P2: Tv Drama
Tuesday 31st October 2023
Long Form TV Drama
L/O: to explore the content of the unit to explore the genre of TV Drama; To establish key conventions of the genre.
worth 60%
Two exam questions:
1) Longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies.
2) A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case study to a particular theory you've studied
Crazy Fun Park:
Beginning:
Homeless man preparing to sleep in "crazy fun park". Followed by dolls/statues, runs out scared
Violetta Nakata: from Melbourne, father wanted to take over the family business so she moved back, works with an URBEX group - takes photos of abandoned places
Chester & Mapplethorpe: inseparable friends, both outcasted from society. Mapplethorpe - jokester/class clown.
Chester and Mapplethorpe go the "Crazy Fun Park" - built by Edmund Henley, ignored all safety precautions. "My favourite sound is peoples bones breaking".
Mise-En-Scene:
Mapplethorpe: crazy hair, bright coloured clothing- stands out, different, crazy/class clown personality
Chester: Normal looking close but outcasted with mapplethorpe. stands out from rest of the class
Jocks: school sports clothing, stereotypically represented as jocks.
Violetta: darker clothing + make-up.
Audience: teen audience, comedy + horror
Tuesday 7th November 2023
Long Form TV Drama
L/O: to research the first text
Homeland:
Genre:
War, Politics, Spies, Crime
Crime & Mystery
Central characters whose motives develop with them:
Sergeant Brody:
A main story line with interwoven subplots:
Mother (Jess) looking after her kids (Dana & Chris) + Father (Brody) returning from military expedition
People breaking into home
Daughter is untrustworthy, doing drugs
A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and questions for the audience:
Sergeant Brody - Heroic Soldier - returning from missing in war
Jess - Wife & Mother - moved on in a new relationship with Mike
Dana - Rebellious teenager: drugs, lying, untrustworthy
Chris - Younger son, obsessed with video games
Enemy - Spies, fitting in surveillance
Carrie (CIA Agent) - Desperate, Bribes her way into mission for info, Late for work, Life is chaotic, untrustworthy. Is suspicious of Brody
Prisoner - "a hostage of war was turned against his country"
David (Deputy Director for CIA) -
Spectre:
Bond- In a suit, sleeping with a woman, has a gun, shifty,
Explosions
Killing Eve:
produced in the United Kingdom by Sid Gentle Films, developed by BBC America and BBC Three.
released the 8th April 2018
Production team was only female, all female writing team, female executive producers.
PSB broadcasting
Awards won:
Primetime Emmy awards for outstanding lead actress
British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama
British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress
Peabody Award - Entertainment
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series
TCA Award for Outstanding New Program
British Academy Television Award for Best Original Television Music
British Academy Television Craft Award for Sound - Fiction
Eddie awards for Best Edited Drama Series for Commercial Television
Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series (Over 40 Minutes)
Fotogramas de Plata for Best Foreign Series
14 awards
168 nominations, 44 wins.
Impacted by:
MeToo movement
Several Terrorist attacks in the UK -2017
Crime Thriller
Monday 13th November 2023
Killing Eve: Narrative task
L/O:
Main Narrative Quest/Conflict Set up:
Assassination in Vienne, solve the case of who the assassin is & catch the assassin.
Enigma codes:
Why is the Carolyn talking to eve after she was fired
What will Bill do now that he was fired
Why did Frank lie about evidence
Individual character Narratives:
villanelle- paid for assassinations, targeting politicians. Female Assassin/villain
konstantin - her boss/agent, giving her the money to assassinate the politicians. Powerful Male
Eve - solving case, conducting illegal investigation, obsessed with assassins. Job is to find villanelle with Carolyn. Female lead
Bill - Relaxed boss, seen in the Next Time clips, new career. powerful Male
Assistant - Supportive Female Role
Niko- Eve's husband
Carolyn - MI5, multiple marriages, very closed up, unsharing.
Frank - lied about the evidence
Dom -
Conventions:
Travelling around the world
Backstory for individuals
Dressed smartly
Mix of humour and serious.
Secretive
Subversions:
Female Lead Role
Tuesday 14 November 2023
Equilibrium - Eve is married to her husband. Is working normally as a secret spy, brought to a meeting
Disruption - Villanelle's assassinations of Russian politicians.
Recognition: Eve gets involved in the case, begins investigating
Attempt to resolve: Eve conducts illegal investigations to find out about the case, witness is murdered, Eve & Bill are fired. In the end there is no resolution
New equilibrium - New, small equilibrium Carolyn comes to Eve offering to take her out for breakfast & offer new job.
Monday 20th November 2023
Killing Eve: Industry and Context
L/O: to explore the production, social & political context of set products.
Genre theory is about how & why genres are created, as well as why they change endure or decline. Genre is a process of how generic codes & conventions are shared through repetition in media products. This means that they are not fixed, constantly evolving; often playing with codes & conventions or becoming hybrids with other genres. Generic codes & conventions are also established in products that refer to the these, such as critical writings, advertising & marketing material.
1) Spy/Thriller
2) Assassinations, hunting for the enemy. MI5, Desk Job. Secrecy.
3) Majority female main characters, More comedy than normally expected.
4) disk cover, posters, advertisements,
Historical: How the TV Drama is influenced from Historical contexts through intertextual references. Societal influence + significant events of the time. Reflects a time period.
Economic: How the economic context effects the TV drama in the production, financial and technological opportunities and constraints. Budget, commercial vs public, distribution, stars. Ownership. How the money at the time effects it.
Political: How the political changes/actions of the time effect the TV Drama through Media Language and messages that were created for. events/issues. Representations.
Social: How the audience consumes + interprets the TV drama. Showing the issues within society
Cultural: How the TV drama shows the values of culture at the time.
Contexts:
#MeToo movement:
Founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke to support survivors of sexual violence, particularly young women of colour from low-wealth communities, to find pathways to healing. The movement’s vision from the beginning has been to address both the dearth of resources for survivors of sexual violence and to build a robust community of advocates and allies. In October 2017, the movement went global as the #MeToo hashtag went viral and survivors across the world came forward about their experiences with sexual assault.
KE: In Killing Eve, the character 'Villanelle' was partially inspired by the MeToo movement. Sexism in the UK
Marjory Stoneman Douglass high school shooting:
Thousands of students marched out of their classrooms on Wednesday during a national walkout to demand action on gun violence one month after 17 people were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass high school in Parkland, Florida.
KE: made for america.
Tuesday 21st November 2023
Killing Eve: Industry & Context:
L/O: To apply relevant theory to the contextual issues shown in the text
- Multiple terrorist attacks in the UK 2017
- Conservative party
- 2 year countdown of Brexit began
- Article 50
Context is heavily important in influencing themes in Killing Eve. We can see this through the influence of societal contexts on the narrative of Killing Eve. The character 'Villanelle' is known for getting away with her assassinations because she is female. This is reinforced through the higher level MI5 characters ignoring Eve's suggestions of the assassin being female. This reflects the sexism found in British society.
Killing Eve:
Strauss:
Older/Younger - staring intently/staring innocently, genuine smile/forced smile.
Good/Bad - Eve/Villanelle.
Assassin/Spy -
Male/Female -
Barthes:
Ice-cream: innocence, childhood.
Suits: formality, stereotypes of British spies, seriousness
Muted lighting: seriousness, danger
Barthes:
Semiology - the study of signs. Consists of a signifier (word, image, sound) and the signified (the meaning)
Denotation: literal meaning (i.e Dog - Mammal, pet, barks; Rose- flower)
Connotation: signified by denotations (Dog - mans best friend; Rose - love romance)
Myths: Denotations and connotations are organised into myths - the ideological meaning. Makes the Ideology seem natural.
Levi Strauss:
Structuralism: the study of hidden rules that govern a structure.
Thought the human mind could be investigated by studying the fundamental structure underlying myths & fables. He developed the idea of Binary Opposition - the structure of opposing terms; hot-cold day-night
Monday 27th November 2023
Killing Eve: Characters - Eve:
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisations of eve in set products
Colonialism:
The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
Eve:
1)
Dressed formally (suit, make-up, hair) - professional
disorganised
2)
Presented as weaker than Bill (inferior to him)
Key Events:
Egotistical - late, disorganised
Immature - betting money on assassins gender, dialogue
Confident/Defiant - eating in the meeting - mise-en-scene
Lighthearted - bed with husband, dialogue
Likeable: relatable, appealing - late, drunk + singing at party. Informal chat with colleague.
Informal - "I love you, bye" - talking to Assistant, "tits"
Taking her job seriously - translating - dialogue, sound
Persistant - Phone call to Assistant - chasing down her leads. - dialogue, sound
Funny - Dom & Niko translating - actions -
Risk-Taker: Camera Shot - close up to highlight manipulation of the interview
Cultural reference to drinking: Gin & Tonic - recovering from hungover
Social: police interviews in society. Flaws in the police system.
Eve is represented as Immature in S1 E1 of Killing Eve. We can see this in the meeting scene, discussing the recent assassinations. Through the sound in the scene -Eve's dialogue- we hear that she is betting £20 on the gender of the assassin. This shows her immaturity as she is not taking the job seriously. This is also reinforced by the scene when she is calling Elena to discuss the leads. We hear dialogue of Eve asking her about the size of the female assassin's "tits". This shows her immaturity as she uses informal slang. The social contexts of women are subverted, as she is shown as immature, yet strong, rather than kind & caring. Whilst Eve is presented as a strong leader, these scenes show her flaws. Here, we are able to apply Van Zoonen's theory, as we see Eve's femininity presented in a way contrasting to traditional stereotypes. Eve is presented as a strong leader, which reflects the social contexts of the MeToo movement, as she takes control of her life and is quite well respected.
27/11- Great analysis and use of theory here. T: 5.Link to context- Social context of female roles.
Tuesday 28th November 2023
Eve as determined:
Scene in the office with Bill - determined, pushing to prove that the assassin is female. Argues to defend her point.
Sound - dialogue, persistent with her argument. Accuses Bill (boss) of being Lazy - higher pitch, feminine.
Mid shot - we can see facial expressions.
Low angle - power, respected
Close up - shows how serious eve is, getting her point across.
Mise-En-Scene - props, newspaper/files, props show research & determination/obsession. Good at her job - positive.
Hospital - Doesn't follow Bill's order.
Interview with Frank & Carolyn - Persistent that the killer is female.
Determined:
Stands up to bill in the office
Emotional:
Everyone in the hospital was stabbed
Trying to save Kasha/Get some more information
Rebellious:
Standing up against Bill (authority figure)
Ignoring orders
Ignores her instructions in the hospital scene
Butler:
gender performativity
No gender identity behind roles, it is created through performance
feminism surrounding masculinity-femininity excludes other gender identities & sexual orientations. 'Gender Troubles' - those who are not heterosexual norms.
Van Zoonen:
Gender is constructed in actions, it changes dependant on cultural & historical contexts.
Bell Hooks:
'Intersectionality' - More to oppression than just gender. Includes Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality.
Eve: Asian, Well paying job, nice looking house, living quite comfortably. MI5 - must be well educated.
Villanelle: Russian, Apartment in Paris, seen shopping quite often - money is not an issue to her.
Both play into a capitalist society. opposing of patriarchy. Sexuality - both have attraction to one another, opposes heterosexual norms. All female production team - opposite of patriarchy.
Monday 4th December 2023
Killing Eve: Characters - Villanelle:
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisations of Villanelle in set products
Eve is represented as immature and rebellious
In Episode 1 of Killing Eve, Eve is represented as immature. This is shown through the first scene; where she is screaming in bed with her husband. We hear through the diegetic sound in the dialogue that she is screaming because she fell asleep on both of her arms. She treats her screaming as a joke, whilst her husband (Niko) is panicked and trying to make sure she is ok. The contrasting dialogue in the conversation between them represents her as quite immature. This subverts stereotypes of female roles, as she is presented as immature and more in control than Niko, as he is panicked and almost submissive while caring for Eve which is contrasting to stereotypes of women being the submissive gender. This links to Butlers theory of Gender Performativity. Sandra Oh's performance represents Eve in a traditionally masculine role: immature yet powerful.
Anti-Hero:
- doesn't like the protagonist but also doesn't hate the protagonist
Antagonist:
- directly against the protagonist
Villanelle:
- stereotypically feminine
Costume - mise-en-scene
- confident
facial expression - mise-en-scene
- wealthy
costume - mise-en-scene
Setting - mise-en-scene
Scene 1 - Ice cream shop
- Smiling at child
- Wipes blood off watch
- Hits ice-cream
Doesn't initially smile at the child before seeing the server smile - lack of humanity, lack of social understanding - similar to that of a child,
Wiping blood off of the watch, foreshadowing.
Hitting the ice cream - indicate cruelness, inhumane, unkind.
Lots of close ups used - Villanelle analysing her surroundings.
Shopping & Apartment Scene
Kind - picking up object for man - Mise-En-Scene
Shopping bags & clothing - stereotypically feminine, quite flamboyant - Mise-En-Scene
joking with the neighbour - Sound: dialogue
Calls herself beautiful - a bit egocentric, self-centered - Sound: dialogue
"Because I'm that good" - dialogue - self centered -
Putting on make-up: Stereotypically feminine
Pills, Alcohol, pretending to overdose - darker humour - close connection with her boss - Mise-En-Scene
Bullets in a tampon box - connection between her everyday life and her job. - Mise-En-Scene
Humorous - Mise-En-Scene, Sound
1)
In Episode 1 of Killing Eve, Villanelle is represented as Humorous. This is shown through the Apartment scene. In the apartment scene, she pretends that she has committed suicide in an attempt to prank her boss. The textual detail of Mise-En-Scene reinforces this, as we see her using make-up to make her face appear white, as if he blood has stopped flowing in her body. Furthermore, we see her placing pills on the table and alcohol in her hand, as if she has overdosed. This presents her as a person with a dark sense of humour. This subverts traditional stereotypes of women, as she is represented as less innocent and more controlling/manipulative through showing her dark sense of humour. We are able to link this to Van Zoonen's theory, as she subverts the ideals of a patriarchal society, through using her humour to manipulate/control the situation.
Tuesday 5th December 2023
Killing Eve Characters - Villanelle:
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisations of Villanelle in set products
1)
Subverts:
Riding Motorcycle
Climbing Roof
Not submissive to the mafia boss
murder
2)
Audience admires her for killing the human traffickers, however sees a darker side of her when she kills the innocent people on the hospital
3)
Violent
powerful
confident
becomes a more interesting character rather than a boring antagonist
4)
Killing human traffickers/bad people
doesn't harm the kid, rejects the mafia boss by telling him off
strong powerful woman
Tuscany:
Riding motorbike to Tuscany,
Low angle shot of her climbing - power, confidence - camerawork
Non diegetic sound - female power - sound
High angle shot/Pov shot: shows her power - she looks down on them, shows her assertion and power. - Camerawork
Close-up of her face: almost no emotion, shows lack of humanity - camerawork
sound starts as non-diegetic sound and then becomes Diegetic sound gets louder as she kills him - shows the power she has. - sound
Hair-pin with poison - femininity
Writing name of the designer as he dies - no remorse, unsympathetic, lack of humanity. - Mise-En-Scene.
Non-Diegetic sound - shows her power - "I had to kill you, I'm really sorry" - almost sarcastic, she isn't sorry, no regret/sympathy.
High-Key lighting throughout, becomes slightly darker when she kills him - shows her
Slow editing - amplifies what is happening
What media language is used to help create ideologies and audience feeling?
Media Language is used in Killing Eve to create ideologies and audience felling. We see this through the character of Villanelle in the Tuscany scene, where she is seen riding a motorcycle, and then climbing up a drainpipe and onto a roof in order to murder a mafia boss. The use of a Low angle shot when Villanelle is scaling the drainpipe causes her to be represented as powerful and confident. This creates ideologies of a non-patriarchal society, presenting women in a powerful manner. Furthermore, the low angle POV shot of her looking down on the family demonstrates her assertiveness and dominance, as it shows that she is the one in control. This further reinforces the ideologies of a non-patriarchal society. The use of camerawork in this scene causes the audience to feel that Villanelle is a powerful, dangerous character, as she is the one in control throughout the scene. This supports Bell Hooks' theory, as Villanelle presents opposing ideologies to that of a Patriarchal society.
Individuals make choices about their own identity & lifestyle.
Meaning comes from representation - meaning can be contested. Stereotypes and Ideologies fix meaning
Monday 11th December 2023
L/O:
positive:
Powerful - climbing up the roof. camerawork - low angle, powerful. High Angle/POV shot of her looking down on the family - she is in control, looking down on them. Non-Diegetic sound while riding the bike - female power.
Likeable
Funny
skilled - no-one knows that she is the assassin
unique
negative:
Dark (humour) - Paris scene - Dialogue, sound. Mise-En-Scene: pills, faking death
Criminal - Mise-En-Scene, murder weapons.
Cruel - ice-cream shop scene
Violent- Camerawork: Hospital scene - Long shot of hospital, nurses have been murdered - brutal. Tuscany Assassination - Mise-En-Scene: Stabbed with poisonous hair pin, violent, merciless.
KGB - russia
Russia using chemical weapons (poison)
Assassinations in Russia
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Villanelle in Episode 1 of Killing Eve.
In the opening episode of Killing Eve, Villanelle is represented as Powerful. We see this in the Tuscany scene, where she rides a motorbike to Tuscany and breaks into a mafia bosses house and sneaks into his anniversary celebration to kill him. This shows that she is powerful as she is able to easily break in. This is shown through the camerawork. We see a low angle shot of Villanelle climbing a drainage pipe to reach the roof of the building, which connotes power and strength. Furthermore, we see a high angle, POV shot of Villanelle looking down on the family in the celebration. This connotes that she is in control, and is looking down upon the family. In addition, the high angle shot of the dying mafia boss and the low angle shot of Villanelle connotes that she is powerful as she is killing the mafia boss. The use of these camera shots implies that she is the most powerful character in the scenes. Her strength and power demonstrates the dark nature of this scene, as she needs to be powerful to commit this assassination. This scene reinforces the social context of a negative portrayal of Russia, as her lack of a reaction to murdering someone implies that assassinations are common in Russia. We are able to apply Butler's theory, as Jodie Comer perform's Villanelle's character in a stereotypically masculine way, through the her powerful nature.
In contrast, Villanelle is also represented as violent. We see this in the hospital scene, when Eve returns to the hospital room to find all the staff and Kasha dying/dead. This shows she is violent, as she mercilessly kills a group of innocent people. This is shown through the camerawork, as we see a long shot of the hospital room full of innocent nurses who have been brutally murdered. In addition, we are shown a close-up shot of Kasha bleeding out from her cut throat. The use of these camera shots connotes that Villanelle is a violent, merciless character, and further displays the dark nature of the scene. This reinforces the social context of assassinations in Russia. This also reinforces social contexts of gender roles, and the subversion of traditional values. In 2018, women were seen as stronger, individual people and this is shown through Villanelles violent nature. We are able to apply Butler's theory, as Villanelles character is presented in an anti-feminine manner. Villanelle subverts heterosexual norms through the way she is performed by Jodie Comer.
I struggled with context & theory the most.
Tuesday 12th December 2023
Representation:
L/O: to explore the representations in set products
Steed - The avengers, town of no return
Traditional English Elder Man
Fighting - Powerful
Jim Hopper - Stranger Things
Traditional man
Bill - Supportive, Good Boss, Kind, Friendly, Older (Positive Rep)
Frank - Authoritative, Bad Boss, Lying/Deceptive, Traditional (Negative Rep)
Niko - Less Traditional, Cooks, Looks after Eve, almost Submissive to Eve. (Positive Rep)
Dom - Younger, Helpful, Supportive, Kind, Innocent (Positive)
Konstantin - Authoritative, Like a father figure to Villanelle, Caring, Traditional Role. (Pos + Neutral)
Mafia Boss + Trafficker (victims) - Misogynist, Older, 'Traditional', Predatory (Negative Rep)
Konstantin & Frank - Traditional & Overpowering:
Konstantin -
Traditionally masculine man - grey hairs, short hair, balding
Giving Villanelle orders - overpowering, he is in control
Villanelles Boss - is in control Sound
Sitting In Villanelles room - Controlling, walking in without Villanelles permission, Traditional - men in control.
Blunt when speaking to Villanelle - Controlling, Power over Villanelle.
Not Joking with Villanelle - serious,
negative Rep
Frank -
Blunt - Powerful, serious - Sound, Dialogue
Has power over Bill - traditional masculine.
Aggressive/Irritable - yelling at Eve.
Traditional - wearing a suit, glasses connote intelligence - traditional male value.
More dialogue - dominance, control
Monday 8th January 2024
Killing Eve: Theory and Representation
L/O: to explore the theory and representation in set products
Postmodernism:
- Irony
- Parody/Homage (Carolyn (KE) - M (James Bond))
- Bricolage
- Intertextual References
- Fragmented Narrative
- Self Reflexivity
- Common Themes - What If?
- Loss of Reality
- Lack of Verisimilitude
Baudrillard/Postmodernism in KE:
Hyper real - Real Locations
Simulacra - MI5 building/operation. Offices, Meetings, no one can confirm whether it is real or not.
Simulation - realism is recreated. Real world locations such as Paris and London are edited to seem like the real world.
Fragmented Narrative - Seeing both Eve and Villanelle's Narratives.
Gauntlett in KE:
Killing Eve's representations of secret services can be understood on a global level. Spies & Espionage are popular globally as each country has its own secret services.
This theory assumes that the audience is an active audience.
Hall in KE:
Killing Eve creates meaning through using the ideology of Good vs Evil to support the readings of laws and societal norms.
Characters are not faced with the reality of hate in the world, such as sexism, economic struggles or racism.
Whilst we see a range of representations and stereotypes, people with disabilities are still underrepresented & not seen in the episode.
Representation: Violence & Death:
Villanelle:
We do not see her killing the Human Trafficker -
Her method of murdering the Mafia boss is violent and almost unrealistic - stabs with a poison hairpin.
Audience sees her at her most violent in the hospital when she murders innocent people + the witness (Kasha)
Her first two assassinations make her seem like a likeable character, as the people she kills are inherently evil (Human Trafficking + Mafia), however she is shown to be a more evil & violent character in the hospital scene, as she murders innocent nurses and Kasha.
Human Trafficker:
His death is not seen on camera, we first hear about it when it is discussed in their meeting. His death is not represented as a bad thing, as he is a bad character himself
Mafia Boss:
His death is violent. Villanelle stabs him with a poison hairpin. His death is also represented as not bad, as he is seen treating villanelle as a sexual object through touching her without her consent.
EVERYONE ELSE'S BLOGS:
Tuesday 9th January 2024
Killing Eve: Theory, Audience and Industry:
L/O: to explore the audience and industry theory and apply to set products
Hall:
Media producers encode preferred meaning
There are 3 ways to reading texts:
- Dominant meaning: accepts preferred and ideological meaning
- Negotiated meaning: some of the decoded message is accepted but the audience disagrees with parts of it and so changes it to fit their experience and values.
- Oppositional reading: both the preferred meaning and any ideological assumptions in the product are rejected
The preferred meaning is encoded through share codes (Genre & Technical codes)
Hall in KE:
Dominant Hegemonic reading is patriotic duty
Dominant: Eve is committed to saving lives due to her job and goes beyond her Call Of Duty to find the truth.
Negotiated: Agree with need for patriotic duty but finds Eve & Eve's methods unrealistic
Oppositions: British Propaganda - Demonises Russia Promotes British Law
Hospital Scene:
Dominant: Dedicated - trying to get one last bit of information out of her before she dies. Ringing for help. Follows her Call Of Duty.
Negotiated: Doing her job, getting information. Unrealistic - bringing a teenager to meet a sex traffickers girlfriend. Unrealistic that no-one would be screaming/running to get help.
Oppositions: Propaganda - Russians as assassinations, . Unrealistic
Bandura:
The media has a direct influence on the behaviour and values of the audience. The media can also indirectly influence through social networks. Audiences may imitate behaviours/media representation seen in the media, especially if it is violence/aggression.
When the media influences people, human values, judgement and conduct can be altered directly by media modelling.
Empirical evidence best supports direct influence rather than the alternative models of media effects: two-step flow, agenda setting, no effects, or the media reflecting existing attitudes and behaviours.
Must study the direct effects on individuals consuming LFTVD
Supports argument of regulating television to avoid harm
Bandura in KE:
Arguing with Boss (Eve & Bill VS Frank)
Acting like Villanelle: dark humour, violence.
Gerbner:
Attitudinal effects of violent representations suggest that television programs create the belief for the audience that the world is a dangerous place, with negative events.
This supports the idea that Tv should be regulated to avoid harm.
Draws attention to the need to investigate the long term effects on those who consume LFTVD box-sets.
Gerbner in KE:
Violence in society in hidden realms: Attacks from Villanelle
Mistrust in society: MI5 - Russia & Conspiracy with CCTV - leak/cover up in the government
Mean world syndrome repeated in violent acts and crime shown in the narrative.
Ideas that the goverment can't be trusted
Monday 15th January 2024
Killing Eve: Industry
L/O: to explore the industry theory and apply to set products.
Curran & Seaton:
Patterns in ownership and control are important in how the media functions
media industries are capitalist and aim to increase concentration of ownership; leads to narrowing of opinions represented in the media, affecting plurality.
Owners pursue profit at the expense of quality or creativity.
- The issue of ownership and control, the working practices of creators and the risk of profitabilty vs critical appeal in TV Drama depending on who is funding the production.
-There is an international dominance of American Streaming services - Netflix, in distributing many LFTVDs, can limit representations that are created through the ownership and control of the productions.
If a group has control of the media, there will be less representation.
Conglomerates in media are the ones in control/are more powerful.
Media industry is dominated by a small number of large conglomerates, meaning less representation.
C&S IN KE:
Originally released on BBC America - pay for service in America.
This goes against C&S in relation to increasing concentration of ownership.
BBC production means that there is not a narrowing of representations in KE.
Made by BBC
diverse representation of race - Eve, Niko, Dom, Elena, Villanelle.
Diverse representation of Britain.
Diverse representations of Sexualities - Eve liking female assassins - phone call scene. Villanelle seen in bed with multiple people.
C&S Article:
Conglomerates only care about profit and power over everything else.
Power leads to more power.
There is a set structure in the media.
The media, such as TV and news works closely with celebrities and public figures to provide positive representation for them.
Hesmondhalgh:
Cultural industries follow the capitalist pattern of increasing concentration and integration so that production is only owned by a few conglomerates.
Risk is viewed as the loss of money. Risk is therefore high because production values are high.
Cultural Industries rely on 'Big Hits' to cover the costs of failure.
Industries rely on repetition: stars, genres, franchises, narratives etc. for success & to reduce 'Risk'.
- Draws attention to ownership and control purposes, such as PSB ethos, even though this was paid for in the US.
Hesmondhalgh in KE:
Supports:
Risk is reduced in KE as they use the star system: Sandra Oh - well established actor who draws in an audience. American Actor.
Genre of spy/thriller is successful in America & UK.
Subverts:
Brings in Jodie Comer: newer actor, will be paid less than established stars like Sandra Oh or Fiona Shaw.
Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation:
Consumers are individuals who seek private benefit from the media and require regulation to protect them.
Citizens are social, and seek public or social benefits from the media and require regulation to promote public interest.
- LFTVDs produced by European Public Service Broadcasters may be regulated in the interest of the citizens.
-LFTVDs produced by American Public Service Broadcasters are lightly regulated to avoid harm.
Tuesday 16th January 2024
To what extent do TV dramas create contrasting representations in contemporary media products?
I believe that TV Dramas consistently create contrasting representations within their characters and narratives.
We can see an example of this through the different representations of Villanelle throughout Killing Eve. Throughout the first episode, she is represented through different levels of violence, starting with a low level of violence and ending with a high level of violence. This is shown through Media Language.
To begin, we see the lower level of violence in the Vienna - Ice Cream shop scene. She is seen wiping blood off of her watch, and then stands up and knocks the child's ice-cream onto the child. The Mise-En-Scene of the blood on the watch connotes that she has killed/seriously harmed someone, however we have no evidence of this happening. Through hitting the ice-cream onto the child, we see a slightly cruel side of her. This cruel nature is supported by the contrast between her and the child. The imagery of an ice-cream connotes childhood innocence and happy memories, however this is flipped when Villanelle hits it into the child. Villanelles actions imply that she is taking away those positive representations, and is turning it into something bad, such as a method of hurting the little girl's feelings or hurting the girl herself. These all present her in a less violent manner, as she has not been proven to have killed someone, and her actions towards the child present her as cruel and inhumane, but not excessively violent. This supports Levi Strauss' theory of binary oppositions as it positions childhood innocent against Villanelle's cruelty. Later, during the MI5 meeting scene, we learn that a Russian human trafficker has been assassinated, and we as the audience are lead to believe it was Villanelle. Whilst the murder itself is violent, its severity is dampened down, as he himself is a bad person. This represents Villanelle in a less violent manner, as the person she has killed is morally unethical. This fits historical contexts, as it presents British laws, and demonises Russia. We are able to apply halls theory of reception, as we see the audience are able to chose the way the read the messages, and can read it with the oppositional reading of being Propaganda for British ideals.
Next, we see her in a more violent state in the Tuscany scene, where she murders a Russian mafia boss. We see the next stage of her violence through the mise-en-scene and camerawork. The use of the poisoned hairpin that she kills him with connotes femininity, which is contrasted through the violent way it is being used. In addition, a high angle shot is used to show the Mafia Boss as Villanelle pushed the hairpin into him. This camerawork shows us that the Mafia Boss is becoming weaker, as well as highlights the intense pain and agony the man is in as he dies. Furthermore, whilst he is dying, Villanelle writes the name of a fashion designer on her hand. This shows her to be unreactive to the Russian mafia boss dying This presents her in a more violent manner, as we actually see the true pain and anguish in the mafia boss' death, compared to villanelle's previous assassination, where we do not see the human trafficker's assassination. However the Mafia Boss' death is also represented in a dampened down, less severe way, as he is seen treating Villanelle as a sexual object through touching her without her consent. His unethical moral values cause the audience to understand Villanelle's position, as they see the Mafia Boss and the human Trafficker as disgusting, evil people. This reflects the historical contexts of the time, as Russia was seen as the enemy, and as a country that was known for committing assassinations. This stems from Russia being the enemy in the cold war. In the UK, the Salisbury poisonings was a failed Russian assassination attempt done through ingesting a type of poison. This is reflected through the poison hairpin Villanelle uses.
22/1- Excellent analysis, great comparison of character. T: 5 Contextual factors explored a little further in the second paragraph.
Monday 22nd January 2024
Lupin
L/O: to explore the narrative, theme & characters in set episode
Money Heist:
1. central characters whose motives develop with them
Main character = Tokyo - robber & murderer
'The Professor' - wants to help Tokyo, gathering a team to do a heist.
2. a main storyline with interwoven subplots
Tokyo's past - lover died
Making a team to pull off the largest heist in history - robbing the Spanish mint
3. a combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and questions for the audience
Tokyo's mother - working with the police?
The professor - why does he want to help them, can he be trusted
Berlin, Moscow, Denver, Rio, Helsinki & Oslo, Nairobi, Tokyo - named after cities, all criminals
Berlin - why does he like tokyo
Rio - Tokyo's 'soft spot' - romance
Lupin:
1) Netflix
2) George Kay, Francois Uzan
3) satellite award for best actor in a series, drama/genre (2022)
Critics choice television for best foreign language series (2024)
4)
5) hit top ten in France
6) renewed for a 3rd instalment
Overview:
Assane Diop plans the theft of an expensive diamond necklace, once owned by Marie-Antoinette, which his father Babakar had been accused of stealing from the wealthy Pellegrini family 25 years earlier. He enlists the help of a group of loan sharks, to whom he owes money.
Tuesday 23rd January 2024
WATCHING LUPIN:
L/O: to explore the narrative, theme & characters in set episode
1. Main narrative/ quest conflict set up
owes the men money - steal the queen's (Marie Antoinette) neckless
Criminal
2. Enigma Codes
why does he owe them money?
is their plan going to work?
What is going to happen next?
What happened to Lupin's mother?
Why is he pretending to be poor?
Will the detective catch him?
What really happened to the neckless?
3. Individual character Narratives
Son with his father - helping the woman fix her car (Hassan & his dad)
Juliette Pelligrini - only daughter of the man who reconstructed the neckless/owned the neckless
Hassan - Paul Servine - Lupin - changes his identity to get what he needs, pretends to be poor, main goal is to steal the neckless to get revenge for his father.
Hassan's father accused of stealing the neckless, commits suicide. Chauffeur.
gang member 1 - strong
gang member 2 -
gang member 3 - get away driver
Lupin's ex wife -
Lupin's Son -
Monday 29th January 2024
Lupin - Genre and Narrative
L/O: to explore the narrative theory and genre theory. To apply the theory to the set text
Todorov - Narratology:
The study of narrative - how the parts fit together to make a whole
All narratives can be seen as a move from one equilibrium to another new equilibrium. The movement entails a transformation that expresses what the narrative values
Uses:
sufficiently simple to be widely applicable - possible to identify key elements in LFTVD (equilbrium, disruption)
Useful to tease out the messages and values underlying a narrative
Limits:
Not useful to explain long narratives, but rather single narratives with solutions
Does not understand segmentation rather than linearity - such as segmentation of storylines in LFTVD
Does not understand narrative strands that do not add to the narrative drive towards resolution, but rather establish characterisation, spiral from the main narrative or create cliffhangers
Past
Equilibrium - Comfortable life, struggles being a black man in France, has a single dad.
Disruption - Father arrested for crime, commits suicide
Recognition - Knows his father was falsely accused, swears at Mrs Pelligrini at his fathers funeral
Attempt to Solve - Gets revenge by stealing the neckless from the family who falsely accused his dad
New Equilibrium - Temporarily gets away with stealing the neckless (detective knows something is wrong), passes the book on to his son.
Present:
Equilibrium - INstability as a father, left his wife
Disruption - loss of his fatehr 25 years ago
recognition - knows that someone set his father up all those years ago
Attempt to solve - discovers why his father died, gets revenge by planning to steal the neckless
new equilibrium - gets away with the neckless.
Non linear narrative structure - flashbacks and red herrings
Provides an overview of Assaine's plan and explains Babakar's mistreatment leading to the central conflict of the narrative
non-linear narrative misdirects the audience, adding tension and suspense.
Neal - Genre theory:
Genre theory - what genres are - how they are created, endured and declined
Genre is a process - generic codes and conventions are shared by audiences and producers through repetition in media products
Genres are not fixed, constantly evolving through new additions to the generic corpus. Plays with genre codes and conventions or becoming hybrids
Codes and Conventions are not only established in media texts, but in products that refer to them, such as critical writings, advertisements and marketing material
Uses:
can be applied to LFTVD
Draws attention to processes within difference-within-repetition and hybridity
limits:
Many LFTVDS can afford to rely on the star system, high production value, tone and exoticism ratehr then genre, emphasising individual difference.
Lupin:
It is a crime thriller (takes from Crime, Thriller, Mystery)
Similar to The Heist, Voice over - replay flashback + slow-mo
Oceans 11,
Sherlock Holmes,
Money Heist,
Neal - star system no applicable
Avatar - the last Airbender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByAn8DF8Ykk
Todorov:
Equilibrium - world is happy, 4 nations
Disruption - fire nation attacks
Recognition - aang knows he has to save everyone from the fire nation
Attempt to solve - fighting back against the fire nation
New Equilibrium - not seen as it is a trailer
Neale:
Action/Fiction/Sci-fi:
Explosions, fighting, powers (water, fire, air, earth)
Tuesday 30th January 2024
Lupin - Context:
L/O: to explore the context of the production, and contextual themes in set episode.
Industry:
Lupin was written by an English writer and scripted in English, it was then translated by a french writer who co-wrote some of the episode into a french setting and situation.
Joint writing means it appeals to both audiences and fitting to both cultures accurately.
Media Language:
Opening scene 0:00 - 7:38
Hassan mainly shown in darker lighting
Long shot of Hassan as he is hung off the balcony - shows the poorer side of France
Clothing - tracksuit, beanies, wearing the same uniform. Looks like a prison uniform
Interplay of Dominant ideologies - Hassan knows that he is overlooked by authorities.
portrayal of racism in France - Hassan Ignored as a child because he is young, black and lower class. Ignored as an adult as he is black.Economic context -
Financial and technological constraints
Killing Eve is recorded in several places around Europe - higher budget, able to afford multiple large places (Tuscany, Vienna, London, Paris)
Lupin is only set in France, lower budget compared to KE shown through the location of the filming
Lupin is lower budget because it is a French Language Series, didn't want to 'waste' money - reducing risk. Was not expected to be successful
Social context -
Social Groups - how the audience consumes and interprets it.
Killing Eve only shows one class - middle class
Lupin shows a varied range of classes - through Hassan changing his identity
Crime is an indicator of social decay
Racial tension is acknowledged within society
Race and Class are seen as intersectional
Those in power are white, those who aren't are POC
Cultural context -
Anything that is able to be applied to a place as a whole, rather than individuals.
France is known as one of the highest European countries for gender equality.
Poverty: Known to have 80% of its population living outside the city. Areas are deprived and unable to get out of the 'poverty trap'.
Streaming services were in demand as everyone was home
Successful in English speaking countries as it was immediately available in the dubbed version.
Would automatically be heard in English
Historical context -
Influence from historical moments.
Class Divide in the 1900's - flashbacks
Racism in France in the 1900's - flashbacks
Political context -
Influence from the government at the time.
Corrupt politics at the time - racism, prison
Class Divide - comment on society, caused by the government
Intertextual references:
Mona Lisa - Leonardo DaVinci
Arsene Lupin the Gentleman Burglar
Eiffel Tower & The Louvre
showing the rough banlieue - slums in French TV La Haine
Lupin links to the Pink Panther and the Saint
Monday 5th February 2024
Lupin - Male Characters:
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisations in set products
Assane/Lupin:
Skilled
Unstable/Unreliable as a father and provider
Inferior to his ex-wife
Babakar:
Older, respectful, stereotypical gentleman
Single father - caring for his kid.
Mr Pelligrini:
Liar, Manipulative
Vincent:
Leader of a drug gang
Muscular Gang Member:
stereotypically strong, stereotypical male in appearance
Smaller Gang Member playing games:
Weaker
Inadequate
Lack of education
Loan Sharks/Gang:
Criminal
Jeweller, Police Inspector at the end:
Skilled
Media Language:
Assane:
Hoodie - Secretive/mysterious - fits into the lower class - mise-en-scene
Establishing Shot - shows him walking through the poorer areas - fits in
Tackling Muscular gang member (Kevin) - Strong, Skilled, challenges the gang - Sound
Explaining plan - Logical, Intelligent, Leader - Sound. Close-Up - focus on Assane, show who he is.
CONTEXT: lower class & race
Gang Members:
Aggressive, Greed - wants as much money as possible.
Controlling
Poor, Lower class location -
Blunt, Visceral, Rude - sound: dialogue
Lazy
Prey on the vulnerable
Rudy - plays games, weaker physically, subverts stereotypes.
CONTEXT: lower class
Babakar (Assane's father):
Proud of his son, teaching him spelling
Polite/respectful
Gentleman - Sound - offering help. 'Madam', 'I Insist'
Intelligent - Language, Skill in fixing the car
Social Awareness - knows of the racism in society
CONTEXT: race
In the opening of Lupin, men are represented to the audience in a stereotypical way. In the scene in the gangs lower class apartment, we see the gang members Kevin and Vincent hanging Assane off of the balcony in order to get him to hand over his cash, whilst the other gang member, Rudy, is inside playing games. Through the camerawork, we see an establishing shot of the lower class areas of Paris. This use of camerawork represents the gang members through the societal stereotypes surrounding the lower class. They are stereotypically aggressive with Assane, and are trying to prey on people they think are vulnerable. This highlights the societal contexts of Paris, as France is known to have 80% of its population living outside the city. People who lived in these areas are deprived and unable to get out of the 'poverty trap'. Here we can apply Hall's theory of representation, as we see stereotypical representations of the lower class used to portray the Gang.
In contrast, Babakar is presented in a stereotypical way surrounding being a gentleman. In the scene where Mrs Pelligrini's car breaks down, Babakar is quick to offer help. Through the dialogue, we hear Babakar calling her 'madam' and saying 'I insist' when he offers to drive Mrs Pelligrini home. This use of sound represents Babakar in a stereotypical way, as he acts like a gentleman. In addition, we see his intelligence, as he is quick to fix the car. His actions and dialogue represent him as a stereotypical gentleman, as he is chivalrous towards her.
Tuesday 6th February 2024
What happens in the scene?
Assane enters the louvre as a high class man - Paul Servine
Going to buy the neckless in the auction
flashback to Babakar chauffeuring mrs pelligrini - Mr Pelligrini is racialy/class discriminatory towards Babakar
Swimming pool scene with Juliette - racial profiling of assane
Gang entering with the other cleaners.
How is assane represented?
Rich - higher class - mise-en-scene: suit. confident with himself, successful - representation of higher class in general
Outcasted - segregated from everyone else, no interactions with other characters, invitation is awkward
Poor - lower class - as a kid
Why is this scene effective and significant for the plot in E1?
Shows the contrast of Assane at the beginning of the to the end
Shows what happened to the neckless
Shows what happened to assane and how he got where he is now - creates empathy for the character
How does this highlight the class differences in French society?
Was originally represented as poor, now as high class
Cleaners clothing and setting feels similar to a prison.
Higher class - luxury.
How is Mise-En-Scene used to show this?
Clothing - Suit
Low angle shot - shows assane as powerful
Gilroy:
- colonialism influences attitudes to ethnicity in western society
-African diaspora has constructed a transatlantic culture that is simultaneously African, American, Caribbean and British - the 'Black Atlantic'.
- Britain failed to mourn its loss of empire, creating 'postcolonial melancholia'. This expresses itself in criminalising immigrants, creating an 'us and them' approach
Gauntlett:
- Postmodern society is organised around 'simulation' - images and signs
- Hyperreality control our behaviours - i.e Disneyland, amusement parks, malls, consumer fantasy lands
- Hyperreality - representations are now more powerful and 'real' than reality
- Hyperreal - representations don't represent reality, but are representations of representations
- Simulacra - the representation is not able to tell the difference between reality and representation.
The contextual issues in France are represented throughout Lupin in various ways. We can see the issue of a class divide in the auction scene, where the higher class are preparing to buy the neckless, whilst the lower class are cleaners, working underground and out of sight. The higher class are represented as confident and powerful. We see this through the mise-en-scene. Assane and the other buyers are all wearing formal and expensive looking clothing - such as suits. This creates the effect that the higher class are successful and have control over how they present themselves. This reinforces stereotypical representations of the higher class wearing expensive, formal clothing that someone who is lower class would be unlikely to be able to afford. We are able to apply Gauntlett's theory of identity here, as the audience are able to choose to adapt their lives to follow the lives of the characters on screen, such as wanting to be rich and successful. In contrast, the lower class are seen wearing monotonous, dull clothing that is similar to a prison uniform. This use of mise-en-scene creates the effect that the lower class do not have control in their own lives. The contrasting representations of lower and higher classes show the economic contexts of France in 2021, as it was known to have deprived areas in poverty.
Monday 19th February 2024
Lupin - Race & Class
L/O: to explore the social context of class and race through the characterisation in set products
Villanelle - Middle class. stereotypically feminine - dresses, make-up. Glamourised - cares about her appearance,
Gang members - stereotypically masculine - tracksuits/tank tops, casual/informal clothing. Looks rough. Lower class
Research:
France’s lawmakers have adopted an immigration bill that may have a devastating impact on the rights of asylum seekers and migrants in France. Under pressure from the right and the far right, the government made an already flawed bill even worse in a bid to get the votes needed to pass the legislation.
France is against immigration.
French society was divided into three classes known as Estates with the First Estate being the clergy, the Second Estate being the nobility and the Third Estate, which included the rest of the society consisting of peasants and the middle class merchants and professionals.
1) Wide variety of ethnicities - Eve - Asian. Niko, Dom - Polish. Konstantin, Villanelle - Russian. Elena - Black.
2) Assane, Babakar - Black, originally from Senegal. Assane's son - mixed race, born in France. Lack of ethnic diversity. More realistic representation - racism in France
3) Britain - extremely multiculturalist country, accepting of diversity. France - not as open to multiculturalism, Racist country. Writer was British, doesn't have experience in France
4)
Class Issues in Lupin:
Cleaners at the beginning:
Mise-en-Scene = Cleaners in uniform - uniform looks dull, desaturated colours. Muted lighting - darker, dull, dreary
Security checking them in - distrustful, doesn't trust the lower class
Banlieu's (suburbs of France):
Graffiti - social decay, illegal
Camerawork: Arial shot, Assane blends in with the lower class society. See the lack of green/trees - looks miserable. 2nd arial shot - see how far the suburbs expand
Mise-En-Scene = hoodie, connotations of social decay, "gang activities". Informal clothing - sports wear, tank top, lower class clothing.
Tattoo's - criminal connotation
Stealing Necklace:
Fails to chloroform the security - incompetent
Struggles to get the cameras off - lack of skill, incompetence
Gets the incorrect car, waiting with the engine on - incompetent, can't follow orders
Race Issues in Lupin:
Flashbacks:
Accusing Babakar of stealing the neckless - Prejudice, Police refuse to hear both sides of the story
Auction:
"someone like you as a buyer" - subtle, inbuilt racism in French Society
Barthes:
Mise En Scene: Clothing- hoodies, sports wear, tank top - connotations/ideologies of lack of wealth, lower class. Hoodie's, Sports wear and tank tops imply gang activity/gang affiliations
Sound - dialogue: "someone like you as a buyer" - connotations - implied racism. inbuilt racism inside French Society. Assane is weary of prejudice from his childhood.
Levi Strauss:
Binary opposition -
Lupin: Racism/Equality, Rich/Poor, Educated/Inferior
Tuesday 20th February 2024
Lupin - Representation: Gender
L/O: to explore the social context of gender through the characterisation in set products
Van Zoonen: Gender is constructed. codes & conventions. not who we are but what we do. Women are sexualised/objectified in the media. Changes based on the historical & cultural contexts
Gauntlett: identity. Pick & mix. Audience see things and pick things to adopt to their own identity. Complex.
What representations of gender do we find in Lupin?
Gang members - masculine, aggressive, tough.
Nerdy gang member - less stereotypically masculine. Nerdy, weaker
more masculinity portrayed in Lupin than femininity
traditional masculinity is marginalised to the lower class characters - gang members
Babakar - chivalrous gentleman, takes on a mother role when caring for Assane
Assane - unstable father figure, struggling to provide for his son.
Who are the women that are represented & what roles do they play?
Assane's ex-wife = superior to assane (likely because of her race). Single mother, recieving child support from Assane. Undermined by the male figures in her life, Assane has to give her money
Mrs Pelligrini - Weak, doesn't try to save Babakar, internalised racism - locks the door from babakar, allows him to be taken away by the police.
Juliette Pelligrini - sexualised,
Head cleaner - the only woman of colour, not really respected by other cleaners, nothing done to advance her colour. Tricked by Assane into giving him a job.
Hall: stereotypes, wishes to break down stereotypes in media. meaning is created by stereotypes. Whats present, absent and different is what creates representation. Those in power attempt to fix the meaning of a representation - creates a preferred reading with ony one true meaning.
SOCIAL ISSUES - LUPIN
- racial inequality
"someone like you as a buyer" - auctioneer shows internalised racism in French society
Flashbacks with Babakar - Mrs Pelligrini locks the door when Babakar offers help. Mr Pelligrini accuses Babakar of taking the neckless. "Is it true what they say about blacks?" - Juliette shows racism towards Assane
- class inequality
french suburbs -
SOCIAL ISSUES - KILLING EVE
- Gender equality
Eve is more dominant than her husband Niko.
eve is underestimated & untrusted
Men are the ones in power - Bill & Frank
- Multiculturalism in everyday society
Eve, Niko, Dom, Elena, Konstantin, Villanelle
How are the lead protagonists in Lupin and Killing Eve used to reflect societal issues?
Both Killing Eve and Lupin use their main protagonists to reflect societal issues in their respective countries.
The lead protagonist in Lupin -Assane- is used to reflect the societal issues of racial inequality in France. We are able to see this in the post auction scene, where Assane is in the foyer of The Louvre with the auctioneer, Vincent and Kevin. The white, middle class auctioneer tells Assane that he "didn't expect someone like you as a buyer". Through this use of sound, the dialogue shows the internalised racism found in French society, as the auctioneer is implying that he didn't expect a black man as a buyer. However, the auctioneer awkwardly says "someone so young" afterwards. The dominant/preferred reading of this are that he actually meant someone as young as Assane, however the oppositional reading is that it connotes the racism found in French society. This shows the Industry that was involved with the creation of Lupin, as the original writer was English. This means that the writer was unlikely to understand the experiences of racism in France. Furthermore, Netflix were the ones to produce the show, meaning that the large conglomerate were unlikely to understand societal issues, This also shows the societal and cultural issues in France at the time, as France has a far right government who are severely anti immigration. We are able to apply Halls' theory of reception, as we are able to take multiple readings from the text. The Dominant reading of the text is that the auctioneer actually meant that he didn't expect someone as young as Assane as a buyer, whereas the oppositional reading would be that the auctioneer was concealing his internalised racism. This creates ideologies of racial inequality in French Society.
The lead protagonist in Killing Eve -Eve- is used to reflect the societal issues of gender inequality. We are able to see this in the meeting scene, where eve arrives late and is told about the recent assassination. Throughout this scene (and in later scenes) Eve is not trusted to know much information about the crime, and she is told to just do her job and not get too involved. Furthermore, there are not many women in positions of power. Bill is Eve's boss and Frank is the one in the highest position of power. Eve is quite clearly overshadowed by the men in the office, and has no power over them and in the firing scene she is not believed and loses her job when she discovers that the assassin is female, which we find out through the sound/dialogue in the scene. However, Eve also challenges these societal issues, as she is represented as a determined leader. We see this in the hospital scene, as Eve is attempting to get information out of Kasha before she dies. This use of dialogue shows Eve's determination, as she is determined to solve the case even in a dangerous/difficult situation. We are able to apply Van Zoonen's feminist theory, as Eve's femininity is created through performance. Her gender is also created through the historical context's of the #metoo movement. She is a strong leader who takes control of her own life and job.
Monday 26th February 2024
Lupin - Representation - Gender:
L/O: analyse a selection of scenes using accurate media terminology
1) gang represented as incompetent/unintelligent. Failed to chloroform the security. Over the shoulder shot - see the chloroform happening but not working.
2) Formal - mise en scene, formal clothing. Powerful - arial shot of The Louvre shows the power of the rich side of French society The size of the building makes the upper class seem powerful. Upper class are more powerful than lower class - physically in a higher position than the lower class.
3) Arial shot of The Louvre, shows the grand scale of the building, area made specifically for the rich side, size makes the upper class seem more powerful = Camerawork. Over the shoulder shot - shows Rudy failing to chloroform security = Camerawork. High Angle/Birds eye view - shows security fighting the gang = Camerawork. Suits - Mise En Scene - Formality, symbolic of the higher class.
4) The majority are white. Assane is the only black person there. Almost no multiculturalism.
2) Kind, inferior to her husband. "Take a book for your son" - contrasted to Mr Pelligrini.
3) Gentlemanly, remains respectful even while being discriminated against.
4) Gang members are unintelligent - continues to try and chloroform security even though it didn't work the first time. In comparison Assane is more intelligent - he creates the plan. Gang members are more brawny - turn to aggression when their plan doesn't work (fighting, hitting with a bin). Assane is intelligent - makes sure that no-one else will buy the neckless by placing an extremely high bid.
Levi Strauss thought that the human mind could be investigated through studying the structure of myths and fables.
Myths and fables were determined to be ruled by a structure of opposing terms (hot.cold, male/female etc.)
writers see the overall system as ideology rather than human consciousness.
How does it apply:
High Class/Lower Class - auction vs cleaners
Brains/Brawn - The gang are more aggressive and brawny than Assane who is more intelligent
Discrimination/Equality - The way that Babakar and Assane are treated compared to everyone else.
Ideologies of the upper class being more intelligent, and working to get where they are compared to the lower class are normalised.
The discrimination of the lower class makes us wish to disassociate ourselves with the upper class.
2) Graphic match from the safe being opened in the foyer of The Louvre to the safe being opened in the Pelligrini house - Babakar being accused.
3) Medium/medium long shot of Babakar being accused of stealing the neckless. We know he is innocent. See him begging Mrs Pelligrini to help him/tell everyone that he is innocent
4) Mid shot - see his face, accusatory/confused.
5) Rudy stealing the wrong car - police confronts him for having the engine on while not driving. Car is not discreet.
Denotations - literal meaning
Connotations - implied meaning
Myths - ideological meaning
How does it apply:
White gloves - expensive, fragile
suits - Higher class, expensive
neckless - femininity, expensive
the study - books, safe, desk - intelligent, rich, powerful
2) Prison seems to be more relaxed than stereotypical British prisons. Lack fences as expected, prison looks less guarded - mise en scene.
3) Prisons aren't as well gaurded - Babakar was still able to commit suicide. BAbakar did not recieve justice from being falsely accused
4) Non-diegetic sound = solemn, sad music.
5) Assane telling Mrs Pelligrini to go to hell whilst calling her madam. Lacks chivalry, mocking it.
Dominant reading - the preferred meaning/ideological meaning of the text.
Negotiated meaning - The audience chooses which parts they agree and disagree with.
Oppositional reading - the audience disagrees with the preferred and ideological meaning of the text.
Producers encode meaning through codes and conventions
Babakar's suicide
Kevin & vincent - distrust in Assane.
Tuesday 27th February 2024
1) Crime Drama - represented through the perspectives of the police and the criminals
Thriller - Man on the phone mentions Arsene Lupin - catching on to Assane's plan. Assane is search by police - hearing the sound the pen makes. Car crash, arresting the gang - thrilling.
2) Seeing the perspective of the criminals and the police. Close up shots of the gang being arrested/restrained.
3) Seeing the procedure - sending neckless to the lab, interrogating the witnesses and the criminals. Searches Assane.
4)
Over the shoulder shot, interrogation between Assane & the inspector.
medium long shot - see Rudy and Vincent being pinned down & restrained. See Kevin being restrained. Long Shot - see Assane walking away, we know that he has gotten away with it.
Close-Up - police, evidence bag
Police Inspector -Stern/confrontational, leather jacket - casual. Separated from the people wearing suits.
repetition and hybridity (mixing of genres)
many LFTVDs have the resources to rely on high production values & star system
Genres are not fixed but constantly evolve with each new addition to the corpus.
They often play with genre codes & conventions or become hybrids with other genres.
Audiences like developed narratives
Apply:
Police procedural - see the gang being arrested = close up shots, interrogations = over the shoulder shot, sending the neckless off to be tested = mise-en-scene. Suberts - police are not protagonists, we don't want Assane to be caught.
Monday 4th March 2024
DIRT in last lesson
Tuesday 5th March 2024
1)
towering lit up skyscrapers - higher class
Walls are damp, older tv, barely any lighting, clothing drying on the rack. small room - lower class. Home is quite basic, but it is functional. Lives in a flat.
Birthday present was given to Babakar for free. Wrapped neatly, cared for. Assane is grateful for it - may not own many material possessions.
2)
Small rooms - not an expensive flat, is substantial for him to live in.
3)
Living quarters are quite small, walls look damp. rooms are crowded. His house is a basic, functional flat. Assane is isolated - represented as lonely.
4)
Babakar's suicide is almost brushed over by the news. Focuses on the fact that he is from Senegal - his name & age are not mentioned.
Media directly influences audience.
Can influence both directly and indirectly - we can see it on social media and still be influenced by it.
Audience may imitate behaviours that they see represented
investigate long term effects on the audiences who consume whole LFTVD box sets
Violent representations make the audience believe that the world is dangerous - mean world syndrome.
TV should be regulated.
1)
He wakes up in a lavish house in the centre of Paris with a nice view.
2)
Suit.
Bedroom - Nice Television, Walls filled with books
Nice view outside his window
iMac - expensive brand.
3)
Cleaner -> rich man - social divide
4)
Over planned - takes away from social realism
5)
Talks about himself
Monday 11th March 2024
Postmodernism chalenges fixed ideas about identity and the established order.
Hyperreal - representations don't represent reality. they are representations of representations
Hyperreality - representations are more powerful than reality.
Applying to Lupin:
Intertextual - Eminem "The real slim shady", "got the blues", Arsene Lupin - Gentleman burglar, Wikipedia
Fragmented Narrative - Flashbacks, going back and seeing his plan
Self Reflexivity -
Common Themes -
Loss of reality - unrealistic plan, detective figuring out Arsene Lupin from Paul Servine
Loss of verisimilitude - detective figuring out Arsene Lupin from Paul Servine
Viewpoints and Ideologies
L/O: to explore viewpoints and ideologies in the set text
Media
Todorov:
Equilibrium:
Poor, in need of money, living with his father
Relations with his son were negative
Disruption:
Fathers death
Recognition of Disruption:
The news story
Attempt to solve:
Heist
New Equilibrium:
Returned to his family
Viewpoints & Ideologies:
Individualism - thinking about yourself, almost selfish. Independency
Consumerism - buying things, consumer goods
Patriarchy - male lead system of society/government
Ethnocentrism - belief that your own culture is normal and natural and that other cultures are inferior and strange
- beauty of Paris, has left behind the lower class side of life.
- Cityscape of Paris. Has the neckless, life is better
- Healed his relationship with his son.
- Meeting his son again
- Police - Arsene Lupin
Gilroy:
Colonial ideology - superiority of white western culture
Us vs Them approach
Mr. Pelligrini - patriarchal, white western culture
Lack of feminist credentials or women of colour
Issues of racism and exclusion are addressed without making Assane into a victim.
No representation of Queer, Feminist or Black Atlantic
Stereotypes:
Lower class:
Unintelligent, incompetent, inferior
Aristocracy/Rich:
Controlling, powerful, intelligent, superior
Police:
Prejudiced, Discriminatory, Neglectful. Detective portrayed as intelligent
Migrants:
us vs them situation, inferior. Assane & Babakar - loving, caring, committed, resiliant
Family Unit:
unstable - Assane not seeing his son often. Split Parent family. Assane & Babakar - close, loving
Racism:
Prevalent in French society, mistrusted. White, upper class men -- more racist than other characters.
Realism:
Family scenes
Louvre - lower class in an upper class scene
Babakar, Pelligrini
Flashbacks
1.
Flashbacks - Babakar & Assane being discriminated against.
2.
Babakar - experiences racism,
Pelligrini - racist, racism in French society
Cleaners - seperation of the lower class
Gang - lower class, going to any length to get money
3.
Racism in society
4.
Lupin - Industry Theory Applied
L/O: to explore the Industry theorists and how these can be applied to the set texts
American TV follows a free enterprise model.
Commercal TV is dominated by a few networks.
Narrow opinions and profits over creativity and quality
HBO - subscription and satellite. Less adverts, better quality
this made way for services such as Netflix
Media industries follow the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration of ownership in fewer hands.
This makes a narrowing range of opinions and a pursuit of profit at the expense of quality or creativity.
owned by a few conglomerates who vertically integrate across a range of media to reduce risk.
Risk is high in cultural industries because of difficulties with predicting success, high production costs, low reproduction costs and the fact that media products are 'public goods'.
Cultural industries rely on 'big hits'. Industries rely on repetition of stars, genres, franchises, narratives and so on.
Internet has not changed the amount of cultural opinions viewed in the media.
consumers: have wants, are individuals, seek private benefits, use the language of choice, require regulation to protect against detriment
Citizens: have needs, are social, seek public or social benefits from the media, use the language of rights, require regulation to promote the public interest.
Monday 18th March 2024
Show Runner:
Individual/Small team
usually a writer or producer who places a personal stamp on the drama and gives it an 'authored' quality
KE: featured different female writers who had critical acclaim & recognition of their successes. Phoebe Waller-Bridge = Season 1
Lupin: George Kay wrote/co-wrote all the episodes. Collaborated with Francois Uzan (Parisian), who translated the international themes in to a glamorous, national French context. This is the possible reason for the success.
Lupin - Audience Theory Applied
L/O: to explore the Audience Theorists and how these can be applied to the set texts.
Jenkins: Fandom:
Participatory culture:
development of new media allows the audience to be active and create participants rather than just passive consumers
Textual poachers:
audience members taking aspects from media texts to create their own content
Convergence culture:
media is shared, adapted and consumed constantly on a range of different platforms
Spreadable media:
content that is adapted by audience members for their own purpose and shared with others
1. Applies to the range and diversity of representations offered by LFTVD to textual poachers who wish to use these products to create their own culture in fan sites
2. Many LFVTD achieve cult status adding to their value for fans
3. This optimistic view of the power of audiences underestimates the power of the oligarchy of media conglomerates in shaping and controlling the media produced
Audiences create online communities, produce new creative forms, collaborate to solve problems and shape the flow of media. This generates 'collective intelligence'.
Jenkins applied to Killing Eve:
Jenkins applied to Lupin:
Shirky: End of Audience:
Technological developments have changed the relationships between media producers and audiences
In the past, media producers created content for audiences, now content can be created by audiences
Prosumers have different motivations to professional media producers.
This can create cognitive surplus, where potentially large numbers of people can give their time and expertise to create something (e.g. Wikipedia)
Audiences can no longer be seen as a single mass of people
Audiences engage differently with media products across different media platforms, with some audience members now creating or adapting media products themselves
1. Draws attention to the way that LFTVD can provide value to each other by using websites to offer comments, parodies, merchandise etc.
2. Does not apply to broadcast TV
3. Streaming services do not reflect the view of the online media proposed by Shirky, as they primarily operate like the old media offering centrally produced content
4. This optimistic view of the power of audiences underestimates the power of the oligarchy of media conglomerates in shaping and controlling the media produced.
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Lupin - Exam practice
L/O: to explore the exam format; to plan a comparative response to the set texts
Question 3:
Making a judgement
explore all contexts (political, economic, historical, social, cultural)
Analyse texts & apply theory
refer to theoretical framework (LIAR)
Media Language
Media Industry
Media Audience
Media Representations
Class, Age, Disability, Gender, Ethnicity, Sexuality
PARAGRAPH 1: Intro - respond to the question with an overall statement
1.
In long form TV Dramas, some social groups are represented very differently, whereas others are represented quite similarly. For example, in Killing Eve and Lupin, Age is represented similarly, Disability is not represented at all, and Gender, Class, Sexuality and Ethnicity are represented extremely differently.
2.
Language
Industry:
Lupin - French (non-english prooduction). Lower budget. Netflix - gloabl reach.
Killing Eve - BBC America. Higher Budget
Audience:
Lupin - In Lockdown (watching box sets more often). Social contexts
Representations:
Lupin - Ethnicity -
Killing Eve - Gender - #metoo movement (historical contexts)
Theorists -
Gilroy - ethnicity
Levi Strauss - Binary Oppositions
Van Zoonen - gender roles.
Hall audience reception
Ethnic social groups are represented very differently in Lupin to how they are represented in Killing Eve. We see this in the flashback scene where Babakar is being arrested after being falsely accused of stealing the neckless. Through the use of sound, we hear Babakar pleading with Mrs Pelligrini, asking her to tell the truth about what happened. We also hear the police ignoring Babakar's pleas for them to hear his side of the story, whilst Mr Pelligrini accuses him of being the one to steal the neckless. This represents French society, as we see the historical contexts of the French government, who had enforced laws against immigration, as well as the uprising of far right politicians in the French governmental parties in 2021. We are able to apply Gilroy's theory of Postcolonialism, as we are able to see the western attitudes towards ethnicities that are not white. The white police and Mr Pelligrini (a heterosexual, white, upper class man) immediately accusing Babakar (a lower class, black immigrant) of being guilty is evidence of these attitudes.
In contrast to Lupin, Killing Eve's representations of Ethnicity are almost dystopian, as none of the characters experience racist interactions. Characters such as Eve (an Asian woman) and Elena (A Black woman) are not treated any differently because of their ethnicities, and are represented as powerful, determined and brave. We see this through the meeting scene, were Elena eavesdrops on some of the interview and informs Eve. We see through their facial expressions that both are quite confident and happy.
15/4- Q3 from 19/3- Great analysis here, T: a little more application of the theory to the text would be helpful and finish the second paragraph
Monday 25th March 2024
Q4 Exam Practice
L/O: to explore format for Q4 and prepare a planned exam response
10 marks - shorter
1) study of signs & semiology - signifier = the object + signified = meaning.
2) signs create denotations - the literal meaning
3) connotations are created from these denotations and create the implied meaning
4) connotations create myths in society and ideological meanings that are normal.
Gauntlett:
1) Media has a complex relationship with identities.
2) Individuals are expected to make choices about their identity & lifestyles.
3) Online media offers people a route to self expression
4) identities are seen as less fixed
5) media representations offer a range of diverse and contradictory messages about identity
P1 - Gauntlett's theory of Identity states that the media has a complex relationship with identities. Individuals are expected to make choices about their own identities and lifestyles.
P2 - Identity in KE
P3 - Identity in Lupin
P4 -
P5 - the identities represented are created by the conglomerates in charge, feeding their own identities to the audience
Takes away uniqueness of the audience's own identity as they are taking things from other people and making it their own
Gauntlett's theory of Identity states that the media has a complex relationship with identities. Individuals are expected to make choices surrounding their own identities and lifestyles, and they do this through adopting traits found in online media. The representations in the media offer a route to self expression, as they show a range of diverse and contradictory messages about identity. This means that Identities are now seen as less fixed than they previously were.
Audiences only adapt certain values to their identities, as they may not fully relate to a character. we can see this throughout Killing Eve. The TV Drama provides us with a wide range of representations through the characters. Eve, Villanelle, Niko, Bill, Dom etc. are all extremely diverse characters. The character 'Villanelle' is represented as quite immature, but also extremely feminine. We see her femininity through her love for shopping, her feminine clothing (such as dresses). However we also see a level of cruelness/immaturity when she hits an ice-cream into a young child, and through her dark humour when she pranks her boss into thinking she has killed herself. We also know her to be a skilled assassin, as we see her various crimes committed throughout they show The audience will likely relate to her love for consumerism/spending money and will adopt that into their own identities. However, they may feel uncomfortable with her cruelty and immaturity, and will reject that idea. In addition, they will reject her role as an assassin, but they may agree with her hatred towards the cruel characters that she kills. These different aspects of the characters are what makes Gauntlett's theory applicable to Killing Eve.
The multicultural audience will relate to her ethnic identity as Russian. The audience may also adapt values from the character 'Eve'. She is represented as a heroic, determined character. The audience may relate to Eve's sexual identity, as well as her Ethnic identity as Asian. However, they may reject her role as a spy. The representations of gender and sexuality found in Killing Eve show that different identities are less fixed than they were in the past.
The TV Drama Lupin provides us with a wide range of characters for the audience to relate to, such as Assane, The Gang or Babakar. The audience may relate to Assane & Babakar's Ethnic identities as immigrants from Senegal, as well as their residence in France. They may also relate to Assane, Babakar and The Gang's financial status' as lower class (or relating to Assane's higher class status in the present).
However, they will reject Assane & The Gang's criminal activities.
The limitation of this theory is that it relies on the audience being active agents, as well as them being powerful. It underestimates the power of media conglomerates in shaping culture, tastes and identities.
25/3 excellent summary paragraph in the opening. T: Tie each paragraph of examples from the text back to the point that you started off with in terms of Gauntlett. Remember to focus on the strands of theory and how these apply.
Tuesday 26th March 2024
Media Language theory:
L/O: to explore media language theories within LFTVDS
Monday 15th April 2024
Killing Eve.
Individualism = Each character being Unique promotes individualism. Villanelle committing crimes/ assassinations goes against society. She works alone the majority of the time. Eve tends to work individually.
Consumerism = Villanelle - shopping, living in the middle of paris = she lives a lavish life & cares about buying material items.
Perspective = Both perspectives of criminal & police (Villanelle as an assassin, Eve as a MI5 detective.) Female perspective, Eve & Villanelle
Ethnocentrism = Russia antagonised in KE. Britain seen as superior.
Patriarchy = Attempts to disestablish the patriarchy, all female production team, Eve & Villanelle are strong confident leaders. Eve is more powerful than some of the men in her life.
Globalisation = Different cultures shown in KE. Polish, Asian, Russian, English. Different Landmarks: London, Paris, Tuscany, Vienna.
Lupin.
Individualism = Assane uses people around him to get to his goal. Works alone.
Consumerism = Auction, selling expensive items. Assane has an expensive apartment in France. Necklace is seen as a need.
Perspective = Mainly seen from a criminal perspective - Assane organising the heist. Perspective of Assane as a black, male immigrant in France. Babakars perspective as an older, black, male immigrant in France.
Ethnocentrism = Assane & Babakar experiencing Racism. Each character living different lives.
Patriarchy = Majority of characters are Male. Only women we see are the lead cleaner and Assane's wife, who are not named.
Globalisation = Netflix production, French show, available for all globally. French production with English writer. Different cultures shown.
Tuesday 16th April 2024
Tuesday 23rd April 2024
Q3 Exam Practice
L/O: to explore the exam format, to plan a comparative response to the set texts.
judgement
Contexts: Historical, Political, Economic, Social, Cultural
Analysis
LIAR
1. What the question is asking you
2. Describe scene
3. ML analysis
4. Theory
5. Contexts
Plan:
1.
BBC America different to Netflix. Views & Remits.
2.
Theories:
Butler - gender performance
Van Zoonen
Neale - Genre & conventions
Hall - Representations
Hesmondhalgh - cultural industries
What are the contexts of production & consumption?
Killing Eve:
Star vehicle of Sandra Oh - established actor.
All female team
BBC America
Set in London
Vienna, Tuscany, Paris - recognisable landmarks for the country for a non EU audience
Contexts: #MeToo movement, Trump election, Women allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia
Theory: Hesmondhalgh - reducing risk.
Lupin:
no well known celebrity actors
2021 - Lockdown. People watching Television more, talking more on social media.
British writer - French translation, works for a global audience
Netflix
Set in France
Contexts: Class divide, Migration policies. COVID-19
Theory: Gilroy - criminalising immigration, Racism seen in Lupin, superiority of white western civilisation represented through pelligrinis.
What dominant conventions are followed?
Killing Eve:
Men in charge - Frank & Bill & Konstantin
Spy Thriller - MI5, Russia Demonised, Assassinations, Britain
Britain is presented as heroic & trustworthy.
Russia as the enemy - Villanelle, Konstantin - stereotype from the cold war (historical contexts)
Contexts: Russia demonised/viewed as the enemy from cold war, fear of other countries. Attack of Russian spies on UK land (Salisbury poisonings)
Theory: Neale - genre, Hall - representation, Gilroy - superiority of white western civilisation, Baudriilard - hyperreality of MI5 & representations are more like a simulacra.
Lupin:
Men as lead role - Assane.
Women sexualised - Juliette Peligrini - Van Zoonen's theory.
Crime Thriller - See sides of both police and criminals, editing & flasbacks to provide context & show the reality
Gang mentality - aggressive
Underdog is the hero.
Contexts:
Theory:
What viewpoints and ideologies are explored?
Killing Eve:
Female lead role - Sandra Oh as Eve
Gender Equality
More accepting towards LGBTQ+ (phone call scene)
multiculturalism - variety of ethnicities
Lupin:
Black lead role - varied ethnicity.
Monday 29th April 2024
3)
Representations of events that are historical, social or cultural vary in Long Form TV Dramas from different countries. Audiences may respond differently to these representations and may interpret them differently.
The contexts of the time of production have effected the way that some TV Dramas were produced, and will effect the way they are consumed by the audience. Social & Political contexts such as the #metoo movement and Trumps election have had an effect on the production of Killing eve. We can see this through characters such as Eve and Villanelle. The producers of Killing Eve admitted that the character 'Villanelle' was partially inspired by Harvey Weinstein and the me too movement. Furthermore, the independence & strength of Eve & Villanelle reflect the bravery of those involved in the movement. We can see this through the use of dialogue to show Eve's determination to solve the case in the hospital scene. Whilst Kasha is dying, Eve speaks to her, doing her job and attempting to get some more information. This shows her determination & independence. Trump's election would have also inspired the production of the TV Drama, as it was originally made for BBC America. Trump is known for his extreme right wing opinion, which includes an unsupportive view towards women's rights. The independent women seen in Killing Eve are seemingly more dominant than the men, such as Eve's more dominant nature over Niko. This contrasts Trump's political opinion, and shows the difference in opinions between Trump & The producers of Killing Eve. We are able to apply Van Zoonen's feminist theory to this, as the social contexts of the time inspired the creation of these characters and their strong-willed natures.
Social contexts have also inspired the production of Lupin. Lupin was created during the global lockdown, which means that everyone was more likely to be at home watching large box-sets. In addition, the social & cultural contexts of France had an effect on the setting of Lupin. France has a high amount of its population living in poverty/on the poverty line, as well as the majority living away from its capital in Paris. This is represented through the Suburbs that the gang/loan sharks live in. The camerawork used shows us an arial shot of the suburbs, and we are able to see the lack of greenery, as well as the distinct separation of the lower class and higher class areas. Furthermore, the political contexts of France's government have had an effect on Lupin. During the time of Lupin's production, France passed laws against immigration. This is seen through the characters of Assane and Babakar, who are immigrants from Senegal. Both characters experience racist interactions at the hands of white, french people. We are able to apply Gilroy's theory of postcolonialism, as we see the us vs them approach to the treatment of immigrants.
The representations seen in Killing Eve show a lack of realism, and are almost dystopian. The characters do not face any negative interactions, such as Eve, Villanelle and Elena not facing any Racism or Sexism. This creates a dystopian view of London, Vienna, Tuscany and Paris. Because it was originally made for BBC America, It would cause the likely American audience to see these places as very multiculturalist and anti-racism. Whilst it is true that the UK is multiculturalist, it is not perfect and racism & sexism are seen on the streets of London. We are able to apply Baudrillard's theory to this, as it creates a hyperreal of the places that Killing eve is set. We are also able to apply Gilroy's theory of post colonialism, as we are able to see the superiority of white western civilisation.
To conclude, representations of social, cultural and historical events are extremely varied in long form tv dramas, and audiences are very likely to respond to these representations in different ways. These representations are not always reaistic.
Tuesday 30th April 2024
Question 4:
L/O: to explore the exam format, to plan an evaluative response to the set texts.
1. explain the aspects of the theory
2. evaluate why is is useful/relevant
3. evaluate why it is useful/relevant pt 2
4. evaluate why it is useful/relevant pt 3
5. limitations of the theory
6. conclude
Jenkins - Fandom:
1. Audience takes aspects of a show to create their own products (textual poachers)
Convergence culture: media is shared and consumed in different ways
spreadable media: content that is adapted by audience for their own purpose
2. KE: KE fan groups (facebook), fan art, fan fictions, fan endings on youtube <- spreadable media & textual poachers
3. LP: LP fan groups (reddit), fan art (not very applicable to LP) <- spreadable media & textual poachers
4. Limitations: requires audience to be active, underestimates the power of oligarchy & media conglomerates - people are unlikely to see these fan endings/creations unless in fan groups - gives conglomerates & oligarchy more power.
5. conclusion = Very applicable to KE, not so much to LP
4)
Jenkins' theory about Fandom states that the audience will take aspects of a show in order to create their own product from it. These audience members are called textual poachers, and the products that they create are called spreadable media - content that is adapted by fans for their own purpose. It also discusses the idea of convergence culture, which states that media is shared and consumed in many different ways. These things are able to happen because of 'participatory culture', which is the idea that new media developments allow the audience to be active and creative participants, rather than passive consumers.
Jenkins' theory is seen throughout the online media created for Killing Eve by the fans. Through searching "Killing Eve" online, we are able to find Facebook fan groups. This shows participatory culture, as the audience are actively interacting with other fans to discuss their favourite TV Drama. We are able to find fan art and creations online, in places such as Etsy. This shows the audience acting like textual poachers, as they are creating their own products from aspects of the show (such as art of Eve & Villanelle's relationship). In addition, Fans were unhappy with the ending to Killing Eve and so they created their own fan endings on youtube by splicing clips from the original episode and rearranging it to make a new ending. This shows the spreadable media and textual poachers aspects of Jenkins' theory and how it is able to be applied to Long Form TV Drama.
Jenkins' theory is also seen through Lupin's online media. Through searching "Lupin" online, we are able to find Fan groups on reddit and some fan art on Etsy. This shows the textual poachers in the audience, as they are creating their own content. This theory is not completely applicable to Lupin, as their isn't a large 'fandom' that like the TV Drama in comparison to Killing Eve.
A Limitation of this theory is that it underestimates the power that conglomerates and the oligarchy have. Fans of the series are unlikely to see this fan products if they are not already active in the fan groups. This means that the conglomerates hold power over the audience. Furthermore, It requires the audience to be active. If the audience are not active, they will be unlikely to create spreadable media and will therefore not be textual poachers.
To conclude, Jenkins' theory is extremely applicable to media products that have a large fan base, such as Killing Eve. However, it is not as applicable to media products that do not have larger fan bases, such as Lupin.
Self Marked:
Level 2 - 5/6 marks
Tuesday 14th May 2024
3)
Representations of events and characters are influenced by historical contexts in Long Form TV Dramas.
We are able to see this in Killing Eve through the representations of gender. The character Eve is seen to subvert gender stereotypes throughout the episode. She is head-strong and determined. We are able to see this in the meeting scene, as Eve speaks up and shares her opinion on the assassinations. We can also see it in the scene where she is fired, as she speaks up for herself, calling Frank a 'Dick Swab' and shares the information she found through her investigation. This use of dialogue ("Dick Swab") subverts the traditional stereotypes of women being nurturing, gentle figures. This is inspired by the all female production team who made Killing Eve, who would understand that not all women fit in to those traditional stereotypes. In addition, it was inspired by the historical contexts of the 'me too' movement. This is seen in Eve's strong, independent character. Here, we are able to apply Butler's theory of gender performance, as Eve's gender is performed in a way that does not conform to societal standards. In contrast, we are able to see gender stereotypes being followed by characters such as Villanelle. Stereotypes such as women loving shopping and consumerism are seen in the Paris scene, where Villanelle is carrying multiple shopping bags with expensive brand logos on them. We can also see that Villanelle owns an expensive looking apartment in the middle of Paris. The clothing she wears is usually feminine and expensive looking. There are stereotypes commonly held against women. Here, we are able to apply Van Zoonen's theory. Van Zoonen believes that gender is what we do rather than who we are, and that it can change dependant on cultural and historical contexts. We can see the influence of the historical context of the me too movement on Eve's character through her strength and confidence, however she still has flaws to her that make her less stable - her actions changes the representation of her femininity. We can also see Villanelles actions supporting the stereotypical representations of femininity through he love for consumerism and feminine clothing (such as pink/light blue dresses)
3 TARGET -link contexts to examples. More on theory
4)
Para 1 - intro to the theory - Preferred, Negotiated, oppositional. Dominant reading
para 2 - Apply to the texts - Preferred: Killing Eve as
Para 3 - Apply to the texts
Para 4 - Apply to the texts - Oppositional - Killing Eve as propaganda to demonise Russia. Lupin as
Para 4 - Limitations - Gives Power to the audience (also
4 TARGET - Apply to Lupin Too
4)
We are able to apply Hall's theory of reception to Lupin. The audience could see the 'Dominant' reading: spreading awareness towards the societal issues in France such as the class divide or racism. The may also take a Negotiated reading, by agreeing with the meaning but finding the robbery to be unrealistic. but, they may take an oppositional reading, and may see it as the writer demonising france and encouraging criminal activities.
13/11- Excellent start to the unit, great notes on the genre, well done.
ReplyDelete27/11- Great analysis and use of theory here. T: 5.Link to context- Social context of female roles.
ReplyDelete20/2- Great understanding of the text and the links to French social context. (Far right politicians emerging in French politics but not leading the government, rather challenging them)
ReplyDeleteTarget:
3.Using accurate Media Language and terminology to reference textual detail.
4.Link to areas of the theoretical framework.
6. Include reference to theory that backs up your original point. A little more detail and application of the theory would help to demonstrate your understanding.
11/3- Great notes here well done. to challenge yourself, try to explore ways that the theory can be applied to the text with clear examples,.
ReplyDelete25/3 excellent summary paragraph in the opening. T: Tie each paragraph of examples from the text back to the point that you started off with in terms of Gauntlett. Remember to focus on the strands of theory and how these apply.
ReplyDelete15/4- Q3 from 19/3- Great analysis here, T: a little more application of the theory to the text would be helpful and finish the second paragraph.
ReplyDelete29/4- Good use of examples and analysis. T: 5- ensure that you try to get through the areas in your plan so that you have covered the question. 6- link also the audience response.
ReplyDelete