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Performing The Real : Reality TV The Law of The Jungle and The Reality Effect
Journal of Popular Narrative
2013,
(30), pp.539-579
DOI : 10.18856/jpn.2013..30.016
Publisher : The Association of Popular Narrative
Research Area : Interdisciplinary Research
DOI : 10.18856/jpn.2013..30.016
Publisher : The Association of Popular Narrative
Research Area : Interdisciplinary Research
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This paper's aim is to study the reality effect of reality TV The Law of The Jungle. As we know from its recent fake controversy, The Law of The Jungle is a very suggestive program to approach reality television, In particular, the reality effect in this paper means a more broader concept than the reality effect by the French semiologist Roland Barthes, which is defined as a detailed and long description, resulting in realistic motivation. This paper defines the reality television's reality effect as immersive viewing experience that television brings out to viewers, constructing and representing illusion of reality. In The Law of The Jungle, how are a represen- tative structure and audiovisual style used to provide illusion of reality? And how real are viewers' watching experience that approaches others' real lives in various layers? These questions are this paper's issues. When we discuss realism, a dictionary may provide many definitions for the word reality. But this paper discusses a sense of the real about The Law of The Jungle, according to illusive reality concept that puts emphasis on immersive viewing experience to space, time, and characters. The real world of reality tv such as The Law of The Jungle depends on how to create presence and aura of a reality independent the so-called external world. Therefore, because the illusive reality of reality tv is quite similar to theatrical illusions that audiences regard a real space, time, and people as a dramatic space, time, and characters by the conventions of the theater, this paper defines The Law of The Jungle's representative reality as performing reality, and, will discuss its entertainment and documentary functions. As a result, through analysing the reality effect of reality TV The Law of The Jungle, this paper will contribute to reality television study as a case study about performing the real in reality tv. In addition, this paper will provide a academic stimulus for image literature study concentrating on a fictional drama.
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