This paper will seek to explore the intersection of drama and documentary through the example of ... more This paper will seek to explore the intersection of drama and documentary through the example of Underbelly television series (2008) and the subsequent complications such as genre hybridisation to the judicial process. A program such as Underbelly which is based on factual events and people raises legal concerns regarding the principle of fair trial, yet these programs are increasingly part of the changing media landscape. In response to viewer demands for more shows based not only on facts but also entertainment television producers are being forced to review generic practices. The application of techniques from drama and documentary has resulted in more fluid forms of genre hybridisation to occur resulting in hybridised genre forms such as docudrama and what I’m calling fact-ionalisation
Despite the broad acceptance of this practice, when the subjects depicted in the television program are real people facing criminal courts there are legal principles that may prohibit or at least delay the presentation of the program. It is how the audience (receiver) interprets the information or message contained within the program, albeit it unknowingly, that raises some issues for those in the legal system. In particular, the possibility that the perceptions of audience members who become jurors may be wrongly influenced by watching the television program increasing the possibility that the accused may not get a fair trial.
These programs, like Underbelly, are not strictly ‘drama’, in that they are not ‘fictional’ yet neither are they ‘documentary’, purely factual. Fact-ionalisation blurs the fictional and the factual and this is what has attracted the attention of the legal system. The concern is that jurors who are potential viewers of a program like Underbelly, will view the work as ‘documentary’-fact, and then rely on the programs content when reaching their conclusion on the courtroom.
Few would argue that television is a powerful, mainly “domestic medium” (Carrabine 2008 p11) Choi... more Few would argue that television is a powerful, mainly “domestic medium” (Carrabine 2008 p11) Choices are endless and for some “television is now our principal means of storytelling and has changed our culture in very fundamental ways” (Shrum 1998).
Crime drama has become an extremely popular genre with shows such as CSI and, NCIS being aired in prime time television slots. Initially the narrative for crime drama only showed the traditional viewpoint ie good conquers evil.
This paper will explore an emerging subgenre, which I call factional, through the mini series Underbelly. Underbelly allows audiences to explore different concepts of good and evil. Underbelly taking its narrative from a real life events with real people some alive some dead reconstructed things such as murders that many audiences already had some knowledge of through other forms of media. The Melbourne gangland war had supplied the narrative but the producers had to provide the entertainment.
Ownership and authorship of created works have long been assumed to belong to the originators of ... more Ownership and authorship of created works have long been assumed to belong to the originators of the work. However the practicality of authorship and ownership may be very different. This paper consider the ideologies of Kant, Locke, Baurillard, Marx and others to discuss the ownership and authorship question in the very practical context of media release usage by news journalists. It raises these topics against the very important framework of Copyright ownership, drawing together the complex, yet inter-related, fields of Copyright law, authorship, the role public relations and the news media. In doing this it delivers a unique and, at times, provocative perspective about current communication practice and third party authorship.
This paper will seek to explore the intersection of drama and documentary through the example of ... more This paper will seek to explore the intersection of drama and documentary through the example of Underbelly television series (2008) and the subsequent complications such as genre hybridisation to the judicial process. A program such as Underbelly which is based on factual events and people raises legal concerns regarding the principle of fair trial, yet these programs are increasingly part of the changing media landscape. In response to viewer demands for more shows based not only on facts but also entertainment television producers are being forced to review generic practices. The application of techniques from drama and documentary has resulted in more fluid forms of genre hybridisation to occur resulting in hybridised genre forms such as docudrama and what I’m calling fact-ionalisation
Despite the broad acceptance of this practice, when the subjects depicted in the television program are real people facing criminal courts there are legal principles that may prohibit or at least delay the presentation of the program. It is how the audience (receiver) interprets the information or message contained within the program, albeit it unknowingly, that raises some issues for those in the legal system. In particular, the possibility that the perceptions of audience members who become jurors may be wrongly influenced by watching the television program increasing the possibility that the accused may not get a fair trial.
These programs, like Underbelly, are not strictly ‘drama’, in that they are not ‘fictional’ yet neither are they ‘documentary’, purely factual. Fact-ionalisation blurs the fictional and the factual and this is what has attracted the attention of the legal system. The concern is that jurors who are potential viewers of a program like Underbelly, will view the work as ‘documentary’-fact, and then rely on the programs content when reaching their conclusion on the courtroom.
Few would argue that television is a powerful, mainly “domestic medium” (Carrabine 2008 p11) Choi... more Few would argue that television is a powerful, mainly “domestic medium” (Carrabine 2008 p11) Choices are endless and for some “television is now our principal means of storytelling and has changed our culture in very fundamental ways” (Shrum 1998).
Crime drama has become an extremely popular genre with shows such as CSI and, NCIS being aired in prime time television slots. Initially the narrative for crime drama only showed the traditional viewpoint ie good conquers evil.
This paper will explore an emerging subgenre, which I call factional, through the mini series Underbelly. Underbelly allows audiences to explore different concepts of good and evil. Underbelly taking its narrative from a real life events with real people some alive some dead reconstructed things such as murders that many audiences already had some knowledge of through other forms of media. The Melbourne gangland war had supplied the narrative but the producers had to provide the entertainment.
Ownership and authorship of created works have long been assumed to belong to the originators of ... more Ownership and authorship of created works have long been assumed to belong to the originators of the work. However the practicality of authorship and ownership may be very different. This paper consider the ideologies of Kant, Locke, Baurillard, Marx and others to discuss the ownership and authorship question in the very practical context of media release usage by news journalists. It raises these topics against the very important framework of Copyright ownership, drawing together the complex, yet inter-related, fields of Copyright law, authorship, the role public relations and the news media. In doing this it delivers a unique and, at times, provocative perspective about current communication practice and third party authorship.
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Papers by Dr Anne E Ferguson
Despite the broad acceptance of this practice, when the subjects depicted in the television program are real people facing criminal courts there are legal principles that may prohibit or at least delay the presentation of the program. It is how the audience (receiver) interprets the information or message contained within the program, albeit it unknowingly, that raises some issues for those in the legal system. In particular, the possibility that the perceptions of audience members who become jurors may be wrongly influenced by watching the television program increasing the possibility that the accused may not get a fair trial.
These programs, like Underbelly, are not strictly ‘drama’, in that they are not ‘fictional’ yet neither are they ‘documentary’, purely factual. Fact-ionalisation blurs the fictional and the factual and this is what has attracted the attention of the legal system. The concern is that jurors who are potential viewers of a program like Underbelly, will view the work as ‘documentary’-fact, and then rely on the programs content when reaching their conclusion on the courtroom.
Crime drama has become an extremely popular genre with shows such as CSI and, NCIS being aired in prime time television slots. Initially the narrative for crime drama only showed the traditional viewpoint ie good conquers evil.
This paper will explore an emerging subgenre, which I call factional, through the mini series Underbelly. Underbelly allows audiences to explore different concepts of good and evil. Underbelly taking its narrative from a real life events with real people some alive some dead reconstructed things such as murders that many audiences already had some knowledge of through other forms of media. The Melbourne gangland war had supplied the narrative but the producers had to provide the entertainment.
Despite the broad acceptance of this practice, when the subjects depicted in the television program are real people facing criminal courts there are legal principles that may prohibit or at least delay the presentation of the program. It is how the audience (receiver) interprets the information or message contained within the program, albeit it unknowingly, that raises some issues for those in the legal system. In particular, the possibility that the perceptions of audience members who become jurors may be wrongly influenced by watching the television program increasing the possibility that the accused may not get a fair trial.
These programs, like Underbelly, are not strictly ‘drama’, in that they are not ‘fictional’ yet neither are they ‘documentary’, purely factual. Fact-ionalisation blurs the fictional and the factual and this is what has attracted the attention of the legal system. The concern is that jurors who are potential viewers of a program like Underbelly, will view the work as ‘documentary’-fact, and then rely on the programs content when reaching their conclusion on the courtroom.
Crime drama has become an extremely popular genre with shows such as CSI and, NCIS being aired in prime time television slots. Initially the narrative for crime drama only showed the traditional viewpoint ie good conquers evil.
This paper will explore an emerging subgenre, which I call factional, through the mini series Underbelly. Underbelly allows audiences to explore different concepts of good and evil. Underbelly taking its narrative from a real life events with real people some alive some dead reconstructed things such as murders that many audiences already had some knowledge of through other forms of media. The Melbourne gangland war had supplied the narrative but the producers had to provide the entertainment.