Presentation given at Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) on 10 November 2011. Full text of paper available at http://wp.me/p3JAa-dy

1. Serial Orientations:
Mapping the Narrative
Worlds of Contemporary
Complex Television
Jason Mittell (@jmittell)
Middlebury College,Vermont, USA
Lichtenberg-Kolleg, University of Göttingen (2011-12)
http://justtv.wordpress.com
http://tinyurl.com/complextv

2. Serial Orientations:
Mapping the Narrative
Worlds of Contemporary
Complex Television

4. Commercial US Television
accessibility

5. Commercial US Television
accessibility
least objectionable content

6. Commercial US Television
innovations of meanings & form

7. Commercial US Television
narrative complexity

9. orienting paratexts

10. categories of
orienting paratexts

12. a television serial creates a sustained
narrative universe, populated by a
consistent set of characters who
experience a chain of events over time

13. a television serial creates a sustained
narrative universe, populated by a
consistent set of characters who
experience a chain of events over time
Time Characters
Events Space

14. Time

15. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

16. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

17. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

18. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time
Schedule as Orientation

19. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

20. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

21. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

22. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time
Chronology as Orientation

23. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

24. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time

25. Time
Story Time Plot Time Screen Time
Calendaring as Orientation

26. Time

27. Time

28. Time

29. Time

30. Time

31. Time

33. Recapitulation

34. Recapitulation
Analysis

35. Recapitulation
Analysis
Expansion

36. Screen Time: Plot Time: Story Time:
Schedule Chronology Calendar
Recapitulation
Analysis
Expansion

37. Plot Recapitulation (Events)

38. Plot Recapitulation (Events)

39. Event Analysis

40. Event Analysis

41. Event Analysis

42. Plot Expansions

43. Plot Expansions

44. Plot Expansions

45. Plot Expansions

46. Character Recaps

47. Character Recaps

48. Character Analyses

49. Character Analyses

50. Character Analyses

51. Character Analyses

52. Character Expansions

53. Character Expansions

54. Character Expansions

55. Spatial Orientations

56. Spatial Orientations

57. Spatial Orientations

58. Spatial Orientations

59. Spatial Orientations

60. Spatial Orientations

62. http://www.lostlocations.com/

64. 4.815 N 162.342 W

67. Lost, “Lockdown” (2006)

68. Locke’s attempt to recreate map (solo effort)

69. Lost screen-capture

70. Annotated Map @ 1 hour

71. Annotated Map @ 8 hours

72. Annotated Map @ 16 hours

73. Annotated Map @ 24 hours

74. Other Annotated Maps

75. Other Annotated Maps

76. Entertainment Weekly’s
“official” Annotated Map

78. from Lost jigsaw puzzle
from Lost:Via Domus videogame

80. original production map

88. So What?

89. So What?
• Complexity demands orientation

90. So What?
• Complexity demands orientation
• Television activates audiences

91. So What?
• Complexity demands orientation
• Television activates audiences
• Orientation as transformational
fandom & play

92. So What?
• Complexity demands orientation
• Television activates audiences
• Orientation as transformational
fandom & play
• Room for growth in complex spatial
storytelling

93. Thank you!
Jason Mittell (@jmittell)
Middlebury College,Vermont, USA
Lichtenberg-Kolleg, University of Göttingen (2011-12)
http://justtv.wordpress.com
http://tinyurl.com/complextv