TV Drama Media Representation of Age -

Representation of Age - 

Stereotypes of Old Age:

• Sociological studies have shown that older people are portrayed as: grumpy, conservative, stubborn, resistant to change
• Enjoying a second childhood, being cheeky, reliving their adolescence, engage in activities they've always wanted to do before death (Shreddies advert: Nana Shreddies)
• Pitied, dependent, economic burden, helpless

Catherine Tate 'Nan' Stereotypes: 

• She is stereotypically stubborn and resistant to change but is not conforming to the stereotype of being grumpy and conservative.
• She is stubborn and resistant to change as she refuses to move to a nursing home and insults her new great-granddaughter. However, she laughs a lot at others stupidity, in her opinion, and uses vulgarisms and insults whilst not being conservative in the personality trait. She is conservative in her dress code by wearing a top underneath her dress and wearing a cardigan. 
• She is in the genre of comedy TV.
• The genre affects the character as it becomes an extreme and satirical representation of age. 
• The iconography present in the programme is the costume of the knitted cardigan, the doilies on the furniture, the furniture is a high armchair. All of these are representative of old age in a stereotypical manner.

'Waterloo Road' Middle Age & Teenager Essay Preparation:

Mise-en-scene:

• Heroic: both students and teachers run into a burning building to save fellow staff and employees. 
• Only one student made an attempt to rescue the passed-out teacher. 
• The female teacher passes out as she allows the students get closer to the doors to breathe the fresher air (conforms to caring nature of older aged people)

Camera:

• Low angle shot: the camera is looking up at middle-aged headmistress is questioning the commotion: authority (contrast to high angle shot looking down on the student who is of lower position)
• Mid two shot: the young students attempting to rescuer the teacher (subverts from selfish stereotype of teenagers)
• High-angle tilt: on coughing teacher being placed on ground by a teenager (subverts from lazy self-centred stereotype of teenagers and conforms to dependent stereotype of old people)

Editing:

• Shot duration: jump cuts for students whilst the camera stays longer on the middle aged head-teacher thus showing authority due to age
• Match cut: the fire and smoke of two scenes: those trapped by the door and the one girl trapped in the bathroom. Students are attempting to stay alive due to their youthful nature.

Sound: 

• Screaming of students/ calm speech of the adults to contrast the erratic response of the young and the more responsible older. 

Strauss:

• Binary opposites

Contemporary Media Texts and Gender Theory Influences Essay -

Media Gender Representation Essay -

To what extent do Mulvey’s theory (1975) on the male gaze and Shroeder’s ideas (1998) influence contemporary media texts? Discuss Charlie’s Angels and one other show giving evidence from mise-en-scene, sound etc.

Mulvey’s (1975) theory on ‘The Male Gaze’ studies how women are shown in media as sexual objects for heterosexual male gratification ; this is depicted through a variety of means such as camera shots, sexual objectification within dialogue and the conformity to stereotypes of genders in media. Schroeder’s (1998) ideas suggest that the both ‘The Male Gaze’ and ‘The Female Gaze’ suggest more than Mulvey considered. Schroeder stated that “to gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze”. Both theorists put forward an argument that suggests ideas of gender are presented in media productions through a gaze. The two forms of media that I will be discussing, in relation to a few theorists who discuss gender, are ‘Charlie’s Angels : Full Throttle’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ despite them being different mediums.

To begin with, the trailer for ‘Charlie’s Angels’ both conforms and subverts Mulvey’s theory on ‘The Male Gaze’ whilst supporting Schroeder’s ideas of power and introducing the theories of Hanson’s ‘The Female Gaze’. For instance, in the trailer at 0:30 an older male is shown staring at one of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ who is dancing supposedly to distract the male or to gain information. As a result it can be said that the female protagonist is being sexualised by the male character, and heterosexual male members of an audience, thus conforming to Mulvey’s theory. However, the female character is also staring back at the male whilst standing over him thus establishing dominance and conforming to the ideas of power suggested by Schroeder through the use of a gaze and levels in body language and movement. Despite this, it could be argued that the female protagonists of the film use their bodies, as they are aware of the male gaze, to their advantage therefore turning the sexualisation into a weapon to use against males. Furthermore, at 0:35 two of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ are shown looking at a male character through binoculars and saying “Yummy…”. This is an example of Hanson’s ‘The Female Gaze’ which has become more common in contemporary media. ‘The Female Gaze’ is when females sexualise males and therefore this subverts Mulvey’s ideas that media portray women as weak and objects of male sexual lust and desire. Additionally, this moment in the trailer also suggests, according to Schroeder, that the female protagonists are more powerful than their male counterparts. Also, at 1:24 the three ‘Angels’ are with a friend who says “You all fine, but you crazy” whilst gazing at them from a physically higher position. Therefore, the use of ‘The Male Gaze’ and dialogue displays the female active protagonists as inferior to the male who views them sexually but also uses the stereotypical lexis of “crazy” associated with females. Consequently, it can be argued that the trailer for the film ‘Charlie’s Angles : Full Throttle’ is influenced by a variety of gender theorists including Mulvey, Hanson and Schroeder either to create comical effect and or to challenge stereotypical gender roles and representations within the media.

On the other hand is ‘Game of Thrones’ which, very similarly to ‘Charlie’s Angels’, in its series 1 trailer has examples of Mulvey’s ‘The Male Gaze’, Schroeder’s theory on ‘The Gaze and Power’ and Hanson’s theory of ‘The Female Gaze’. For example, at 0:43 Schroeder’s theory on the gaze and power is exemplified when the character ‘Lord Eddard Stark’ gazes down at his wife whilst telling her that he must leave her and their home. The combination of the use of levels, the gaze and dialogue all merge to show the male character as more powerful than his wife. Although, the ‘Game of Thrones’ trailer also conforms to Mulvey’s theory of ‘The Male Gaze’ at multiple points in the footage. For instance, at 1.20 the horse-lord ‘Khal Drogo’ gazes at the female character of ‘Daenerys Targaryen’. This is an example of ‘The Male Gaze’ as the female character is promised to the male character despite her disagreement and is being stared at by the male character who is far higher whilst seated on a horse. The male character sexualises the female character by staring at her body from above and this is also an example of Schroeder’s theory showing the male character as far superior to the female, who is subject of the gaze. Furthermore, at 1.34 is a scene which takes place in a brothel which provides examples of both Mulvey’s ‘The Male Gaze’ and Hanson’s ‘The Female Gaze’. For example, The female is a prostitute being used by the master of the brothel to entice a male guard in. The male guard is seen to be gazing at the body of the semi-clothed female thus establishing the idea that she is a sexual object who exits only for male lust which conforms to ‘The Male Gaze’. However, it is interesting that the female prostitute exemplifies ‘The Female Gaze’ whilst staring at the male guard; even though this would usually be described as an example of ‘The Female Gaze’ it could be argued that her staring does not sexualise the male but instead invites him to sexualise her which would again then become an example of ‘The Male Gaze’.

To conclude, whilst different mediums of media are influenced by many different ideas and theories it can be argued that a significant amount of contemporary media platforms are influenced by Mulvey, Schroeder and even Hanson whether they conform to the theories or subvert them.

Narrative Theory Analysis The Avengers, Breaking Bad and Shelock -

Narrative Theory - 

The Avengers - 

Antagonist: Loki (God of Mischief, Evil son of Odin)

Protagonists: The Avengers

Antagonist Traits:

• Wants to dominate the world
• Too proud
• Misunderstood
• Tragic backstory

Breaking Bad - 

Anti-hero: Walter White 

Anti-hero Traits:

• Drug dealer (to earn money for his family before he dies)
• Terminal lung cancer patient 

Sherlock Holmes - 

Protagonist: Sherlock Holmes

Foil: Dr John Watson

Protagonist Traits:

• Impulsive
• Eccentric
• Egocentric
• Chaotic
• Genius/ intellectual
• Adventurous
• Obsessive

Foil Traits:

• Mundane 
• Level headed
• Calm

Shot Composition and Analysis -

Shot Composition –

• Wide
• Full body
• Mid
• Medium close up
• Close up
• Extreme close up
• Dutch angle
• Low angle
• High angle
• Pan
• Cut in
• Over the head
• Tilt
• Dolly zoom
• Over the shoulder
• Medium two shot

The 180 degree rule - 

• People in the scene must remain on their original side
• If the side is switched then the movement of the camera to the second position must be shown
• The audience must be re orientated at the end of the scene as they are a secondary participant

Hotel Babylon Analysis –

• Medium close up : 0.05 – Shows the facial expression of the character who is worried and thoughtful. 
• Panning shot : 0.08 – Follows the character walking across until he finds two police officers which could imply how sudden the visit is. 
• Medium two shot / over the shoulder : 0.10 – Emphasises the status and power relationship between the characters. The police officers have power over the hotel staff. 
• Zoom in shot : 0.17 – This shot infers that the police / immigration officers are closing in on the hotel by zooming in. 
• Over the shoulder / long shot : 0.24 – This shot emphasises the sudden closing of the immigration officers and that they are cornering the hotel, it also makes the scene more dramatic. 
• Panning shot : 0.35 - This shot again exaggerates the closing in of he immigration officers onto the hotel staff. 
• Over the shoulder : 0.39 - This shot imitates being cornered due to the placement of the camera; this helps to give the audience an idea of how the characters are feeling within the scene. 
• Close up : 0.49 - This shot is a close up on the immigration officers face which allows the audience to see his suspicious facial expressions. 
• Close up shot transition to a mid shot : 0.52 - This shot exemplifies the erratic nature of the scene. 
• High angle shot : 1.09 - The boss is at her desk and usually this shot implies vulnerability or lack or power but in the specific context of the scene it goes against this inference. However, it could imply her lack of power in ensuring all members of staff are not taken by the immigration officers.
• Quick panning shots : 1.10 - These shots also show how the scene is erratic and the characters are desperate to alert the staff of the immigration officers presence. 
• Panning shot : 1.14 - The panning shot following one character shows her desperation to hide the staff from the immigration officers. 
• Close up : 1.27 - This shot is a close up on the door handle which shows the shaking hands of the character and thus highlights the desperation prevalent within the scene. 
• Extreme Close up : 1.42 - The shot shows the worried facial expressions of the hotel staff and adds to the chaotic and fearful atmosphere of the scene. 
• Slow panning shot : 1.46 - This shot pans slowly around the faces of all the worried hotel staff to exaggerate the tense and sad atmosphere of the scene. 
• High angle shot : 2.10 - This shot shows a diabetic staff worker collapsed on the floor and the high angle shot exaggerates the vulnerability of the character in the specific scene.
• Extreme close up & narrow depth of field / pull focus shot : 2.50 - This close up allows the audience to feel helpless as the hotel worker is unaware of the impending immigration officers who are in focus in the shot behind him; the depth of field is used well here to evoke helplessness in the audience. The staff member in the foreground is in focus until the immigration officers appear behind and the depth of field and focus is then pulled onto the background. 
• Extreme close up : 3.07 - This extreme close up again highlights the vulnerability of the character as they are unconscious and in a low position on the floor. 
• Zoom in shot : 3.23 - This shot is used to show the fear on the characters face as the audience hears a knock on the door of the room which the staff are hiding in. This again arouses tension and fear in the audience through choice of shot. 
• Zoom shot : 4.26 - This shot zooms in and focuses on the belongings of the taken staff member and evokes a strong sense of sadness in the audience who are attached to the characters. 
• Panning shot : 5.01 - This panning shot scans over the canteen tables in which the staff are separated into their ethnic groups. This shot is used to show the feeling of loss felt by a community and evokes a sense of sadness in an audience. 

 Over the Shoulder / Long Shot : 0.24

Over the Shoulder : 0.37

 Over the Shoulder : 0.39

 Extreme Close Up : 1.42

 High Angle Shot : 2.10

Extreme Close Up / Narrow Depth of Field :  2.50 

Filming My Hobbies Plot -

Plot -

Hobby : Watching Westerns

Shots :
Long Shot (whole body, walking)
Medium Shot (standing still)
Head Shot (zooms in whilst actor is standing still, also featured when actor is sitting)
Extreme Close up (on the eyes, Western inspired)
Feet Shot (walking, typical Western inspired)

Ideas :

• Pan shot following the rolling tumbleweed
• Stops at feet of the actor
• Pans up to extreme close-up shot of eyes
• Zooms out to long shot of actor walking
• Cut to sitting down
• Medium shot whilst sitting
• Low angle long-shot whilst talking
• Improvised shots during discussion
• Close up of feet, pan shot as actor leaves

TV My Favourite Hobby Video

The Shots -

Long Shot - From bottom of the feet to top of head

Medium Shot - Mid arm to the top of head

Close Up Shot - Head shot

Casting -

Actor - Dylan Koolman

Director - Morgan Redman

Camera Man - Emma Weeks

Plot -

Walking to location (10-15 seconds)

Sit down and discuss hobby (1 minute)

TV Period Drama Analysis Mise en Scene 'Downton Abbey' -

Downton Abbey - 

Mise en Scene 1 :

• Set - 1912 England on the day the Titanic sunk
• Location - Servants quarters
• Actors - Famous actor Jim Carter  
• Costume - Period, formal, maid and butler wear (Head butler in suit due to being in the presence of an opulent family)
• Lighting - Dark to show it is in the servants quarters (lack of wealth)
• Props - The iron used to iron the newspaper, the newspaper, the service bells (used to call servants to the aristocracy house owners)
• Other - The meagre portions of porridge for breakfast

Mise en Scene 2 :

• Set - 1912 England on the day the Titanic sunk
• Location - The dining room, upstairs of the main house
• Actors - Famous actor Hugh Bonneville 
• Costume - Elaborate expensive fabrics and outfits, period
• Lighting - Brighter as it is in the main house (shows wealth and opulence) 
• Props - Telegram bringing the news of the death of friends
• Hair and Makeup - 1920s finger waves
• Other - The excessive banquet for breakfast

Class and Status :

• "I understand most of the ladies were taken off in time…"
  "You mean the ladies in first class. God help the poor devils below decks… they're on their way to a better life"
• The quote shows how the bourgeoise were treated with special privileges over the proletariat. Additionally, the above quote featured in the episode is an example of the perception held by the upper and middle classes about the working class.

TV Period Drama Analysis Mise en Scene 'Wolf Hall' -

Wolf Hall -

Mise en Scene :

• Period costume 
• Quill and ink
• Dark wood furniture
• Elaborate head-dress
• Scroll / parchment
• Writing on paper
• Embroidery on furniture
• Excessive jewellery
• Small glass pane windows (typical of the period)
• Tudor style facial hair
• Writing desk 
• Both fair skinned (nobles were referred blue bloods) 
• Colour scheme of clothes (no access to various coloured dyes, especially bright colours)
• Noble costume and set
• Body contact infers a close relationship
• The male taking the lead with an inferior helping female
• Location appears very typically English
• Lighting infers serious, tense mood
• Elaborate gold box shows wealth
• Famous actors : Damien Lewis and Claire Foy

TV Drama Soap Analysis Eastenders –

Eastenders Analysis -

• 09 / 10 / 15

• Summation : Emotions are high in Albert Square when Ian demands answers from those closest    to him.

• Narrative : Recently in the show Ian Beale has been dealing with the aftermath of his daughters death and in the mean time his supposedly deceased mother, Kathy, has returned from the ‘dead’. 

There are aspects in Eastenders, as in any soap, that are an example of realistic society which conforms to the verisimilitude of most TV dramas. However, there are also elements of Eastenders that are not representative of wider society and are acts, which in themselves, are not accurate if the intention of the programme is to be naturalistic. 

Some examples of naturalistic elements in Eastenders are; use of appropriate and real settings, accents and dialect / use of colloquial language, representation of families and relationships, auditory effects and the representation of social groups (specifically varied sexualities). The buildings used in Eastenders are all real and suitable for the location in which the show is set in. Furthermore, the East London accents are present in the voices of actors as is the use of dialect in the scripts; the characters use a variety of colloquial slang / abbreviations such as “bruv”, “wots ‘appened” and “luv”. Additionally, the depiction of family life and relationships could be said to portray the life of many off-screen people within society. Characters experience family life issues as well as relationship problems which many audience members can relate to due to the implementation of naturalistic stylisation. Finally, the last realistic element of the episode of Eastenders that I studied was the representation of multiple sexualities through the use of hetero and homo sexual characters and story lines.

On the other hand, there are also many non-naturalistic aspects of Eastenders. For example, the storylines of specific episodes are extremely unrealistic with the character of Kathy Beale returning from the ‘dead’ after a life insurance scandal. Also, the idea that all characters, as neighbours, know each other and their personal business is not realistic for a London Borough. Furthermore, the timeline for the show is non-naturalistic meaning that characters, specifically ones played by child actors, often change and therefore character continuity is compromised for the storylines. Additionally, there is an disproportionate ethnic representation  specifically for the region that the programme is set and filmed in. Finally, and possibly the most non-naturalistic, is the exaggerated storylines comprised of murders, scandals and being returned form the dead.

Therefore, Eastenders, as most soaps, is neither fully realistic or non-naturalistic conforming to verisimilitude fully. This is because Eastenders is the medium of TV and the genre of a soap and thus has to appeal to an audience meaning that it must entertain as its primary purpose. 

Tv Drama Comparison -

'Eastenders' and 'Coronation Street' Comparison -

Both 'Coronation Street ,(Corrie), and 'Eastenders' are the medium of TV and are both soap operas. Eastenders is set in London in the south of England whilst Coronation Street is set in the north of England somewhere near Manchester. Therefore the regional identity represented in both programmes varies largely.

Both soaps primary purpose is to entertain; however in specific scenes / episodes of both programmes there are often secondary purposes that can be decoded by an audience. For example the scene from Eastenders that I studied had a secondary purpose to educate an audience about racial discrimination and prejudices within society. Both television shows feature stereotypes but these vary largely in the two programmes studied. Eastenders depicts age related and racial stereotypes whilst Coronation Street displays dialect stereotypes, unemployment and teenage or single parent stereotypes. Examples of this can be found in the representation of the Jamaican born character 'Patrick' in Eastenders; this character often makes references to rum and uses dialect associated with his home country such as stereotypical expression such as "yeah maan". An example of stereotypes found in Coronation Street include the accent of "taanight"and the dialect used when a character says "brew" for tea.

Furthermore, Eastenders and Coronation street both employ a realist and conventional style that focuses on actors and actresses portraying roles of common people. Many media forms tend to focus on the lives of the rich and famous but soaps do not usually adhere to this convention. The realist style allows audiences to become emotionally attached to the characters as they feel they share many similarities as the common people.

Finally, the tone of both soap operas are serious with comical elements that tend to be informal. The implementation of these themes also allows the audience to relate to the characters but also achieve a sense of happiness and relaxation as the occurrences in the lives of characters are not their own. As such, the producers of soap operas are able to create a hyper-reality which an audience can delve into and leave when they wish.

In conclusion, both TV dramas share many similarities but also have differences that means different target audiences are attracted to the programmes apart from a few soap opera fans who may be a fan of both.

Analysis of TV Drama Coronation Street -

Coronation Street Analysis -

Categories :

• Medium - TV
• Primary Purpose of Programme - To entertain
• Genre - Soap opera
• Tone - Comical elements, serious, informal 
• Style - Realist, conventional
• Other - British nationality
• Themes - Relationships and parenthood

Stereotypes -

• Northern dialect "brew" "taannight"
• Male  heart-throb is typical masculine builder figure who is unintelligent
• North / South divide 
• Cobblestones and back to back houses
• Teenage pregnancies
• Tense usage reflects northern dialect

Language:

• Verbal - accent and dialect
• Non-verbal - avoidance of eye contact to emphasise deceit and shame 

Overview of Narrative: 

• The episode is taken from the TV Drama 'Coronation Street' which fits into the genre of a Soap. The characters discuss multiple issues such as unemployment, single parenthood, teenage parenthood, relationship issues and family problems. 

Textual Analysis -

Code - A system of signs which can be decoded to create meaning.

Codes can instil emotions in the audience through the use of effects and techniques.

Technical Codes - The way it is constructed eg. Camera angles, framing, typography.

Verbal Codes - Written or spoken language.

Symbolic Codes - Codes that can be decoded on a connotational level influenced by socialisation, culture, gender, ethnicity, experiences, social group etc.

Convention - What the audience expects to see in a certain genre. Eg. Horror = blood, murder, villains, zombies etc.

Deconstruction -

Medium / Format (print, TV, radio, film, Internet)

Purpose (inform, entertain, persuade, educate, gain profit)

Form (drama, light entertainment, newspaper)

Genre (science fiction, soap opera, documentary, game show, broadsheet)

Tone (serious, comic, ironic, formal, informal, objective, personal, scientific)

Style (realist, expressionist, conventional, unconventional, traditional, modern)

Other (nationality, target audience, director, stars / actors, public sector)

Visual - What can be seen.

Aural - What can be heard.

Stereotypes -

Informative - Provide context and educating an audience.

Exploitative - Twist the stereotype for a different perspective.

(There can be both positive and negative representations of stereotypes within the media)

Analysis of TV Drama Eastenders -

Eastenders Analysis - 

Categories:

• Medium - Television Drama
• Primary Purpose of Programme - To entertain
• Primary Purpose of Scene - To inform
• Tone - Informal, Comic, Personal, Serious
• Style - Conventional, realist
• Nationality - Jamaican, British, East London
• Themes - Racism

Stereotypes:

• Age - Negative towards teenagers (surprised when teenager shows interest in historical subject)
• Race/ Ethnicity - Jamaican stereotypes

Language:

• Verbal - Joking tone
• Non-verbal - Body language suggests a feeling of being trapped within an unjust society, reminiscent of the feelings of being trapped by racial discrimination

Overview of Narrative: 

• The scene is taken from the TV Drama 'Eastenders' which fits into the genre of a Soap. The Jamaican character 'Patrick' reminisces about his past when he first arrived in Britain and was greeted by 'KBW' an abbreviation for 'Keep Britain White'. 

Types of TV Drama -

TV Drama - 

A TV drama is a dramatic television programme. It can be represented in multiple ways for example through genre:

Sci-fi:

• The 100
• Doctor Who
• Star Trek

 Horror:

• The Walking Dead
• Penny Dreadful
• Scream
• American Horror Story

Comedy:

• Friends
• The Big Bang Theory
• How I Met Your Mother

Crime:

• Breaking Bad
• Sherlock
• Dexter
• Criminal Minds

Fantasy:

• Game of Thrones
• Merlin
• Camelot