Lost

Hidden Agendas, Endless Investigations, and the Dynamics of Complexity: The Conspiratorial Mode of Storytelling in Contemporary American Television Series

by Felix Brinker

published in: Aspeers 5 (2012), 87-109.

In this paper, I explore a particular kind of narrative construction pervasive in contemporary American television... more In this paper, I explore a particular kind of narrative construction pervasive in contemporary American television series. Popular shows such as Lost, Battlestar Galactica, 24, Alias, or Fringe all similarly construct long-running narratives around their protagonists’ attempts to solve central underlying mysteries. By doing so, these series amass ever more complex backstories and perpetually complicate their individual webs of intersecting subplots and long-term story arcs. Drawing on narratology, concepts developed in television studies, and Mark Fenster’s work on Conspiracy Theories, I argue that the series’ success is indebted to a particular way of telling their stories—which I call the ‘conspiratorial mode’—that makes them ideally suited to operate within the competitive environment of post-network television. This article sketches the narrative structure of these conspiratorial shows, situates them in the context of contemporary television, and considers their curious dynamics of narrative progression and deferral. Finally, its goals are to suggest reasons for the recent resurgence of conspiracy narratives in television beyond and apart from a paranoia that is supposedly widespread in contemporary American culture.

Branding construction processes in the JJ Abrams’ fictional universe

by Javier Lozano Delmar

Co-authored with Victor Hernández-Santaolalla

The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: Which communication strategies come into play when defining a... more The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: Which communication strategies come into play when defining a brand for a fictional audiovisual product today? To answer this, we will pay special attention to the following issues: the branding construction of a television program or a film, the new advertising strategies for promoting fictional content, brand integration into other products by the same author, and the creation of fictional brands associated with the main product and its use as a main attraction in the advertising campaign for films and TV shows. To explain this, the present paper focuses on one of the most prominent figures of the media of recent years, the director and producer JJ Abrams.

Através do Espelho - –Aprofundamento do Universo Ficcional de Lost por meio da Narrativa Transmidiática

by Maíra Bianchini

Le héros américain : d’Indiana Jones à Lost

by Nathalie Schon

S’il y a une culture qui aujourd’hui cultive le mythe du héros, c’est bien la culture américaine. ll ne se passe pas... more S’il y a une culture qui aujourd’hui cultive le mythe du héros, c’est bien la culture américaine. ll ne se passe pas un jour sans que John et Beth ne soient fêtés en héros car l’un a rapporté un portefeuille, et l’autre a éteint un départ de feu chez son voisin. Mais ce héros peut-il être clairement défini ? Est-il immuable ? Définit-il la nation américaine ? Où apparaît-il ?
La dernière question est la plus simple. Aux Etats-Unis d’Amérique le héros est véhiculé avant tout à travers des oeuvres de la culture populaire.
Qu’est-ce que la culture populaire ? En France ce terme fleure bon le folklore et revêt un côté ringard, voire négatif. On l’oppose systématiquement à la « vraie culture », à l’art, la civilisation pour la reléguer dans le bourbier de la télé-réalité, de Voici magazine, des contes pour enfants, des recettes de cuisine de notre enfance, bref le terme décrit en France les amusements de la France d’en bas qui ne nécessitent que peu de cerveau humain disponible pour détourner la phrase de Patrick Le Lay, PDG de TF1.
Or aux Etats-Unis l’expression « culture populaire » n'est pas liée à un aspect péjoratif mais à une thématisation de phénomènes culturels de masse à diffusion importante.
Pour que l'oeuvre soit populaire et pas seulement un traitement du populaire, il faut qu'elle soit intelligible et accessible à une majorité: par son style, son support, son mode de diffusion.


Puisque le héros américain trouve ses heures de gloire dans la culture populaire., quoi de plus normal donc d’en rechercher une définition sur le médium roi du genre populaire : internet ?

Promoting Lost: New Strategies and Tools of Commercial Communication

by Marina Ramos

RAMOS, Marina y LOZANO, Javier (2012): “Promoting Lost. New Strategies and Tools of Commercial Communication”, en PÉREZ, Miguel A. (Ed.): Previously on: estudios interdisciplinarios sobre la ficción televisiva en la Tercera Edad de Oro de la Televisión, Biblioteca de la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de Sevilla, pp. 421-432.

co-author: Javier Lozano
Editor: Miguel A. Pérez

The main goal of this article is the analysis of new strategies and communication tools used in the promotion of TV... more The main goal of this article is the analysis of new strategies and communication tools used in the promotion of TV shows. The TV show Lost (ABC, 2004-2010), which has revolutionized the way in which the audience relates to the fictional TV products and which has modified the way that TV is conceived, is the starting point of this study. Episode discussion, the elaboration of theories, and the consumption of spoilers show evidence of a new way of consuming cultural products which has modified existing promotional strategies.

Promoting LOST. New Strategies and Tools of Commercial Communication

by Javier Lozano Delmar

(PLEASE LEAVE A FEEDBACK -jldelmar@us.es- IN CASE OF QUOTE) Co-authored with Marina Ramos. Published in "Previously on" (Edited by Miguel Pérez, 2011)

The main goal of this article is the analysis of new strategies and communication tools used in the promotion of TV... more The main goal of this article is the analysis of new strategies and communication tools used in the promotion of TV shows. The TV show Lost (ABC, 2004-2010), which has revolutionized the way in which the audience relates to the fictional TV products and which has modified the way that TV is conceived, is the starting point of this study. Episode discussion, the elaboration of theories, and the consumption of spoilers show evidence of a new way of consuming cultural products which has modified existing promotional strategies.

"Chasing the White Rabbit to Find a White Polar Bear: Lost in Television”

by Angela Ndalianis

IN Reading Lost: Perspectives On A Hit Television Show, ed. Roberta Pearson, I.B.Tauris, London. 2009, pp.193-310.

Promoting the Brand: transmedia marketing in a culture of convergence

by John Paul Kelly

From "Flow 2008"

In 1996 the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) introduced its first major overhaul of the US Communications Act in... more In 1996 the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) introduced its first major overhaul of the US Communications Act in over sixty years. Some seven years later, the British media industry underwent a similar legal revision. The Labour government’s 2003 Communications Act enforced many of the same changes as the FCC’s prior redress. Crucially, this included the same deregulatory guidelines that had led to concentrated industrial convergence in the US.

Capitalising upon this legislative relaxation, British distributors such as BSkyB and Virgin Media have employed key new media texts in order to market their respective ventures into multi-platform distribution. Through a close analysis of the promotional discourse surrounding two core programmes, Lost (Sky) and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Virgin Media), I reveal the ways in which British distributors use these franchises to stake their position within this burgeoning multi-platform terrain.

Keywords: TVIII, Narrative Time, Distribution, US Communications Act, FCC, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Lost, BSkyB, Virgin Media, JP Kelly Nottingham, John Paul Kelly Nottingham, PhD.

La metamorfosis publicitaria digital. Nuevas estrategias de promoción en la industria del cine y la televisión a través de internet.

by Javier Lozano Delmar

Co-authored with Alberto Hermida. II CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL AE-IC MALAGA 2010: COMUNICACION Y DESARROLLO EN LA ERA DIGITAL. ISBN: 978-84-614-2818-2

La presente comunicación se centra en el sector de la promoción y marketing de la industria del cine y la televisión.... more La presente comunicación se centra en el sector de la promoción y marketing de la industria del cine y la televisión. De esta forma, se estudia la evolución y modificación que han sufrido formatos relativamente nuevos y recientes como el sitio web promocional. Así, gracias a la interactividad que propone el concepto de web 2.0 y a las nuevas formas de publicidad online, estos soportes publicitarios han evolucionado en sub-formatos completamente diferentes. Tal es el caso, por ejemplo, del sitio web interactivo, en el que el consumidor-usuario puede construir y generar contenidos que tienen que ver con la propia película. Al mismo tiempo, otros formatos clásicos, como el tráiler o el cartel se han transformado, generando, a su vez, otros nuevos modelos. A todo esto se une el fenómeno fan que contribuye a la difusión del mensaje promocional gracias a la utilización de las redes sociales (Facebook) o sitios “contenedores” del tipo Youtube. La promoción de películas y series de televisión se extiende, en definitiva, en un universo digital virtual donde las posibilidades de interacción y creatividad parecen no conocer fin.
Lo que se propone con esta comunicación es, a través de un estudio teórico-práctico, y desde el punto de vista comunicacional, ofrecer un panorama esclarecedor sobre las estrategias actuales de marketing de las que se sirve la industria cultural del cine y la televisión en Internet. De este modo, partiendo del análisis de una serie de ejemplos representativos de varias campañas promocionales online de películas y series de televisión actuales, se pretende dar respuesta a cuestiones tales como: ¿Qué estrategias publicitarias se utilizan, hoy en día, para seducir al espectador?, ¿Cómo han evolucionado los formatos tradicionales de promoción en el mundo online?, ¿Podría establecerse una nueva tipología de formatos promocionales digitales? etc.