Reflect And Perfect - Assessment

Reflectin n Perfectin

Question 1) Full marks :))))

Question 2) 8 out of 10 :))))

How to improve:

- Make sure I use consistent terminology throughout

- Use a bit more theoretical framework

- Media language 

Question 3) 10 out of 15 :|||| (not too bad)

How to improve:

- Use more theoretical framework

- More detail in examples

- Use 'uses and gratifications' for the audience

- Use frequent justification

Question 4) 3 out of 5 :))))

How to improve:

- 

Question 5) Full marks :))))

Perfect Q3 answer

The text demonstrates a sense of real life through the diegetic sound such as playing in the background when the officers were in the café having their lunch. The audience can relate to this in their every day life when they go out to eat with friends or colleagues which reinforces the sense of realism.

In addition to this, real life is showed through the gender equality. Typically, people assume the career of a police officer is associated with men however the 6 officers are split - 3 men, 3 women. This highlights gender equality and can demonstrate what societal norms were at the time of the show's airing. The gender equality is also a countertype to the stereotypical argument that only men should have jobs in police force.

Moreover, the two main police officers in the episode are countertypes for common stereotypes. For example, Jake is gay and Ryan is black. When Ryan asks Jake to tell him a bit about himself Jake immediately tells him he is gay - with no hesitation conveying the real life of 2014 where being homosexual is accepted. And the wide variety of ethnicity including white people, black people and asian people. 

Ryan squashes the stereotype that black people are criminals as he fights for the law - not fighting against it. People are all seen as equal highlighting real life society to this day. 

Lastly, this extract creates realism to the pre-watershed audience as BBC's remit is OFFCOM, their aim is to inform, educate and entertain their audience. All of the polish officers wear a uniform which represent common British officers - so in a case if the young people watching are ever in a situation where they needed to reach out to the police force, then they know who they need to look for.

To conclude, the extract creates a strong sense of real life using representation, sound, countertypes that live in the society of the time of the show etc.

Assessment Guidance

Assessment guidance

The exam will last 1hr 45 mins (30 mins screening of an extract from the show and note taking & 1hr 15 mins to answer questions).

When making notes, make a grid/table with that sub-headings camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

L - LANGUAGE

      - camera

      - sound

      - editing

      - mise-en-scene

      - connotation

A - AUDIENCE

      - active

      - passive

      - mass

      - niche

      - uses & gratifications

R - REPRESENTATION

      - stereotype

      - countertype

      - dominant representation

      - positive

      - negative

I - INDUSTRY 

      - tv

      - film

      - PSB

      - regulators

      - radio

      - newspapers

      - magazines

      - video games

C - CONTEXTS

      - social

      - political

      - historical

      - cultural

Narrative Structure

Narrative Structure

A story is ALL the events surrounding a group of characters in a place at a certain time.

A narrative is the selected way of telling that story.

Rules of narrative

- Does it have conventions?

- Does it have a beginning, middle and end?

- What characters are there? Protagonist? Antagonist? Propps theory? 

A single drama/film is a single episode or short film which is not part of a series or have any other episodes.

A soap is a continuous drama where it goes on forever, usually each episode ends on a cliff hanger. They usually have massive casts of all different races and ethnicities. 

A serial is a series, where there are episodes - a show that runs in seasons. Generally, they have a different story each episode. 

An anthology series is self-contained episodes where there is a different cast and a completely different story in each episode. For example, 'Black Mirror'.

A long-form series drama is a series when there is a story which runs through many episodes - sometimes even across multiple seasons. An example of this is 'Riverdale'.

A long-form series drama with some narrative experimentation is any TV series that experiments with the narrative - doing something new. This is such as making an episode in real time like an hour.

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Linear narrative: a sequential narrative with a beginning, middle and end in that order. Linear narratives provides a straightforward, sequential representation of events leading to a single resolution. As such, easily accessible to audiences and are the dominant form in mainstream media representations. 


















1- equilibrium, a story starts where everything is equal, balanced and everyone is happy

2- something happens to disrupt the happy order

3- someone recognises something has happened

4- there is something to repair the disorder, usually a fight

5- Return to a happy equilibrium






For example, 'Little Red Riding Hood', she goes to visit her grandma and bring her some food. The audience knows that Little Red has been told not to go into the woods but she does, meaning we recognise something will happen to disrupt the equilibrium. 

The audience knows that the wolf is pretending to be the grandma - dramatic irony - and then Little Red recognises something is wrong. There is an attempt to repair the disorder and the wolf gets killed. Equilibrium is then restored.



'Cuffs' is known as a character led narrative with multiple storylines. It is a serial drama.

'The Avengers' is knows as a long-form serial drama.





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Cuffs

Equilibrium: Jake Ryan going the police force and he is having lunch with other officers.

Disruption: A robbery at newsgate in Brighton

Recognition: Donna gets an urgent call for her

Attempt at repair: They suddenly leave their lunch and go to help 

New equilibrium: They did not manage to catch the criminals but they made sure that everyone was safe and secure


Avengers

Equilibrium: Emma and Steed are flirting and having a fencing match

Disruption: There are missing people in Little Bazley and they go to investigate

Recognition: They realise a lot of things do not add up, such as all of the school children are on break in the middle of term

Attempt at repair: There is a big fight between Emma and Steed and the Russian spies

New equilibrium: They defeat the villians and go back home

The Avengers audience questions

Questions

Who is the target audience for 'The Avengers'?

The target audience is at adults considering it is during the watershed period.

How does 'The Avengers' appeal to them? (specific examples of content)

It appealed to adults because it was a time of day where their children would be going to sleep and the more mature content and more suitable for adults come on.

How were audiences able to access 'The Avengers'?

If they had a TV and watched ITV as that is the company that ran it - they could only watch it then and there because catch up and demand did not exist (eww).

How did the social, cultural and historical contexts of the time affect audiences? (think about the generation gap)

It affected the audience by the homophobic society not allowing homosexuals to partake in the show - so there were no gay characters. Thus being a social context of the time. An example of the cultural context is the music - which reflects the time of society as it is very old and differs from modern day music. It has historical context because it swaps the gender roles as - for example - Emma Peel is represented as intelligent and there is an image of her holding a gun which was unusual for society at the time.

How did the narratives and lack of recording technology maintain a loyal audience?

Because it had cliff hangers and they couldn't record it because technology was less advanced back then, also there was not much crime drama on back then and they got to know the characters very well. 

Write two paragraphs applying the Uses and Gratifications theory to 'The Avengers'.

What is an passive audience?

How could an passive audience interpret 'The Avengers'? (Think about the themes in S4, Ep 1)

Industry, Ownership, Scheduling, Regulation and Funding in the 1960s

In the 1960s

Ownership - the way in which the business part of a TV company is run

Funding - The sources a media company uses to get money for producing their shows

Regulation - The setting and enforcing of rules in a media 

sector

Industry

- The BBC began in 1936

- ITV began in 1955 as direct competition to BBC

TV during the mid 60s only had 3 channels available: 

• BBC1
• BBC2
• ITV

Televisions were small, expensive and only in black and white. Programmes were limited and only available during certain times of the day. When nothing was being broadcasted, the national anthem played. "Channel surfing" did not exist like it does today. 

BBC had complete 'monopoly' over the television industry - meaning they had all of the power. This means that BBC's unique broadcaster had complete ownership over the industry and therefore faced zero competition as it was the only company. 

When ITV began, it was the first time that products were advertised and quickly grew in popularity. This created a duopoly - meaning that the two companies dominated the TV industry. 

Funding

How was ITV funded?

ITV's primary income was by advertisements and their financially secure state meant that it was the only channel to broadcast moving -image ads. This advertisement revenue resulted in higher production values than the BBC. 

What issues did ITV face with their commercial TV funding?

The ITA set a lot of rules such as sponsorship which was not allowed and the number of adverts were controlled. Also, because ads were brand new it took a while for advertisers to want to advertise on TV.

What did the ITA do and how did this impact the content broadcasted by ITV?

The ITA controlled and regulated the TV shows and adverts. It was a company that was set up to regulate ITV. This restricted ITV from certain things it was showing. 

How did the popularity of 'The Avengers' impact its production values?

The ABC in America gave $2,000,000 to 'The Avengers' production which was a lot of money at the time. This then results in paying for better cameras, bigger sets and funded a lot of production.

Regulation

British television production was protected by the rules of public service broadcasting that minted the proportion of foreign content. This was different to world television who were dominated by American programs.

Due  to ITV being 'the channel of the moment' it faced no competition for advertisements, which meant that the commercial television channel could be highly regulated. Of course the ASA standards and society have changed since then.

Advertising
Standards
Authority

The national anthem would be playing until ITV opened its channel at 4.20pm with a daytime soap and then showed a range of television shows. Adult programmes then followed this.



Watershed - In 1964, the watershed was introduced at 9pm. This allowed for more adult programming such as 'The Avengers'. ITV shut down at about midnight, by which time it was assumed that audiences would be in bed. 

The watershed is the cut off time from programmes that are for appropriate ages to be more adult shows. This time starts at 9pm. It was introduced so that children would be watching shows that are appropriate for their age and the adults get to watch more graphic, violent and more without their children watching it too. This would have impacted 'The Avengers' because it was shown after 9pm meaning it could be more mature or graphic/violent.

Scheduling and figures

'The Avengers' was scheduled at 9.05pm on Saturday on ITV. This was prime-time. By the fourth series it had attracted over 7 million homes and episodes often appeared in the top 10 television programmes. The remote control had not yet been invented, so viewers had to get up and go to the TV to change the channel (eww).

'The Avengers' time slot impacted their viewing figures because it is Saturday meaning they do not have work the next day and it is during the watershed period meaning the adults finally get their time to watch programmes that they enjoy. It is on at prime-time. 

It was also one of the only crime-dramas at the time meaning it was more exciting and scarce for adults.


'The Avengers' audience questions

Who is the target audience for 'The Avengers'?
The target audience is adults because the show was on during watershed on a Saturday when not many people had work the next morning. 

How does 'The Avengers' appeal to them?
It appeals to them because it was more daring, sexy and irreverent than anything else on TV. It was well suited to a channel-loyal audience with no recording facilities. There was also a lack of competition at the time meaning it was a show people would loyally watch. 

How did the social, cultural and historical contexts of the time affect the audience?
Emma Peel, the main character, was a strong woman who was very different to a woman you would have seen in the 1960s. She was savage in a way that she had physical fights, she was intelligent and solved the mystery and she wore leather - which was seen as very sexy but also very different to the norms of the 60s society. This is all social, historical and cultural. 

How were audiences able to have access to 'The Avengers'?
'The Avengers' was on ITV. It allowed tent pole scheduling, where the evenings viewing was held up by popular TV shows.  

Social, Cultural, Historical Context (Avengers)

Social, Cultural, Historical Context - Avengers

'The Avengers' as a distinctive generic identity that is rooted in British popular culture.

Television drew upon this tradition while at the same time responding to the social and cultural changes of the 1960s.

It is a spy-thriller sub-genre.

Series 4, Episode 1 - Steed and Emma are on the trail of several murdered agents. They visit Little Bazeley by the Sea, a town that strangers rarely leave alive - and discover that it is being secretly infiltrated (invaded) by enemy agents who were Russian spies at the time.

London had just come out of the 1950s which was very bleak. For once, people were given the chance to relax and have freedom. Younger people were given a choice and people were finally allowed to just sit back and have some fun. 

-When you are writing about the 1950s it is historical context. 

-When you are writing about the 1960s it is social and cultural context because it is the time of the episode.

Music

At the time, there were only 2 big famous musicians which were Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The Beatles were the first British band to go to America and immediately become super stars after being on a famous TV show there. Their music was very rebellious and young people began to stand up for their views beliefs and individuality. 

Drugs

A lot of recreational drugs were taken and at their height in the 60s. The Woodstock Festival pictures show people high on marijuana and LSD dancing in fields and had paint on they faces. 

It was very difficult for anyone involved in show business to avoid getting involved in drugs. LSD brought out the 'hippie' movement and made people a lot more happier and care-free. 

The effects of these drugs were also reflected in psychedelic art, music and films.   


Gender

The 1960s was a feminist movement including protests, women's abortion rights and women liberations groups.

In 1965 the use of contraceptive birth pills were discovered and that changed relationships.

Women were paid 60 percent less than men which is a very significant amount and they were generally working in "pink collar" jobs which were lower salaries and less important. 

It was a time of patriarchy even though it became a progressive time.

Avengers gender

Emma Peel from 'The Avengers' does not show much skin in the clothes she wears whereas nowadays, the celebrities equal to her at that time would. She does not dress as a typical woman at that time but still looks sexually attractive with the leather she wears. At that time, if you wore leather it had a connotation of rebellion 

When she is fighting, rather than fighting by punching like the men are she is pulling the other persons hair and being quite catty and bitchy in the way she fights. She is rough and presented to be very sexy - as a whole she was very different to the normal women that you would see in the 60s which was a unique and positive thing. 


Emma's use of dialogue was very seductive.


Sexuality in the 60s (men)

Being gay was not legal and was judged upon in society. If you were, you would be sent to prison or put into a mental institution. If they were sent to a mental institution they were tortured, endured electroshock therapy and experimentation and had to take special pills - such as oestrogen. 

Someone in 1966 lost his seat in parliament for standing up for gay rights. 


A man called Alan Turing was forced to either go to jail or take oestrogen. He chose oestrogen and 2 years later he committed suicide because he was judged by society and he was not his true self. He could no longer produce sperm either. 

By the end of 1954 over 1000 british men were in jail for homosexual 'offences'. 

Mid 60s, gay activists became increasingly aware of the threat of prison. 

In 1967, the law changed so limited sexual content was permitted but there were 3 conditions. It had to be consensual, the sexual act had to take place in private and the act could only be between 2 people over the age of 21


Sexuality in the 60s (women)

There were no rules on lesbians because no one recognised that women could have sex so it was potentially legal for a grown woman and a 10 year old girl to do sexual actions.


Avengers sexuality

- Emma Peel uses her sexuality as a weapon as she is very seductive in all of her dialogue and she is very flirty

- It emphasises the ＃MeToo movement, when Steed slaps her bum with a fencing sword and the camera zooms in to it 

- There is a complete absence of sexuality, this contrasts to 'Cuffs' as there are gay men in it

-Her leather clothes and attractiveness promotes promiscuous behaviour

Concerns at the time

Avengers plays on the big concern at the time which was a war, it was an ongoing stand off between the US and Russia. We can see this paranoia in 'The Avengers' because it dealt with invasion, spies, imposters etc. 

This was a huge fear in the 60s. 

Scheduling and Viewing

Scheduling and viewing

Questions

What is TV scheduling?

TV scheduling is when a show is broadcasted, this is important because timing needs to be considered as (for example) it might be on the same time as a very popular show

Why is scheduling crucial to the success of all broadcasters and shows?

This is because if a show is on at a time where their targeted audience is watching the TV, or if there are no other particularly popular shows on then they will pull in more viewers

When was 'Cuffs' scheduled?

'Cuffs' was scheduled the same time as 'The British Bake Off' at 8pm on a Wednesday. The timing used to be very good until 'The Great British Bake Off' was on at that time thus rendering 'Cuffs' much less popular due to the scheduling

What were the reasons for scheduling at that time, on that day and on that channel?

Because it is pre watershed which would pull in a wider range of audience, it is the only day that 'Eastenders' isn't on and there are similar shows on the same channel which fits 'Cuffs' into that category

What were 'Cuffs' viewing figures?

Roughly 5 million 

What are comfort viewing and appointment television?

Comfort viewing is when the audience watches to relax, chill or just purely for entertainment and comfort. Appointment television is when the audience wants to watch the live tv of their episode to avoid spoilers from the internet or socially

Why was 'Cuffs' cancelled?

Because 'Cuffs' did not have either two of the things mentioned in the question above and therefore did not pull in enough viewers and did not get enough money to fund production

Regulation

Regulation 

- Television in the UK is regulated by OFCOM

- OFCOM (office of communications)

- OFCOM have a set of rules called the broadcasting code

- Radio is also regulated by OFCOM

The OFCOM broadcasting code covers 10 mean sections. The 3 main ones are:

1. Protection of under 18s
2. Harm and offence
3. Crime

OFCOM also define the watershed - the period before 9pm and after 5.30am when programmes containing material unsuitable for children cannot be shown - this includes sexual content, violence, graphic or disturbing imagery and swearing. This means that programmes such as 'Cuffs' have to be very careful about their content, which might be seen to reduce the realism of the programme as, for example, the criminals avoid swearing.

Questions

How might the watershed impact on 'Cuffs'

Cuffs is on at the time it is so it can have a wider and bigger audience, however this means that although it is a crime show - they must limit what they can show such as swearing, blood or graphic/upsetting imagery that is not suitable for anyone of any age.

Define all 4 of OFCOM's PSB purposes and 6 PSB characteristics in a TV context

6 PSB characteristics

High quality - high production values

Original - different to other TV shows

Innovative - originality

Challenging - makes you think about it

Widely available - can be seen on TV, iPhone, iPad etc

Distinctive - stands out from other programmes

4 OFCOM's PSB purposes

- Informing our understanding of the world

- Stimulating knowledge and learning

- Reflecting the UK's cultural identity

- Representing diversity and alternative viewpoints

How does 'Cuffs' show all 4 purposes and all 6 characteristics

4 purposes

Rise in hate and religion crime

Rise in immigrants and shop lifting

Acceptance of homosexuality

How multicultural society is

6 characteristics (Cuffs)

It is widely available as you can watch on many devices

It has high production values

It is different from other TV shows

It stands out

It makes you think - terrorism, sexuality etc

It has a lot of originality

The influence of social contexts - homework

The influence of social contexts in 'Cuffs' 

Social context is how media products reflect the society in which they are produced and that of their target audience. For example, there is a number of terrorist attacks taking place in modern day society all around the world. There have been frequent occasions when those attacks were by people of the Muslim race leading the generalisation and association of Muslim people and terrorists attackers.

An example of this is in 'Cuffs' where a man is mugged and stabbed because he is of the Muslim descent which reflects in society because people assume all Muslims are terrorists. This is a major social issue and becoming a common stereotype because not all Muslims are terrorists like they are regularly now portrayed to be. This stereotype has even caused bullying of Muslim children in school by their peers, duplicating into more social issues - such as bullying. In addition to this, bullying often leads to dropping of grades, depression and suicide which are all other social issues factoring from this divide in common nationality's and Muslim nationality.

This links to the issues of 2010 because on January 7th Muslim gunmen in Egypt killed nine people after opening fire on a crowd of Christians which would begin to suggest to people that Muslims are violent people thus rendering the modern stereotype of the association between terrorism and Muslims.