Semiotics

For my semiotic analysis I used a picture from the official That 70's Show web sight. This picture can be found at http://www.that70sshow.com/index.htm. This web sight is very interesting and has a good bit of information about the show. Some of the information the web sight has is an episode guide, a gallery, a news section, plus a music and about the show tab. The web sight along with the picture is very colorful to catch one's attention. The color and flashiness help sell the show.

This one simple picture describes a good bit about the show. The first major detail in the picture is the purple shadow around the characters; this shadow could very much resemble a shadow of a black light. Black lights are not actually black; they have a purple bulb that glows purple. Black lights were very popular during the 70's. Another major part of the picture is orange that outlines the characters actually changes color on the web sight. The orange changes from orange to teal to yellow and back to orange again. Although these colors do not describe the show the change of color is used to attract one's attention and keep their interest.

In this picture, the characters position and style of dress is used to describe the show and the individual's personality. The characters stance of a knee bend and different arm positions is used to make the characters look like they are dancing. The dancing describes the nineteen seventies because during this time the disco dancing style was very popular.

The position of the characters is used to show the level of importance, style and personality. First Eric Forman in the green shirt is placed in the center of the crew because he is the main character and the most important. He is the most important because the group of friends usually all get together as a meeting place in his basement . The next character to Eric's right is Steve Hyde; Steve is the cool guy in the group who loves his rock music, his sunglasses help describe him as having a slick personality. To the right of Steve is Jackie; during the show she is always talking about guys and who she has a crush on at that particular time. Her position shows her facing Steve, like she is checking him out. On the end is Fez, Fez is a crazy Spanish character who is usually confused, his dress and disposition helps describe him as out of the ordinary. The last to characters to the left is Donna Pinciotti and Kelso. Donna and Kelso are both the crazy and out going, the picture helps describe them because they have the craziest dance position.

This picture did a very well job describing the characters of the show and the show it self. The pictures colors and back ground help show the time period of the nineteen seventies and the characters position and style of dress help describe the characters personalities.

Ethnography

I interviewed my uncle Ron. Ron has always loved popular culture ever since he was a teenager. During the 1960's and 70's he would buy a lot of rock albums to listen to. His favorite bands were The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Even today Ron keeps up on all the new rock bands. Ron also watches most of the newly released videos and television programs. It is very easy to know he is a popular culture fan because he is always quoting movies and music.

Ron is a very big fan of the 70's show. He watched almost every episode since the very beginning. Ron enjoys watching the show because it reminds him of his childhood. According to Ron "The 70's Show is a very good example of how teenagers would act during the 70's." For example Ron remembers and episode when Eric and his friends buy a beer keg from a friend and have a party in the neighbors empty in ground swimming pool. He says that this was very typical during the 70's because teenagers were always getting into trouble.

Ron also likes how realistic the show is for the 1970's time period. The main character Eric Foreman lives with his parents Red and Kitty, they are both a very good example of parents during this time. Kitty is a stay at home mom that does all the cleaning and prepares dinner, while Red is a grumpy old man and is usually very sharp and uptight. Ron finds it hilarious when Red call Eric a "dumbass" when ever Eric does something with out thinking.

I felt Ron was a very good pick for this Ethnography because he lived thought the 1970's and knows just how accurate the show really is. He is a devoted fan to The 70"s Show, and can answer many questions about popular culture from the 1970's up until now.

The 70's Are For Me!!

I am a semi fan of The 70's Show, I try to catch and episode every now and then, but I am not a big enough fan to watch every episode or buy a whole season and re watch the episodes on DVD. The 70's Show is a comedy sitcom that revolves around several high school kids during the nineteen seventies in Wisconsin. http://www.that70sshow.com/index_about.htm (This web sight describes the show in more detail)

When I first saw The 70's show on Television I thought the show was genius. The idea of teenagers during the seventies partying, getting into trouble, and simply having teenage drama was an awsome idea for a sitcom. Not to mention teenagers today hear story's from their parents about how they grew up during the seventies, the music they listened to, and the cars they drove.

Even though the last season ended over year ago the popularity of the show still remains very high. The show is still aired on more than one channel. The Cw still has an episode on almost every day with a page on their web site designated for the show at http://portlandscw.trb.com/entertainment/syn/stv-70sshow-syn-pkg,0,1841066.special?coll=kwbp-home-nav.

To me this show is very interesting, it contains hilariously funny situation comedy with real life situations, but also adds entertainment because it takes place over thirty years ago. I can watch the show with almost everyone, my friends who can relate with the teenage drama and my parents and anyone who grew up during that time who can also relate. This you tube video shows the intro to the show and the main characters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOrAGchvI_A

The 70's show is a show that almost everyone can watch and get a good laugh. It reminds people of their childhood and helps others relate to their friends. Over all it is a good show with a lot of meaning.