Näitleja kuvandi loomine meedias saatesarja «Lennud» näitel
Date
2011
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
Constructing the Image of Actor: The Case of the TV-Series «Lennud»
The objective of this bachelor thesis is to examine how to construct the image of actors and their work, especially on the case of the cultural TV-series «Lennud». In addition to the material gathered after observing the series and from analysing the results, the author of this paper also interviewed some people with cultural background who in some way are or have been involved with the series: ex and current story editors working at the public broadcasting channel ETV and also the alumni of the Drama School of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
In the theoretical part of the thesis, the author presented an overview of the theoretical bases and explained important terms and definitions used in the paper. It was important to understand some ways of creating an image in cultural theory, especially in connection with television and theatre. Also, the role of an actor as a public figure and the ways media has in constructing images of people, were explained. «Image» and «myth» were important terms in this.
In the second chapter the author examined the subject and the basic research questions of the work in greater detail. A more thorough overview of the drama school, its alumni and also of the TV-series in question was given – that in the context of public sphere as well as of its cultural field. The author gave account for the methods used in this research: empirical examination and semi-structured qualitative interview. Also the reasons behind selecting the material used and the people interviewed were revealed.
The third chapter presented the results of the research, which gave a qualitative overview of the research problems based on the material that the series and interviews provided. So, the role and image of actor were described on a personal level, as well as on the level of the series and in the context of the era. Also the third part of this chapter is important, there the author has suggested some new problems and topics that could be researched in the future.
The objective of this bachelor thesis was to examine the understanding of the image of an actor constructed in the public sphere and in the television in three dimensions: the understanding of the actors themselves, the interpretation of the TV-series «Lennud» and in the context of time in general.
The actors in practice say that to fit in the role of an actor, a person should be above all able to adapt, have courage to perform and understand others. Acting is a tough job on both physical and psychological level. A great actor should be able to achieve anything, no matter the situation. They said that there are two types of actors: one kind are unnoticeable in private life, but they shine on the stage; the others are actors no matter the time or the place. The actors themselves are quite happy with the TV-series «Lennud», especially when compared to other media. They value greatly the first, retrospective part of the series, which has the extra value of abstraction and analysis.
On the level of the series one may say that the alumni did not have much chance to take part of constructing the show or their own image for that matter. They had this opportunity only with the second part of the series, although not many have taken their chance to use it. The class of number XVII is the only one by now who have taken it seriously and have written their own scenario, deciding what and how to say to the audience. Still, you cannot clearly define constructing an image of an actor as a specific topic in the series. The image is rather constructed subconsciously, processing the information that the series provide. Rather one can say that the image is constructed of the whole class, using something characteristic to them in whole.
The image of an actor has not changed much in time. They still value an actor as a person who is empathic, active and open-minded, who has a lot of imagination and a need to do something on stage. Still, while the bases stay the same, the people themselves have changed. The people graduating the drama school nowadays are much more young in whole and more informed about the world than their predecessors. And as a person, an actor should change with the time and their age.
From the interviews, many new and interesting ideas that cannot be examined in this thesis, rose, but deserve to be researched. The term «class» should be looked into much closely, that in the sense of a community. Also, the subject has many practical sides that could be used in the work of the drama school or in journalism in general.