Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Number 017
Firefly and Serenity: A Tale of Contemporary Audience and Institution Firefly was very different to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was a futuristic sci fi set aboard a dilapidated space ship and its central characters were adults rather than teens. They included: two fugitives, a mercenary, a preacher, a prostitute, a naive female mechanic and two ex-soldiers who had been on the losing side of a recent war. The show was cancelled after making 14 episodes and only airing 11. In 2005 a film version of the show, Serenity was released. These two texts are now the centre of a large franchise which includes books, comic books and soon, a video game.
Introduction Using the TV programme Firefly and its follow up film Serenity (2005: dir. J. Whedon) as a starting point, this Factsheet will develop a case study on a number of different issues which are relevant in the study of contemporary media audiences and institutions. This Factsheet provides information that is particularly suitable for A2 Level studies as the texts will be placed within their economic and cultural context. The aims of this Factsheet are to use the two texts to identify the relationship between text, audience and institution and will achieve this by: • Discussing audience activities in relation to the two texts • Identifying technological changes that have an impact on contemporary film and broadcast industries and texts • Placing the two texts within an economic context
How then did a failed TV show become a widely distributed Hollywood film? This seems to defy logic as far as good business sense is concerned.
1. The Audience One thing that can be seen to have played a major role in this is the behaviour of the audience. The internet has long been an ideal location for like-minded people who are geographically separated to be able to communicate and form communities. In the 1990s several TV shows found that the internet was used informally by fans to gather and discuss their favourite programmes. Science Fiction is often perceived as a specialised niche market product and texts such as Star Trek and The X-Files spawned active internet fan bases long before Firefly. Niche products are important to broadcasters. A niche audience may not be as large as a mainstream one but they are easier to identify as a group and this can be very helpful when focussing advertising and marketing, both of the TV programme itself and in attracting advertisers.
Some Background Information In 1992 the teen movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer was released. It was not received well and did poorly at the box office. It was written by Joss Whedon who had felt that his script had been mishandled in the production of the film. He then successfully sold the idea to 20th Century Fox and it became a long running TV show (1995-2003). Whedon retained creative control over it and it was at the heart of a large franchise which included a spin off series (Angel), a video game, books, clothing and other merchandise. In 2002 he created a new TV series called Firefly.
There are three general categories of audience as defined by their behaviour as far as TV audiences are concerned.
http://www.antoniogenna.net/ doppiaggio/telefilm/ firefly.jpg)
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The casual viewer – someone who will ‘watch it if it’s on’. This response to a text is more passive than active. The casual viewer may like the text but does not go out of their way to access it.
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The loyal viewer – someone who will make an effort to watch the show. The loyal viewer will try to ensure they watch all episodes of the show and may well record it if it clashes with another programme or they are unable to watch it when it is broadcast. The loyal viewer has an active engagement with the text.
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The dedicated viewer – someone who makes sure they watch every episode of their chosen programme. A dedicated viewer will watch repeats of the show as well as first runs, may record the show to keep or, as is more likely today, buy the DVD box set. A dedicated viewer is also very likely to access spin offs and other related programming and may well purchase associated merchandise.
http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/ images3/serenity.jpg)
Activity Access www.amazon.co.uk and search for Buffy the Vampire Slayer to see how many different types of texts and products relate to this TV programme.
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017. Firefly and Serenity: A Tale of Contemporary Audience and Institution
Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Firefly generated a substantial and dedicated fan-base during its short run and this fan-base gathered together via the internet to protest against the shows cancellation. Whilst this had no influence on Fox’s decision to scrap the show, the word of mouth generated by the internet campaign broadened the awareness of the show even after it had stopped airing. The DVD of the unfinished series sold very well. From being deemed unsuccessful whilst on TV, the programme was making money through its DVD sales and the internet community showed that there was a large potential audience for the product. This would have been an important factor for the film studio in deciding whether or not to fund the film. Whedon had already managed to persuade them to finance a TV show based on a relatively unsuccessful film but as Buffy the Vampire Slayer was based around two successful genres, the teen soap and horror, it stood a fair chance of being successful . Films have been made of successful TV shows many times but the audience activity around Firefly enabled the studio to see the financial benefit in making a film of a failed show - something that had not been done before. Niche/Cult Audiences Niche audiences can sometimes demonstrate a set of behaviours that is different to mainstream audiences. This can be defined by a range of activities including: • The forming of communities • Active and vocal support and criticism of their chosen programme • Brand loyalty • The purchasing of other related products
Activity Dedicated audience behaviour (sometimes known as cult audience behaviour or fandom) is often seen in a very negative light and is part of the stereotype which surrounds sci fi fandom. A film showing the lives of Star Trek fans (Trekkies: 1997. dir. R. Nygard) was made and it focussed in on the most extreme behaviours. Complete the spaces in the table below and add to the suggestions already given. Consider the similarities in the behaviours of the groups. Cult Fan Behaviour ?
How is this achieved by a Football Fan?
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/ 7280/IMG_5182.JPG)
A desire to access the chosen text regularly
Buying a season ticket Watching every match on TV
A desire to repeatedly access the text
Watching taped matches
Buying related products
http://www.dearbloodymary.com/images/ turning_goth_guy_lg.jpg)
How is this achieved by a Sci Fi fan?
https://www.startrekexp.com/store/images/ products/1637_large.jpg)
Seeing a band as often as Watching the TV programme possible Buying all albums/ each week during its airing singles Buying DVD boxsets
Visiting certain pubs and clubs where other fans go Joining the mailing list
Being part of a fan community
Displaying brand loyalty through appearance
How is this achieved by a Music Fan?
Wearing the football team shirt Using car stickers
Buying related T-shirts Wearing a costume Buying specialised merchandise e.g. t-shirts, multiple releases of singles,
Buying specialised merchandise e.g. books, action figures etc.
Is there much of a difference in terms of behaviour between being a member of a Star Trek forum, joining a band’s on-line chat board and talking about a football match with friends in a pub? The only real difference between wearing a shirt with Rooney on the back, buying a ‘My Chemical Romance’ t-shirt or wearing a Star Wars costume to go to a convention is that the former two are more socially acceptable. From this table it should be clear that all fan behaviour is similar regardless of the text. It’s just that some are more socially acceptable than others.
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017. Firefly and Serenity: A Tale of Contemporary Audience and Institution
Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
DVDs have also altered the way that audiences access texts. Traditionally an audience member would need to watch one episode of a series a week when the broadcasters decided they were going to air the programme. Now, audiences are able to watch as many episodes as they like, precisely when they want. One problem with sustaining a regular or dedicated audience was the fact that watching a series demanded a commitment from the audience that was difficult to maintain. With serials, this is even more difficult as missing an episode or two in a long complex narrative means that important plot developments may be lost and the audience member’s enjoyment hampered.
2. Changing Technology and the Changing Audience Traditional views of the media, television in particular, view the audience as a passive receiver of whatever the media institutions decide to present to them. The internet is one technology which can be seen to have given the audience some power as it enables their voice and opinions to be heard and it enables swift communication between audience and producer. In addition, the internet can supplement a media text by providing other sources of information.
Activity Go to one or more of the following websites and consider how they provide the audience with gratifications which add to those provided by the text itself. Consider how background information may add to the audience’s pleasure and how the sense of community is created.
DVD can be, therefore, seen as one of the contributing factors to the success of recent long arc series such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and 24. After Buffy and The X-Files completed their runs in 2002, the long arc series became less popular for a while – being replaced in popularity terms with largely episodic programming such as the CSI franchise. At one point video or DVD releases of TV programmes were centred on the cult programmes such as Buffy and Star Trek, however, buying TV on DVD is now much more of a mainstream activity.
http://www.fireflywiki.org/ http://www.fireflyfans.net http://serenitymovie.com/ http://www.serenityrpg.com/
In the past the audience could exert power by not tuning into the programme. Clearly this sends a powerful message to the producers but ultimately only causes the programme to stop being made as the producers cannot attract advertisers if the audience does not watch the programme. What the Firefly/Serenity story shows is that, whilst television advertising is still a very important source of income, other methods of generating money are becoming very important.
(http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11316976 X_Files_Season_1_9_Box_Set__DVD_Movie.jpg)
Another Example 24 was nearly cancelled after its first season as it had disappointing viewing figures. This was seen to be largely due to the fact that its complex narrative was difficult to access if you hadn’t watched it from the start and it did not allow audiences to miss an episode mid-way through. The DVD of the first season was released just before season two began. It sold well and, in turn, promoted the new season.
New technologies are also causing changes in the relationship between TV producers and their audiences.
a. Cable/Satellite TV With the increase in cable/satellite television technology, audiences are increasingly difficult to find. Just ten years ago in the UK the vast majority of the viewing audience were split between the five terrestrial channels. Due to Channel 4, BBC 2 and Five’s positioning as niche channels, the majority of the mainstream audience was split between BBC1 and ITV. In today’s climate the audience is split between hundreds of channels, all of which cater for different tastes and interests. This fragmented audience is, therefore, harder to gather to one channel to watch a specific programme and broadcasters and studios are trying to find different ways to reach the audience. This has led to a range of changes in the way audiences behave and way programmes are constructed.
c. HDD/DVD-R Another technology that is becoming more widespread is the hard drive/DVD recorder. This can be bought as a standalone unit or as part of a TV package such as Sky+. This device allows many hours of TV to be stored on a hard drive and then erased once watched or stored on DVD. This technology is making the idea of a TV schedule less influential in terms of viewing figures. TV schedules have always been carefully constructed considering the target audience’s behaviours and the competition on other channels. However, this technology means that the programmes can be watched when the audience member decides rather than the broadcaster. Some HDDs record the day’s TV automatically and so the viewer can rewind and watch what has already been broadcast whenever they want - or save it for another time. This also means that multiple episodes of a series can be saved and watched without the weekly break.
b. The DVD A financially powerful medium for both film and TV. Firefly’s success grew as it became available on DVD and its sales generated income. The DVD box-set acted as a marketing tool. Audience members share DVDs and at first this may seem to be a problem for the production company but, as DVDs have become more affordable, more people are likely to buy the DVDs for themselves or are perhaps prepared to take a risk on an unseen TV programme based on recommendation.
Broadcasters are changing their scheduling to fit in with these changes in technology and audience behaviour: •
It’s Not Just a Sci Fi Thing… The animation Family Guy was cancelled in 2000 and then again in 2002. However, in 2005 it was re-commissioned once more based on strong DVD sales.
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non terrestrial broadcasters are showing single episodes several times a week to help audiences watch when it suits them or to make up for scheduling clashes many channels have a ‘plus 1’ channel which allows you to see a programme one hour after it was originally shown some channels regularly play multiple episodes of a programme one after the other as a ‘catch up’ facility
017. Firefly and Serenity: A Tale of Contemporary Audience and Institution
Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
All of these recent changes indicate that the audience is more likely to create their own viewing schedule, rather than follow the one set out by the broadcaster. In addition, watching a recorded programme has the added advantage for the viewer as they can fast forward through the adverts. When recording to DVD the adverts can be edited out. This is good news for the viewer but is causing great concern within the broadcast and advertising industries. The sponsorship slots at the end of each advertising block are becoming more and more important as this is the one advert that the audience is likely to view. Exam Hint:- These ideas can be considered in relation to many contemporary texts as the focus here is the context of production. These wider contexts (social and economic) help explain why texts are the way they are and are crucial concepts in A2 study. When responding to questions in A2 essays, you should consider the impact of the society and culture that produced the texts you are writing about and try to make connections between cultural issues and the way the text has been constructed. However, always make sure the information you use is helpful in answering the question.
d. On Demand/Downloading Television is not the only technology we use to watch TV shows. The computer is becoming an important access point. Programmes can be downloaded and watched on a p.c., on ipods and on mobile phones. As with the HDD, the audience chooses what to watch and when. More and more broadcasters are becoming involved in ‘On Demand’ services which allow audiences to pick and chose the programme and the technology they watch it on. These ‘On Demand’ services often charge per programme downloaded and, therefore, are another source of income for the broadcast institutions. (http://i.pricerunner.com/prod/17_6_11_8_733680s/Apple_iPod_Video_80G B_Black.jpeg)
Conclusion Firefly and Serenity act as examples of the changing nature of the broadcasting and film industries. Technological changes do not only change the way a text looks (e.g. the ability to have CGI special effects) but also impact on the way the audience accesses the texts. In addition, as selling a text to the audience rather than to advertisers becomes more financially rewarding, the relationship between broadcaster and audience has altered. Audiences are able to have more of an influence on producers through the two-way communication that has come from increased internet use. Rather than being passive viewers of their televisions, audiences are now more active in selecting texts and provide a separate source of income that producers want to access. Firefly may have been deemed ‘unsuccessful’ in terms of the traditional ways that TV texts create income – by selling advertising based on viewing figures – but the text showed that there are other ways to make money from TV audiences and that modern technology provides new ways to reach people and generate an income. In Hollywood terms, Serenity had limited success at the cinema compared to more mainstream films. However, its potential to generate DVD and merchandise sales, plus the fact that it would inevitably broaden the interest in Firefly and its related products again, made investing in the film a sensible economic decision for the studio. These texts show that media institutions are becoming more willing to invest in alternative ways to make money and are reacting to the social changes that modern technology has created.
Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by Steph Hendry Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
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