Bison TV is a student media production at Gallaudet University. Students are given an opportunity to run the organization with a variety of positions set, gaining experence to work with media. They entertain viewers with different things such as short skits, latest sports and news report, advertisements, and TV shows. The mission statement is:
“It is the mission of the Bison TV to provide an avenue for every member of Gallaudet community to express themselves, to bring information of events to the community, and to share ideas through the medium of television.”
Recently, Bison TV has created a new sitcom called, "Crowded Dirty City". I would like you to watch the first episode and answer the following questions.
1) How was this signed sitcom different from spoken sitcoms? (watch how the footage is shot)
2)What examples of Deaf culture did you see without it being directly discussed.
3) Who was your favorite character and why?
4) Where do you think that cultures would clash (understanding of humor, cultural norms and behaviors, etc)
5) What did you learn from this sitcom?
6) What did you struggle with as you watched? What was comfortable for you?
http://deaftv.com/film/1-Crowded/
1) How was this signed sitcom different from spoken sitcoms? (watch how the footage is shot)
ReplyDelete• In spoken sitcoms, actors can say things off camera and the audience and other actors will understand. Also, the camera usually focuses on the whole room and what everyone is doing. The audience can see what someone is doing at the table or across the room on the couch.
• In signed sitcoms, the camera is more focused on who is signing. The camera jumps around a lot to make sure everyone understands the conversation.
2)What examples of Deaf culture did you see without it being directly discussed.
• When meeting the new roommate, Bella signed smaller and covered her hand to say something without him seeing. She was making a side comment that she only wanted one person to see.
• Well an obvious one is that they are signing in ASL order and not SEE order. ASL is the biggest part of Deaf culture so it good to see that is wasn’t exact English.
• The actors all had very good eye contact, which is essential for effective communication. The actors also were not distracted from any conversations.
• Physical contact is very big in Deaf culture and at the end, all the roommates hugged. I think most roommates would just call it good and not hug.
3) Who was your favorite character and why?
• I like Yugo because he is fun, excitable, and cheery. He really added a lot to the sitcom because his personality was so outgoing. He really stood out to me when he was signing. Also, he added a fun side to the house when all the roommates were hanging out. The first scene was great when he came in and was super excited about having roommates.
4) Where do you think that cultures would clash (understanding of humor, cultural norms and behaviors, etc)
• Well with the humor, I didn’t even understand some of it so I can definitely see where there would be a clash between cultures. I googled deaf humor and one of the main differences is the delivery of the joke. Also, a website said the joke depends on the “winner” which is usually the deaf person in the story.
• There are always differences between cultures but I think the norms are the biggest one. There are norms within the Deaf community that may seem odd to an outsider. One from the video is how much eye contact the actors use. Many people think “staring” at someone is rude or awkward but it is necessary in the Deaf community.
5) What did you learn from this sitcom?
• I think the main point of the sitcom was to show that discussing what is bothering you is important. Bella just blew up at Chris. Chris (any everyone else) was a little confused at the outburst. Latoya talked with Bella and she realized she needed to talk with Chris. I also learned, from the sitcom and personal experience it is very important to talk to your roommates instead of bottling everything inside. At the end Bella and Chris talk about the situation and the everyone is happy to get along.
6) What did you struggle with as you watched? What was comfortable for you?
• I definitely struggled watching this! The fingerspelling was very hard for me to understand. Also some signs were different but context helped. I had to re-watch parts to fully understand what was going on. The speed of the conversation was hard to keep up with but I got used to it more and more.
• I think I was comfortable with the story as a whole. I understood the main points but sometimes I would get lost with side conversations.
RESPONSE TO LYNSEY:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSxsbJg45_o
Here is my responses to the questions!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s16_OqWD6XY
Lynsey's response to follow!
1) I saw a couple differences. One was right away with where the camera stands. It either has all of the people in a conversation in the shot so you can see signs, or it just has a close up of the one person signing. Another was that the close up of the single signer isn’t a dramatic scene of their face but their whole sign space. But because of this the camera jumps from person to person whereas in a spoken show the other people might just be talking in the background out of the view of the camera.
ReplyDelete2) I noticed the way they got each other’s attention by clapping, waving, stomping, hitting the table. They always responded right away to one another, meaning they always had feedback. When Yugo arrived they asked all the traditional/proper introduction questions; name, where from. They all were very straightforward with each other; Deaf culture is very open and says things how they are most of the time.
3) Yugo was probably my favorite. He came into the show and sped up the signing and made you notice a lot of the things we just learned. He really makes a beginning signer focus and pay attention. Chris did have a hickey on his neck though…that stuck out like a sore thumb! And Latoya brought in all her sassiness. I don’t really have a set favorite.
4) I think the big cultural difference is how Deaf culture is more open and say things as they are, whereas spoken language is more kept quiet. In spoken language you usually say things that compliment others, in ASL you say things that compliment but you also describe people by their unique characteristics when their one characteristic is their biggest flaw. Then there are other things such as how when you talk to someone most people don’t make eye contact or they feel uncomfortable. In ASL if you don’t make eye contact it’s a little disrespectful. Also signers are very touchy and ok with it; most spoken languages (Americans especially) have a distance between the two involved in the conversation.
5) One thing I learned is how annoying it is when you mouth words and sign at the same time. So I will definitely work on that. I also need to watch a lot more finger spelling. But one thing I noticed about half way through is that it is very similar to a spoken sitcom. There are those funny, sassy, dramatic, and awkward characters that really make the show worth watching. The different personalities come together (despite the fact they’re signing.) So one could take away from this the similarities as well as the differences between the two cultures.
6) I for sure struggled with the finger spelling, some signed slowly and some signed fast. I also struggled with the differences in how everyone signed in general. It made me realize that you can’t just be used to how the people you know sign because everyone learned differently. The thing I was comfortable with was watching the lips instead of just their faces. I need to try stop lip reading while they’re signing. I was also comfortable with how everyone treated each other. I guess I kind of treat people that way and I can pick it out.
Our responses are pretty similar. One of the first things I noticed was the lack of dramatic camera angles. I didn't notice the hickey on Chris's neck until I went back and looked at it just now! I also struggled with the fingerspelling, and will definitely need to work on that.
DeleteI like your response for number 4! ASL is a more direct language and all the roommates definitely expressed their opinions openly. Also to follow up with what Taylor said, I didn't notice a hickey either!
DeleteI totally noticed the hickey right away! I kept focusing back on it! I also really liked how you stated the fact that instead of doing close ups on their faces, it was a close up on their signing space. And we both struggled with fingerspelling.
Delete1)This signed sitcom is different from spoken sitcoms in many aspects. First, the camera always had to be pointed at whoever was signing, and be close enough so the signing could be understood. In spoken sitcoms, there is a lot more freedom in the number of camera angles. The camera doesn't necessarily need to be on the people speaking to be understood, in spoken sitcoms. In this signed sitcom, I also noticed that the set was pretty plain. I think this was an attempt to avoid “visual noise.” The simple set made it much easier to focus on what was happening.
ReplyDelete2)Some examples of Deaf culture that I saw were the use of name signs, different ways to get people's attention, avoidance of “visual noise”, and whispering in ASL. There were also a lot of good examples of facial feedback and gestures.
3)My favorite character was probably Yugo. I liked him because he was so outgoing and excited to be in America. He had so much energy. He seemed really eager to learn about the American culture, and also seemed to ease the tension among the roommates at times.
4)I think cultures might crash with some of the cultural norms. One of the norms in Deaf culture is a lot of physical contact. Hearing people may feel that this is a violation of their personal space, and dislike the intrusion. Hearing people might have a hard time understanding some of the humor that went on in this episode, because I know I did at times.
5)I learned that if you are living with roommates, and they are new people that you don't know, you need to talk about the things that bother you. Getting them out in the open makes them easier to deal with instead of just keeping them inside and then blowing up when you can't take anymore.
6)At times I struggled with the fingerspelling, especially with Yugo. Yugo spelled very fast. Sometimes the way they would be angled, you would be looking at the side of their hand trying to figure out what they were saying, it was difficult sometimes. I was pretty comfortable with understanding the big picture. I could get what was going on, but at times they signed a little too fast and I couldn't understand a little piece.
Our responses were very similar! I also loved Yugo! I think he definitely made the episode just because of his personality and energy. I think he also brought the best out in all the other roommates.
DeleteI forgot to mention in mine about how there were times when I was trying to read the fingerspelling at an angle and had NO idea what they were signing. I noticed how plain Bella's room was right away. But I guess I didn't even think of how this was probably done on purpose- it makes sense though!
DeleteThe first thing that I noticed from this sitcom was the set was very basic. In spoken sitcoms, they really rely on the visual surroundings to make the seen. But in this sitcom, the signers were really in charge of painting the picture. And I think that it made you focus more on the signing and made it less distracting. They also were focused on the signers the whole time, and couldn't really use different angels and effects because you needed to be able to see the signs the whole time.
ReplyDeleteThere was really good facial expressions in this. I also saw signing whispering, which was cool to see. They also used different ways to get peoples attention and name signs. They also used ASL grammar, and not ENG.
I really liked Yugo. He was a very excitable character you couldn't take your eyes off of him. He was so excited to be in America. When he came into the show, he made you watch everything that he was signing, and he did it so fast. He really made you pay attention to the things he was signing.
I think that one of the biggest differences would be the fact that the deaf community is so bold and direct and hands on. And I think that it would be hard for the hearing community to understand some of the jokes and why they were so hands on with each other, because I didn't understand it fully. And I think they would maybe be affected by the personal boundaries that deaf people really don't have, because they need to be in personal, hands on contact to get things across.
I learned that it's really hard to concentrate on what someone is signing when they are mouthing the words at the same time. I know it helps me when I'm signing, but it makes it difficult to learn if you're watching. I also learned that it's important to talk about things that bother you with people. Because if you keep them bottled up, your not going to get anywhere.
I think the thing that I struggled with the most, and need to work on is the finger spelling. I'm not the greatest speller in the world, so finger spelling is something that I already struggle with and need to work on.
I like how you said the signers/actors painted a picture of the scene because that's what we've been learning about. Example, how to use our signs to show expression as well and not just rely on signs. I also like how you pointed out that they tried to get a main point out for a meaning to the show. That is another similarity between the signing show and normal sitcom, they both try to teach a lesson.
Delete1. The signed sitcom is different than spoken sitcoms is a few ways; the first one I noticed was the video angle. For the most part it was straight on, and was very basic. You could see everything at all times. There were a few cases where this wasn’t the case but for the majority you could see everyone in the frame. Another way that this is different than a spoken sitcom is that whoever is talking, can’t really be walking away, they have to be able to have the camera view what they are signing.
ReplyDelete2. Some characteristics of Deaf culture that was shown in the sitcom is obviously the fact that it was signed, in ASL (not SEE), they all used name signs, the way they gained each others attention, and how when asked who he was, Yugo stated where he was from.
3. For my favorite character I liked Kyle. He didn’t have much to say, but yet knew when he did it seemed to have a point. He was the exact opposite of Yugo. Yugo was funny, but slightly obnoxious and hard for me to follow. Bella was to dramatic for me.
4. Something that could cause a culture clash is the “bluntness” of the Deaf culture, they say things the way they are, and they don’t beat around the bush. The eye contact is another thing, since some cultures think that eye contact is a disrespectful thing. Many people might not find it funny that Yugo kept signing his name sign instead of his actual name when asked what his name was.
5. After watching this I learned that I struggle with reading fingerspelling. Also I think the “moral” of this sitcom is to show that you need to talk things out, you can’t just expect people to know things.
6. I struggled watching this every once in awhile because sometimes the characters were signing so fast it looked blurry (that could be my computer). Also the fingerspelling was difficult, I caught on to some, had to re-watch a few parts to try and understand, sometimes it worked but some parts I just had to try and fill in the blanks. I felt comfortable watching this for the most part, I understood a lot of it, but there was definitely times when I got lost.
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