FMM: Always in Vogue

During yesterday's session, our topic was keeping television show formats fresh. This is key to keeping the audiences glued to the program for a long time.

In this day and age, most programs only last 13 weeks and disappear after that. Gone were the days when programs really lasted long, and in the Philippines, I think it's only Eat Bulaga that stood the test of time. 

Aside from mashing together different formats to give programs a fresh look and feel, another way is reinvention. This means taking the original and tweaking things to create a totally new material from an old and existing one. And during the class discussion, the subject turned to our generation's ionqueen of reinvention - Madonna.

The example given was the song "Vogue." It was first released in 1990, and Madonna has been singing it in her concerts ever since. And even if she's been singing the same song for 22 years, people are still excited to hear it because she brings something new to the table each time. It can be new synths, new arrangements, or even a new step. And once she's placed these new elements into the old song, it becomes a new one altogether.

This discussion inspired today's Friday Magic Madness entry. I looked at the original video of "Vogue" and a more current version. Here's the music video that debuted in 1990:



(video courtesy of youtube) 

And a more recent version from her "Sticky and Sweet" tour.
(video courtesy of youtube)

And it is indeed true. It's just like hearing two totally different songs, and that's why it never grows old.

Reinvention really is a powerful thing.