My Tele-Vision

When producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage work on a show, you can be sure that the show will involve teenage drama. Schwartz and Savage have worked on the shows that define my adolescence, The O.C. (2003-2007) and Gossip Girl (2007-present) which both focus on the glamorous lives of rich teenagers on the west and east coast. Within these shows, these producers make their mark on television not just by their impact on teenage pop culture, but by the style of these shows. Savage and Schwartz use sound, camera framing, and mise en scene similarly in both The O.C. and Gossip Girl in order to portray the dramatic lives of rich teenagers.

A quick background on the two producers, Schwartz grew up in Rhode Island, and where he attended a private high school. He went to the University Of Southern California School Of Cinema in 1999. When he created The O.C. he was only 26 and which made him the youngest hour-long show creator (imdb.com). Savage grew up in Canada and obtained her masters in film history and theory at the University of Iowa in 1995. In profile done about her in Adweek.com Savage “I love telling teen stories…I’ll write teen stories as long as people will let me”. Both Savage and Schwartz have contributed to writing for some episodes of both The O.C. and Gossip Girl.

A major trademark that Schwartz and Savage use in their programs is their use of sound, specifically the music in the shows. Both The O.C. and Gossip Girl are known for their use of trendy music between scenes and also their soundtracks. For example the band Rooney was relatively unknown until they appeared on an episode of The O.C in the following clip.Even the song “California” by Phantom Planet became iconic after it was used in the opening credits. Gossip Girl also uses this approach, one of the best examples being when one of the stars, Leighton Meester, contributed to a song by Cobra Starship. Not only was the song played between scenes, but also other songs written by the band. The producers added this not just to promote bands’ music, but to add to the idea of how privileged these teenagers are. As someone who isn’t unfamiliar with the teenage drama genre, Savage knows that going to the cool shows and listening to the best bands before they become famous is a status thing among teenagers. Also with Schwartz being the youngest TV show creator of this genre, his taste in music is probably more relatable to the teens that would be watching these shows.

A more technical element that Schwartz and Savage use is the framing of the camera. The framing is how much the audience sees in a certain scene. The O.C. and Gossip Girl both are very calculated in what types of framing they use. Between scenes it is usually an extreme long shot of the setting the characters are in, whether it’s a California beach or a New York landmark. Usually these scenes show the type of glamorous, fun lifestyle that we are lead to believe the characters lead. During scenes with dialogue the main type of framing that is used is a normal close up. Schwartz and Savage use the close ups to capture the expressions of the characters, an important thing to obtain in a drama.

Another major presence in Schwartz and Savage’s shows is the mise en scene. Mise en scene is all objects that are visible to the audience, which includes setting, costuming, lighting, and actor movement. Savage and Schwartz main focus on the setting to accentuate the lifestyles of the characters. Both shows are shot on location, in Orange County and New York, which captures the type of culture that the characters are part of. Schwartz’s experience coming from an east coast private high school to a university in southern California can probably attribute to the knowledge of these cultures. Another way that Schwartz and Savage use culture to instill the image of fortune in their shows is the costuming the characters wear. For The O.C. the characters have a very relaxed beachy style while in Gossip Girl they are more high-fashioned and preppy. The costumes that Schwartz and Savage emphasize not only the characters’ culture, but also the social class that they belong in.

Although the genre of teenage drama isn’t exactly a world renowned form of art, Schwartz and Savage tend to do it the best. The genre itself is (and forever will be) extremely superficial. Their use of mise en scene shows what a fun, alluring lifestyle the characters lead and makes the audience wish that they were a part of that scene. Also their use of music shows how cool and popular the characters are, while the camera framing captures the character’s reactions when drama unfolds. These elements, along with their over the top storylines all add to the idea that the characters are living a privileged lifestyle that makes us think, whether we like it or not, “man I wish I were them”.

"Internet Movie Database." Internet Movie Database. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. .
Mahmud, Shahnaz. "Profile: Stephanie Savage." Adweek. 28 Apr. 2008. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. .