Music Video: The Specials - Ghost Town CSP

Our second Music Video CSP is The Specials - Ghost Town.

This is a culturally significant British music video text from 1981. It reflects the social and historical contexts of the early 1980s including youth unemployment, race riots and the rise of far-right racism.

Notes from the lesson

AQA introduces this text with a simple statement: “Ghost Town is a product which possesses cultural, social and historical significance. It will invite comparison with the other CSP music video allowing for an analysis of the contexts in which they are produced and consumed.”



Social, cultural and historical context

Ghost Town by The Specials conveys a specific moment in British social and political history while retaining a contemporary relevance. The cultural critic Dorian Lynskey has described it as ‘’a remarkable pop cultural moment’’ one that “defined an era’’. The video and song are part of a tradition of protest in popular music, in this case reflecting concern about the increased social tensions in the UK at the beginning of the 1980s. The song was number 1 post-Brixton and during the Handsworth and Toxteth riots.

The aesthetic of the music video, along with the lyrics, represents an unease about the state of the nation, one which is often linked to the politics of Thatcherism but transcends a specific political ideology in its eeriness, meaning that it has remained politically and culturally resonant.


The Specials: redefining genre

The Specials played a type of ska music known as 2-Tone - named after The Specials' record company. A hydrid mix of Jamaican reggae, American 1950s pop and elements of British punk rock, it was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was also notable for its mixed race bands - the Specials had both black and white members - and its stand against racism at a time of racial tension in the UK. Margaret Thatcher had been elected in 1979 with the warning that Britain was being "swamped" by non-white people. In constrast, Ska and 2-Tone was prominent in anti-racism campaigns in the 1980s. 



You can watch part 2 of the Two Tone story here - recommended as it gets more into the culture and includes more from our theorist Paul Gilroy.


Ghost Town: social and historical contexts

Ghost Town conveys a specific moment in British social and political history while retaining a contemporary relevance. The cultural critic Dorian Lynskey has described it as ‘’a remarkable pop cultural moment’’ one that “defined an era’’. The video and song are part of a tradition of protest in popular music, in this case reflecting concern about the increased social tensions in the UK at the beginning of the 1980s. The song was number 1 post-Brixton and during the Handsworth and Toxteth riots.

The aesthetic of the music video, along with the lyrics, represents an unease about the state of the nation, one which is often linked to the politics of Thatcherism but transcends a specific political ideology in its eeriness, meaning that it has remained politically and culturally resonant.

The Specials: Ghost Town video analysis

The video combines eerie shots of a deserted East End of London with the band in a 1962 Vauxhall Cresta lip syncing. The mise-en-scene and cinematography seem to reference a range of film styles including British social realism, thriller and horror genres, with the expressionist lighting drawing attention to the different meanings of the lyric ‘ghost town’. 

The strong political message of the video is a challenge to the audience with a direct mode of address which is both angry and plaintive. The video was unusual for the time in conveying a strong social message (in contrast to the dominant style of pop music in the charts at the time), meaning that the audience of the time might well have been shocked or discomfited by it.

Conduct a close-textual semiotic analysis of the video focusing on how meanings are created. Think about the following areas in particular:

• Narrative
• Mise-en-scene: setting, lighting, colour, actor placement/movement, costume and props
• Camerawork and editing

Ghost Town and media theory

Applying Neale’s genre theory
Music video was still a very new media form in 1981 so it’s therefore difficult to find ‘repetition and difference’.

However, the video clearly uses recognisable genre conventions of film genres such as social realism and horror to create something familiar to audiences and yet new and different as it was in the form of a music video.

Applying Gilroy’s diasporic identity
The representations in the music video are racially diverse. This reflects its musical genre of ska, a style which could be read politically in the context of a racially divided country. This representation of Britain’s emerging multiculturalism, is reinforced through the eclectic mix of stylistic influences in both the music and the video.

The song and video offers evidence of Gilroy’s Black Atlantic diasporic identity theory – that black culture is forged through travel and hybridity, a “liquidity of culture”. The Specials are representative of ska – itself an international hybrid music genre blurring reggae and American 1950/60s pop and later elements of punk rock – which brings in working-class British culture (linked in part to Coventry in the Midlands where they were formed). 

Industry contexts

Ghost Town video director Barney Bubbles said: "A good video can sell a record which might not do so well," Bubbles told Smash Hits magazine in 1982. "The record companies know that. I think Chrysalis would agree that The Specials’ 'Ghost Town' video helped sales a good deal. This year I intend to make videos which are really inexpensive but really inventive. It can be done, you know."

In 1981 opportunities for revenue directly from music videos were very limited and their economic value came as a marketing tool to advertise the single. This function was particularly important pre-internet, with the popularity of broadcast pop shows such as Top of the Pops (MTV was launched in 1981 but had limited availability in the UK initially). However, the Ghost Town video is now on YouTube with revenue opportunities through viewing and advertising. It also provides a link to The Specials YouTube subscription channel which has opportunities to purchase their back catalogue and new material.


The Specials - Ghost Town: Blog tasks

Background and historical contexts

Read this excellent analysis from The Conversation website of the impact Ghost Town had both musically and visually. Answer the following questions

1) Why does the writer link the song to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition?

2) What subcultures did 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s?

3) What social contexts are discussed regarding the UK in 1981?

4) Cultural critic Mark Fisher describes the video as ‘eerie’. What do you think is 'eerie' about the Ghost Town video?

5) Look at the final section (‘Not a dance track’). What does the writer suggest might be the meanings created in the video? Do you agree?

Now read this BBC website feature on the 30th anniversary of Ghost Town’s release. 

1) How does the article describe the song?

2) What does the article say about the social context of the time – what was happening in Britain in 1981?

3) How did The Specials reflect an increasingly multicultural Britain?

4) How can we link Paul Gilroy’s theories to The Specials and Ghost Town?

5) The article discusses how the song sounds like a John Barry composition. Why was John Barry a famous composer and what films did he work on?


Ghost Town - Media Factsheet

Watch the video several times before reading Factsheet #211 - Ghost Town. You'll need your GHS Google login to access the factsheet. Once you have analysed the video several times and read the whole factsheet, answer the following questions: 

1) Focus on the Media Language section. What does the factsheet suggest regarding the mise-en-scene in the video? 

2) How does the lighting create intertextual references? What else is notable about the lighting?

3) What non-verbal codes help to communicate meanings in the video?

4) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the editing and camerawork? Pick out three key points that are highlighted here.

5) What narrative theories can be applied to the video? Give details from the video for each one.

6) How can we apply genre theory to the video?

7) Now look at the Representations section. What are the different people, places and groups that are represented in the Ghost Town video? Look for the list on page 4 of the factsheet.

8) How can Gauntlett's work on collective identity be applied to the video?

9) How can gender theorists such as Judith Butler be applied to Ghost Town?

10) Postcolonial theorists like Paul Gilroy can help us to understand the meanings in the Ghost Town music video. What does the factsheet suggest regarding this?

Bonus content! Ghost Town - Media Magazine feature

There is an interesting article on the Ghost Town music video in Media Magazine MM79. It includes an interview with one of the founding members of the group plus an analysis of the video itself.   

A/A* Extension reading: Music video and Ghost Town

There is so much excellent reading on The Specials and Ghost Town in particular. This Guardian feature by Alexis Petridis describes the social context and the band’s relationship superbly. 

Along similar lines, this is an excellent piece on music reflecting the mood of a country – written during the 2011 London Riots but linking back to Ghost Town in 1981.

Enjoy this phenomenal long read by GQ editor Dylan Jones who links the history of London since 1981, music, race relations and riots to Ghost Town and the Specials.

The career of the director of the Ghost Town video, Barney Bubbles, and his influence over graphic design in the 1970s is laid out in this website article that will appeal to any arts students.

This Rolling Stone article offers some industry context regarding how artists can make money from music videos.

Finally, here are some extracts from an academic research paper on Rock Against Racism at the time Ghost Town was released. It refers to Gilroy and other theorists and gives you a superb introduction to university-level reading. You'll need to login using your Greenford Google login to read it.

Music Video: Postcolonial theory

There are a range of important postcolonial theories we need to learn as part of our A Level Media course.

We studied an introduction to postcolonial terminology earlier in the course and now can add some significant theories and ideas from postcolonialism. 

Paul Gilroy: The Black Atlantic

Paul Gilroy is a key theorist in A Level Media and has written about race in both the UK and USA.

In The Black Atlantic (1993), Gilroy explores influences on black culture. One review states: “Gilroy’s ‘black Atlantic’ delineates a distinctively modern, cultural-political space that is not specifically African, American, Caribbean, or British, but is, rather, a hybrid mix of all of these at once.”

Gilroy is particularly interested in the idea of black diasporic identity – the feeling of never quite belonging or being accepted in western societies even to this day.

For example, Gilroy points to the slave trade as having a significant cultural influence on modern America.

Diaspora: A term that originates from the Greek word meaning “dispersion,” diaspora refers to the community of people that migrated from their homeland. 

Watch the opening to this Tate gallery video on the Black Atlantic: 

Gilroy on black music

Gilroy suggests that black music articulates diasporic experiences of resistance to white capitalist culture. 

When writing about British diasporic identities, Gilroy discusses how black Britons may feel they do not fully belong in Britain but are regarded as ‘English’ when they return to the country of their parents’ birth e.g. the Caribbean or Africa. This can create a sense of never truly belonging anywhere.

Gilroy: “double consciousness”

Gilroy has also discussed the concept of “double consciousness”. This develops the idea of not feeling a sense of belonging and suggests that black people have to view themselves through the eyes of others – often a white-dominated media.

This means that black audiences experience representations in the media that do not accurately reflect their actual lives. 

Additional postcolonial theories

Stuart Hall: race representations in media

Stuart Hall (1995) suggested that audiences often blur race and class which leads to people associating particular races with certain social classes.

He argued that western cultures are still white-dominated and that ethnic minorities in the media are misinterpreted due to underlying racist tendencies. Indeed, non-white people are often represented as ‘the other’.

Hall outlined three black characterisations in American media:

• The Slave figure: “the faithful fieldhand… attached and devoted to ‘his’ master.” (Hall 1995)
• The Native: primitive, cheating, savage, barbarian, criminal.
• The Clown/Entertainer: a performer – “implying an ‘innate’ humour in the black man.” (Hall 1995)

Alvarado: Black stereotypes in media

Manuel Alvarado (1987) suggested there are four key themes in black representations in the media:

• Exotic: models/costume, music artists, food etc.
• Dangerous: crime, gangs, socially dysfunctional etc.
• Humorous: comedians, film sidekicks etc.
• Pitied: poverty, charity adverts etc.

He suggested these stereotypes were an example of ‘otherness’ and were drawn from other media texts rather than reality.

bell hooks: intersectionality

hooks suggests that social classifications (e.g. race, gender, class, sexuality) are interconnected. She argues that the convergence of sexism and racism meant that black women have a low status in American society.

The concept of intersectionality can be applied to the Old Town Road music video by focusing on race, gender and sexuality.

Representations of ethnicity in Old Town Road

Representations of race and ethnicity in Old Town Road deliberately play with stereotypes - both reinforcing and subverting them. The landowner and his daughter in the opening scene suggests a fear of 'the other' and Lil Nas is an outlaw. Yet there is a black sheriff which subverts traditional stereotypes. 

In the modern day part of the video, Lil Nas emerges into a world of black Americans going about their daily lives behind the white picket fence of the American Dream. Similarly, after initial shock, the white line dancers all seem to admire and accept Lil Nas, resulting in a positive narrative resolution. This positive view of multiculturalism could be viewed as an example of cultural conviviality. 

Postcolonial theory: blog tasks

Wider reading on race and Old Town Road

Read this W Magazine deep dive on the Yeehaw agenda and answer the following questions: 

1) What are the visual cues the article lists as linked to the western genre? 

2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about? 

3) Why has it been suggested that the black cowboy has been 'erased from American culture'? 

4) How has the black cowboy aesthetic been reflected by the fashion industry?

5) Read the section on Lil Nas X and Old Town Road. What does it suggest about race and the country music community?

6) What elements of the song and music video are suggested to be authentically country and western?

7) What genres of music does the article suggest have been shaped by black influences? 

8) In your opinion, what do you think has been the driving force behind the Yeehaw movement? 

Applying postcolonial theory to Old Town Road

Revise the postcolonial theories we have studied and apply them to the Old Town Road music video: 

1) How does the Old Town Road music video both reinforce and challenge black stereotypes in the media?

2) How could you argue that the Old Town Road video challenges Gilroy's theory of double consciousness?

3) How does Lil Nas X and Old Town Road provide an example of Hall's theory of race representations? Alternatively, you could argue against this if you prefer.  

4) Are there any examples of Alvarado's theory of black stereotypes in the Old Town Road video? Why/why not?

5) How does Lil Nas X provide a compelling case study for bell hooks's theory of intersectionality?

A/A* extension task: 

Media Magazine - This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest
Read This Is America: Music, Politics and Protest in MM65 (p14). You can find this in our Media Magazine archive. This is a great article on the power of music video in American culture. 

This excellent Berkeley Political Review article on the Yeehaw Agenda is worth a read, expanding on the issues discussed in the W deep dive above.

Due date on Satchel One

Music Video: Old Town Road CSP

Our first Music Video CSP is Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road.

This is a culturally significant song and video that allows us to explore everything from narrative and genre to race representations and postmodernism.

Notes from AQA

AQA introduces this text as: "Old Town Road explores the relationship between genre and race, specifically in the country music industry but also, through the use of film genre conventions, the media more widely. The exclusion of some tracks from the US’s country Billboard charts has been controversial and Old Town Road crystallises those concerns. Lil Nas X, known as a media influencer before his music career, came out as gay in 2019, which has also affected the way in which the music video has been understood.

"The music video reflects aspects of society and contemporary cultural issues in its discourse on race, gender and musical categorisation. An interesting area of discussion might be to what extent the music video as a form can transmit political messages. The economic context would include the ways in which artists make money from music videos, in this case the different iterations of video and song can be seen as a strategy to maximise the audience and profit."

Source: AQA Close Study Product booklet.

Introduction

Old Town Road is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X and was first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity on TikTok, it was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019 followed by the music video ('Official Movie') in May 2019 featuring country legend Billy Ray Cyrus.

The song has been classified as 'country rap' - a hybrid genre not usually seen in the mainstream. The Billboard magazine country chart disqualified in on the grounds it was not country, sparking debate about genre-bending records. The song eventually peaked at number 1 in the US charts and is one of the highest selling songs of all time. 

Social and cultural contexts: Yeehaw movement

Lil Nas X and Old Town Road are seen as a significant moment in the Yeehaw Agenda. This is a social movement started by online pop culture archivist Bri Malandro. She created an Instagram account to celebrate black cowboy aesthetics in popular culture and reclaim black identity in a predominantly white genre. 

The movement is an attempt to highlight how the black cowboy had been marginalised from American culture. Despite the fact around 25% of cowboys were black in the 1800s, historic media representations depicted cowboys as typically white. 

Lil Nas X: Old Town Road Official Movie

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road: Blog tasks

Background and cultural contexts

Read this Vox feature and podcast transcript on Lil Nas X and Old Town Road. Make sure you read the whole thing - including the podcast transcript - then answer the following questions: 

1) What is the big debate regarding Old Town Road and genre?

2) What do you learn about the background of Lil Nas X and Old Town Road from the podcast transcript?

3) What is the Yeehaw agenda?

4) How did the story become a debate about race in America?

5) How does Charlie Harding sum up the whole thing in the final part of the podcast transcript?


Now read this Salon feature on Lil Nas X and LGBTQ+ identity. Answer the following questions:

1) How did Lil Nas X announce his sexuality on social media?

2) Why does the article describe Old Town Road as 'genre-blurring'? 

3) How has country music demonstrated the social change taking place in American culture and society? 

Old Town Road textual analysis

Watch the video again and answer the following questions. Use your notes from our in-class analysis to help you:

1) How are narrative features used in the music video? Apply narrative theory here.

2) What examples of genre conventions and intertextuality can you find in the video?

3) How are technical codes used to create meanings in the video? Analyse camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene and make specific reference to moments in the video.

4) How are representations of race and ethnicity constructed in the video?

5) What other representations can you find in the video? You may wish to comment on gender, sexuality or America/American culture. 

Old Town Road Media Factsheet

Finally, read Media Factsheet #262 - Old Town Road. You'll need to log in to Google using your Greenford Google account to access this. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions: 

1) Who are the celebrities that appear in cameos in the video? 

2) Choose three of the key terms defined on the first page of the factsheet and write the definitions here. Focus on terms you are unfamiliar with.

3) How did Lil Nas X use social media to boost his own popularity and the success of the video?

4) Look at the video analysis on page 3. What conventions of the western can be found in the video? 

5) How does the video begin? 

6) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the modern-day part of the video? 

7) How can the video be read as a reinforcement of capitalism and the American dream? 

8) How does the factsheet suggest the video creates a hyperreality? 

9) How is masculinity represented in the video? 

10) Look at the final page. What theories are suggested for this CSP and which do you think are the most useful? 

A/A* extension tasks

Read this W magazine feature on how the social media world (including Miley Cyrus) reacted to the video. What does this suggest about how digital media is impacting on traditional media products like songs and music videos?  

Magazines: Front cover practical project

The best way to learn the conventions of a media product is to create one. Your first task for the Magazines unit is to create an original front cover for an existing magazine.

This will also help to prepare you for the cross-media coursework starting with your coursework teacher in July.

Task: Choose an existing magazine and create a front cover for a new, original edition of your chosen publication.

Previous year examples: 

Magazine practical production: tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Magazine practical task research and planning' and complete the following tasks:

Research

1) Use Google to research potential magazines that you could use as your brand/design for this project. Create a shortlist of three potential magazines and upload an example front cover from each one. We recommend looking at lifestyle magazines or a similar genre as these are more achievable to re-create.

2) Choose one of the three magazine brands to use for your project e.g GQ, Vogue or The Gentlewoman. Then find three different front covers for your chosen magazine and embed them in your blogpost. Analyse the fonts, colours and typical design. What is the language or writing style? How are the cover lines written? What camera shot is generally used for the cover image? You need to become an expert in the design and construction of this magazine and its branding.

Planning

1) In your blogpost, write your main cover line (also called the 'main flash') - this is the main cover story that links to your central image. It must be 100% original - all your own words.

2) Briefly plan the image you will need for the cover - model, costume, make-up, lighting etc. At this point, simply describe the image you need to capture.

3) Write the cover lines and any additional text you need for your magazine cover.

4) Sketch out your cover on plain A4 paper using your written planning. Take a photo of your sketch and upload it to your blogpost.

Photoshoot

We will do a photoshoot in class next week with lighting and backdrop. However, if you prefer you can arrange your own photoshoot for the cover image in your own time - you can use your phone or your own camera to take an image. If you don't have a phone or camera that is suitable, you can sign out a camera from Mr Ray.

1) On your planning document blogpost, state the date, time and location of your photoshoot and the name of the model or photographer you will use (you can choose anyone to be your cover model or you can be the cover model yourself).

Photoshop or InDesign?

You will have one Media lesson to create your magazine cover on Adobe Photoshop or InDesign but you will probably need more time than this. In order to complete this work, you will need to work in DF06 when you don't have other lessons or use Photoshop/InDesign at home. You already have access to Adobe at home via our fantastic Adobe Creative Cloud subscription (worth around £25/month!) as long as you have a PC or laptop that can run it.

Online tutorials

The best way to learn Photoshop is simply to start creating your magazine cover and learn as you go. There are thousands of tutorials on YouTube to help you - here are just a couple of examples of Photoshop tutorials: 

You can find an excellent InDesign tutorial here or alternatively try this: 

Publication to blog and evaluation

1) Once you have completed your design you need to save or export a copy as a JPEG image. Then, upload it to your blogpost. 

2) Upload two genuine covers of the magazine you have used and put them next to your front cover. This is a brilliant way to check how professional your work looks alongside the real thing.

3) Write a short evaluation of your work: have you succeeded in your brief to create a new, original edition of an existing magazine? Does your cover stand up alongside the genuine covers of your chosen magazine? How professional is your work alongside those genuine examples?

4) Finally, what would you do differently if you completed this assignment again?

Deadline: see Satchel One

Music Video: Introduction

Our next topic is Music Video - with two contrasting Close-Study Products.

Music video is a targeted CSP which means we need to focus on media language and representation - Paper 1 Section A. The CSPs are Old Town Road by Lil Nas X, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, and Ghost Town by The Specials. We'll be looking at a range of representations across the videos including race, ethnicity, social class and also incorporating post-colonial theory.

An introduction to Music Video: notes

Music videos typically feature movement – often fast paced either in terms of actors, camerawork or editing. Many contain a performance element or narrative. Music videos can also feature visual effects and intertextuality.

Music videos were originally designed as a promotional device to sell the band or artist’s music but have developed over time to become a recognised artform or product in their own right. Modern music videos no longer have the huge budgets of the 1980s and 1990s but digital media means they are now more accessible than ever. Videos such as Psy’s Gangnam Style have received over 3 billion views on YouTube.

Andrew Goodwin's conventions of music video

Andrew Goodwin's theory of music video is a useful one to learn when analysing music videos. His theory states that music videos contain some or all of the following elements:

• A link between the visuals & lyrics (complement, contradict or amplify)
• Genre characteristics (heavy metal in industrialised settings; rap music in urban street contexts etc.)
• Contain intertextual references (references to popular culture)
• Contain notions of looking (e.g. screens within screens)
• Include objectification of females (e.g. male gaze)
• Include demands of the record label (close ups of lead singer, symbols or motifs associated with the band / performer etc.)
• Video will be performance, narrative or concept based.

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when one media text references another media text – through genre, conventions, mise-en-scene or specific cultural references.

Music videos often use intertextual references – often to classic films but also to television, popular culture, news, videogames or even other music videos.

Notable examples of intertextual music videos:

Music Video introduction blog task

This week's work requires Media Factsheet #69: Music Video. You'll need to log in to Google using your Greenford Google account to access this. Read the factsheet and answer the following 10 questions:

1) What is the purpose of a music video?

2) How has the digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos?

3) Which three major record labels are behind VEVO? What is VEVO and why was it created?

4) What are the key conventions of a music video?

5) How can narrative be used in music video? Give an example of a music video that uses a narrative.

6) What examples are provided in the factsheet for intertextuality in music videos?

7) Why do audiences enjoy intertextual references in media products?

8) Read the music video example analysis on page 3 of the factsheet. Select a music video of your own choice for each of the following headings and explain how each one links to the heading:

• Conventions (movement/narrative/artist)
• Intertextuality
• Representation
• Audience

9) Watch the video for Ice Cube's It Was A Good Day (1993). How did this video set the conventions for later hip-hop music videos?



10) How important do you think music videos are in the marketing and promotion of music artists today? Are music videos still essential to a band or artist's success? You need to form your own opinion here.

Due date on Satchel One

Advertising & Marketing: Index

We have completed some excellent work on our Advertising and Marketing CSPs. We now need to create an index to ensure we haven't missed any vital notes or tasks.

As you know, keeping an index of all your work is extremely good practice from a revision perspective. This keeps the vital CSP information fresh in your mind and also highlights if you've missed anything for any reason.

Advertising and Marketing index

Your Advertising and Marketing index should include the following:

1) Advertising: Introduction to advertising
2) Advertising: the representation of women in advertising
3) Advertising: Gauntlett and masculinity
4) Advertising: Score hair cream CSP

5) Advertising: Introduction to Postcolonialism
6) Advertising: Sephora Black Beauty is Beauty CSP

For your index, it needs to link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work and revision notes quickly and easily. This also means if you have missed anything you can now catch up with the work/notes and won't underperform in future assessments/exams due to gaps in your knowledge.

Advertising and Marketing assessment

You will have an assessment on the Advertising and Marketing topic in the next two weeks - date confirmed by your exam class teacher. This will feature questions on an unseen text and your Advertising and Marketing CSPs. Use your index to help revise the key theories and CSPs for this topic. 

Index due date: on Show my Homework

TV: Final index

We have completed excellent in-depth studies of Capital and Deutschland 83 alongside important work on political and postmodern theories as well as industry contexts.

We now need to create an index to ensure we haven't missed any vital notes or tasks. As you know, keeping an index of all your work is extremely good practice from a revision perspective. This keeps the vital CSP information fresh in your mind and also highlights if you've missed anything for any reason. 

TV: final index

Your TV index should include the following:

1) Introduction to TV Drama
2) Capital: CSP case study and analysis
3) Capital: Marxism and Hegemony

4) Film industry assessment LR
5) Deutschland 83: CSP case study and analysis
6) Postmodernism and Deutschland 83
7) TV: Industry contexts

For your index, it needs to link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work and revision notes quickly and easily. This also means you if you have missed anything you can now catch up with the work/notes and won't underperform in the upcoming assessment and end of Year 12 exam due to gaps in your knowledge.

Due date: on Satchel One

TV: Industry contexts

The television industry has changed significantly in recent years and we need to explore some of these industry contexts to go alongside our analysis of Capital and Deutschland 83.

As an in-depth topic, we could be asked any kind of question on television - language (e.g. genre or narrative), representation, audience or industry. Aspects of the industry context include the rise in foreign-language television and the impact of digital media (the internet and streaming) on the TV industry. You should also revise your work on public service broadcasting and regulation from earlier this year - these could be crucial in answering a 25-mark essay on industry contexts.

The rise in foreign-language television

Through globalisation and developments in technology, the way we watch television is completely different to even 15 years ago. We need to explore the rise in popularity of foreign-language television and work out why audiences like it and what is behind the recent surge in interest.

Foreign-language television

Foreign-language television is becoming increasingly mainstream with the rise of on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime alongside UK digital channels such as BBC4.

Audiences are now accustomed to 'binge-watching' TV drama and seem increasingly open to content from around the world. This perhaps reflects the global nature of the internet and the fact younger generations are more likely to see themselves as global citizens. It also reflects the global nature of the television industry with a small number of international media conglomerates owning the vast majority of TV production companies.

Walter Presents

‘Walter Presents’ is a video-on-demand (VOD) service from Channel 4, available through their online streaming site All4. The service presents international TV drama curated by Walter Iuzzolino.

The service aims to avoid so-called arthouse programming in favour of more mainstream productions, aimed at competing against Netflix and Amazon Prime. Walter Iuzzolino stated any selected show must be popular in its native country and it must be “award-winning or critically acclaimed”.

Watch the trailer for the ‘Walter Presents’ service and think about the following questions:

• Close-textual analysis: how does the trailer use film language to encourage the audience to watch?
• What conventions of TV drama are highlighted in the trailer?
• How many clips from Deutschland 83 can you spot?
• What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?

Meet Walter promo clip

Channel 4 created a short introductory video for ‘Walter Presents’. Watch the clip and think about the following:

• How is Walter introduced?
• What target audience is this aiming at? 
• What audience pleasures are suggested from the promo?
• What does Walter say about TV drama? 

The impact of new and digital media on television

New and digital media - the internet - has had a huge impact on the television industry in the last 15 years. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have fundamentally changed the way we watch television. Remember, Netflix has gone from a mail-order DVD company to a giant in the television content production industry in less than 20 years. Netflix now spends upwards of $8 billion a year making original TV programmes - more than the budget for the entire BBC.

Watch Newsweek magazine's short video on how Netflix changed TV:



TV Drama

One of the key genres for Netflix and Amazon Prime is TV drama. Many of these dramas now have the budgets and production values of Hollywood movies and many top actors are choosing to work in television rather than film.

In addition, the increase in streaming services has created a worldwide distribution network for acclaimed foreign-language TV dramas such as Deutschland 83.

Streaming services and audiences

For audiences, streaming has changed the way we watch television. 

'Event TV' (also known as 'appointment-to-view') is far less common now. This is when millions of people around the country would tune in to watch the latest episode of a drama at a set day and time. Many people now 'binge-watch' TV dramas by watching multiple episodes back-to-back.

Television industry contexts: Blog tasks

To finish our work on television, we need to complete some tasks exploring industry contexts around foreign-language TV, the changing audience for television and how streaming impacts the way audiences consume TV. Indeed, when answering these questions, consider the issues from both an audience and industry perspective.

Independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas

Read this Independent feature on foreign-language dramas. If the website is blocked or forcing you to register you can access the text of the article here. It features an in-depth interview with Walter Iuzzolino who curates Channel 4's Walter Presents programming. Answer the questions below:

1) What does the article suggest regarding the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media?

2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows?

3) The article makes an interesting claim for the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age. What does it suggest?

4) What are the other audiences pleasures of foreign TV drama suggested by the article?

Film School Rejects: The foreign TV dramas you're missing out on

Now read this Film School Rejects feature on the foreign TV dramas you're missing out on. This contains some particularly useful background on Deutschland 83's reception internationally. If the website is blocked, you can access the article text here. Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article tell us about Deutschland 83's release schedule?

2) The article contains important statistics on viewing figures in different countries. What were the German viewing figures for the first and last episode? What were Channel's 4's viewing figures for Deutschland 83?

3) Who are the two production and distribution companies behind Deutschland 83 and what did they announce in October? 

4) How does Walter Iuzzolino use social media to engage audiences in new international TV dramas? How does he suggest this has changed the reception of foreign productions in the UK?

The Guardian: How Britain's TV industry is struggling in the streaming era

Read this Guardian feature on how Britain's TV industry - particularly public service broadcasters - are struggling to keep up with the American streaming giants. Answer the following questions: 

1) What is happening to UK public service broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4 when it comes to TV drama? 

2) Look at the middle of the article where global budgets are discussed. What was the peak of the global premium TV streaming market and what has it dropped to in recent years? 

3) What are the typical production costs per hour of high-end TV production? Why does this create a challenge for Britain's public service broadcasters? 

4) Look at the end of the article. Why is there still an optimism about the British TV industry?

Media Magazine: Netflix and the Cultural Industries 

Finally, go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on Netflix and the Cultural Industries (MM63 - page 45). Answer the following questions:

1) What does David Hesmondhalgh argue with regards to how the creative industries have changed since the 1980s?

2) What is technological convergence? 

3) How are technology companies challenging traditional broadcasters in the TV industry?

4) The global nature of modern television means producers are having to consider international audiences when creating content. What example from Netflix does the article use to explain this?

There is a fair amount of work here - the questions are not too challenging but there is plenty to read. Feel free to answer the questions in bullet points if you find it quicker. Remember, this reading and notetaking will prepare you brilliantly for the extended essay question in Media Paper 2 - particularly if the question focuses on industry or audience.

Due date: on Satchel One

Extension tasks

If you're particularly interested in this industry, you may want to read the following articles or take on the following tasks that go into more detail on the TV industry:

Look at this IndieWire feature on the rise of international television. If the website is blocked, you can access the text from the article here. What cultural differences are highlighted in the article - for example in turning 'Prisoners of War' into 'Homeland' when remade in the US?

How do changes in technology influence the creation of TV dramas such as Capital or Deutschland 83? Try and make specific references to the two TV CSPs in your answer.

Advertising: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

Our second Advertising and Marketing CSP is the 2021 Sephora advert Black Beauty Is Beauty.

This gives us an opportunity to explore social and cultural contexts regarding race and ethnicity - while also looking at postcolonial theory and the changing representations of gender in advertising. 

Notes from the lesson are here:

Sephora: introduction

Sephora is a French-owned global retailer of beauty products including cosmetics, hair carem skin care and more.

Launched in 1970 it now operates 2,300 stores across the world and income is $4bn a year (2022).

In June 2020, Sephora announced that it would take the 15% pledge - committing to fill 15% of their store shelf space with products from Black-owned businesses.

Sephora racial profiling scandal

Sephora was accused of racial profiling by rapper SZA in 2019 who claimed security staff had been called because a white rapper suspected her of shoplifting.

Celebrities such as Rihanna who had promoted Fenty Beauty products for the store responded to the tweet which ensured it became a major threat to Sephora's global brand.

Sephora responded by closing stores around the world for one day for 'inclusivity training' - though they claimed this was not a response to the criticism and had been planned for some time.

Sephora's 2021 Black Beauty Is Beauty campaign could be seen as an attempt to repair the brand's reputation and relationship with Black culture.

Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty

The Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty advert is aimed at YouTube and social media rather than TV placement. 

The advert reflects a move from many brands from television to online broadcast adverts. This allows adverts that can run to longer lengths than the traditional 30 seconds and which therefore places limitations in construction and design.

The advert is here:

Stereotypes

Adverts often use stereotypes to communicate information quickly to their audience. For this Sephora advert, it was critical to its complex and challenging message that black stereotypes were not lazily reinforced.

Instead, the advert celebrates the way that elements of Black culture and cosmetics associated with Black culture have led to changes in the wider idea of mainstream beauty in the cosmetics industry.

It also helps to position Sephora as a 'woke' brand aware of the contributions of different races and ethnicities.

Representations in advertising

Erving Goffman defines adverts as "highly manipulated representations of recognisable scenes from 'real life'".

This means scenes that create a sense of personal identity in audiences while still offering an ideal or desirable take on 'real life'. In effect, 'this is what life could be'. 

The Sephora advert's mise-en-scene (particularly the settings and locations) taps into this idea strongly.

Racial bias in search engines and algorithms  

Linked to this advert, Sephora has also looked to highlight racial bias in online algorithms and machine learning. This YouTube video that accompanied the main advert, called 'What you need to know about Black beauty', explains the need for the campaign:

Blog tasks: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

Work through the following tasks to make sure you're an expert on the Sephora CSP and particularly the wider social and cultural contexts.

Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty

Read these articles on the Sephora campaign: 

The Drum: Black Beauty is Beauty by RGA
Glossy: Sephora celebrates Black beauty in new digital and TV campaign

Refinery29: Sephora’s ‘Black Beauty Is Beauty’ Short Film Celebrates Black Innovation

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?

2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?

3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?

4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'? 

5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?

Media language: textual analysis

Watch the advert again and answer the following questions that focus on technical and verbal codes. Use your notes from the lesson to help you here.  

1) How does the advert use camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand?

2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?

3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?

4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen? 

5) What is the overall message of the advert? 

Media factsheet

Finally, go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #259: Sephora Online Advert - Black Beauty Is Beauty. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can find our factsheet archive here (you'll need to use your Greenford login).

1) Look at the exam hint on the first page. How does Sephora as a brand and the CSP specifically reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts? 

2) Media theory: how are Butler, Gauntlett, bell hooks and Gilroy applied to the CSP?

3) What aspects of media language are highlighted on page 3 of the factsheet? 

4) How does the factsheet summarise the advert on the final page?

5) What are the four ideologies in advertising highlighted in task 8 on the final page of the factsheet? In your opinion, do you feel the Sephora CSP advert challenges or reinforces each of these?  

A/A* extension tasks

Read this Marketing Dive feature on how Sephora is trying to alter Google search trends and highlight racial bias in algorithms and machine learning. You may then want to think about the following questions: 

How is the Sephora advert an example of recent changes in media representations of ethnicity?

What does the advert tell us about the way new technology is changing the way adverts are constructed?

Why have brands moved towards online and social media platforms in their advertising?

How does the idea of ingrained racial bias in algorithms link to some of the postcolonial ideas we have studied recently? 

Due date on Show my Homework.