#comm495

[odudigitaltv]

After reading the Lotz chapter, I was particularly intrigued by the concept of the nonlinear television viewing experience. While we’re currently experiencing nonlinear television viewing experience now I believe it will only progress moving into the future. This image is an illustration of my predictions of television in the future. Admittedly, its also reminiscent of the current state of television. I think in the future we’ll be more and more inclined to watch television in our way during our time therefore, we’ll be drawn to the convenience of streaming services i.e. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime etc. This will cause networks and studio heads to have to continuously redefine their ratings system. Similarly, I think television and film will become more and more synonymous with one another. Within the past few years we’ve seen several films released earlier than their initial release dates with Video on Demand. In that same sense, several big screen stars have transitioned from film to the small screen for meatier roles. I think as television progresses we’ll see theaters become somewhat extinct to the convenience of bringing the theater home. This revolution is similar to how Blockbuster became nonexistent once Netflix and Redbox started to flourish. 

[odudigitaltv]

I found the blog post Tweets of Anarchy: Showrunners on Twitter to be quite thought provoking. With the exception of Shonda Rhimes, I hadn’t considered the role that showrunners can sometimes play with social media interaction with their fanbases. Similarly, I was particularly intrigued with the concept of notoriety among showrunners. The notoriety described in the blog post was reminiscent to the notoriety reporters strive to achieve when presenting the news. After reading the blog, I can understand why showrunners might want to maintain a certain level of anonymity to ensure audiences are more focused with their shows than their personal lives. However, I feel that Shonda Rhimes has managed to adequately balanced being a showrunner and a striking force outside of her trio of shows as well. While it could be argued that Rhimes does receive backlash for her storylines and couple pairings, she’s learned how to deal with fans and critics alike without taking away from her product. For instance, a reporter critiqued Rhimes use of the “angry black woman” stereotype and Rhimes responded by inciting a debate on race in America. Personally, I believe that Rhimes is able to adequately balance her showrunner duties while establishing herself because she’s had ample experience with her TGIT lineup.