Reliant upon changing audience consumption patterns
No Offence – Weekly episodes The Killing – Originally Danish but translated for foreign audiences.
Serialisation
No Offence – created 3 series, the 3rd did not do as well as series 1
Genre-based formatting
Both TV programmes have the same genre of true crime.
On demand services
Both The Killing and No Offence are available on online streaming services (Channel 4 Player & Amazon Prime)
Internationalism
Both TV programmes are available in English
Creative Symbol Makers
No Offence did not do well in their 3rd season – maybe the creators didn’t have much of a say when making this season as they wanted to stick to what they knew the audience liked previously and made them successful. Not keeping up with changing audience interest.
Star Formatting
No Offence – Included stars like Will Mellor and Paul Ritter who have already made themselves known in British TV (Mellor – Broadchurch) (Ritter – Friday Night Dinner)
No Offence used the concept of serialisation as they tried to reduce risks by producing a range of series in the hope that some will be successfull.
internalisation
star formatting
The Killing uses the Canadian actor Evan bird who is best known who playing in Maps to the Stars (also gets more Canadian audiences – increasing the global internalisation of the film) No Offence used the Irish actress, Elaine Cassisdy, who was also best known who playing the lead character in the american tv series Harpers island ( could also gain audience from Ireland )
genre-based formatting
The killing has orignally danish film, which was then reproduced into an english film. This was unabled them to reshape the “product” for a new audience, a different language (danish to english)
serialisation
No Offence created a 3rd series, however it wasn’t successful
“Media businesses are reliant upon changing audience consumption patterns” – Relates to The Killing because audience consumption patterns have been changed as there is a female lead character which in a crime show was not all all common.
Internationalisation – Relates to The Killing because it is produced by Danish company DR and advertised as an American TV show and therefore has global audiences.
Independent stylising – Relates to No Offence because it is a TV show that is described as “extraordinary” and in terms of genre doesn’t fit into a box and has a mixture of British police drama, comedy and action that is often satire and/or crude in humour.
Television – Relates to The Killing which was broadcasted both on Satellite TV and also able to be found on Netflix.
Star formatting: this process is hard to make someone a star but when you do you guarantee customers of the loyal fans who are simply consuming for the star
Genre Formatting: This is when you try to get consumers by luring them in with a genre to categorize their media to which they could be interested in with the pre-promise of enjoyment
Independent Stylizing: This is when the media will try to make itself more independent to which consumers who don’t like mainstream media are more likely to the consumer under the pretense that it is alternative or niche when in reality it isn’t.
Re-make: This is when you re-make a typically old shown again which was popular to try to revitalize the said media to get the consumers who would want the nostalgia aspect of the remake
the detective who has a ‘natural’ instinct for law and order
Both the Victims are young helpless females- this is reactionary
The Killing, The missing has the main detective as female
PROPP
NARRATIVE
the first episode often introduces a lot of different characters
There can’t be a resolution in the missing for the victim because they’re dead.
TODOROV
THEMES
the use of binary oppostions around familiar themes: family, community, law and order, justice.
The missing has a lot of deceit whereas the killing is a lot of action and brutality.
LEVI-STRAUSS
REPRESENTATION
reactionary representations of police, family, law and order, urban/rural
Radical representation of the father figure he should be with his family being supportive but he’s just cheating.
SEMIOTICS
TECHNICAL CODES / LANGUAGE OF MOVING IMAGE (music, setting, props, lighting, use of camera, editing etc)
opening montage sequence that often gives clues as to the whole series – themes, locations, characters, events etc.
The killing music is more upbeat.
What is it about?- Tony and Emily Hughes go to France on a holiday with their five-year-old son Oliver. However, when their car breaks down one night in a small town, Tony suddenly loses sight of his son.
Tertiary audience: is when a person is only listening to the station because they are familiar with the guest that is on. This could also be a friend, sister, a particular celebrity and others. Primary audiences are those who receive the communication directly and are also known as the target audience. The person is also usually the decision maker. Secondary audiences are those readers who are not the primary addressee, but are still included as viewer
The Missing is an international co-production between the BBC and Starz. The first eight-part series, about the search for a missing boy in France. It’s fiction.
Theorist
What does it mean (in your own words)
How does it apply to the advert (in your own words)
Equilibrium
The state of being at equilibrium is being constant and fine with nothing bothering you e.g all stories will have a exposition, complication and resolution. Equilibrium would be at the beginning then the complication happens and ruins it but the resolution brings it back to equilibrium.
The advert starts off at equilibrium when they’re happy and feel comfortable with what they’re wearing and how they look then the mascara is the complication because they want to be ‘bossed up’ and once they’ve used it they’re happy and comfortable again therefore at equilibrium.
Binary Opposition
Binary opposition is a pair of related concepts that are completely opposite e.g white&black, North&South or the could be a neutral balance e.g a product only for women and not for men has been made available to both genders.
This advert has made a product genuinely associated as a product only for women and made it neutral for men and woman by having both genders in the same advert. They have also used a black woman and a white man to make it neutral. The opposites are they’re in New York to show how extravagant they are as opposed to St. Helier a small Jersey parish that isn’t very glam.
Character Types
There are certain types of characters which are always within stories e.g they may have different personalities but they play a role like a hero, villain, victim, princess, dispatcher.
The heroes were MannyMUA and MakeupbyShayla as they’re the main characters and they use the product and are magical and special. The suitcase man is the dispatcher as he gives them the product and the other makeup brands are the villains as they’re trying to defeat and beat them.
Technical Code Denotation (ie what is it – simply describe what you see / hear) Connotation (ie what does it signify) Setting New York apartment Wealth and luxury and fame Clothing Plain and normal everyday clothing at first but once they’re bossed up their clothes are gold and glam. That one you wear the mascara you look rich and super glam NVC Suitcase man had a smirk and shrugged his shoulders He knows how amazing the mascara is and he knew it wouldn’t disappoint Dialogue The words ‘bossed up’ That the mascara will make you look a ‘boss’ which is usually associated with the best therefore you’ll look great Sound Effect Twinkle sound effect Implying that this mascara is magical and will transform your looks Music Upbeat hip hop style music This mascara will make you look cool and the music catches your attention Camera shot size Wide shots of room Showing how expensive and good your life will be once you buy the mascara and showing product in the background Camera movement Zooms into eyes and mascara Showing the audience how great this mascara is and how nice your lashes will look and how great and expensive and golden it looks
The Missing:
The Missing is a complex mainstream television product in which the codes and conventions of the crime drama are recognisable but they are also challenged and sometimes subverted.
Mise-en-scene analysis • Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings
narrative techniques are used to engage the audience
How does the use of the narrative conventions of the crime drama – use of enigmas, binary oppositions, restricted narration etc. – position the audience?
e narrative structure of The Missing offers gratification to the audience. • Narratology including Todorov
Conventions of the TV series and the way in which this form is used to appeal to audiences; how it is distinct from, but related to series and serials.
belonging to the drama and crime genres
The relationship between Genre and Myth • Genre theory including Neale
Negative and positive use of stereotypes
e representation of gender in The Missing – Judith Butler
Feminist debates – Violence and the representation of gender. This could include the controversy around using violent crime against women as popular entertainment • Representations of family and their ideological significance
The Missing is the BBC’s response to the success of ITV’s Broadchurch which reintroduced the English language extended serial format to UK drama schedules following the success of foreign language series such as The Killing and the The Bridge. It is an example of co-operation between the BBC, STARZ (USA) and the Belgian government’s Tax Shelter scheme.
production, distribution and circulation of The Missing shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, through different media technologies and platforms,
a producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. • Cultivation theory including Gerbner • Reception theory including Hall
Witnesses
Mise-en-scene analysis • Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings • Postmodernism: Use of pastiche and bricolage
narrative conventions of the crime drama – use of enigmas, binary oppositions, restricted and omniscient narration etc -– position the audience?
narrative of Witnesses can be defined as postmodern in its self-reflexive style – particularly in its narrative about the family. • Narratology including Todorov
series as belonging to the drama and crime genres • Conventions of the TV series and the way in which this form is used to appeal to audiences; how it is distinct from, but related to series and serials.
Representation of national and regional identity (Northern France)
Representation of gender: The woman as detective, the male boss, gender stereotypes etc. • Feminist debates – Violence and the representation of gender. This could include the controversy around using violent crime against women as popular entertainment • Analysis of how the representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world • Theories of representation including Hall • Feminist theories including bell hooks and Van Zoonen
Witnesses is part of a recent trend – which really started with BBC4’s showing of The Killing – for foreign language series to perform well critically and commercially with particular UK audiences. Witnesses, as an example of French Public Service Broadcasting provides the opportunity to study PSB in a different national context. Originally broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK, Witnesses was also part of the new online channel ‘Walter Presents’ providing an example of the influence of new technology and convergence on media industries.
The way in which different audience interpretations reflect social, cultural and historical circumstances is evident in the analysis of the series which are explicitly linked to contemporary issues
demonstrate how media producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. • Cultivation theory including Gerbner • Reception theory including Hall
Witnesses is part of cultural phenomenon of the early twenty-first century which for the first time saw TV series not in the English language become part of mainstream UK broadcasting. That these series were dominated by the crime genre was part of a wider cultural phenomenon which saw the crime genre become the key form for exploring social and cultural contexts. The series used the genre to explore – amongst other themes – society’s fear of and desire for violence, social isolation and changing gender roles. The debate around the representation of violence against women has become particularly controversial and is part of the political context of the series. The economic context can be explored through patterns of ownership and production and how the product is marketed nationally and globally
Commercial media – starz for the missing
Public service broadcaster – BBC for the missing
horizontal integration – starz and BBC for the missing
Products exist as a result of their economic context. “Media content is manufactured to create profit, or in the case of a PBS to maintain audience engagement.”
commerce vs creativity
Media industry is a high risk business, impossible to predict audiences tastes and has high costs of production, hard to compete.
Tastes change all the time, cannot guarantee success.
Cannot control reviews(word of mouth), reliant on marketing ad publicity so that they can thrive.
Normally a one off production – means that there is only a one off reward therefore,media companies make several media productions in the hope that one may be a hit.
CHANGING AUDIENCE CONSUMPTION PATTERNS- relates to a detective series which is currently popular with audiences from all over the world. (Crime and detective genre.) Both the missing and witnesses both come under this genre.
Although this genre is popular at this moment audience tastes can change, the producers are taking high amount of profits.
The missing is broadcasted on the BBC, this can be accessed not only on live television but on mobile devices such as telephones, i-pads, laptops ect…
The missing had a total of 7.32 average viewers by the end of series one however witnesses only had an average 800,200 views.
STAR FORMATTING- Producers will often use big stars at the time of production to push their film/series, for example in the missing the Irish actor/presenter ‘ James Nesbitt’ was used who had previously done similar acting roles in series like ‘cold feet’ (another big crime related series)
Livingstone& lunt-
consumer based- audience can choose media content they can/want to watch. Giving media producers the freedom to produce whatever the consumers choose to consume. This seeks to guarantee audience choice and promotes product diversity.
This links to both the killing and no offence because they both have the same genre and it would be hard for producers to know what the audience is going to want next.
The Missing was created and broadcast by the BBC, this allowed for more people to watch and access the show
Multi-sector integration
Star formatting
Tchéky Karyo who starred in The Missing was also in a show called Baptiste, he starred as a detective in both of these shows
Genre based formatting
Witnesses and The Missing are both Crime dramas, these sort of shows are of interest to the public as it gives people something to ‘figure out’ and gets people to think whilst watching a show
Serialisation
The BBC often make and host Crime dramas/thrillers, the BBC know there is an established audience for this and people will watch the shows since this is a genre that they’re interested in
Independent stylising
The Missing focused on a missing boy in Germany which added an element of independent stylising as not every crime drama has someone go missing
hesmondhalgh – faux benefits of cyberspace “technology as an anti authoritarian counter weight to traditional power sources”
missing – could relate to the missing in the sense that binary oppositions are used in regards to family vs community and law vs justice. This means that the traditional expectation is challenged in both sense.
hesmondhalgh – television “the internet is increasingly dominated by commercialized activity”
missing – Cooperation between the BBC, STARZ (USA) and the Belgian government’s Tax Shelter scheme. Means that because the BBC is a public service broadcaster, STARZ (USA, under lions gate entertainment), a commercial media company, aids to make profit through advertisements.
hesmondhalgh – serialization = enables producers to reduce the risk by constructing products that have an established audience.
missing – there was a spin off called “baptised” which had the same male protagonist and a similar plot line.
