The show I decided to watch was Jane the Virgin. This show is set up to mimic the techniques of telenovelas which are very dramatic and often times exaggerated through setting, costumes, lighting and staging. Even though this is a modern show, the setting and tone is also very clear to the viewer.
This story takes place in Miami, Florida, which is a city well known for its latino concentrated. Since this family is of hispanic decent and has a lot of hispanic customs, the setting inside the house makes this obvious. Inside, there are a lot of catholic objects placed throughout the house. Catholic religion is a very important part of hispanic culture along with furniture and blankets that have historically hispanic designs. Also, the palm trees and beach often seen in the background shows that they are in Miami.
Moreover, the lighting is used throughout the episode to depict the mood. Although Florida is known as the sunshine state, it is also known for its rainy season. With this being said, when the mood is happy, fun or loving, the lighting is bright which depicts the sunshine. However, when the mood changes into chaotic or angry, the clouds roll over and the lighting become dark and gloomy. Since this show is a very uplifting, happily ever after, "telenovela," it mostly uses high-key lighting. This lighting is mostly used in musicals and comedies, which are both significant parts of this series.
Costumes also play an important role in establishing key details to the storyline of this episode. Since this story does take place in modern time, the characters wear normal clothes. Often times they are in more coastal clothes since they live in Miami. Costumes can also say a lot about a person. For example, the main character Jane plays a loving mom and aspiring writer, so she wears more laid back clothing. On the other hand, her best friend Petra is a hotel owner who is very stuck up and classy, so she is always wearing business casual clothing and heels. In this show, Jane's dad is a famous telenovela actor, so costume also plays a role in depicting his acting life from his normal life.
Lastly, staging also helps bring this show to life. Both naturalistic and stylized performance styles can be seen in this show. Characters like Petra and Jane's dad must emphasize certain features in order to make a point. Petra is always yelling at people and bossing people around, this allows for a more dramatized scene when she is able to connect with her feelings and become loving to Jane. Jane's dad uses his outgoing personality to add humor to the show. Characters like Jane's grandma are more natural because they take on very common characteristics of the person they are trying to portray. Jane's grandma act like a typical Latina grandma which serves as an anchor for their heritage which is a very significant part of the story line.
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