Orientations

Commercial US Television

accessibility

least objectionable content

Page 6: Serial Orientations

Commercial US Television

innovations of meanings & form

Page 7: Serial Orientations

Commercial US Television

narrative complexity

Page 8: Serial Orientations
Page 9: Serial Orientations

orienting paratexts

Page 10: Serial Orientations

orienting paratexts

categories of

Page 11: Serial Orientations
Page 12: Serial Orientations

a television serial creates a sustained narrative universe, populated by a consistent set of characters who

experience a chain of events over time

Page 13: Serial Orientations

a television serial creates a sustained narrative universe, populated by a consistent set of characters who

experience a chain of events over time

Time

Events

Characters

Space

Page 14: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 15: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Plot Time Screen Time

Page 16: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Plot Time Screen Time

Page 17: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Plot Time Screen Time

Page 18: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Plot Time Screen Time

Schedule as Orientation

Page 19: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Page 20: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Page 21: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Page 22: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Chronology as Orientation

Page 23: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Page 24: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Page 25: Serial Orientations

TimeStory Time Screen TimePlot Time

Calendaring as Orientation

Page 26: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 27: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 28: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 29: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 30: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 31: Serial Orientations

Time

Page 32: Serial Orientations
Page 33: Serial Orientations

Recapitulation

Page 34: Serial Orientations

Recapitulation

Analysis

Page 35: Serial Orientations

Recapitulation

Analysis

Expansion

Page 36: Serial Orientations

Screen Time:Schedule

Plot Time:Chronology

Story Time:Calendar

Recapitulation

Analysis

Expansion

Page 37: Serial Orientations

Plot Recapitulation (Events)

Page 38: Serial Orientations

Plot Recapitulation (Events)

Page 39: Serial Orientations

Event Analysis

Page 40: Serial Orientations

Event Analysis

Page 41: Serial Orientations

Event Analysis

Page 42: Serial Orientations

Plot Expansions

Page 43: Serial Orientations

Plot Expansions

Page 44: Serial Orientations

Plot Expansions

Page 45: Serial Orientations

Plot Expansions

Page 46: Serial Orientations

Character Recaps

Page 47: Serial Orientations

Character Recaps

Page 48: Serial Orientations

Character Analyses

Page 49: Serial Orientations

Character Analyses

Page 50: Serial Orientations

Character Analyses

Page 51: Serial Orientations

Character Analyses

Page 52: Serial Orientations

Character Expansions

Page 53: Serial Orientations

Character Expansions

Page 54: Serial Orientations

Character Expansions

Page 55: Serial Orientations

Spatial Orientations

Page 56: Serial Orientations

Spatial Orientations

Page 57: Serial Orientations

Spatial Orientations

Page 58: Serial Orientations

Spatial Orientations

Page 59: Serial Orientations

Spatial Orientations

Page 60: Serial Orientations

Spatial Orientations

Page 61: Serial Orientations
Page 62: Serial Orientations

http://www.lostlocations.com/

Page 63: Serial Orientations
Page 64: Serial Orientations

4.815 N 162.342 W

Page 65: Serial Orientations
Page 66: Serial Orientations
Page 67: Serial Orientations

Lost, “Lockdown” (2006)

Page 68: Serial Orientations

Locke’s attempt to recreate map (solo effort)

Page 69: Serial Orientations

Lost screen-capture

Page 70: Serial Orientations

Annotated Map @ 1 hour

Page 71: Serial Orientations

Annotated Map @ 8 hours

Page 72: Serial Orientations

Annotated Map @ 16 hours

Page 73: Serial Orientations

Annotated Map @ 24 hours

Page 74: Serial Orientations

Other Annotated Maps

Page 75: Serial Orientations

Other Annotated Maps

Page 76: Serial Orientations

Entertainment Weekly’s “official” Annotated Map

Page 77: Serial Orientations
Page 78: Serial Orientations

from Lost jigsaw puzzle

from Lost: Via Domus videogame

Page 79: Serial Orientations
Page 80: Serial Orientations

original production map

Page 81: Serial Orientations
Page 82: Serial Orientations
Page 83: Serial Orientations
Page 84: Serial Orientations
Page 85: Serial Orientations
Page 86: Serial Orientations
Page 87: Serial Orientations
Page 88: Serial Orientations

So What?

Page 89: Serial Orientations

So What?

•Complexity demands orientation

Page 90: Serial Orientations

So What?

•Complexity demands orientation

• Television activates audiences

Page 91: Serial Orientations

So What?

•Complexity demands orientation

• Television activates audiences

•Orientation as transformational fandom & play

Page 92: Serial Orientations

So What?

•Complexity demands orientation

• Television activates audiences

•Orientation as transformational fandom & play

• Room for growth in complex spatial storytelling

Page 93: Serial Orientations

Thank you!

Jason Mittell (@jmittell)Middlebury College, Vermont, USA

Lichtenberg-Kolleg, University of Göttingen (2011-12)http://justtv.wordpress.comhttp://tinyurl.com/complextv