Science, Entertainment and Television Documentary PDF
Preview Science, Entertainment and Television Documentary
Science, Entertainment and Television Documentary Vincent Campbell Science, Entertainment and Television Documentary Vincent C ampbell Science, Entertainment and Television Documentary Vincent Campbell Leicester University of Leicester Leicestershire United Kingdom ISBN 978-1-137-38537-6 ISBN 978-1-137-38538-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-38538-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016935294 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2 016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub- lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have many people to thank for contributing to this book, including the range of people from a variety of different disciplines who made useful comments and suggestions to me when I presented early ideas from this book. This includes participants at conferences of MeCCSA, the ISSEI, International Science in Society, ASLE-UKI, BAFTSS and Cosmographies. Amongst others, I would particularly like to thank Vian Bakir, Helen Hughes and Anna Claydon not only for their comments on the early ver- sions of this work, but also for providing opportunities to present some of my ideas. I would also like to thank the University of Leicester Study Leave Scheme which enabled me to get this book underway, and for the staff at Palgrave for their support and guidance. I would like to thank my family—my father Alan, my niece Rhiannon and my mother- and father- in-law Braith and Stephen—for their support. Finally, I would like to particularly thank my darling wife, Penelope, for her unwavering encour- agement, support and patience during the writing of this book. v C ONTENTS 1 Introduction: The Changing Landscape of Television Science 1 The ‘Rotting Carcass of Science TV’? 1 A Brief History of Science Documentary on Television 3 The Aims and Structure of the Book 1 5 References 21 2 Analytical Frameworks: Science, Documentary and Factual Entertainment 27 Introduction 27 Science and Documentary: Discourses of Sobriety? 28 Impossible Pictures: CGI and Subjunctive Documentary 36 Animation and Documentary 38 Conclusion: From the Subjunctive to the Sublime? 51 References 60 3 Space Sciences: Wonders of the Cosmos 63 Introduction 63 Visualising Space: Diffraction Spikes, Lens Flares and Candy Apple Neon 67 The Magisterial Gaze and the Grand Tour 74 Technological Sublime: Scientists, Probes and Robots 80 Conclusion: Imagining Aliens in the Subjunctive Sublime 87 References 92 vii viii CONTENTS 4 Palaeontology: Monsters from Lost Worlds 95 Introduction 95 Extinct Animal Shows: Categories and Criticisms 99 Palaeoimagery Frames: From the Subjunctive to the Sublime? 1 13 Conclusion: From Extinct Animals to Human Prehistory 1 20 References 1 22 5 Archaeology: Ancient Secrets and Treasures 1 25 Introduction 1 25 The Archaeological Gaze and Subjunctive Documentary 1 31 Reenactments and the Dynamic Sublime 1 44 Conclusion: Bringing Out the Dead 1 48 References 1 52 6 Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Extreme Weather and Natural Disasters 1 55 Introduction 1 55 Weather Porn 1 59 People and Politics: Experts and Eyewitnesses 169 Agency and Risk 174 Conclusion: ‘Natural’ Disasters and the Apocalyptic Sublime 1 78 References 1 82 7 Pseudoscience and Popular Beliefs 185 Introduction 1 85 Pseudoscience and Popular Beliefs 191 The Trappings and Rhetoric of Science 1 94 Encounters of the Subjunctive Kind 197 Chasing Aliens, Hunting Ghosts and Questing for Monsters 2 05 Conclusion: Resurrecting the ‘Corpse’ of Science Television? 212 References 2 13 Bibliography 2 17 Index 2 19 L F IST OF IGURES Fig. 1.1 Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (Adrian Malone, KCET/BBC, 1980) 15 Fig. 2.1 Crime 360 (Craig Santy, A&E, 2008) 58 Fig. 3.1 Cosmos A Spacetime Odyssey (Brannon Braga, Fox, 2014) 78 Fig. 4.1 Flying Monsters (Matthew Dyas, Sky, 2011) 106 Fig. 5.1 Egypt’s Lost Cities (Harvey Lilley, BBC, 2011) 135 Fig. 6.1 Life After People (David De Vries, History Channel, 2008) 167 Fig. 7.1 Ghost Adventures (Izzy and Jenny Acevedo, Travel Channel, 2009) 208 ix
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