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

VANCE JOY - RIPTIDE

POSTMODERNISM 
cannot be defined, shouldn't be a theory

• 'style of substance' - valuing the looks of something over the depth of it
• emphasises surface meaning over deeper analysis - shouldn't be analysed
• distrust of form and established conventions - break rules on purpose 
• e.g. 'breaking the fourth wall' - character turning to talk to the audience in a film

VANCE JOY - RIPTIDE (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ_1HMAGb4k

Vance Joy is an Australian singer-songwriter signed to Atlantic Records (subsidiary of major label, Warner). His music can be categorised as fitting into indie folk-pop genre. Riptide was Vance Joy's first single to be released in the USA, it became a platinum selling single. The video was directed by Dimitri Basil and Laura Gorun and has had nearly 210 million youtube views

OBJECTIFICATION  the process by which a human is represented as an object
MALE GAZE  the assumption that every media product is created for the heterosexual male audience, therefore, the function of any woman we see is for their pleasure, Lizbet Van Zoonen
SEXUALISATION  the process of only valuing someone for their sexual appeal
VOYEURISM  taking pleasure of watching someone whilst they're undetected 
SCOPOPHILLIA  the love of watching (voyeurism)

• general theme and narrative - montage of shots suggests themes of drowning and death ("sank", makeup coming off, "lump in my throat")
• alternative theme and narrative - unpredictable and deliberately misleading montage of shots
• deliberately invites polysemic interpretations 
• montage consistently matches the themes of the lyrics - "cowboy running" in a long, cantered shot, symbolic of dual personality, afraid of what he has become
• intertextuality of old western film - mise en scene of costume, referential code to create audience appeal
• intertextuality of horror film - mid shot of ouija board, "dark side", referential of 70's horror cinema
• date on letter is "August 1974" - mid shot, anchors audience into a particular time period, picked 70's because it was considered cool 
• mid shot of feet being dragged under a bed, low angle shot, low-key purple lighting- purple lighting connotes evil and darkness, specific reference to 1970's Italian horror films
• denies the audience of a definite meaning
• voyeuristic, high angle long shot of young, blonde woman removing swimsuit, zooms in - high angle shot is demeaning towards woman because we look down on her, makes reference to lyrics "pretty girls", voyeuristic aspect is creepy, positions audience to a perverted perspective, Van Zoonen's 'Female Gaze' theory
• "techniques of photographing girls" - female, manicured hand pushes book into the centre of the frame, seems rehearsed and non-consensual

• high angle shot - voyeuristic intent (positioning)
• looking out into the ocean, symbolic of adventure 
• mise en scene of costume - exotic 
• framed in centre of shot - emphasizes her importance to heterosexual male audience (male gaze)
• shallow depth of field shot - she is in focus, background is blurred, importance
• shot with zoom lens - voyeuristic 
• stereotypically attractive - blonde hair
• mid shot of her back - implies she isn't aware that the audience is watching
• mise en scene of beach - adventure, luxury 

Representation of women

• women are vulnerable - stereotypical in films/ intertextuality, damsels in distress, voyeuristic angles 
• powerful and independent - smoking, stereotypical of men
• often close to men or being comforted by men - dependant 
• various shots of feet and hands - objectify women, audience can't see their emotions 
• subverts and conforms to stereotypical representations of women
• no explicit anchorage of ideology in music video 

How does thus video to Riptide encode feminist ideology?

• almost mocking sexism in music videos - book of "how to photograph girls", connotes that women are purely present to be looked at by male heterosexual audience 
• mise en scene of masculine clothing 
• low angle mid shot of woman holding arms in air - gesture connotes power
• mid shot of blonde woman bound in tightrope - connotes the restrictions that females face in society, critical of the notion of woman as a 'weaker sex' , women are being 'tied down' with maternal responsibilities etc
• video lacks anchorage - forces audience to make their own assumptions, highly polysemic
• ironic representation of patriarchal hegemony 

'SUSPIRIA' (1979) re-release trailer

Italian horror film

Paradigmatic features

• props - knives, noose, gloved hands, barbed wire
• weak and vulnerable female protagonist - damsel in distress archetype
• colour scheme - vibrant primary colours, red and blue filters, typical of 70's European horror
• soundtrack - use of suspenseful non-diegetic sounds, diegetic female screaming
• iconographic features such as cherry-red blood

The iconography in Riptide heavily references the horror genre ('dentist' looks like a torture device, dull and unsaturated colour, vibrant use of reds on lips and nails)

SURREALISM  an artistic movement that originated in France, a text which follows the logic of dreams

"Un Chien Andalou" - French surrealist film

"Riptide" and "Un Chien Andalou" both lack continuity (subversive of regular films and music videos that use eye-line matches and a match on action)

Surrealism allows a larger audience, gratification of intertextuality and social interaction (will go away and talk about it)

MUSIC VIDEOS

• video that accompanies a song
• visual aspect of the song
• often includes performance
• another level of entertainment 
• promotes the song
• looks how a song sounds

POLYSEMY  multiple meaning

CULTURAL/SOCIAL CONTEXT  whats going on in the world at the time

Audience can identify the most with music over any other music product - personal

• SCOPITONE  video jukebox - popular in France, beginning of music videos

France Gall - Baby Pop (1965)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vczO-PqhDis

• binary opposition between music video and lyrics - dancing in the video but lyrics translate as "alone and abandoned"
• setting is unconventional and boring - (e.g. office and bleak building) , this architecture in 1960's was considered cool
• long shot of her looking away from camera - awkward, first music videos
• conventional costumes - chic and fashionable in 1960's

Rebecca - Vanity Angel (1989)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SN&hl=fr&v=EtdkgVMBbNQ

• mid shot, looking into camera, direct mode of address - conventional , performance 
• colourful and fast-paced editing - Japanese style music video
• young woman, aspirational - targets audience of teenage girls
• low angle shot of building with neon lights - lights make it exciting, stereotypical American apartment, exotic appeal for Japanese audience (escapism) 

Pulp - Babies (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38by00DGid0

• the diegesis of sound is complicated  
• use of text/ graphics/ inter title - communicates explicit meaning to the audience
• long shot at the beginning introduces band - slowly coming into focus
• mise en scene is typical of socio-political context - bedroom is working class (small), aiming for working class audience 
• suit without a shirt and miserable-looking keyboard player - doesn't conform to hegemonic codes

CONVERGENCE  the 'coming together' of 2 previously separate media industries (film and music)

Why do music videos exists?

• completely new
• another way to earn money 
• another form of entertainment - targets more audiences
• a different way to listen to music
• an advert for the song and artist

SYNGERGY  where the interconnectedness of media products leads to a result of more of the sum of its parts (the benefits of convergence) - easily shared

MTV - used to only play music videos, 1980's, music videos became really popular, American channel 

Music video Vs Cinema 

MV

• beat matching 
• shorter (average 3-4 minutes)
• less elaborate narrative
• no expectation of trailer
• video isn't the product, it's the advert 
• hyper-energetic 
• fast-paced editing
• a lot of direct address
• younger target demographic
• free

C

• music is just played over the top
• longer (average 1.5-2 hours)
• elaborated narrative
• expectation of trailer
• the product
• realistic, less energy 
• slower- paced editing (other than action scenes)
• less direct address 
• older target demographic
• expectation to pay

CELEBRITY  "the attribution of glamorous or notorious status to an individual in the public sphere"

Lady GaGa - Applause (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pco91kroVgQ

• mid shot, mise en scene of eye mask - secrecy
• lack of clothing symbolises boldness of personality - celebrity is encoded by breaking hegemonic rules of society
• mise en scene of cauldron symbolises thats she's a witch - potentially a difficult and unpleasant person
• long shot, audience's eyes go towards her even though she's in a group - key-light id shone on her
• close up shot with highkey-lighting - importance 
• mise en scene of large bouquet of flowers - polysemic meanings of funeral or a winner, funeral meaning symbolises she's making a comeback because the old her is 'dead'
• binary opposition between revealing and covered up costumes - subversive of celebrities (making her a celeb)
• consistent use of close-ups of her face - encodes she is a celebrity 

METANARRATIVE  (aka GRAND NARRATIVE) refers to an overarching narrative or system of beliefs that helps us to make sense of the world (e.g. religion, science, marriage, marxism)

key words

STEREOTYPICAL  relating to a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

CONFORMS  comply with rules, standards, or laws

SUBVERTS  undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution)

OBJECTIFICATION  the action of degrading someone to the status of a mere object

SEXUALISATION  to make something sexual in character or quality

HEGEMONY leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others

PATRIARCHAL HEGEMONY leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others (men over women) 

CHALLENGES  a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength

FETISHISATION  worship of an inanimate object for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit

SYMBOLIC ANNIHILATION  the absence of representation, or underrepresentation, of some group of people in the media (often based on their race, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc.)

SCOPOPHILIA/ VOYEURISM sexual pleasure derived chiefly from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity