Matt Boyd Smith | Young Harris College (original) (raw)
Journal Publications by Matt Boyd Smith
Company Profile Summary and Analysis of Boomerang (Turner) from 2014
Conference Presentations by Matt Boyd Smith
The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance on television for the past decade. Some of t... more The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance on television for the past decade. Some of the highest rated shows on cable have been horror shows, and they have encompassed a wide array of the genre’s most popular formulas: the serial killer, the haunted house, the zombie apocalypse. All of these sub-genres were adapted to television’s long-form narrative requirements rather straightforwardly in shows like Hannibal (NBC, 2013 - 2015), the reality series Ghost Hunters (Syfy, 2004 - current), and The Walking Dead (AMC, 2010 - current). But one of the most reliably profitable sub-genres of horror, the slasher, has been slower in its transition to television during this period. In the past two years, however, three three series based on the slasher formula have premiered: MTV’s Scream (MTV, 2015 - current), Slasher (Chiller, 2016 - current), and Scream Queens (Fox, 2015 - current). This paper examines both why the slasher has been a difficult sub-genre to adapt to television, and how it has been adapted in two of these three examples.
Focusing on MTV’s Scream and Scream Queens, this paper will analyze how narrative excess is utilized to adapt the formula of the slasher film to television. If TV horror is marked by its narrative excess relative to American television’s aesthetic conservatism, as Lorna Jowett and Stacey Abbott argue, then Scream Queens is a poster child. A taboo-breaking tour-de-force of comedy-horror, the series focuses on a group of sorority girls being murdered one by one by a mysterious masked killer. Its answer to adapting the formula of the slasher is to simply go-for-broke, drilling down into the formula of the slasher and reaching for its absurdity, then bringing it right to the surface and playing it up with a camp sensibility. MTV’s Scream, meanwhile, turns the restricted focus of the slasher narrative on its head by transforming the story’s engine into an engaging whodunnit, inviting viewers to solve the mystery of the killer’s identity, which, as in the film series upon which it is based, changes each season. By looking at the structural changes to formula made by these two series, we can gain a broader understanding of our current trans-media environment beyond mere storytelling across the boundaries of media.
One particular problem of adapting the slasher to TV is the formula’s reliance on short-term narrative drive. If the driving force of a slasher film is an ever-increasing body count building up to the final girl’s confrontation with and defeat of the killer, then how do you adapt that formula to a medium which relies on long-term audience commitment and interest, even for a shorter ten to thirteen episode season? Each of these examples provides us with a case study of the ways formula can both transcend and remain constrained by their originating mediums. By looking at their formulas, we can try to understand the process of adaptation through a trans-media lens, going beyond storytelling that crosses media boundaries.
Bibliography
Caldwell, John Thornton. Televisuality: Style, Crisis, and Authority in American Television. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1995.
Jowett, Lorna, and Stacey Abbott. TV Horror: investigating the dark side of the small screen. London: IB Tauris, 2013.
Marra, Peter. “Scream Queens: Season 1.” Film Criticism. Volume 40, Issue 3, 2016.
Matt Boyd Smith Response to Roundtable Topic Co-Proposed with Sharon Shahaf.
Well before and after its release in January 2013, director Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" ... more Well before and after its release in January 2013, director Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" was embroiled in controversy. A complex procedural about the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, the film was charged with being inaccurate, fascistic, and with endorsing the use of torture as an effective method of interrogation. This paper examines the political discourse surrounding the film's release and, specifically, the assertions of critics that its portrayal of events was largely fabricated. By looking at both popular articles and political press releases, leaked documents and the two major investigative books produced about the manhunt, the critique of inaccuracy and falsehood is picked apart and examined piece by piece. The paper takes on assertions that Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal have misrepresented the use of torture in the operation which led to bin Laden's death by making claims to "journalistic" inquiry and portrayal as well as the various readings of the film which claim it "endorses" the use of torture.
Central to this discussion is a reading of the film in narratological terms. Maya, the central character of the film, serves as not only the audience's surrogate, but as a composite character (and by extrapolation) serves as a cypher for the United States as a whole. Her dedicated and single-minded mission over a ten year period facilitates the compression of vast amounts of information into a single narrative thread. Taking the narrative necessities of composite characters and information distillation into account, the paper demonstrates that if the film is read as a film (i.e. - in filmic language) - which many of its critics make no attempt at doing - the film comes across as more complex, emotionally ambiguous, and decidedly less jingoistic in its worldview.
Ultimately this paper demonstrates that when discussing politically-charged media more broadly, methods of close analysis are useful for taking account of the situation as a whole. By looking at "Zero Dark Thirty"'s narrative structure as well as its aesthetic presentation of torture and the whole operation as told by the film, what arises is fertile ground for a much deeper discussion of political and personal representation in media and the ethical questions which surround such issues.
Book Reviews by Matt Boyd Smith
Journal of Popular Television, 2016
Syllabi by Matt Boyd Smith
Company Profile Summary and Analysis of Boomerang (Turner) from 2014
The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance on television for the past decade. Some of t... more The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance on television for the past decade. Some of the highest rated shows on cable have been horror shows, and they have encompassed a wide array of the genre’s most popular formulas: the serial killer, the haunted house, the zombie apocalypse. All of these sub-genres were adapted to television’s long-form narrative requirements rather straightforwardly in shows like Hannibal (NBC, 2013 - 2015), the reality series Ghost Hunters (Syfy, 2004 - current), and The Walking Dead (AMC, 2010 - current). But one of the most reliably profitable sub-genres of horror, the slasher, has been slower in its transition to television during this period. In the past two years, however, three three series based on the slasher formula have premiered: MTV’s Scream (MTV, 2015 - current), Slasher (Chiller, 2016 - current), and Scream Queens (Fox, 2015 - current). This paper examines both why the slasher has been a difficult sub-genre to adapt to television, and how it has been adapted in two of these three examples.
Focusing on MTV’s Scream and Scream Queens, this paper will analyze how narrative excess is utilized to adapt the formula of the slasher film to television. If TV horror is marked by its narrative excess relative to American television’s aesthetic conservatism, as Lorna Jowett and Stacey Abbott argue, then Scream Queens is a poster child. A taboo-breaking tour-de-force of comedy-horror, the series focuses on a group of sorority girls being murdered one by one by a mysterious masked killer. Its answer to adapting the formula of the slasher is to simply go-for-broke, drilling down into the formula of the slasher and reaching for its absurdity, then bringing it right to the surface and playing it up with a camp sensibility. MTV’s Scream, meanwhile, turns the restricted focus of the slasher narrative on its head by transforming the story’s engine into an engaging whodunnit, inviting viewers to solve the mystery of the killer’s identity, which, as in the film series upon which it is based, changes each season. By looking at the structural changes to formula made by these two series, we can gain a broader understanding of our current trans-media environment beyond mere storytelling across the boundaries of media.
One particular problem of adapting the slasher to TV is the formula’s reliance on short-term narrative drive. If the driving force of a slasher film is an ever-increasing body count building up to the final girl’s confrontation with and defeat of the killer, then how do you adapt that formula to a medium which relies on long-term audience commitment and interest, even for a shorter ten to thirteen episode season? Each of these examples provides us with a case study of the ways formula can both transcend and remain constrained by their originating mediums. By looking at their formulas, we can try to understand the process of adaptation through a trans-media lens, going beyond storytelling that crosses media boundaries.
Bibliography
Caldwell, John Thornton. Televisuality: Style, Crisis, and Authority in American Television. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1995.
Jowett, Lorna, and Stacey Abbott. TV Horror: investigating the dark side of the small screen. London: IB Tauris, 2013.
Marra, Peter. “Scream Queens: Season 1.” Film Criticism. Volume 40, Issue 3, 2016.
Matt Boyd Smith Response to Roundtable Topic Co-Proposed with Sharon Shahaf.
Well before and after its release in January 2013, director Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" ... more Well before and after its release in January 2013, director Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" was embroiled in controversy. A complex procedural about the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, the film was charged with being inaccurate, fascistic, and with endorsing the use of torture as an effective method of interrogation. This paper examines the political discourse surrounding the film's release and, specifically, the assertions of critics that its portrayal of events was largely fabricated. By looking at both popular articles and political press releases, leaked documents and the two major investigative books produced about the manhunt, the critique of inaccuracy and falsehood is picked apart and examined piece by piece. The paper takes on assertions that Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal have misrepresented the use of torture in the operation which led to bin Laden's death by making claims to "journalistic" inquiry and portrayal as well as the various readings of the film which claim it "endorses" the use of torture.
Central to this discussion is a reading of the film in narratological terms. Maya, the central character of the film, serves as not only the audience's surrogate, but as a composite character (and by extrapolation) serves as a cypher for the United States as a whole. Her dedicated and single-minded mission over a ten year period facilitates the compression of vast amounts of information into a single narrative thread. Taking the narrative necessities of composite characters and information distillation into account, the paper demonstrates that if the film is read as a film (i.e. - in filmic language) - which many of its critics make no attempt at doing - the film comes across as more complex, emotionally ambiguous, and decidedly less jingoistic in its worldview.
Ultimately this paper demonstrates that when discussing politically-charged media more broadly, methods of close analysis are useful for taking account of the situation as a whole. By looking at "Zero Dark Thirty"'s narrative structure as well as its aesthetic presentation of torture and the whole operation as told by the film, what arises is fertile ground for a much deeper discussion of political and personal representation in media and the ethical questions which surround such issues.
Journal of Popular Television, 2016
Course Objectives: This class examines the relationships between communications technologies (tel... more Course Objectives: This class examines the relationships between communications technologies (telegraph, wireless, photography, radio, audio recordings, films, television) and occult belief systems in the United States and in Europe from the mid-19th Century onward. It is focused primarily on the history of cinema and the history of video and audio recordings in regard to Spiritualist religious practice and belief, and the practice of witchcraft, though other avenues will come up and explored throughout the semester to a certain extent. The course is historically oriented, drawing on the historical record, primary documents, secondary reportage, scholarly examinations of media history, and films, television shows, comics, and video games which interact with that history. We will spend the semester examining media as a possibly evil entity, and one which is capable of performing magick and interacting directly with the supernatural.
Content Note: This course will feature films, television shows, video games, and comic books which may be disturbing and potentially controversial social, political, and religious content. They may also include profanity, nudity, and/or other issues that may be contrary to some personal beliefs. If you object to watching and/or discussing such material, you should consider withdrawing from the course. There is no alternative to the assigned screenings and other activities possible.
Technology Policy: Laptops and tablets are permitted for use during lectures, but must be shut do... more Technology Policy: Laptops and tablets are permitted for use during lectures, but must be shut down during in-class screenings of featured films. Keeping them on during clips within the lecture is fine. All cell phones are to be turned off during class; if you absolutely must leave your cell phone on, it should be on silent and inside your backpack or purse. Do not take it out during class. If you have a family emergency or something else going on you need to have your phone available for, see me before class to let me know about it. Course Objectives: This course surveys the entire history of motion pictures from the 1890s to the present. Our primary emphasis will be on the narrative fiction film. The goal of this course is to understand the nature and progress of film as an industry, as an art form, and to understand the mutual influences of technological development, aesthetics, and the business of filmmaking on one another. At the end of the semester, you will be able to situate films, filmmakers, movements, and genres in the broader context of 20th and 21st Century history, and will have developed critical media literacy skills. Textbook: Links to readings will be made available on iCollege. They are due to be read for class on the date they are listed on the course schedule. Absences, Tardiness and Participation: I will be taking roll every class period. You have one unexcused absence for any reason for the three week period. Any absence after that will need to be fully documented. Each unexcused absence after the first one will result in a full letter grade deduction from your final grade. If you show up late to class and we have already taken a quiz or done another class assignment, you can not make it up. Excused Absence/Tardiness exceptions: If you have written proof of hospitalization, a pre-approved school sponsored activity, a pre-notified religious observance, or government service (i.e. jury duty, military service, etc…), please let me know about it in advance if possible and as soon as possible afterward. You will be expected to make up any assignments you missed within two days.
Handbook of Comics and Graphic Narratives, 2021
Building on the work of various media scholars and cultural historians, this chapter argues that ... more Building on the work of various media scholars and cultural historians, this chapter argues that Fury’s place of centrality in the earliest stages of the Marvel Universe provides a unique lens through which to view the convergent threads of the American comic book industry, Marvel Comics, the transition from World War II to the Cold War, and the place of espionage in popular culture of the 1960s. This is due not only to his own transitional moment from Army sergeant during the war to super spy in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. – but also his status as a fulcrum within the Marvel Universe, bridging the sci-fi/fantasy worlds of super-heroics with real-world geopolitics of the Cold War in ways that sync with popular media more broadly. Through a reading of this transitional moment for Fury and the Marvel Universe in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Strange Tales, and appearances alongside Captain America, this chapter serves as an example of how to read the textual elements of superhero comics in relation to multivalent histories and engage with scholarship both within and outside of comics studies.
Handbook of Comics and Graphic Narratives, 2021