Characters and their roles (hero, villain, helper, princess, false hero, father)
Freytag:
Freytag’s Pyramid
Beginning, Middle, End
Exposition, Climax, Denouement
Rising action, falling action
Todorov:
Equilibrium, Disruption, New Equilibrium
Frame stories (stories within stories)
Single character transformations: The idea that characters follow a journey that leads to a realisation, changed personality. Linking to Ancient Greek narrative structures:
Peripeteia = The reversal of fortune
Anagnorisis = Recognition or discovery of fate
Catharsis = Emotional response from audience
Strauss:
Binary Oppositions
Narrative is a structure of themes that relays a dominant message
Postmodernism is a theory that looks at how the world is transforming into a place that is populated by a culmination of signs which are neither truthful nor fake.
Postmodernism is an almost re-imagining of what has came before. A copy, bricolage of past creations.
‘the concept that the meaning of a text does not reside in the text, but is produced by the reader‘
Postmodernism can be seen as a sort of parody, confusing and deliberately existential concept generated to create a confusion between simulation and reality.
TERM
DEFINITION
Pastiche
Work of art, drama, literature or music that imitates a previous work.
Parody
Work that uses irony or ridicule to imitate a previous work/performance.
Bricolage
A French term that translates to ‘do-it-yourself’. The idea looks at how to create art from any materials that are available.
Intertextuality
Referencing other work in new works. Copying elements of literature, film, art etc. as influence for something else.
Referential
Surface and style over substance and context
Metanarrative
Meta = Big Narrative = How a story is structured
Hyper-reality
The idea that we live in a world that is “beyond reality”, an illusion or simulation far from the truth.
Simulation (sometimes termed by Baudrillard as ‘Simulacrum’)
Something that replaces reality with its representation
Consumerist Society
We currently live in a society that survives off of advertising, buying, selling and consuming. This level of consumption leads to the feeling of a simulation.
Fragmentary Identities
The idea that we often construct different identities dependant on where we are, who we are with etc. This is fragmented.
Alienation
The idea that we are disassociated to the world we live in.
Implosion
The idea that meaning is now meaningless. Due to a combinations of signs within society.
Cultural Appropriation
Taking properties and characteristics from other cultures and appropriating them to another.
Reflexivity
‘The Love Box in Your Living Room‘ is a parody. It is structured using the codes and conventions of a documentary: a mockumentary of the BBC and how it originated.
Actor and comedian Paul Whitehouse plays a parodied character of Lord John Reith – the first Director General of the BBC. It is clear that this is a parody due to his caricature appearance.
– CBS (Columbia Broadcasting Service) – Owned by Paramount Global (“multinational mass media conglomerate”) – Funded mostly through advertising time on air – War of the Worlds episode was the 17th in ‘The Mercury Theatre on the Air’ series in 1938. – Key terms: Globalization, conglomerate, multinational, vertical integration, ‘risky business’
– BBC (British Broadcasting Corperation) -Owned publicly by the general public of the UK – Funded through TV Licenses (paid annually – £159 per year) – Paternalist approach (giving audiences what they should have/ need) – First Director General was Lord Reith (he created original ethos) – “provide impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain“
– Key Terms: Populist VS Paternalist, public service broadcasting, funded publicly
AUDIENCE (Demographic)
– Listeners of CBS Radio Network. Those in the USA.
– Young people – Listeners of BBC Radio 1, 1 Extra and Asian Network. – Ages 15-29
HABERMAS
– Commercial broadcasting goes against Habermas’ ideas. – Commercial broadcasting focuses on profit and entertainment rather than audience.
Transformation of the public sphere. – The BBC values transforming knowledge through entertainment. They provide a paternalistic approach as a way of informing their range of audience on diverse, current and important issues. (quality programming)
– Cecil Lewis said that the BBC “opens up new worlds to people”.
Discussion VS Directorial – “arena of public debate”
HESMONDHALGH
– “the creative industries are a risky business”
CURRAN
– The role of public service broadcasting is to ‘diversify voices’ – Plurality
“profit -driven motives take precedence over creativity in the world of commercial media” – Perhaps CBS used the notion of a “moral panic” across the USA as a marketing approach following the broadcast. Commercial broadcasting (especially CBS lacks a public service remit – it can slightly subvert regulation/ enforcement) – Taking a risk
– Media of the “Victorian era” were “engines for social and political change” (linking to Habermas’ ideas on the transformation of the public sphere)
– “peak-time television schedules are dominated by lighter entertainment formats” – The BBC is now being overthrown by the rise of social media/ commercial broadcasting due to profit.
SEATON
– Power of the media “commercial broadcasting is based on the sale of audiences to advertisers” – CBS were selling ‘War of the Worlds’ to listeners
“the work of broadcasting should be regarded as a public service for a social purpose” – BBC has a remit to inform, entertain and educate (a social purpose). “public service” – Something to serve the public, “social purpose” – Something to help transform our society for the better – Her ideas imply that commercial broadcasting is more of a money making product rather than important to making a change.
– “to lead public opinion”
“catering for all sections of the community, reaching all parts of the country” – Linking to their Royal Charter:
ACCOUNTABILITY
REGULATION
Federal Communications Commission regulates privately. Not for interest of the public
– The BBC is overseen by the government through the ‘Royal Charter’. This agreement is proposed in parliament and is reviewed annually. First established in 1927, the Charter provides a remit that the BBC must accustom to. – As well as their charter, The BBC is regulated externally by Ofcom. Ofcom closely monitor the BBC through their Broadcasting Code. They provide a yearly report on their findings.
– The emergence of new technologies/ generations today means that the BBC is challenged. Perhaps, the BBC is struggling to keep up with the needs of a changing society.
CHOMSKY
– Manufacturing consent.
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
War of the Worlds: – “We know now that in the early years of the 20th century, this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s” – “out of character” – “the war of the worlds has no further significance”
– Inclusion of relevant news stories, similar to ones featured on BBC News but delivered in a way that is easy to follow/ is more engaging and interactive.
– Stories very much focused on ‘young people’ and how current issues are affect the youth: – ‘Young people face surge in homelessness’ – ‘The young NHS workers who voted yes to striking’
A range of articles focus on celebrities/ pop culture. A way of providing entertainment through a multi-media form that also informs.
Debbie Ramsay (Newsbeat editor) said that reporters do not “dumb down” a story. They summarise it without any “airs or graces”
Look at reference section to find links to external interviews/ knowledge etc.
Hybrid Radio form
War of the Worlds was a novel published in 1989 by H.G Wells. In 1938, it was adapted into a radio drama directed and narrated by Orson Welles for CBS Radio Network (Columbia Broadcasting Company)
1930’s/40’s = The ‘Golden Age’ of Radio
The ‘War of the Worlds’ episode was the 17th episode in the ‘The Mercury Theatre on the Air’ series in which Orson Welles transformed a series of classic literature into radio dramas.
Evidence
Interruption in broadcast (39.30 mins) – News goes silent
“We know now that in the early years of the 20th century, this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s”
Institution
CBS Radio Network:
‘CBS Radio Network’ is owned by ‘Paramount Global’ (a “multinational mass media conglomerate”) through horizontal integration.
‘Paramount Global’ was formed in 2019 as a product of the merging between CBS Cooperation and Viacom.
Audience
“Radio listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact”
Regulation
In the 1930’s, Radio was regulated by the Federal Communications Commission
The BBC are the largest public service broadcasting cooperation in the UK, their ethos is to: “provide impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain”
Newsbeat seems to be a multi-media product which can be accessed on the newsbeat website, this includes audio clips from newsbeat broadcasts on the radio, images and articles.
Newsbeat follows quite a simple structure, using simple dialogue that is easy to grasp and understand for its younger demographic.
The news is framed through ‘sound-bites’ whilst a presenter steers the stories. The use of an informal tone, quick overviews, upbeat links, and audience participation.
“Presenters and reporters on Newsbeat have been told to steer clear of polysyllabic words and address listeners as if they were talking to a friend, the programme’s editor has revealed.”
In 2016, Newsbeat moved from having its own separate app and website to being a part of the BBC News webpage. This was because research showed that those aged 16-25 were engaging with BBC News already.
Newsbeat is a radio programme produced by the BBC, it was created in 1973 (51 years after the BBC was founded)
It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1, BBC Asian Network and BBC 1 Extra.
Each broadcast is 15 minutes long and are transmitted at 12:45 and 17:45 each weekday. The broadcasts can also be listened to, on demand, through the BBC Sounds app or BBC website.
Rather than replacing the traditional BBC News interuptions each hour, Newsbeat provides a more interactive service orientated towards a teenage audience.
The Newsbeat web page is a part of the BBC website, rather than having a separate domain, it is intertwined with a wide range of content (This encourages a younger audience who would most likely view content online, on a mobile device.)
“Newsbeat promises its younger listeners all the news they need to know from the UK and around the world“
Regulation
Even though the BBC is closely monitored by the UK Government, Ofcom also regulates the BBC meaning that it has to follow The OFCOM Broadcasting Code “so that BBC viewers and listeners are appropriately protected”
Ofcom produces a annual report, commenting on how the BBC are complying with their regulations
Audience
Target Audience: Young people aged 15-29.
How do they try and attract this demographic?
Newsbeat reflects it’s relatively young audience through their radio presenter team being similar to the demographic
News is presented in ‘chunks’ – Explain complex news stories in a way that is easy to understand and access.
Lots of the news covered is revolved around celebrities, popular culture (providing entertainment)
Focus on issues regarding young people: listeners can feel themselves represented.
Interactive content: Active audiences (Lazarfeld – Two step flow)
Globalisation through creating versions of newsbeat in other parts of the world.
Believable and relevant ‘mis-en-scene’ elements/ setting/ costume etc.
Followable storyline/ plot and something that is also unpredictable
Professional marketing
Broadcasting = Producers target a wider, mass audience.
Narrowcasting = Producers target a niche audience.
The BBC
Publicly owned (funded through TV licenses by the public and overseen by government)
The BBC was founded in 1922, it started with radio – television broadcasting came later.
Lord John Reith was the first ‘director general’ of the BBC
He set out an ethos (a belief/ mission statement) for the BBC. This ethos had 3 main principals; to inform, to educate and to entertain.
To oversee due diligence and regulation, the UK government reviews a charter: The BBC Charter, to ensure the BBC stay inline.
The BBC took up a PATERNALIST approach rather than a POPULIST approach. In other words, rather than providing ‘normal’ content to their audiences, they provide alternate ideas and what is ‘good’. Cecil Lewis said that the BBC began to open up “new worlds to people”, meaning that audiences are given access to new content.
Populism = Giving people what they want.
Paternalism = Giving the people, what some people think they need.
British culture is centered around the BBC. It is the ‘social cement’ that gives us a shared experience and exposes us to new culture/ ideas (Habermas’ ideas on the Transformation of the Public Sphere –> The uneducated have access to education with entertainment)
Grace Wyndham Goldie says that the most significant thing regarding broadcasting is the ability to change time and space. Many have fears revolving around new technologies.
‘Oh is a reimagination of Oh Comely magazine and is still a place to meet new people, hear their stories and hopefully leave you looking at life a little differently. And every issue will still have beautiful photography and illustration at its heart’.
Female lifestyle magazine through the lens of a ‘strong feminist perspective’. On their instagram page, Oh Comely is described as an “indie mindful living mag with a fresh perspective”
Minimalist and simplistic style through publications.
Language
The adjective ‘comely’ means to be pretty/ attractive.
“admire, follow, and inspire your own reflection”
Diversity through representations of women. Moving away from stereotypes associated with certain ethnicities (Hall) and providing positive representations that are hardly focused on.
“Sister” – David Gauntlett, collective identity (sisterhood)
‘Speaking Out’ article – Follows the same structure for each story it focuses in on, perhaps this could singify the magazines importance on representation of equality and diversity throughout their issues.
Representation
A-typical representation of femininity. Often, women are objectified/ sexualised in print products. Through the anchorage (“power and poise” “hard-won” “strong”), the magazine challenges societal representations of females that present women as weak or passive. Radical representations which challenge mainstream media forms
Front Cover: Mid shot, muted colour palette, connection with nature? Even though she is wearing makeup, this is natural (juxtaposes the typical conventions of a front cover). Even though she is posing for the camera, she is not conforming to the male gaze because the image is not sexualised.
Masthead – Synthetic personalisation through the font which looks like cursive handwriting, implying that this magazine is handmade rather than a overly glossy, perfect production. Oh Comely is a place where many diverse voices are given a platform to share opinions.
Time of writing, during the 4th wave of feminism. This is when women were starting to hold the patriarchy accountable for misogyny and over-sexualised representation of femininity in the media.
Audience
Clearly, through their content, the magazine is trying to connect with a niche, feminist audience. The average demographic was females aged 27.
Perhaps, trying to project to such a narrow demographic, the magazine was not able to generate enough engagement, leading to it’s end.
Psychographics –
Industries
Oh Comely was founded in 2014 following the establishment of ‘Iceberg Press’ (a independent company created by 3 friends who left roles at “big media companies” to pursue a “better way” of creating magazines.
The last issue was produced in September 2021 before the company went out of business.
Each issue £5 each or a subscription (3 issues) for £14.
Iceberg Press produces The Simple Thing and Oh Comely
In an interview, editor Lisa Sykes said that “we (Iceberg press) didn’t like the fact that print dying was becoming a self fulfilling prophecy”
Clearly, Oh! magazine was for the continuation of print production, opposing the development of an “online world”
Those who consume the media are more susceptible to messages.
Repeated exposure to the media can subtly manipulate viewers’ perception of reality and influence our perception of the real world.
If we consume something repeatedly, soon enough we will become assimilated to what we are being ‘fed’ (parallels to the hypodermic needle theory).
Mainstreaming = The idea that, if we all consume the same messages, they become the mainstream ideology. Audiences are passive and become assimilated to the views they are repeatedly told to believe.
Ideology is created by the elite who have power (straight, white, christian men).
Mean World Syndrome (World Mean Index)
TV programmes are saturated with violent content that generates fear.
If we continually consume violent/mean content, we will have a narrow view on the world: suggesting it is more violent than it truly is.
Jamaican born, cultural/hegemonic theorist who moved to Britain before studying English at Oxford University. He worked at the Open University for a number of years, as a professor of sociology
“He looks at how producers use various signs to encode a programme’s meaning, according to their ideologies and resources, which is then decoded by the viewers, who have to interpret the message through their own framework of knowledge.”
The Theory of Preferred Reading
He theorized that media texts contain a variety of messages that are encoded (made/inserted) by producers and then decoded (understood) by audiences. Therefore what we consume is a ‘re-presentation’ of the real world, changed by producers to fit the ideologies they want to distribute.
He also communicate the idea that there is often a level of ‘distortion’ from reality through the media. He defines this distortion as the “gap between what one might think of as the true meaning of an event (or an object) and how it is presented in the media.”
Double meaning of the word – Representation. It means ‘to present’ and re-presentation gives the idea that there was ‘something’ in the real world and through the media, this is given a new meaning (re-presented).
Those in power, the elite/hegemony, have the power to limit or widen representations in the media. For example, often in the media Black men are presented as criminals, troublemakers although there is no space given for any positive representations to be portrayed.
He puts forward the idea that media audiences are ACTIVE and decode media messaged based on their SUBJECTIVE IDENTITY, therefore evidencing his point that messages are open for interpretation:
Dominant Reading = How the producer wants the audience to view the product.
Negotiated Reading = A compromise between the dominant and oppositional readings.
Oppositional Reading = The audience rejects the dominant meaning and creates their own reading.
https://media-studies.com/reception-theory/
Stereotypes
A large part of his work looks at how the Media represents identity features through stereotypes (negatively or positively) such as: age, gender, race, ethnicity, geography, sexuality etc.
In a lecture from 1997, in which Hall talks about stereotyping, he said that “the image (stereotype) is producing not only identification” but also “producing knowledge”. This is “what we know about the world”, therefore “how we see it represented”
