HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curry

Genre Conventions, Narrative Structures and

Technical Characteristics of TV Studio Productions

Throughout this essay I will be looking at three different TV studio productions, one high budget,

one medium budget and one low budget. My chosen three productions are: Game of Thrones, The

Great British Bake Off and Mrs. Browns Boys. I will be looking at the genre conventions, narrative

structures and technical characteristics for each of these productions.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is a Fictional Historical Fantasy Drama.

“Historical fiction is a type of story or literature told in a variety of media. Stories which are based

on real life historical events and set in historical time and place. However, some characters may

have never existed along with their actions which that are insignificant historically, but may be

included to tell a better story” (Dr Sweetland, R. 2016)

Within Game of Thrones dragons, white walkers and direwolves appear this adds the fantasy

element to the show, along with the fictional setting in a place known as Westeros. The historical

element of the show comes from the “noble houses” for example, Lannister, Targaryen, Stark, and

others. Real historical people and events have inspired some of the houses, characters and battles

1

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Currywithin Game of Thrones, a few examples of this are: (Blumson, A. 2016)

Brienne of Tarth and Joan of Arc

● Game of Thrones – Brienne: Sword wielding, armor clad, known as the Maid of

Tarth.

● Historical Parallel – Joan of Arc: Referred to herself as “The Maid”. Preferred

wearing male clothing, owned a suit of armor and sword.

The Red Wedding and The Glencoe Massacre

● Game of Thrones – The Red Wedding: Walder Frey disregards ancient laws of

hospitality and slaughters the Starks at the wedding of Rosalind Frey and

Edmure Tully.

Historical Parallel – The Glencoe Massacre: In 1692, the guests that had

accepted their hospitality massacred 38 members of Clan McDonald. (1)

The drama element is achieved through the fact that while within most fantasy shows the danger

would come from the fictional creatures, in game of thrones the danger comes from the scheming

and malevolence of the “noble houses” mentioned above. (Shmoop Editorial Team. 2008).

Game of Thrones has one of the most complex narratives of any TV studio production

with each episode containing a fractured narrative following the stories of many different

characters throughout the seven kingdoms, however this being said each episode adds to the

entire seasons linear narrative with every story adding to the overall penultimate goal of who

will rule of the seven kingdoms and sit the iron throne (Soll, R. 2015). Game of Thrones follows

the lives of many “noble houses” and their conquest for power and ultimately rule of the

kingdoms. Each of these “noble houses’ believes they should rightfully sit the iron throne or

2

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Currypossibly break off from the seven kingdoms and rule over their own lands. While all of this is

taking place the watchers on the wall are trying to protect the realm from White Walkers and

ultimately the “long night” never ending winter and off in the southern isles Daenerys Targaryen

is trying to make her way back to Westeros and reclaim her rightful seat on the iron throne.

These stories ultimately will conflict for the overall ending of the show.

From season one until season five of Game of Thrones, the pace was quite slow with the

penultimate episode being second to last in each season. Within each season we see stories being

told from various characters’ perspectives with only a few of these characters’ stories

overlapping, resulting in the second to last episode involving but a few of the characters. Each

episode shows pieces of a story that eventually leads up to the main episode in each season,

however the majority of these episodes lack action or excitement making the shows pace quite

slow. This changed in season six with the pace of the show quickening and almost feeling rushed.

Each episode in season six had something exciting happening making viewers anxious in

between episodes, despite this, viewers still felt the season had been rushed in an attempt to

complete the show within a certain time frame. (Poniewozik, J. 2016).

Game of Thrones follows a continuous storyline, with every story within each episode

leading up to a penultimate ending. However, continuity also refers to props, costumes, hair and

make-up within each scene matching up between various shots. A perfect example of this would

be Melisandre’s (the Red Woman) necklace, in episode one of season six it is revealed that when

Melisandre removes her red ruby necklace that her true self is revealed and she becomes a

decrepit old woman, however in episode seven of season four we see Melisandre bathing without

her necklace on and she is still her young self that was depicted previously throughout the show .

(Westbrook, C. 2016). However despite a few minor faults in continuity Game of Thrones

manages to balance continous shots, this can be made difficult to control due to filming taking

3

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curryplace in many different locations across the world at the same time.

(Season 6, episode 1) (Season 4, episode 7)

With regards to technical characteristics in Game of Thrones for example audio is

captured on set and re-done during the ADR process, this gives the editor the ability to

synchronize without hassle. A sound designer is also present in the production of the show, their

job is to create the sounds for the dragons, wolves and other creatures present within the show,

they have been known to use unusual sources for the dragons stating they used the sound of two

giant tortoises having sex and used this as a basis for the sound of a young dragon purring. (Kim,

J. 2016).

Due to Game of Thrones being filmed on location as well as in studio control of lighting

is not always prevalent. When filming on location often natural lighting is used, however when

filming indoors for scenes that take place in the throne room, inside Winterfell or any other castle

artificial lights are used. This allows the show runners to control how much light is used, whether

it needs to be bright or dim. Having control of lighting during filming comes with many benefits

one being less work in post-production.

Game of Thrones works on a closed set, meaning the only ones allowed on set are crew

members and cast needed for the scenes being filmed. This is due to the nature of the programme

4

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curryand showrunners wanting to keep things under wraps as much as possible. During the filming of

sex scenes, the set becomes more closed than usual, with only crew members and cast members

being allowed on set. (Greenwood, C. 2014).

HBO and Showrunners use every form of security possible to ensure spoilers do not get

leaked. This is achieved through On site security, select management and internet/computer

security has been upgraded to stop leaks. In an interview showrunner David Benioff stated that

“security had been tightened within the crew as well, fewer people received scripts and code

words were often used when discussing scenes and characters” (2) (Renfro, K. 2016).

Within Game of Thrones health and safety is taken very seriously. Sets must be checked

and double checked to ensure they are safe for cast members, leads cables and wires must be

kept either tight to the ground or wrapped around cameras to ensure no one falls on set.

Paramedics are kept on location and on set to ensure that if anyone does get injured they have

the help and care needed straight away.

The Great British Bake Off

The Great British Bake Off is a British baking competition making its genre Game Show.

“Game shows have been a distinct genre for decades, starting with radio quiz shows and evolving

5

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curryinto spectacular prime time extravaganzas. In 2000 a new format, reality television, came along

and blurred the lines somewhat” ( Grosvenor, C. 2016)

At the beginning twelve contestants enter the competition tent and each week someone

is sent home until three people are left for the finale. Each week contestants must make three

separate bakes that have been pre-chosen by the judges. Contestants are then judged on the

quality, presentation and taste of their individual bakes. (Anon. 2010).

Narrative structure and content in GBBO is a baking competition in which twelve contestants

are challenged each week to bake different foods, this includes cakes, pastries, biscuits and bread,

the completed results are then judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. Each week the episode

will fit with a certain theme and the contestants must bake a variety of foods within each

challenge, these have been pre-chosen by Mary and Paul, within each episode three challenges

are to be completed and the contestants must use the ingredients provided to create their own

recipes. Each challenge is then judged and the person who has done the best out of the three

challenges will be awarded ‘star baker’, the person who Mary and Paul believe has done the

worst each week will be sent home. This happens until only three contestants are left for the

finale and one will be crowned ‘Britain’s best amateur baker’ will the other two contestants will

be runners up. (Anon. 2016).

6

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curry

Each episode of the Great British Bake Off duration is one hour long; the actual

challenges takes much longer so it is edit to show how the contestants managed the baking tasks.

The result of this is that every episode of GBBO has the same steady pace, each challenge is

dedicated fifteen minutes of screen time, showing the bakers working on their dishes and fifteen

minutes is dedicated to judging. This helps the flow and pace of the show, allowing everything to

be shown within allocated times, thus making the show more appealing and enjoyable for the

audience.

The show follows a continuous story each

week, as we watch the progression of the

contestants and whether they progress to the finale or

leave each week. For continuity purposes contestants are asked to wear the same outfit on both

Saturday and Sunday during filming (Law, R. 2016), this is so the show has a seamless continuous

flow within each episode.

Technical Characteristics of the GBBO are that it’s filmed in a tent in the middle of a

field that acts as a TV studio all contestants, presenters and judges are fitted with collar

microphones, this allows the producers to control the audio of the show. The tent was also

custom built to be sound proof; this was to reduce the disruption of audio due to potential

disruption due to conditions common in British weather.

For control of lighting electrical engineers were hired to custom make lighting

equipment that would fit into the roof of the tent, this lighting is powered by generators that are

set outside of the tent. The custom lighting provides even lighting throughout the entire tent, so

7

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Currythat during filming nothing is too dark. The tent is set up so that nothing is out of sight from the

lighting system so that everything that needs to be in shot will be lit evenly. (Anon, 2014).

The Great British Bake Off is filmed on a

closed set, this means that only people aloud

to step foot within the famous white tent are

the contestants, presenters, judges and

crewmembers. While the Bake Off looks calm on screen, behind the cameras there could be up to

fifty crewmembers running around. (Law, R. 2016). With it being a closed set the producers can

also control exactly how the set is decorated and what they are willing to show on screen.

Within The Great British Bake Off health & Safety regulations are overseen by a UK

company known as Beyond Dispute, this company has worked on various popular reality TV

shows and they offer a wide range of services. (Beyond Dispute Ltd. 2016). As Bake Off is a

cooking show health & safety measures must be in place to ensure the safety of cast and crew,

this means all ovens must be tested every day, all electrical equipment must be secured and safe,

cameras and cables must be placed in safe places to ensure no one trips, all of this is provided by

Beyond Dispute Ltd.

Mrs. Brown’s Boys

Mrs. Browns Boys is an Irish sitcom comedy show filmed in front of a live audience.

“While sitcoms come in a wide variety of situational flavors, the choice of technical styles is more

8

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Currylimited. Sitcoms are typically filmed on set in front of a live studio audience, filmed on set without an

audience (and in some cases a laugh track) or filmed on location.” (Fordham Metz, W. 2016)

Due to the show being an Irish sitcom, Irish slang is often used along with slapstick

humour that people from other countries may not fully understand. As Mrs. Brown’s Boys is

filmed in front of a live audience, mistakes are often kept in during broadcast, this adds to the

humour of the show.

The narrative structure and content is based on stereo typical characters in an Irish

family headed by Mrs. Brown. It is an Irish sitcom starring Brendan O’Carroll as Agnes Brown, an

Irish ‘mammy’ who’s favourite pass time is meddling in the lives of her five children, Cathy

Brown (Jennifer Gibney, O’Carroll’s wife), Dermot Brown (Paddy Houlihan), Rory Brown (Rory

Cowan), Mark Brown (Pat Shields) and Trevor Brown (Martin Delany). It also stars Danny

O’Carroll, Brendan’s son who plays troublemaker Buster Brady, Dermot’s best friend in the show

and Eilish O’Carroll, Brendan’s sister who plays Winnie McGoogan, Agnes’s best friend and

partner in crime. (Anon. 2011).

Mrs. Brown’s Boys is a fast paced show; this is due to the episodes only being half an

hour in length. Within each show we begin in the kitchen of the Brown household, often we are

quickly taken into the living room and to the pub known as Foley’s. Due to the length of each

episode a full storyline will often be crammed into a short half an hour stint. However, this being

said, the show never feels rushed and manages to keep its humoristic nature despite being fast

paced.

With the low budget nature of Mrs. Brown’s Boys the show often does not follow a

continuous storyline, with something different taking place in each episode. As the show is also

9

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curryfilmed in front of a live audience and the nature of the show is to use mistakes as extra humour

within each episode, continuity often does not pose a problem for Mrs. Brown’s Boys and breaks

in the continuity are often used to great effect to add to the show.

Technical characteristics and control of sound are as it is filmed within a TV studio

setting, this gives the show runners the ability to control the sound that is used for broadcasting.

The cast are equipped with collar microphones, which are often noticeable within each episode.

Shotgun microphones are also used during production for added audio effects. Shotgun

microphones are also used to capture audience laughter, this is then translated to the audience at

home when they are supposed to laugh or find something funny. Without a live audience’s

laughter, the show would not have the same effect with home audiences.

Control of Lighting as Mrs. Brown’s Boys is filmed in a studio setting within the BBC,

lots of studio lighting is used. These lights are located on the roof of the studio and are used,

along with standing barn door lights and softboxes to ensure the set is properly lit. With it being

filmed within an indoor studio this gives the lighting technicians the ability to properly light the

set without worrying about outdoor light interfering.

10

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curry

Control of Set Mrs. Brown’s Boys is filmed in what is known as an open set, however that being

said the live audience works on a ticketing process, meaning if you wish to be a part of the live

audience for filming you must apply and purchase tickets. (Fraser, G. 2016). Another pro of Mrs.

Brown’s Boys being filmed within a BBC studio is that the show runners/producers have

complete control over the overall set and setup of the show, this means the set can be left up

within the studio until filming is complete and can be taken down and re-set for each season, they

also have control over what will appear within shot.

Due to Mrs. Brown’s Boys being a BBC production the show must follow the BBC’s health &

Safety guidelines, meaning everything must be checked and re-checked to ensure the safety of

cast, crew and audience. This means ensuring all equipment is functioning correctly, cables and

wires are secured to ensure no one trips and falls, all fire hazards must be taken care off and fire

exits must be within sight. (BBC. 2016).

Conclusion

Throughout this assignment I have come to the understanding that a TV studio production is

easier managed. I have also come to the understanding that despite a shows production value

and budget, that genre setup, narrative and technical characteristics are all a vital part of any

studio production. I believe that throughout this essay my knowledge has been widened on this

subject and I now have a better understanding of how a Television Studio Production is created

and the work that goes into creating some of the nation’s favourite TV shows.

Bibliography

Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008). A Game of Thrones Genre Analysis. America: Shmoop

11

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha CurryUniversity, Inc. Available at:

http://www.shmoop.com/game-of-thrones-book/genre.html [26/10/16]

Blumson, A. (2016). Game of Thrones vs. History: Which Real Characters and Events

Inspired George RR Martin?. United Kingdom: The Telegraph. Available at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/05/23/game-of-thrones-vs-history-which-real-

characters-and-events-insp/ [26/10/16]

Soll, R. (2015). What Makes the Structure of “Game of Thrones” Unusual for TV?.

Unknown: ScreenPrism. Available at:

http://www.screenprism.com/insights/article/what-makes-the-structure-of-game-of-

thrones-so-unusual [26/10/16]

Poniewozik, J. (2016). In ‘Game of Thrones’, the Pleasures of a Quickened Pace. America:

The New York Times. Available at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/arts/television/in-game-of-thrones-the-

pleasures-of-a-quickened-pace.html?_r=0 [27/10/16]

Westbrook, C. (2016). Did Game of Thrones suffer a major continuity error with The Red

Woman’s necklace?. United Kingdom: Metro. Available at:

http://www.metro.co.uk/2016/04/26/did-game-of-thrones-suffer-a-major-continuity-

error-with-the-red-womans-necklace-5841200/ [02/11/16]

Kim, J. (2016). ‘Game of Thrones’ sound designer uses unusual sources for the dragons.

America: The Frame. Available at:

http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2016/05/09/48693/game-of-thrones-

sound-designer-uses-unusual-source/ [02/11/16]

Greenwood, C. (2014). Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie says filming her naked sex

scene with Kit Harington was terrifying. United Kingdom: The Mirror. Available at:

12

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curryhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/game-of-thrones-naked-sex-scene-3302500

[03/11/16]

Renfro, K. (2016). HBO is trying everything imaginable to keep a lid on ‘Game of

Thrones’ spoilers. United Kingdom: Business Insider. Available at:

http://www.uk.businessinsider.com/how-hbo-is-stopping-game-of-thrones-spoilers-

2016-3?r=US&IR=T [03/11/16]

Anon. (2010). The Great British Baking Show. United Kingdom: IMDb. Available at:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877368/ [03/11/16]

Law, R. (2016). 9 Behind the Scenes Secrets of The Great British Bake Off. United

Kingdom: Birmingham Mail. Available at:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/great-british-bake-off-secrets-

9789477 [04/11/16]

Anon. (2014). Great British Bake Off. United Kingdom: Stage Electrics. Available at:

http://www.stage-electrics.co.uk/BakeOff.aspx [04/11/16]

Beyond Dispute Ltd. (2016). Health & Safety. United Kingdom: Beyond Dispute.

Available at: http://www.beyonddispute.co.uk/health-safety [04/11/16]

Anon. (2011). Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Ireland: IMDb. Available at:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1819022/ [08/11/16]

Fraser, G. (2016). Mrs. Brown’s Boys to be filmed live in Glasgow Studio – here’s how

you can apply to be part of the audience. United Kingdom: Glasgow Live. Available at:

http://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on-news/mrs-browns-boys-filmed-live-

11591536 [12/11/16]

BBC. (2016). Our Policies and Procedures. United Kingdom: BBC. Available at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi/publication-scheme/classes/policies-and-procedures

13

HNCY1 Creative Media ProductionUnit 34 & 2: Television Studio

Production & ResearchLecturers: Patsy Mullan & Jim Doherty

Student: Natasha Curry[12/11/16]

Dr Sweetland, R. (2016). Historical Fiction - Defined and described with quality

examples for its story elements. Unknown. Available at:

http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/histrclFictnElmnts.html

[25/11/16]

Grosvenor, C. (2016) What is a Game Show?. America. About Entertainment. Available

at: http://gameshows.about.com/od/showprofiles/g/What-Is-A-Game-Show.htm

[25/11/16]

Fordham Metz, W. (2016). Sitcom Characteristics - How Sitcoms Work. America. How

Stuff Works Entertainment. Available at:

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/sitcom3.htm [25/11/16]

14