{"id":24373,"date":"2019-09-17T15:44:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T19:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/?page_id=24373"},"modified":"2023-12-07T10:08:51","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T15:08:51","slug":"teaching-the-emmys-revised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/teaching-the-emmys-revised\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching The Emmys (Revised)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blogpost originally ran on MiddleWeb and has been revised.<\/p>\n

Use the Emmy Awards as a Versatile Teaching Tool<\/strong><\/p>\n

BY\u00a0FRANK BAKER<\/a>\u00a0\u00b7\u00a009\/17\/2019<\/p>\n

Does television still matter? You bet it does! Millions of eyeballs and dollars are at stake.<\/p>\n

Many of us, and our students, still follow television programs and series, whether they\u2019re broadcast on TV, cable, or streamed via the internet on any of the dozens of established and emerging entertainment services.<\/p>\n

The fall\u00a0network TV season<\/a> was announced in May and will begin for the most part in September. But do we really even have TV seasons anymore?<\/p>\n

Cable channels may start new series and continue old ones anytime during the year. And the streaming services, increasingly, just drop an entire season onto their platforms at once (with great or little fanfare) allowing us to set our own viewing pace \u2013 or to binge-watch every episode in a weekend of epic video consumption.<\/p>\n

Whatever we might say about TV seasons, summer is definitely part of the Emmys season, as the television industry launches a multi-month promotion of the annual\u00a0Emmy Awards<\/a>, recognizing the best programming from the previous year. This year, the awards telecast will be broadcast LIVE on the FOX-TV Network at\u00a08pm ET, Sunday, September 22<\/strong>. [NOTE: Last year’s broadcast resulted in some of the lowest ratings (audience) in years. Will this year be different?]\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Emmys provide educators with yet another teachable moment and opportunity to engage students in those shows they watch and discuss. The broadcast is another one of those pop culture events (like\u00a0the Super Bowl<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the Academy Awards<\/a>) that generate lots of buzz and have implications both outside and inside the classroom.<\/p>\n


\nEmmys and the Evolution of Television<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, there are more programs eligible for Emmy awards than any other time in the past. Some critics maintain we are in the midst of the \u201cSecond Golden Age of Television\u201d \u2013 referencing the quality of material airing today. (The first\u00a0Golden Age of TV<\/a>\u00a0occurred between the late 1940s and the early 1960s.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nSource<\/a><\/p>\n

Many attribute this second golden age to the eagerness of cable channels and the new streaming platforms to establish blockbuster \u201csignature\u201d programs that establish or restore their brands as leading entertainment resources.<\/p>\n

Almost-forgotten cable channels, reduced to running endless repetitions of popular network shows from decades past, are now reviving themselves with original series praised by critics. And, in an effort to capitalize on\u00a0the streaming phenomenon<\/a>\u00a0birthed by Netflix, me-too channels like Hulu, Prime Video, and other up-and-comers are collectively producing original quality content at a bewildering rate.<\/p>\n

Original content drives people to pay streaming video services, while the rest of the stuff in the library keeps people around.\u201d \u2014 David Marino-Nachison in\u00a0<\/em>an article at Barron\u2019s Next<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For the past several years, broadcast outlets (NBC, CBS, CW, ABC, FOX) have been overshadowed by the explosion in news series and programs available via streaming services like NETFLIX, HULU, AMAZON PRIME and the like. (Apple, Disney, Comcast, AT&T and Warner Media are expected to join this group soon and will likely impact subscriptions)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nSource<\/a><\/p>\n

Another development in TV is the trend of ditching cable and satellite. As a result, many cable subscribers have \u201ccut the cord,\u201d electing to go with bundling services provided by Apple TV, Roku, SLING, YouTube TV and others.\u00a0 This results in consumers having few options (e.g. fewer channels) and a less costly bill. This move may also make it more difficult for new or unique programs, on less popular networks, to be seen.<\/p>\n

Last year, 2018, it was NETFLIX that received the most nominations but this year cable network HBO jumped ahead.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nSource\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nHBO<\/a>\u00a0snagged the most Primetime Emmy nominations with 137, up from 108 in 2018, and its flagship drama series\u00a0Game of Thrones<\/em><\/a>\u00a0also topped all networks and streaming services with 32.<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/a>\u00a0followed with 117 total noms, followed by NBC with 58, Amazon Prime Video with 47 and CBS and FX Networks with 43 and 32, respectively, among networks and streaming services.<\/p>\n

Following\u00a0Game of Thrones<\/em>\u00a0with the top program nominations are\u00a0The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel<\/em>\u00a0with 20,\u00a0Cherynobyl<\/em>\u00a0with 19,\u00a0Saturday Night Live<\/em>\u00a0with 18 and\u00a0Barry<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Fosse\/Verdon<\/em>\u00a0tied with 17 each.\u00a0The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>\u00a0received 11 nominations.
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong>
\nSource<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Will the 2019 Emmy Award voters again prefer the streaming series? Will the TV networks see their share of Emmy Awards continue to dwindle? These are great questions to pursue with students, not only in the context of media literacy but as fodder for close reading activities, argumentative writing assignments, cultural history lessons, and more.<\/p>\n

The Emmys Frenzy<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the competition greater and the stakes higher than ever, for the past several months the Emmy fanfare and the campaigning have reached epic proportions. In an effort to sway decisions, studios sent DVD packages to eligible voters and sponsored lavish parties.\u00a0USA Today recently reported<\/a>\u00a0on the lengths that production studios and stars are going through in order to get recognized.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

HBO\u2019s Chernobyl\u00a0billboard in Los Angeles \u2013 \u201cFor Your Consideration\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Deadline Hollywood columnist also observed: \u201cThe (publicity) campaign is as important as getting the award itself.\u201d Emmy hopefuls, eager to call attention to themselves, have been featured in multi-page ads in trade publications such as\u00a0The Hollywood Reporter,<\/a>\u00a0VARIETY<\/a>, and\u00a0EMMY<\/a>. (These \u201cFor Your Consideration\u201d ads also showed up in daily newspapers and on billboards in and around Los Angeles and New York City, where most of the voters reside.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who Are The Emmy Voters?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Emmys, awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, honor those who work in front of and behind the camera. The Academy, with more than 20,000 members, is divided into 28 peer groups of specialized fields. The members of each peer group vote on the nominees and winners for categories pertaining to their area of specialty. (Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n

A separate awards ceremony, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, honors the crafts people\u2014those who work behind the scenes in production. The\u00a0winners\u00a0of the Creative Arts Awards<\/a> were announced September 14 and 15. HBO\u2019s Game of Thrones garnered 10 awards during the ceremonies. Chernobyl (HBO) was honored with 7 while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video) received six.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Students will find this\u00a0How An Emmy Is Won\u201d infographic<\/a>\u00a0easy to follow. Also see these resources:\u00a0Emmy Nominations<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Interesting Facts about the Emmys<\/a>. And for even deeper diving,\u00a0these press fact sheets for 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Connecting TV to Teaching Standards<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studying television in the middle grades might seem inappropriate or frivolous. However, many ELA and social studies teachers know that when they take the time to engage students with popular culture texts, they\u2019re really meeting students where they are.<\/p>\n

We know students watch television and discuss favorite plots, stars and genres. In their book\u00a0Falling in Love with Close Reading<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>authors Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts recommend engaging students by having them compare some of the situation comedies they might be fond of watching. (This\u00a0Read\/Write\/Think lesson plan<\/a>\u00a0is somewhat dated, but you\u2019ll find ideas on studying TV in the middle grades.)<\/p>\n

The Common Core ELA standards for middle grades specifically reference the importance of teaching students to understand media technique, connections to original texts, and choices made in production:<\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a07th grade:<\/em>\u00a0Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).<\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a08th grade:<\/em>\u00a0Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.<\/p>\n

See an example of comparing different versions of Horton Foote\u2019s play \u201cA Trip to Bountiful\u201d\u00a0in this article<\/a>\u00a0I wrote in 2014 about the Emmy Awards. The ability to compare print and non-print forms of something requires students to have a similar understanding of each medium\u2019s key elements.<\/p>\n

The nominated programs fall into one of many popular genres and sub-genres. In classrooms today students study genre and the formulas that comprise them. Popular TV genres include sit-coms, drama (police, legal, medical), action\/adventure, sci-fi, animated, reality, game and comedy. Students could explore why they gravitate to certain genres and why they are appealing. (The Television Genre Book<\/a>\u00a0may offer you some solid suggestions on how to teach them.)<\/p>\n

Lesson\/Activity Suggestion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say your students are fans of Netflix\u2019s\u00a0Stranger Things<\/em>\u00a0which has been categorized as science\/horror\/supernatural fiction, and period drama. It competes in the Emmys\u2019 drama category. Have your students investigate which other dramas are in competition with\u00a0Stranger Things<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What similarities and differences do they see? What books or movies come to mind? You might task your students with conducting a \u201cWho Should Win the Emmy\u201d poll with other students at school and another with adults. Perhaps include both drama and comedy series. Have them present their poll findings. Did the students and adults agree on which series deserve Emmy awards?<\/p>\n

Some intense discussion continues around race and Hollywood awards. Students might search Google Images for charts sharing data about representation. Here\u2019s an example from Medium, part of\u00a0a story on 2018 Emmy diversity<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The number of black actresses nominated as lead actress for a comedy or drama series had not changed much during the last decade.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, teachers might want to apply some typical media literacy questions to the Emmy Awards. The following questions are suggestions to jump start your students\u2019 critical thinking skills:<\/p>\n

More Recommended Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a0Infographic: How An Emmy Is Won<\/a><\/p>\n

The Emmy Awards: Facts & Statistics<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a0Mourning the Lost Long TV Season<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a07 Ways Technology Has Changed Television<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a0Streaming TV Isn\u2019t Just a New Way to Watch \u2013 It\u2019s a New Genre<\/a>\u00a0 (New York Times)<\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a0Archive of American Television<\/a>\u00a0(streaming interviews and more)<\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a0Genre Studies In Mass Media \u2013 A Handbook<\/a>\u00a0(by Art Silverblatt)<\/p>\n

\u25ba\u00a0The Whole Crazy Process of Creating A TV Show \u2013 From Pitch to Pilot<\/a>\u00a0(at Gizmodo)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blogpost originally ran on MiddleWeb and has been revised….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24373"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24405,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24373\/revisions\/24405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}