Media Theories

Revision Lesson

Long-Form TV Drama Conventions Summary

• Plot twists
• Cliff hangers
• High Production Value
• Barthes-"Open Narrative Theory"
• Halls- "Preferred Reading Theory"
• Todorov- "equilibrium"
• Semantic code/enigma code
• 40-60 mins episode
• Binge watching -multimedia platforms (e.g. netflix)
• Genre Hybrids 
• High profile actors/actresses 

Link with examples from House of Cards S1EP1

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Minecraft

• Youtube Stars
• Vikkstar123
• skydoesminecraft
• 2nd most viewed game on YT
• Soundbox games
• Non profit
• digitally convergent
• Cross-platform
• Teaching programming 

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Music Videos

Lady Gaga

• Wears pink > feminity 
• Heels> represents being feminin, sexy and can have a certain power representation
• Large wardrobe
• Makeup

Are the press biased?

Q1:  Are the Press Biased?    Some believe that the presses role is to present an unbiased report on news.   In reality the news mediate/ represent the news providing an interpretation that often reflects the political views of Newspaper barons (Rupert Murdoch) or conglomerate News organisations.  The Government “Yougov” survey demonstrates the different political views of different News organisations as seen below

There was evidence found by Curran, that Rupert Murdoch manipulated and interfered with his news papers in order to push his own agenda. In 2003 he was pro-war against Iraq and the article posted in his papers showed this strongly. Newspaper are normally found left-wing or right-wing, which means they show a certain political agenda and these newspapers represent their views of political instances through the newspapers.

Comparison 

The Telegraph is a more right wing newspaper and is pro brexit whilst the Daily Mirror is a more left wing paper and is against brexit. Both these newspapers express their views on brexit and in particular Theresa May and her position as being the leader of their country. Both the Telegraph and the Daily Mirror are biased in their own way and both represents their views in different ways.
There are a lot of evidence that strongly suggests that newspapers and their owners use the platform to be biased to certain articles. An example would be when Curran found that Rupert Murdoch manipulated and interfered with his news papers in order to push his own agenda. In 2003 he was pro-war against Iraq and the article posted in his papers showed this strongly.

In this edition of the Telegraph, it talks about the Brexit situation and all the terms and agreement that  are occurring. Since The Telegraph are right wing, they represent Theresa May as quite positive this is evident through the image used in the right third of the article. May is seen in a confident picture which asserts her power with the direct mode of address towards the audience, the Telegraph wants to represent May as a powerful leader. Another way that the Telegraph shows that they are biased towards right wing politics and towards Theresa May is by the cover line used which reads "May's bold terms for Brexit" this cover line again represents May in a positive light. The use of the word "Bold" in the cover line strongly suggest that May should be applauded for being this confident in setting these terms, May is seen as being the saviour. By using this cover line, readers of the The Daily Telegraph become more







Representations of Muslim in the press

• Dangerous
• Unreliable
• Should not be trusted

Representations of Young People in the press

• Social media
• anti social
• Lazy

Representations of Immigrants in the press

• Drain in society 
• Taking our jobs 
• Lazy

Media Today and Media Theories

Media Representation

• theories of representation including Hall
• theories of identity including Gauntlett

Media Industries 

• Power and media, including Curran and Seaton

What is the theory?

Newspapers should reflect the interests of an audience otherwise they will go out business. They should be liberal and anyone should be able to make one. However, this does not happen in practice and the press can be used as a propaganda tool to influence the audience.

“The free market makes the press a representative institution…newspapers and magazines are to respond to the concerns of their readers if they are to stay in business.”

Left-wing politics supports social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. 

Right-wing politics hold that certain social orders and hierarchies are inevitable, natural, normal or desirable,typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics or tradition.

Media Theories

 Media Language

•semiotics, including Barthes

                        •narratology, including Todorov      

                        genre theory, including Neale:

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Barthes Theory

Semiotics definition:  Is the study of signs and their meaning in society, A sign is something which can stand for something else

Roland Barthes:

Narratives like a ball of string

Roland Barthes was a semiologist.

If you imagine a text is like a ball of string, can it be unravelled in one way or in many ways?

In house of cards two possible story lines can be if Frank gets his revenge and rises to the power, another would be Zoe Barnes and her power struggle when it comes to becoming a journalist and doing anything to get her way. 

Why are narratives open for long-form TV drama shows?

To keep the storyline interesting for the audience watching and as the long form dramas are 1 hour episodes long they would have to fill up the hour and keep the audience enticed throughout. 

Enigma Code 

The Hermeneutic Code (Enigma Code) refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader.

The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.

Action Code           

The Proairetic Code (Action Code) also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next.

Signs in HoC

American Flag: Represents the states in America/ Liberty/ Democracy

White House: Represents he president and Democracy/ The  leader of the free world/ power/politics

In the character Frank Underwood, how discuss how HoC uses enigma?

HoC uses enigma code through Frank Underwood by showing a fierce, shady character who was promised to be the senator of state but what cheated by the president and the team he assembled. Enigma code applies as Frank uses people such as Russo and Zoe and e don't know what Frank is thinking. 

How does the enigma code apply apply to Telegraph Headline "Who are the Brexit Mutineers" 
The Telegraph uses the enigma code to get people to read their newspapers, Mutineers are people who against the government and Brexit has been a big topic throughout the whole nation. 

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Todorov Narrative

Narrative = story

The primary function of most films is to tell a story..  The mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound are entirely subservient to the narrative, creating a seamless flow that centers the viewer within the story.

The narratives of most films are centered on one or two main protagonists

•Their lives are disrupted by an outside event, or presence of an unfulfilled desire

•The plot is then about removing that disruption or fulfilling that desire

•The rest of the events in the plot are usually initiated by the protagonist and have a clear cause

and effect relationship to other events

Film narratives share a number of features that audiences expect:

•The role of the protagonist

•The problems faced by the protagonist

•The resolution of these problems

Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is the captain of an unarmed freighter ship and is seen as the main protagonist. The anti hero are the Somali pirates who have just boarded the ship.

The role of the protagonist is to be the shining light and the saviour for people and is seen as a hero in this case the protagonist is Captain Phillips.  

The problems faced by the protagonist is to save the ship and to get rid of the Somali Pirates

The resolution can be fighting back against the pirates. 

Antagonist - The antagonist is the character(s) (or situation) that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, the antagonist is an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome.

Anti-hero - A major character, usually the protagonist, who lacks conventional nobility of mind, and who struggles for values not deemed universally admirable. 

Todorov's Theory 

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages:

•the equilibrium,

•disequilibrium,

•acknowledgement,

•solving

•and again equilibrium.

How does HoC subvert Todorov's Theory

The theory applies to Frank's storyline. Frank is seen as the anti-hero in HoC.

First he helps the presidential elect to rise up to presidency and he put in certain people into power and helped them with their careers. The disruption occurs when Frank doesn't get the job he was promised and so to resolve this Frank is plotting and scheming to become president and uses his powers and manipulation for people to work for him. 

 News Topic: Russian Nerve Agent Attack 

Everything is fine in Salisbury and everyone is normal. The disruption occurs when a Russian spy, his daughter and police officer was poisoned and there was traces of poison left around.  The acknowledgement is that Russia caused this death and the chemical used was made by the Soviet Union. Resolution is that the daughter as recovered and is now talking however there is no news on the spy and the police officer. The new equilibrium will be tat once they have been recovered they would need protection and might have to be with a witness protection program. 

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Neale's Theory

Neale’s theory of repetition and differerence in Genre

• "Genres are instances of repetition and difference"

•"Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre"

What That Means:

•Steve Neale is saying that a film and it's genre is defined by two things:

•How much it conforms with a genre's stereotypes and conventions.

•He says that a film must conform to these conventions enough that it can still qualify and be identified as a film of that genre.

•How much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions.

•He says that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed as a unique film, not just a clone.

• emporal settings in the future, in alternative timelines, or in a historical past that contradicts known facts of history or the archaeological record.
• Spatial settings or scenes in outer space (e.g. spaceflight), on other worlds, or in subterranean earth.Characters that include aliens, mutants, robots, enhanced humans and other predicted or imagined beings.
• Speculative or predicted technology such as ray guns and other advanced weapons, teleportation, brain-computer interface, bioengineering, neuroprosthetics,superintelligent computers and others.Scientific principles that are new or that contradict accepted physical laws, for example time travel and faster-than-light travel or communication.
• New and different political and social systems and situations, 
• Future history and evolution of humans on earth or on other planets.
• Paranormal abilities such as mind control, telepathy, and telekinesis.
• Other universes or dimensions and travel between them.

To what extent does HOC conform to genre expectations of a

Political thriller/Drama

1) Has an open narrative and can have different story lines which all links to a political dram

2) Represents the power struggle throughout the show examples are frank who was falsely promised.

To what extent does HOC subvert the genre expectations of a political thriller/drama?

1) The audiences can't relate to the character as their dealings and jobs seems almost mysterious and unheard of. 

2) The use of Frank Underwood as the anti-hero shows no one can be trusted.

 Curran and Seaton A political economy approach to the media – arguing that patterns of ownership and control are the most significant factors in how the media operate. Media industries follow the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration of ownership in fewer and fewer hands. This leads to a narrowing of the range of opinions represented and a pursuit of profit at the expense of quality or creativity. The internet does not represent a rupture with the past in that it does not offer a level playing field for diverse voices to be heard. It is constrained by nationalism and state censorship. News is still controlled by powerful news organisations, who have successfully defended their oligarchy.

Online and Participatory Media

Participatory media is media where the audience can play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating content. 

Participatory media is important as it offers consumers to express their opinions and views on different topics all over the world, it offers the consumers to share the news with their followers and allows the public to engage with the news. 

One positive is that it gives freedom of speech for people to express themselves and another is that people are able to reach news in a matter of seconds as it happens.

One disadvantage is that some people may take it too seriously and people will take advantage of this freedom without any consequences. 

Summary of the Ant McPartlin Story 

In this article, it humanises Ant McPartlin as he has recently been charged with a drink driving offence having just come out of rehab due to an addiction to pain killers. In this article it talks about Ant's childhood and how his estranged dad left him when he was just 10 years old, also how his mother took care of him and his close bond between siblings. 

This is news is more soft celebrity gossip news, which is typical for a tabloid and it is featured as the splash because Ant is seen as a loved public figure for the UK public and is someone who everyone relates to due to his humble beginnings.  

Representations of the working class 

• Newman (2006) argues that there are very few situation comedies, television or drama which focuses on the everyday lives of working class who constitute a significant section of society,

• Newman argues that when in the media working class are often depicted in a very non positive light dumb buffoons (Homer Simpson) and immature machos (Phil Mitchell),

• Butsch (1992) – working class portrayed as flawed individuals (benefit cheats, etc)

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This article is about an Asian man who recently was forced to come out as gay to his mum due to a member of Theresa May's aide o releasing statement stating that them two were in a relationship. This was because Shahmir was seen found leaking information. 

Shahmir Sanni is represented as a victim, he was a open volunteer for Vote leave and so were heavily linked with the conservative party. From the pictures and the article it is clear to see that Shahmir is heartbroken and upset and was forced to come out to his mum rather than take his time with it. 

The mirror would want the PM involved so she is seen as guilty by association as her aide publicly outed the volunteer, who was helping them.

From this article, the general public are split in opinions from these tweets. One side which is very right wing and unsympathetic whereas the other side is left wing and quite sympathetic. 

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The goal of the Telegraph is to basically have a go at the Labour party and show its support to the conservative party. 

The mirror's agenda in reflecting the conservative party is to almost hinder their campaign in support of the Labour party. This is also proven on Twitter as a lot of the people tweeting at the Mirror are all very left wing and are almost against the conservatives and tweets are generally negative towards them. 

Whereas the Telegraph's agenda in reflecting the Labour party is the same in the fact that they want to ruin Labour's reputation this is further proven by the articles stating that Jeremy Corbyn is a anti semite. The tweets also further signifies this as most people who tweet at the telegraph are in fact right wing and against Labour. 

Online vs Print

41% of people say they access news online, inching it ahead of the number who do so through newsprint newspapers, at 40%. A year ago, the online total was 32% while newspapers were, as now, 40%.

TV remains the major source of news consumption by far, with 75% of UK adults saying they rely on television to tell them what's happening. That represents a small decrease since 2013, down from 78%

Online is more popular as it is for free, you can access news anytime and anywhere and extremely interactive. 

Different print media companies are addressing the fall in print sales, the Independent newspaper is only available online and has returned profitability as further costs for the independent are not going out as they no longer own print plants and paper distribution. 
Print media companies such as the financial times have a niche market they is unique to them which they heavily target.
A lot of Murdoch owned company such as the Times and the Sun are both online and in print. They offer a paywall, trading high readership for deeper engagement which can be sold to advertisers.
Another strategy that can be opted is the metered paywall which is when the company offers some free articles to ensure the brand is visible online but demands payment for further use.
Another strategy is the free model which is adopted by the London Evening Standard which gives away the papers away for free for high circulation than be sold to advertisers for a higher yield.

Differences between the Mirror and The Telegraph

The mirror's articles can be more relatable for reader in the E to C1 category as it is more about gossip then hard-hitting news, also the font of the mirror is in sans serif and is quite bold and large in the middle of the page this shows it is more contemporary and modernised. The article in the mirror is surrounded by advertisement which is a vast contrast to the telegraph. The banner of 

The Telegraph's article is much more serious and hard-hitting. The logo's font is in serif this shows that it is more sophisticated and this accentuates the target audience for the Telegraph which is more upper class. There are hardly any adverts within or near the article and instead the main headline is covered by multiple articles which are linked together. 

Task 4

One major difference between Online and print is the interactivity that comes along with online. Due
to this interactivity, a lot more consumers are opting for Online. The interactivity gives the user a
voice and a platform to voice their own opinion, which cannot be done through print media. A lot of
news companies online and social media allow consumers to comment underneath and it gives
consumers the opportunity to be heard.
Another benefit is that online is free and so consumers don't have to pay for a newspaper and can
instead follow the story online throughout the day. By online being free a lot more consumers would
prefer this, as it easier for the consumers and a lot more convenient.
As well as that online offers consumers o access news anytime and anywhere, this is essential as print
you have to wait a day for the story to be published to find out whats going on if there was a major
headline, whereas online you are able to find out instantly. This helps consumers to be in touch with
the rest of the world and to find out whats going on at this moment in time. 

Media Today

What is Brexit?

Britain leaving the EU
Due to Brexit, new trade unions are required and so it will be a longer process to get these unions back into place.
Complicated immigration laws.
Britain wants to keep the £ as the euro is constantly falling
Britain wants more power and feels that the EU has too much control



Older Generation vs Younger Generation

In my opinion, newspapers are biased within the articles they produce. Most newspapers support a specific political group

Telegraph is very right wing and is most likely to support the conservative party, whereas the Mirror is left wing and is most likely to support the labour party.

Telegraph is right wing due to the writers of the article and the audience they are trying to connect with. 

•Working in groups you will identify the Splash (main story)

Telegraph: Mays push for deal ends in chaos

Mirror: DUP ED -May gaves unionists £1bn for their support...now they derail brexit

 

•You will identify the target audience for  each of these papers using the socio-economic model

Telegraph: older, ABC1, more series political topics

Mirror: contains gossip as well-C2DE-possibly younger/mixed ages

•Collectively you will discuss how the papers are representing Brexit, THE DUP and Theresa May.

Telegraph: Supporting brexit/may. "pm left with 10 days to salvage EU talks"-bid for sympathy

DUP shown as uncooperative."DUP refuses to back strategy"

Mirror: Negative on May as she spent lots of money on people who over complicated brexit

DUP also shown negative for kind of using the tories for money and power

Brexit shown to be neutral and more focus on the people and parties and situation

Discuss the possible political agendas of the Mirror and the Telegraph in what way do they seek to influence their audience? 

By showing different people and parties in different lights they can alter people's perceptions, which will ultimately effect how they vote.

Discuss the difference between Broadsheet and Tabloid papers through a comparison of the Telegraph and Mirror 05/12/2017

The are many differences between Broadsheets and Tabloids, an example of an broadsheet would be the telegraph which is viewed as very right wing and are known  to support the conservative party and an example of aTabloid is the Daily Mirror, which is viewed as to be left wing and known to support the Labour party. 

The first difference between the Telegraph and the Mirror is the font. Daily Mirror adopts a sans serif font which is know to be more modernised and contemporary, this could relate to the younger audience and social class The Mirror is trying to promote to this could be the C2, D and E category. The Telegraph have adopts a serif font for their masthead, this shows a high level of sophistication and intelligence for the Telegraph this leans more towards the A,B,C1 category. The style of the font offers a sense of credibility within the tabloid and broadsheet. 

The splash for the Mirror, is in a strong, bold format which makes it more noticeable, the actual splash for the Mirror contains their political opinions of the paper and how they view the Brexit situation ,which is more left wing, and the people involved. In this edition of the Mirror, it gives their opinion on the DUP situation. 

Media Language Examples For Main Characters

Frank Underwood


The main character Frank Underwood is seen as a quite sinister character and through mise-en-scene this is further proven with the low-key lighting throughout the whole episode. This represents a sense of mystery and suspense which all conform to the conventions of a thriller. Frank Underwood is always dressed smart and slick this accentuates how politicians are dressed and are portrayed. Frank Underwood is also looking for revenge and is a power hungry character, this is represented through setting as most of the plotting and scheming occur late evening/night this represents a sinister atmosphere as well conforming to a political thriller conventions it also shows how sinister Frank’s character is. An example of this would be when Frank shatters the plates in his house this can represent the power struggle Frank is going through as he was cheated from being State Senator. Another example of corruption is when Frank blackmails Peter to work for him with no questions asked.


The editing of the show gives us a strong representation of the character, Frank Underwood.  The pace of the editing varies from scene to scene however it all adds up to paint this character, Frank, as a vicious and vengeful character. In an argument between Frank and his wife Claire, there is the use of shot reverse shot. The cuts and changes are very quick to suggest that this argument is heated and this shows the tension in the scene. 

Claire Underwood

Claire is represented as a determined character who will let nobody stand in the way of her and her husband ,Frank. This is shown through verbal codes as she says things with connotations of vengeance when plotting with Frank. "My husband doesn't apologise.Not even to me". Showing that she is power hungry, if not more , than Frank.

In an argument between Frank and Claire, there is the use of shot reverse shot. The cuts and changes are very quick to suggest that this argument is heated and this shows the tension in the scene. This represents Claire as a character that will not back down and will fight until she gets her way.

Zoe Barnes

Also mise-en-scene has a part to play in the character of Zoe Barnes, who is an ambitious reporter working for the Washington Herald.  Zoe’s life has a vast contrast from Frank/Claire’s life. She lives in a messy apartment with paper and work scattered everywhere this suggests that she doesn’t care about her appearance. When Zoe first meets Frank she was wearing a revealing V-neck to try and sway Frank. This suggests that Zoe will do whatever it takes to get where she needs to be.

There is also a very similar example that shows Zoe Barnes as and ambitious and arrogant character. In the scene where she is handing in the Education Bill, she is constantly interrupting her co-workers and there for the shot pace is very fast as the camera goes to the co-workers then is instantly back on her as she always has something to say. This shows that her character will make sure that her voice is heard as she want to make it to the top.

Peter Russo

Peter Russo is portrayed, through the use of camerawork, as an untrustworthy character. In the scene where his meeting is interrupted but his secretary posing as the president elect there are close up shots to his face and we can see that, even though we know he is lying, he keeps a strong, straight face. This immediately show the audience he is manipulative and not to be trusted.

Peter Russo is a corrupt solicitation, who is involved in dark matters such as drugs and adultery. Peter becomes one of Frank’s pawns when he gets arrested for drink driving. Through mise-en-scene it showed Peter’s situation through dull/muted colours also when Peter was arrested it was set in the night, which gives it a more sinister feeling.