1980 | United States | Short

The Amarillo News Tapes

  • English - 24 mins
  • Director | Doug Hall
  • Writer | Doug Hall
  • Producer | -

STATUS: Released

This film is currently not available.   

This video reflects my interest in examining cultural institutions. In The Amarillo News Tapes, we were interested in observing and dissecting what makes news in a small, Midwestern television market. The video shows the three of us in our respective roles as anchor, weatherman, and sportscaster, interacting with the real Pro News Team on the set. In such episodes as: 'Opening Routine,' 'Liberal Fire,' and 'Two Stories,' we attempted to draw attention to the oddities of language and theater that are a part of television news. Although these sections are humorous, our purpose was not to parody the news for its own sake but to examine its style and ritual, which is as much about fiction as it is about fact.

media television news ritual humor performance language culture parody observation
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