Reality Talent Shows

Examples:

• X Factor
• Britains Got Talent
• The Voice
• Come Dine With Me
• Strictly Come Dancing
• Great British Bake Off

X Factor

Format

The format of reality talent shows are all more or less the same, for example they take place on a Saturday and Sunday night, usually around 8 to 10 o'clock. The shows that take place on the weekends are typically the main,more important ones, and then throughout the week smaller shows tend to be on. Although a few reality talent shows are on at different times of the year, they usually follow each other, meaning one will finish and then a month or two later another will be on, all lasting about 10-15 weeks.

Appeals

Relating to the uses & gratifications model, the main use of reality talent shows is to entertain the audience, by offering a variety of professional, funny and really bad acts. As well as this, these shows will get the audience to react in an active way by having an opinion on the participants, and more often than not, voting for who they want to see again on the show. Because of this, I would say that social interaction is a key element of reality talent shows. The use of elite persons as judges may also appeal to the audience. For example, a specific audience may be attracted to the use of Simon Cowell as a judge, and another audience may be attracted to the use of Nicole Scherzinger as a judge. I think that X Factor is a conventional reality talent show, because it consists of 4 famous judges, judging a wide variety of the general public, who are clearly a lower class than them.

Target Audience

In relation to the 4Cs model, I would say that reality talent shows would appeal to a mainstreamer, due to the fact that mainstreamers do not like change and like everything to be expected and conventional, so by being on at the same time, same day each week and the content being very typical, the mainstreamers will feel a sense of  security and safety. I think that shows like X Factor will appeal to those of the working class, because they could possibly feel as though they relate to many of the working class contestants. Also the show is quite basic, therefore doesn't require a high level of education to understand the narrative.

Opening Sequence
In the opening sequence, we see the letter 'X' going through space. This connotes to the audience that the show is like something we've never seen, as though its unique and special. It acts as if its like a star shooting through space, which again gives the audience an indication that the show its special, and one of a kind. We see the 'X' move to the beat of the music which grabs an audiences attention because it makes us aware of the upbeat atmosphere.
The music in the opening sequence is loud and dominant, again, suggesting to the audience that the show consists of a very upbeat atmosphere and tone. The fact that its quite loud, means that audience can instantly hear it and recognise it, making the X Factor unforgettable and will keep their attention and interest.
The technical codes in the sequence also give us an indication of the tone of the show. For example, the pace is quick which gives off a very busy, yet upbeat and energetic feel. The camera follows the 'X' meaning the audience will also follow the 'X' as if we want to find out whats at the end and it leaves us feeling intrigued.

Setting
The opening sequence for The X Factor shows that the main location is London, as we see a long shot of the famous river thames. Other reality talent shows such as Britains Got Talent are not only based in London, but in other famous cities such as Liverpool and Newcastle. Both reality talent shows are seen to show big British cities, which implies to the audience that reality talent shows are very patriotic and are proud to show off the diverse talents in the country. More or less all reality talent shows are based in a studio. This sort of hints to the audience that maybe aspects are unrealistic and set up, despite the name of the genre.

Technical Codes
Non-digetic music is used quite frequently during this genre. For example, all opening sequences include very upbeat music, and then throughout we often see short clips of either individual contestants or a big group of contestants with non-digetic music playing. The tone of the non-digetic music however, depends on the tone that the encoders want to create. For example, in every reality talent show there is someone auditioning with a sad backstory. To make the audience feel empathetic, the encoders will choose to play slow, intense non-digetic music. This helps the audience feel sad for the participant which then leads to a bigger reaction. On the other hand, if a contestant comes on who shows a really quirky and energetic personality, the non-digetic music will reflect this energy and again make the audience feel the same way.
Whilst the participant is auditioning, the camera tends to quickly switch between the act, and then a close up of all the judges individually. This is to make the audience believe that the way we see the judges during the close up, is their reaction towards the act. In a way it is similar to how the non-digetic music works, because if an act with a sad story comes on, more close ups will be used to try and capture the emotions of the act and the judges.

Characters & Representations