workshop- Hegemony

HEGOMONY

-one power having power over another group 
-RULES AND RESTRICTIONS WE FOLLOW EVERYDAY 
-eg. no one talks if the teacher is talking = authority 
-we meritocratic society 

MARXIST VEIW POINT=(a system of rules that keep the rich rich and the poor, poor)

paritarcheal 

martiarcheal 

cultural

generic

political

religion is the opiate of the masses

what is attractive..... the beauty myth by Naomi Wolf

Neoliberalism: greed is good

One way in which this product reinforces hegemonic norms is..
-male gaze theory 

John Bergin: "men act, women appear"

HUMANS- patriachael 

TIDE SOAP- patriacheal

ADBUSTERS- adverts = manipulation 

adverts lowkey promote capitalism and consumerism is right 

FORMATION -racial 

Zoella - "scams basic hoes" Sam

vlogging lifestyle 

hyper real shit

Humans and Le Revenauts question 1

Question: 30 marks 

Liesbet Van-Zoonen argues that media language encodes that male and female characters act in media products

Explore how representations positions the audiences in Humans and Le Revenas 

Knee jerk reaction:

Liesbet Van-zoonen's argument is an excellent way of exploring how gender in encoded in both Humans and Les Revenants. Not only does she argue that female characters are primarily situated in media products to appeal to a heterosexual audience, she also infers that men and women are constructed in completely different ways by the producer. Through this the ideological perspective of the producer can be decoded by the audience.

consumerism

objectification

sexism 

Introduction:

I shall argue that humans and Le Revenaunt use complicated and subversive represenation of women in order to position their audince in often uncomftable sinarios. Humans is a sci-fi TV show first broadcast in the UK in 2015 on Channel 4. It is an adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans, although a number of changes were made in order to make the show appeal to a Uk market. Le Revenants is a French horror/thriller TV show set in a small village in the French Alpes. It relied on Funding from the European Union and has been succesful with its niche/cult audience.

Women

comparison between Matty and Lena

Semiotic codes

Venerability 

encoding of voyerism and scopophila 

mise-en-scene

hyperreality 

simulacrum (representation of something that has never existed) 

Example A) the breakfast scene

"This is what breakfast is meant to be like" said by dad Joe 

Anita adopts the role of both a maid and a mother. She is objectified by Matty when she compares her to a dish washer and calls her a slave. On the other hand Joe tries to impress Anita with his jokes. Laura is drawn into competion while Anita cleans around her implying dominace and materialness. 

Intradiegetic gaze: diffrent characters look at Anita in diffrent ways 

Prefferd reading is to see Anita as a compelling, interesting character 

Allegorical

Metaphorical 

The show in broad is about the representation of women in society 

Explores issues of consent, moral and conciseness 

Example B) Camilles return 

mothers reaction in complicated and nuanced. Initally she takes an atypical 'cold' reaction, before running to the bathroom and crying is a hysterical and stereotypical manner. Camilles attitude is stereotypically argumentative and slightly disrespectful conforming to more accurate representations of teenage girls.

non-diagetic music 

Radio comp 1 section B

RADIO

Explore how recent technological changes have shaped Late Night Womans Hour

digital technology refers to any technology that utilises a computer 

Broadcast date: Fri 28 Oct 2016, 11pm

'Home'

Role	Contributor
Presenter	Lauren Laverne
Interviewed Guest	Susie Orbach
Interviewed Guest	Rachel Hurdley
Interviewed Guest	Trine Hahnemann
Interviewed Guest	Helen Zaltzman
Producer	Eleanor Garland

Benefits of digital technology is can be accessed at any time 

BBC- to inform, to entertain, to educate

Threat from streaming services 

This is only possible through digital technologies and with a niche or cult audience

 

video games comp 1 section B

VIDEO GAMES AND INDUSTRY

Explore the ways in which audiences can use and take pleasure from video games

Make explicit reference to Assassins Creed (AAA production values)

Ubisoft: major label- 6000,000 copies sold 


Uses and gratification:
Sexual gratification- female protagonist- however not sexualised 

Identification with a strong female characters 

PS Vita 2012 (hand held consol) - portability and immersion 


My Little Pony mashup- fandom theory Henry Jenkins   
provides audience with the ability to combine two things they love through intertexulity 


Digital incentives/bonus- limited editions  
REASONS FOR PLAYING VIDEO GAMES:
challenge eg. Dark Souls (slogane Prepare to die)
social interaction 
tournaments
speedruns streamed on Twitch
escapism 
nostalgia, history and architecture 
information
customisation of characters 
enigmatic and mysterious trailer eg. Death Stranding 
extreme violonce 

Music Video Comp 1 section A

Explore how intertextuality creates meaning in the video of Riptide by Vance Joy and 7 Rings by Ariana Grande 

Intertextuality- when one media product creates meaning by through refrencing another 

Video is a cover of 'Favourite Things' by Julie Andrews for the Sound of Music 

Hyper reality is a representation of nothing 

We are currently libelling in a pop modern, unstable, hyper real world 

7 RINGS:

-references to Asian culture e.g Japanese text, modern technology, stereotypical Asian hair style (gaesia buns)

-range of polysemic representations of women 

-heavily sexualised gestures and performance elements e.g PVC dress and being on all fours, direct adress to audience 

-"Breakfast at Tiffany's" the popular Audary Hepburn film is included in the rise-en-scene with her jewellery

-references to K-pop and rap music conventions 

RIPTIDE:

-style over substance 
-references to the SALL films or the horror conventions through mid shot of dentist shot
-Late 20th centery French films: slow paced zoom and voyeristic viewpoint of women from behind as if being chased e.g 'It Follows'
-connotes westen culture: pistol shot, knife game, cowboy ect
-master shot of the lyrics being badly lip-synced as the women gets more injured, hermeneutic code and more horror conventions 


Anchorage!
Riptide creates an uncomfortable and disturbing experience for its audinces
the close up shots (e.g master shot) 
Audience placed in voyeristic position 

However also a clear references to the slasher sub genre therefore cannot get away fro intertextuality and references to horror films  



  

workshop- Postmodernism

Postmodernism 

Hyperreality- a representation of nothing (something that doesnt exist through the use of hyperreal imagery) audince now get confused between the signs of real of the real. Hyper real tends to be far more attactive or furistic 

Simulacra- a copy or a copy or representation, something that refers to something else and not something 'real'

Jean Baudrillard aurgued that the copy of a copy is real in its own way

Simulation- an imitation of something real

Archetype- a steryotype for a character 

Freinds: do you know a Chandler or  joey?

Audince activly idetifies with the certain charceters who were cynically constructed to maximise revenue 

Zoellas Picnic Party:

assprirational 

product placement eg. Fortnamus and Maisons hamper

escapist fantisy 

Humans:

Anita constructs the 'perfect' breakfast for the family 

Threat to Laura as she is more motherly 

The only thing that is real is fiction 

As it is the only thing that the audince can truly indetify with 

comp 1 section A and B newspapers

To what extent do representations in these newspapers make claims about realism?

Underline key points

Knee Jerk reaction

Plan

DAC

Paragraphing





Both the times and the Metro make na explicit claim that the representations of the events on their front covers are 'real' 

(no need to go into hyper reality in in comp 1)

definition of presentation is a re presentation where a person, issue or event is reproduced by the producer for ideological purposes. 

Every representation we see in the media is inaccurate and bias. Representations however can cause harm to the audience and in particular the group who is represented  

In order to explore this idea i will look at the set edition of the Times published on 10th November 2016 by News UK, a subsidiary of News International.
The Metro is a free tabloid news paper published by DMG media therefore is broadly a rightwing conglomerate that likewise publishes the daily Mail and Mail Online 

Plan:

bias by selection 

bias by commission 

representation- Stewart hall 

pick and mix- Gauntlet

Anchorage 
Internality
Polysemy
semiotics
hard and soft news
bleeds it leads
stereotypes

mise-en-scene
agenda

METRO:

Headline accompanied by the main image is a long shot positioning and anchoring the audience adopts a stereotypical tabloid mode of address by making the intertextual reference to crime shows eg. Breaking Bad. Confirms the target audience is working class as it is assumed this would be popular in grabbing their attention. 

Main headline story focuses on the issue of knife crime in the Uk, a moral panic which is currtley affecting the UK. The lexis of the headline is hyperbely in classical headline style for the purpose of constructing fear into the audience and an exciting narrative eg. "random attacks'. Symbolic f the issues the target working class audience may face. Can also manipulate the audience by reinforcing hegemonic ideological perceptions of black teenagers.

The image of Teresa May next to the subheading "dont be an april fool' demonstrates the political bias and ideology of producer (centrist)  

Binary opposition constructed between the hard news of knife crime and the soft news of the Vamps pull out top right.

THE TIMES:

Symbolism of the american flag constructs Trump as a nationalist, combined with the iconography of his pose (hand held in the air with fist clenched) explicitly shows his ideology. Anchorage of 'you will be proud' demonstrates right wing ideologies of the newspaper, a hyperbolic construct that attempts to convey a realistic, yet misleading representation to the audience.

Highly a typical format and layout of cover suggest the importance of the event. 

The proffered reading is anchored through the word 'proud' though this may be frustrating to the audience who disagree with Trumps veiws and promises therefore rejecting this reading. 

Mise-en-scene of Trumps emphtheic face is construct of reality placing him as the hero yet may form a binary opposition with the readers previous perceptions of him. However potioanl negative connotations of the word 'shockwave' serves as a hermeneutic code suggesting the uncertain future ahead.    

• The Times is owned by News UK a subsidiary of News International
• enormous media conglomerate and daily news paper
• Long established British institute 1785
• Sister paper: The Sunday Times
• Circulation 2019: 417,298
• Compact format meaning it is easier to read on the go 
• vertically integrated industry 
• Currently £1.80 (£1 to subscribers)
• right wing targeting an older middle class audience 

• The Daily Mirror is owned by by Reach PLC (formally known as the Trinity Mirror) 
• tabloid news paper aimed at a working class audience 
• Founded in 1903
• Circulation 2017: 587,803
• Sister paper: Sunday Mirror
• Reach PLC also publishes a range of local news papers eg. Cambridge news
• "The intelligent tabloid" 
• Cover price 80p

Explain how ownership shapes media products. Refer to The Daily Mirror (and The Times) to support your points

Underline key points

Knee Jerk reaction

Plan

DAC

Paragraphing

News value

story placement

Ideology

The intelligent tabloid

political bias

working class vs middle class

Knee jerk reaction: both papers are absolutely shaped by their ownership as it presents their political bias and the ideology of the producer in response to profit 

The Times: Page three discusses the cricket world cup, targeting a middle class audience. Focus on the England team demonstrates an ethnocentric bias. Highly politically motivated, front cover focuses on Brexit, an ongoing British political issue. Lexis is sophisticated and suggests a middle class audience in assuming they have a complex vocabulary and prior knowledge to subjects. Stereotypical representation of non British people, for example a dancing Indian woman could connote cultural misappropriation. Double page splash on page six and seven demonstrates Teresa May in a positive light, smiling and looking in control.

Advantages: ensure sales from a conservative audience, cultivating a conservative ideology therefore ensuring people may be more likely to vote for the conservatives. This would then benefit and advantageous for News International as conservative governments tend to favour less taxation, less restrictions on trade and similar 'pro business policies'  

How do the Daily Mirror and The Times construct their audiences? 

Construction: the way in which the producer creates a concept, representation or audience. In effect this involves the audience their likes, dislikes, political ideologies and even sexual preference 

Both news papers construct their audience primarily through a demonstrating a clear and instantly identifiable political inclination 

A constructed audience can be targeted far more efficiently also constructs brand loyalty and tribalism therefore ensuring the audience buys the paper daily

  

Case Studies: I, Daniel Blake and Straight Outta Compton

Case Studies: I, Daniel Blake and Straight Outta Compton

"Distribution is the key to success for any media industry" - How have digital technologies affected the ways in which films are produced and distributed?

Underline key points

Knee Jerk reaction

Plan

DAC

Paragraphing

Distribution refers to the ways in which media products are shared and given out to their intended target audience. Distribution is absolutely vital to the financial success of the film, and this is made increasingly more so by advances in digital technology.

Specialised Industry

Digital Convergence

Social Media

Conglomeration

Regulation 

Production

Advertising

Merchandise 

Legendary ( Producer ) and Universal ( Distribution )

Convergence and Synergy

BBFC

Genre theory and building a target audience

Stardom and Celebrity

Stereotypes

Power and Media Industries - Curran and Seaton

Regulation - Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt

Cultural Industries - David Hesmondhalgh 

Horizontal, Vertical Integration and Multimedia Integration 

Regulation - Media regulation is the control or guidance of mass media by governments and other bodies. This regulation, via law, rules or procedures, can have various goals, for example, intervention to protect a stated "public interest", or encouraging competition and an effective media market, or establishing common technical standards.

British Board of Film Classification - The BBFC is the UK’s regulator of film and video, providing age ratings such as U, PG and 12A. They are a designated body so have legal powers to rate, and sometimes cut or even reject works.

Traditional marketing refers to trailers, teasers, posters, billboards
Websites are interactive, very visual, links to social media.
Social Marketing- creating social media pages for characters etc
Viral Marketing Campaign - Blair witch - a website was made to make it look like a real myth and that was currently being investigated. People believe the teens had really gone missing,
Press Marketing - allowing the press access to your set or pre-made images of characters etc, will encourage them to make the main feature from a film or even a cover.
Pr Stunts- a globally popular event watched by millions, opens with James Bond and the Queen entering the stadium, unexpected. Word of mouth.
Fan Created Marketing. Could be through their own websites, forums, twitter feeds or Facebook pages, fan fiction, fan-made merch, fan-made posters.  e.g reworkingtitles.tumblr.com

Straight outta Compton

Racial Profiling is key in the song 'Fuck the Police' by N.W.A, (Racial profiling is a judgement based on race/skin colour). The solution is given by the N.W.A is to kill the police. Skits are used throughout the song to impersonate a white police officer arresting, but at the end of the song, the police officer was dragged off to court for racial profiling. The song highlights key issues with gun law.

  Reappropriation is taking ownership of a word. 

Straight outta Compton was produced by Legendary Pictures, who entered into a partnership with Universal Pictures in 2014. It is essential to note the film was made and distributed by a major, vertically integrated film studio that is part of a media conglomerate is significant in terms of funding, possibilities for cross-promotion and reaching a global audience.

Theatrical trailer is viewed 7.5 million times, with the potential to be shared on social media.
Ties in to themes of police brutality, especially the black lives matter movement. Iconography of the trailer with images of riots and police conflicts capitalised on this.
Traditional forms of marketing including billboards, posters, trailers and magazine adverts
Film later distributed on Netflix, with a vast potential multinational audience. 
Fan edits and memes created from the Straight Outta Compton logo, which itself was based on a Parental Advisory Sticker
BBFC 15 certificate, very strong language, violence, sex and drugs. Use of very strong language limits potential audience, yet the film was recut to avoid an 18 certificate.
The extended directors cut rated 18, where regulation issues less likely to effect sales. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyoew4T74_w

The point of a trailer is to build hype and sell the film. The film is a biopic on the life of the members of the N.W.A. The trailer glosses over swearing and leaves out some bits of narrative. This creates a hermeneutic code to make you want to see the film. The trailer DOES NOT have a voice-over; it uses the characters speech to introduce themselves and everyone else. There is also the absence of a release date and the names of the actors portraying the characters. The film is majority-black cast, which is sadly strange for a big-Hollywood blockbuster.

During the past two weeks, leading up to Aug. 14  2015 , the release of Straight Outta Compton, he got his answer: The efforts of the four companies resulted in several attention-getting plays: When UFC champ Ronda Rousey knocked out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds on Aug. 1, the Straight Outta Compton label was right below her on the mat; there was an ad for the film that played during the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6; the "Straight Outta Somewhere" meme went viral with nearly 6 million personalized labels being shared on the Internet; and the word "Compton" was literally painted over the skies of Los Angeles.

I, Daniel Blake

Official Website: Discounted cinema tickets for the target demographic ( Working Class )

Low Production values and budget, targeting a middle class and socially conscious audience

Traditional methods of distribution. Premiered in Cannes, and then sold to the distributor 

( eOne ) for UK distribution

Production : financed by BFI, BBC, Wild Bunch, Canal Plus

Distributed in France under the title Moi, Daniel Blake

An independent film created through the collaboration of many international financiers

Traditional theatrical trailer, which was also distributed digitally