TV DRAMA: CONSUMING PASSION

Component 2: Media Texts & Contexts

BBC's TV drama Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills and Boon offers a wide variety of representations as practice textual analysis for the Section A exam question. 

• You are given 4 pages with screenshots of key moments on the left hand side and space on the right hand side 
• As you watch the screening, identify how media language creates meaning
• 3 of the first 4 are modeled for you as examples
• 
  
  
  
  

FILM INDUSTRY REVISION: WEBSITE & TRAILER ANALYSIS

Case studies on our list: Captain Marvell, Sorry We Missed You, Bait, Roma

Today, we look at how the film trailers for each promote the film, examining the trailers in detail and making notes. PREP Complete this revision and be ready to answer questions. In class, we note that is important to read all the class blog notes on these case studies so that you can use theorists to support your essay points. Marks are are awarded for this: Analysis of how meaning is created (AO2) [5 marks]

Q.1 Take one of our case studies. Explain how its website promotes the film.

Q.2 Take a second case study. explain how its trailer promotes the film.

Captain Marvell 

Roma

Sorry We Missed You

Bait

SUGGESTED THEORISTS

You have requested a shortlist of theorists for the Media Texts and Contexts exam.

You will also no doubt recall the lesson on theorists on 8 March on this blog.

By the time you sit the exam, you will have covered a unit on Media Ecology and studied additional theorists, which will be also be relevant to your AS exam work

Theories of Media Language:

·       Semiotics: Barthes  - (denotation, connotation), representation

·       narratology, including Todorov   

..      Propp - narrative theory 

        genre theory, including Neale.

·       structuralism, including Lévi-Strauss - binary opposition

Theories of Industries:

·       power and media industries, including Curran and Seaton.

·       theories of regulation including those of Livingstone and Lunt

·       theories of cultural industries including those of Hesmondhalgh.

 

Theories of Representation:

·       theories of representation, stereotyping including Hall

·       theories of identity including Gauntlett

L      the male gaze - Laura Mulvey

·

 Theories of Industries:

·       power and media industries, including Curran and Seaton.

·       theories of regulation including those of Livingstone and Lunt

·       theories of cultural industries including those of Hesmondhalgh.

 

Shirky -

argues that ‘everybody make media and that the industry is increasingly driven by audience feedback systems'

 

 

Theories of Audience:

·       media effects, including Gauntlett

·       cultivation theory, including Gerbner

·       reception theory, including Hall - (how audiences decode texts) - active / passive audiences

·       theories of fandom, including Jenkins

·       theories of ‘end of audience’, including Shirky 

      Blumler and Katz - audiences use media to gratify needs (= democratization / active audiences) 

Henry Jenkins - participatory culture Prosumers / prosumerism 

Dan Gillmor - the audience is now the producer.  We are a nation of Netizens and prosumers

 

 

 

 

 

Paper 2 Media Texts and Contexts

Section B: Media contexts Answer one question from Section B. You should make references to at least one case study in your answer. [June 2021]

EITHER 2 Analyse the ways in which technology is changing the way we consume media. [25]

• unpack what 'consume' could include
• explain that 'we' can refer to different kinds of audiences, various situations (including current trends and forthcoming changes) and various platforms, which you will discuss as you analyse film consumption 
• make a note of how your own personal consumption could be useful in illustrating your response
  
• planning: in your notes now, write down which case case studies you could use, starting with the Hollywood majors. Aim for at least 3 studios / film companies / films
  
• next to each film, make a note of the different technologies that audiences access, keeping in mind the actual question, so that each topic sentence (sentence that starts a paragraph) is expressed relevantly
• if you start with BP or CM, you can explain the different platforms that audiences use to watch the film but also the different technologies that they use to access trailers, information about the film, social media and so on
• proceed with other case studies; you could now analyse the ways in which Roma offered a range of different audience experiences
• what is the recent news about Netflix?
  
• Loach films: how did audiences consume information about IDB and SWMY?
• you can use any case study that you wish as long as you answer the question set
• can you refer to any theorists? See the post on theorists above
  
• have you used relevant terminology like convergence?

Examiner Report

Question 2 Analyse the ways in which technology is changing the ways in which we consume media. 

The question was clearly accessible to all candidates, as most had some first-hand experience to discuss, thus eliciting a wide range of answers. Most case studies tended to focus on the film and music industry resulting in some accomplished responses. The most interesting and engaging responses were from the games industry, as they were often quite personal and well supported with detailed and relevant case study knowledge. 

The strongest responses displayed direct engagement with the question, with comprehensive evidence from case studies and a diversity of texts and institutions offered. Weaker answers were merely a personal discussion of streaming services and the closure of cinemas during the pandemic, lacking any meaningfully detailed case study support, rather than evaluating the ubiquity (or not), of consumption, and deploying a limited technical vocabulary. More confident answers were able to discuss consumption of cross platform media, including the notions of an active/passive audience, prosumerism, democratisation and interactivity. In most cases, relevant media theory was largely ignored, resulting in the lack of any informed critical debate.

TV DRAMA: HOTEL BABYLON

 Extract from Hotel Babylon HERE

January 2010: Hotel Babylon, Series 1, Episode 5 (Alrick Riley, Iain B MacDonald and Keith Boak, 2006, BBC) 
Extract location: Episode 5, Chapter 2 
In point: 6 mins 22 seconds 
Out point: 11 mins 52 seconds

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations using the following:

• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition 
• Editing 
• Sound 
• Mise-en-scène [50]

The examiner drew particular attention to candidates' failure to analyse editing:

 'As with the January and June 2009 series, this technical area proved to be the most problematic for candidates and the one technical area of analysis that was often omitted in candidates’ answers. Many candidates ignored editing altogether and only a few of those that did cover it were able to make meaningful links to representations by, for example, showing how the editing created particular viewpoints which we are encouraged to identify with or how screen time indicated the shifting relationship between characters in the sequence, for example through the discussion of the rule of thirds.

'Most candidates made reference to the pace of editing to reflect the frantic situation and emotions of the immigrant characters. The use of shot reverse shot and cuts to aid continuity were mentioned by many candidates, as was the use of cross cutting between the two situations to enhance tension. More able candidates demonstrated the ability to link the use of editing to the representation of characters, such as the use of long and short takes to represent power and the use of eye line matches to reinforce a sense of dominance. Most candidates who addressed editing were able to address the type of transitions used and could comment on the pace of the editing.  There was evidence on occasion where students engaged with the rule of thirds and juxtaposition of characters in the narrative using editing devices, which is very encouraging.  

'However, many candidates’ responses seem to be very limited in address of the issues of editing and all too frequently it was absent from their responses – which does not enable candidates to reach a level four on the marking criteria for the use of examples.  Weaker candidates often omitted any discussion of editing or offered quite simplistic accounts of how editing was used, for example in the use the shot reverse shot sequence between characters. A common error in the terminology of editing continues to be with the use of jump cuts.'

MEDIA TEXTS & CONCEPTS EXAM

Save to your laptop media folder the recent exam paper that you have received by email for your one exam this summer: Component 2 Media Texts  & Concepts.

 

You will see that you have already done Section A on analysing representation in Agent Carter.

The format for Section B is the essay. CIE have changed the mark to 25 per essay but the total proportion remains identical:

Section B: Institutions and audiences

Answer one question from this section. Refer to specific examples from one media area chosen from:

• film

• music

• print

• radio

• video games.

2 ‘Nowadays, everybody consumes media texts in the same way.’ Discuss with reference to the media area you have studied. [25]

OR
3 Discuss the impact of funding on media products. [25]

In today's class time:

• identify the key concepts in essay title question 2 about 'everybody consumes media texts in the same way'.
• explain any terminology and relate it to the essay question
• note the command /task : evaluate, analyse, how far? to what extent? 
• in a sentence, state what case studies, studios, events you plan to use
• make a mental note of how you can include personal consumption

You will have class time to develop our brainstorming and note-making into an essay.

Attempt to draw a conclusion, such as:

• In conclusion / to sum up / ultimately / upon consideration / with this in mind / taking all of this into account...
• To conclude, I have shown that the concept of 'audience' is complex and diverse, that even a single text may have more than one audience: for instance, Ken Loach's IDB and SWMY speak to both 'grassroots' audiences who may watch a community screening in a village hall as well as 'prestige' audiences who value the cultural capital of attending a film festival screening. Equally, the same audience may choose different platforms to consume different media: whilst the Instagram or TikTok feeds for a film benefit from the interactivity of a mobile phone platform, action and drama films with high production values like No Time To Die and Captain Marvel attract audiences to the big cinema screen with its immersive pleasures and Dolby Atmos sound.

PREP TASK as outlined in class, an investigation: what theorist would support any of your views?

Whilst you are not required to send me the finished rough essay, you may do so if you wish, for marking after next term starts.

EXTENSION WORK: Considering other platforms like TikTok

The Rise of Film TikTok by Maybelle Morgan

WARNER BROS/MOVIESTORE/SHUTTERSTOCK & PAVAN BIVIGOU/TIKTOK.

Zendaya & Timothee Chalamet in Dune (2021), Pavan Bivigou's profile on TikTok.

 

TikTok had been untouched on Pavan’s phone for about a year when the pandemic hit and she, like many other film-lovers, found themselves at a loss as theatres shut their doors for the foreseeable future. Restlessness, fear and boredom crept in, and during the height of isolation, she began using the video-sharing platform to keep a personal diary of what she was watching. Seeking distraction and connection, hordes of other displaced cinema-goers also had the same idea, and creators in their thousands began to pour in, joining a sacred space where the love of everything screen-related is key: Film Tik

Today, the hashtags #filmtiktok and #filmtok tally up just under 3 billion views in total, and that’s not taking into consideration the numerous sub-categories of the community which branch off into their own obsessive corners of the internet: #filmtokmusical #blackfilmtok #tiktokshortfilm – the list goes on. Here the creators blur the boundaries of film content with anything from recommendation videos, critical video essays, crowdsourced projects, to fan trivia and Timothée Chalamet supercuts.

EXTENSION WORK: Considering the concept of 'platforms' ( = how & where audiences 'consume' media)

Broadly defined, media “platforms” are methods (linked with technologies) that allow media producers to deliver content to media consumers or audiences.  “Platform” may refer to a technology, service, site, or method of delivering content.  Every platform has its own uses, gratifications, technologies, rules/codes, structures, cultural standards of use—in short, what we might call its own “ecosystem.”

Traditional or “old” media platforms (print and broadcast media, including books, newspapers, magazines, television, film, etc.) rely on unidirectional messaging.   Digital or “new” media platforms (internet media, including social media, knowledge platforms, media sharing platforms, service-oriented platforms) allow multi-directional messaging. 

So as we ponder the concept of 'platforms', we might link together the features that a particular platform offers with its audience pleasures:

• IMAX: giant screen, surround sound, special FX (immersion into film world, suits action film experiences like Avengers Infinity Wars)
• cinema: big screen, Dolby Atmos, additional trailers (sociable occasion, food & drink; special screenings with Q&A, membership eg. Curzon) 
• proliferation of streaming services: offer wide choice and range of costs to audiences, from children to film fans (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Sky...)
• streaming platforms: accessible on a range of devices for different screening occasions and needs (watch a trailer on iPad but the film at the cinema; portable; downloadable)
• social media platforms: interactive, engaging content; music, fan sites, merchandise; FB, Insta, TikTok
• film website: hosts trailers, cinema screening info & booking tickets, hub of convergent links to social media / music tracks / merchandise

FILM INDUSTRY: EXAM QUESTION

You have worked answering written exam question posted on Google Classroom, partly with scaffolded examples of how to write about case studies and integrate theorists, which have been emailed to you. The next step is to brainstorm an exam essay from scratch

• unpacking the question itself
  
• defining any key terms
  
• identifying the task (evaluate, to what extent, analyse the ways in which....)
  
• applying the case studies
• supporting your discussion with theoretical frameworks ; also look here
  
• offering examples of relevant personal experience

The construction of a relevant topic sentence to start each paragraph will help you stick to the question.

 We take the following essay question as exam practice together in class:

To what extent is profit more important than creativity to media companies?