TV: Introduction to TV Drama

 Our TV Drama CSPs are BBC state of the nation drama Capital and critically acclaimed German Cold War spy thriller Deutschland 83. 

We need to make sure we are experts in television drama for this major section of Media Paper 2 - conventions, media language, notable successes and historical context.

TV Drama: key notes

Television drama is a hugely popular genre and a staple across schedules and streaming services. ‘Binge-watching’ is a relatively recent phenomenon while other dramas have built hugely loyal fanbases (e.g. Doctor Who, Game of Thrones).

There are many sub-genres and hybrid genres in TV drama from the costume drama to the hospital drama. 

Setting

TV dramas tend to take place in recognisable settings with regular locations that characters can inhabit.

Most dramas are defined by their location and the iconography (mise-en-scene) is vital for communicating the sub-genre and narrative expectations to the audience.

Even science-fiction family dramas such as Doctor Who feature regular settings such as the Tardis.


Character

Most TV dramas have a large ensemble cast – a range of characters. These characters are often stereotypical – communicating a lot to the audience quickly.

Often recognisable and relatable – giving audiences the pleasure of identification and an ongoing ‘relationship’: we keep watching to find out what happens to them. 

Characters often reflect the sub-genre (think police, hospital or period costume drama stock characters).


Narrative 

Most TV dramas have multi-strand narratives telling a range of interconnected storylines. An overall narrative arc often goes over the whole season or series. Others feature episodic narratives with storylines resolved in one episode. Flashbacks can also feature.

Many TV dramas now employ a ‘cold opening’ – the opening scene taking place before credits/titles – designed to create enigma and draw the audience in. Ultimately, it is the sub-genre of the TV drama that will help set narrative expectations for the audience.

Note: If you missed the initial lesson on TV Drama, we analysed some TV drama opening scenes to explore how the setting, character and narrative is established using technical codes (e.g. camerawork/editing/mise-en-scene) and audio codes (dialogue/voiceover/diegetic and non-diegetic sound). 

Introduction to TV Drama: Blog tasks

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login) to find Media Factsheet #164 on Television Serial Drama. 

Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions to show your comprehensive knowledge of the television drama genre:

1) What is serial television drama? Write your own definition.

2) List five of the TV dramas discussed in the history of the genre on page 1 of the factsheet. How has the genre evolved over time?

3) List the sub-genres of TV drama featured in the factsheet. Come up with your own example of an existing TV drama to fit each category.

4) Why is setting so important for TV drama?

5) How do TV dramas typically use character? What audience pleasures can be linked to character in TV drama? (Hint: Uses & Gratifications theory!)

6) What is a multi-strand narrative? Give an example of a TV drama that features a multi-strand narrative.

7) What is a cold opening?

8) How can Todorov's theory of equilibrium be applied to TV drama serials?

9) What is the typical form for TV dramas and how are the programmes typically distributed to an audience?

10) How have subscription channels (such as HBO) and streaming services (such as Netflix and Amazon Prime) changed the form and content of TV dramas?

11) Choose a TV drama and do your own analysis of it using the SETTING / CHARACTERS / NARRATIVE / FORM headings as featured on page 3 of the factsheet.

12) How might the TV drama genre evolve in future?


A/A* extension task: TV Drama v Film

Building on question 12 above, read this fascinating extended article comparing TV drama to film. It will also help to bridge the gap between our work on the film industry and our new topic of TV drama. Where do you stand on the debate? Is TV drama the key medium of storytelling or will cinema always be king?

Complete for homework - due date on Satchel One.

MIGRAIN: Ideology

The media's role in setting and reinforcing the dominant values and ideologies within society is a vital aspect of A Level Media Studies. 

The key notes from today's lesson on ideology and binary opposition:

Ideology

What is an ideology?
An ideology is a world view, a system of values, attitudes and beliefs which an individual, group or society holds to be true or important; these are shared by a culture or society about how that society should function.

Dominant ideologies

Ideologies that are told to us repeatedly by important social institutions such as the government or media are called dominant ideologies.

Dominant ideologies are ideologies or beliefs that we live by in our day-to-day lives and often do not question – they have become 'natural, common sense' things to do. This effectively dissuades people from rebelling against these beliefs, and keeps a sense of stability in society.

Why is ideology important in Media Studies?

Media texts always reflect certain values or ideologies though sometimes we may not be aware of this. When studying a media text you may look for the dominant ideology present and question whose world view is represented and perhaps which groups have not been represented.

Levi-Strauss: cultural codes

Claude Levi-Strauss (1908-2009) was a French philosopher and one of the most important cultural theorists of the 20th century.

He viewed culture as a system of codes through which we exchange messages. These cultural codes tend to reflect the dominant values and ideologies in society.   

Binary opposition

Levi-Strauss's theory of binary opposition is important for media students.

Levi-Strauss suggested everyone thinks of the world around them in terms of binary opposites such as up and down, life and death etc. and therefore every culture can be understood in these terms. 

Structuralism

Binary opposition and ideology are part of an analytical perspective called structuralism.

Structuralism in media refers to the structures underlying culture, analysing how various elements within media content interact to create meanings.

This also links to our earlier work on semiotics.

You can get a more in-depth understanding of structuralism here: 

Binary opposition in media

Binary opposition is used to create narrative and conflict in media. It is also used to simplify complex situations for easy consumption (e.g. TV news).

Along similar lines, if something is not easily reduced to binary opposites, it is far less likely to receive widespread media coverage.

Binary oppositions can be used to create stereotypes and promote certain ideologies or beliefs. Therefore we can find these cultural codes in all kinds of representations and stereotypes.

Watch the first two minutes of this clip from BBC Question Time featuring Nigel Farage and Alastair Campbell. The BBC deliberately placed the two against each other due to their ideological differences over Brexit – the referendum that saw Britain leave the European Union. What binary oppositions can you find in this clip?

Blog tasks: Ideology

Part 1: Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine issue 52 has two good articles on Ideology. You need to read those articles (our Media Magazine archive is here) and complete a few short tasks linked to them. 

Page 34: The World Of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia And Propaganda

1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence.

2) What view of capitalist ideology is presented in the Hunger Games films?

3) What do the Hunger Games films suggest about the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs?

4) What is YOUR opinion on this topic? Do you think the media shapes our values and beliefs?


Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology

1) What are the four accepted ideological beliefs in western societies highlighted by the article?

2) What does Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggest about power and ideology in society?

3) What does French theorist Louis Althusser suggest about ideology and consumerism?

4) Do YOU agree with the idea behind They Live - that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media which is run in the interests of the economic elite? These are the big questions of A Level Media!

Part 2: The role of the media in democracy

Read this Constitution Unit blog on the importance of media in democracy. This brings together our work on ownership, public service broadcasting, regulation and ideology. Answer the following questions:

1) Why is the media important in a democracy? 

2) What are the hallmarks of a free and healthy media landscape?

3) What risks are identified that threaten a healthy media environment? 

4) What is YOUR opinion on how the media can be safeguarded to protect democracy? You may want to think about ownership, regulation, technology or public service broadcasting here.

Due date: on Satchel One

Film Industry: Final index

 We have completed our first CSP for A Level Media: the Film Industry and Blinded By The Light. We now need to complete a short index to ensure we haven't missed any vital notes or research.  

As we've established now, 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 through absence or any other reason. 

Film Industry: Blinded By The Light index

Your final Film Industry index should include the following:

1) British Film Industry factsheets #132 & #100
2) Blinded By The Light case study research 
3) Regulation - BBFC research and tasks 

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 that 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.

Film Industry: BBFC film regulation

 In our work on the British film industry, we need to consider the role of the BBFC, why Blinded By The Light was rated 12A and what the future holds for film regulation in a digital world.

Film certification in the UK is the job of the BBFC - the British Board of Film Classification.

Watch this video outlining how videos are classified at the BBFC:

Film regulation and the BBFC - blog tasks:

1) Research the BBFC in more detail. This BBFC Wikipedia page may help.

• What is the institution responsible for? 
• How is it funded? 
• What link does it have to government? 

2) Read this BBFC summary to Age Ratings and the BBFC classification guidelines. 

Write a paragraph about each of the different ratings:

• U
• PG
• 12A/12
• 15
• 18

3) Select ONE of the A Level BBFC case studies. Explain why it received its certificate in relation to each of the considerations: 

• dangerous behaviour
• discrimination
• drugs 
• language
• nudity
• sex
• sexual violence
• suicide and self harm
• threat and horror
• violence

4) Go to the rate a trailer section - choose THREE trailers and rate them.

Write the name of the film, what your rating was, and how it compared to the BBFC.

5) What are the guidelines for a 12A certificate - Blinded By The Light's cinema certificate (it was rated 12 for its home video release)?

6) The BBFC website offers an explanation of every classification it makes and detailed case studies on selected titles. Look at the rating for Blinded By The Light and explain why it was given a 12A certificate for cinema release.

Complete this for homework: due date on Satchel One

MIGRAIN: Collective identity in the online age

Our final topic in our introduction to representation is collective identity: the sense of belonging to a group and how this influences the way we represent ourselves.

This is something the media has a huge influence over - everything from advertising to social media profiles can affect our sense of identity and where we fit in. Indeed, the representations we see in the media can have a huge impact on how we fit into society and the world around us. We need to learn some key theories and also consider the impact of new and digital technology on issues of collective identity and representation.

Notes and key theories

Collective identity

Collective identity is the shared sense of belonging to a group. In Media Studies, we need to consider the influence media has over a person’s sense of identity.

This is closely linked to representation as the way groups are portrayed in the media can influence our sense of identity and belonging.

Collective identity: theories

David Gauntlett - identity

Think back to last week's work on David Gauntlett. He believes that audiences actively use the media  to construct their identities and that the explosion of digital media means this is beginning to move away from traditional stereotypes. A major part of that is the sense of belonging to a group - collective identity - which the internet has made far easier.

Marxism and the Frankfurt School

Marxists believe identity is constructed through hegemony imposed by the ruling elite. A sense of individual identity is a myth that prevents people challenging powerful groups.

This links to the Frankfurt School, a group of influential Marxists who viewed media audiences as passive vessels. They believe the media is used to control and manipulate people.

Example: Apple branding

Apple’s early branding suggested individuality and creative freedom... But in fact it was always a massive profit-seeking corporation looking to sell as widely as possible.

Later, iPhone adverts subtly suggested a certain lifestyle that has become synonymous with Apple products. Everything suggests creative possibility and individual opportunity but Marxists would argue this merely hides the fact we are being manipulated by a faceless corporation into handing Apple huge amounts of money (why is an iPhone so much more expensive than an Android phone for example?) 

Daniel Chandler: CAGE

Daniel Chandler suggested the acronym CAGE, stating our identity is constructed through class, age, gender and ethnicity. 

Does this still apply in the 21st century? Do we construct our own identities along these lines? Is representation in the media still dominated by these classifications? Think about your own presence on social media and the media products we have studied so far - such as Blinded By The Light.

Stuart Hall: media construction

Stuart Hall suggests the media actively constructs our society rather than reflecting it back. 

Our identity is part of this and therefore any sense of individuality we may feel is actually constructed through the media we engage with.

Constructing our own identities

New technology has changed the way we see ourselves and others. Through social media we can construct representations of ourselves.

Example: Instagram/Snapchat

• How did you choose your profile pic?
• What does your profile say?
• Who do you follow?
• How much do you consider what others will think of you when posting/liking/sharing?

Does social media have a positive influence over our identity? Or is it corrosive? Simon Sinek's interview on the millennial generation went viral when it was first released and is worth watching again for the section on social media, technology and how it influences our sense of identity:

Shared identity online

New technology has created the opportunity for people to form groups online that represent their shared identity. 

Think about the work we have done recently on feminism and online activism - blogs, forums, social media accounts and whole campaigns and movements (#everydaysexism) have given audiences a new sense of collective identity. In America and increasingly worldwide, the #blacklivesmatter movement is doing this with racism and police brutality.

Social media can empower individuals and create a strong sense of belonging – media theorist Sherry Turkle famously described the internet as a place to be "alone together".

Collective identity in the 21st Century

So, collective identity doesn’t just refer to representations in mainstream media.

It also refers to self-constructed identity by users of social media and communities formed online of shared identity (e.g. Feminism).

Collective identity and representing ourselves: blog tasks

Task 1: Media Magazine article

Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here.

Complete the following tasks on your blog:

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

2) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?

3) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.

4) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Have you ever added or removed a picture from a social media site purely because of what it says about the type of person you are?

5) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy?


Task 2: Media Magazine cartoon

Now read the cartoon in MM62 (p36) that summarises David Gauntlett’s theories of identity. Write five simple bullet points summarising what you have learned from the cartoon about Gauntlett's theories of identity. Our Media Magazine archive is here.

Task 3: Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

Finally, use our brilliant Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #72 on Collective Identity. The Factsheet archive is available online here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions to complete our introductory work on collective identity:

1) What is collective identity? Write your own definition in as close to 50 words as possible.

2) How does James May's Top Toys offer a nostalgic representation of Britain?

3) How has new technology changed collective identity?

4) What phrase does David Gauntlett (2008) use to describe this new focus on identity? 

5) How does the Shaun of the Dead Facebook group provide an example of Henry Jenkins' theory of interpretive communities online?

Due date: on Satchel One

Year 12 Spring Media exam: revision and preparation

Your Year 12 Media exams will be a great opportunity to practice exam skills and work out what progress you need to make next year to reach your targets.

Your exam on Tuesday 3 February will be a mini-version of the real exams you'll do next summer. Below is a full guide to what you need to revise for each section of the exam. Please note that the current topics of Representation, Feminism and Ideology will NOT be tested in this exam as we have only studied this recently. Instead, we'll give you an assessment next half-term that will focus on these topics.

Know your exam

One of the most important aspects of preparing for examinations is knowing exactly what topics could come up in this exam. As this is a mini-version of a real exam, please revise what we have studied last term:

The index, as you know, is a critical way of making sure you are keeping on top of the workload and not missing any topics or concepts. Your December index should have the following work in it:

1) Introduction to Media: 10 questions

2) Media consumption audit
3) Semiotics blog tasks
4) Language: Reading an image - media codes

5) Reception theory - advert analysis and factsheet

6) Structuralism : Factsheet and analysis 

7) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions
8) Narrative: Factsheet questions

9) Audience: classification - psychographics presentation notes

10) October assessment learner response
11) Audience theory 1 - Hypodermic needle/Two-step flow/U&G
12) Audience theory 2 - The effects debate - Bandura, Cohen 
13) Industries: Ownership and Control
14) Industries: Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries

15) Industries: Public Service Broadcasting

16) Industries: Regulation

In addition, look over your learner response for the assessment in November. That feedback will be important in identifying how you can improve in the upcoming assessment.

There are plenty of resources out there to further help you prepare for your February exam. For example, we strongly recommend you get hold of some of the books on our A-Level Media reading list - including Media Magazine, Media theory for A Level and the AQA textbooks which cover all the key concepts and some of the Close-Study Products.  

You will obviously be looking over your MIGRAIN index as outlined above. However, there is plenty more out there. Anything you read in our Media Magazine archive will help to give you a wider perspective on media debates and every issue has several articles which focus on interesting examples, theories and debates that will help you in a Media exam. You'll find our Media Magazine archive here. Similarly, you have access to our whole Media Factsheet archive if there are any particular topics or theories you want to revise in more detail. Look at these for example: 

• How to revise for A Level Media exams
• Channel 4: an overview and update
• Understanding digital convergence
• Using theory
• The BBC: an overview and update
• Mrs Fisher - YouTube revision videos

Remember: these resources are all for you - the more you use them, the better you will do!

Practice questions

As requested, here are some practice questions for the upcoming Year 12 exam. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access these.

How to revise

Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Think back to your GCSE exams and which systems worked for you. If you're open to new techniques, here's a video on YouTube with top tips for A* A Level revision: 

Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. I have spare flash cards in DF07 if you'd like some.  

In summary, you need to revise the following for your Year 12 Media exam:

• All media language and theory learned throughout the course so far - look back particularly at the extended MIGRAIN Introduction to Media unit as this contained a lot of key terminology and theory e.g. genre, narrative, industry theory, audience theory etc.

Good luck with your revision and give this exam your best shot!

MIGRAIN: Feminist and gender theory

We've explored an important media debate in questioning whether we are in a post-feminist state and now need to add theories to the argument.

As ever, the most important thing here is to develop your own opinion on these debates and theories and, crucially, be able to support these with evidence from media products. There are four main gender theorists in the A Level Media subject content. 

Feminist theory: introductory notes

We will return to all of these theories as we study the Close Study Products across the rest of the course but this will provide a good introduction to the named theorists in A Level Media.

Judith Butler: gender as performance

Butler’s hugely influential work ‘Gender Trouble’ argues that gender is culturally and socially constructed – not ‘natural’. 

She believes we are conditioned to adhere to social norms – both in terms of gender roles and heterosexuality.

Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’, a pattern of repeated acts or rituals such as putting on make-up or dressing a certain way.

Butler and the media

If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’.

And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?


Liesbet van Zoonen: Feminist Media Studies

Like Butler, van Zoonen believes culture – the media – plays a crucial role in establishing gender roles and the dominance of patriarchal ideologies.

Patriarchy: a system that believes in male dominance in the family or society.

She also builds on Mulvey’s idea of the ‘male gaze’ by arguing that the media presents the female body as ‘spectacle’ – sexualised for the benefit of male audiences.

Media teacher and textbook writer Mark Dixon has highlighted five aspects to van Zoonen's theory.  van Zoonen argues that women are typically:

• Objectified – in media products aimed at both men and women.
• Restricted to secondary roles.
• Constructed to present women as passive.
• Framed differently – camerawork and mise-en-scene emphasise appearance or sexuality.
• Presented to reinforce western beauty ideals (e.g. young, slim, white etc.)

David Gauntlett - gender theory

David Gauntlett wrote extensively on gender representation and the importance of role models in the media in the late 1990s.

He believes the explosion in media consumption in the 1980s and 90s gave audiences a chance to actively construct their identities and possibly move away from traditional stereotypes.

However, he still acknowledged Butler and van Zoonen: “Although the popular remix of feminism is accepted by young women, it remains the case that most women and men remain somewhat constricted within particular gender roles.”

Gauntlett and masculinity

Gauntlett looked at men’s lifestyle magazines and found a new, quite different representation of masculinity (reflecting similar changes in women’s magazines as third-wave feminism took hold in the 90s). 

Importantly, he disagrees that masculinity is in crisis – a popular view in the media in recent years. He simply sees masculinity as evolving as society and culture changes. 

bell hooks: intersectionality

bell hooks is a radical feminist who argues that the experience of black women is almost entirely ignored by media and culture. 

Unlike some 1990s third-wave feminists who celebrated female sexuality as empowering, bell hooks sees feminism as a struggle to end patriarchal oppression - a serious political commitment rather than a fashionable lifestyle choice: “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression.”

She also argued that gender oppression could not be discussed without also considering race or sexuality – she called this the intersectionality of points of oppression.

Feminist theory: blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Feminist theory - blog tasks' and complete the following tasks on your blog:

Media Magazine reading - two articles on feminism and theory

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here). This is a great example of sophisticated media analysis and an indication of the level we want to be writing at by the end of the two-year course.

1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

Now read The Theory Drop: Gender Performativity (MM69, page 25) and answer the following questions.

1) How does the writer suggest gender performativity is established from a young age?

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.


Music video analysis

Finally, write up our analysis of the two music videos we studied in class. This is your opportunity to develop your own opinions on these crucial media debates. If you're not sure on any of these theories, look at the theory notes above to help you.

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’: 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?

3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women? 

Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:



1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

Complete for homework if you don't finish this during the lessons - due date on Satchel One.

Film Industry: Blinded By The Light case study

Our first close-study product is low-medium budget British film Blinded By The Light (Gurinder Chadha, 2019). We need to know how the film was funded, produced, distributed and promoted.

If you missed the screening of Blinded By The Light you can catch up with it here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access.

The key notes from the lesson are here:

Funding
Blinded By The Light cost around $15m to make. Key points:

• Bend It Films developed the film with support from Levantine Films and Ingenious Media.
• Levantine Films is an independent production company that had a major success with Hidden Figures in 2016 which grossed $230m at the worldwide box office.
• The Ingenious Group is an investment company that invests money in projects that have the potential to deliver future profits.

Production
Key points for making Blinded By The Light:

• Adapted from a book called Greetings From Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor (a play on 'Greetings From Asbury Park' - a Bruce Springsteen album). The memoir outlined his experiences growing up in Luton in the 1980s and discovering the music of Springsteen.
• Co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha who had a smash hit in 2002 with her film Bend It Like Beckham (Bend It Like Beckham made over $100m at the worldwide box office).

Distribution

Blinded By The Light was picked up by New Line Cinema at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival after a bidding war with various other major film distributors. The film had been well received by audiences at the film festival. 

• The all-night auction following the world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019 guaranteed the film a major global cinema release which many films never achieve.
• Previously offered for sale at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival but did not attract a buyer at that point although UK distribution was secured by eOne Entertainment, a Canadian media company. In 2023 eOne Entertainment was bought by studio Lionsgate in an example of conglomerate ownership and vertical integration.
• New Line Cinema is an American production studio owned by Warner Brothers Pictures Group.
• The film was released in cinemas worldwide in August 2019. The DVD release followed in December 2019 distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment - a Viacom company.
• Deal with Amazon Prime secured in early 2020 for streaming in the UK - coinciding perfectly with the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. When this streaming deal expired, the film switched to Netflix before also disappearing from there too. Currently, the film is only available to buy or rent in the UK. 

Reception and box office

• Positive word-of-mouth marketing but poor box office figures – just $18.1m box office against a $15m budget which means the film almost certainly lost money when factoring in the global marketing campaign.
• Rival studios argued that Warner Bros. should have begun with a limited release to build audience interest, and that the film's August date was too close to that of Yesterday, a film with some surface similarities (a British romantic comedy based on the music of the Beatles and starring Ed Sheeran). [Source: Deadline Hollywood].

Promotion and marketing

Blinded By The Light was backed by a major international marketing campaign: 

• Traditional marketing: trailer, film poster with review quotes etc.
• Premieres - London, Luton and Asbury Park, New Jersey (attended by Bruce Springsteen).
• Heavy social media presence – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.
• Interviews with writer, director and stars across TV, radio, newspapers and magazines (see below).

Blinded By The Light: case study blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Blinded By The Light case study'. Work through the following tasks to build a detailed understanding the of the film's funding, production, distribution and marketing. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question on the film industry.

Background reading and production research

Read the following interviews and features on Blinded By The Light:

Writer Sarfraz Manzoor on the story behind the film - Guardian
Manzoor again on the promotion of the film and audience reaction
Variety feature on the best films from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival 

1) What is the story behind the production of the film?

2) What was the audience reaction to the film?

3) Why is the Sundance Film Festival such an important part of the film industry - particularly for lower budget films? 

Funding and industry contexts

1) What was the budget for Blinded By The Light and which companies contributed to the production budget?

2) Research the Bend It Networks website. What other films and projects has the company been involved with?

3) Research Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema on the Warners website here. Summarise the history of New Line Cinema in a short paragraph.

4) Read this Variety interview with director Gurinder Chadha explaining how the project came about - including budget details. What attracted Gurinder Chadha to the project and how did she manage to get the film made? 

Distribution

Read this Deadline feature on the distribution deal for Blinded By The Light and answer the following questions: 

1) Which company won the distribution rights after the all-night auction and for how much?

2) Which other companies were rumoured to be bidding for the distribution rights?

3) According to the article, what was the 'allure' of Blinded By The Light?

4) UK distribution was secured by eOne Entertainment. In 2023 eOne was bought by Lionsgate. Read this press release on Lionsgate acquiring eOne Entertainment and write one reason for the deal. 


Marketing, promotion and reception

Watch the following clips to learn about the marketing and promotion of the film. 

Watch the trailer for Blinded By The Light:

Watch the film being promoted on The One Show (BBC1): 

Watch writer Sarfraz Manzoor talking about 1980s nostalgia and British-Asian identity:

Watch this 'fans dream' featurette produced by Bend It Networks:

1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Blinded By The Light?

2) What TV shows and websites did interviews with writer, director and stars of Blinded By The Light? Why are interviews a good way to promote a new film release? 

3) What did film posters for Blinded By The Light feature and where did they appear? You may need to research this on Google Images. 

4) What social media accounts did Blinded By The Light use to promote the film? Note: some sites may be blocked if you are working in school - you will need to use your phone or complete your research at home.

5) Select three posts from the Blinded By The Light Instagram page and explain how they promote the film.

6) Go to the Bend It Networks YouTube channel. How does Gurinder Chadha introduce the channel?  What other content is on the Bend It Networks YouTube channel?

7) Look at the box office figures for Blinded By The Light from The Numbers website. How much did it make at the box office and why do you think it was largely unsuccessful?

8) Click on the tabs with further information (such as 'News', 'Box Office' and 'Video Sales'). Copy and paste some more statistics or sales figures to add to your understanding of the film's financial performance.

Due date: on Satchel One

MIGRAIN: Introduction to feminism

Discussing feminism and learning a range of feminist theories is an essential part of A Level Media Studies.

Are we living in a post-feminist state? Do you agree there is still a need for feminism? To what extent does the media contribute to the identity created for women in popular culture? These are some of the questions we need to consider when studying representation in A Level Media.

There is a current debate regarding whether feminism is still required in the 21st century (the idea that we are now in a 'post-feminist' state) against the view that the use of new and digital media to further feminist campaigns constitutes a new fourth wave of feminism.

Key notes

Post-feminism

Post-feminism is a term used to describe a societal perception that many or all of the goals of feminism have already been achieved, thereby making further iterations and expansions of the movement obsolete. 

Post-feminism also has alternative definitions. At times, it is described as a media phenomenon, or as a backlash against feminism, while at other times post-feminism is discussed as a radically new way that young people are engaging in activism and identity theory, often moving away from gender.

Source: University of British Columbia

Waves of feminism
First wave: early 20th century, suffragette movement (right to vote).
Second wave: 1960s – 1990s, reproductive rights (pill), abortion, equal pay.
Third wave: 1990s – present, empowerment, reclaiming of femininity (high heels, sexuality etc. See Angela McRobbie's work on women's magazines).
Fourth wave? 2010 – ongoing, use of new technology and digital media (e.g. Twitter) for activism.

Fourth wave?
Many commentators argue that the internet itself has enabled a shift from ‘third-wave’ to ‘fourth-wave’ feminism. What is certain is that the internet has created a ‘call-out’ culture, in which sexism or misogyny can be ‘called out’ and challenged. 

This culture is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on challenging sexism and misogyny in advertising, film, television and the media. 

Key quote: “power users of social media”
The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use the internet both for discussion and activism. 

According to #FemFuture: Online Feminism, a report recently published by Columbia University’s Barnard Center for Research on Women, females aged between 18 and 29 are the ‘power users of social networking’.

(Source: Political Studies Association. Read more about this: http://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/feminism-fourth-wave)

Critics of online feminism

Critics of online feminist movements suggest that petitions and pressure from social media campaigns is simply a witchhunt orchestrated by privileged middle-class white women. This is often led by right-wing influencers and opinion leaders sometimes known as the ‘manosphere’ and promoting a more traditional masculinity.

Other criticisms of feminism are linked to wider developments in gender and identity, highlighting that feminism highlights gender differences and therefore can be exclusionary.

Case study: Everyday Sexism

Watch this TEDx talk by Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates:

 

Introduction to feminism: blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Introduction to Feminism' and complete the following tasks.

Everyday Sexism

Watch the Everyday Sexism TED talk from Laura Bates (linked above) and answer the following questions:

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?


Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here.

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave of ‘networked feminism’? 

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a short summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

Complete for homework - due date on Satchel One.