Children's
Fantasies and Television |
EDITORIAL
Television kills the imagination,
according to common theory on the relationship between children
and TV. But the creation of new from already existing things (Gruber)
and the ability to form mental images is innate (Etienne Klemm).
Fantasy is stimulated when experiences and emotions are struck,
resulting in accommodating gaps. In the medium of the book they
are doubtless mainly visual. By comparison, television seems to
supply "everything" and to occupy the kids' fantasy on
a one-to-one basis. The links are in fact far more complex, as illustrated
by the articles written by psychologists, educational scientists
and those occupying responsible positions in production.
(Children's) television can open up gaps for the development of
fantasy, which is corroborated in theory and revealed in practise
by their essays (e.g. Neuss). In order to comprehend these links,
we have to observe children more sensitively and allow ourselves
to get involved in their worlds. For then we find ourselves confronted
with the kids' invisible friends, who may be called Ernie from "Sesame
Street", for example (Taylor). Violence can also be found in
children's fantasies, however, they interpret it in their own special
way (Jones). The kids' fantasy is not destroyed by television, but
there are visible links. Two thirds of the nigh on 200 "big
daydreams" of 8- to 9-year-olds, ascertained in the international
IZI study, reveal media traces on - but mainly from the leading
medium of television. Children are thus not defenceless victims
but include parts of television in the mental or inner images. For
those active in the field of television this means considerable
responsibility and a great challenge. Research supporting programme
production (Singer, Rogge) can provide significant information.
The ways editorial staff approach this responsibility, how they
attempt to involve and initiate fantasies, and where they see the
limits are expressed in this volume on the subject of "Children's
fantasies and television".
Maya Götz
Head
International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television
CHILDREN'S FANTASIES AND TELEVISION
Thomas Gruber
How much
fantasy does the future need?
Fantasy is the power to create new things from existing things.
This is an ability future generations will urgently need. Public
broadcasting corporations must take the responsibility for our
children seriously and support their imagination with quality.
RESEARCH
Ruth Etienne Klemm
The formation
of inner pictures - An overview
Inner pictures arise from experience; they are always connected
to emotions and closely linked to interactions. The ability to
"image" is innate and begins in babyhood. Hence television
does not have the power to "out-image" children, but
it does have a high level of responsibility for providing supportive
and not obstructive images.
Marjorie Taylor
Children's
imaginary companions
Children invent fantasy companions that assume a whole variety
of forms, ranging from children, animals, and ghosts to even droll
characters such as the "Butcher Shop Guy" or a 160-year-old
commercial traveller. The kids really enjoy these active "pretend
plays". They experience no loss of contact with reality,
but enrich their everyday lives as a result.
Gerard Jones
Battle-Zord
Nu-Nu meets Power Ranger Po
Adults are often concerned about violence and violent media heroes
in children's role play. But seen from the children's perspective,
play fighting is not automatically to be equated with real agression.
Maya Götz
Fantasies
of fighting and fighters
One of the current trends in children's culture is Dragon
Ball Z. Boys are fascinated by the characters, by their strength
and invulnerability. They integrate the series into their fantasies
in order to feel more secure or to be able to control themselves
better, but also for reasons of self-defence.
Norbert Neuss
Gaps for fantasy
in children's films - Television and the aesthetic of reception
Gaps for fantasy are created not only in books but also in art
as well as the television film. They are produced in the gaps
that stimulate activity on the part of the recipients/viewers.
These gaps can be created deliberately, for instance, by means
of metaphors, symbols, direct mode-of-address, a feeling of togetherness,
or abilities conducive to fantasy.
Maya Goetz, Dafna Lemish, Amy Aidman,
Hyesung Moon
The role of
media in children's make-believe worlds
Children seem to have quite similar make-believe worlds across
cultural borders. Television plays a significant role in many
fantasies, but only certain parts attractive for children are
extracted. They serve to symbolize experience, to further the
self-image and promote communication.
PROGRAMME
Children's
fantasies and programming
Statements from the staff responsible on the opportunities
of involving children's fantasies in their TV programme
Ralf Gerhardt
The
Fantastic Film Factory. Children's TV stories
In the Fantastic Film Factory, a campaign launched
by Disney Channel, children wrote the stories themselves. The
stories are powerful, frequently the product of the kids' direct
environment. They are about experiences in everyday life, they
do not shrink from conflicts and disputes, but they always have
a happy end.
Charlotte Cole
Imagine
that! The importance of fantasy on "Sesame Street" co-productions
around the world
Sesame Street deliberately tries to promote the kids'
powers of imagination; it intentionally offers gaps for stimulating
the imagination and promoting "pretend plays" as well
as creative fantasies.
RESEARCH
Jan Uwe Rogge
Fantasy,
emotion and cognition in "Sesame Street" - Notes on
the framework stories
Children have a magical-fantastical interpretation of reality.
They like simple, clear stories featuring fairy-tale elements
that they can occupy with their imagination. A reception study
on Sesamstraße discovered this particularly in the
case of the Muppet stories and the character Pepe. In several
one-off films the kids felt they had not been taken seriously,
however.
Dorothy G. Singer
Television
and its potential for imagination
Television can stimulate imaginative play and it can be a
wonderful teacher when it considers the possibilities and prerequisites
of children. Many years of research have produced important evidence
for this.
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