Television

Television: industry and audiences                                                     01/11/19

Lo - to research the history, companies and regulators in the television industry.

• Publicity owned TV channel - funded by government and license fees for the public service.

• Commercial TV channel - funded through advertisements. 

• Convergence - process of joining different technologies into one device. E.G mobile phone.

• Watershed - times when adult content (15+) can be shown. Between 9pm and 5:30am.

• Segmented market - audience divided into different groups depending on taste and interest.

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

• Self regulating - not regulated by outside bodies.

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

• Channel surfing - quickly scanning through different television channels or radio frequencies to find something interesting to watch or listen to.

• 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 time.

• Conglomerate - a company that owns several smaller businesses whose products or services are usually very difficult.

1. When was TV introduced to the UK? 1927
2. In 1965, how many channels where there in the UK and what were they? 2: ITV and BBC
3. When did ITV start? Why was it different? 22 september 1955, 
4. Which uk channels have to follow PSB remits?
5. Who regulates TV now? Ofcom
6. Who regulated Tv channels in the 1960s? 
7. List the differences between TV in the 60s and now? 

Television Industries: ownership                                                              15/11/19

Lo - to explore the history of ownership in two key channels.

Television in 2010s                                                                                 15/11/19

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

• David Cameron legalised gay marriage
• "Neck nomination" people nominated others to neck a pint of alcohol - lead to many deaths
• 
  

TV: media language

Camera work: the way in which cameras are used in a film or television programme.

• establishing shots
• low angle, high angle, canted angle or aerial shots
• camera movement: tracking, steadicam or crane shots
• hand-held camera
• point of view shots
• shallow focus and focus pulls

Soundtrack: a recording of the music accompaniment of a film.

• music
• diegetic/non-diegetic sound
• sound effects
• sound bridge
• voiceover

Editing: prepare for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it.

• shot/reverse shot
• juxtaposition
• non-continuity editing
• crosscutting
• fast-paced editing
• transitions: dissolve, wipe, fade
• post-production effects

Mise-en-scene: the arrangement of the scenery, props, lighting, decoration, and actors of the theatrical production of the film.

• highly and low key lighting
• location/set
• costume and makeup
• props
• casting and performance style
• blocking (the composition of elements within the shot)

Characters and individual storylines                                                             22/11/19

Cuffs

• PC Ryan Draper
• PC Jake Vickers
• DS Jo Moffat
• Chief Super Robert Vickers
• DC Carl Hawkins
• DI Felix Cane
• PC Donner Prager
• PC Limo Moretti
• PC Misha Baig

The Avengers practice question                                                                    03/12/19

How is media language used in the extracts to portray gender sexuality in the 1960s?

Media language is used in the extract to portray that women were beginning to have more power over men in the 1960s. This is shown using camera work/ mise-en-scene, sound and editing.

To begin with the camera work is used alot to present power between the two characters and their sexual attitudes. For example, the tilt pan shot of the eye on the front of the door presents the power of the women bringing sexual tension between the two characters. Also, another use of camera work is where he looks her up and down, this shows that he does not have any respect towards her whereas she looks him in the eyes only. The way the cameras are angled in different shots such as a medium shot type on the women and the low angle on the male presents the power being presented. The low angle makes the male look as if he is towering over the women and has power, whereas the medium angle of the women makes her look smaller and presents her as having little power compared to the male.

However, power is presented differently using the media language of sound. Throughout the scene the tempo changes depending on what is going on. At the beginning of the extract the eye opens as the camera comes towards it and the tempo suddenly changes, and becomes softer. This connotes attraction between the two characters before them even coming together in the scene. This can show us that the women having an eye on her door could show her having power of him. Also, in the extract they have a sword fight which can symbolise sex. She pushes the male down on the seat and pushes her sword against him lightly which shows us her having power over him in the 1960s. 

Finally, editing is also used in the extract to present women having power over men in the 1960s. The music used brings the scene together which is effective in making sure the audience doesnt loose interest in what is happening. 

The Avengers

Representation: Practice question

1. How is Britishness represented in this scene in terms of mine-en-scene?

2. How is war paranoia/racism represented in this scene through miss-en-scene?

3. What stereotypes were used in episode 1?

4. How was steed represented in episode 1?

5. How was Mrs Peel represented in episode 1?

6. What could you be looking out for?
-gender inequality and changing role of women
-fashion and design
-class structure
-changing views on sexuality
-representation of different ethnicities
-social values in general

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

The Avengers and 1960s                                                                      05/11/19

Lo - research the 1960s (uk) in terms of social, historical and political climate of the decade: research the TV show the Avengers. 

• The contraceptive pill was first introduced in 1961 for married women only.

• There was still racism
• Men sexualised women
• A lot of people were poor because they put all of their money towards the war
• no technology
• People were coming out of the rationing era
• The beetles and the rolling stones ruled the 1960s

Living in the 1960s was very different to now. In 1961 the contraceptive pill was introduced, however only for married women. There was also still racism back in the 1960s and men would sexualise women. A lot of people were poor in the 1960s because all of the money was put towards war. There was no technology in the 1960s so therefore everyone had to entertain themselves in different ways. Also in the 1960s the beatles and the rolling stones ruled for the most famous bands

The Avengers and 1960s                                                                      10/01/20

1960s

- 1940 - 50s, people didn't have anything and were all conservative.

- By the end of the 50s, people were financially stable and started to save up.

- Younger generation had money and jobs

- The cold war was ongoing in the 1960s, was a race to see who would use nuclear weapons first between Russia and America. No one fought but it was between the

- Women began to have more rights in the changing of the 1960s, it was a patriarchal society. Equality was changing.

- Society was in two groups, younger generation were very liberal. The older generation were very traditional, political and had male domination.

- Which drugs were a big part of the culture?
Weed and acid, LSD (ming altering drugs)

- Which political party was in power?
Labour

- Who were the most famous bands?
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan

- What scientific development changed women's lives?
The contraceptive pill

- What were people protesting about in the UK?
Peace rather than war

Exam preparation

 How can the following areas be seen in the avengers episode?:

Gender equality changing:
- When Mrs Peele and Mr Steed are fencing in the living room and he falls into the chair as she 'dominates' him.

Patriarchal Society:
- When the camera angles in the clips are making Mr Steed look bigger and as though he is towering Mrs Peel.

Youth movement in fashion/art/music:

The Avengers: the town of no return                                                            17/01/20

Lo - to explore the narrative, characters and context or series 4, episode 1.

•  Opening location - seaside, stereotypical for fisherman. Shot on location shows new money/equipment because of American company (ABC) had taken over.
• Mrs Peel and her apartment shows the far more modern part of the 60s, new movements in art and design and fashion.
• Steed represents the stereotypical patriarchal society, the dominance of male. He also represents the older more traditional generation. 
• Mrs peel is represented as being smart, intelligent and capable.
• Steed presents gender inequality when he hits Mrs Peel on the bum with a fencing sword.
• They are represented as partners however he is always in control. 
• Stereotypes of britishness is shown when he lays out an afternoon tea and the bad manners are presented when someone new gets on the train. Representations of the typical British pub, darts, over cheerful landlord, locals not welcoming to outsiders, male dominance where he offers her a drink she refuses however he then tells her she IS having one.
• Traditional old fashion english deign is presented by the awful wallpaper. 
• Music at the time would of been jazz however the movement of the era is presented by the new music. 
• Small english village, school, church, pub
• British pride in the military.
• Music up and down builds tension.
• Mrs Peels Outfit + her being tied up shows the modern generation of relationships and sexuality. 

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

A typical patriarchal society is represented throughout the episode in different ways. When Mrs Peel and Steed are fencing in the living room the typical male dominance is represented when he uses his dancing sword to hit her on the bum as she walk away. This shows he has male dominance and has more control. Also, women are being represented as being trustworthy because Steed is trusting her to do the job. Furthermore, stereotypes of Britishness is represented in the episode in many ways. For example when on the train he lays out an afternoon tea and then typical British bad manners are being represented when someone new gets on the train and the British ignore him. Also, britishness is represented when a British pub comes into the scene. There is a dart board,an over cheerful landlord and the locals are not welcoming to the outsiders. There is also male dominance when the landlord offers Mrs Peel a drink, she then declines his offer however he forces her to take the drink. 

Cuffs: series 1, episode 1                                                                     24/01/20

Characters:

• PC Ryan Draper
• PC Jake Vickers
• DS Jo Moffat
• Chief super Robert Vickers
• DC Carl Hawkins
• DI Felix Kane 
• PC Donna Prager
• PC Lino Moretti

Key Points:

• Set in Brighton
• Non diegetic sound of radios is the police drama
• Cross cutting, to show the opposite (juxtaposition) of what the chief super intendant is saying, the political side Vs the reality of what actually happens.
• Key characters introduced, Jake is a key character as he is first to be introduced.
• Multiple narratives
• mise-en-scene, body language
• Development of technology, camera work (drone)
• is normal to be gay unlike the avengers, acceptance and tolerance.
• shows mental health, self harm, drugs 
• Music changed, sinister to shows danger and tension.
• Women is in charge and in position of authority, as well as different religions
• Signs of patriarchal society, higher positions are men, 
• More broken families in 2015
• Background music shows that the man feels sympathetic towards the mother of the child.
• Reality of policing, understaffed
• Treatment of his family shows the racial tension, the build up with brexit, reflects what is happening in society.
• Stereotype of the lawyer is negative, no conscience, in it for what they get.
• Representation of teenagers, rebellious, negative stereotypes (hoodies, trainers, untucked shirts)
• Change in music, fast pace music and editing.
• cross cutting between the two pairs of cops.
• Women is seen as being more capable, man is shown as being unfit, can't keep up (comic character)
• Police have to face the public attitudes towards them, unpleasant, accusations of police harassment and brutality, use of social media from the public.
• Slow motion to highlight danger, panic
• Reality of the police, no respect from the public

Television Industries: 2010s                                                               31/01/20

Lo - to explore the TV industry in 2010s and the effect on TV shows and audiences.

• Shifting audience - lack of channel loyalty and identity
• Loss of large mass audience except for 'event TV' - world cup; olympics; x-factor final etc
• 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 back catalogue - exploits nostalgia - EG: dads army
• Remakes of old shows (exploit brand) - EG: polder
• 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 - BBC2 programmes centered on strictly; apprentice: youve been fired; channel 4 bake off?extra slice etc
• 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 etc
• Catch up TV
• Streaming TV
• Box sets via streaming 

Audiences

• Break up of family viewing - the fragmented audience
• Erosion of channel loyalty - the BBC viewer or ITV viewer
• Channel surfing
• Audience as schedule creators
• 24/7 media - issues of saturation
• Demand for content 
• Demand for quality - stars, production values
• Binge viewing
• Impact of meme TV shows
• Search for the latest 'on trend' shows to share on social media
• Need for shock or issue based TV to attract attention
• TV shows as brands
• Using social media to comment on live TV

Cuffs trailer

• What elements did the producers choose to include and why?

The producers used a clip of a brothel to make the trailer appeal to the target audience. Also, they included a clip of police men searching through/for drugs. This would appeal to the target audience because sex, drugs and crimes are all of a modern aspect. A clip of gay men was shown which appeals to the target audience because there is a lot of sexual debates about being gay, this shows diversity. The music they use in the background is loud and fast pace to suggest there is intense action going on. 

• How have they presented police life?

In the trailer for cuffs they presented police life as being as being hectic, this is shown when the public smacks the male policeman in the chin, and when the younger policeman is being controlled by the women out in public. They are treated with no respect and cannot control the public.

• How have they represented personal dramas?

Relationships - between the police officer and the lawyer

• How have they used media language (Editing, sound, MES and camerawork) to make it appeal to the target audience?

They have used sound and camera work to ensure the trailer is appealing to the target audience. When there is fast pace music the pace of the scene increases. Also, when a loud noise is made the scene changes and cross cutting is used.

• Part of winter schedule for 2015: aired October 2015
• Typically, a time aimed at wider family audiences, E.g Apprentice and strictly 
• Scheduling: broadcast 8pm on a weekday. 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 demographic as possible.
• Format/appeal: fits modern post 2010 populist series format - everyday relatable storylines with a consistent set of troubled characters with different issues.

Passive Vs Active Audiences

1. Explain the difference and give examples

A passive audience is where someone sits and watches something , without taking a blink about what it is. For example if someone tells them that a certain television programme or podcast is on they will simply say 'okay' and will watch it. Whereas an active audience is where someone chooses what they want to watch and when, they will take a lot of notice on what is being shown and will comment on the programme. They will pay a lot of attention and will take everything in. 

2. Explain how the audience for The Avengers and Cuffs would have been very different and why

The audience for The Avengers and Cuffs would of been very different because of the amount of channels available at a certain era. For example when the avengers

Cuffs and Social values                                                                     07/02/20

Lo - to explore todays social values and analyse how these are represented in Cuffs.

What are social values?
The ideas that the shape how we see the world and our place in it. They shape our actions - what we see as right or wrong, appropriate/inappropriate, acceptable and unacceptable. When we talk about social values of the value of society we are referring to the thinking and actions that the majority accept.

How does Cuffs represent the post 2010 era?

• It is a public service broadcaster (BBC), this means that it is created for the benefit of the public not for commercial use. 
• It is funded through the license fee, they have to follow a set of guidelines by OFCOM because they have to justify where 'our' money goes
• Other channels are funded through adverts, sponsorships, paid partnerships, and product placement
• Post 2010 - more multicultural and multiethnic
• Cuffs was shown at 8pm significant to the terms of representation they could offer, this means that it had to be more appropriate therefore they would have to be very implicit in what they shown. 

How is ethnicity, gender and sexuality represented in cuffs?

In episode 1 ethnicity is represented in many different ways. This tells us that different ethnicities have different roles. 

Cuffs and the PSB remit (public service broadcasting)

Lo - to evaluate how effectively the BBC meets its PSB remit
In the UK , the term PSB refers to broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests.

PSB purposes:

• Informing our understanding of the world
• stimulating knowledge and learning
• Reflecting the UKs cultural identity
• Representing diversity and alternative viewpoints

PSB characteristics:

• High quality
• Original
• Innovative
• Challenging
• Widely available
• Distinctive

How does cuffs meet the PSB remit and the BBCs core mission?

In Cuffs they represent the PSB purposes in many different ways. They represent the UKs cultural identity of many different cultures by using different raced people. For example there is a black police officer swell as a white police officer. The man who gets stabbed in the shop is also a different culture. 

• police life - the challenges they face.
• Entertain - the comedy scenes involved are there to entertain the audience.