tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945963440619724585.post6301946446633072075..comments2019-11-28T19:49:22.371-05:00Comments on Telenovelas, Culture & Society-Fall 2015: Telenovelas with 20 minute chapters - possible?Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14044528426964053093noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945963440619724585.post-23760471860053265862015-10-28T22:44:40.020-04:002015-10-28T22:44:40.020-04:00Hi Lisa,
I really appreciate your insightful blo...Hi Lisa, <br /><br />I really appreciate your insightful blog post. My favorite part is when you brought in the quote from J.W. Goethe, stating, "I'm gonna write you a long letter because I do not have the time to write you a short one." This really resonates with me because studying public relations and learning to be an effective communicator has made me recognize the difficulty of condensing your thoughts into the most direct and straightforward message. By discussing the pros and cons of 20-minute telenovela episodes from 2 perspectives, you have shed light on every aspect that crossed my mind when I read the title of your post. <br /><br />While you mentioned it has been done before, I think it is unnecessary for the industry to explore this 20-minute option further because at the end of the day, in order to tell the story they want to tell, a 45-minute episode every day is what they need. In order to create such an intricate plot and emotional connection that most successful telenovelas embody, the longer episode with multiple cliffhangers is ideal. <br /><br />It was very interesting to learn about the craziness behind telenovela production, but at the end of the day, I think everyone involved would tell you they're passionate about what they do and they woudn't have it any other way. I think sometimes the things that stress us out the most are the ones that bring us the most satisfaction in the end. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01289152996239771775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945963440619724585.post-70323696171029044722015-10-20T00:47:52.416-04:002015-10-20T00:47:52.416-04:00This is an interesting question. My immediate answ...This is an interesting question. My immediate answer would be no, I like telenovelas in their 45-minute iterations because that's the formula I've grown used to for drama shows. I see the half-hour variant as something that works for comedy, where plots tend to occur more in isolation and be resolved more quickly. But thinking about it more carefully, I started wondering how much it would actually change the course of a telenovela to deliver it in half-hour installments. Obviously it depends on the show, but in my experience, episodes as we see them don't tend to have "resolutions" -- something is revealed, sure, but usually there's some sort of cliffhanger. When you think of each episode of an extension of the last, with the same plots carrying over, you begin to wonder if it would really matter that much.<br /><br />As far as why it hasn't really been done on a large scale before, I think producers are wary of messing with a winning formula. But also, from the perspective of quality, I wonder if the shorter format might inspire more drama just for the sake of drama -- after all, that's twice as many episodes to make people tune in for if you want to tell the same length story. I think the hourlong format is safe, both from a commercial and a production standpoint, and if the writers can keep churning out an episode a day, who am I to tell them to do it differently?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13709489762321165849noreply@blogger.com