• commissioned and originally broadcast by the BBC which gives the series brand identity internationally – particularly through its subsidiaries BBC America and BBC Worldwide • Kudos, the independent producer of the series, 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 • Freemantle (international production and distribution company), Pivot TV (US) and BBC Worldwide all in deals to distribute the series globally • promoted in the UK as a ‘state of the nation’ event series • themes and setting are also constructed to appeal to an international audience: setting includes recognizable London iconography, familiar to an international audience from film and TV. Themes span the domestic and global – family melodrama, romance as well as reference to the economic crash, terrorism and migration • the series combines the national style of social realism with the generic conventions of the crime drama and the focus on a crime to be solved • multi-cultural, multinational cast of characters address an international audience with diverse cultural experiences.
Deutschland 83 (Germany):
• distributed by Freemantle, a British production and distribution company, subsidiary of RTL media, a global company which is designed to target an international audience • it is a co-production of AMC Networks, SundanceTV (US) and RTL Television (German and American), positioning it to exploit the national and global market • AMC and RTL were able to develop the series in the context of new opportunities for distribution and exhibition – e.g. the Walter Presents platform in the UK, which is a subsidiary of C4, exploiting broadcast and digital opportunities • focuses on German – and European – history and politics • the cast of relative unknowns – even in the country of production – were still used to promote the series through the focus on young, visually appealing male and female leads • themes and setting are constructed to appeal to an international audience through the familiar narrative tropes of an ‘innocent abroad’ and the “Romeo and Juliet” romance. The series is visually stylish using a familiar postmodern style which exploits the current popularity of retro styles in fashion and music • exploitation of social media; part of the Sundance TV marketing strategy was the use of historical sliders, live tweeting of the programme by the actress who played the lead character, playlists of 1980s music linked to Spotify and through Twitter account.
What needs to be studied? Key Questions and Issues:
This product relates to the theoretical framework by providing a focus for the study of:
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 meanings
Narrative restricted narration etc. – position the audience? • Capital is characteristic of contemporary TV narrative style in its use of multiple story structure. • Narratology including Todorov.
Genre • Definition of the series as a hybrid genre, belonging to the drama, social realism and crime genres • Genre theory including Neale.
Media Representations Capital 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 representation of nation in part through contrasting images of the family. • Representation of place – London and by implication, the nation. • Analysis of how the representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world. • Theories of representation including Hall.
Media Industries The central way into an institutional approach is to consider Capital as a BBC programme and to examine how it can be seen to fulfil the demands of Public Service Broadcasting. • Capital is a Kudos production for the BBC, an independent company which also produces successful programmes for other broadcasters.
Media Audiences Issues of audience are also relevant throughout the other theoretical frameworks. In media language, the use of different formal structures to position the audience to receive and interpret meaning is central, while the study of representations has at its heart the reinforcement of social and cultural values for audiences. • The production, distribution and circulation of Capital 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 way in which different audience interpretations reflect social, cultural and historical circumstances is evident in the analysis of Capital which is explicitly linked to contemporary issues. • The advertising campaigns (trailers, websites at home and abroad) for the series demonstrate how media producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. • Cultivation theory including Gerbner. • Reception theory including Hall.
Product: Deutschland 83 TV series
What needs to be studied? Key Questions and Issues
This product relates to the theoretical framework by providing a focus for the study of:
Media Language The series is visually interesting, constructing a stylised representation of ‘real’ places which transmit meanings about characters, places and issues. A detailed analysis of different aspects of mise-en-scene will provide students with a strong foundation to build on in terms of analysing representations, ideological meanings and audience positioning. Analysis should include: • Mise-en-scene analysis • Semiotics: how images signify cultural meanings • Postmodernism: Use of pastiche and bricolage Narrative • How does the use of the narrative conventions of the spy thriller and crime drama – use of enigmas, binary oppositions, restricted and omniscient narration etc. – position the audience? • The narrative of Deutschland 83 has been controversial – particularly in Germany -through its use of binary oppositions to contrast East and West Germany. • The role of the hero and effect of audience alignment with Martin Rauch, a Stasi Officer. • The narrative of Deutschland 83 can be defined as postmodern in its self-reflexive style. • Narratology including Todorov.
Genre: • Conventions of the TV series and the way in which this form is used to appeal to audiences • Definition of the series as belonging to the spy thriller genre • Conventions of the period drama and reasons for its popularity • Analysing the use of specific genres to discuss wider issues in society • Genre theory including Neale
Media Representations Deutschland 83 provides a range of representational areas to explore from the national and regional to political structures and gender roles. All of the areas tend to overlap with representations of a nation’s historical past allowing students to consider how representations reflect social, cultural and historical circumstances: • Representation of national and regional identity (East and West Germany (Europe)) • Representation of gender: male hero and spy, the female ‘love interest’ etc., the way characters signify wider issues in society. • Analysis of how the representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world – both contemporary and past. • Theories of representation including Hall • Feminist theories including bell hooks and Van Zoonen (role of women)
Media Industries Deutschland 83 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. It can be argued that Deutschland 83 was a deliberate attempt by the German media industry to develop a prestige series which could take advantage of the new openness to ‘foreign’ products abroad. • 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…’ • Cultural industries including Hesmondhalgh
Media Audiences Issues of audience are also relevant throughout the other theoretical frameworks. In media language, the use of different formal structures to position the audience to receive and interpret meaning is central, while the study of representations has at its heart the reinforcement of social and cultural values for audiences. The study of institutions is also indivisibly linked to the need to define and attract specific audiences. • The 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 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. • The reception of the series in Germany, Europe and the US • The advertising campaigns (trailers, websites at home and abroad) for the series demonstrate how media producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. • 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. It deals with the political past of Germany through the setting of the last decade of the cold war. This political past is explored through a revisionist approach to German and European history which questions some of the previous certainties about that period. This is a useful product to explore the vital issues of how nations explore their past through popular culture and how this is also a way of commenting on contemporary society. The economic context can be explored through patterns of ownership and production and how the product is marketed nationally and globally.
Music Video – Letter to the Free is a product which possesses cultural and social significance. It will invite comparison with other music videos allowing for an analysis of the contexts in which they are produced and consumed.
Released in 2016. The genre is hip-hop/rap
Letter to the free’ is in black and white as the marches were a non-violent protest to demonstrate the desire of black Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Common
Common is an American hip-hop artist, actor, and activist who became a mainstream success in the early 21st century.
He is known for intelligent and positive lyrics that were performed in a spoken-word style.
A Grammy winner, Common has also turned to acting, as seen with roles in projects. For the latter film, he and vocalist/musician John Legend have won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for the song “Glory.”
Common made his album debut with Can I Borrow a Dollar? An artist known for often thoughtful, verbose lyricism and exploring varied sounds
Lyrics from letter to the free:
‘Freedom (Freedom) Freedom come (Freedom come) Hold on (Hold on) Won’t be long (Won’t be long)’
:Shows that black people will come together to fight for equal rights and work hard to get it as soon as they can.
‘Instead of ‘n****’ they use the word ‘criminal’ ‘
:He’s saying that a lot of white Americans believe that people of colour are instantly criminals due top their skin colour.
‘The same hate they say will make America great again’
:White people think that to ‘make America great again’ white people should be superior to black people
‘Investing in injustice, fear and long suffering’
:American’s are paying to make ‘America great again’ at the cost of Black people suffering.
postcolonial criticism challenges the assumption of a universal claim towards what constitutes ‘good reading’ and ‘good literature’; questioning the notion of a recognised and overarching canon of important cultural texts – book, poems, plays, films etc – much of which is institutionalised into academic syllabi.
ORIENTALISM:
The Link between culture, imperial power & colonialism
thepower to narrate, or to block other narratives from forming or emerging, is very important to culture and imperialism
Edward Said Culture and Imperialism, 1993: xiii
As a cultural critic, Said is known for the book Orientalism (1978), a critique of the cultural representations that are the bases of Orientalism.
The conclusion of Edward Said’s theory was that Western writings depicted Orient as an irrational, weak, feminized ‘Other’.
Research and analyse 5 useful and relevant film posters to help you generate ideas and identify relevant elements that you will need to include. Upload your 5 posters (and your analysis) to your blog.
Poster 1: Wonder Woman
The dominant signifier is wonder woman knelt down holding weapons. This shows her being strong and challenges the stereotypes of women being weak. It creates the counter type of a woman being a hero and saving people rather than a man doing it in a typical movie.
Poster 2: Dirty Dancing
The signifier is the title which is bigger than the couple their self displaying the importance of ‘Dirty Dancing’ as it tells the audience exactly what the film consists of. It is a radical representation of young adults as they appear very mature dressed in older clothing dancing classical/mature dance styles.
Poster 3: I krig & kærlighed
The dominant signifier is the couple at the front of the poster in medium shot. The audience’s focus is mainly on the woman is she is dressed in white and there is a brighter light on her than the man. The man is in dark clothing and has a dim light on him. The fact the man is kissing the woman’s head symbolises his love for her. The plane and the wheat fields are a paradigm of signs linked to war.
Poster 4: A Star is Born
The dominant signifier is of the couple and also the title. This is because the picture is all in black and white and the title stands out in a gold, signifying a ‘star’ as it is in the title.
Kernels: key moments in the plot / narrative structure
Satellites: embellishments, developments, aesthetics NOT ESSENTIAL
Elements which are absolutely essential to the story / plot / narrative development, are known as KERNELS and moments that could be removed and the overall logic would not be disturbed, known as SATELLITES. As such, some elements may emerge and play out but actually turn out to be of little value, meaning or consequence to the overall / main parts of the narrative – these can be called non-sequitars. Nevertheless, the use of light & shade is very important in terms of constructing an effective and enjoyable narrative.
Roland Barthes: Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes
Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development
Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information.
: A style or category of art, music, or literature.
People like to have a general idea of what film they are about to see. But audiences get bored with too much repetition; they like to see a genre change, and evolve by responding to contextual influences to do with the way society changes.
‘Genre’ is the relationship of similarities and differences.
‘Genre’ is really important for institutions and audiences.
As well as a genre, movies also often have sub-genres
‘. . . saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and clichés and all of these limitations were codified in specific genres. This was the very foundation of the studio system and audiences love genre pictures . . .’
Scorcese, A personal Journey through American Cinema (1995)
This quote is saying that all genres are the same but different in some sort of way.
People like to have a general idea of what film they are about to see. But audiences get bored with too much repetition; they like to see a genre change, and evolve by responding to contextual influences to do with the way society changes.
‘the somewhat dubious assumption that genres shaped by the film industry are communicated completely and uniformly to audiences‘ (Altman 1999, p. 15)
Key Terms:
Steve Neale: Neale believes that films of a type (genre, like romance or horror) should include features that are similar, so the audience know what genre it is, but also include features that are different, to keep an audience interested. This is his theory of repetition and difference.
repertoire of elements: The repertoire of elements are key elements of a film that are consistently repeated throughout a genre. Each genre has its own repertoire of elements which defines it as that genre
verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real.
construction of reality: Social Construction of Reality. The term social construction of reality refers to the theory that the way we present ourselves to other people is shaped partly by our interactions with others, as well as by our life experiences.
sub-genres: a genre that is part of a larger genre The series is part of the booming ”urban fantasy” subgenre, which features supernatural creatures interacting with ordinary humans in a contemporary city.— Jennifer Schuessler.
hybrid genres: Some media texts are hybrid genres, which means they share the conventions of more than one genre. For example Dr. Who is a sci-fi action-adventure drama and Strictly Come Dancing is a talent, reality and entertainment show. The Twilight films are a hybrid genre, combining horror, fantasy, teen and romance.
levels of verisimilitude: a theoretical concept that determines the level of truth in an assertion or hypothesis. It is also one of the most essential literary devices of fiction writing. Verisimilitude helps to promote a reader’s willing suspension of disbelief
iconography: the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.
Steve Neale
The work of Steve Neale is often referred to when discussing genre. One area he looks at, is the relationship between genre and audiences. For example, the idea of genre as an enabling mechanism to attract audiences based around predictable expectations.
Racial otherness: ‘Ain’t no black in union jack’- His book
Civilisation:
For Gilroy, the 9/11 World trade Centre terrorist attack in 2001, and it’s aftermath, radically altered both the tone and nature of the media-orientated representations regarding race and racial difference.
Legacy of the Empire:
Gilroy suggests that we live in a ‘morbid culture of a once-imperial nation that has not been able to accept its inevitable loss of prestige’ (Gilroy, 2004) He argued that the British are undergoing a crisis of national identity: the loss of the British Empire has forced a collective question regarding British identification.
Political protest: ○ Attempts to change to laws or legislation ○ Organised political movements ○ Public protests ○ Petitions, marches
Political protest can be seen in terms of: ○ Cultural resistance ○ Everyday people
Why look at cultural resistance? ○ Overt political protest is uncommon. When it occurs, it often results in a backlash. ○ Even if overt political protest does results in changes in legislation, it won’t necessarily change public opinion. ○ Culture is what influences people’s hearts, minds and opinions. This is the site of popular change. Key idea: the political, personal and cultural are always intertwined
Cultural Hegemony:
Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s Key Terms: ● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders ● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture ● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. ● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values
Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Subcultural Theory:
Subculture: ● Working-class youth culture ● Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology ● A solution to collectively experienced problems ● A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
The Birmingham School (1970s)
● They argued argued that the formation of subcultures offered young working class people a solution to the problems they were collectively experiencing in society.
● Looked at working class cultures like the teddy-boys, mods, skinheads, and punks – subcultures unified by shared tastes in fashion, music and ideology.
Teddy Boys: 1950/60s ● Responding to: post-war social changes ● Music: influenced by American rock n roll ● Style: upper-class Edwardian fashion (narrow trousers, lapelled jackets), fused with an element of rebelliousness in the form of exaggerated hairstyles and shoes (quiffs and creepers)
Skinheads: 1960s
● Responding to: social alienation. ● Rejected: late 50s conservatism, as well as the ‘peace and love’ middle class hippy movement of 60s ● Expression of: working class pride ● Music: West Indian music (ska, rocksteady, reggae) ● Style: shaven heads, Dr Marten boots, braces, shirts, and cropped trousers ● Politics: Original skinheads were anti-racist, however the movement quickly polarised
Punk: 1970s ● A Reaction to: ● 1) Capitalist middle class culture that has achieved dominance and legitimacy (hegemony) ● 2) Their alienation from the adult working class culture of their parents and grandparents ● 3) The social, political and economic crisis of the mid1970s, resulting in high youth unemployment ● Values: anti-establishment, emphasis on individual freedom, on doing it yourself. ● Fashion: emphasised ugliness, shock value, irony. Used items like safety pins, ripped shirts, chains. ● Music: often self-produced and independently distributed, the music is loud and aggressive, with lyrics expressing antiestablishment views and working class concerns.
Positives of The Birmingham School’s subcultural theory: ● Validated the study of popular culture – previously considered superficial Criticism The Birmingham School’s subcultural theory: ● Focused on white working class masculinity ● Ignored ethnic minority, female and queer youth cultures
Gilroy
Gilroy highlighted how black youth cultures represented cultural solutions to collectively experienced problems of racism and poverty
Racial otherness: ‘Ain’t no black in union jack’- His book
Civilisation: For Gilroy, the 9/11 World trade Centre terrorist attack in 2001, and it’s aftermath, radically altered both the tone and nature of the media-orientated representations regarding race and racial difference.
Legacy of the Empire: Gilroy suggests that we live in a ‘morbid culture of a once-imperial nation that has not been able to accept its inevitable loss of prestige’ (Gilroy, 2004) He argued that the British are undergoing a crisis of national identity: the loss of the British Empire has forced a collective question regarding British identification.
Race Relations
1970s and 1980s: Racism from the State: The Police ● Frequent clashes between the police and black youth ● Widespread fears over law and order, black street crime and the figure of ‘the mugger’ ● SUS laws ● New Cross Fire (1981)
Racism from Far-Right Groups: The NF (national front) ● The National Front was a far-right group ● Advocated the an end to immigration and the repatriation of non-white Britons. ● Blamed immigration for the decline in employment, housing and welfare. ● In the 1970s, the NF gained the support of disillusioned white youth ● Racial attacks, violence and intimidation
Margaret Thatcher:
● Prime Minister 1979-1990 ● Militant campaigner for middle-class interests ● In an 1978 interview: ‘British national identity could be swamped by people with different culture’ ● Hard line attitude towards immigration ● Conservative Manifesto: ‘firm immigration control for the future is essential if we are to achieve good community relations’ ● British Nationality Act of 1981: introduced a series of increasingly tough immigration procedures and excluded Asian people from entering Britain.
● Scapegoating
Rock against Sexism
Rock Against Sexism was British anti-sexist campaign that used punk as a vehicle to challenge sexism, promoting female musicians while challenging discrimination in the music industry between 1979 and 1982.
Why was RAS needed?
– 1970s saw a plethora of sexist song lyrics, record covers and band advertisements, many depicting violence towards women.
– The terms ‘feminism’ and ‘sexism’ were not in common currency during this time, and there was widespread scepticism among young people with regards to organised feminism.
BBC News
The Specials: How Ghost Town defined an era
Jon Kelly
Specials gigs began to attract the hostile presence of groups like the National Front and the British Movement. When vocalist Neville Staple sighed wearily on Ghost Town that there was “too much fighting on the dance floor”, he sang from personal experience.
“But you don’t listen to Ghost Town and think it’s weird. I was 11 when it was released and I don’t remember going, ‘What’s this?’ At the time there were a lot of political songs in the charts. But if a record like that got to number one today you’d go, ‘Wow, that’s bizarre.'”
“It sums up how it felt to be young at the time,” he says. “But at the same time it’s timelessly resonant. “There are a handful of tunes that do that and Ghost Town is one of them.”
The conversation (news)
‘Ghost Town’: a haunting 1981 protest song that still makes sense today
Abigail Gardner
It’s an odd, eerie song, nodding to pop convention and sitting wilfully outside of it. It’s included, in passing, in Dorian Lynskey’s beautifully written book on protest songs, “33 Revolutions Per Minute”, but unlike the band’s “Free Nelson Mandela” does not merit its own chapter.
Claude Levi-Strauss (Binary Oppositions)
This theory suggests that NARRATIVES (=myths) are STRUCTURED around BINARY OPPOSITIONS eg. good and bad.
As such, it encourages students to understand narrative as a structure of key (oppositional) themes that underpin action and dialogue to develop a set of messages that the audience are able to decode and understand.
It creates a dominant message (ideology) of a film, TV programme, advert, music video, animation etc. So in this way audiences are encouraged to make a judgements about characters, groups, places, history, society etc.
Texts can be seen to either support the dominant ideologies of a society, which would make it a reactionary text ,or to challenge, question or undermines the dominant ideologies of society, in which case it could be seen as a radical text.
