Television – A product which will provide rich and challenging opportunities for interpretation and in depth critical analysis.
Media Language
Capital is a complex mainstream television product in which the codes and conventions of the crime drama are intertwined with aspects of social realism. Detailed analysis of this media form including the process through which media language develops as genre will provide students with an opportunity to understand and reflect on the dynamic nature of genre. Analysis should include:
Mise-en-scene analysis Semiotics:
how images signify cultural meaningsNarrative
Which narrative techniques are used to engage the audience in the opening episode of Capital?
How does the use of the narrative conventions of the crime drama – use of enigmas, restricted narration etc. – position the audience?
Capital is characteristic of contemporary TV narrative style in its use of multiple story structure.
The ways in which the narrative structure of Capital offers gratification to the audience.
Narratology including Todorov
Narrative
Which narrative techniques are used to engage the audience in the opening episode of Capital?
How does the use of the narrative conventions of the crime drama – use of enigmas, restricted narration etc. – position the audience?
Capital is characteristic of contemporary TV narrative style in its use of multiple story structure.
The ways in which the narrative structure of Capital offers gratification to the audience.
Narratology including Todorov
Genre
Conventions of the TV mini-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.
Definition of the series as a hybrid genre, belonging to the drama, social realism and crime genres
Genre theory including Neale
Media RepresentationsCapital provides a wide range of representational areas to explore; the family, place, nation, class, ethnicity, race and issues.
Negative and positive use – or subversion – of stereotypes
Representations of family and their ideological significance – Capital constructs its
How the media landscape has fallen under the control of a handful of global media conglomerates.
costs and risks associated with the production of media products has resulted in the organisation of media companies into vertically and horizontally aligned conglomerates.
Mass market news: news designed to appeal to huge readership
Commercial media: an organisation that makes products for profit
Horizontal integration: Ownership os subsidiaries that produce similar types of products.
Vertical integration: Ownership os subsidiaries that enable a media producer to produce, promote and distribute products.
No Offence is a British television police procedural drama on Channel 4, created by Paul Abbott. It follows a team of detectives from Friday Street police station, a division of the Manchester Metropolitan Police.
No Offence provides a wide range of representational areas to explore; gender, place, class, ethnicity, race etc.Negative and positive use – or subversion – of stereotypes, particularly around the representation of women and the police.Representation of issues – series 1 deals with the disappearance and murder of children with Down’s Syndrome and raises questions about attitudes to and treatment of people with disabilities.
The production, distribution and circulation of No Offence shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, through different media technologies and platforms, moving from the national to transnational through broadcast and digital technologies
No Offence was broadcast on Channel 4, can still be accessed on All4, it was also broadcast in France.
The Killing
The Killing is a Danish police drama television series created by Søren Sveistrup. It was first broadcast on the Danish national television channel DR1 on 7 January 2007, and has since been transmitted in many other countries worldwide.
The Killing provides a range of representational areas to explore, including gender roles, family structures and the political class. It can be argued that these are innovative representations which have been influential in the development of the genre. Part of The Killing’s original appeal was in its representation of Danish culture to a UK audience.
The Killing was the catalyst for the wider distribution of foreign language crime programming on UK television, its unexpected success influencing BBC4’s scheduling but also that of other UK channels. The Killing was produced the Danish national public service broadcaster DR, providing the opportunity to study PSB in a different national context.
To what extent do television producers attempt to target audiences national and global audiences through subject matter and distribution?
subject matter. cultural links such as feminism and the representation of down syndrome in no offence
Curran and Seaton mention good points to consider with how a media product is distributed, especially in tv. such as the time its brand casted can all factor in for what audiences the network is aiming for subject matter. cultural links such as feminism and the representation of down syndrome in no offence
commercial media- is a organisation that makes products for profit
No Offence launched with 2.5 million viewers, Channel 4’s biggest midweek drama launch for more than three years. In France, the first episode of No Offence aired on 29 February 2016 on France 2 and was watched by 5.46 million viewers, 20.4% of the TV audience.
horizontal intergration-DR1 (DR Et) is the flagship television channel of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). It became Denmark’s first television station when it began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week. owned by DR (formerly Danmarks Radio),officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and televisionbroadcasting company.
the killing was produced by channel 4 owned by Channel Four Television Corporation which then is owned by the UK Government Investments
media concentration/convertgients-(Concentration of media ownership (also known as media consolidation or media convergence) is a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media.)
there is a conflict between creativity and commercial and commercial tends to overtakes the creative side
culture is controlled by social elites whats tends to learn towards their own agenda
culture works as a distraction from our working lives and is used to distract us from our exploitation
Commercial media: is an organism that makes products for profit- Capital produced from Kudos
Horizontal integration: ownership of subsidies that produce similar types of products
Vertical Integration: ownership of subsidiaries that enable a media producer to produce, promote and distribute products
media convergence: a term to describe the reduce in the number of media organisations that produce products- Kudos independent production company owned by endermol which is part of Murdoch empire
Background about the show. The killing is a Danish police drama, following the story of the main character Detective Inspector Sarah Lund and her involvement in the case of a rape and murder of a 19 year old girl. The series is noticed for its plot twists and its involvement in the stories of the murdered victims families and the effect on political circles alongside the murder case.
Who is the primary, secondary and tertiary audience for this product? The primary audience would have been danish people who watch TV. It was produced by Søren Sveistrup, a Danish screenwriter. The series was made for Danish viewers but later translated in 2011 into an American version to accommodate non-danish speaking audiences. The series was shown on the BBC in danish with English subtitles and was a huge hit.
What audience theories can you apply which help you to develop a better understanding of the potential target audience?
Analysis should include: • Mise-en-scene analysis • Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings
Narrative Techniques
Commercial media – to entertain
Female detective – appeal to audiences to show diversity and represent feminism
No Offence
Background of the show: A police detective goes to a morgue and sees the body of a girl with down syndrome. She is then thrown into a case of a suspected serial killer. The episode follows the characters as they chase the killer and save a girls life.
In the UK, the first episode of No Offence launched with 2.5 million viewers on Channel 4
Filmed in Manchester UK
Nominanted for a BAFTA for ‘Best Drama Series’ in 2015
Curran and Seaton Media Ownership
‘Media creative’s are tasked to give us exciting, innovative and aesthetically pleasing products’
‘peak time television schedules are dominated by lighter entertainment formats’
‘the success of horizontal and vertical integration means that most commercial print, film and television…is now controlled by just six global players’
‘Owning a variety of media company types enables the conglomerate to distribute product benefits across a range of media forms.’
‘instillation of editors who are sympathetic to a specific worldview that a proprietor wants to broadcast.’ (indirect control)
Commercial Media – (No Offence) Channel 4 / Abbotvision 2.5 million viewers on the first episode (The Killing) Danish Broadcasting Corporation
Horizontal Integration (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) DR operates six television channels, all of which are distributed free-to-air via a nationwide DVB-T network.[5] DR also operates eight radio channels. All are available nationally on DAB+ radio and online, with the four original stations also available on FM radio.
Media Concentration / Media Convergence (No Offence)
Synopsis: “The Missing” follows Tony, played by James Nesbitt, as a man devastated by the abduction of his young son, Oliver, during a family vacation in France. He becomes a man obsessed, unable to accept that his child may be dead and spends years searching for him.
British TV series
International co-production between the BBC and Starz
Fiction and isn’t based on any real events
Was initially released 28th October 2014 and finished 30th November 2016
Series 1 is about the search for a missing boy who’s family traveled to Northen France for a holiday, however their car broke down and they had to take shelter for the night at the fictional small town of Châlons du Bois , but this proved to be a bad night for the British family
Series 2 is a about a missing girl in Germany
Series 2 is set near a British army garrison in Eckhausen and is paralleled by flashbacks to 2014
Complex mainstream television product
Provides a range of representational areas to explore gender, the family, place, issues, events, class
Representations of gender (Judith Butler), place (Europe and the Middle East)
Curran and Seaton – Neo-Marxian approach
Witnesses
Synopsis: After witnessing a brutal murder, young Amish boy Samuel (Lukas Haas) and his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis) seek protection from police officer John Book (Harrison Ford). When Book uncovers evidence of police corruption involving narcotics lieutenant James McFee (Danny Glover), Book must take Rachel and Samuel, and flee to the Amish countryside where Rachel grew up. There, immersed in Amish culture and tradition, Book and Rachel begin a cautious romance.
Genre – Similar conventions, all have detectives and is a crime story – Stephen Neale
Capital is a complex mainstream television product in which the codes and conventions of the crime drama are intertwined with aspects of social realism.
Narrative- The ways in which the narrative structure of Capital offers gratification to the audience, use of the narrative conventions of the crime drama
Genre- Conventions of the TV mini-series, Definition of the series as a hybrid genre, belonging to the drama, social realism and crime genres (neale)
Media Representations- Representations of family and their ideological significance, Representation of place – London and by implication, the nation, Theories of representation including Hall.
Media Industries- Capital as a BBC programme, fulfil the demands of Public Service Broadcasting. In addition to the remit to ‘inform, educate and entertain’ this could also be examined as part of the need to represent different groups, nations and regions. Kudos production for the BBC, Kudos specialises in TV series which can be sold or remade for the US market, making it typical of contemporary media institutions which operate globally rather than nationally.
Media Audiences- The production, distribution and circulation of Capital shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, The advertising campaigns (trailers, websites at home and abroad) for the series demonstrate how media producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. (hall & Gerbner)
Social, political, economic and cultural contexts– deals with pressing contemporary issues relevant to British society and culture; the financial crash and its repercussions, divisions in society based on wealth, Britain as a multicultural society, Britain as a European nation (or not), threat of terrorism and its effects.
Deutschland 83
Media Language- Mise-en-scene analysis, Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings, Postmodernism: Use of pastiche and bricolage
Narrative- The narrative of Deutschland 83 has been controversial – particularly in Germany -through its use of binary oppositions to contrast East and West Germany, postmodern in its self-reflexive style.
Genre- Conventions of the TV series and the way in which this form is used to appeal to audiences
Media Representations- Deutschland 83 provides a range of representational areas to explore from the national and regional to political structures and gender roles, Theories of representation including Hall
Media Industries- It is a co-production of AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and RTL Television (German and American), positioning it to exploit the national and global market. Bought by C4 in Britain as part of their ‘Walter presents…’
Media Audiences- production, distribution and circulation of Deutschland 83 shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, through different media technologies and platforms, moving from the national to transnational through broadcast and digital technologies. The reception of the series in Germany, Europe and the US. Cultivation theory including Gerbner, Reception theory including Hall
Social, political, economic and cultural contexts- Deutschland 83 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,
Social, political, economic and cultural contexts- Deutschland 83 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, deals with the political past of Germany through the setting of the last decade of the cold war.
Commercial media- Kudos/ AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and RTL Television
Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) – BBC/ C4
horizontal integration- kudos and bbc made it together
vertical integration- bbc made it and then broadcasted it
media concentrations- number of organisations that produce media
media pluralism- media organisations creating the same products
Hesmondhalgh
Hesmondhalgh
Case Studies
Changing audience consumption patterns
Both programs can be accessed via online services eg amazon prime or c4 player
Multi-sector integration
Deutschland- Reinhold heil- German musician created soundtrack- soundtrack is also on spotify
Star formatting
Toby Jones- in capital- famous actor
Genre based formatting
Deutschland- spy thriller genre – follows the conventions of a period drama
serialization
Deutschland 86 is a sequel created after Deutschland 83
independent stylizing
Deutschland- subtitles non mainstream in British tv
internationalization
Deutschland- a co-production of AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and RTL Television- exploit the national and global market // Capital- on amazon prime can be watched globally
The central characters all have a connection to Pepys Road, a fictional street in an unidentified south London suburb. The houses in the street were once ordinary family homes in an unremarkable residential district, but thanks to London’s ever-increasing property values they are now properties worth millions. Their residents include those such as wealthy banker Roger Yount (played by Toby Jones) who have recently bought their homes, as well as people who have lived in the street since before its houses became so valuable, such as elderly widow Petunia Howe (played by Gemma Jones) who moved there as a young bride. They all start to receive postcards saying “We want what you have”, which some residents interpret as a threat, but which others initially ignore.
Facts
– In November 2016, Capital won the best TV movie/mini series award at the 44th International Emmy Awards
– adaptation of John Lanchesters novel Capital
– produced by Matt Strevens for Kudos Film & Television Company.
– Broadcasted by BBC
– produced by KUDOS and co produced by Banijay SAS (French multinational content media production and distribution company)
– KUDOS is split by News Corp and Banijay Group which both are mass multimedia companies showing vertical integration. However horizontal integration is represented through the co-operation with BBC to air Capital on their channels. This also links to Curran and Seaton statement that mainstream media is mostly involved with the Mass Global Media Conglomerates.
DEUTSCHLAND 83
Deutschland 83 is a 2015 German-American television series starring Jonas Nay as a 24-year-old native of East Germany who, in 1983, is sent to West Germany as an undercover spy for the HV A, the foreign intelligence agency of the Stasi. It is a co-production of AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and RTL Television by the production company, UFA Fiction, with international distribution by RTL Group’s FremantleMedia International and North American distribution by Kino Lorber. The series premiered on 17 June 2015 on the SundanceTV channel in the United States, becoming the first German-language series to air on a US network. The broadcast was in the original German, with English subtitles. It subsequently aired in Germany beginning in November 2015, and in the UK on Channel 4 beginning in January 2016. Despite weak initial ratings in Germany, Deutschland 83 became a sleeper hit.
Facts
– First aired June 2015 on SundanceTV in the US and in January 2016 on Channel 4 in the UK
James Curran and Jean Seaton
Prohibitive costs and risks associated with the production of media products has resulted in the organisation of vertically and horizontally integrated conglomerates. This lead to big companies such as CBS, Disney, News Corporation, Comcast, Time Warner and Viacom. These conglomerates are Horizontally and Vertically integrated to minimize costs such as distributions, productions or production divisions.
Curran and Seaton says that BBC sets a standard for commercial TV stations and channels due to being non profit yet maintaining high quality content.
‘No Offence’ is an extraordinary police procedural series, where A team of cops, based in a criminal-ridden part of town, work together to keep the streets safe. In the UK, the first episode of No Offence launched with 2.5 million viewers, Channel 4‘s biggest midweek drama launch for more than three years. Although subsequent episodes lost overnight viewers, dropping as low as 1.2 million, the weekly consolidated series average remained at 2.5 million and finished 47% up on Channel 4‘s slot average.[5] In France, the first episode of No Offence aired on 29 February 2016 on France 2 and was watched by 5.46 million viewers, 20.4% of the TV audience. The next three episodes were shown back-to-back that evening and together achieved an average 4.6 million viewers, 19.3% of the TV audience.[6]
‘The Killing’ is A crime series that follows the police investigation of the murder of a young girl. It interlocks three different stories.
No Offence:
Commercial Media-
Public Service Broadcaster- Channel 4
The Killing:
Commercial Media- Channel 4
Public Service Broadcaster- DR- Danish Broadcasting
