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 Exam 1 - 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 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 a series of 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). One of the opening sequences is available on YouTube:

An introduction to TV Drama: Blog task

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #164 on Television Serial Drama. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. 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 dramas 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?


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 next Wednesday.

MIGRAIN: Feminist theory

A current debate in feminism is whether we are in a post-feminist state: is feminism still needed?

It's important to have your own opinion on this debate and, crucially, be able to support it with reference to feminist theory and current examples. 

Feminist theory: key notes

Judith Butler: gender roles

Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed.

By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders

Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.

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?



Angela McRobbie: empowering women

McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s.

McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.


This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.

Feminist theory: blog tasks

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

Media Magazine reading

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here).

1) What are the two texts the article focuses on?

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

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

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


Music video analysis

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) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society?

3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?

4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?



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 lesson - due next Monday.

Film Industry: BBFC film regulation

In our work on the British film industry, we need to consider the role of the BBFC, why Chicken was rated 15 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 (slightly old) video outlining how videos are classified at the BBFC:

Film regulation and the BBFC - blog tasks:

1) Research the BBFC in more detail: what is the institution responsible for? How is it funded? What link does it have to government?

2) Read this BBFC guide to how films are rated. Summarise the process in 50 words.

3) Read this BBFC outline of the issues faced when classifying a film. Summarise the debate in 50 words.

4) Read this BBFC section on controversial decisions. Why did The Dark Knight generate a large amount of media coverage regarding its certificate? Do you agree with the 12A certificate The Dark Knight was awarded?

5) What are the guidelines for a 15 certificate?

6) The BBFC website offers an explanation of every classification it makes and detailed case studies on selected titles. Look at the rating for Chicken and explain why it was given a 15 certificate.

Complete this for homework if you don't get it done in the lesson - due next Friday.

Film Industry: Chicken case study research

Our first close-study product is micro-budget British film Chicken. We need to know how the film was funded, produced, distributed and promoted.

The key notes from the lesson are here:

Funding
In order to make Chicken, director Joe Stephenson raised £110,000. Key points:

• Raised entirely through investment by individuals (e.g. rich friends/contacts)
• No funding body (e.g. BFI Film Fund) was willing to fund Chicken
• Raises questions about whether film industry is accessible to lower-income filmmakers

Production
Key points for making Chicken:

• Adapted from a play by Freddie Machin that originally ran at Southwark Playhouse.
• Filmed in 19 days, almost all external locations so victim to rain, issues with lighting etc.
• Film produced and distributed by a new company set up by director Stephenson: B Good Picture Company.

Distribution

Chicken’s distribution has been very difficult:

• No distribution deal secured in 2014
• Two-year festival circuit won awards and generated interest and critical acclaim for film
• UK cinema release followed in May 2016. Selected for film subscription service MUBI and acquired by Film4 for TV premiere in April 2017.
• UK DVD release distributed by Network Releasing. Digital distribution in USA/Canada – January 2018.
• Deal with Amazon Prime secured in June 2018.

Promotion

Alongside film festivals, new technology was vital to promoting Chicken to a wider audience: 

• Some traditional marketing: trailer, film poster with review quotes etc.
• Social media very important to market film – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.
• Reviews from influential figures in British film industry important for promotion – actor Ian McKellen, director Stephen Frears, BBC film reviewer Mark Kermode.

Chicken: case study blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to build a detailed case study for Chicken. This will give you plenty of background information to use in an exam question on the film industry.

Read the following interviews and features on Chicken:

Film News interview with director Joe Stephenson
Hey Guys interview with Stephenson
Flavourmag interview with Scott Chambers and Joe Stephenson

Watch the trailer for Chicken:



Watch this Into Film feature on Chicken:




Watch important film critic Mark Kermode's review of Chicken on the BBC:



Funding

1) What was the budget for Chicken?

2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?

3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?

4) Joe Stephenson tried to secure funding from organisations that help low-budget filmmakers. What is the BFI Film Fund and how does it contribute to the British film industry?

5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?


Production

1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?

2) How many days did the film take to shoot?

3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?


Distribution

1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?

2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?

3) Why are film festivals an effective way for a low-budget film to secure a distribution deal?

4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?

5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?

6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?

7) When will the film be released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?


Promotion

Note: some of these pages will be blocked in school - you will need to complete those particular questions at home.

1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?

2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?

3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?

4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?

5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?

6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?

7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?

8) Go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. What celebrities are mentioned on the page? Why might they be highlighted?

9) Now go to the film's official website. What is the key purpose of the website and what does this tell you about the influence of new technology and how it is changing howpeople watch films?

10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?


Final reading: Media Magazine - the appeal of arthouse cinema

Complete the following tasks to improve your understanding of arthouse film and the possible audience pleasures that the genre offers:

Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. 

1) Summarise the article in 50 words.

2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?

3) Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).

4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?

5) What type of audience would be interested in Chicken?

You will be given lesson time to continue this but will need to complete for homework - due Friday 1 February.

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

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 Twitter campaigns is simply a witchhunt orchestrated by privileged middle-class white women.

They ask: are ‘trolls’ the danger they are portrayed to be?


Introduction to feminism: blog tasks


Case study: Everyday Sexism

Watch this TEDx talk by Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates:



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 ‘networked feminism’? 

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word 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 Monday 28 January.

MIGRAIN: Representation theory

When analysing representation in the media we need to be able to apply media theories as well as discussing dominant and alternative portrayals.

A reminder of the notes on Representation theories:

Richard Dyer: Stereotyping and power
Richard Dyer's theory suggests that the complexity and variety of a group is reduced to a few key characteristics. An exaggerated version of these characteristics is then applied to everyone in the group. 

He states that those with power stereotype those with less power. 

Therefore, we have stereotypes of non-white people, poor people and women... but not so many of white, middle class men.


Medhurst: shorthand that carries value judgements
Andy Medhurst suggests stereotyping is shorthand for identification. This means we use stereotypes to tell audiences a lot in a short space of time.

However, this can carry value judgements and therefore be very negative for the representation of minority groups. Medhurst gave the example of the representation of gay men: 

"The image of the screaming queen does not just mean 'all gay men are like that', it means 'all gay men are like that and aren't they awful', which in turn means 'and they are awful because they are not like us'."

Perkins: stereotypes can be positive or partly true

Tessa Perkins suggests some stereotypes can be positive and are often true.

Specifically, she stated that stereotypes are...

• Not always negative (the French are good cooks)
• Not always about the less powerful (Politicians are corrupt)
• Can be about our own social groups (Students are lazy)
• Not always false (The Scottish wear kilts)
• Can change over time (A typical British holiday was in Blackpool; now it is Spain)

Mulvey: the male gaze

Laura Mulvey suggests that the dominant view in the media is masculine and created for the benefit of men. Women are presented for men to look at, hence the ‘male gaze’. This links to the idea of ‘sex sells’ and women being represented as sex objects.

More recently, the idea of the ‘female gaze’ has been suggested. Rosalind Gill suggests the objectified male is an example of post-feminist media culture in modern Britain. Task: write down an example for each.

Linked to Mulvey...

Berger: ‘Ways of seeing’

An additional representation theory that influenced Mulvey:

John Berger (1972) stated that: “Men act and women appear”

“Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.”

Levi-Strauss: Representation and ideology

Claude Levi-Strauss suggests that representations in the media are informed by ideology: the set of beliefs and values held by the producer of the text.

Some things are included and others are left out to create a dominant or preferred representation. 

Representation theory blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Representation theory'. 

Read the Media Magazine feature 'Representation old and new'. This is in MM51 on page 6 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. Complete the following tasks:

1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?

2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?

3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?

6) What example if provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?

Now think about today's representation theories. Go back to the Taken trailer from last week's introduction to representation and apply each theory to the trailer:



Write a short paragraph for each theory picking out aspects of the trailer that could be linked to that particular theory.

For example, negative representations of Eastern Europeans and women support Dyer's view that those with power stereotype those without power. It also reduces complex and varied groups to a few simplistic characteristics.

Complete this for each theory:

Dyer: stereotyping and power
Medhurst: value judgements
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true
Mulvey: the male gaze
Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology

Complete for homework: due next week in double lesson

Film Industry: British film industry factsheets

Our first Close Study Product is from the film industry - Chicken (2014) directed by Joe Stephenson.

This micro budget British independent film is a great example of something the British film industry has produced for many years - low-budget social realism. Indeed, in the lesson you will have been taken through the rich history of British film from the Second World War to the 21st century. You now need to add to your knowledge of the industry by reading two media factsheets and completing a series of tasks:

Factsheet #132: British Film

Use our brilliant Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #132 on British Film. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British.

2) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

4) In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

5) What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.

6) What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

Factsheet #100: British film industry

To complete our introduction to the British film industry, we need a little more background to the industries context.

Find Media Factsheet #100 on the British film industry. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the Factsheet for homework. Read the whole of the Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the 'cultural test' to see if a film counts as British?

2) Complete the task on the Factsheet, researching the films listed and finding out what they score on the cultural test: Sweeney, Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?

4) What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?

5) What are the two options for the future of the British film industry?

6) In your opinion, which of these two options would best safeguard the future of the British film industry?

You have a week to complete these tasks for homework as there is plenty of work here - due next Friday.

Year 12: Welcome back!

Welcome to the Spring term in A Level Media Studies!

You covered a LOT of work last term on both sides of the course - everything from practical filmmaking to how major media conglomerates maintain their power over the cultural industries. We need to make sure we're starting this new term with everything completed from the Autumn and so will be carrying out blog and folder checks on Friday to ensure everything is up-to-date.

What do you need to bring in for Friday's lesson?

You need to bring in your A Level Media ring-binder or equivalent with all your course details, CSP list, notes and marked assessment. The front sheet can then be signed off for the Spring term.

What do you need on your blog?

You need to make sure you have completed indexes for BOTH sides of the course from last term. This means:

An updated MIGRAIN Introduction to Media index with 17 pieces of work linked.

A completed Film & TV Language index with 11 pieces of work linked.

What are we working on this half-term?

On the exam side, we'll be completing our Introduction to A Level Media by looking at representation, feminism and ideology.

For the coursework side, we'll be getting straight into our first exam CSP - studying the micro-budget film Chicken to cover the Film industry.

Remember, we strongly recommend you get hold of the two A Level Media textbooks to help guide you through the course. You should also follow the department on Twitter, read Media Magazine regularly and take an interest in the news and wider media debates if you want to achieve a top grade in the subject.

If you attend all your lessons and complete five hours of homework per week, you WILL succeed in A Level Media! Keep up the good work!