Sounds Galore

For this week’s passion blog I felt the desire to point out one of my favorite aspects of reality television: sound. Our textbook, Ancient Rhetorics, claims that visual stimulation plays a role in assisting rhetoric. The appearance of an artifact, presenter, or overall article have an effect on the audiences perception and therefore response. I whole heartedly agree with this point, however I feel that reality TV adds another element that intensifies the scenario they are broadcasting; and that element is sound. In almost every type of show, whether it be Deadliest Catch or the Kardashian’s, there is subtle background noise or music that dramatizes the most simplistic of scenes. If producers need to create tension between two “characters” they simply add tension-filled music to clips that can then be interpreted as intense moments. Producers successfully do this by adding a subtle noise behind clips of people plainly looking at each other. One show where this occurs very often is Keeping Up with the Kadashians. Family members within the show will disagree on such topics such as when they can borrow each other’s clothes (really intense situations right?), when suddenly one sister looks at the other and dramatic music begins to appear in the background. What originally started as a mere glance from one person to another is altered to create severe tension between the two and the audience is then captivated in believing that the two are going to have a classic, reality TV, “throw-down”.

Similarly, producers find it necessary to add in lighthearted music when members are doing something comical, which I think we can all agree, is very often. For example the intriguing show entitled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, a fascinating show based on a southern beauty pageant family, features many instances wherein the famous Honey Boo Boo Child gets into mischief. In one particular episode she and her sisters decide to toilet paper their own home while their mom was away. You can only imagine the music producers used during this scene. It was a mixture of circus music and banjos playing which satisfied the basic gist of the scene. Viewing the daughters destroy their own home with paper product is ridiculous enough, however, the music added creates an even more entertaining scene. Viewers hear the music that coincides with the situation and therefore they find the scene to be even more absurd. The creators of the show must know how to draw in audiences through the use of noise and scene due to the fact that this episode of the show received a higher rating than that of the Republican National Convention. This demonstrates the impact reality TV has on Americans and, quite frankly, it’s rather frightening.

I would like conclude by thanking you for your feedback on my first blog and inform you that I will take your advice and suggestions and utilize them in my upcoming blogs.