




































































Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
An overview of key terminology, ideas, and concepts related to media language, representation, and audiences in the context of crime drama and film. Topics include genre, visual and technical codes, narrative, characters, ownership, and distribution. Students will learn how to analyze visual codes, such as gender and ethnicity representation, and understand the role of media industries and audiences in shaping media content.
Typology: Study notes
1 / 76
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
Colour ^ Camera shots
Location ^ Lighting
Gesture codes ^ Language codes–^ written and spoken.
Facial expressions
Props
Genre is a way of categorising media products. The concept relates to film and television, but can be applied to many products. Generic products are defined by a set of elements that are repeated across them:
Visual iconography —visual codes associated with a genre. Technical codes —different genres use different codes in specific ways. Narrative —the way in which the story is told. Characters —most genres have an expected type of character.
Key Terms: Genre
Familiar conventions: elements that we would expect to see in a particular genre.
Unexpected elements: conventions we would not expect to see in a genre.
Technological developments : new technologies that enable media producers to create products in a different way.
Subgenre: a more specific genre with two different genres (Rom-Com)
Hybrid: a combination of two or more different genres.
Disruption : an event or action that interrupts the narrative
Conflict : a clash between two characters or groups of people.
Linear narrative : a narrative structure where all of the events happen in logical order, one after the other.
Key terms: Narrative
Equilibrium : at the beginning, everything is calm and balanced.
Disruption : an event or problem occurs to upset the balance.
Recognition : the characters realise that there is a problem.
Resolution: the problem is solved.
New equilibrium: everything returns to a state of balance.
What if it is a non-linear narrative? It might include:
Flashbacks—Flash-forwards – creates suspense.
Enigma code: a mystery or puzzle, media products often don’t tell all elements at once but withhold information to keep audience guessing.
Transformation : a major change. Characters are often transformed.
Construct: put elements together to create a media product
Version of reality: a particular view of actual events (newspapers)
Mediation : the way which media producers interpret and re-present aspects of reality.
Uphold stereotype: reinforce a stereotypical image of a social group.
Subvert stereotype: to go against a stereotypical portrayal and resent a broader view o a social group.
Masculinity: the trains are typically associated with males.
Femininity: attributes that are typically associated with being female.
This looks at the study of the production processes, ownership and funding, technology and regulation.
Production : the stage where the media production is created Distribution and circulation: the way in which the product is delivered to different audiences. Consumption: the way in which the audi- ence ‘takes in’ the media production for example, watching TV or playing a game. Production values: the quality of technical elements of a product. Public funding: money that comes from the government or TV licence fee. Convergence: way in which products or brands are made available to audiences on a number of platforms. Ofcom: The Office of Communication the regulator for broadcasting. Video on demand: products that are available to be streamed or downloaded.
cultural or religious identity. There are many ‘misrepresentations’ of ethnicity. For example:
villains in television programs are often from ethnic minority groups Immigrants to Britain are represented negatively Antisocial young people are often from ethnic minority groups.
Technology: Plays an important role in the production of media texts. It also:
impacts on how product are made, distributed and circulated. The use of convergence allows producers to reach wider audiences.
organisations (Channel 4, News Corporation, for ex- ample) Some are made by smaller companies.
Production values may be different depending on the ownership (more money for bigger organisations) A director might be down for a type of style An actor may be known for a type of role or genre Funding can also impact on ownership.
Regulation: Most media industries are regulated. They are there to:
offer guidance to companies about stand- ards or codes of practice they should follow Monitor or control media companies. Might include responding to complaints for example.
Component 1
You need to be able to speak about these key areas for set products:
Media language Representation Audiences Media Industries
You must understand the context of these products. Context looks at these key areas:
Political context Social and cultural context Historical context
The products you will study in this component are:
Section A: Media language and Representation
Magazine covers Film Posters Newspaper front pag- Print adverts (marketing) es Pride (2015) The Man with The Gold- The Guardian (2015) Quality Street (1956)
GQ (2016) en Gun (1974)^ The Sun (2013) This Girl Can (2015) Spectre (2015)
Section B: Media Industries and Audiences
Spectre (2015) Pokemon Go
Home learning Task 2: Comparison of GQ and an unseen magazine
Key questions to think abut when comparing:
How is gender represented? How is ethnicity represented? How is age represented? What is similar or different about the cover lines? What ideology does the magazine have? Are they the same?
TASK: Complete an analysis comparing both magazine covers. What representations are
shown? (25 marrks )
Answer these questions:
1. Consider the representations of ethnicity and gender. Provide examples
and what they connote.
2. What gratification would audiences get out of this magazine? Identify the Target audience and their
gratification.
How do the
images make
you feel as an
active or
passive
audience?
Regular Segment of the paper
Masthead
subtext
Dominant image
Mode of address
Emotive language
Linked article
Context of The Guardian
T he Guardian is a British national daily newspaper with an average daily circulation of roughly 189 000 copies of their print edition in the UK.
Just days before this front page, a YouGov Poll revealed that 42% of their responders said immigration was the key area where Britain needed to win back power from Brussels.
Britain ultimately voted to leave the EU on June 23rd 2016 – Brexit – and it is believed that many people voted this way due to their feelings about immigration
Headline Caption Stand first
Secondary story Splash Anchorage
Plug By-line Trail
Context of ‘The Sun’
The most notable controversy was The Sun’s coverage of the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster in Sheffield on 15th April 1989, in which 96 people died.
The paper ran a front page headline of “The Truth” and printed allegations that fans pickpocketed victims, urinated on members of the emergency services and assaulted a policeman who was administering the kiss of life to a victim.
The story was seemingly based on allegations from anonymous sources that were later proved to be false and The Sun apologised. The front page caused outrage in Liverpool where it was soon titled “ The Scum ” and a significant proportion of the city’s population still boycott the paper today with many shops even refusing to stock it.
Main image Gaze Date of release
Institution logo Production credits Review by industry
Billing block (5 stars)
Name of film Name of stars Intertextuality
Why would you think Bond is the hero?
What does the tuxedo connote?
What intertextuality is shown?
What do the colours con- note about the narrative?
What does the ‘Day of The Dead’ in the background connote?
What intertextuality is there in the poster?
What does the gun connote about the genre?
Context of Spectre:
The film was created with an estimated $245 million budget making it the most expensive Bond film and one of the most expensive films ever made. It grossed over $880 million at the worldwide box office.
Vladimir Propp’s Theory:
He believed that all narratives were repeated with the same function of characters. Every narrative tends to have...
the villain, who struggles with the hero (formally known as the antagonist) the donor the helper the Princess, a sought-for person (and/or her father), who exists as a goal and often recognizes and marries hero and/or punishes villain the dispatcher the hero, who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds the false hero (or antihero or usurper), who claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero (ie by trying to marry the princess)
? Research into the James Bond Franchise. Who were the different actors? What was the gross income from all of the films?
At the start of the 20th century, many film depictions of minority ethnic groups supported the dominant
stereo-types of the time: to be pitied, to be laughed at, the exotic and/or dangerous. The film was set in the middle of the 1973 energy crisis, when the oil producing Arab nations proclaimed an oil em-bargo causing an oil crisis which had both short and long-term effects across on politics and the economy across the globe. Based on a book of the same name, written by Ian Fleming, the film was produced by the British company Eon (Everything or Nothing) Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film was created with an estimated $7 million budget and grossed over $97 million at the world wide box office.
Adverts
Adverts are used to sell products. They often carry hidden meanings which are for the audience to work out. The conventions below include some of the obvious conventions and some which institutions like to add in.
Conventions of Adverts
Logo Main image website
Tagline Slogan Social media
Hashtag Picture of the product Intertextuality
Dominant ideology Gender Campaign
Stereotype Social cohesion Brand logo
Sexism Aspirational role model Protagonist
Determination Positivity Ideology