The Great Buck Howard & Lost in Translation: Talk Shows

We usually talk about talk shows in the classroom, so I used these segments to engage the students in the topic.

A. Watch the first segment from the movie The Great Howard Buck and discuss the following questions about it:






1. Describe the scene.


2.What does the studio look like?



3. What does the hostess look like? How would you describe her personality?

4. What about the guest? Who is he? Why was he invited to the show?

5. What was the interview about?

6. Was this a successful interview? Why (not)?

7. How did both the hostess and guest behave during the show?

8. What could have been done for that interview to be better conducted?

 B. Now watch the second segment from the movie Lost in Translation and discuss the questions that follow:

 

1. Describe the scene.

2.What does the studio look like?

3. What does the host look like? How would you describe his personality?

4. What about the guest? Who is he? Why was he invited to the show?

5. What was the interview about?

6. Was this a successful interview? Why (not)?

7. How did both the host and guest behave during the show?

8. What could have been done for that interview to be better conducted?

C. Here are some characteristics of a television talk show. Now that you have watched the segments from the movies The Great Buck Howard and Lost in Translation, check the characteristics that apply to each of them. Write GHB if it applies to The Great Howard Buck, LT if it applies to Lost in Translation and B if it applies to both segments. Justify your answers:

I researched about talk shows and its characteristics in an article by Hanne Bruun, The Aesthetics of the Television Talk Show, which is very rich and worth reading.

1. ( ) The studio is the space of the programme.

2. ( ) It gives an idea of time and space at the same time, as if they were just one thing. The whole thing takes place in the same space at the same time.

3. ( ) It gives the viewer an experience of simultaneity between when the show is made and its transmission.

4. ( ) The viewers should have the idea that they are participants of the programme, not just spectators.

5. ( ) The scenographic arrangement of the studio is supposed to create an idea that the viewer is a participant.

6. ( ) The host(ess) is the central element of the show.

7. ( ) He/She is an intermediary between the programme and the viewers.

8. ( ) Talk shows attach great importance to the personality of the host.

9. ( ) The guests are invited to be in the show.

10. ( ) The host(ess) expresses his gratitude to them for coming to the show.

11. ( ) A talk show is full of many important remarks made directly to the camera.

12. ( ) The unpredictable and the unplanned are important and usually evident in a talk show.


D. Class discussion:


1. Which of the talk shows you have seen in the segments is the most effective one? Why?

2. Which one of the talk shows would you prefer to watch?

3. How similar or different are these shows from the ones in your country?

4. What's your opinion about talk shows? Do you like them? Why (not)?

5. What are the best and the worst talk shows you have ever seen? Explain why.

6. What are the most popular talk shows on TV nowadays? Do you watch them regularly? Why (not)?

7. What are the positive and negative aspects of talk shows?

8. Should there be more or fewer talk shows on TV? Justify your answer.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - LOST IN TRANSLATION