Television

Industries and Audiences      29th October 2018

L.O. research the history, companies & regulators in the Television Industry.

• Paper 1 Section A
• Given an unseen extract from a TV drama to watch and analyse, shown 4 times
• 3 questions about the extract

Could be asked about: 

• How media language is used to create meaning
• How the industry has influenced the meaning
• The audience's reaction to the extract
• The social, cultural, historical context

Terminology

• Publicly owned TV Channel - are owned by either the government or non-profit organisations and get their money by collecting fees from the viewers. Public TV mostly shows documentaries and current affairs programmes (the news). E.g. The BBC

• Commercial TV Channel - are owned privately and get their money by selling advertising time in between shows. Commercial TV mostly shows entertainment like soap operas, game shows and reality TV.

• Convergence - the process of joining/converging together. (technology) Some technology is no longer useful and others are now the most useful and joining lots of technologies into 1. 

• Watershed - indicates the time (usually 9PM until 5:30AM) when TV programmes with adult content (15+), which might be unsuitable for children, are broadcasted.

• Segmented market - Dividing a market of potential customers into groups, or segments, based on different characteristics. The segments created are made of customers who will respond similarly to marketing strategies and who share traits such as similar needs, interests or location.

• Mainstream - the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal or conventional.

• Self-regulating - regulating itself without any intervention from external bodies.

• Franchise - A license that allows a series of films, TV programmes, games or other media products based on the same background characters or situations that often crosses over a range of media forms to be shown elsewhere or recreated.

• Channel surfing - is the practice of quickly scanning through different television channels to find something to watch.

• PSB - Public Service Broadcasting is broadcasting made, financed and controlled by the public - it is neither commercial or state owned and free from political interference.

• TV License - a payment required to purchase a TV and access television broadcasts.

• Scheduling - a plan that identifies what TV programmes are shown at what times.

• Conglomerate - a company that is involved in or composed of mass media enterprises, such as TV, radio, publishing, theme parks, motion pictures or the Internet.

Research Task

• When was TV introduced to the UK?

TV was introduced in 1936, it was then suspended during World War II and returned in 1946.

• In 1965, how many channels were there and what were they?

3 channels - BBC1, BBC2 and ITV.

• When did ITV start? Why was it different?

ITV started on the 22nd September 1955 and it was different because it had advertisements.

• Which UK channels have to follow PSB remits?

Channel 3 services, Channel 4, Channel 5, S4C and the BBC.

• Who regulates TV now?

OFCOM

• Who regulated TV channels in the 1960s?

The law / self-regulating

• List the differences between TV in the 60s and now?

- In the 60s, there were only 3 channels and now there are over 100 available. 

- TV in the 60s was regulated by the law / itself and now it is regulated by Ofcom.

- All TV channels had to follow the PSB but now there is more channels, not all of them follow it.

TV Industries: Ownerships   1st November 2018

L.O. explore the history of ownership in two key channels.

Public Service Broadcasting - 

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) is broadcasting made, financed and controlled by the public to benefit them rather than for purely commercial concerns - it is neither commercial or state owned and free from political interference. The BBC is the main PSB channel in the UK and is funded by a license fee.

BBC

• Mission Statement - "to inform, entertain and educate".
• Established in 1927.
• In 1953 the live coronation of Queen Elizabeth II saw a massive increase in TV sales.
• ITV was the BBC's first rival.

Commercial Institutions      5th November 2018

Generally have no guaranteed income therefore it is essential they are profitable. They generate profit by:

• Subscriptions (e.g. BT Vision, Sky Sports/Movies)
• Pay per view (e.g. Sky Box Office)
• Sponsorships (e.g. sponsor strings or 'thanks to' messages on credits)
• Advertising (e.g. £250,000 for 30 seconds in Britain's Got Talent)
• Product placement (allowed since 2011, not allowed on news or children's shows, cigarettes are banned, companies pay to have their products shown)

ITV

• It isn't 1 company - ITV is a network of lots of different regional companies (such as Yorkshire, Granada, Central, Anglia, Meridian, etc) and programmes.
• They have to produce news, children's programmes, religious programmes, political coverage (at key times), and accessible (with subtitles/sign language) programmes.

Duopoly

ITV and The BBC was known as the 'Golden Age' of broadcasting in the UK and produced all programmes by themselves.

Positives - both companies have all control of all aspects, able to apply their own creative vision, competition between them meant they both tried to be the best, able to build loyal audiences and in house talent, production became a business.

Negatives - hard for voices outside of the institution hard to be heard, ideologies  gave into political pressures, some argued that the BBC 'dumbed down' some of its content.

Serial TV Drama    Monday 12th November 2018

L.O. explore the TV drama genre and conventions.

TV Drama Definition - contains a series of real life situations which are exaggerated yet relatable, through the use of: themes, settings, issues and narrative. Intended to be more serious than humorous. Runs in seasons or series with a break in between.

Serial TV Drama Definition - any TV drama that is organised into a series of episodes (as opposed to one-off dramas). Typically, a series contains between 3 and 12 episodes. A serial has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. They mainly follow main story arcs that unfold in an entire season, or even the full run of the series. This distinguishes them from traditional episodic TV that relies on more stand-alone episodes.

Popular Sub-genres - 

• Period/costume drama - Downton Abbey, Poldark, Pride and Prejudice
• Medical/Hospital drama - Casualty, Holby City, Grey's Anatomy, 
• Sci-Fi drama - Dr Who, Star Trek, Red Dwarf
• Fantasy drama - Game of Thrones, The Shannara Chronicles, Merlin
• Teen drama - Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale
• Crime drama - NCIS, Sherlock, Silent Witness
• Political drama - House of Cards, Scandal, Bodyguard

TV Drama often contains complex narratives and key characters that evolve as the season continues.

Serial vs Series

• Both serials and series both contain the same characters each week.

• A SERIAL has a narrative that continues from episode to episode (e.g. Luther, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders).

• A SERIES contains the same characters throughout, but each episode is a different story. So, you can start watching a series from any episode (e.g. CSI, Friends, Casualty).

Serial Drama popularity

Serial dramas are popular with TV broadcasters because they offer a range of appeals:

• Familiar characters - audience
• Familiar locations - audience
• Familiar narrative lines - audience
• Diversion/entertainment - audience
• Social identity - audience
• Known and specific audience - advertisers

My Wikipedia 'TV Serial Drama' definition - a TV Serial Drama are usually 3-12 episodes that have been organised into a series. They have a plot that continues throughout the series and unfolds in an episode-by-episode fashion. 

Thursday 15th November 2018

The Avengers and 1960s 

L.O. research the 1960s (UK) in terms of social, historic and political climate of the decade; research the TV show 'The Avengers'.


1960s:

• Not much technology for people to use
• Most people may have had a TV in their house
• Very social, children played outside often
• Newspapers and the news was the only way of finding out what was going on in the world
• A TV in the 1960s cost around £5.5k in today's money

Social and Political Context

• Who were the most famous bands? How was this music different to previous decades?

The most famous bands were The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and Led Zeppelin. The music was different to previous decades because it was heavily focussed around rock music, whereas previous decades were more rock and roll, swing and jazz.

• Which political party was in power in 1965? Who was PM?

Harold Wilson was PM for the Labour party, he was the first Labour Party leader since 1951.

• What were the main three youth group fashions and what were they like in terms of stereotypes?

There were the Hippies, Mods and Rockers. The hippies typically wore lots of tie dye, flowers and 'peace and love' symbols. The mods mainly wore slim trousers, bomber jackets, sweaters and parkas. The rockers wore leather jackets with patches and studs, jeans/leather trousers, leather caps and white silk scarves.

• Were illegal drugs a big part of culture?

Yes, illegal drug use was popularised by music and mass media and invaded all aspects of society.

• What scientific development changed women's lives?

The contraceptive pill was introduced to the UK in 1961. This allowed women to have more freedom when it came to 'having fun'.

• What significant historic events happened?

The Space Race took part throughout all of the 60s between the Soviet Union and the USA. The Cuban Missile Crisis also happened. JFK and MLK were also assassinated during the 60s. The first moon landing happened in the 60s (Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin) and England won the World Cup in football in 1966 which lead to the baby boomer generation.

• What wars were being fought around the world?

The Vietnam War was mainly between the USA and Vietnam and was going on throughout the whole of the 60s. It started because America disagreed with communism that was spreading through south-east Asia.

• What were people protesting about in the UK?

Civil rights were not legal in the UK before 1967, so before this many protests happened to fight to decriminalise homosexuality.

• How would life have been different in the UK in the 60s for women, men and different races compared to now?

Life for everyone would be different because back in the 60s they didn't have technology except for television, so they would have had to do everything manually. Racism was also very prominent in the 60s compared to today, and ideas were mainly based off of the UK's alliances in World War 2. The number of women in the 60s who went to higher education and moved out by themselves was also increasing, whereas now it is normal.

Monday 18th November 2018

The Avengers (1965)

L.O. research the TV show The Avengers.

1) Which institution (channel) produced the show?

ABC Television (American Broadcasting Company) - a contractor within the ITV network.

2) Who was the primary and secondary audience (age rating/gender/interests etc)?

A mainstream audience as it was on ITV, it was aired at 9PM which was last for then so adults watched it. Back then there were only 3 channels, and you would have to tune into each one, many people only watched one channel so that they wouldn't have to keep tuning in and out of channels.

3) When did the first episode air?

7th January 1961.

4) How many viewers followed the show?

It was difficult to get viewing figures back then, but it was ITV's biggest show and there are many remakes of it.

5) How many seasons were made?

6 and 161 episodes in total.

6) What date was the last episode aired?

21st May 1969.

7) What was the budget for Series 4?

£56,000 per episode, 26 episodes so a total of £1,456,000. Series 4 was shot on film whereas the other series were shot on video tape.

Called The Avengers as they tried to avenge the death of his fiancé who got caught up in the drugs business.

The fourth series was different to the third due to a $2 million deal with ABC. It was shot on film. What did this mean in terms of: locations, production values, editing, camerawork and sound?

• When filming series 4 on the new film, they used a single camera setup. This allowed for greater flexibility as although it was all shot on one camera, it allowed for greater flexibility with camera shots and could be filmed outside, however this was not common because the cameras were so big and heavy. Location work on series 4 were shot mute and dialogue scenes were filmed in the studio, leading to some jumps between location and studio footage. Shooting outside of a studio also made the show more realistic. The new cameras allowed for mistakes to be edited out to get more sophisticated production to compete on the world market. 

Who were the stars of 'Series 4 Episode 1: The Town of No Return'? Name the actors, include images and background information on them, e.g. age, gender, previous roles.

• The Town of No Return starred a male and a female character - John Steed played by Patrick Macnee and Emma Peel played by Diana Rigg. Patrick would have been 43 when The Town of No Return aired and Diana would have been 27. Patrick has also been in The New Avengers, A View to Kill and Scrooge. Diana has also been in Game of Thrones, Victoria and The Assassination Bureau. Patrick had been in The Avengers since the very start of the series, but Diana was new and joined The Avengers in series 4.

ITV was seen as the working class channel, compared to BBC's middle class. How did The Avengers compare, in terms of the representation of rising youth culture, compared to the BBC's flagship drama: The Forsyte Saga?

• In the BBC's 'The Forsyte Saga', the main characters were upper class which also represents the channel's audience. The Avengers is different, as the main characters were maybe lower/middle people so ITV's audience may feel as though they can relate to those characters. The BBC had to slowly leave its upper class image because of its rival ITV programs. Emma Peel was the first woman who saved people, as women were normally characters who were the males' girlfriends or wives. This is appealing to most people because of the rising feminism movement, so they would rather watch The Avengers over the traditional and older The Forsyte Saga.

Monday 26th November 2018

TV: Media Language

L.O. revise and research key terminology for use with audio-visual analysis.

Media Language = camerawork, soundtrack, editing, mise-en-scene.

Thursday 29th November 2018

The Avengers: The Town of No Return

L.O. explore the narrative, characters and context of Series 4 Episode 1.

• The narrative - Emma Peel and John Steed are working for a secret government agency and meet each other in London to get the train to a village called Little Bazeley to investigate why the agency has lost 4 agents there. They meet a man called Mr Small on the train who has a brother called Tom in the village. When they get there, they go to the village pub and don't have a warm welcome from the locals and they then go to their rooms that are dusty and dirty. Emma gets a job at the teacher at the primary school but the other teacher and school inspector are suspicious. Emma and John then realise that everyone in the village (including the vicar) are corrupt and nothing adds up. They go to the abandoned air field and find an underground base of people who have been brought to the village to plan an invasion in the UK and its filled with explosives and weapons. John and Emma then fight everyone in the basement and all of the corrupt villagers, leave them knocked out and leave the village on a Vespa.

• The characters - John Steed (Patrick Macnee), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), Smallwood, Piggy, Teacher, School Inspector, Saul

• Links to social and cultural context (mid 60s) - Emma was one of the first female characters to be heroic and not just a male character's girlfriend or wife, left Little Bazeley on a Vespa. The main characters were wearing 60s fashionable clothes but were also dressed as detectives.

• Audience Appeal - the audience would have been working class people because it was shown on ITV which was seen to be the channel that working class people watched. It would appeal to the audience because the show was very innovative for the time, for example, Emma Peel would have been a very inspiring characters for women especially because there was never a heroic female character at the time. An upper class audience may have still enjoyed The Avengers because the two main characters were upper class, however ITV and the show was aimed at the mass audience that was working class people.

Monday 3rd December 2018

Avengers Stereotypes

Representations within The Avengers:

Context of the 1960s:

• Gender - in the 1960s, there were no heroic female characters so The Avengers was innovative in that it was a show that kept up with the feminist movement which is shown in the episode because 1 of the 2 main characters (Emma Peel) is a female. In the 60s, males were the main provider of income in a household, however females were starting to get work and jobs.
• Age - in the 60s round people were seen to be rebellious by the older generation. The older people were often tied down by the jobs and quite conservative. The younger people were very style conscious, had their own styles (hippies, mods and rockers) and were often involved in many political movements such as the protests for gay rights and female rights.
• Class - there was a large class divide in the 60s. Many people were working class and people would work in places like factories for little wages. These people stereotypically watched the ITV channel because its programmes were aimed at the working class people. Upper class people lived in large houses and had a lot of money, these people watched the BBC channel because it was aimed at the upper class.
• Sexuality - homosexuality in the 60s was made to be decriminalised. There were protests that caused this to happen and finally in 1967 the law was passed. The protests in the 60s demanded for equal rights between all sexualities, and in 1967 a step in the right direction finally happened.
• Ethnicity - the vast majority of Britain in the 60s were white. Racism was very prominent and often aimed towards the country's enemies in World War 2.

Monday 10th December 2018

The Avengers: The Town of No Return

L.O. analyse representation and use of Media Language in Series 4, Episode 1.

How was Britishness represented in Episode 1:

• Tea on the train and getting the kettle out of Steed's bag.
• Typical British seaside town setting with a pub, fishermen, quiet village people wary of outsiders.
• Steed was wearing a suit, bowler hat (60s stereotypes of British clothes) and an umbrella as it 'always rains in England'.
• No accent, typical formal British accent that other countries are familiar with, villagers had a slight country accent.
• Piggy had a large moustache and an exaggerated British military personality.
• Polite manners when meeting each other.

Exam Style Question: How was MEDIA LANGUAGE used to show the social context of the 1960s?

Consider:

• Camerawork
• Mise-en-scene
• Editing
• Sound

In this scene of The Avengers, camerawork is used to help show the social context of the 60s. This can be shown by the use of the tracking shot when Steed and Peel are fencing. This may be because back in the 60s, the cameras were too heavy to film shots that could be cut, so instead follow (track) Steed and Peel around her apartment. As the shot is following both characters, it therefore presents them as both being equal to each other. This could represent the rising feminist movement and increasing equality for females that was happening during the 60s. This part is juxtaposed to another part of the scene where Peel and Steed are fighting and he hits her bum, as it implies that men still think that women are a sexual object. This relates to Laura Mulvey's theory stating that women are seen as "sexual objects for males on screen and in the audience", as Steed feels it is ok to do this, and also ends up winning their fight.

The use of mise-en-scene is also used to show the social context of the 60s. This can be shown by the layout and location of Emma's apartment. The view from her window shows a city which is likely to be London. This help show the social context because London was a very famous city all over the world, especially America which is where this series was also shown, so both the British and American audience will be familiar with the setting. The layout in Emma's apartment (e.g. the furniture and plant pots) also help represent what was popular in Britain at the time. Another way the mise-en-scene helps to represent the social context of the time is that Emma is a single female living by herself, shown by her doorbell only having her name on it. This helps to portray the rising feminism movement taking place during the 60s because it shows that women don't need to live with a male or a husband to survive.

Sound in this The Avengers scene also helps to show the social context of the 60s. This can be shown by the non-diegetic background music that speeds up or slows down based on what is happening in the scene. For example, during the fencing part, the music speeds up and gets slightly louder to show that this part is more dramatic and playful. The genre of this music is jazz, which was a very popular style of music for the 60s, especially in America. This also helps to show the social context of the time as the British audience will be familiar with this style, and audiences from America will be able to hear what type of music is popular in Britain during this time.

Target: explain the effect of the media language

Thursday 13th December 2018

The Avengers: The Town of No Return

L.O. reflect on and improve exam style answers.



Targets:

• Literacy: capital letters for names, places, titles and episodes.
• Structure: use the PEEL structure: p=point - linked to question, e=evidence - describe the section chose, e=explain - explain what this suggests/connotes/shows, l=link - link it to the context at the time.
• Terminology: use accurate terminology and media language.
• Context: avoid big sweeping generalisations e.g. "Women's rights were progressing." - be specific and detailed.

Monday 7th January 2019

L.O. research the 2010s (UK) in terms of social, cultural and political climate of the decade; research TV usage in 2015.

• Cuffs was released in 2015

2015 key events:

• the 2015 UK General Election results in the first Conservative majority government in 18 years.
• Queen Elizabeth II, having been on the throne for 63 years, 217 days, became the longest-reigning British monarch in history and the longest-serving head of state of any nation in modern history, surpassing Queen Victoria who had reigned for 63 years, 216 days upon her death on January 22, 1901.
• NASA announces that liquid water has been found on Mars.
• Multiple terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Paris, France, result in 130 fatalities.
• A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal and causes 8,857 deaths in Nepal, 130 in India, 27 in China and 4 in Bangladesh with a total of 9,018 deaths.
• A thirteen-year-old boy pleads guilty to the murder of 53-year-old Christopher Barry who was fatally stabbed in Edmonton, London.
• Refugee crisis covered widely in media.
• Ireland legalise same-sex marriage in 2015, and more than 1,700 same-sex couples married in the first year, after Scotland became the seventeenth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.
• Princess Charlotte was born.
• Donald Trump was elected President in the USA.

1) Which political party was in power in 2015? Who was PM? What was the relevance of UKIP being so popular?

The conservative party won so David Cameron became Prime Minister.

2) What were the major fears and issues of the post 9/11 era?

As 9/11 was conducted by Islamic terrorists, many people still feared Muslims, however more people started to realise that all Muslims were not terrorists. People feared the immigration crisis as many illegal immigrants were trying to live in the UK, however this was also starting to decrease.

3) What wars were being fought around the world?

Afghanistan War, Iraqi War, Boko Haram insurgency, Syrian Civil War, threat of terrorism by ISIS, Korean Nuclear Capability.

4) What were people protesting about in the UK?

Anti-austerity protests - not enough money going into the NHS and Police, stopping air strikes in Syria and other humanitarian protests, feminism protests for equal pay, Black Lives Matter campaign after police shootings in America

Cultural context of 2015?

Social media, iPhones, drug culture, knife crime, rap music increases in popularity, video game violence/obsession, streaming becomes more popular

Human rights:

Third wave feminism, #blacklivesmatter, #oscarssowhite, refugees and tolerance.

In 2015, there was a rise in violent video games which could show that people are becoming more tolerant to violence going on in the world so it does not affect people as much, such as Fallout 4.

The James Bond film Spectre was released in 2015 which follows infamous criminals in Mexico which links to the Mexican Drug War.

2015 vs 1965

Use the information you have found and your own knowledge of our culture today, explain the differences you would expect to see from a police drama in 2015 compared to one from 1965. 

Consider: representations (sexuality, gender, religion, age, class), threats/issues, potential storylines.

In a 2015 police drama, I would expect to see modern issues the world faces such as terrorism. In 2015, the main events would focus on mainly Middle Eastern terrorists as this is what people would be most familiar with. In 1965 there was still terrorism, but different types. For example, in South Vietnam in 1965, two simultaneous explosions took place near a restaurant was a terrorist event from of the Vietnam War, so I'd expect to see events linking to this war.

Thursday 10th January 2019                       Cuffs: Series 1, Episode 1

L.O. analyse the narratives and characters constructed in an opening episode.

Cuffs was released in 2015 and broadcasted pre-watershed at 8pm on a Wednesday so it could not show any graphic violence, nudity or swearing.

Cuffs Main Characters

• PC Ryan Draper - played by Ashley Walters, Ryan Draper is one of the main PCs that Jake Vickers has to get trained by. He is seen as a very serious character in both in his personality and in his job. We see in episode 1 he has two children: a boy and a girl. He will appeal to the audience because he underlines the lack of respect the police get.
• PC Jake Vickers - played by Jacob Ifan, Jake Vickers is the son of the Chief Super and is on his first day of the job and being trained by PC Ryan Draper. He realises that being the boss' son is not helpful to him as he needs to gain the respect from his colleagues. We see his mother may possibly have cancer and he looks like he has lead a privilege life, judging on his house and how his dad may have got him his job. He appeals to the audience because he is new to the job which many people have experienced.
• DS Jo Moffat - played by Amanda Abbington, Jo Moffat is a Detective Sergeant who seems to have a crush on the Chief Super - however she then finds he is married. She will appeal to the audience because she is quite an awkward character who gets distracted sometimes and people may find that funny and relate to it.
• Chief Super Robert Vickers - played by Peter Sullivan, Robert Vickers is the Chief Super of Brighton and seen to be very serious and respected. His son Jake is being trained by PC Ryan Draper to become an officer. His wife looks as if she is ill with cancer. He will appeal to the audience because he is a respected character so the audience also feel respect towards him.
• DC Carl Hawkins - played by Shaun Dooley, Carl is a Detective Constable who we only see a few times. He is quite tough and good at fighting. He will appeal to the audience because he is not afraid to get into the action.
• DI Felix Kane - played by Paul Ready, Felix Kane is a Detective Inspector who is very quiet and secretive. We see he may have a problem as he visits a brothel instead of going home. He will appeal to the audience because they will want to find out about his secrets.
• PC Donna Prager - played by Eleanor Matsuura, Donna Prager is friends with Lino and Ryan who introduces her to Jake Vickers. She seems to like her job and be very dependable. She will appeal to the audience because she is hard working and doesn't fear trouble.
• PC Lino Moretti - played by Alex Carter, Lino is Donna's partner and friends with Ryan. He is seen to be hard working. He will appeal to the audience because he likes a laugh and can't keep up with the others' physical fitness, which the audience may find funny.

Monday 21st January 2019                   Television Industries: 2010s

L.O. explore the TV industry in 2010s and explain the effect on TV shows and audiences.

TV Audiences:

• Shifting audience - lack of channel loyalty and identity.
• Loss of large mass audience, except for 'Event TV' - e.g. World Cup; Olympics; X Factor Final
• Loss of national audience - niche channels and programming on interest - e.g. Sky Witness
• Need for content - imports; outsourcing programming; new formats
• Need for 'stars' and glossy production values
• Mining of back catalogue (exploits nostalgia) - e.g. Dad's Army
• Remakes of old shows (exploits brand) - e.g. Sherlock
• Move to TV shows as programme brands for marketing
• Striving to produce 'on trend' products or competing with popular genre formats
• Use of trailers or cross-channel programming - e.g. The Apprentice: You're Fired, The Bake Off: Extra Slice
• Use of pre-title hooks to entice and keep viewers
• Serials rather than series - the ongoing narrative to hook viewers
• Evolution of series towards narrative arcs of serials - recurring narrative strands
• Catch-up TV
• Streaming TV
• Box sets via streaming (e.g. Sky; iPlayer; Amazon; Netflix)
• External sourcing of product content
• Search for the next 'Big Thing' - the next Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones

Changes to TV audiences:

• Break up of 'family' viewing - fragmented audience as families don't sit down to watch TV all together anymore.
• Erosion of channel loyalty - the BBC viewer or the ITV viewer is breaking down as people like shows that are shown on a variety of different channels.
• Channel surfing - seeking the 'eye catching' when flicking between new channels that didn't exist years ago, so viewers are trying to find the most different and exciting.
• Audience as schedule creators - shows are aired at the best time for their target audience so that more people watch it, for example after they get back from work but putting it on something like iPlayer in case it is missed.
• 24/7 media - issues of saturation, 24 hour media can impact audiences as they can watch and hear about shows all of the time so it is everywhere which loses impact.
• Demand for content - new content needs to be created to keep people interested.
• Demand for quality - stars; production values have to be at a high standard using high quality technology for people to be/keep interested.
• Binge viewing - effect of on-demand streaming, spending a day to watch a series meant to be shown over a longer period of time.
• Impact of meme TV shows - Breaking Bad; Game of Thrones attract younger viewers using social media to the shows, talking about shows on social media is advertising for it as it gets it talked about.
• Search for the latest 'on-trend' shows to share on social media
• Need for shock or issue based TV to attract attention - we've seen everything, needs to be new to grab audience's attention.
• TV shows as brands - shows like Stranger Things has become a brand, creating things such as merchandise and shops for it.
• Using social media to comment on TV live - dual screening and second screening so that the show is viewed and talked about by more people, audience can interact with the program as it is running.

Cuffs: Appeal

• BBC were looking for a replacement for Waterloo Road and attract a similar audience.

What elements would the producers have been clear to include in the trailer for the series?

The storyline, main events, setting, and characters would have had to be shown in the trailer so that it draws people in and makes them want to watch the show.

What view of police life is represented?
The drama of police life is presented in the trailer, for example the disrespect and violence shown towards police officers, but also their daily duties.

How are the personal dramas represented?
Relationships, family issues and tensions are shown in the trailer, which is showing the audience that police officers are people too as the audience can relate to their problems.

What media language is used to shape the audience anticipation of the series?

Fast-paced editing is used to set the pace of the series being a fast and dramatic drama which represents being in the police force. Cross-cutting also shows the more formal side of the series and being a police officer and what can be said about it, such as the daily life. The music in the background is also loud and fast paced which represents the life of a police officer.

Thursday 24th January 2019                        Cuffs and Social Values

L.O. explore today's social values and analyse how these are represented in Cuffs.

• Cuffs was part of the winter schedule of 2015: aired for October 2015
• Typically, a time with wider family audiences: e.g. The Apprentice and Strictly
• Scheduling: broadcast at 8pm on a Wednesday. Pre-watershed Cuffs targeted a broad family audience of 16-65, similar to that of Casualty and Waterloo Road
• Offered a range of characters and storylines to appeal to many segments of its demographics.
• Format/Appeal: fits modern post 2010 populist series format - everyday relatable storylines with a consistent set of troubled characters with different issues.
• Narrative: weekday winter pre-watershed formats are intended to be engaging but not threatening to mainstream audience values. Storylines tend to be covered specifically and lack depth of darker post-watershed series like Luther and Sherlock.

Social Values

Values are the ideas that shape how we see the world and our place in it. 

• They shape our actions - what we might see as right or wrong, appropriate/inappropriate or acceptable/unacceptable, etc.

• When we talk about social values or the values of a society we are referring to the thinking and actions that the majority accept, the values on which our laws and society are based.

• Values are not fixed, they are constantly evolving. E.g. in the 60s, swearing was not aloud on TV, however now it is a commonplace in TV drama. Smoking was also a commonplace on TV dramas, but today we rarely see anyone smoking unless it is illustrating something of they character (the criminal, the uneducated, the low life, the outsider, the addictive personality).

How does Cuffs represent the post 2010 era?

• In the 60s-80s the BBC was seen to be 'justified' by having an all white cast as the UK remained a predominantly indigenously white culture. 

• Post 2010, the BBC audience is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, and the BBC has to reflect this into their shows by casting people of all different ethic backgrounds.

• Cuffs could not show any graphic violence, strong swearing because it was shown pre-watershed.

How was the following areas shown in episode 1 of Cuffs?

• Ethnicity: there were many different characters with different ethnic backgrounds shown in Cuffs, for example, there were black people, white people and Asian people.
• Gender: there were both genders shown in Cuffs, and men and women could both be police officers. In the more senior ranks, there may have been more males.
• Sexuality: there are both straight and gay relationships shown in episode 1, for example between Felix and the prostitutes and Jake and the lawyer.

Characters or Tropes?

Tropes: a common or overused theme or device, a cliche. E.g. the blonde character is driven by her sexuality and is lacking in intelligence, stereotypical but also a trope as it has been used so much.

8 familiar tropes: 

• Damsel in distress: Lois Lane in Superman
• Cool old person: Morgan Freeman as God from Bruce Almighty
• Mama bear: Molly Weasley from Harry Potter
• Casanova: Romeo from Romeo and Juliet
• Over protective dad: Grug from The Croogs
• Dark action girl: Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie
• Girly girl: Regina George from Mean Girls
• Alpha male: Aquaman

Cuffs tropes:

• Damsel in distress: Kidnapped little girl
• Over protective dad: Chief Constable and Ryan
• Dark action girl: Donna
• Alpha male: Ryan
• Sensitive: Jake
• Secretive: Felix
• Comedy: Lino
• Lonely female: Jo

Questions:

How are the characters established in the clip?

Ryan is established as being quite an aggressive and argumentative character because of his strictness. Jake is seen to be the rookie police character who does not yet know about the challenges being an officer has.

What stereotypes/tropes are represented here?

Ryan could be seen to be the alpha male whereas Jake may be seen to be the sensitive character.

In what ways does the clip represent the ideas of being 'modern' and 'relatable'?

The way they are arguing may be relatable as many people argue with their colleagues. Also having people of 2 different ethnicities is very modern as people from other ethnic backgrounds were once not allowed on TV.

In what ways is the audience constructed?

The audience is constructed by making a wide variety of characters that a range of people can relate to, this will also help to retain the audience.

What might be the appeal to the different segments of the wide 16-65 year old demographics?

There are characters of different ages, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, etc in the first episode, so many different types of people will relate and be attracted to the many different types of characters.

In what ways is its pre-watershed scheduling evidence in this clip?
There is no graphic violence when Ryan and Jake are arguing, and although Ryan says sh*t, when Jake goes to swear he stops himself.

Monday 28th January 2019                           Cuffs & Genre

L.O. analyse the use of genre conventions and media language.

Police drama conventions:

• Audience expectations - action, fighting, crime, drama, personal life
• Narrative ideas - crime fighting, action, personal issues
• Character types - the leader, the action girl, the rookie
• Locations - city/town, police station, house
• Values - society, communication, family/relationships

• Cuffs was sold to Australia and New Zealand where it was very successful because the format of a police crime drama was and is very popular.
• Attraction to the audience of police drama stories is that they pose questions that the audience demand answers to; they have a built in enigma.
• Plot involves entering people's lives at a time of crisis, as they are serious and often life or death situations as it generates exciting storylines.

Cuffs opening credits:

• Music is fast paced, represents police life
• Location (Brighton) is clearly shown
• There is a contrast/juxtaposition between the Chief Super's speech and what is happening after to PC Ryan
• Contrasts to 'Luther' opening title as it is a lot darker because it is post-watershed

Question:

Analyse the opening credits appeal to the target audience.

• How is the genre constructed?
• Media language: mies-en-scene, graphics, theme music
• Representation of: location, character
• Tone of the show

Cuffs' genre is police drama and crime. It is constructed during the opening credits because we see PC Ryan Draper trying to stop a fight on the beach. While this is happening we also see the Chief Superintendent giving a speech and introducing his son, Jake, as a trainee Constable. This helps to establish the genre because we know what type of crimes the police officers will be dealing with, and who will be dealing with them. This will appeal to the target audience because they get an introduction to the characters, and may already be able to relate to one which will keep them interested in watching the show.

The media language, such as the mies-en-scene is used helps establish the location. For example, the sign going into Brighton is shown, and the opening is taking place on the beach with Brighton Pier in the background. This will appeal to the target audience because they will get an understanding of where the drama is taking place so they are more likely to keep watching.

The music used also helps appeal to the target audience; for example the fast paced background and theme music. They may be quick music in the rock genre to represent the the fast pace of police life. This may appeal to the target audience because they may be interested in the drama and pace of being a police officer, and with Cuffs they get to see that.

The representations of character can be used to help appeal to the target audience. In this opening scene, Ryan can be seen as the tough, alpha male, the Superintendent could be seen as the strong and serious leader, Jake as the rookie. In the credits we can't see as many representations of the other main characters, however Donna could be seen as the strong, tough girl. This may appeal to the target audience because they can find a character that they can relate to or find interest in so that they are likely to keep watching to find out what happens to that character.



How has sound been used to create meaning? (5 marks)

Notes: music slows down when not much is happening, speeds up when drama starts, music stops when fighting is over and Jake is being introduced, fast paced music represents police life, voiceover contrasts with what is happening to Ryan, sound bridge links scenes together.


Music has been used to help create meaning during this opening scene. When the drama starts, the music is fast and loud, this helps to represent the fast-paced life police officers live. When not much is happening, the music is quieter and slightly slower paced than when something is happening. This helps create meaning as it draws the audience's attention to the drama and is more likely to interest them as the fighting and drama is happening, and hook them in to keep watching.

A voiceover is also used during this opening scene to help create meaning. The Chief Superintendent's speech about how great and honourable it is to be a police officer is used as a sound bridge to link the different settings together. However, this voiceover contrasts with what is happening to PC Ryan on the beach as he is receiving no respect from the public. This creates meaning because it reflects the lack of respect police receive from the public, and the juxtaposition between the voiceover and the fighting with Ryan creates intrigue in the audience's head as they want to know what is going to happen to him.

Monday 4th February 2019                           Exam Practice DIRT

L.O. to review and improve our responses.

DIRT:

Non-diegetic music has been used to help create meaning during this opening scene. When the drama starts, the music is fast-paced and at a loud volume, this helps to represent the fast-paced life police officers live. When the action stops or key events need to be highlighted, the volume fades and the pace slows. For example, when PC Ryan gets punched the music stops for dramatic effect, and when the naturist man says "Seriously, what is the point in you?", the music stops so the audience listens to this phrase and realises that one of the themes of the show is the lack of respect police officers get. This helps create meaning as it draws the audience's attention to the drama and is more likely to interest them as the fighting and drama is happening, and hook them in to keep watching.


A dialogue is also used during this opening scene to help create meaning. The Chief Superintendent's speech is diegetic to some characters, but non-diegetic to others as it has been used as a sound bridge to link the two different scenes of the opening together. However, the dialogue is also used as a juxtaposition with what is happening to PC Ryan on the beach as he is receiving no respect from the public. This creates meaning because it reflects the lack of respect police receive from the public, and the juxtaposition between the formal dialogue and the fighting with Ryan creates intrigue in the audience's head as they want to know what is going to happen to him.

Cuffs and the PSB Remit

L.O. evaluate how effectively the BBC meets its PSB Remit.


PSB: Public Service Broadcasting, done for public benefit rather than commercial interest, regulated by OFCOM.
PSB Purposes: inform our understanding of the world, stimulate knowledge and learning, reflect the UK's cultural identity, represent diversity and alternative viewpoints.
PSB Characteristics: high quality, original, innovative, challenging, widely available, distinctive.
BBC: the BBC has extra PSB requirements because it has TV licence funding, so has "to reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world".

• BBC1 as a mass channel for all the "unites and inspires the nation with high quality programmes across a range of genres".

Exam Practice:

The BBC core mission is "to inform, educate and entertain". How does Cuffs meet the PSB remit and the BBC's core mission? (5 marks)

Cuffs meets the PSB remit because it reflects the UK's cultural identity. This can be shown in the show because it includes characters with many different ethnic backgrounds (for example, PC Ryan as he is black and Jake Vickers as he is white), religions (for example, the female officer who wears hijab), ages (such as Jake and his dad Richard) and gender (e.g. Donna and Lino). This also helps link to the BBC's core mission of "unites and inspires the nation with high quality programmes across a range of genres" because it is uniting characters of all different backgrounds into one show with a police/drama genre.

Another way that Cuffs meets the PSB remit is because it informs our understanding of the world, and also helps to stimulate knowledge and learning. The way it does this is by reflecting what life is like as a police officer and what challenges and jobs they have to do, for example, stopping fights and car chases. This helps to inform the audience's understanding of the world because we get to see what life is like as a police officer, and the lack of respect they receive. In turn, this also helps stimulate knowledge and learning because we get to learn about what police officers face as people may have never known about it before watching the show. This helps to link to the BBC's core mission because it may inspire people to learn more about life as a police officer as it is a police genre show.


What other TV dramas had Tiger Aspect produced before Cuffs in 2015?
Bean, Mr Bean The Animated Series, Mr Bean's Holiday, Billy Elliot, Blackadder: Back and Forth, Peaky Blinders, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Restoration Man, Charlie and Lola

Who created the show? What had she worked on previously?

Julie Gearey: Prisoners' Wives, Coronation Street, Casualty, Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Thursday 7th February 2019                         Tiger Aspect and Cuffs

L.O. explore the media producers of Cuffs and their impact on the production.

• Tiger Aspect media have a good track record for comedies and quality drama.
• The BBC wanted a program to replace Waterloo Road whose audiences were declining. The slot was 8pm on a Wednesday - pre-watershed so required family friendly entertainment and was the one day that Eastenders is not shown.
• Cuffs offered the possibility of recreating The Bill as they have the same soap-opera style ensemble.

Possible Question:

"How did Cuffs fit into the BBC schedule in terms of targeting audiences and why was Tiger Aspect chosen to produce it?" 

Television Audiences in the 2010s

L.O. explore targeting television audiences and techniques.

• Family viewing has decreased
• Less channel loyalty
• Audiences now are far more segmented because there are more channels that have a niche genre
• Audiences in the 2010s have a variety of ways they can access television.
• The majority (81%) of Cuffs' audience watched the show as scheduled , 12% streamed and 7% content.

Uses and Gratifications (PIES):

• Personal Identity (helps us consider who we are)
• Information (surveillance)
• Entertainment (escapism)
• Social Interaction (relationships)

How does Cuffs meet the needs of its broad mass audience?

• P - Cuffs has a wide variety of characters, cultures, storylines, settings and different types of people within the mass audience will hopefully relate to at least one thing.
• I - Cuffs shows the difficulties of being a police officer and educates people about the tasks they have to do, cultural diversity in Brighton and British values.
• E - Cuffs has an exciting storyline that is enjoyable and immersive for the audience. There are also bits of comedy throughout the show and multiple narratives.
• S - Cuffs explores different relationships which the audience may be able to relate to their own or be interested in.

Exam Question:

Explain the Uses and Gratifications offered to audiences in Cuffs. Give specific examples from Episode 1. (10 marks).

One of the uses and gratifications that can be seen in Cuffs is personal identity. This can be shown from the wide variety of characters, cultures and settings included in the episode. An example could be, the gay police officer (Jake) and the gay lawyer, PC Ryan who is black, the Muslim police officer and the variety of people from different backgrounds (for example, Indian people and PC Lino who is Italian). This is useful for Cuffs because the show tries to cater for a mass audience that therefore includes many different people, and the wide variety of characters allows the audience to relate to at least one of them, so they are more likely to carry on watching to see what happens to this character.

Information and surveillance can also be gathered from Cuffs. This can be shown when PC Ryan is talking about how little respect police officers receive and the difficulties of the job, for example, the press printing false stories. This is informational for the viewers because they may have never knew about the challenges police officers face, and may learn more about the different issues they have to face which they may have never known about without watching the show.

Another uses and gratification that can be seen in Cuffs is entertainment. This can be shown from the exciting action storylines, such as the car chase in episode 1. This will be one of the reasons that Cuffs gets viewers to watch because they want to see the action part of the series where the officers are fighting crime. This is also important because Cuffs is replacing shows like Waterloo Road and The Bill so it will already have an established audience for its pre-watershed time slot on a Wednesday that will be interested in watching these action scenes.

Social interaction and relationships is also a use and gratification seen in Cuffs. It can be shown by the different family (for example PC Ryan and his children) and romantic (for example the Superintendent and his wife who has cancer) relationships. This is good to offer to an audience because they may relate to both the joys and challenges relationships have both in the show and in real life, and may have an investment in how each relationship develops.

Monday 11th February 2019                         Exam Preparation

L.O. review the exam format and possible question types.

• 1 hr 45 mins (including 30 mins viewing time)
• 70 marks
• Section A - TV (5 questions, 45 marks)
• Section B - Lego Movie (4 questions, 25 marks)
• Read questions first, first and second screening, 5 min break for notes, third and fourth screening, five minutes for notes.

Section A - TV 📺

• 3 questions based on the extract
• further 2 questions on TV industry, audiences or context, could be about either programme
• 45 mins for this section
• Questions can include: media language, representation, TV industry, TV audiences, social, political and historical context.

• Q1 = media language, analyse the extract using ONE area of media language (sound, editing, camerawork or mies-en-scene), 2 specific examples, pinpoint where each example comes from in extract, analyse and explain how each example creates effect, use appropriate media terminology, 5 marks (5 mins)
• Q2 = media language & representation, analyse extract using media language and representation to make a judgement, could be asked: how particular viewpoints are shown, how certain groups have been represented, how have the audience been positioned (how are the audience supposed to feel), how values have been constructed, 3 specific examples, use appropriate terminology, 10 marks (10 mins)
• Q3 = essay based question, analyse the extract using media language and representation to make a judgement and conclusion, could be asked: how viewpoints are shown, how certain ideas or values have been represented, how audience have been positioned, how context has effected the meaning, at least 3 specific examples, use appropriate media language, link to the context, 15 marks (15 mins)

• Q4 = TV industry, could be asked about: scheduling, regulation, PSB, technology. Explain ideas in full, specific examples, 5 marks (5 mins)
• Q5 = context, the social, political or historical context of either programme, could be asked: influence of social context, influence of political context, differences between 1965 and now, effects of context on programme, mention specific events and dates, use appropriate terminology, 10 marks (10 mins) 

Section B - LEGO Movie 🎬

• 4 questions, 2 short answers, 2 long answers
• 25 marks, 30 mins
• First 2 questions = general questions based on promotional techniques
• Longer questions = discuss the Lego Movie as an example,

• Q6 = fact based, 1 phrase/sentence answer, could ask about: regulation, film industry, promotional methods (e.g. trailer, posters), be accurate, 1 mark (1 min)
• Q7 = reasons why question, why certain promotional method are used (e.g. why would the Lego movie release a poster campaign), could be asked about: promotional methods, targeting audiences, give 2 examples and an explanation for each, use appropriate terminology, 4 marks (4 mins)
• Q8 & 9 = essay style, promotional methods and ask you to use the LEGO movie as an example to support your ideas, could be asked about: audience appeals, targeting audiences, genre conventions, promotional methods used, need to: explain ideas in full, give specific examples, mention specific events and dates, use appropriate media terminology, both questions are 10 marks (10 mins for each)

Monday 11th March 2019                              DIRT

L.O. to review and reflect on the year 11 mock exam and set personal targets.

Q1 - use more media terminology, use more than 1 example with connotative effects. Could use: background/ambient sound show relaxed scene, diegetic music shows tension, sound effects shows violence, off-screen speech contrasts emergency in cafe scene.

Q2 - two or more examples using media terminology and explore the point of view of something, could have talked about media language or representation. Could say: police's feelings and actions are shown more than criminals', music when the criminals arrive is sinister, criminals' costumes cover them up, narrative shows good characters being interrupted by the criminals, pick out one example from each media language section, could also talk about Propp's theory.

Q3 - the * means that SPAG will also be assessed, analysis out of 10, quality out of 5. Write about (some of): media language, narrative/themes, characters, miss-en-scene - settings, characters, props, contributes to verisimilitude (believable realistic fictional world), naturalistic locations, continuity editing, conventional camerawork, cinematic shots, handheld camerawork, generic conventions of a police drama, character representations, deliberate anti-stereotypes, pre-watershed scheduling, variety of characters attract audience.

Q4 - include that the BBC is regulated by OFCOM, not government funded, applies to a range of TV channels, no adverts, have to show things like: high-quality, reflect UK's cultural identity, reflect diversity and different view points, inform the public, stimulate knowledge and learning.

Q5 - likely to be about social/historical context, could include about: changing gender inequality, influence of social attitudes towards sexuality, influence of racial and ethnic inequality, influence of social attitude towards age.

Personal targets - for the television unit I need to:

• Learn more media terminology
• Learn more information about PSBs
• Make a clearer judgement in my answers

Q8 - say about how movies offer Blumler and Katz theory in general and then use The Lego Movie as an example, if it says 'at least two' then write about three for full marks.

Personal targets - for the promoting media (LEGO) unit I need to:

• Explain how The Lego Movie's promotional campaign targets a family audience in more detail