Television

Friday 1st November 2019

Television: Industry and Audiences

L/O: To research the history, companies & regulators in the television industry.

Terminology-

• publicly owned TV channel - 

Funded by government & license fees for the public service.

• Commercial TV channel -

Funded through advertisements.

• Convergence - 

Process of joining different technologies into one device.

• Watershed - 

times when adult content (15+) can be shown between 9pm and 5.30 am.

• segmented market - 

audience divided into different groups depending on tastes and interests.

• Mainstream -

mass audience; the ideas attitudes, or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal conventional.

• Self-regulating -

not regulated by outside bodies.

• Franchise -

license from company of a product to use format/show/ideas.

• Channel-surfing -

changing frequently from one program to another on a television, watching each one for only a short time

• PSB -

Public Service Broadcasting; regulators demand channels fulfil certain requirements as part of their license to broadcast.

• Tv license -

Any household or business watching, recording live broadcasts require to pay a license fee. Funds the BBC.

• Scheduling -

Deciding which shows to show at which times.

• conglomerate - 

A company tat owns several smaller businesses whose products or services are usually very different.

Research Task

• 1. When was TV introduced to the uk?

1955.

• 2. In 1965, how many channels were there in the UK and what were they?

BBC and ITV

• 3. When did itv start? why was it different?

22nd September 1959

• 4. Which UK channels have to follow PSB remits?

BBC

• 5. Who regulates TV now?

Ofcom.

• 6. Who regulated TV channels in the 1960s?

ITV- ITA
BBC- self regulated

• 7. List the differences between TV in the 60s & now?

More channels
better technology
More choice
Colour

Tuesday 5th November 2019

1960s

L/O: Research the 1960s (uk) in terms of social, historical and political climate of the decade; research the TV show the Avengers.

What was significant thing about the 60s?

What do you know about the 1960?

When was the first contraception pill released?

• The first contraception Pill was released in the late 1950s, early 1960s. 
• It was at first only offered to women who were married.
• And lately introduced to all women in the late 1960s. 
• But was extremely dangerous.

Different groups in the 1960s?

• Hippies
• Mods
• Rockers

Bands?

• The beatles 
• The rolling stones 
• The who
• pink floyd

Fashion?

• Bright clothes
• Geometric patterns
• mini skirts
• shift dresses
• bold patterned coloured tights
• Low block heels
• oversized clothes with collars and bows
• tie-dye t-shirts

Art? 

In the 60s there were a lot of arts around:

• There were pop art that was all around the UK from Andy Warhol. 

Before we started talking about the 1960s I knew a few thing about the 1960s but not as much as I do now. My impressions came from stuff that i had least in primary school as well as some films as well as music.

In the 1960s the Beatles were different compared to the previous decade as The Beatles music genre was rock and pop which was different because most music in the 50s were country music. Another popular band at the time was the rolling stones, Which genre was rock, rock and roll and blues which none compare to any types of music in the 50s. Around the world there were The cold war as well as the Vietnam war.

The Avengers (1965)

• Which institution (channel) produced the show?

ITV 

• Who was the primary and secondary audience (age rating/gender/ interests)

• When did the first episode air?

7th January 1961

• How many viewers followed the show?

• How many seasons were made?

6 seasons

• what date/year was the last episode aired?

21st April 1969

• what was the budget for series 4?

Friday 15th November 2019

Television in the 2010s

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

In 2010 Gordon Brown was the prime minister. He was the leader of The Labour Party.
David cameron was the prime minister in 2015. He was the leader of The Conservative Party.
In 2013 the current prime minister at the time (David Cameron) legalised same sex marriage.
Cultural context:

• Social media
• iPhone
• drug culture
• knife crime
• rap music
• video games (violence/obsession)
• streaming 
• Emo and chavs. 

Human rights:

• Third wave feminism
• black lives matter
• refugees and tolerance

Key events:

The threat of terrorism:

• Afghanistan war
• Syrian war
• Isis
• Terror attacks in the UK
• Korean Nuclear capability

The differences I would expect to see in the 2015 police drama is more variation of couples (same sex, different sex couples). This would be more likely due to when it was made and the place it was made as it was made in Brighton which is the unofficial 'gay capital'. The way that this would be different from the 1965's is that it was not legal to be married to the same sex until 2013 when David Cameron made it legal.

Another way that i would expect them to differ are there story lines the 2015 one i would expect to be more about crimes like drugs, knife crime, online threats and stuff like that where as the 1965 one would follow more of like a detective style story line as that was what would have been popular at the time like all the books from the 17th to 18th centuries that may have interested people.

Friday 22nd November 2019

PC Ryan Draper

• A devoted single dad to his two children, Ryan has equally high standards at home but his controlling and over-bearing nature threatens to drive away those he loves most.

PC Jake Vickers

• Self-assured, if a little naïve, Jake is determined to earn his place on the team but fails to realise that a romance with provocative defence solicitor Simon, could undo all of his hard work.

DS Jo Moffat

• Diligent and organised, she always does everything by the book and gets results.But whilst her career is going from strength to strength, her personal life isn’t. Lonely and divorced, Jo is having an affair with Robert, her Chief Super.Whilst initially Jo was happy with the no-strings-attached arrangement, she’s now realising she’s constantly at the raw end of the deal.

• As Robert struggles to cope with wife’s recent cancer diagnosis, seeking refuge in the arms of one of his reports, and with his son now joining the force; Robert’s personal and professional lives are set to collide.

DC Carl Hawkins

• Carl’s new wife wants another baby but Carl’s not keen, and his reckless habit of acting first and thinking later may be about to come back to haunt him.

DI Felix Kane

• Introverted and secretive, he never gives anything away about himself; he never invites any sort of emotional intimacy.Felix has always been a loner but he now has newfound responsibilities to contend with... whether he wants them or not.

PC Donna Prager

• Dependable and capable, she loves her job and working with her best mate Lino - they make a brilliant crime fighting duo - but her overbearing nature is starting to put a strain on their partnership.To top it all, Donna’s tendency to prioritise work over home is also causing issues in her personal life. Will Donna ever strike the right balance?

PC Lino Moretti

• An eternal bachelor on the lookout for love, he loves working with his best mate Donna.They make a great team, but his love of doughnuts and failing fitness levels is beginning to threaten their partnership.

Friday 29th November 2019

Avengers Practice Question

How is 'Britishness' represented in the scene in terms of mise-en-scene? 

In this scene Britishness is represented through clothing. Men in the 60s would have been wearing suits and formal wear. women on the other hand would have worn nice clothes that made them look pretty.

How is War Paranoia/racism represented in this scene through mise-en-scene?

In this scene mise-en-scene is represented through this scene by props. There is a plane in the background that would probably represent a plane that may have been used in a war.

How was Steed represented in episode 1?

Steed was represented as a very formal and work driven man. His clothing is very formal which shows his formality. Anytime that Steed was shown he was mostly seen working or using work to portray something different.

How was Mrs Peel represented in episode 1?

Mrs Peel was represented as a very strong independent person. She was presented as a strong minded person who would have shown the opposites to most stereotypes. Her actions show that she has a passion and have a job to do.

How was the context of the 1960s shown in the different representations used in episode 1?

The 1960s is presented in this episode as a time when women would have been less powerful and have less of a place in society. Towards the start of the episode it shows Mrs Peel being at home during the day on her own when a male would have most likely been at work. It is shown that she was doing stuff around the house as well as practising stuff that she likes. But what she likes and enjoys would most likely set her apart from every other female as Mrs Peel was practising her fencing/ sword fighting which would not be expected in the 1960s for a female to take part in. During this part if the episode it features her wearing a full body latex suit which would give a sense of following stereotypes with making her seem attractive like it was deemed to be in the 60s. This would suggest that in episode 1 they make Mrs Peel follow some of the stereotypes in the 60s but not all of them.

Another way that the 1960s have been represented in this episode is the way that Steed has been presented. Throughout episode 1 Steed had been presented as formal and work driven. In the 1960s men would have been the only gender who went to work or had looked extremely formal when going to work. They would also focus extremely hard on there work and businesses. Mr steed portrays these stereotypes as the majority of the time that we see him, he is focusing on his work or making plans of what they have got to do. Steed also dresses very formal which shows a level of formality in his character. His character also shows that when around a female he doesn't have to do much as the females should take care of stuff like that. This would suggest that with Steeds character he has followed most of the stereotypes of a male in the 1960s.

A final way that the 1960s are presented in this episode is when around other people the males do all the talking when there together. This shows that Mrs Peel is presented as less powerful due to the way that when Steed did all the talking when in the place they were staying.

Friday 6th December 2019

Cuffs Practise Question

How is Media Language used to represent modern Britain? [10 Marks]

Mise-en-scene & Camera Work

Establishing shot. Fast pace drone footage of Brighton.

Low angle close up. Multicultural society (modern britain)

Low angle steady cam (creates tension) (brighton can be dangerous)

over should shot (point of view of the shot of the character)

pan shot (all cultures and ethnicity is there)

High angle look down on the groups (lad culture)

Close up

Low angle of chief shows that white men, straight and middle age men have more power. (patriarchal society)

medium shot showing phone (modern britain)

Close up shows violence of brighton

lost respect for law and order as people are willing to attack and separate a fight and no one is listening or helping. Not enough police. (close up).

low angle close up shows the police man getting punch shows people don't respect the law anymore.

Brighton is know as the gay capitol of the uk which shows it is very liberal and give a snapshot of the place.

Sound

Diegetic ambient sound of sea gull.

Non diegetic music. (edgy and tense).

Diegetic police radio (connotes there is crime in britain)

dialogue demonstrates the main character is a hero as he speaks in a deep male voice. which is very confident.

Editing

Non Diegetic music is used as a sound bridge.

parallel editing.

continuity- same place different angles

voiceover- used as a sound bridge linking 2 sences

parallel editing. Police graduation to the beach. What they think happen to the reality.

How is Media Language used to represent Modern Britain?

Cuffs represents modern Britain using media language by using mise-en-scene and camera work. Camera work here is used to represent modern Britain as being a multicultural society. When the main character PC Ryan Draper is driving in the car and has been represented by the camera angle being a low angle close up.

Cuffs represents modern Britain uses media language by using mise-en-scene and camera work. Camera work here is used to  represent modern Britain as being a multicultural society. When the main character PC Ryan Draper is driving in the car and has been represent by the camera angle being a low angle close up. PC Ryan Draper is a male character with a dark skin tone. The low angle shows that he is being presented as higher and equal to everyone else. In modern Britain people with darker skin tones are more accepted then they used to be in the past. Another way that this is presented is when the chief is at the police graduation which is presented with a close up pan shot which shows all of the people graduating's ethnicities and that they are not all white which have a way of presenting the way that everyone is accepted to a certain extent.

Friday 10th January 2020

The 1960s

L/O: Research the 1960s (uk) in terms of social, historical and political climate of the decade; research the TV show the Avengers.

mid 40s- Just came out of the war, they were trying to get the economy back on track. Not many people had much money by the end of the 50s most people had a bit more money and people were feeling safer and more secure. The 60s had money had more secure jobs the labour party had taken over the conservatives. Martin Luther King was the president of america at the time. the cold war was going in the 60s and it was a race to see who could and would develop nuclear weapons first. there was no physical fighting but there were undercover spies and secret research going on there was also a fear of the unknown. there was a massive change to do with fashion, music and art. women in the 60s did not have equal rights but they had gained a few more rights the 60s was still a male dominated society, it was a patriarchal society. The death penalty by the end of the 60s had been abolished. the younger generation were more liberal and mrs peel represents that. the older generation however were more conservatives and steed represents that.

the music, art and fashion was about rebellion and going against the older generation. Drugs were a massive part of the 60s all about mind altering drugs. psychedelic drug. People in the uk were protesting about racism. 

How could these areas be seen in the avengers episode?

• gender equality 

• patriarchal society

• youth movement in fashion/art/music

• changing attitudes to sexuality

• fear of the cold war/ invasion

• civil rights

• traditional British values/traditions

Friday 17th January 2020

The avengers Town of no returns

L/O: to explore the narrative, characters and context of series 4, episode 1.

opening location-beach

stereotypical- fishermen

could see the episode was shot on location/higher production values.mrs peel represents the modern part of the 60s (her outfit, apartment) reflects new movements in art and design and fashion. represented as cleaver, smart and intelligence by writing for a science magazine.

steed represents the stereotypical male of the time. represents patriarchal society. Camera angles represents the . he represents the older generation on the time and a stereotypical British men with his clothes. always in control. male dominance is shown. British as for the afternoon tea. representation of british pub, darts, beer.

old style apartment shows britishness

jazz music- new music of the era.

small village (houses, apartments, church,school & pub)

military background, pride winning the war.

mrs peel saved by steed.

fear of invasion brought on by the cold war.

flirting between mrs peel and steed.

How was the context of the 1960s shown in the different representations used in episode 1?

The 1960s is presented in this episode as a time when women would have been less powerful and have less of a place in society. Towards the start of the episode it shows Mrs Peel being at home during the day on her own when a male would have most likely been at work. It is shown that she was doing stuff around the house as well as practising stuff that she likes. But what she likes and enjoys would most likely set her apart from every other female as Mrs Peel was practising her fencing/ sword fighting which would not be expected in the 1960s for a female to take part in. During this part in the episode it features her wearing a full body latex suit which would give a sense of following stereotypes with making her seem attractive like it was deemed to be in the 60s. This would suggest that in episode 1 they make Mrs Peel follow some of the stereotypes in the 60s but not all of them. Later on in the episode she is also presented in clothes of the 60s when her and Steed are on the train.

Another way that the 1960s have been represented in this episode is the way that Steed has been presented. Throughout episode 1 Steed had been presented as formal and work driven. In the 1960s men would have been the only gender who went to work or had looked extremely formal when going to work. They would also focus extremely hard on there work and businesses. Mr steed portrays these stereotypes as the majority of the time that we see him, he is focusing on his work or making plans of what they have got to do. Steed also dresses very formal which shows a level of formality in his character. His character also shows that when around a female he doesn't have to do much as the females should take care of stuff like that. This would suggest that with Steeds character he has followed most of the stereotypes of a male in the 1960s.

A final way that the 1960s are presented in this episode is when around other people the males do all the talking when there together. This shows that Mrs Peel is presented as less powerful due to the way that when Steed did all the talking when in the place they were staying. In the 1960s there was a patriarchal society where the males were more powerful and more important. Although Steed is working with a female in the 60s they had more of a role in society but they were still not equal. In the 60s the women would have had a role in society like working in actual jobs rather than just housework due to world war two when the British economy needed the women to take over the males jobs when the males went to war. 

Friday 24th January 2020

Cuffs: series 1, episode 1

L/O: to analyse the narrative and characters constructed in an opening episode.

PC Ryan Draper- shows control over Jake Vickers. - experienced- calm

PC Jake Vickers- inexperienced- panicked- shock.

DS Jo Moffat

Chief Super Robert Vickers

DC Carl Hawkins

Dl Felix Kane- Higher authority (has an office), Awkward

PC Donna Prager

PC Lino Moretti

Set in Brighton.

Radio shows its a police drama.

paralelle editing was being used between the shot of the political front of policing (formal) but being juxtaposed with PC Ryan on nudist beach. Which show the reality policing. No respect.

key characters introduce at the start.

Multipul narratives of different crimes.

main character unhappy that he has to be pared with someone with no skills to do the job.

main characters body language towards PC Jake Vickers

Varied range of technology- Different forms of camerawork- drones & helicopters shots.

being gay had no reaction shows neutral reaction not positive but not negative.

Drugs and mental health and self harming issues mentioned. (issues at the time)

Felix has higher authority due to his office.

Boy goes to the shop after talking to his mother on the phone.

music changes- shows danger and tension

Don't see anyone getting attacked.

Couldn't show any graphic violence/ gore/ don't see any wounds.

Female in positions in authority. Different races and different religions.

More female equality- close the females are wearing more masculine. More higher up jobs for males.

A girl gets stollen from a school (her dad) but presented as being a pedofile. Shows that most family relationships don't last.

Music sympathetic tone to show sympathy or that the character would understand.

No crime being committed. Policing being a busy job not enough staff members to take care of the other jobs/ crimes that have been committed.

Racial tention. Reflecting society. Police not helping as much.

negative stereotypes of a lawyer.

negative stereotypes/representation of teenagers.

faster pace editing

cross cutting.

women seen as more capable then a man.

mistreatment of police. use of technology against them. reality of police.

history between two people. Females being the more emotional one.

Females out talking about men. Different ethnicity.

slow motion to highlight danger.

Reality of policing.- Main character sharing the reality of policing.

Negative stereotypes of low income areas. Parties in the day, tattoos, smoking.

Not enough policemen.

Slow motions shows panicking/ to less the amount of violence seen.

confusing/ shock near/in the party.

Use of technology.

sound to make scene more intense

Camerawork to show he's part of a team (jake)

New possible storyline.

Music linking to jakes mum, Female officer lonely, Boy who almost died waking up. single dad doing male and female roles.

More care about others careers than peoples mental health as someone killed themselves.

Friday 31st January 2020

Television Industry: 2010

L/O: to explore the tv industry in 2010s and the effect on TV shows and audiences.

Shifting audiences- lack of loyalty and identity.

Loss of large mass audience except for event tv (olympics, X factor, world cup.

Loss of national audience - niche channels and programming on interest (sky witness)

Need for content - Imports; outsourcing programming; new formats.

Need for stars and glossy production values

Mining of black catalogue - exploits nostalgia (dads army)

Remakes of old shows (exploits brand) - (Poldark)

Move to TV shows as programme brands for marketing

Striving to produce 'on trend' products or competing with popular genre formats

Use of trailers and cross channel programming- BBC 2 programmes centred on strictly

use of pre-title hooks to entice/ 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 (Sky, iplayer, amazon, netflix)

External sourcing of product content.

Search for 'Big thing'- the next breaking bad/Game of thrones.

Cuffs

What elements did the producers choose to include and why?

harder parts of policing. Everyday life and challenges faced throughout the episodes. entertaining crimes that may not be the usual or the stuff you may not see everyday but stuff that do happen. Violence shown.

How have they represented police life?

Difficult, challenging, not respected, pressurising, stressful.  The everyday thing that police officers face. The stress and pressure that gets put on them.

How have they represented personal dramas?

Everyday things that happen like stress and personal issues. Relationships between two people. Throughout the trailer it shows adventurous people and adventurous scenes so may show the relationship as adventurous.

How have they used media language to make it appeal to the target audience?

Editing- The use of different clips cutting in and out of different clips with non diegetic sound.

Camerawork- The use of different camera angles to do with close ups of different things.

Sound- use of non diegetic sound. High intensity music- fast pace.

Part of the winter schedule; aired October 2015

Typically, a time aimed at wider family audience.

scheduling- broadcast 8pm on a weekday. Pre watershed cuffs targeted a broad family audience of 16-65.

offered range of characters and storylines to appeal to as many segments of demographics as possible.

Format/ Appeal- fits modern post 2010 populist series format- everyday relatable storylines with a consistent set of troubled characters and difficult 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 de[th of darker post-watershed series.

Passive audience- sits and just lets stuff happen. Will take everything they see and read as it comes.

Active audiences- Takes action from what they've read and what they've seen.

The producers of cuffs would use comedy elements to target a mainstream family audience because it would provide every member of the family some entertainment.

Friday 7th February 2020

Cuffs and Social Values

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

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

They shape how we judge others and ourselves. 

The BBC is a PSB which means it is created fro the benefit of the public not for commercial use. Mean that you have to pay for a tv license. Have to justify where the money goes. most other tv channels are sponsored and advertising. 

The BBC remit to represent the uk as  a whole has to consider the groups represented in tv drama. 

Why was the pre-watershed scheduling of 8pm significant in terms of the representations they could offer?

Darker content of the police drama genre could not be represented. 

How were the following areas represented in the episode:

Ethnicity

• In cuffs there is a range of ethnicity's presented in cuffs. There are a mixture of skin colours and religion.

Gender

• There is not just men and not just women taking on higher up roles in the police department. Not just men being presented as criminals. 

Sexuality

• Jakes sexuality. Not a key plot line/ not an issue. Modern uk do not find his representation unsettling. 

Trope- a device for representing a character. 

PSB Remit

L/O: to evaluate how effective the BBC meets its PSB remit.

public service broadcasting- intended for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests. Because the BBC is publicly funded which means they have to follow a guide line. 

PSB purposes:

• Informing our understanding of the world.
• Stimulating knowledge and learning.
• Reflecting the UK's cultural identity.
• representing diversity and alternative viewpoints.

PSB Characteristics:

• High Quality 
• Original
• Innovative 
• Challenging
• Widely Available
• Distinctive 

The BBC's core mission is "to inform, educate and entertain"

How does Cuffs meet the PSB remit and the BBC's core mission? [5]

Cuffs meets the PSB remit by informing us about the police force and how there life can be difficult and stressful. In episode 1 we are reminded frequently about the stress that the police are put under. The way that they try to eat food before the next job and then getting rushed to another job by being short staffed and unable to cope and unable to send out other officers. This shows the challenges the officers face daily which spreads understanding and knowledge and learning through something visual. 

Another way that Cuffs meets the PSB remit is by representing different diversity's and viewpoints. Throughout Cuffs they have different skin colour officers and different religions and peoples beliefs and different viewpoints of crimes from the officers with Ryan dealing calmly with a situation compared to Jake trying to deal with the situation with a more angrier approach. 

A final way that Cuffs meets the PSB remit is to do with reflecting the UK's cultural identity.

Camera work & Editing

Camera Work
Switch to Handheld camera. could show nerves.
blurring deliberately to show whats going on.
Focus pull - shows nerves and emotions. from ryan to jake as ryan says they need more back up and then changes to jake to show his emotions.

Editing
slow motion used at the party to show jakes confusion and panicking.
Cross cutting between party before the police arrive to the other police arrive.
group shot of police and group of issues.