Friday, October 16, 2009
trend followers?
I would like to write about something that's been on my mind since the beginning of class, but haven't asked yet. Do Telenovelas follow trends set in the United States? Would the be popular, or shunned, if they did? Let me explain what I mean. Today in class we discussed a telenovela that faced the issue of homosexuality, although it didn't really go into detail with the matter. Why not? Here in the United States, it is finally acceptable for shows to have homosexual (Will and Grace, Weeds) or bisexual (House) characters. What would be the thoughts in Latin America if these trends begin there? We have also discussed a couple telenovelas that have magical/mystical fantasy... but what about vampires? I'm sure everyone is well aware of the trend going on in the United States right now- there are more vampire tv shows/movies/books than I can count with all my fingers. How would a telenovela that focused on fantasy be taken in Latin America? Do you think it would be successful? Or is it too far fetched? If it would be successful, what audience do you think the show would be targeted to?
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I feel like it'd be hard to transition some trends from the U.S. into novelas. I feel like the Latina community has shunned homosexuality and I think it's a long time coming before it will be truly accepted. Telenovelas have to reach a much broader audience that the TV shows we watch in the states. Also, people want to see telenovels go with the codes. Once you start messing with the code, you care taking a risk because those devoted telenovela fans that you were relying on to carry your story may suddenly loose interest.
ReplyDeleteAs for trends like vampires and magic, I don't know if that will catch on. I still can't believe that's the hot thing in the US! lol. If you told me 2 years ago that I would be obsessed with a love triangle bewteen a human, vampire and a warewolf I would have laughed in your face! It's just so hard for me to believe that I like it, it's hard for me to believe that other cultures will too.