The Changing Spaces of Television Acting: From Studio Realism to Location Realism in BBC

ISBN-13: 9781784992989 / Angielski / Twarda / 2017 / 288 str.

Richard Hewett

Opis

Spanning the 1950s to the present day, The changing spaces of television acting is both a historical overview and a then-and-now comparison of performance in British television drama. By examining acting styles from distinct eras of television production - studio realism and location realism - the book makes a unique contribution to the fields of television and performance studies, going behind the scenes to unpack the various determinants that influence how performers work in the medium.

The case studies are programmes that emerged in distinct eras of television production: The Quatermass Experiment (BBC, 1953), which was transmitted live; Doctor Who (BBC, 1963-89), pre-recorded 'as live'; and Survivors (BBC, 1975-77), which adopted an Outside Broadcast 'rehearse/record' model. These are compared with their respective modern-day re-makes to unpack the major developments that have taken place between the eras of studio realism and location realism, and the shift from multi-camera studio to single-camera location production. In order to establish the factors underpinning these changes, textual analysis is combined with extensive archive research into production process and reception, alongside interviews with numerous actors and production personnel from more than sixty years of television production.

This fascinating account of acting for the small screen will be of interest to students of television history and screen performance, while its case studies offer particular appeal to cult television fans. Contributors include Mark Gatiss, Louise Jameson, Patrick Malahide, Kevin McNally, Waris Hussein, Graeme Harper and Tony Garnett.