World-building with fleece and foam: Development of a New Zealand children’s television pilot in the international television landscape
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Other Title
Authors
Lyall, Calum
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Master of Creative Practice
Grantor
Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
Date
2024
Supervisors
Wagner, Daniel
Le Bas, Rene
Miller, Michael
Le Bas, Rene
Miller, Michael
Type
Masters Thesis
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
New Zealand
children
children's television
television production
television in New Zealand
puppet theatre
story telling
scriptwriting
streaming platforms
children
children's television
television production
television in New Zealand
puppet theatre
story telling
scriptwriting
streaming platforms
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Lyall, C. (2024). World-building with fleece and foam: Development of a New Zealand children’s television pilot in the international television landscape (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Creative Practice). Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6440
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION
What can be learned from synthesising the storytelling elements of international children's series popular with New Zealand audiences into the development of an original narrative New Zealand children’s television pilot?
ABSTRACT
Children today are exposed to a barrage of media from an early age, all of which competes for their attention. One time-tested competitor in this arena is children’s television, which, being among the very first media that children consume, can, and often does, provide them with important learning (Fisch, 2004). Hahn (2022) notes, for example, that children are able to learn moral values from popular media if having a set of moral values is portrayed within the narrative as being socially desirable (Hahn, 2022). But to what degree does children’s television connect its viewers with their own locality, with their own culture? In New Zealand, where much of the children’s television produced is targeted specifically toward a New Zealand audience, over half of children surveyed say that they feel good when they watch stories about New Zealand (Colmar Brunton, 2020). Despite this, however, the majority of New Zealand children are watching international series on international platforms (Colmar Brunton, 2020). Where is the disconnect?
This research explores an approach to enabling New Zealand children’s television to reach its intended audience: the children of New Zealand. By analysing international series that are popular with New Zealand children, a list was assembled of the various techniques that these series employ to engage their young viewership. Using practice-based research, this project endeavours to apply these techniques - here, referred to as Storytelling Elements - to the development of an original children’s television pilot that weaves local attributes and culture into its characters and narrative. Efforts in screenwriting, constructing puppets and sets, shooting, and editing have culminated in a proof-of-concept pilot.
The pilot can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/LookOutPenny-CalumLyall
In this research there is observations of the effects integrating the Storytelling Elements had on the creative process and on personal considerations regarding cultural representation. Implementing the Storytelling Elements had profound effects on self-reflection, encouraged consistent consideration of the audience, and sparked ingenuity within a small-scale production.
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