Between fact and fiction. Docusoap polish style. Cover Image

Między fikcją a faktami. Ddocusoap po polsku, czyli telenowela dokumentalna.
Between fact and fiction. Docusoap polish style.

Author(s): Beata Kosińska-Krippner
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts
Published by: Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Kosińska-Krippner; Beata; Lünenborg; Margarete; Kilborn; Richard; Klaus; Elisabeth; Lücke; Stephanie; documentary soap operas; Polish version of docusoaps; Polish cinema; Polish television; strategies for reality

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with documentary soap operas, or the Polish version of docusoaps. This is a television genre that is a hybrid of observational documentary and elements typical of soap operas. In the introduction the author presents up to date research on docusoaps: she defines, following Margarete Lünenborg, the conditions that had to be met, in order for the genre to come into the existence, and she shows the circumstances in which it first appeared. She refers to the work of Richard Kilborn in order to present characteristic features of docusoap, and she uses the staging strategies for reality TV described by Elisabeth Klaus and Stephanie Lücke, in order to show staging strategies in docusoaps. In the main part of the article Kosińska-Krippner presents a short history of documentary soap operas, classification of its various types and the analysis of its components. She then defines this genre and describes its features. In the conclusion the author compares docusoaps and documentary soap operas, and shows the similarities and differences between the two genres, she also comments upon the value and usefulness of this genre.

  • Issue Year: 2011
  • Issue No: 75-76
  • Page Range: 273-294
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Polish