TV Drama - End of Module Lesson

Sexuality

1. Victim/Sympathetic
2. Threat/Abnormal
3. Sexualized/Promiscuous 

Ethnicity

1. Asian - Indian

1. Asian - South East - Thai etc
2. Middle Eastern
3. White
4. Black - African, Caribbean
5. Gypsy/Traveller
6. Eastern European

Stereotypes

1. Exotic
2. Dangerous
3. Pitied
4. Humorous
5. Sexual used

Age

Young

Adult

Elderly

1. Freedom
2. Unfit
3. En titled
4. Attractive
5. Lazy 
6. Obese
7. Gullible
8. Violent
9. Immature
10. Grumpy or greedy

Disability

Mental

Physical

Able Bodied

1. Villain - Freak/abnormal/scary
2. Hero/Brave - Overcoming adversity
3. Ugly, physically incapable and non sexual
4. Victim - Vulnerable

Technical Areas 

4 Technical areas that need to be covered:

- Camera shots, angle, movement and composition

- Editing

- Sound

• Mise en scene (Location, props, lighting and costume)

Gender

Male

Female

Ethnicity

1. Alpha male
2. Sexual object
3. Post masculine male
4. Traditional

Framework For analysis

Step 1. Characters, roles, significance

Step 2. Relationships of power

Step 3. Differences, how they are presented as opposites

Step 4. Reinforcing, challenging stereotypes

Step 5. Why? - A Grade

Regional Identity/social class

Upper - City

middle - Country

Working - Northern

Under Class - Southern

Tv Drama is created through Conflict

Most Powerful

male - alpha male

Able bodied

White UK

Adult

Middle class - City

Straight

Modern media on Youtube - Equal as anyone can make it

“Normal” is a Traditional Stereotype

Eg. A Family

“Normal”

Hotel Babylon - Representation of Ethnicity

Discuss the ways in which the exact constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following:

• Camera angles, movement, composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mis en scene

Hotel Babylon

English woman at desk speaks very formally, close up camera shot of face representing power. She also comments “brain like a sieve” to an african worker.

Immigrant officer was central in the camera shot, this shows power and authority. Volume of music rises when the officers come in.

The ethnic workers are lower physically in comparison to the hotel, they work in the cellar of the hotel. They also have jobs like cleaners and cooks that are assumed as a lower class job. All the workers panic downstairs who are wearing a basic uniform. This takes away independence and is a representation of a hard working job.

African man who appears to be a general cleaner helps save the woman with diabetes, his use of language shows he has a knowledgable skills. “I wasn’t always a cleaner” gives an indication to a past career.

Camera Angles - Low camera angles of workers around woman with diabetes, shows panic and how scared they are. Camera pans when the immigrants hear a knock on the door, shows fear. camera isn’t still, moves with action.

When the locker was opened it was very empty, this shows the person didn't have much belongings and personal items.

Sound - A fast high rate sound track is played in the background, this represents a heart rate increasing, which shows fear. Slower music is played when the woman clear out the locker of the immigrant who got taken away. Various different types of languages, shows a difference and range of different ethnic backgrounds.

Workers sit in separate ethnic groups, the african workers sat together whereas the European group was on a different table laughing and talking.

Facial expressions of other workers are very sad and worried towards the end, they sit in silence when eating and do not engage in conversation or look at each other.

Doctor Who Pirate Scene

Doctor Who

Pirates - demanding, aggressive, surprised at Amy's post feminism

Doctor who - laid back at beginning, becomes more anxious and worried from Amy's actions. Dress sense, cares about appearance

Amy - post feminism, picks up sword, challenges men (saving David life)

Music - eerie, builds suspense

Rory - becomes very flirty towards Amy. 

Male gaze - demon figure that rises out of the sea. 

Revision Methods

Useful

Mind map

Copy out notes

Look at images

Flashcards

Recordings

Watch Videos - Research

Not Useful

Not knowing what your revising

Copying someone else's notes

not revising

Last minute revision

Cramming too much information in at the last minute/morning of the exam

Monarch Of The Glen - TV Drama

Monarch Of The Glen - TV Drama

Man is well dressed

Old fashioned expensive car

Big house - wealthy - castle - long drive

Male characters are excited - well spoken - laughing and joking around

Camera looking up towards character from boot - view point from a barbell of wiskey - very mature worth a lot

Cheerful music - comedy, enjoying themselves

Over the shoulder shot between two older men

Role reversal - younger man burst in onto the two older men, younger man has position of power. Older men look scared and guilty. Older men were talking about someone "just don't tell him", light is behind the younger man representing power, camera jump cuts to the younger man with the older men in the darker background. 

Young man (lord of the estate) is very questioning

Older men are protective over wiskey

Power passes down through men, not women and goes to mens children. 

Older men have close up shot - they are angry and wound up

Working class - basic dress, kilt. Man in kilt still thinks he has power that he no longer has. 

Social Class - Mad Men

Peggy Olson - women In The Workplace

Middle class - in suits

Lower class - basic dress

Middle class - need to have a good figure

Lower class - presented as bigger in size

Women are objects towards men

Women can't interact with men in an intellectual way 

Women need to be skinny and watch what they eat

Men are a group, women are independent

Male voice over - shows masculine power, non diegetic

Women have to go into the workplace to find a partner, the male role is the leader over the females

Woman being sarcastic "no help from Albert Einstein"

Wild animals, people go shooting and hunting to feed the people of the castle. 

Man in tartan shirt - very aggressive and dominant 

Teacher with class of young children, man who walks in draws her attention, she gillies and smiles. 

- teacher is working class

- The Lord is middle class 

180 degree shot

Man in mountains, relaxing calming music. Man screaming with happiness

Job vacancy in paper

The lords bedroom, very expensive wooden hand crafted furniture. Talks very calmly to man in tartan shirt, who wants to apply for head ranger. Lord calls for mother 

Camera construction and Emphasis

This photo uses a medium camera shot showing both a male and female, the male is closer the the camera representing power and authority. The woman also has to look up to the man to create a conversation. The male is also slightly closer to the camera which also represents authority.

This photograph gives the assumption that the woman closer to the camera has more authority over the men in the background. She has a very stern, straight face which gives an aggressive masculine look in comparison to the men in the background who seem to be looking at her. The way she is also standing with her back to them portrays her as more powerful.

This photograph gives the idea that the male in the shot has more power over the female, even though the female has more camera space. You can only see half of the mans face whereas you can see the whole of the females facial expression that looks anxious and panicked. The lack of space between the two characters shows passion.

The photograph represents a higher level of male assumptions, as the female is wearing dark clothes, smoking and holding a gun which are predominantly more showcased in males. The female is also towering over the camera, with low lighting and a lack of colour, which shows more masculinity in comparison to a happy bright colourful shot.

This photograph has elements of both masculine and femininity, the male is holding a gun and is bleeding which represents the typical man. But the camera is angled higher and he seems to be on the floor which represents defeat.

This photograph constructs a more feminine opinion on the photo. It shows a woman in typical woman dressed in shorts and a vest. The lighting used is bright and the camera shot has her evenly placed in the center of the image. The lighting shows she is more feminine as it defines her body and skin.

This photograph displays that the photo is more masculine as the majority of people in the camera are male. Also the person closest to the camera is a man.

The Street - Exam Answer

Here is my response to "The Street"

Gender is very significant in this clip, it involves two adult characters one man and one woman. The man at the beginning of the clip comes over very aggressive and assertive to his wife. She also comes over very aggressive towards her husband but is very comforting towards her daughter they are arguing about. You get the sense that they are a low working class due to the source of their argument  money. They argue about an item their daughter has broken which in their eyes is expensive to replace. The Husband is a typical stereotypical character that drinks and watches football.

Throughout the first scene, it shows an average family with two parents having an argument. This is shown through the gap of a door which creates a scared outlook from the  little girl, the aggressive attitude of the father is asserted to his wife. The appearance and clothing of the family is very basic, casual and unbranded, which indicates that they are a working class family. The family also live in a small terraced house in town which is also an indication that they do not have a high income.
The camera then pans around to the little girl sitting innocently at the table, her facial expression shows sadness, whereas the typical boys in the background are watching TV.

The scene after this shows the father at work, he is working in an industrial environment, this shows masculinity and that he is releasing anger at work. His job shows that is very labour intensive and that he works hard for his money. The camera uses a jump cut shot of the man using the hammer, this shows masculinity and aggression.

The flowing scene then shows the pipe bursting, the camera shot is wobbly and unstable, this shows panic of the woman in the situation. She then runs and shouts to Peter for help, this shows how males can be dominant and able to fix things. Peter is well dressed representing that he could be of a higher class in comparison. Once Peter fixes the pipe they both relax and laugh, the camera is positioned behind a door giving a secretive effect of what they are doing.

Peter then goes back into his own house, which shows a boy watching football and the mother shouting at the two girls. The mother tries to talk to peter but he is too busy, this shows how work is more important to Peter whereas the mother is more children orientated. The mother is very persistent and demanding, this portrays the typical "house wife" which is represented in a smilie way throughout various different tv dramas. The close up camera angles of the mother shouting helps show her anger and worry towards her child.

The scene after this is the car crash, this involves Peter running over family ones little girl. This could be a representation of a clashing of two different social classes. The neighbours run over in distress and assist whereas Peter stays in his car from worry and shock. This shows that. Peter is quite a weak man in comparison to the hard working builder from family 1. 

The overlapping of voices and alarms is a representation of a complete mess, once the father realises what has happened he rushes out. He becomes more angry and assertive towards Peter showing his pain. The clothing of all the neighbours is casual, this shows that most neighbours are working class I'm comparison to Peter who is more of a business man.

The mother then walks into the house and realises that the two boys are still watching the football, this portrays that they are just like their father and are careless.

I think that this clip has a good representation of social class, it shows a contrast between the two and how they can clash.

Mock Test - The Street - Notes

Mock Test on "The Street Representation on Social Class"

4 Technical areas that need to be covered:
- Camera shots, angle, movement and composition
- Editing
- Sound
- Mise en scene (Location, props, lighting and costume)

Then Analyse:
- Construction and representation
- Sexuality
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Social class
- A reflection of reality?
- Is it marketable?
- What influence does it have on society
- disability

- regional ID


Notes on The video clip: 
Close up camera shots
point of view camera shot from little girl
Quick movement of camera shots when tap bursts and girl is run over
Shouting and agressive male adult towards female adult
located in a town with terraced houses
Casual clothing, man in suit who runs girl over
music in background of sports
two young boys who aren't interested in anything thats going on
The dad to the girl who got run over is careless
Loud burst of water pipes bursting and screaming
Big crashing sound and shouting when girl is run down
Track pan camera angles
Relatable problem - woman kissing another man
Women casually dressed
Peter in a suit
Children ready for school
Typical boys watching tv
Father releasing anger at work using hammer
Woman is a stay at home mother
Woman who's tap breaks asks for mans help
Peter and woman laugh when the water stops - Passionate kiss
Long shot of kiss with cake in foreground
Woman in background and peter in foreground whist eating a cake
Males infront of the TV
Peter gets into car, runs back inside
Peter is distant from family and doesn't take a lot of notice - shows how women are more close to their children
Both girls are being shouted at in video
Woman in street with children - Shows closeness
Peter drives off, puts belt on and runs over little girl - camera flashes to her father in front of the TV
Neighbours run to little girl
Peter stays in car from panic and shock - cannot face what he has just done - Breathes heavily
Two boys watching TV don't take any notice
Father shows pain and fear through taking his anger out and shouting at Peter through the car window
Neighbour faints
mother rushes over distraught, shows true pain of her daughters accident
Father shouts at traffic "my daughters just been run over"
Peter looks really shocked and upset in car

Tv Drama Exam

1) TV Drama ( scripted and no fictional) 

A story presented in a dramatic way heavily linked with relatable, real life situations. using believable well representable characters, locations and plots people watch to drama for entrainment, audience can link e relate to situations. TV drama is studied so society can be learnt about and how it is represented in the media industry. TV drama represent: sexuality, gender, ethnicity, social class. 

TV drama is like a reflection of reality, That is a marketable product which can influence society.

2) TV drama sub genres: Teen, soap operas , costume, medical , hospital, police / crime , doc dramas 

7 groups of representation: class, sexuality disability, Regional identity, age, ethnicity and gender.

3) Exam expectations 

Analyse discuss technical aspects of the language and conventions of the moving image medium, in relation to the unseen moving image extract, as appropriate to the genre extract specified.

4 key technical areas camera shots , angles, movement and composition, editing , sound and 

MISE-EN-SCENE

4) 2 Hour exam - ( 1 hour per question)

 A 5 minute clip is shown 4 times. Half an hour is allocated to reading the question, watching the extract and making notes.

The exam is out of 50

20 marks for the analysis of the argument

20 marks for the use of examples from the clip

10 marks for the use of terminology

5) Representation: A Definition

By definition all media texts are re-representation if reality. Meaning they are intentionally created by their producers. They choose story lines that closely link to reality and that are understandable by the audience.

Representation is a two way process, producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

6) Representation in the media can be misleading. Most, if not all images are photoshopped to make men and women look flawless. This misleads audiences to believe that they need to be perfect and aspire to these so called "role models"