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| (Breaking Bad By AMC 2014) |
This essay will focus on the cross-platform media phenomenon that is Breaking Bad (2008-). Originating as an American crime drama television series, aired on AMC network from 2008-2013, the series has since expanded to multiple different platforms. Breaking Bad focuses on the life of main character, Walter White, he is a high school chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with lung cancer early on in the series. In order to pay for his treatment and continue to support his family financially, he turns to a career of crime and drugs. He teams up with former student, Jesse Pinkman, to produce and sell the finest methamphetamine. Breaking Bad has been incredibly popular, and is even featuring in the Guinness World Records 2014 as being the ‘highest rated TV series’ (Janela 2013). As well as recently winning a BAFTA award for being the best international series, which clearly highlights the phenomenal success of the Breaking Bad series (BAFTA 2014). To begin, this essay will briefly analyse what is meant by the word ‘text’ and how individuals may view the Breaking Bad text differently due to the complex consumption habits of contemporary audiences. It will then explore the paratexts that surround the television series and argument whether they are simply just marketing for the Breaking Bad series or if they add additional meanings and messages. Next, it will examine the idea of fandom, looking at some user-generated paratexts of Breaking Bad and the essay will argument whether they are seen as a value or threat to the Breaking Bad producers. As well as briefly looking at the complexity of authorship rights of contemporary media, and exploring how the Breaking Bad text is still living on, even though the television series ended in 2013.
Gray believes that
‘The singular text, by itself and studied in a vacuum, cannot truly help us, for ‘the text itself’ is an abstract, yet ultimately non-existent entity, wished into creation by analysts.’ (2006, p.3)
Linking this idea to Breaking Bad, it would be insufficient to just study the television series and ignore the various paratexts that surround it. The majority of contemporary media are cross-platform, and sometimes it can be hard to agree on what the core text actually is as ‘the ways that people are using media are fragmenting’ (Dwyer 2010, p.3). However, as Berger and Woodfall state:
‘The majority of crossmedia can be said to be ‘platform-led’, in that it starts life on a solitary medium, before moving on to additional platforms.’ (2012 p.114)
Breaking Bad initially started as a television series before expanding to other platforms, therefore the majority would probably see the television series as being the primary Breaking Bad text. But paratexts can move from ‘secondary’ to ‘primary (Gray 2010) and for example, some may view the official website as being the main text as they may consume the website more than they watch the series. This links to Gray’s other idea related to textual hierarchy, he states
‘Individuals or communities will construct different ideas of what that package entails, based on their own interaction with its varying proliferations, and on their own sense of its textual hierarchy.’ (2010, p.3)
It is important to recognise that different audience members have varied textual hierarchy’s and that what individuals view as the core text may differ. However, this essay will focus on the television series as being the core Breaking Bad text and the surrounding texts as being the paratexts. The paratexts that this essay will go on to explore is the official website and trailer. It’ll then go on to look at some user-generated paratexts: a music parody, fan art and a fan made trailer.
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| (Breaking Bad By AMC 2014) |
Paratexts are the variety of media that surround the core text, this could include trailers, opening credits, merchandise, games, spoilers, posters, spinoffs and various others, all of which Breaking Bad has to offer (Genette 1997; Gray 2010). There are different opinions as to whether these paratexts are purely just marketing to promote the core text or whether they actually enhance further meanings. Although the majority would argue that paratexts are highly profit orientated, this essay will explore how Breaking Bad’s paratexts can also generate extra meanings for the audience. Gray (2010 p.39) states ‘in a cluttered media environment, all texts need paratexts, if only to announce the texts presence.’ Without having various paratexts like posters and trailers for example, some audience members may never have heard of Breaking Bad, likewise with any other media text. Paratexts are much needed for this reason, however they do more than just announce the presence of the core text. Bolter and Grusin (1999, p.65) state that ‘a medium is that which remediates’, hence the paratexts of Breaking Bad are on various mediums and this alone could generate extra meanings for the audience. However, additional meanings may also be created through the content within the paratexts. For example, the official website offers: video extras, information on cast, photos, spoilers, latest news, games, insider podcasts, comic book recaps and merchandise, each of which provide the audience with new experiences of Breaking Bad. Catherine (cited by Doherty 2014) talks about how paratextual materials are blurring the boundaries between ‘promotion’ and ‘content’. This can be applied to the Breaking Bad website as for example the insider podcasts can be seen to add extra content whereas merchandise can be argued as being more promotional and profit orientated.
Gray (cited by Jenkins 2010) says ‘there is no such thing as a text without paratexts.’ This highlights the importance of paratexts within contemporary media, yet they are often disregarded as being less significant and meaningful. Similarily, Bakhtin (1986 cited by Gray 2006 p.25) says that ‘the text lives only by coming into contact with another text…’ This again shows the importance of paratexts and it could be argued that in order for a text to succeed, then paratexts are fundamental. Likewise, Bolter and Grusin also state that
‘a medium in our culture can never operate in isolation, because it must enter into relationships of respect and rivalry with other media.’ (1999 p.65)
Relating this to Breaking Bad, it could be argued that the television series would not have been as successful if it didn’t have the various paratexts surrounding it. Trailers are a good example of this, as they highlight the strong importance of paratexts. Trailers are usually one of the first experiences audiences have with a text, the trailer below introduces audiences to Breaking Bad and gives a quick overview as to what the series is about.
(Breaking Bad - Season 1-5 Trailer By Sony Pictures Home Entertainment UK 2013)
Although this Breaking Bad trailer is encouraging audiences to view the television series, it also provokes meanings. From this, different audience members may interpret meanings and messages about the multiple characters and storylines. As well as receiving addition messages through the several ratings and quotes that appear. Audiences consume lots more paratexts than they do the core texts, they create the initial interpretation of a text that may develop further through consuming more paratexts and the core text itself. Consalvo says that paratexts
‘… may alter the meanings of texts, further enhance meanings, or provide challenges to sedimented meanings. Paratexts are anything but peripheral’. (2007 cited by Stewart 2010 p.59)
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| (Breaking Bad Merchandise By AMC 2014) |
Although it could be argued that the majority of Breaking Bad paratexts are not peripheral as they enhance the Breaking Bad experience, it could be argued that merchandise is. Breaking Bad merchandise such as clothing, jewellery, and accessories don’t add much extra to the actual story world of Breaking Bad and therefore some may see merchandise as being peripheral, but this is solely dependant on the individual and their consumption of Breaking Bad. Ibrus and Scolari claim that
‘simultaneous awareness of two texts and the relationship between them renders the reading experience as a communicative event much richer.’ (2012 p.30)
It could therefore be argued that by engaging with the Breaking Bad paratexts as well as the television series, it will improve the Breaking Bad experience for the audience. Hence why paratexts are relevant and not just purely marketing for the series as they can actually enhance the experience of a text. For example, an individual watching the television series and accessing the Breaking Bad website may get a better experience than one who just watches the television series as they are experiencing new content on varied platforms. However, the experience that audiences receive of Breaking Bad is based on the individual, what text/paratexts they consume and the respective meanings they interpret from it. Jenkins (2001) says that ‘no one medium is going to “win” the battle for our ears and eyeballs.’ Although individuals may prioritise certain mediums of which to consume Breaking Bad, it could be argued that due to the complexity of today’s audience, many individuals now consume more than one medium and that paratexts are just as relevant in the ‘battle’ as the core texts.
Paratexts are not only created by the producers but by consumers as well. Hill (2002, p.30) states ‘…fans are consumers who are also (unofficial) producers.’ This can be related to some of the Breaking Bad fans many of which have created their own content, such as tribute videos, parodies, artwork and fiction. However, not all fans go as far to produce there own content, some may just take part in discussions on forums or wikis or even purchase the various Breaking Bad merchandise. This links on to Jenkins ideas about fandom, he says
‘Fan culture is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon, inviting many forms of participation and levels of engagement.’ (1958 p.2)
All fans have varying ways in which they participate with Breaking Bad, and it is important to recognise that fandom can be both offline and online on a variety of different platforms. The fan parody below has been very popular on Youtube (2005-) with over 2,500,000 views. It puts Breaking Bad into new context by mixing it with Taylor Swift’s song, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, the fans dress up as Breaking Bad characters and recall some moment that have occurred during the television series. This parody alone also creates further meanings and messages for the audience to interpret.
(Taylor Swift + Breaking Bad Parody - 'We Are Never Ever Gonna Cook Together' By Teddiefilms 2012)
At the end of this parody, the fans that produced it ask viewers to subscribe to them on Youtube and to view their other music parodies. It could therefore be argued that this music parody is benefiting the fans as it gains them more subscribers and helps to increase their popularity. However, on the other hand, it could also be argued that it is benefiting the Breaking Bad producers as it is promoting Breaking Bad, its characters, and its narrative. Gray states that
‘A text only becomes a text, only gains social meaning and relevance, at the point that it comes alive with its audience.’ (2010 p.166)
This highlights the importance of fans as Mandiberg (2012, p.203) says ‘fans are the most active segment of the media audience…’. Without having fans, Breaking Bad may not have been as successful, hence why fans could be seen as a value to the text. Tapscott (2009 p.11) states that ‘the concept of a brand is in the process of changing forever because of them’. This can link to Breaking Bad due to the numerous fan paratexts that are available; fans create all sorts of things, each of which puts Breaking Bad into new contexts, developing and changing the text to relate it to their own personal interactions and experiences with Breaking Bad.
Breaking Bad producers have even encouraged fan participation by carrying out different contests, such as video and art contests (AMC 2009). Jenkins describes fans as ‘inspirational consumers’ and says that
‘Brand loyalty is the holy grail of affective economies because of what economists call the 80/20 rule: for most consumer products, 80 percent of puchases are made by 20 percent of their consumer base.’ (2008, p.72)
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan seems to recognise this loyalty and is supporting audience participation with the series, rather than disregarding it. User-generated content helps to promote Breaking Bad and it also may encourage a wider audience to view the series. However, Scolari (2013, p.416) says that ‘the borderline between user-generated contents and the culture industry’s production is very porous’. This can relate to Breaking Bad as for example there are multiple trailers, a few of which are official and the majority of which are made by fans. The distinction between them may not be easily recognisable for some audience members and therefore some may actually watch fan made trailers instead of official ones. The fan made trailer below has been viewed on Youtube multiple more times than the official one….
(Breaking Bad Trailer By Moonlight 2009)
Due to the different content being shown it this trailer, it again generates more meanings and messages to be interpreted by the audience. There is considerably more user-generated paratexts than official Breaking Bad paratexts available online, which could have both positive and negative effects on the Breaking Bad producers.
User-generated content is not always a value to the producers and could become a threat to Breaking Bad, for example if it promotes the series negatively or possibly issues to do with authorship rights. Lotman and Goodman (cited by Ibrus and Scolari 2012) state that ‘any creation is recreation…’ This can be related to Breaking Bad due to the many fan paratexts that have been recreated from the television series. However, sometimes the authorship of the ‘recreations’ can become a disputed issue. Rose (2011, p.83) says that ‘digital media have created an authorship crisis’ and similarly, Jenkins says
‘There is still –and perhaps may always be– a huge gap between the studio’s assumptions about what constitutes appropriate fan participation and the fans’ own sense of moral “ownership” over the property.’ (2008 p.200)
Arguably this can be true for some user-generated content where the user claims ownership over their work, and aims to gain a profit from it. However, as stated earlier, Breaking Bad producers are encouraging audience participation and many fan paratexts of Breaking Bad state they are for non-profit, commercial use only. But, linking back to Jenkins idea, there may be contradicting opinions between producers and consumers about what is classed as being ‘appropriate’. For example, on the official Breaking Bad forum, the producers state that it is inappropriate to post spoilers and encourage piracy, whereas fans may not agree with this (AMC 2014). Barthes (cited by Gray 2010 p.108) says that ‘the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author’. This could be true in some cases where producers control their audiences and strictly regulate all user-generated content. Yet, for Breaking Bad this is not the case as there is lots of fan paratexts, plus creator, Vince Gilligan, is supporting the audience participation. It could be argued that it is due to audience participation that Breaking Bad is living on, the television series ended in 2013 yet the Breaking Bad phenomenon is still continuing. Kristeve (cited by Gray 2010 p.7) states that ‘the text is not a finished production, but a continuous “productivity”.’ This relates to Breaking Bad, as both official and fan paratexts are continuously being produced for the television series. It has recently been announced that an official spin-off television series, ‘Better Call Soul’ will be produced (BBC 2014), which shows that the Breaking Bad text is a continuous ‘productivity’. Likewise Barthes (cited by Gray 2010) says ‘the text is always on the move and hence impossible to grasp or to study as a set object.’ This is the case for Breaking Bad, not only is it a television series, it also has multiple official and fan paratexts and yet it is still continuously developing. Hence why this essay didn’t just neglect the paratexts and study Breaking Bad purely as a television series as paratexts can contribute to and influence the Breaking Bad experience.
From researching both the official and fan paratexts that surround the Breaking Bad television series, it has made me realise the importance of paratexts within contemporary media, yet they are very often neglected. Before carrying out this case study, I viewed paratexts as being less relevant and didn’t really think much about the impacts they actually have on the core texts. Rather, I saw them as being heavily profit orientated and I didn’t pay as much attention to them as I would the main text. However from my textual analysis on Breaking Bad, I have learnt that paratexts can be more than just promotional and can actually enhance further meanings for the audience. By consuming various paratexts for my research for this essay, I feel it has enhanced my own personal experience of Breaking Bad. Before carrying out this essay, I had only watched the television series on Netflix and seen a few posters and merchandise. However, I found the website in particular really improved my experience as it included lots of new Breaking Bad content. In addition, I have learnt how paratexts can move from being seen as secondary to primary, depending on the individual and their consumption habits. Also, before carrying out this case study, I didn’t really think much about fans and how they can influence a media text. However, now I have realised that fan participation can have huge effects on media texts. There are many more fan paratexts of Breaking Bad than official ones, which has highlighted to me the importance of having a good fan base. Although fan paratexts can sometimes become a threat to producers, I think that fans have been a value to Breaking Bad and feel that fans are a necessity for contemporary media texts. In the future, when I am consuming media texts, I will engage with the various paratexts to see how they contribute additional meanings to the core text and if they enhance the experience for me personally. As well as thinking more about my own textual hierarchy and considering how I personally engage with media texts and paratexts. When I am producing future media, I will ensure that I make suitable paratexts not only just to promote the core text but also to add additional meanings and messages for the audience to interpret. I will also make sure that I pay equal attention to the core text and the paratexts, as I feel that some paratexts are just as important and relevant as the main text itself. I will try to make sure any media I produce has a fairly good fan base, and will encourage audience participation with the text. I would also ensure that the texts and paratexts I produce are cross-platform, in order to reach a wider audience, to increase its popularity and help it to become more successful.
Overall, Breaking Bad is a highly successful media text, originating as an American television series in 2008, it is now accessible through multiple paratexts on various different platforms. Throughout, this essay has argued that paratexts are more than just promotion for the core text and they can actually enhance further meanings for the audience and improve the overall experience of Breaking Bad. This essay has looked at the official website and trailer in order to show how extra meanings can be interpreted and also to highlight the importance of paratexts within contemporary media. Audiences consume lots more paratexts than they do the core text itself, and this essay has highlighted how most paratexts can be just as relevant and meaningful as the main text. This essay has not only looked at official paratexts but at some fan paratexts as well, including a music parody, fan art, and a fan made trailer. It has argued whether these are a value or threat to producers, and relating it to Breaking Bad, this essay concluded that fans have been a value. Without its fans, Breaking Bad wouldn’t have been as successful and even now the text is still living on. The series ended in 2013, yet the Breaking Bad phenomenon is continuing through various official and fan paratexts, which clearly highlight that paratexts are essential in contemporary media. The strengths of looking at the paratexts of Breaking Bad is that it has allowed exploration into their importance and how they can improve the overall experience of a media text. Additionally, the strengths of looking at Breaking Bad's fan paratexts in particular, is that it has allowed exploration into how fans can influence a media text and the various values and threats fans can cause. The limitations is that fandom is a highly debated, complex concept, and that this essay has only explored a few of the official and fan paratexts, yet there are numerous more to be analysed.
(3499 words)
(3499 words)
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