3 questions

In what way does the media product use media language to encode the ideology of the producer? - Woman Magazine

Woman magazine was first released in 1964 as a weekly magazine, targeted towards mature women of the working class. The producer of the magazine has encoded many of his ideologies using media language throughout the product. An ideology is the belief of the producer.

On the cover of the magazine, the producer has used mise en scene to encode his beliefs. For example, the dress the model is wearing is very floral and traditional, which means that the producer is trying to convince women to wear similar items of clothing. This reinforces the hegemonic rules of how women should dress, as they are not inspiring them to branch out. Therefore, this mise en scene shows that the producer of Woman magazine likes to stick to hegemonic rules and traditions. 

Additionally, the front cover of the magazine features "seven star improvements for your kitchen" which encodes the ideology that women belong in the kitchen. The direct address of "your kitchen" reinforces the belief that the kitchen is a woman's priority, as well as the fact that they should look after it, as it needs "improvements". Overall, the audience can see that the producer wants women to conform to the widely held hegemonic beliefs from when the magazine was released. 

Lastly, the question "are you an a-level beauty?" on the front cover can be decoded to imply that women should aim to be beautiful, and therefore should always be wearing makeup. This is an example of Roland Barthes' theory of semiotics, as it is a hermeneutic code, that if you read the magazine you will find out how to become an "a-level beauty". This ideology is enforced by the fact that the model is wearing makeup, and she is someone that the audience is meant to aspire to be. Throughout the magazine this ideology has been encoded by the producer. 

How can audiences interpret this product in different ways? - Tide's got what women want

'Tide's got what women want' is a 1950's print advertisement, selling washing powder to housewives. The media language within the advert can be interpreted by the audience in many different ways, which supports Stuart Halls' Reception Theory. This theory says that audiences will have different responses to the ideology that the producer is trying to show; either the preferred reading (agree with ideology), negotiated reading (agree with some elements of ideology), or a oppositional reading (do not agree with ideology). 

The print advert uses a lot of red font, in the header and in a few key words such as "clean" and "tide". This colour has connotations of sexuality and love, therefore, audience members are likely to interpret this is as the love for the product; this would be considered the preferred reading, as the advert is trying to sell it.  However, the sexual connotation could also be to symbolise the way men looked at women in the 1950's. Many adverts from this time period sexualised women in this way, which could be seen as audience manipulation, which links to Gerbner's theory of cultivation. He believed that if audience members saw the same ideologies repeatedly, they would begin to believe them as well. 

Additionally, the advert contains a lot of direct address, for example, "you women". This lexis could be interpreted as sexist and patronising because women are being generalised and it is very direct, this may be because the producer is trying to take control over its audience so that they buy the product. On the other hand, some audience members could see this as empowering, as it gives women a sense of community. This subverts a lot of conventions of 1950's adverts because it goes against the patriarchal hegemonic norms of society. 

How does this product use intertextuality? - Humans

Intertextuality is used in Humans to create a deeper meaning and for audience gratification; intertextuality is when a media product references another media product. Humans is an 8-episode, sci-fi series, that launched on channel 4 in June 2015.

In one of the first scenes of the first episode of Humans, the audience meets the synths, where there is a key intertextual reference to 'Blade Runner' (1982). There is an extreme close up shot of a synths' eye, which mirrors the shot of an eye in 'Blade Runner'. This creates deeper meaning as people refer to the eyes as 'the windows to the soul', therefore, it raises the question of whether the synths have a soul/emotions; it is important that this was at the beginning of the first episode because it sets up everything the show is about. There are themes of postmodernism, a theory by Jean Baudrillard, throughout the series, but especially in this shot as it has the audience challenging what is and isn't real. Additionally, the reference to another media product may please the audience if they understand where it is from, which is likely, as they are both from the sci-fi genre. 

A second way the producer has used intertextuality to please the audience is by referencing the popular family comedy TV series, 'Outnumbered'. Many of the dynamics between the members of the Hawkins family are similar to those of the comedy series. For example, in the first episode Joe is shouting at his 3 children to tidy the house, however, the children do not listen to him. It is important that the producer has not only appealed to sci-fi fans, but also families as it widens their target audience. By using this form of intertextuality, the series becomes more family-friendly and it appeals to fans of 'Outnumbered'. 

mini mock

"It is essential for a TV programme to simultaneously target both mass and specialised audiences"

Explore this statement with reference to Les Revenants

A specialised audience is a small, enthusiastic group of people that a TV show is aimed towards, whereas a mass audience is when a show is aimed at a larger, broad group of people. Les Revenants is a French, supernatural drama that was produced by Fabrice Gobert. It was originally released in November 2012 on the french channel Canal+, but it was later release on Channel 4 in the UK the following year. I believe that Les Revenants has simultaneously targeted both mass and cult audiences.

One way in which the TV show targets a cult audience is that it invites many polysemic readings. For example, the audience sees a slow zooming in shot of a frame of butterflies, which then smashes as a butterfly flies out; during this shot the diegetic music crescendos to symbolise that this has a deeper meaning. This allows the audience to create their own meaning as there is no anchorage towards what the scene symbolises. This supports Stuart Hall's reception theory, as the audience has a negotiated reading. However, you could argue that the show challenges this theory, as there is only negotiated readings. Les Revenants doesn't show any obvious ideologies, meaning the audience cannot take the preferred or oppositional reading; therefore, the audience is left having to make their own decisions. Another example of this is when the screen suddenly turned black after the bus crash. This creates polysemic meanings because the black could symbolise the death of the characters, however, it also could represent the audience's own confusion. polysemy is important in a cult tv show as it allows the specialised audience to engage in the show through discusions.

Additionally, the show lacks typical supernatural/ horror conventions that would appeal to the larger audience. For example, the 'zombies' look like normal people, which subverts the stereotype of this genre paradigm. As well as this, the scene where Victor is stalking the woman lacks horror conventions because he isn't a 'monster'. 

On the other hand, the trailer of Les Revenants targets a much larger, international audience. Firstly, it features many quotes from popular British newspapers, as well as British text, which invites their international audiences to watch the show, as they know and trust these newspapers. Secondly, the fast paced editing and montages makes the series appeal to action fans, as the show looks exciting and filled with adventure. Additionally, the producer has picked actors that all conform to stereotypical standards of beauty, for example, the young boy has dark and strong features, whilst all the women wear very natural looking makeup. This appeals to the mass audience as there are characters that everyone can aspire to or enjoy watching. 

LES REVENANTS

• 'French supernatural drama series' - hybrid genre
• hybrid genre - reaches a wider audience 
• 26th November 2012 on Canal+
• United Kingdom 9 June 2013 on channel 4
• 2 series, 8 episodes each
• based on french film, They Came Back
• created by Fabrice Gobert

there are lots of different story arcs in the first episode, the series is based on hermeneutic codes

SUPERNATURAL -  unconventional narrative, child comes out from nowhere (intertextuality of The Omen)

AVANT-GARDE (experimental) - non-linear narrative

FRENCH - the mise en scene of the actors

CULT TV - a tv show that has a passionate audience, invites the audience to do things with it, cult tv shows need to create their own world



EXAM STRUCTURE

INTRO - DAC
DEFINITION - key terminology
ARGUMENT - point of view, stick to it
CONTEXT - context of media products

PARAGRAPHS - PEA
POINT
EVIDENCE 
ARGUAMENT

KEY TERMS
HEGEMONIC 
STEREOTYPE
IDEOLOGY
POLYSEMY
INTERTEXTUALITY
NEGOTIATION

"In the 21st century, it is essential for tv shows to offer multiple meanings" - evaluate the claim with reference to Les Revenants....

• (opening scenes)
• establishing shot of french alps and bus - isolated and exotic setting (for secondary British audience), emphasizes importance of polysemy as it means different things to difference nationalities
• slow zoom from exterior to interior , the point of focus is butterflies pinned to board
• mise en scene on butterfly escaping - coming back to life, freedom
• desaturated colour grading and lowkey lighting when Camille returns  - mysterious (hermeneutic code), forces audience top negotiate their own perspective on narrative, not sure how much time has passed, etc 
• soundtrack when zooming in on butterflies crescendos (gets louder) - key moment, has a deeper meaning(symbolic code) 
• Camille has more screen time on bus and consistently framed in montage of closeup shots - positions the audience with her, her age allows teenage audience to engage in the narrative
• sudden and mysterious cut to black after the bus accident - symbolises primary theme of death, symbolises audience's own confusion
• unconventional to supernatural genre - lacks genre paradigms, very unconventional zombie 

REPRESENTATIONS  - allows audience to relate with characters, audience learns about the world, not real, construction of reality (they construct reality!)

ideologies are always presented through representation 

TEENAGE GIRL
SMARTLY DRESSED - ATYPICAL, CARDIGAN IS STEREOTYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OLDER PEOPLE (COMPLEX REPRESENTATION REFLECTED IN COMPLEX NARRATIVE)
MINIMAL MAKEUP FITS WITH FRENCH 'NATURAL' BEAUTY STANDARDS
GINGER HAIR IS UNCONVENTIONAL WHICH HELPS HER STAND OUT 

 MOTHER - STEREOTYPICAL ASPIRATIONAL MIDDLE CLASS MOTHER
MINIMALISTIC HAIR AND JUMPER
TIRED EYES AND PALE FACE IS STEREOTYPICALLY ATTRACTIVE IN FRANCE
APPEALS TO HETEROSEXUAL MALE AUDIENCE - SAME AGE

YOUNG MALE
 DARK, STRONG FEATURES, BUSHY EYEBROWS -STEREOTYPICALLY ATTRACTIVE
CAST NEEDS TO BE ATTRACTIVE TO FRENCH AUDIENCE BECAUSE THAT IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE
LEATHER LOOKING JACKET REPRESENTS REBELLION

30 YEAR OLD WOMAN (APPROX)
HAIR IS TIED UP AND MESSY - NOT INVESTED INTO HER APPEARANCE

JOHN BERGER - 
'MEN ACT, WOMEN APPEAR'

REPRESENT RURAL FRENCH LIFE - ATYPICAL FRENCH SETTING FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE
ALL WHITE CAST IN IMAGE - WHITE MIDDLE CLASS TARGET AUDIENCE
ALLEGORICAL THEMES - DEATH AND HOW PEOPLE DEAL WITH IT

Glasgow Megasnake - Mogwai

• Mogwai did soundtrack for les revenants
• instrumental rock band - this track sounds more like metal
• distorted guitars 
• songs tend to be very long
• Mogwai lack a 'front man' 
• boring appearance - t-shirts and jeans, look like normal men
• own their own record label - 'Rock Action'

why pick Mogwai for soundtrack?

• widens audience - pre-existing Mogwai fans
• synergy - 2 media products coming together and working well together
• allows Mogwai to target international audience 
• are both moody and creepy - share the same ideology
• gives Mogwai subcultural capital 

how does the trailer target its audience? (International audience)

• english text - everyone can understand
• quoting British newspapers such as Sunday Times - audience know and trust these newspapers
• fast-paced editing and montage - makes the show look more exciting and action-packed than it is, sells to action fans
• encourages audience to take an active reading - invites its target audiences to have a negotiated reading 

Fans of Les Revenants have the option to buy the book, 'The Lake Pub' t-shirt, and the soundtrack on vinyl/cd 

CANAL+

IDEOLOGY - premium channel, quality shows

FUNDING - 'Creative Europe' funding, paid for by grants, some funds from Alps tourism board

SCHEDULING - season 2 was shown at 8:50pm, 9pm in UK and USA

OWNERSHIP - Vivendi SA, french mass media conglomerate, headquarters in Paris 

NOTABLE RELEASES - the tunnel, spiral, le grand journal, all created for a domestic audience

CONGLOMERATION - media, music (Universal music), tv, films, videogames

IMPORTS - tellytubbies, vampire diaries, game of thrones 

THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY

Television is a specialised industry

approx 6-8 episodes in UK drama series
6 episodes in UK comedy series
Humans was made in England, there is 8 episodes, drama series

TV in 21st century

• global, rather than national industry
• increasingly commercial 
• HBO home box office, global success
• the tv industry has totally fragmented
• channels "narrowcast", which means they target more niche audiences 
• audiences consume television in a variety of different ways 

television was the first example of mass media

nazis used it for propaganda - assumed audience could be manipulated and were passive (passive audience theory)

DISTRIBUTION, CIRCULATION AND MARKETING

DISTRIBUTION  how the product gets there

CIRCULATION  how many people see it

MARKETING  how the product is sold/promoted

Humans advert

• viral marketing - distributed on Youtube as opposed to traditional tv broadcasts
• audience led distributing - audience may share it, hashtag, rich in hermeneutic codes, no clear product 
• extremely American, cheesy, American voiceover is stereotypically happy and confident 
• conventions of American-style medical advert - clean mise en scene, gestures of synths are threatening
• "faster than before" - suggesting something went wrong with them before

• there is an option to return your synth on the website and it provides a returns slip - proairetic code that something will go wrong/ they are faulty
• immersion - totally involved in running the website and social media
• the marketing campaign has been successful because there are currently 3 seasons of the show 

OWNERSHIP AND ECONOMIC FACTORS

• OWNERSHIP  owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public corporation of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

• FUNDING  sale of on-air advertising, programme sponsorship, and the sale of any programme content and merchandising rights it owns, such as overseas sales and video sales, they now also get a small % of the license fee

• IDEOLOGIES "experimental, encourage innovation and style, risk and non-conformism to engage a younger generation"

• ASSOCIATED CHANNELS  channel 4, E4, more4, film4, 4seven, 4music, all4, hd+1 channels, each channel targets a specific niche audience

• SCHEDULING  makes use of the watershed placing, reputation for challenging programming

• NOTABLE RELEASES  big brother, hollyoaks, brookside, celebs go dating, gogglebox, made in chelsea, inbetweeners, skins

The Target Audience

AGE 27
NAME  david

GENDER male
NATIONALITY english
LOCATION  
SEXUALITY heterosexual 
SOCIO ECONOMIC CLASS  working class
OCCUPATION  teacher
HOBBIES  going to cinema

the process of commercial television is selling audience. ads are very specific.

BREAKFAST SCENE - how does it appeal to the audience and maintain?

• "microchips" - dad joke
• establishing shot of 'nuclear family' - creates an aspirational image 
• slow pan of breakfast table - an easily identifiable scene for middle class audience
• close up of Laura's face - establishes her dislike of Anita, relatable situation for target audience who may debate over wether or not to get a maid
• "this is what breakfast is suppose to be like" - lowkey dig at Laura, failing to provide properly for her family, assumes she never does breakfast properly 
• all sitting down and eating together - hyperreal, perfect breakfast
• MES of dressing gowns - most of them wearing them, convention of sitcom genre, unconventional of sci-fi genre, keeps interest, repetition and difference (STEVE NEALE)

watershed - 9pm

OFCOM - regulate tv, they try to limit harm and offence

it is getting harder to regulate tv as you can now find the programmes online - Livingstone and Lunt

HARM AND OFFENCE

 kidnapping - may trigger memories - depicts unconscious woman - connotations of murder and sexual assault

black synth treated badly - shot to the ground - connotations of slavery 

threatening behaviour - close up - stern facial expressions - may offend people who have been involved in violence 

gun in background

STUART HALL

RECEPTION THEORY

preferred reading, negotiated reading, oppositional reading

• preferred - uncomfortable, feel sorry for Niska
• negotiated - can see why the man thinks he can do what he wants, but may still feel uncomfortable watching it
• oppositional - the man can do what he wants, Niska is just a synth so she doesn't feel anything

humans mini mock

In Humans, binary oppositions do help to convey meanings; for example, in the scene where Laura first meets Anita. Binary opposition is created in this scene by the low angle, midshot of Anita standing and looking at Laura, this shot emphasizes the difference between the two characters as Anita is above Laura. This shows that Anita is more important and makes Laura feel threatened. Additionally, in this scene, Anita is more stereotypically attractive, this is because she is younger, has neater hair, and her clothes aren't scruffy.  This binary opposition is another way to help convey the message that Anita is a better version of Laura. Lastly, their is an opposition between the character's facial expressions. Anita has a permanent smile on her face when talking to Laura, however, Laura's face shows disgust towards the synth. As a result of this, 

HUMANS

EPISODE 1

• What science fiction codes and conventions are evidenced? Are these utilised in a typical or atypical way?

modern settings - science labs

science fiction soundtrack - synthesiser 

presence of robots - mise en scene and theme

• What groups are represented? What ideological perspective

humans

'synths'

families/middle class

• Who is the primary target audience for this show?

middle class - themes and representations

• All science fiction holds a mirror to society. What real world allegorical themes are dealt with here?

ethics/'just a robot'

roles of women in society - working mum, prostitute

references to slavery

capitalism/commodity - 'i hope she's pretty'

• What character archetypes are utilised in this show? To what extent does the narrative rely on them?
• What intertextual references/referential codes did you notice? How do these potentially reward the viewing experience?

FIRST - THIRD SCENES

CINEMATOGRAPHY and LIGHTING

• low angle shot of moon from warehouse - demonstrates the importance of the moon to the iconography of the episode
• long shot of Hawkins family living room, showing various family members sprawled out on their phones - stereotypes of children/teenagers
• high angled, long shot of synths in warehouse - emphasises loneliness of their existence 
• artificial LED lighting in warehouse - connotes being unnatural, creepy
• binary opposition of lighting - artificial vs natural, themes of conflict between synths and 'real' people
• close up shots of nude male and female synths, tracking shot slows down on female bodies - assumes a heterosexual male audience, voyeurism

SOUND

• when we first see Anita move, it plays techno music - as if she's been turned on, non diegetic, shows she is the protagonist and unique 
• in the opening credits, sounds are made with digital technology/synthetics - establishes key theme, intertextual reference to electronic music produced by bands like 'Daft Punk', shows some context

MISE EN SCENE

• montage of assorted news footage and articles in opening credits/stock footage, overlaid with digital distortion - makes it look digital, further confirming the key message of the show, what is real?
• extreme close up of eye - 'eyes are the windows to the soul' - shows that the synths have emotions, referential to 'Blade Runner' (1982)

AUTONOMY  having control over your life

AUTOMITON  someone who has no control of their life, like a slave

REPRESENTATION re-presentation by the producer, to show their ideology, producer is always trying to manipulate the audience 

What roles do women/synths adopt in Humans?

• Domestic housewife
• mother 
• sex worker
• child
• friend
• professional
• caregiver
• maid/butler

closing montage

representations of gender

• maternal - midshot of Anita standing over young girl
• sex worker is a slave - slow zoom on her face to close up shot, looking directly into camera, makes audience feel uncomfortable
• men are demanding and aggressive - makes orders, doesn't care what anyone else wants
• dad has stereotypical patriarchal role - won't take Anita back even though Laura feels uncomfortable, he is primary user of Anita, he is in charge

MADONNA/WHORE COMPLEX

Madonna - virgin Mary

whore - prostitution

Sigmund Freud developed the theory to explain men's anxiety towards women's sexuality; madonna (women he admires and respects), whore (women he is attracted to but disrespects)

Anita fits into both categories, she is attractive like a 'whore', yet acts like a 'madonna'

WHAT IS HUMANITY?

• to find fulfilment 
• we talk and communicate
• we feel empathy
• we are inquisitive
• we want to learn to make ourselves better
• we feel love  

'Humans' is an allegory 

JUDITH BUTLER

THEORIES OF GENDER PERFORMATIVITY 

• identity is a performance, and it is constructed through a series of acts and expressions that we perform everyday
• while there are biological differences dictated by sex, our gender is defined by a series of acts. These may include the way we walk, talk and dress, etc
• therefore, there is no gender identity behind these expressions of gender
• gender performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition and a ritual. it is outlined and reenforced through dominant patriarchal ideologies. 

'How is patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination evident in 'Humans'?'

• always assumed she will be a woman - "i hope she's pretty"
• doesn't let Laura take Anita back - putting his foot down
• she feels like she has to do the housework - "don't do that, thats my job", set in her ways that she does the housework
• man in brothel doesn't view her as having feelings - because she's a woman or synth? 
• Joe is 'primary user' - he has more power than everyone, he makes all the decisions 

John Berjer - bonus theorist

Within a narrative, it will be male characters that drive the story. They will be the ones doing stuff. Women are there to be looked at.

Humans has an ensemble cast, it makes it difficult to know who the protagonist is. 

story arcs;

• the Hawkin's family
• Leo trying to find Anita
• George and Odi
• flashback of Leo and Anita together
• Niska in brothel 
• Fred in plantation
• detective and his wife

How is Leo constructed in confrontation scene?

• close up shot when threatening the man - aggressive, isn't scared of him
• dark and scruffy clothing - shows he is a 'rough and ready' protangonist
• Leo is unshaven - doesn't care what he looks like, he is on the run
• stern and blunt when he speaks
• approaches man when he is turned around and vulnerable - smart and tactical 
• doesn't stay there any longer than he needs to - always active, active protagonist

• sexualisation -
• 
  
• sexual exploitation - 
• 
  
• modern slavery - 
• "you're just a dumb machine"
• don't get any money from doing the tasks 
• they do whatever you tell them to
• buying and owning the synths, buying them from shop as if from a slave market
• capitalism and the nuclear family -
• "i hope she's pretty"
• prostitution and the rights of sex workers - 
• robots are depictions of people, people won't know where to draw the line, may not realise the difference between what's fake and what's real
• pornography, know how son is feeling when he looks at Anita, 
• racism - 

HYPERREALITY beyond reality

constructing a (hyper)reality that is better than actual reality

SIMULACRA  a representation of something that never existed in the first place

SIMULACRA IN HUMANS

• synths (copies of perfect humans which do not exist)
• the parallel world to our own is a hyperreality

JEAN BAUDRILLARD

POSTMODERNISM

• the 'real' world and the world of the media have collapsed, and it is no longer possible to distinguish between what is real and what is simulation
• it doesnt matter which one is which
• media products have become postmodern

breaks rules deliberately (such as religion and science)

rejection of high culture 

breaking the 4th wall

intertextuality

How does this media product use intertextuality?

In the opening scene of 'Humans', we see all the synths lined up in the warehouse, followed by an extreme close-up shot of Anita's eye. This makes reference to 'Blade Runner' 1982, where we also see this shot. This opens up some questions for the audience as we often refer to eyes as 'the windows to the soul', therefore, it makes us question wether Anita has emotions and feelings. The producer has used this intertextual reference in the opening scene to raise the question that we are made to think about throughout the series.

MAGAZINE PRE-PRODUCTION

TITLE - FAUX, CUSTOM

GENRE - EDGY/TEEN FASHION

TARGET AUDIENCE - TEENAGE GIRLS, LOW SOCIO-ECONOMIC BAND

IDEOLOGICAL FOCUS - STYLING VINTAGE/CHEAPER/EDGY CLOTHES 

KEY REPRESENTATIONS - REBELLIOUS, 

LINKS TO MUSIC VIDEO - INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST, TALKING ABOUT THE FASHION IN MUSIC VIDEO, PROTAGONISTS IN MUSIC VIDEO ON THE COVER

MOCK WEEK

Component 1 A

In what ways do music videos encode viewpoints and ideologies? Make reference to Formation by Beyoncé and Riptide by Jack Vance.  [30]

IDEOLOGY a belief/ opinion (producer + media language constructs ideologies in media products, to spread their beliefs and manipulate their audience)

USE CAMERA ANGLES/ SHOT TYPES

RIPTIDE - confusion, makes audience think, mixture of representations of women (pick and mix)

Women are vulnerable and weak-

• lowkey lighting suggests she is surrounded by darkness, horror film situation, intertextuality/referential code 
• cant hold herself together - sings wrong lyrics, subtitles at bottom of screen
• smeared makeup - bad situation, having a breakdown

FORMATION - racism (post-colonialism), slavery, hurricane in New Orleans, embracing your roots 

Beyonce represents black women in South America-

• independent and isolated standing on top of police car, polysemic 
• independence and power suggested with her gesture, legs spread apart and fist in air, referential of Statue of Liberty 

A) Media Language 
Barthes - Semiotic codes (symbolic, hermeneutic, proairetic, referential) 
Levi-Strauss - Structuralism / binary opposition (2 ideas being in conflict with each other to create narrative)

B) Representation
Hall - Representation + stereotypes (representation is a re-presentation of a group in society through media codes)
Gauntlett - Identity / pick and mix (audiences can pick and mix an ideology to suit them best)
Van Zoonen- Feminism Theory (women are only in the media for heterosexual men, 'male gaze')
hook-  Feminism Theory ('feminism is for everyone' , the way men are represented can have a negative impact on them too)
Gilroy - Post-colonialism (media products can still follow colonial ideologies and enforce racial hierarchies)

Component 1 B

Explore the ways in which production, distribution and circulation have shaped the newspapers you have studied. Make reference to The Daily Mirror and The Times. [15]


C) Industry
Curran and Seaton - Power and Media Industries (the media is controlled by a small number of huge companies/conglomerates, which limits creativity and variety)
Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation (traditional approaches to media regulation are at risk)
Hesmondhalgh - Cultural Industries (media producers try to minimise risk and maximise audience through horizontal and vertical integration)

PRODUCTION  how the producer makes the media product
DISTRIBUTION  how the producer gives the product to the audience
CIRCULATION  the number of copies printed
CONGLOMERATION  when one company buys another one

THE DAILY MIRROR
TABLOID (more informal, smaller, easier to read, working class, larger headlines, doesn't require much previous knowledge, 50p, left wing/labour)

THE TIMES
BROADSHEET (formal, larger, takes longer to read, middle class, smaller headlines, assuming audience have knowledge and understanding beforehand, £1, right wing/conservative)

PRINT BASED VS ONLINE
ONLINE
Disadvantages (reliant on the internet, people don't get same experience, less regulation, less people employed)
Advantages (instant, convenient, allows newspaper companies to target newer audiences, can easily update as the news changes)

PRINT BASED
Disadvantages (inconvenient, very specific demographic, news can change within a few hours)
Advantages (people like having a physical copy, don't rely on the internet, employs lots more people)

ISPO regulates newspapers in the UK  (newspapers can still twist the rules in their favour)

Component 2

To what extent has sociohistorical context influenced representations in the magazines you have studied? Make reference to both Adbusters and Woman.  [30]

STRUCTURE

1) underline key terms, form an opinion
2) plan! (stereotypes, hegemony, objectification, semiotics, binary opposition, theorists, sexualisation)
3) introduction (define key words, argument, context)
4) paragraphs (point, example, explain, link back to question)
5) conclusion (sum up your argument) 

BEYONCE - FORMATION (2016)

Themes of violence and conflict

• repeated mise en scene of police car in flood - connotes crime and rebellion, anchored by carefree and powerful facial expressions
• intertextual conflict requires existing knowledge - police persecution of black people
• hanging out of car - conflicts with calm facial expressions
• contrast between poor, dilapidated neighbourhood and rich, antebellum house - connotation of antebellum house is slavery, as house was owned by white man
• Beyonce is mixed race (BME) but is wearing antebellum dress (owned - by slave master's wife) - binary opposition, cultural appropriation, demonstrates strength and power over the past
• high key spotlight in empty swimming pool, shorts, crop tops, librarian glasses, and 70's loose afros 

Formation is the lead single for the album Lemonade. The song was released the day before Beyonce performed at the Super Bowl, Feb 2016. The music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas. 

The video has won various awards, such as a Clio Award for Innovation.

The video is set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina and the associated racial tension in America. Draws historical parallels with references to racism and slavery.

How does movement encode meaning?

• females are united - strength 
• 70's afros bouncing as they dance - embracing their culture 
• foot stomp - aggression, making a stand 
• quick and blunt movements 

• high energy - confident 
• zooming in and direct address - leading character, recognised as a powerful figure within black lives movement 
• females dancing in front and behind - females supporting each other 

• importance of hair emphasized throughout - embracing your roots
• mid shot and direct address - focus on her movement and appreciate deeper meaning
• calm and blank facial expression - carefree or resignation (polysemic)

HYPERREALITY  refers to the idea that representations within media texts are more real than reality (SIMULACRUM  representation of something that no longer exists, or something that never exists)

BRICOLAGE  a media product which combines lots of different elements from different time periods and styles

• Formation ideology may be that not much has changed, in over 100 years there is still discrimination of black people 

JEAN BAUDRILLARD

POSTMODERNISM

"It is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting signs of the real for the real" (representation is the new reality)

PAUL GILROY

THEORIES AROUND ETHNICITY AND POST-COLONIAL THEORY

COLONISATION  when one country takes over another country and forces their culture on them

Colonisation creates a hierarchy, where the colonisers believe they are better than the other country

• another method of establishing hegemonic control