Television can be and has always been a powerful tool for social change. It provides a channel for the transfer of ideas and also acts as a source of entertainment. Politics and religion have been advanced quite successfully through the use of television and as technological advancements are made, so does television advance, with the developments now on 3D television and intelligent televisions, which offer the highest quality of viewer experience. Television is used for a wide range of purposes, from educative to informative. It however continues to be a source of entertainment for millions of viewers worldwide and offers an array of selection of programming for the purposes of entertainment (Brown and Logan, 77).
Media also, has improved and developed through the years in United States. Television shows are considered as an influential media source in Unites States history, because they reach each house every day.
The advancement in television as an industry has also seen the development of different genres of programming which ranges from everyday news to subjects such as cookery and to education. One of the most popular genres of entertainment shows in television is sitcom. Sitcoms usually occupy prime time in television and are usually aired to reach the largest number of audience possible. The American television is awash with many sitcoms. Sitcom, an abbreviation of situation comedy, is a comic television show in which every episode presents a different storyline (Brown and Logan, 12). A sitcom may be animated such as the Family Guy, Futurama and South Park or may be live action such as families and The Big Bang Theory.
Sitcoms can be used simply for their entertainment purpose and without any other motive other than the entertainment value they have for the viewers. However, this is not usually the case and many producers of the comedies use them as an avenue of communication to the society regarding several issues that may be affecting the society at a particular time. They are more often like the satirical plays that were presented in theatres before the advent of television which though comical enabled their audience to have a closer look at the ills that were afflicting the society at any particular point in time (Brown and Logan, 23). They offered an indirect and acceptable manner of criticising what was seen as evil and prodding society in the most subtle manner possible to embrace change. This is the same method employed by sitcoms; they enable the viewer to have a closer look at the society, its values, beliefs and culture through the characters presented in the sitcom and thus offer an opportunity for self-evaluation on the ills that may be on the society at that point in time, and perhaps offer suitable methods for remedying such. Sitcoms in American television employ satire heavily to make viewers evaluate their social settings and the stereotypes that exist in it and how such causes harm to individuals in the society and propagates social disharmony. They offer an avenue for critical evaluation of the current social trends and the good and bad that accompany them and thus give an opportunity to viewers to change accordingly and thus make the society a better place to live in (Gray, 91).
Animation in the past fifty years has taken big steps in improvements to what it is today. It has changed in many ways from techniques to their way in entertainment. It has opened opportunities for new job in companies. It has allowed us to see things we could only imagine. It has also changed the way of life.
Simpsons or The Simpsons are America's favourite cartoon family. Watched by 60 million viewers in United State Of America, but the show is watched by almost sixty million people across the globe (O'Meara), and now on it is fifteenth season, the show portrays a somewhat typical American family with cynicism, irreverence, and biting satire.
The Simpsons is an American animated situational comedy, which has been running since December 1989. The sitcom has a wide viewership in the United States and beyond and is considered one of the most successful comedies that have run in the American Television. The animated comedy is currently the longest running television show on American television. The show development was as a result of the work of Matt Groening who initially ran the comedy show as thirty second sketches on the Tracy Ullman Show on the Fox network. The sketches proved to be very popular and hence a decision was made to develop them to a full thirty minute show. The first episode of The Simpsons was aired on December 17th 1989. It has since then grown in popularity and the estimated number of viewers of the show have increased and decreased over time depending on the prevailing opinion at any particular time. This paper seeks to evaluate the influence that The Simpsons show has had on the American society during the more than two decades that it has been running (Keller, 84).
It is worth noting that prior to the introduction of The Simpsons most of the sitcoms that were being showed were usually based on what may be considered perfectionism. Their portrayal of issues was often based on the ideal situations possible, and most characters were presented as individuals without blights in their lives. In particular, families were portrayed as being ideal and composed of individuals who did not have any issues in their lives. The Simpsons was meant to break this norm, and it depicted a family which though loving and caring, had major underlying social, economic and personal issues, which it was constantly trying to deal with. Matt Groening has been quoted as saying that the show intended to show the typical American family, albeit in a comical way and present an opportunity for self appraisal on family values (Gray, 58).
The show is based on a plot, which revolves around the members of a fictitious family living in a fictitious town called Springfield. The choice of the name to be Springfield was to develop an association of the plot of the show to the happenings of ordinary people who live in urban settings in the United States. The producers of the show have been quoted as saying that since there about twenty two states which have towns called Springfield; it is easier to associate the show with such town since every town will think that it is their Springfield which is being depicted in the show. This is a very successful strategy, and many individuals and families, which reside in areas, which do not bear the name Springfield, can still relate the happenings depicted on the show with the happenings in their own towns. This is important for a show, which uses satire to examine the family values and other issues that face the society today. The setting of the town is also important since it enables the producers of the show to change its setting as appropriate for each episode. The town has been shown to neighbour high mountains, the sea, to be near New York, Washington DC, California and other relevant places to suit the requirements of the plot. This is important since it enables the producers of the show to communicate their message through satire subtly as possible and without suffering the rigidity that a particular and known town setting would occur. The suitability of the setting of the show at this fictitious town has been important in the show since its inception in December 1989 to date (Keller, 65).
The show’s plot is based on a family of five; Homer Simpson who is the father, Marge Simpson who is the mother in the family, Bart Simpson who is a son, Lisa Simpson, a daughter and Maggie Simpson, a baby. This represents the typical middle class American family, and the plots of the show mainly revolve around events, which occur to them in their life in Springfield. In 1989, these were the main characters in the show and the idea was to introduce other characters in the show on a need basis. However, as the popularity of the show grew, it has been imperative that other permanent characters be introduced to the show to give it credence among the audience. Some of these characters have become a permanent feature in the show, and they are employed in the show to enable viewers have a good look at themselves since they are merely a representation of the family life of an ordinary American seen through a comical perception. In contrast to the start of the show, currently the show has many more characters than it initially had and thus can be argued that the show is more effective in delivering the message, albeit comically on what ails the American society (Gray, 68).
The show employs a rather simplistic cast of characters and on face value is not too critical, it may even seem bland. This was the initial objective of the show, which to the non-objective eye was merely a comical television show but which to the critical eye was an in-depth look at what maligns the American way of life. This achieved two major objectives; the show could be screened to a general television audience, which could include children without causing offense while at the same time communicating through satire (Gray, 47)
The plot represents the stereotypes that Americans have. The father figure in the Simpson family, Homer, works in a neighbouring nuclear power plant, which is the largest employer in Springfield, is usually depicted as a lazy man and an alcoholic who only works to meet his obligations to his wife and children. This depiction is a stereotype of the average American father who is usually seen as an alcoholic and unwilling to meet the needs of his family. However, many a time in the show, this depiction of homer is also changed to show that his ultimate goal in life is not to enjoy a lazy life drinking beer but rather ensure that his wife and children have the best life that he can get for them. Homer is not the only character who is stereotyped in the show. Marge, Homers wife is also depicted to be a nag, a tag attached to many American women who are married and is depicted as being always on her husband’s neck complaining about one issue or the other. However, under this skilfully applied facade is a woman who is genuinely in love with her husband and who wishes the best on her husband and her family and usually makes every effort to maintain this. The depiction of Marge shows the stenotype that is usually attached to women and gives an opportunity to viewers to evaluate their opinions of women and perhaps change from these stereotypes (Keslowitz, 92).
Some other characters which show itself on a regular basis are Mr. Burns, the owner of the Springfield chemical plant, his assistant WeilandSmithers, the Flanders family, which resides right next door to the Simpson’s, and principal Skinner. He is the chief administrator of the elementary school that Bart and Lisa attend.
In many ways, The Simpsons may be viewed as being a dysfunctional family unit. However, on a closer look, this is not the case and despite the perceived failures of the family, there exists bonds among the members of the family, which keep it going. It only goes to show that despite the critical look we may have on the American families, they are important social units without which society would not function as well as it does (Keslowitz, 83).
The importance of parenting has also been critically exposed by The Simpsons show. Homer and Marge Simpsons’ methods of parenting have been questioned by many and have even been dismissed as being out rightly bad (Keller, 74). The parents deal with behaviour issues of their son Bart rather flimsily and may be blamed for the perceived development of Bart Simpson into a brat. In one of the episodes, The Simpsons’ parenting skills were so much in question that one of their neighbours called the social services with the intention of committing the children of the family to the care of social services. However, as was later shown, the care that real parents offer to their children cannot be substituted since there is a strong bond between them, which cannot simply be replaced. This episode was a critical look on the dependence of the American society on the social services to seek solutions to many of their problems, including even the small ones, which can be solved individually or within communities. Indeed, it has been a constant underlying theme of The Simpsons show to communicate the importance of seeking local solutions to the problems that their communities may be facing (Keslowitz, 104).
The Simpsons has also been used to show the stereotypes associated with American politics. In the Springfield community that The Simpsons reside, all the brands of the politics that exist in the American way of life are shown; from the extreme liberals to the extreme conservatives. The role that politics plays in the American society is examined in detail and the stereotypes associated with it exposed, the chief of them being the mutual suspicion that exists between the two major political groups in America. This is a drastic move away from what the show was initially in 1989 and its critical look of politics, although presented in a comical manner has been a development that has manifested itself in the recent past (Gray, 99).
Another change in the show, which has occurred over the years, is the use of pop culture references in the show. Initially, the show was not so much into popular culture and only used the original characters of The Simpsons family. However, in recent years this has changed to include more appearances by pop culture icons in the show. This also may be taken to depict the importance to which many Americans are attaching to popular culture trends and what is considered pop idol worship. The show has come under a lot of criticism for this and it has been even suggested that the show was losing its original appeal to a larger part of its audience. The producers of the show have tried to trash away such claims by even claiming that the inclusions of pop culture icons have as a matter of fact improved the popularity of the show. It can thus be argued that the show has drastically changed since its inception to adapt more to the changing society (Brown and Logan, 142).
Another important aspect of the show since its inception to date has been the unchanging ages of the cast. The Simpsons do not seem to age, and the ages, which they were at the screening of the first show in 1989, are still the same ages that they have remained to date. The purpose of this is debatable, but it can be argued that by making the characters remain the same age over the long period that the show has been running, the producers of the show have been able to maintain the relevance of the show in the American way of life. The age at which The Simpsons family is at is the most crucial stage of family life and it is the occurrences at this stage that form the basis for the future of the individuals in such families. It is therefore important that The Simpsons remain in the same age so that the messages that the producers of the show want to communicate to the American society can be made in the most effective way. Another argument advanced to support the unchanging ages of The Simpsons is that by aging, the relevance of the characters would have diminished and they would not have been able to remain popular as they have in the last two decades that the show has been running on television (Irwin, Conrad and Skoble, 67).
In the perception of viewers, a small percentage of them are of the opinion that the topics on the show are irrelevant to their daily lives and did not think that the show was in any way influencing their decisions and perceptions in day-to-day life. This is however the minority and the majority of the viewers, while casting serious reservations on the shows increased use of popular culture references agreed that the show was relevant to their daily lives. In relation to other shows, there seems to be a consensus that the show is not the best for viewers to gain educational or political values. By making fun of different people and things, the show actually educates the public from different social backgrounds on the stereotypes that affect the American society (Gray, 35).
The character of Bart in The Simpsons show has been criticised repeatedly as a bad role model since he is depicted in the show as a rebellious brat who rarely gets punished for his misbehaviour. These criticisms were also based on the fact the Bart seemed to be an underachiever with a negative attitude towards education and yet he seems to take pride in that. In defence of this character, Matt Groening said that Bart’s situation was a representation of the struggles that many people undergo in their personal lives and cannot do the things that they really wished they could do but cannot due to the social expectations for them (Keller, 78).
The Simpsons show was initially an animation, and at the time of its inception, animation was considered to be material appropriate only for children and did not generally target adult audiences. The producers of The Simpsons saw an opportunity to draw large numbers of adult audience into animation and in part were successful since they have been able to make the show one of the most popular animated shows of all time. The show currently boasts of a high number of adult audience and some parents even consider the show inappropriate for their children (Gray, 96).
With advancement of technology, the show had been changing also, with current shows being done in HD and with plans to develop the show in 3D. This is in contrast to the initial productions, which depended on the traditional modes of production of animation.
The Simpsons show has influenced American way of life no doubt. The cultural attitudes of the American society have been explored in depth since the show started. It gives a critical look into the cultural values that Americans hold dear such as pop culture, democracy and freedom of expression. In the long run of the show, it has been able to reinforce some of these cultural attitudes, especially the freedom of expression since it encourages its viewers to speak their minds without any fear of repression as a result of their utterances. Although it has been found out that The Simpsons has little effect on the shaping of the cultural views of its viewers, it has to some extent, no matter how little, influenced the shaping of the cultural attitudes of Americans towards such subjects such as environmentalism and religion (Gray, 124).
The Elements of Production for Analysis
In the Simpsons production, animation used to be conducted in the traditional cel animation up to the year 1995 with the picture format being the 480i SDTV. Later on the Simpsons technical team advanced to the digital ink and paint using the 720p HDTV since 2009. Editing is a technical and systematic process of placing images and sound in an order aimed at portraying a storyline and to create emotion to the viewer. Editing involves looking at the animated film shot then picking out the most appropriate shots and assembling them in an orderly sequence to convey a narrative to the audience. The aims of editing is to bring out the narrative of the footage, evoking emotional response from the audience as well as instilling an intellectual thought in the viewer.
Colour. During the film production process, different colour contrasts are tried on the animatic of the characters, backgrounds and props. The editor therefore requires matching the different colour shades to give it a professional edge. This may involve require one to use colour matching, lightening, balancing the background, stepping up the image just but to mention the procedures involved. Re digitizing is the most important aspect to consider as it serves to cover on the bumps there in. In the Simpsons show it involves the editor to use the digital ink and paint to create a lively and appealing picture of the animations.
According to animation techniques, lighting can be said to be the most creative element of film making as it helps in character building wherein making the characters appear gloomy or funny before the audience. Lighting can describe a relationship or set a mood. Lighting is described in four categories: soft, Hard, High-key and Low-key. The lighting in the show involves use of shades to bring out the colour effect.
The shape and scale in the film production is facilitated by use of the seven basic animation projection shots. They include the long shot, medium shot, extreme long shot, close-up, extreme close-up, the reaction shot and point of view or subjective shot.
Relative position and movement refer to the animation techniques used to develop the Simpsons show plot, narrative possibilities and the characters. The animation angles and movement establish relationships, creating moods, emotions and drawing the audiences’ attention to a subject. The relative position angles include the eye-level, high angle, low angle and birds eye position while the movements include panning, zooming, and tilting.
References
Brown, Alan and Logan, Chris. The Psychology of The Simpsons. Dallas, Texas: Benbella Books, 2006. Print.
Gray, Jonathan. Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and Intersexuality. Abingdon: Routledge, 2006. Print
Irwin, William, Conrad, Mark and Skoble, Aeon. The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! Of Homer. Chicago, IL: Open Court. 1999. Print.
Keller, Beth. The Gospel According to Bart: Examining the Religious Elements of the Simpsons. Virginia Beach, VA: Regent University, 1992. Print.
Keslowitz, Steven. The Simpsons and Society: An Analysis Of Our Favourite Family And Its Influence In Contemporary Society. , New York, NY: Hats Off Books, 2003. Print.
O'Meara, Jamie. "D'oh Canada!" Hour 7 November 2002. 16 November 2003.
Pinsky, Mark and Parvin, Samuel. The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Leaders Guide for Group Study. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Print.
Silverblatt Art. Media Literacy: Keys To Interpreting Media Messages 3rd edition. Greenwood. Praeger press, 2008.
