Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Audiovisual Culture
Other languages of instruction: Spanish
Teaching staff
By appointment. Please request one by writing an email.
Introduction
Television is a relatively recent means of communication, yet one with an intense, prolific and influential trajectory.
Since its beginnings, its potential as a source of information, education, culture and entertainment, among others, has reached millions of viewers worldwide.
This course aims to provide students with sufficient knowledge to enable them to understand the evolution television has undergone throughout its history, from so-called paleotelevision to hypertelevision.
Although a certain chronology will be outlined, this is not a linear history, as it brings together a series of sociocultural, industrial and technological factors, industrial production practices, as well as the radical modifications of contemporary habits of use and consumption by audiences.
Furthermore, the course will examine how contemporary modes of television programming respond to the progressive segmentation of audiences resulting from the phenomena of convergence, transmediality and hypermediality that have emerged from the internet revolution and the digitisation of media. Thus, new platforms and emerging formats dissolve the boundaries of what we traditionally understood as television, complicating the phenomenon and challenging our understanding of the medium.
Among the major genres —in constant hybridisation— found on television are news, advertising, entertainment, docudrama and fiction. For the purposes of this course, we will focus primarily on the latter two and their serial formats.
A diachronic review of the television medium is therefore proposed, including its formal characteristics and its connection with other artistic and/or media realities, especially cinema. From the 1950s onwards, paradigmatic filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Roberto Rossellini, Frederik Wiseman, Ingmar Bergman, Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Mélville, Chris Marker, Marguerite Duras and later David Lynch, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Lars von Trier and Agnès Varda, among others, ventured into the small screen and forged the beginnings of the fertile relationships between television and cinema that are particularly crystallised in the series we consume today. With experimental or educational aims and with varying degrees of success, these filmmakers attempted to find an independent place within a hegemonic medium such as television and —although in hindsight their explorations may appear utopian— the fact is that they contributed to enriching the aesthetic and creative possibilities of both media.
Following the tradition of these authors, the course proposes a critical reflection on the narrative and formal operations that articulate the relationships between cinema and contemporary series. This reflection will be developed, on the one hand, through group oral presentations aimed at explaining the analysis of narrative strategies, and on the other, through the production of a group audiovisual essay, focused on the comparative study of formal strategies in films and series.
The first part of the course will be led by the instructor, who will provide the historical frameworks of reference, after which students will take the lead in the second part of the course, carrying out a series of group projects based on the analysis of case studies for the production of their audiovisual essays.
Pre-course requirements
No prior requirements are required.
Technical Requirements– During the first half of the course (lectures by the instructor and group presentations), the use of screens (mobile phones, computers, tablets) will not be permitted.
– During the second half of the course (from April 13 onwards, exercises leading to the audiovisual essay), students must attend class with their laptop computers, equipped with editing software and the necessary cables to connect to the classroom computer and project the results of each exercise.
Objectives
- To introduce students to the paths followed by international television throughout its history, so that they may understand its main trends and transformations in terms of formats, contents, audiences and platforms.
- To generate a condensed overview that addresses the key moments, movements, products and authors that have marked the history of television since its origins, and especially its relationship with other audiovisual media such as cinema.
- To provide students with basic critical tools to develop the ability to observe, compare and analyse works in relation to their historical period (past and present), addressing both their formal procedures and modes of production, and relating new findings in contemporary television to their predecessor forms.
- For students to understand the narrative structures of serial fiction, developing skills to analyse its different models. They must identify the fundamental characteristics of television serial narratives, exploring how fiction is internally configured when adopting a serial structure.
- To be able to analyse the implications of convergence between contemporary television and new digital technologies, considering how these have impacted the medium in terms of interactivity, transmediality, hypermediality, etc.
- To develop research and critical analysis competences applied to case studies, enabling students to produce well-founded oral presentations, articulating theoretical, contextual and formal references around contemporary filmmakers and serial productions.
- To foster the conceptual, analytical and technical capacities necessary for the production of an audiovisual essay, understanding editing, rhythm and the image-sound relationship as tools for critical thinking in the audiovisual field.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
- 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
- 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 09 - The ability to objectify, quantify and interpret (data, statistics, empirical evidence )
- 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
- 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
- 12 - The ability to meet deadlines, develop the ability to be punctual and respect for human, technical and material resources
- 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
- 14 - Knowledge and mastery of rhetoric and oratory to communicate own ideas
- 16 - The ability to manage, analysis and reflect on content
- 17 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the events of social reality and to represent Contemporary History
- 18 - The capacity and development of general culture and interest in social events
- 19 - The ability of informative documentation
- 20 - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic media
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 22 - Knowledge and mastery of the distinction between opinion and information / colloquial and cultured register
- 25 - The ability to maximize creative development
- 26 - The ability to develop a sense of taste and perfection in the aesthetics and finalization of projects
- 35 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the products of the audiovisual industry
- 40 - The ability to defend and respect authorship and intellectual property
- 41 - The ability to know how the distinct elemental agencies of the audio visual sector function
- 50 - The ability to adapt, understand and apply the expressive possibilities of new technologies and future changes
- 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- Upon completion of the course, students will have acquired a general and coherent knowledge of the historical evolution of television, through its different formats and their social and cultural implications.
- Likewise, they will have gained an overview of the complex interrelations and dynamics between cinema and television, and the creative and industrial potential of this encounter.
- Students will have led their learning processes as active protagonists of their education, with the instructor acting as a facilitator and guide for the achievement of the established objectives.
- Students will be able to develop basic audiovisual research processes, including the formulation of analytical questions, the contextualisation of case studies, and the articulation of theoretical and formal references, presenting the results clearly and argumentatively in an oral presentation.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to conceive and produce an audiovisual essay as a form of critical analysis, using visual and sound editing, juxtaposition and the precise use of text, to establish formal and narrative relationships between a film and a television series.
- The course will not only have fostered student autonomy and the ability to articulate a personal discourse with well-founded judgements that go beyond the minimum contents addressed in class, but also the ability to critically, analytically and reflectively assess the contributions of their peers.
Syllabus
A. History of Television (Topics to be developed by the instructor)
Topic 1: The origins of television. An overview of the main television systems around the world. Public television vs. private television.
Topic 2: Hypertelevision.
Topic 3: Reality television. Docudrama, reality shows and others. Reality television and trash TV.
Topic 4: Fiction. Television series and their formats.
Topic 5: New modes of consumption, new modes of creation. The evolution of television in the internet era. VOD platforms (Video on Demand: Netflix, Filmin, Mubi, etc.) and new audiovisual environments.
B. Case Studies (Research to be carried out by students)
1. David Lynch. Serie: Twin Peacks (1990). Película: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992).
2. Martin Scorsese. Series: Capítulo piloto de Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014). Película: Goodfelllas (1990), entre otras.
3. Krzysztof Kieślowski. Miniserie Decálogo (1989). Película: trilogía Tres colores (Azul, Blanco, Rojo, 1993-1994).
4. Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Serie: Los Años Nuevos (2024). Película: As Bestas (2022).
5. Woody Allen. Serie: Crisis in Six Scenes (Amazon Prime Video, 2016). Películas: Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Hannah y sus hermanas (1986).
6. Guillermo del Toro. Serie: The Strain (2014-2017). Películas: El espinazo del diablo (2001), El laberinto del fauno (2006).
7. Philip Barantini. Serie Adolescencia (Netflix, 2025). Película: Boiling Point (2021).
8. David Fincher. Algunos capítulos de series como House of Cards (2013-2018) y Mindhunter (Netflix, 2017). Película: El club de la lucha (1999).
9. Wong Kar-wai. Serie: Blossoms Shanghai (2023). Películas: In the Mood for Love (2000) y 2046 (2004).
10. Gus Van Sant. Algunos capítulos de series como Boss (Starz, 2011), The Devil You Know (2015), When We Rise (2017). Películas: My Own Private Idaho (1991), Good Will Hunting (1997) Elephant (2003), entre otras.
11. Alfonso Cuarón. Miniserie Disclaimer (Apple TV, 2014). Película: Roma (2018).
12. Tomas Vinterberg y Dogma 95. Serie: Familias como la nuestra (2024). Película: La celebración (1998).
13. Lars Von Trier. Serie: El reino (I y II, 1994). Películas: Los idiotas (1998), Rompiendo las olas (1996), Bailando en la oscuridad (2000).
14. Steven Soderbergh. Serie: Mosaic (HBO, 2018). Película: Erin Brockovich (2000), Traffic (2000) y otras.
15. Jane Campion. Serie: Top of the Lake (2013). Película: El piano (1993).
16. Hermanas Wachowski. Serie: Sense 8 (Netflix, 2015-2018). Película: The Matrix (saga de 4 películas). Videojuegos: Enter the Matrix; The Matrix Online, The Matrix: Path of Neo.
17. Stephen Daldry. Dirigió algunos capítulos de la serie The Crown (2016-2023). Película: Las horas (2002).
18. Jason Reitman. Dirige algunos capítulos de la Serie: Casual (2015). Película: Juno (2007).
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Fully face-to-face modality. A theory-practice based course, structured around:
- Lectures for the delivery of content and conceptual frameworks.
- Guided readings of relevant material.
- Screenings, critical analysis and discussion of projected audiovisual material.
- Oral presentations by students within the framework of research based on case studies.
- Practical work for the production of an audiovisual essay as an exercise in critical analysis, aimed at exploring formal and narrative operations through editing, applied to the comparative study of a film and a television series.
In-class activities:
- Theoretical classes taught by the instructor, screening of audiovisual excerpts, discussion.
- Systematic development of group exercises for progress in the preparation of the final audiovisual essay.
- Presentation of group research projects by the students.
- Practical exercises for the production of an audiovisual essay.
Out-of-class activities:
- Bibliographic and audiovisual research, writing and preparation of group assignments based on case studies.
- Viewing, selection and refinement of audiovisual material, as well as final adjustments of editing, rhythm, sound and text for the submission of the audiovisual essay.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
|---|---|
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2 |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.8 |
| Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups. | 0.6 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 0.6 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Assessment System and Criteria
-Continuous assessment. There is no final exam.
-Therefore, class attendance is 100% compulsory.
-It is essential to demonstrate a proactive attitude of involvement in the course, participation in class and interest in classmates’ presentations.
-It is essential to demonstrate autonomy and rigour in meeting deadlines and work guidelines.
-A grade equal to or higher than 5 must be obtained in each of the following assessments in order to pass the course.
|
Oral presentation of the group research project on a case study*** |
30% |
|
Development of practical work class by class for the preparation of the audiovisual essay. Attendance is included. |
30% |
|
Audiovisual essay. |
40% |
*** In the oral presentation, the following must be presented:
- General context of the filmmaker, the film(s) and the series to be analysed.
- Plot of both the film and the series.
- Identification of the main themes, forces in tension, conflicts, and narrative and dramatic elements.
- Selection of which film(s) and which specific seasons and/or episodes of the series will be analysed for the subsequent production of the audiovisual essay.
- Preliminary identification of the main recurring formal features between the series and the film.
- Specific examples of excerpts to be screened.
General Schedule
Weeks from 26 January to 02 March (5 weeks): lectures taught by the instructor.
Monday 09 March: presentations by groups 1, 2 and 3.
Monday 16 March: presentations by groups 4, 5 and 6.
Monday 23 March: presentations by groups 7 and 8.
Weeks from 13 April to 04 May (4 weeks): practical audiovisual essay exercises in class.
Monday 11 May: final session. Screening of audiovisual essays.
-Throughout the course, students must produce a group audiovisual essay based on one of the case studies proposed in this course guide. There will be two submissions related to this essay: a group oral presentation (in groups of three students) and the final submission of the audiovisual essay, with a duration of five minutes.
–Both in the group oral presentation and in the audiovisual essay, students’ ability to develop original thinking around the selected case study will be assessed, transcending or reworking traditional readings in order to propose innovative perspectives on the phenomena studied.
–With regard to the group oral presentation, the assessment will take into account the particularities of each research project, the quality, rigour, coherence and creativity of the proposal as a whole, as well as its development and presentation by each group and by each of its members (oral expression and clarity in the transmission of information).
–In the audiovisual essay, for its part, the clarity of its critical idea, the relevance of the comparative editing, the expressive use of rhythm and sound, formal coherence, the relationship between form and concept, and its capacity to produce thought through images rather than to explain them will be assessed.
–Students are expected to demonstrate a participatory, attentive and active attitude, as well as constructive critical engagement with their classmates’ work.
–The instructor reserves the right to fail students in the event that minimum standards of initiative and participation are not met during the process.
–Faculty regulations regarding spelling mistakes and plagiarism will be strictly observed.
Second Examination Period
If the course is failed in continuous assessment (because one of the grades is below 5 or due to attendance issues), a theoretical exam covering all the theoretical contents of the course must be passed on the dates scheduled for the second examination period. The contents assessed will correspond to syllabus section A. History of Television (Topics 1 to 5, taught by the instructor).
Only students who have obtained a grade below 5 in the audiovisual essay must also submit an improved version of it. In this case, the grades of the theoretical and practical exams will be averaged equally (only if a grade higher than 5 has been obtained in both parts). In order to pass the course, a grade higher than 5 must be obtained in both parts.
The resit examination (second examination period) will account for 100% of the final grade, and a grade higher than 5.0 must be obtained in order to pass the course.
Other Examination Periods
In the third examination period and subsequent ones, the course must be repeated.
Bibliography and resources
BOURDIEU, Pierre (1997). Sobre la televisión, Barcelona, Anagrama.
CARRILLO BERNAL, Javier (2018). Paradigma Netflix. El entretenimiento del algoritmo. Barcelona: UOC.
CASCAJOSA, Concepción y ZAHEDI, Farshad (2016). Historia de la televisión. Valencia: Tirant Humanidades.
CASCAJOSA, Concepción (ed.) (2016). La cultura de las series. Barcelona: Laertes.
CASCAJOSA, Concepción (2006). De la TV a Hollywood: un repaso a las películas basadas en series. Madrid: Arkadin.
CORTÉS, José A (1999). La estrategia de la seducción: la programación en la neotelevisión. Pamplona: EUNSA.
DOMÍNGUEZ, Vicente (Ed.) (2007). Pantallas depredadoras. El cine ante la cultura visual digital. Festival Internacional de Cine de Gijón.
GÓMEZ TARÍN, Francisco y BORT, Iván (2010). “Del cine a la televisión: de 24 fotogramas por segundo a 24 episodios por temporada”, en Biblioteca On-Line de Ciencias da Comunicaçao, Covilha (Portugal), ISSN: 1646-3137.
GORDILLO, Inmaculada (2009). La Hipertelevisión: géneros y formatos. Ecuador: CIESPAL.
IMBERT, Gérard (2008). El transformismo televisivo. Postelevisión e imaginarios sociales. Madrid: Cátedra.
IMBERT, Gerard (2007). El zoo visual: de la televisión espectacular a la televisión especular. Barcelona: Gedisa.
JOST, François (2005). “Lógicas de los formatos de tele-realidad”. En R. Lacalle (coord.), De Signis 7/8, pp. 53-68.
LAMELO, Carles (2016). Televisión social y transmedia. Nuevos paradigmas de producción y consumo televisivo. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
MONTERO DÍAZ, Julio (2018). Una televisión con dos cadenas. Madrid: Cátedra.
RODRÍGUEZ, Mª del Mar y CORTÉS, Laura (2011). “La influencia del estilo visual cinematográfico en las series de ficción televisiva”. En Miguel A. Pérez Gómez (ed.). Previously On. Interdisciplinary studies on TV series in the Third Golden Age of Television, FRAME, Revista de Cine de la Biblioteca de la Facultad de Comunicación, Universidad de Sevilla.
TUBELLA, Imma, TABERNERO, Carlos, & DWYER, Vicent (2008). Internet y televisión: la guerra de las pantallas. Barcelona: Ariel.
VV. AA. (2005). The Contemporary Television Series. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
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EXTRA
BAGET I HERMS, Josep M. (2003). La Nostra. Vint anys de TV3. Barcelona: Proa.
BAGET I HERMS, Josep M. (1999). Quaranta anys de televisió a Catalunya. Barcelona: Pòrtic/CIC.
BAGET I HERMS, Josep M. (1993). Historia de la televisión en España (1956-1975). Barcelona: Feed-back Ediciones.
BRANDT, George W. (ed.) (1993). British TV Drama in the 1980s. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
CARCAJOSA, Concepción (ed.) (2007). La caja lista: televisión norteamericana de culto. Barcelona: Laertes.
CARRIÓN, Jorge (2011). Teleshakespeare. Madrid: Errata Naturae.
CASTRO DE PAZ, José L (1999). El surgimiento del telefilme. Los años cincuenta y la crisis de Hollywood. Barcelona: Paidós.
COOKE, Lez (2003). British Television Drama: A History. Londres: British Film Institute.
CREEBER, Glen (ed) (2001). The television genre book. Londres: British Films Institute.
DARLEY, Andrew (2002). Cultura visual digital. Espectáculo y nuevos géneros en los medios de comunicación. Barcelona: Paidós.
ELLIS, John (2001). “Broadcast TV as a cultural form”. En John Ellis (ed.). Visible fictions, New York: Routledge, pp. 111-127.
GARCÍA DE CASTRO, Mario (2002). La ficción televisiva popular: Una evolución de las series de televisión en España. Barcelona: Gedisa.
MARTIN, Brett (2013). Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad. New York: Penguin.
MARTÍN BARBERO, Jesús y MUÑOZ, Sonia (1992). Televisión y melodrama. Bogotá: Tercer Mundo Editores.
MENDÍBIL, Álex (2013). España en serie. Madrid: Prisa TV/Aguilar.
MILLS, Bret (2009). The Sitcom. Edinburgo: University of Edinburgh Press.
MÜLLER, Jurgen (2015): Las mejores series de TV. Las series favoritas de Taschen de los últimos 25 años. Taschen.
NEIRA, Elena (2018). Así convierte Netflix una serie en fenómenos globales: el caso Élite. Innovación Audiovisual.
PALACIO, Manuel (2020). Historia de la televisión en España. Barcelona: Gedisa.
PASOLINI, Pier Paolo (2003). Contre la télévision. Paris, Les solitaire Intempestifs.
SCOLARI, Carlos A. (2013). Narrativas transmedia. Cuando todos los medios cuentan. Barcelona: Deusto.
SÁNCHEZ MESA, Domingo. (ed.) (2019). Narrativas transmediales: La metamorfosis del relato en los nuevos medios digitales. Barcelona: Gedisa.
VIVES-FERRÁNDIZ, Luis (2022). La Cultura Visual en tiempos digitales y posthumanos. Vitoria: Sans Soleil Ediciones.