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:
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.
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:
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.
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 Google Classroom
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:
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.
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.
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?
Postcolonial theory is a key aspect of our work on representations in media and British culture.
Postcolonialism describes a range of theories and ideas that have come from the legacy of colonialism and slavery. It attempts to define attitudes and values that can often still persist in society today – such as an assumption of the superiority of white Western values and ideals in relation to other cultures.
Postcolonial terminology
‘Othering’ or racial otherness
Paul Gilroy suggests non-white representations are constructed as a ‘racial other’ in contrast to white Western ideals.
Dating back to 1950s Windrush immigration, Black representations were constructed as a threat to British society with Black culture presented as a corrupting or dangerous influence ‘swamping’ white Britain. This can still be seen today in media discourse on immigration.
Racial essentialism
This refers to the linking of a person’s cultural and racial heritage to a place of national origin. It is also used to suggest that people from a certain heritage are ‘all the same’ and therefore to make value judgements about people from certain backgrounds.
This links to the idea of social and ethnic hierarchies – the belief that certain groups or races are superior to others. Does the media reinforce these ideas?
Postcolonial melancholia and Albionic Englishness
Paul Gilroy uses the term postcolonial melancholia (sadness) to reflect Britain failure to come to terms with losing its empire.
Is Britain obsessed with the past? Do representations of Britain emphasise an ‘Albionic Englishness’ – a white, rural, nostalgic version of Britain untouched by the demise of Empire?
Civilisationism
Civilisationism is the representation of western democracies as the binary opposition of ‘uncivilised’ or extremist others.
Edward Said’s book Orientalism is a key text on this topic. Said argued that the west – particularly colonising Europe – constructed a meaning of the east that suggested it was different, dangerous and uncivilised.
Double consciousness
Paul Gilroy used the term double consciousness to reflect the Black experience in the UK and USA. One aspect is living in a predominantly white culture and having an aspect of identity rooted somewhere else. He describes this as a “liquidity of culture”.
He also uses it to highlight the disconnect between black representations in the media and the actual lived experience of Black Britons. Often, these representations are created by white producers.
Cultural conviviality
This refers to the real-world multiculturalism and racial harmony that most people experience on a day-to-day basis. It is in stark contrast to the racial disharmony and binary view often presented by the media.
Example: Rye Lane trailer
Introduction to Postcolonialism: blog tasks
Create a new blog post called 'Advertising: Postcolonialism blog tasks'. Read ‘The Theory Drop: Postcolonialism and Paul Gilroy’ in MM75 (p28). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions on your blog: 1) Look at the first page. What is colonialism - also known as cultural imperialism?
2) Now look at the second page. What is postcolonialism?
3) How does Paul Gilroy suggest postcolonialism influences British culture?
4) What is 'othering'?
5) What examples of 'othering' are provided by the article?
6) What is 'double consciousness'?
7) What are 'racial hierarchies'?
8) What examples from recent media products challenge the idea of racial hierarchies?
Complete for homework - due date on Google Classroom.
Postmodernism is one of the more challenging concepts in A Level Media but fortunately Deutschland 83 provides a brilliant case study as a postmodern media text. We need to be able to look for postmodern ideas in the media texts we study - and some of that we've done already in our work on advertising and marketing, intertextuality and genre. Notes and definitions
Postmodernism: a late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories. (Source: Dictionary definition) A brief history Postmodernism is linked to the premodernism and modernism eras. Pre-modernism: up to late 19th century. Religion dominates society. Modernism: late 19th century to mid-20th century Science dominates; religion questioned; distinct difference between high culture (e.g. art) and low culture; industrialisation. Postmodernism: mid- to late-20th century to present Blurring of high and low culture/art and popular culture; media-driven hyper-reality; style over substance.
Postmodernism and the media Postmodernism is often defined by scepticism, irony, self-referentiality or intertextuality. What does that mean? The Simpsons provides an example. The structure is a classic family sitcom but the content ridicules authority (including its media conglomerate owner) and is full of intertextual references to other films, TV shows and popular culture.
Further examples of postmodernism An example in architecture would be Las Vegas; in art, Andy Warhol's pop-art of the 1960s. Award-winning 1998 German film Run Lola Run (‘Lola Rennt’) is credited with revitalising German cinema with a postmodern take on crime drama that features a repeating narrative and a blurring of genres.
Postmodernism: theory and terminology Strinati
Dominic Strinati identified five ways to define postmodernism: 1. ‘Media-isation’ of culture – we make sense of reality using media texts 2. Emphasis of style over substance e.g. celebrity, reality TV 3. Breakdown of difference between art and popular culture 4. Confusion over time and space – modern society is built on the instantaneous 5. Decline of meta-narratives or grand narratives (e.g. religion or political theories such as communism) Key terms There are some key terms we need to learn when studying postmodernism in media texts: Bricolage The juxtaposing of old and new texts, images, ideas and narratives to create new meanings. Hyperreality Jean Baudrillard argued that audiences view the ‘copy’ of reality in the media as more real than the original. Fredric Jameson discussed the idea of ‘historical deafness’ by suggesting the media-isation of history means we only understand historical events through their media representation.
There are some key terms we need to learn when studying postmodernism in media texts:
Pastiche
This refers to media products that imitate the style of another text, artist or time period. Pastiche is an example of intertextuality and takes a positive view of the original source.
In contrast parody is similar but ridicules the original source (e.g. Scary Movie parodies horror).
Fredric Jameson on parody and pastiche
“Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language. But it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without any of parody’s ulterior motives, amputated of the satiric impulse, devoid of laughter.”
Jameson suggested pastiche does not offer up comment on society or history – it is simply done because it is ‘stylish’. He marks this as an example of ‘historical deafness’.
Deutschland 83: a postmodernism text
The following scenes of Deutschland 83 provide excellent examples of bricolage, hyper-reality and pastiche:
Opening scene: 0.00 – 3.00
Title sequence followed by archive footage: 8.10 – 9.15
Running/supermarket scene: 17.10 – 18.10
Postmodernism & Deutschland 83: blog tasks
Media Magazine - A Postmodern Reimagining of the Past
Media Magazine 73 has a feature exploring Deutschland 83 as a postmodern media product. Read ‘Deutschland 83 - A Postmodern Reimagining of the Past’ in MM73 (p18). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:
1) What were the classic media representations of the Cold War?
2) Why does Deutschland 83 provide a particularly good example for postmodern analysis?
3) Pick out some of the aspects of the opening of episode 1 and explain why they are significant.
4) How does the party scene at Martin's mum's house subvert stereotypes of East Germany in the Cold War?
5) What aspects of the episode set in West Germany offer postmodern elements?
6) Finally, how does the article apply postmodern theory to Deutschland 83 and link it to the potential target audience?
Postmodernism Factsheet
Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #54: Introduction to Postmodernism. 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) Read the section on Strinati's five ways to define postmodernity. What examples are provided of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society (media-isation)? 2) What is Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness'? How can the idea of 'historical deafness' be applied to Deutschland 83? 3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'? 4) What examples from music are provided for the breakdown of the distinction between art and popular culture? Can this be applied to Deutschland 83? 5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83? 6) How can the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 be linked to postmodernism? Read 'The decline of meta-narratives' and 'Media texts and the postmodern' to help answer this.
7) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning? 8) Which key scenes from Deutschland 83 best provide examples of postmodernism? Why?
There is a lot of challenging work here - you will have plenty of time to complete it so take it slowly, read around the subject and re-watch the scenes from the first episode on All4 to help develop impressive academic answers to these questions. Due date on Google Classroom.
We have studied the changing representation of women and men in advertising and now we need to apply those ideas to our first advertising CSP. The 1967 Score hair cream advert provides a compelling case study for the representation of both men and women and allows us to explore how historical contexts inform representations in the media. A reminder of some of the notes from recent lessons: Hypermasculinity in advertising Hypermasculinity is defined as: a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. Advertising in the 1950s-1980s often featured a hypermasculine representation of men – and some representations in the media today still continue this.
Masculinity in crisis? David Gauntlett
Media theorist David Gauntlett has written extensively on gender and identity. He disagrees with the popular view that masculinity is ‘in crisis’:
“Contemporary masculinity is often said to be 'in crisis'; as women become increasingly assertive and successful… men are said to be anxious and confused about what their role is today.”
Instead, Gauntlett suggests that many modern representations of masculinity are “about men finding a place for themselves in the modern world.” He sees this as a positive thing. (Gauntlett, 2002) Gauntlett: three key ideas Idea 1: Identity is becoming more fluid Idea 2: There are generational differences Idea 3: Things change over time
Score hair cream advert: CSP context The Score hair cream advert is an historical artefact from 1967. It should be examined by considering its historical, social and cultural contexts, particularly as it relates to gender roles, sexuality and the historical context of advertising techniques. Context: 1967 can be seen as a period of change in the UK with legislation on (and changing attitudes to) the role of women – and men – in society. Produced in the year of decriminalisation of homosexuality and three years before the 1970 Equal Pay Act, the representation of gender could be read as signalling more anxiety than might first appear. The reference to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of Empire.
Blog task: Score advert and wider reading Complete the following tasks and wider reading on the Score hair cream advert and masculinity in advertising. Media Factsheet - Score hair cream Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #188: Close Study Product - Advertising - Score. 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 download it here if you use your Greenford login details to access Google Drive. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions: 1) How did advertising techniques change in the 1960s and how does the Score advert reflect this change?
2) What representations of women were found in post-war British advertising campaigns? 3) Conduct your own semiotic analysis of the Score hair cream advert: What are the connotations of the mise-en-scene in the image? You may wish to link this to relevant contexts too. 4) What does the factsheet suggest in terms of a narrative analysis of the Score hair cream advert? 5) How might an audience have responded to the advert in 1967? What about in the 2020s? 6) How does the Score hair cream advert use persuasive techniques (e.g. anchorage text, slogan, product information) to sell the product to an audience? 7) How might you apply feminist theory to the Score hair cream advert - such as van Zoonen, bell hooks or Judith Butler? 8) How could David Gauntlett's theory regarding gender identity be applied to the Score hair cream advert? 9) What representation of sexuality can be found in the advert and why might this link to the 1967 decriminalisation of homosexuality (historical and cultural context)? 10) How does the advert reflect Britain's colonial past - another important historical and cultural context? Wider reading The Drum: This Boy Can article Read this article from The Drum magazine on gender and the new masculinity. If the Drum website is blocked, you can find the text of the article here. Think about how the issues raised in this article link to our Score hair cream advert CSP and then answer the following questions: 1) Why does the writer suggest that we may face a "growing 'boy crisis'"? 2) How has the Axe/Lynx brand changed its marketing to present a different representation of masculinity? 3) How does campaigner David Brockway, quoted in the article, suggest advertisers "totally reinvent gender constructs"? 4) How have changes in family and society altered how brands are targeting their products? 5) Why does Fernando Desouches, Axe/Lynx global brand development director, say you've got to "set the platform" before you explode the myth of masculinity? Due date: on Google Classroom.
