Genre and interpretation in production: a theoretical approach

Abstract

The goal of this article is to introduce and discuss the theoretical approach to an ongoing text production analysis of satirical sketch comedy on Danish public service television. 1 Satirical sketch comedy forms a solid tradition of domestic programme production, but programmes identified as satirical have gone through profound changes during the last 10 years. The aim of this ongoing study, therefore, is to shed some light on the change in culture of this specific field of production, and to understand the driving forces in its development. The theoretical approach suggested will address recent developments in the growing field of media production analysis relevant to this aim, and it will support a genre perspective. Although the study addresses an understanding of changes in the production of satire, the article will argue for the use of socio-cognitive reception theory in the study of these changes. This reception theory provides a description of 'genre' as a dynamic and flexible mental schema that is both individually and socially constructed. A sociocognitive understanding of genre elaborates the concept 'horizon of expectation' derived from hermeneutics of texts used in pragmatic genre theory and links it to social and cognitive psychology. By so doing, it functions as a sort of 'missing link' between the humanities and the social sciences. On the basis of empirical results from the first part of the study of production culture, the article argues that this enhanced genre-sensitive approach is useful in production analysis. Its utility also derives from its methodological advantages. Genre in production analysisRecently, important contributions to research in the growing field of media production analysis have stressed the importance of form, text and genre in

Tid og timing: Et metodisk perspektiv på produktionsanalyse

“…Opblomstringen betyder ikke desto mindre, at der også er kommet fl ere nye bidrag, hvor de teoretiske for-forståelser eller metodiske udfordringer i medieproduktionsanalyse diskuteres i et lidt bredere perspektiv med henblik på at konsolidere og videreudvikle det som selvstaendigt forskningsfelt (Paterson et al, 2016;Bruun, 2010Bruun, , 2016bHesmondhalg & Baker, 2011;Frandsen, 2007). Denne artikel ønsker at bidrage til at styrke disse tiltag ved at se naermere på betydningen af tid.…”

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AbstractIn recent years, media production studies have grown into a thriving fi eld of research, which has given rise to a discussion of the theoretical and methodological approaches it employs (Paterson et al, 2016;Frandsen, 2007;Bruun, 2010Bruun, , 2016b. Th is article is a contribution to this development.

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Social media as communicative genres

“…10-11). Thus, from a media-studies perspective, genre analysis may include production and reception studies, using classic sociological methods such as participant observation, and interviews with media professionals and audiences (e.g., Bruun, 2010;Frandsen & Bruun, 2005).…”

Genre in media production

“…In production studies, a more media-centric approach has emerged during the last decade, adding new perspectives to the many socio-centric studies dominating the field (Bruun, 2010a). From different perspectives and applying different methodological designs these studies are characterised by focusing on the phenomena being produced, hence the term media-centric.…”