– MoodBoard(s) –

Locations –

People/ Characters –

Objects –

Copyright Free Music –

Image Drafts – Characters + Locations

Style Models

Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness Analysis –

Narrative theorists to apply =

This video depicts a tragedy where one woman (played by Lana Del Rey) jumps and the other, heartbroken, follows. Todorov can be applied to this video as the start of the relationship would be the equilibirum, the breakup would be the distruption, their suicide would be their ‘resolution’ and the new equalibrium would be that they are both gone/ together again. expressed through the lyrics –

‘Got my bad baby by my heavenly side’ ‘I know if I go, I’ll die happy tonight’

‘Summertime sadness’ refers to seasonal depression that most commonly occurs in winter. However, the artist uses summer as the warmth of summer brings back memories of her lover.

Levi-Strauss theory of binary opposition can also be applied due to themes such as Love VS Hate, Life VS Death and Happy VS sad being represented throughout the video. 

Although the video follows Todorovs theory of equilibrium it is not chronological as it shows multiple flashbacks. The old/ vintage film effect is used to convey the memories/ flashbacks as her own personal movie.

Coldplay – Midnight Analysis –

Narrative theorists to apply =

Levi-Strauss = Binary opposition theory can be applied to the visual elements of the video as it was shot in a negative exposure. This theory can also be applied to the lyrics ‘When I’m rolling with the thunder but bleeding from the thorns’ which is a metaphor for ‘there will always be negative for the positives’ .

‘In the swirling swimming on’ – Here, Martin’s voice rises in to match the songs content, suggesting a rising storm. The alliteration, “swirling swimming” also creates a crescendo effect similar to a storm. 

The video was shot in negative exposure (Inverse)

Cavetown – Pigeon Analysis –

Narrative theorists to apply =

Beginning = Low depth of field

‘Circling around the kitchen, why has nothing changed’ refers to doing something over and over again can lead to insanity. This song shows what heartache can do to a person, however, unlike summertime sadness the final equilibrium of this video/ narrative shows that he’s still trying to bargain for his loved one back, but finally at the end of the song he accepts that they can’t come back, but he’ll try to keep going to make him proud; emphasized through the lyrics –

‘Don’t know how I’m going to live without’ ‘But I’ll stay strong for you’

Therefore, Todorovs theory of equilibrium can be applied to this narrative as well as Levi-Strauss’s binary opposition due to themes such as Love VS Hate and Sanity VS Insanity that are represented throughout.

Statement of Intent for Music Video Project –

For my music video project, I plan on using Adobe After Effects in order to create a vintage/ grain film effect which will emphasize the coloured memory shots (due to contrast). These coloured memories will be a juxtaposition against the black and white present scenes; a symbolic sign for loneliness and sadness to show how dull ‘life’ now is.  

After Effects will allow me to edit each individual layer of film I have as well as combining it with other layers and sounds to achieve my desired outcome. In addition, unlike other editing software such as iMovie, After Effects allows a much more free approach at editing my different layers, their speeds and times all individually; whilst allowing me to edit at my own speed as I can adjust the speed at which the video renders and upload at a variety of different frame rates and sizes.  

For the key conventions of my music video, I am going to transition between frames/scenes on the beats of the song which will therefore blend the video and the sound together. My narrative will be based upon a male solo artist, the video won’t be in chronological order as the disordered scenes (flashbacks) will allow connotations of insanity, loneliness and isolation to be created especially as there is only one character throughout.  

Dominant ideology suggests that people who tend to be more ‘isolated’ or ‘lonely’ are ‘weird’; therefore, my music video will act as a radical narrative against this view as although the artists is upset, music is a thing that helps heal and bring people together.  

The action code which will begin the plot/ storyline of the video will be the artist covering the camera with his hand. This section will be in colour as it is one of the memories. In addition, this camera angle will also put the viewers in first person as if they are being directly addressed by the artist. I decided to create a stage name for the artist, ‘Solum’, which is Latin for ‘alone’. 

As well as this, throughout the video there will be short clips of a plain black background with some white text expressing some of the details of the tour. In order to continue the vintage theme, I plan on using the ‘Times New Roman Font’ as the serif style of it is quite vintage.  

My inspirations for these techniques came from 3 different music videos – Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness’, Coldplay’s ‘Midnight’ and Cavetown’s ‘Pigeon’. All these videos have editing techniques such as ‘negative exposure’ which allow connotations such as darkness and coldness to be conveyed. I chose these videos as they all express a similar theme and message of anger and insanity due to the loss of something close.  

Overall, my video is intended to promote the new artist by building a relationship with the audience by targeting things we can all relate to – memories or the loss of something or someone we loved. 

COLONIALISM – The policy of a country/ nation attempting to retain or extend its current authority over other territories or people – Usually for economic terms.

POST COLONIALISM – The political/ Cultural condition of a previous colony, the lasting impact of colonization in former colonies.

DIASPORA – The spread or dispersion of any people from their original homeland.

BAME – Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (used to refer to members of non-white communities in the UK). (Even though many have been a part of UK culture since Roman times)

DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS – Looking at ones self through the eyes of others – An identity which is divided into several parts. (2nd Video) Or similarly someone cane be ‘Black British’ or ‘Black American’ – Dual identity.

CULTURAL ABSOLUTISM – The assumption that one persons (e.g ones own) cultural norms and values take precedence over others. e.g the ideals of Nazi Germany.

CULTURAL SYNCRETISM – When distinct aspects of different cultures blend together to make something new and unique. Since culture is a wide category, this blending can come in the form of religious practices, architecture, philosophy, recreation, and even food.

ORIENTALISM (SAID) – The acceptance in the West of “the basic distinction between East and West as the starting point for elaborate theories.

APPROPRIATION – Taking a theory, idea, object or even culture and giving it a meaning different from its original. e.g “Honoring” other cultures through stereotypical depictions of them.

CULTURAL HEGEMONY – Refers to domination or rule maintained through ideological or cultural means. It is usually achieved through social institutions, which allow those in power to strongly influence the values, norms, ideas, expectations, worldview, and behavior of the rest of society. E.g Governments/ Royalty

Hybridisation – (mechanism for understanding cross-cultural identities)

THE PUBLIC SPHERE (HABERMAS) – society can globally communicate via the media and share opinions rather than being completely controlled by those higher up such as royalty or the government.

THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING IN TERMS OF FAIR REPRESENTATION OF MINORITY GROUPS / INTERESTS –  The BBC’s own research indicates that it is failing to attract ethnic minority audiences (BBC Service Review 2012). Theorists such as Hall have suggested the problem is the media construction of “race” as an issue and its definitions. PBS’s such as the BBC lack representation of minority groups, although claiming they do represent ethnic groups fairly, there is a clear difference between those ‘dominant’ ethnic groups and those who may be considered as a ‘minority’ group.

Notes –

Cultural Absolutism can expressed in Commons letter to the free music video and the lyrics ‘We ain’t seen as human beings with feelings, will the US ever be us? Lord Willing!’ which can also be linked to the theory of Double consciousness.

Theorists –

Edward Said – Orientalism is a 1978 book by  Edward W. Said, in which the author developed the idea of “Orientalism” to define the West’s historically patronizing representations of “The East”.

WE.B. Du Bois – Coined the term Double Consciousness.

Paul Gilroy – (Key Course Theorist) Gilroy’s 1993 book The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness, Gilroy’s theme of Double Consciousness involves Black Atlantic striving to be both European and Black through their relationship to the land of their birth and their ethnic political constituency being absolutely transformed.

Lenny Henry – Guardian article.

I still think that these right need to be fought for, as even though the BBC director, Tony Hall, may have started a ‘fund’ in order to train those who want to be a part of this career/ life, It may not be training they need but jobs. Although representation of different cultures and races has improved through the years, the BBC still has quite a long way to go.

Task 1 – Notes on this Media Production

• “Ghost Town” is a song by the British two-tone band the Specials, released on 12 June 1981. The song spent three weeks at number one and 10 weeks in total in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.

Songwriter(s)	Jerry Dammers
Producer(s)	John Collins

• The song was named “Single of the Year” in Melody Maker, NME and Sounds, the UK’s top three weekly music magazines at the time.

• The song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots were occurring in British cities.

TASK 2: WHAT IS THE CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND IN WHICH THIS VIDEO WAS COMMENTING UPON?

The two toned band fuses traditional ska with musical elements of punk rock and new wave music. or, a mix of both British and Jamaican street styles. This style of music can be seen as a result of turbulent political factors such as the multiple riots occurring in the UK at the time. The music was also used as a way of conveying political messages.

The summer of 1981 saw riots in over 35 locations around the UK. In response to the linking of the song to these events, singer Terry Hall said, “When we recorded ‘Ghost Town’, we were talking about [1980]’s riots in Bristol and Brixton. The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence.” The song created resentment in Coventry where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the city as a town in decline.

TASK 3: MAKE SOME NOTES ON THE WAY IN WHICH THIS MUSIC VIDEOS CREATES AND COMMUNICATES MEANING IE MEDIA LANGUAGE.

• Cinematography – Each shot is merged together through a transitional disappear/ slide effect. Which was common for music videos during that time.
• Todorov’s = can be applied as there is a clear narrative in the video of a beginning, middle and end or equilibrium, disruption, resolution and new equilibrium.
• Levi-Strauss’s theory can be applied to this CSP as the theory of binary opposites could be seen as the two contrasting music styles/ genres being combined or the opposition of music and politics being combined.
• Ghost town = dull colours used + no people about, “This town, is coming like a ghost town, all clubs have closed down” = links to the high unemployment rates in the UK for that time
• “Too much fighting on the dance floor” metaphor for the riots in the streets
• “Government leaving the youth on the shelf” referring to Thatchers policies and how many Brits disliked her due to the poor economy
• For much of the video the artists maintain eye-contact with the camera as if they were addressing the audience – breaking the ‘4th wall’
• The sirens in the background would have been a clear link to some form of law enforcement or ambulance dude to the damages caused by the riots

Style Models

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The style models I have researched above all share similar codes and conventions that were/ are frequently used with magazines of the retro genre. For example, using big bold titles which take up quite a large section of the page in order to capture and entice the reader. Images of products, events and people are also used in order to attract the attention of the viewer. But most importantly, each page follows a continuous colour scheme, allowing the page to be presentable, neat and suitable to the product and genre.

Rough Plans

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Chosen Style Models

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Drafts – First attempt

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Theorists Flash Cards

Section A

CSP 1 – Tomb Raider

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Front Cover –

• Lara Croft = Dominant Signifier
• Bold, Underlined text to emphasize title
• X Box symbol = Symbolic Sign
• Contrasting colours allow Lara Croft to stand out
• Rule of thirds also emphasizes her central positioning
• The iconic sign of a gun breaks female stereotypes
• The revealing clothing and stance supports the stereotype of objectifying women

Back Cover –

• Different font sizes to highlight key information
• Use of boxes, boarders and gutters to separate illustrations and text
• Website link = anchorage (more info on website)
• Continuous colour scheme = neat, dark colours (black) = connotations of danger, bright colours (gold) = connotations of treasure/ fire

Context –

• She was one of the first female protagonists in a gaming industry filled with women in supporting roles. 
• Lara’s combined independence, strength, intelligence make her a great role model. She can speak several languages. She knows how to use more weapons than most military personnel.
• Lara’s first iteration began in 1993.
• The plan was to make her a male character not dissimilar from Indiana Jones until someone requested a more original idea to avoid a lawsuit.
• Lara’s creator Toby Gard avoided hypersexualized and dumbed-down character traits. The goal was to keep her realistic in build and level headed in nature.
• The creator accidentally increased her breast size by 150 percent, the creative team insisted it was maintained. 
• Males playing as female protagonists were mostly unheard of when Lara hit consoles and computers in a male-dominated market as women characters were mostly victims of some sort
• The parent company climbed out of a $2.6 million-dollar deficit to a $14.5 million-dollar profit within one year after TOMB RAIDER’s debut.
• Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix.
• Crystal Dynamics Parent organization = Square Enix Europe

CSP 2 – Mens Health

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The men’s health magazine uses a positive stereotype of men that has been used in order to convey the idea that the main subject is strong and independent, sexualisatione is limited. This appeals to the audience as it suggests they will be able to appear the same as the magazines dominant signifier for this issue, Vin Diesel, after purchase.

Print terms applied –

• Subheading
• Dateline
• Photography
• Sans/ Serif fonts
• Slogans
• Paragraphs
• Leading Lines
• Advertisement
• Font size
• Font type

Reactionary –

• Follows the dominant ideology of males and the gender stereotype where males are very muscular and regularly attend the gym
• Vin Diesel is standing in a pose which makes him appear quite tough, showing off his defined muscles
• Colours used that are stereo-typically more masculine = Blue/ Grey/ Black

Radical –

• Unlike many other fitness based magazines, Vin Diesel is wearing quite covering clothes rather than very revealing ones.
• Plural Identity represented – contains an athletic 69 year old and Mid-ages Vin Diesel
• The magazine isn’t 100% aimed at a male audience, it is for anyone who is interested in fitness.

Front Cover –

• “New Year, New Muscle”
• “103 shortcuts to t-shirt arms”
• “Lose 8kg fast!”
• “# Slay winter blues”
• Double your metabolism”

Short + snappy play on words, # can be seen as a more female related term/ icon.

Contents Page –

• “Best fitness classes for men”
• Algorithms & Blues”
• “Flour power”
• “Style”

Targets peoples overall appearance and intelligence, seems to be targeted specifically at a male dominated audience.

Article Page –

• “The marathon man”
• “Your only limit is your self better”
• “Accomplishments”

All positives, supporting exercise and healthy regimes.

CSP 3 – That Boss Life Advert

Icons/ Influencers – MakeupByShayla + Manny Mua

Setting: New York – This city is an aspirational way of living, sets up desire for the audience. Supports ideas of Wealth as NYC is very modern.

The Bell Boy – His narrative can be seen to be ‘on trend with gender politics’ as he represents someone from outside the beauty influencing community. But yet still has an interest in the product which opposes classic male stereotypes

Golden Suitcase – An inter-textual reference (anchorage) to other media products like slumdog millionaire. Indexial sign to the actual product (mascara) and wealth due to the connotations of the colour gold.

Throwing Mascara – Common idea of an abundance, most often paper money, the large quantity of the product adds on hyperbolic idea of luxury by comparing it to that of an abundance of cash.

Close-up – Against male gender stereotype, slow motion to emphasize product + transition (before/ after) buildup.

Colour – GOLD – After the product is applied everything becomes more glamorous, builds audience desire, even the peopled personalities change – now more confident, direct mode of address used by staring at the camera, breaking the fourth wall = builds relationship and trust.

Theorists to apply – David Gauntlett (Gender Fluidity)

Section B

CSP 4 – The Killing

Characters –

• The Detective = Sarah Lund = Has a natural instinct for law & order. Breaks stereotypes = Dominant/ intelligent female lead
• Second Detective = Jon Meyer = Frequently opposes the superior, female detective
• The Victim = Nanna Larsen = Young, female = vulnerable

Theorists to use –

• Propp’s theory of 8 stock character types
• Levi-Strauss theory of binary opposition
• Todorovs theory of narrative structure

Narrative –

• The first episode introduces many different characters, set the scene, gives some background information of relationships and friendships, introduces the disruption to the plot.

Themes –

• The use of binary opposition around familiar themes = family, community, law & order and justice

Representations –

• Reactionary representation of police, family, urban and rural areas and law & order. Female victim
• Radical representation of female lead and male inferior

Technical Codes –

• Language of moving image = Music/setting/props/lighting/camera use/editing

• Opening montage sequence that often foreshadows the rest of the episode/ series’s themes, locations, characters and events

Context –

• Genre = Crime, Mystery, Action, Drama (Steve Neale)
• Set = Copenhagen
• About = The killing is a Danish crime/ drama series which follows detective inspector ‘Sarah Lund’, investigating the murder of a young girl – ‘Nanna Larsen’.

• The production, distribution and exhibition of ‘The Killing’ shows how audiences can be reached on both a national and transnational scale, through different media technologies and platforms.
• The Killing acted as a catalyst for the increased distribution/ popularity of foreign languag TV through the UK and other countries.
• The Killing was first released in Denmark in 2007, only airing on UK television 4 years later in 2011.

• Production Company = DR = Danish Broadcasting Corporation
• DR sold the series to a number of other broadcasters worldwide some of which being the UK, Australia, Germany and Russia.

CSP 5 – Hidden Figures

• Hidden Figures is a co-production between independent production companies and a major Hollywood conglomerate through its film subdivision Fox 2000
• Hidden Figures was a low to medium budget film – $25 million dollars.
• These low to medium budget films have become increasingly known for their profit potential

The First Poster – All three of the female leads are seen striding towards the camera, confident and fearless, a NASA symbol underneath them – could be a metaphor for their intelligence/ them standing up against gender and racial stereotypes.

• Slogan = “Meet the women you don’t know, for the mission you do”

• Deals with US history and the idea of the contribution of particular groups being ‘hidden from history’ which is apparent in the marketing of the film.
• The subject matter also links to contemporary concerns and debates about race in the US
• The film is targeted at an audience often ignored by Hollywood due to age, gender and race and can thus be explored in the terms of social and cultural contexts in which it was produced.

• Hidden Figures grossed $169.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $66.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $236 million, against a production budget of $25 million. Domestically, Hidden Figures was the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee at the 89th Academy Awards.

CSP 6 – Letter to the Free

About Common –

• Common is an Oscar and Grammy award winning hip-hop rap artist who wrote Letter to the Free as a song for the soundtrack to the ‘The 13th’ – A documentary by Ava Duvernay named after the American 13th amendment
• His output is highly politicized, existing in the context of a variety of social and cultural movements aimed at raising awareness of racism and its effects on US society (Black Lives Matter)
• The product can also be considered in an economic context through the consideration of if and how music videos make money for example advertising on YouTube or cookies on a website.

• Common is a Def Jam recording artist
• Def Jam is a label associated with urban and hip hop music, starting as an independent company in the 80s, but is now owned by the conglomerate UMG which also owns Vevo.

• The song was part of the Netflix documentary – The 13th’s – soundtrack and is therefore an example of cross-media promotion and marketing.

• Common = Rapper, writer, actor and activist
• Net worth $45 million
• Emmy award for ‘Letter to the Free’

Music Video –

• Used to raise awareness for racism and its past and present effects on society
• It is in black and white, emphasizing how colour shouldn’t matter
• Symbolic sign = Black Shape that appears throughout the video
• It was directed by Bradford Young, who was the cinematographer of Selma
• Directed by Ava Dulvernay

The Song –

• From an album called ‘Black America’
• Low budget = meaning it may be less formal and more personal
• Genre = Rap/ Hip-hop
• Def Jam/ UMG/ Vevo
• Common felt the need to release the album due to the timing (American election year)

Vivendi = Mass media conglomerate in Paris, the company has activities in music, TV, Film and Video Games.

Vivendi Subsidiaries = UMG, Daily Motion

Section C

CSP 7 – Teen Vogue

Key Words –

• Demographic
• Brand Loyalty
• Target Audience
• Parent Magazine
• Conde Nast Organisation
• Diversified
• Cross-media
• Gender Fluidity (Gauntlett)

Industrial Context –

• Teen vogue is a magazine title owned and published by Conde Nast, an American media organisation that publishes over 20 magazines
• Conde Nast products started as print magazines, but have diversified into cross-media products, produced both online on websites, social media and video-hosting sites such as YouTube.

Audience –

• Conde Nast products target different demographics and offer different types of content
• Glamour and Vogue, for example, target women while GQ targets men
• Attracting a teen audience and generating brand loyalty could actively help increase the sales of Vogue as the Teen Vogue audience grow older.
• Traditionally only seen interesting to a female audience, fashion, beauty and style have become more gender-neutral
• It has diversified into presenting matters surrounding politics and political lifestyle and social content that would be interesting regardless of gender.
• TeenVogue.com provide commentary on gender issues such as gender fluidity as well as ecological issues such as global warming.

Vogue/ Teen Vogue –

• Teen Vogue is an offshoot of vogue, targeting a specific demographic
• Teen Vogue was first launched in America, 2003, aimed at targeting a youth audience who may not be attracted to the parent ‘Vogue’ magazine
• Teen Vogue was originally cheaper and smaller than it’s parent magazine, making it more accessible for its target audience
• Though its online product has become more popular due to its accessibility – diversified into online content
• Shut down the printed version, in order to converge to maintain and expand its audience.

Teen Vogue Income Sources –

Teen Vogue offers its audience different ways to access the product, such as on Facebook, Twitter, their Website and YouTube, so it has multiple income sources. An income will be generated by the sale of advertising space.

• Teen Vogues website encourages users to register with the website for updates which offers the audience access to exclusive, personalized content via cookies.
• This registration provide the company with important audience data that can be used to sell online advertising and generate sponsorship deals
• Advertising can therefore target individual readers of Teen Vogue based on browsing history, other Conde Nast products are also advertised

• Income from views on their YouTube videos.
• Twitter and Facebook encourage the audience to share Teen Vogue content which helps to expand the brands reach.

Media Language, genre and narrative –

• The website is successful as it is visually appealing and easy to navigate, importantly for Teen Vogues brand identity, the site has a distinctive and consistent visual style that makes the brand recognizable.
• The contents pages of the website are organised on a simple grid, information about these contents can be viewed via links to magazine sections at the top of the page, and via a menu on the left-hand side of the page.
• Every page contains the Teen Vogue logo = visual reference to its parent magazine by using the same serif font which has connotations of elegance. Logo communicates brand identity.
• Anchorage created with images for each article

• Stuart Hall’s reception theory = some readers may reject the less traditional content and layout, though others may fine the mix of genres appealing.

CSP 8 – The I Newspaper

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Distribution –

• Large scale printing press
• Vehicle transport for product
• Display Cases
• Social Media Platforms
• Storage
• Platforms
• Target Audience

Consumption –

• Paper
• Digital Device – Wifi
• Target Audience

Noam Chomsky – Manufacturing Consent

• The media is a mechanism that is deliberately used by the rich and powerful as a way of ‘manufacturing consent’ – getting their own way.
• He proposes that the mass communication media of the U.S. “are effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out a system-supportive propaganda function

Curran and Seaton

Curran and Seaton present the view that a free press relies on a free market where individual newspapers can compete through their political stances and points of view/ success.

• Curran – “Due to price increases of some PSB’s, some citizens are excluded by price”.
• “The UK regards press freedom as an absolute freedom” meaning the government leaves it to the market forces to decide which press products survive.

Free press –

Freedom of the Press or freedom of media is the principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely

Free Market –

The free market is an economic system based on supply and demand with little or no government control… Free markets are characterized by a spontaneous and decentralized order of arrangements through which individuals make economic decisions.

CSP9 – War Of The Worlds

• Hybrid radio form, adapting the H.G Welles story using news and documentary conventions. 
• It is an example of the mass media apparently having a direct effect on an audience’s behaviour. 

I’ve always said you can’t understand the world without the media nor the media without the world

Professor Natalie Fenton, quoted in Fake news vs Media Studies

War of the worlds is a key example of fake news (propaganda)

• Narrated and directed by Orsen Welles, made it sound like a news program but it’s fiction (language)
• The radio broadcast was an adaption of H. G. Wells’s novel -‘The War of the Worlds’.
• It was a Halloween episode for a radio drama series “The Mercury Theatre on the Air.” – October 30th 1938
• The episode became famous for allegedly causing panic among its listening audience, though the scale of that panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners.

• Described as an anti-warfare (representation)
• Hybrid Genre (Steve Neale)
• Broadcasted by CBS
• Plot = Normal Radio to stories about aliens which are metaphors for global matters

Andrew Crissell – ‘Understanding Radio’ book.

Quote – ‘Radio is a blind medium’

Context – During the time war of the worlds was released (1930s) events such as the great depression and WW2 had occured. In addition, leaders such as Hitler and Stalin were also in power. Therefore when the radio host refer to ‘alien’ he could be refering to one of these political factors rather than actual aliens.

J.McDougall – ‘Hard times are a breeding ground for misinformation’

J.McDougall – ‘There are always points historically where populations have been discontented or economic harships have been exacerbated.

War of the worlds is a key example of fake news (propaganda)

• Narrated and directed by Orsen Welles, made it sound like a news program but it’s fiction (language)
• The radio broadcast was an adaption of H. G. Wells’s novel -‘The War of the Worlds’.
• A Halloween episode for a radio drama series “The Mercury Theatre on the Air.” – October 30th 1938
• The episode became famous for allegedly causing panic among its listening audience, though the scale of that panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners.
• Described as an anti-warfare (representation)
• Hybrid Genre (Steve Neale)
• Broadcasted by CBS
• Plot = Normal Radio to stories about aliens which are metaphors for global matters
• Suspending disbelief

Stanley Cohen – Wrote a book called ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panic’ – Did masses amounts of people actually panic or was the amount of paic fake news?

Same paradigm now and 100+ years ago

Orsen Welles – ‘People shouldn’t Swallow everything that came through the tap whether it was radio or not’

J.McDougall – ‘CBS cast a disclaimer prior to the narrative starting, stating clearly that this would be fiction’

J.McDougall – ‘The mediation of the panic is amplified and reactivated a much-exaggerated version of the real issue’

Board Quotes –

‘Contemporary ideas of Fake News‘

‘ fact and fiction is often blurred and relies upon audience members recognising and understanding specific codes and conventions that relate to each Media Language.’

‘ Recognising the particular social and historical moment that this media text was produced is significant, so was this a comment on the ability of the mass media to create propaganda and manipulate a compliant and vulnerable mass audience’

Todorov – Order = Beginning, Middle and End – Narrative Structure

Levi-Strauss – Binary Opposition = Love VS Evil

Propp = 8 stock character types all narratives contain e.g princess, hero, villain.

plural Identity –

The presence of more than one identity in a piece of media. E.G in CSP3 there is vin diesel + a 69 year old man – different identities.

Uses and Gratifications Theory –

• information + education
• escapism
• entertainment
• personal identity
• social interaction

Active Audience not passive – the audience decide what media they want to view.

Uses and Gratifications in relation to Maslows theory –

Different groups from the Uses and Gratifications theory relates to the different heirarchies of Maslows pyramid.

 By categorizing the audience’s motives for viewing a certain program into certain groups (Information and education, Escapism, Entertainment, Personal identity and Social Interaction) they aimed to classify viewers according to their needs (Maslows heiracrchy of needs) in order to understand any potential mass-media effects.

Stuart Hall – Theory of Preffered Reading (Encode/Decode Model)

Presented the ide that the way others, due to that time generally white males, interpret media is going to be very different to the way stuwart halls community interprets media.

Meaning is created from the interpretations of the reader, not necessarilt what the author/ creater intended.

Narrative and Genre Theory –

• Narrative Codes
• Narration
• Diegesis
• Quest narrative
• ‘Character types’
• Causality
• Plot
• Masterplot

Todorov (Tripartite narrative structure):

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• New equilibrium

Seymour Chatman:

• Kernels: key moments in the plot / narrative structure
• Satellites: embellishments, developments, aesthetics

Roland Barthes: Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes

• Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
• Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development

Vladimir Propp (Character Types and Function)

1. Hero
2. Villain
3. Victim
4. Princess
5. Dispatcher
6. False Hero
7. Father

• The villain. struggles against the hero.
• The donor. prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
• The (magical) helper. helps the hero in the quest.
• The princess and her father. …
• The dispatcher. …
• The hero or victim/seeker hero. …
• False hero

GENRE THEORY

Currran – Due to price increases of some PSBs some citizens are excluded by price.

‘the United Kingdom regards press freedom as an absolute freedom.’ The government leaves it to the market forces to decide which press products survive’ (1992: 53).

Seaton –

Free Press – Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely.

Free Market – The free market is an economic system based on supply and demand with little or no government control. … Free markets are characterized by a spontaneous and decentralized order of arrangements through which individuals make economic decisions.

The I attempts to establish a distinctive identity –

james curran and jean seaton

james –

 2The struggle for a free pressThe remarkably resilient Whig interpretation of press history is sustained by focusing attention upon mainstream commercial newspapers, while ignoring or downplaying the development of the radical press. Only if this selective perspective is maintained does the conventional view of the rise of a free pressappear plausible

Curran and Seaton present the view that a free press relies on a free market where individual newspapers can compete through their political stances and points of view.

Analyse the ways that the i attempts to establish a distinctive identity within this free market. To what extent has this been successful?

Free press can be defined as open communication and expression in both printed and electronic forms of media, being available to the public without government censorship. Similarly, a ‘Free Market’ can be defined as an economic system based on supply and demand with little or no government control or a decentralised order of arrangements through which individuals make economic decisions. Curran and Seaton present the view that a free press relies on a free market, as without a free market, whereby consumers impact the products ideas and production, the government would have control and therefore influence and manipulate what the press publish.

However, as presented by Curran through the title – “The struggle for a free press” and by Noam Chomsky’s theory of the ‘Manufacturing of Consent‘; it is evident that the libertarian idea of a ‘Free Press’ is hard to obtain due to gatekeepers and strong government jurisdiction. For example, “focusing attention upon mainstream commercial newspapers, while ignoring or downplaying the development of the radical press.” is an idea presented by Curran and used by multiple media conglomerates, such as the DMGT (Owners of the i and the daily mail), in order to maintain support in order to gain profit.

In the i newspaper, the political right-winged conservative party, the ‘Tories” are somewhat disgraced on the front page via the large sans-serif font stating – “Tories braced for drubbing this week from fed-up voters“. By using the harsh noun “drubbing” the newspaper implies a slightly more left-winged ideology as they are discrediting the right-winged conservative party. However, in order to maintain support by the public the i doesn’t present a radical view and therefore contradicts the previous comment by also commenting on other political parties such as the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party. For example, “We’ve never been so divided, so let’s unite against hatred” a statement made by Jo Cox’s (Labour Party MP) sister. As well as, “Sturgeon launches new push for independence”. By having stories based on three different political parties, the i newspaper doesn’t directly show or support any political side, placing them central.

This allows the i to successfully establish a distinctive identity within this free market as it contains many political views, as well as more entertainment such as ‘sport’ which acts as a form of escapism for the viewers. In contrast to having a radical newspaper that purely supports one party, the i presents many ideas allowing more of a broader audience to be interested in their newspaper. Even though a true free press is hard to maintain, the idea that Curran and Seaton present where a free press relies on a free market can be applied to the i as it is allowed to convey multiple political stances which many audiences would support as it isn’t biased to one party.