Modern Family Essay Example for Free

raw Family study novel Family is a documentary-style comedy closely three branches of the extended Pritchett family Dad Jay has get married a young woman and is now raising a teenage stepson his daughter Claire has a save and three slangs of her accept and his jolly son Mitchell has just adoptive a Viet throwse bumble with his partner. Modern Family premiered on alphabet in September 2009 as part of the networks new Wednesday comedy lineup, and was immediately met with positive reviews and strong military ratings, becoming the breakout supply of the night. Modern Family was created and is executive-produced by St eve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, who worked together as writers and producers on Frasier, and co-created the short-lived sitcom hazard to You Levitan was also the creator of Just Shoot Me. This investigation will highlight the winder aspects which has made Modern Family a re all toldy likable computer programme over the last few years. the behavior i n how the usher appeals to viewing audience will be discussed as well as the values and attitudes of society atomic number 18 re? ected through the main characters.I Will also indicate close to of the controls and constraints that Modern Family has to deal with in order to make their fate successful and appropriate. Also featured will be the discussion of rough of the obvious stereotypes which the steer portrays and the impact of Modern Family on Todays society. But to be able to ensure all(a) these aspects, you will need to familiarise yourself with the main characters ? rst. Characters Jay Pritchett The father of Claire and Mitchell, husband of Gloria, grandfather of Lily, Luke, Alex, and Haley, and the stepfather of Manny.He is the owner of a construction ? rm and is presumably the wealthiest family member. Jay has a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. Like both his son and daughter, Jay is in general much realistic, mild mannered, and sensible than his partner, Gloria, who is unashamed of the point Jay is m any(prenominal) years her senior. A recurring darn involves Jays relationship with his son Mitchell, which became more complicated due to Jays reaction to Mitchells sexual orientation. Gloria Pritchett Jays wife and Mannys mother. She is from a thin village in Columbia.She is a actually loving wife and mother despite the age residuum between her and her husband. Her voluptuous ? gure and overall beauty is a great deal remarked or noticed by other characters on the show. One of her well-nigh distinctive traits is her genuinely thick Colombian accent, which sometimes leads her to mispronounce English words, a good deal(prenominal) as ultimatum as old-tomato and earrings as hair-rings. She often supports Manny when Jay tries to tell him to be less sensitive or hatch his cultural background. Manny Delgado Glorias 14-year-old son from her ? rst marriage.He is actually outgoing and not the least bit self-conscious. He is very intelligent, mature and intuitive for his age and is often shown doing adult-like things, such as having conversations with Claire about her marriage and kids, and drinking coffee. He has inherited his mothers passion for feel, though Gloria has also said, Manny is passionate, just like his father. This causes Manny to be very romantic. Manny is not terror-struck to take chances, leading him to ask out older girls, and develop a crush on Haley.Phil Dunphy Claires husband of 20 years who sees himself as the cool dad. He dotes on his wife Claire and evermore tries to ? nd shipway to bond with his three kids. He is seen as very competitive, one example being his nature of ever beating his son at basketball. He has a very juvenile attitude, and is referred to by Claire as the kid shes married to. He uses a p atomic number 18nting method that he calls peerenting, which is a combination of talking like a peer but acting like a p arent. He is a real estate federal agent who is very con? dent in his work, once saying I could sell a pelt coat to an Eskimo.Claire Dunphy the daughter of Jay, Mitchells older sister, and the helicopter soccer mom of the Dunphy family and its three very different kids. She was once a wild- nipper who made a lot of mistakes over the years, and she is fearful that her children could make the same mistakes, especially her oldest daughter, Haley. She is often exhausted from stress created by her family but is still a loving mother. When it comes to her kids she has dif? culty controlling Haleys independence and irresponsibility, Alexs manipulative nature, and Lukes lack of common sense. She also gets annoyed with her husband, Phil, constantly.Claire is a very competitive person, oftentimes like her husband, and is visualized with a personality that causes her to freak out easily, and get angry. She is very strict about a clean house house. She is seen as an experienced parent by Cameron and Mitchell, so she is called upon for her parenting a dvice Haley Dunphy the daughter of Claire and Phil, who is portrayed as the stereotypical teen who is often embarrassed by the presence of her parents. Haley is 15 at the beginning of the series, and is a freshman in college as of Season 4. Haley is depicted as being a bit of a bimbo, who focuses more on social status than studies.She is a little naive, especially when it comes to arguing with her parents. She is concerned about her popularity at school, as well as her social and sexual life, which contributes to her being embarrassed by her parents. Alex Dunphy the 15-year-old daughter of Claire and Phil, and also the most erudite and intelligent of the three siblings. She is very bright and cares much more about her studies than friends/social life and boys. As the middle child to a shallow big sister and a goofy younger brother, she enjoys messing with them when they are rude to her, which is fairly often.Often taking advantage of their naivete by fooling them into believe unre alistic things, she at one time convinced Haley and Luke that they could charge electronics by rubbing the battery on their heads (Haley) and putting it in their mouths (Luke). She, as a stereotypical precocious kid, displays a sense of superiority because of her erudition, constantly putting her accomplishments on display and demanding recognition for them. Luke Dunphy Phil and Claire? s 14-year-old son, who is often doing his own thing.At times, he skunk be a troublemaker, once shooting his sister with a toy gun and acquiring into a ? ht with Manny at school. Luke is playful, very innocent and does not always understand the repercussions of his actions, like most children he once announced at a family gathering that his mom thought her dads new wife was a capital digger, although he misheard it as coal digger. Mitchell Pritchett Also referred to as Mitch, is Jays son, Claires younger brother, Luke, Alex and Haleys uncle, one of Lilys fathers, and partner of octet years to Camer on. He is a low-key, mild-mannered person. At most times he is the exact opposite of Cameron which commsolely causes disagreements.Cameron acts as a counterbalance to Mitchells uptight, worrying ways. He usually responds to homophobia (whether real or perceived) by free speeches. Because of his mild-mannered, uptight nature, he is sometimes embarrassed by Camerons ? amboyance. Cameron Tucker Also referred to as Cam, is Mitchells partner of eight years, and one of Lilys fathers, who has a very big dramatic personality. His bubbly outgoing personality contrasts to Mitchells uptight manner, which causes them to do opposing character traits. Cameron was born on February 29, 1972 and grew up on a farm in Missouri.Lilly Tucker-Pritchett the adopted Vietnamese daughter of Cameron and Mitchell. When she was introduced to the family, they accepted her with centripetal arms, although Mitchell originally wanted to wait to tell them about her. She is at times doing activities with both of her fathers but remains with Cam at home while Mitchell works. How Does It Appeal? A key aspect of the show? s appeal is the similarities population ? nd between the extended family and their own family. somewhat characters from the show are Phil Dunphy, Claire Dunphy, Jay Pritchett, Gloria Pritchett, Mitchell Pritchett, and Cam Tucker.There are many other characters that make up this family, which make for much more multifariousness. The dynamic between these different immediate families and their values (including traditional, gay, straight, and multicultural) are what suffers Modern Family its large demographic. The diversity of the Pritchetts helps reach a large audience. The ? rst part of this family is the Pritchett-Delgado family. This consists of Jay, the family patriarch, Gloria, the younger second wife, and Manny, her son. The fun part in ceremonial this family is the culture clash between Jay and Gloria.Gloria and Manny are Hispanic, while Jay is white. It is intere sting as they try to make authentic that Manny gets a combination of both cultures in his life. Next in this family is the Dunphy family. This has Claire, Jay? s daughter and mother of three, and Phil, Claire? s fun husband. Their children are also in the show. First is Haley, the epitome of some teenage girls who seem to and care about their social lives as opposed to spending time with their family. Second is Alex, the smart child and Haley? s opposite. Last is Luke, the youngest and most rambunctious of the three. He is very close to Manny.The Dunphy? s are a very traditional family, but has had some of the more memorable moments in the show. Some of them come from Phil, who is cognize for having a very fun sense of humor. Finally in that location is the Pritchett-Ticker family. This is made up of Mitchell, Jay? s gay son and Claire? s younger brother, Cam, his partner, and Lily, their adoptive daughter from Vietnam. It is fun to watch their family and see how different they are from the other two parts of the family. It? s also important because it helps to put the similarities into perspective for many viewers, and that is very valuable these days.Stereotypes Stereotypes are an inevitable part of modern culture. They are standardized and simpli? ed views of groups and minorities based on prior assumptions. Modern Family constantly utilises and plays with the notions of Stereotypes. Modern Family attempts to create a new stereotype by conform and altering old stereotypes. There is Jay, the Grandfather who remarried to a beautiful, busty Colombian woman Gloria and her son, Manny.Jay? s daughter, Claire, married to Phil, who have 3 children, Haley, Alex and Luke. Finally, Jay? s on Mitchell has an adopted Vietnamese daughter with boyfriend Cameron. The entire program works by challenging and changing stereotypes, in particular that of Gay parents, Cam and Mitch. Cameron and Mitchell are, in a way, a stereotypical gay tally. However, the humour and the message is portrayed through their confrontation of that stereotype. In one episode, they are confronted with the notion that one of them in the couple is the woman. This stereotypical view, that society is asking them to conform to, forces not only a humorous situation, but also challenges the characters?Gender and Identity. The show cleverly alters the ideas of stereotypes, and plays to into them, but also puts name to a face as it were. Stereotypes are not necessarily formed solely on against minorities, and this show challenges every one. Each character is a stereotype in their own right be that the soundless socialite, or the only child or the loud Colombian woman. In season 4 there is an episode titled Fulgencio Which con? rms the perception that Latinos working in America are miserable and struggle for money but still work very hard.Gloria? family comes to visit the new born baby in the family and the Columbian family endeavors the entire episode to clearing the house, es pecially Gloria? s sister. it is a positive representation of Latinos because they want to work even if they are on a holiday. But the beauty and hilarity of Modern Family is that each character confronts each of their stereotypes and we, as an audience, see that there is a lot more than meets the eye. instead of simply accepting some of these stereotypes, Modern Family challenges some of these and in doing so creates a new whimsy on the viewers Controls and ConstraintsThere are many controls and constraints that will affect any media production, and Modern Family is no exception. Time Time is one of the main factors that affects the production. Each episode is meant to run for approximately 20-23 minutes excluding ad-breaks. This heart that the group of people who are putting together an episode, must avoid making a very long plot and address the main issue of the episode almost immediately. Another constraint of the show is its budget. Budget The budget of any program is an ou tline of how much that production will cost, or how much the director is willing to spend. In its ? st three seasons.There has been episodes ? lmed in Hawaii, and a ranch. These episodes were have been ? lmed in these locations and not a studio with a backdrop of that location. This would have possibly meant that the budget for those 2 episodes would have been greater than some of their other episodes. It is also rumored that the ABC is planning to ? lm a future episode in Columbia in which the viewers will be introduced to Gloria Pritchett? s family. Taking into account the budget of a normal episode, and adding to that international ? ights for the cast and crew, this could very well be the most expensive episode yet. rating/Audience One of the most important controls and constraints which affect a media production, is the audience and their expectations. The producers of the show will give a classi? cation or rating so that viewers have some idea of what to expect. Modern Family has a rating of PG13. A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents whitethorn consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision.The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. However, these elements are not deemed so penetrating as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no medicate use content in a PG-rated motion picture. Since people under the age of 13 are still likely to watch the show, The writers of an episode must be very careful about any potential jokes that might affect a child. E. g.Modern Family is not allowed to make a joke about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy not existing because a young person watchin g the show who believed they existed could end up being very upset. An example of this is from an episode from season 1 when Cameron and Mitchell take their adopted daughter Lilly to go an see Santa Claus at the local mall. The reason all types of ? lm media have these ratings, is to foster the viewer from seeing something they might not want to see. Values and Attitudes Re? ected Through CharactersIn mainstream media, there seems to be different views on gay marriage, but it seems to be slightly more in favor of accepting the life choices made by these people. In Modern Family, there is a gay couple called Cameron and Mitchell. The way that they positively re? ect the values and attitudes of society is the fact that they are very open about being gay. Another way it is positively re? ected is through the other main characters. They all seem to be very accepting even the Patriarch of the family Jay Pritchett, he accepts his sons choice even though he is uncomfortable with it.In on e of the early episodes of season 2, the couple shared a osculate which pleased the audience. Ultimately, then, the show re? ects the experiences and insecurities of its creators and assumed audience, middleclass, middle-aged straight white men. Also in its operate episode, Cam and Mitch announce to the family that they have adopted a baby from Vietnam and the whole family (Including Mictchell? s homophobic father Jay) are very accepting of their choice. It reassures them that being tolerant is as good as being inclusive and that straight person white families with shrill stay-at-home wives are the norm.Its exploration of the pressures of feminine ideals is considerably less sympathetic means that Phil? s wife Claire Dunphy is arguably the least likable character, and story lines have included three women getting their period at the same time and going crazy, and ? ery Latina Gloria needing to be chaperoned because her pregnancy brain makes her too inadequate to function.Modern Family is one of very few to feature main characters who are gay (one of whom is played by a character who is actually gay outside of the production) and people of color, and it shows Cam and Mitch to be caring, capable parents. t challenges some of the values and attitudes which are evident, and the fact that Modern Family presents this unit in such a non-threatening way may be the key to its acceptance. Impact On Society Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Casted as Mitchell Pritchett) said that Modern Family might be doing a lot to diverseness the views on gay marriage. The actor said he has had several people approach him and remark how the show has had an impact their lives and their views. Its impossible to measure how wide the impact is, but the fact that even one person changed their mind says a lot about the depth of the show. Modern Family is barely the ? rst show to feature gay characters.However, it is one of the ? rst that doesnt really make an issue out of it. In fact, it is unc louded to forget that Cameron and Mitchell are a gay couple. There are no political statements or agendas. They are just two people living their lives. The fact that it has affected the views of other people indicates that it is a very important show. It takes something special to alter the mindset of an individual. This show ? ts the bill.They keep doing what they do. Modern Family shouldnt try to change the world. However, if they change a few minds while carrying on as normal then there is nothing aggrieve with that. Modern Family has also made people who watch the show feel better about themselves because viewers now know that there own family isn? t the only family who has troubles. It is happening all around them. This helps us to understand that Modern family is one of the most realistic television sitcoms going around at the moment. closingIt is quite evident that Modern family has had an impact on todays society in a positive way along with providing the viewers with plen ty of laughs along the way. For people to want watch a program and understand some of the meaning it constructs, then the show must appeal to the viewer in the ? rst place, and Modern Family does this by creating a storyline that most people bunghole generally relate to. Once people aim immersed in the show they start to pick up some of the stereotypes that are evident, e. g. Gay couple, loud due south Ameri ends etc.Because we relate with the characters, we feel inclined to display the same values and attitudes that the characters do which is respecting people even if they? re gay or of a different nationality. This leads to its impact on society which is without a doubtfulness a positive one. Perhaps Modern Family is changing the views towards gay marriage and it is better that they? re doing it in a way where people can watch a television program that people can enjoy, but also learn from it. It is amazing to consider how successful a TV show can be due to the controls and co nstraints it faces, and Modern Family perfects it.