Television Genres
Code: 103071 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Audiovisual Communication | OP | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Ángel Custodio Gómez González
- Email:
- angelcustodio.gomez@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
It would be interesting if the students had taken a script course as well as Television Theory and Analysis course.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course has a strongly practical and professional focus and is therefore designed as a workshop format, where various creative techniques are applied in the classroom with the aim of ideating, designing, pre-producing, and presenting a non-fiction television entertainment format proposal before a panel of professionals from the audiovisual sector.
The ultimate goal of the course is the ideation, design, and development of a television format within the entertainment macro-genre, suitable for pitching to production companies and television networks. We will work on both the creative and content-related aspects of television entertainment, as well as on the economic, technical, and production aspects. This includes format development, pre-production, and pitching of a television format.
A full format bible will be developed, including production, direction, and budget elements, as well as a sales dossier for the final format and its pitch to television networks. Essentially, this involves creating a paper prototype of a television pilot accompanied by its corresponding format bible.
Secondary objectives derived from the core practice include:
– Understanding different theoretical approaches to the study of television genres
– Learning the expressive and narrative conventions of various television genres (excluding news and fiction genres)
– Introduction to the ideation, design, production, and execution of television formats
Learning Outcomes
- KM15 (Knowledge) To define the main theories and models related to television and film genres.
- SM14 (Skill) To demonstrate the skills necessary to create content adapted to each audiovisual genre.
- SM15 (Skill) To apply imagination and creativity in content creation.
Content
This course is structured around three main content areas:
-
Television genres: a theoretical approach using case studies.
-
Ideation, production, and execution of television genres.
-
Typology of genres and their expressive and communicative keys (non-fiction formats).
These contents will be developed in two phases:
Phase 1
In this phase, different creativity techniques will be explored in order to generate a catalog of format ideas from which to select a final project to develop. This will take place before the Easter break, and by then, students should have a clear idea of the final project, including the structure and content of the format. After Easter, students must present their selected project, fully developed with its content, structure, and a rundown of the proposed format.
The exercises in this phase will include:
| CREATIVE TECHNIQUE |
PRACTICAL EXERCISE |
|
Technique 1: Inside-Out Creativity |
Connecting with personal experience to generate creative material. Some television examples. |
|
Technique 2: Hybridisation
|
Combining two different types of content as a source of innovation. Some television examples. |
|
Technique 3: Surprise |
Originality and surprise as elements of attraction. |
|
Technique 4: Naming
|
Learning how to name programmes and content. |
|
Technique 5: Magazine Sections
|
Using magazine-style sections as creative elements for a new format. |
|
Technique 6: Iconicity |
Creating elements of attraction and surprise in the script with visual appeal. |
|
Technique 7: Branded Content |
Developing content for brands. |
Phase 2
From the end of April onwards, and through tutorials with the instructor, students will develop the production, financial, aesthetic, and technical aspects of their format. At the same time, they will prepare for the format’s pitch presentation (teaser, dossier, etc.) through specific skills-based sessions. This stage will include specialized tutorials covering commercial and legal aspects, set design and staging, directing criteria, graphic design, production planning, budgeting, and more.
The process will culminate in a final format pitch at the end of the academic year, presented before professionals with responsibilities in content development.
The final presentation must compulsorily include a demo/teaser of the format and a sales dossier, both of which will be developed independently during the final weeks of the course.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Laboratory | 22.5 | 0.9 | SM14, SM15, SM14 |
| Seminars | 15 | 0.6 | KM15, KM15 |
| Theoric Sessions | 15 | 0.6 | KM15, SM15, KM15 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Supervision | 7.5 | 0.3 | KM15, SM14, SM15, KM15 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Reading of acadeic papers, preparing and planning the project. | 83 | 3.32 | KM15, SM14, KM15 |
1. Theoretical sessions and seminars, where the fundamental keys for the acquisition of the competences associated with the subject will be given, as well as the analytical viewing of products.
2. Practical sessions through a creativity workshop and seminars, where students must plan, discuss critically and execute a television product.
The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject.
Note: The course content will be sensitive to issues related to gender perspective and the use of inclusive language
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Exercises for TV formats | 40% | 5 | 0.2 | KM15, SM14, SM15 |
| Pitching | 20% | 1 | 0.04 | KM15, SM14, SM15 |
| TV format development and the production of the teaser | 40 % | 1 | 0.04 | KM15, SM14, SM15 |
The course can only be passed through continuous assessment.
To pass the course, it is mandatory to attend the creativity workshop sessions and submit all exercises, as well as present all the required documents and deliver a presentation or defense of the format before the panel of professionals convened for this purpose. Attendance at tutorials and follow-up sessions, along with the documents, presentation, defense, and program bible, will account for 100% of the final grade according the following:
|
Assignments |
Execution |
% of Final Grade |
|
Exercises from each technique of the Creativity Workshop |
group/individual |
40% |
|
Final bible of the developed format |
Group |
40% |
|
Format defense/pitch (sales dossier, flyer, teaser, PowerPoint, etc.) |
Group |
20% |
Students will have the right to retake the evaluation activity of the format bible.
NON-ASSESSABLE
Following point 9 of Article 266 of the UAB Academic Regulations, if it is determined that the student has not provided sufficient evidence to be evaluated, the subject will be classified as non-assessable
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not allowed in any stage of this course, with the sole exception of the naming exercise. Any work that includes AI-generated content will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in partial or full penalties on the activity’s grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.
PLAGIARISM
Suppose a student engages in any form of misconduct that could significantly affect the outcome of an assessment. In that case, they will receive a grade of zero for that particular assessment, regardless of any disciplinary actions that may follow. If multiple instances of misconduct are detected across different assessment components of the same course, the student will receive a final grade of zero for the entire subject.
Bibliography
ARROYO, Isidoro. (2005): La profesión de crear. Ediciones Laberinto: Madrid.
BARROSO, Jaime (1996), La realización de los géneros televisivos, Madrid: Síntesis.
BASTÉ, Carme Y PERALTA, Miquel. (2016): Sorprender cada minuto y medio. El guion en la televisión de entretenimiento y actualidad. Editorial UOC: Barcelona.
BERGER, Asa. (1992) Popular Culture Genres, Newbury Park: Sage.
CAMERON, Julia. (2015): El camino del artista. Un curso de descubrimiento y rescate de tu propia creatividad. La biblia de los creativos reconocida mundialmente. 11ª Edición. Ediciones Aguilar: Madrid.
COLOM, Ramon., CANALS, Joan. Y CUSTODIO, Ángel. (2006): La Industria de la televisión. Editorial UOC: Barcelona.
CREEBER, Glen, MILLER, Toby and TULLOCH, John (2008), The television Genres Book, London: BFI.
EDGERTON, G.R. and ROSE, B.G. (eds) (2005), Thinking outside the box: a contemporary televisión genre reader, Lexington: University Press of Kentucky
GONZÁLEZ REQUENA, Jesús (1988): El discurso televisivo: espectáculo de la posmodernidad, Madrid: Cátedra.
GORDILLO, Immaculada, (2009), Manual de narrativa televisiva, Madrid: Síntesis.
GUERRERO, Enrique (2010): “El Desarrollo de proyectos audiovisuales: adquisición y creación de formatos de entretenimiento” en Comunicación y Sociedad, Vol. XXIII. Núm. 1, págs. 237-273
IMBERT, Gerard (2003): El zoo visual. De la televisión espectacular a la televisión especular. Gedisa: Barcelona
KAMINSKY, Stuart M. and MAHAN, Jeffrey H. (1988) American television genres, Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
LACALLE, Rosario (2001): El espectador televisivo. Los programas de entretenimiento. Gedisa: Barcelona.
NEWCOMB, Horace (ed) (2000), Television : the critical viewNew York, etc. : Oxford University Press.
O’DONNELL, Victoria (2007), Television Criticism, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
SALÓ, Gloria (2003): ¿Qué es eso del formato?. Gedisa: Barcelona.
VIOLAN, Enric. (2008): Com fer un programa per a televisió. L’elaboració del projecte. De la idea a l’emissió. Publicacions i edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona: Barcelona.
Software
Students must use the software of their choice necessary for the editing of their audiovisual projects.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 41 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 4 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |