Lecture Library

Television Style

A collection of clips related to the formal analysis of contemporary TV from Jeremy Butler's books Television Style and Television: Critical Methods and Applications.

For over thirty years, media scholar Jeremy Butler has interrogated the signifying power of sound and image with the goal of building a "telepoetics," or poetics of televisual style. Considering a full range of forms and genres - from amateur "home videos" and daytime soaps to the cinematic surrogate of "quality TV," Butler systematically categorizes and analyzes the schemas that link stylistic traits such as setting, lighting, videography, editing, etc., with their modes of production. Butler's book Television Style is richly illustrated with hundreds of still frames and a companion website provides access to selected streaming videos. In addition, the clips presented on Critical Commons are publicly viewable, inviting commentaries and linkages to other clips online, while full-resolution files may be downloaded by Advanced Users for in-class teaching.

Sound, Image and Time in Damages by KZK Productions (2007)

A scene from the August 14, 2007 episode of Damages that illuminates the complex relationship of sound, image and time.

Grey's Anatomy: A Conventional Scene by Shonda Rhimes (2010)

Editing and sound conventions are highlighted in a scene in which two characters argue.

Homicide: Jump Cuts by Barry Levinson (1993)

Jump cuts are quite uncommon in US narrative television. This clip illuminates their use in Homicide: Life on the Street.

Rack Focus and Camera Movement in "CSI" by Jerry Bruckheimer Television (2009)

Rack focus and camera movement in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

Steadicam Use in Grey's Anatomy by Shonda Rhimes (2006)

Steadicam use in television hospital dramas.

Letterboxing in He Said, She Said by Ken Kwapis, Marisa Silver (1991)

Illustration of how letterboxing shrinks the original image, but keeps its proper aspect ratio.

America's Funniest Home Videos: Studio Crane Shots by Vin Di Bona (2010)

A "simple" crane shot in America's Funniest Home Videos (the studio section) illustrates how crane shots are used in TV today.

America's Funniest Home Videos: Low-Definition Video by Vin Di Bona (2010)

A home movie in America's Funniest Home Videos illustrates how low-definition video is used in TV today.

The Sopranos: Hand-Held Camera by David Chase (1999)

A scene from The Sopranos illustrates the impact of hand-held camera work.

Black And White in Commercials: Winn-Dixie by Winn-Dixie (2010)

A Winn-Dixie grocery store commercials employs black-and-white and color imagery.

Editing in TV Commercials: Taco Bell by Taco Bell (2008)

A frenetically edited Taco Bell commercial breaks many of the rules of classical editing.