Analysis of TV Programmes

Strippers - 4OD
Codes
As soon as the programme starts we are introduced to a woman who is applying her make-up. This shows that the women featured in the programme are concerned about their appearance and how other people perceive them. There is non diegetic music which could be described as 'seedy' and there   is also a voice over talking about the cost of living and why some women have to resort to being strippers. Soon after, there is a mid shot of two girls in their underwear, looking in the mirror. The fact that they are in their underwear shows that they are sexualised for the benefit of others. Next, there is a close up of a womans bottom; the footage is slowed down to make it last longer and look more appealing. The next shot is of feet walking down some stairs. There is red lighting which connotes love but also danger. For many people, the ankle/foot is quite a sexual part of a womans body, hence the close up. After the first 10 seconds there is a series of photographs featuring strippers. There is a strong form of iconography, as a metal pole is featured in most shots - this is one of the first things we think of when thinking of the sex industry. The camera shots are mainly long shots so that the whole body can be seen, and the camera angles are often low. 

Representation
In the first 5 minutes of Strippers, we see both genders being represented in many ways. The women are presented negatively for doing such a degrading job, and allowing themselves to be sexualised, however later on we begin to feel more positive as we hear about her life as a college student and how she only took on the job as a stripper because she needed the money. Men are represented as being quite misogynistic as they talk about the women as if they are just objects. 

There is a negative representation of British people due to the shots we see of the women dancing and  the way the men talk about them. The men are often drunk and this also gives a negative representation. 

In many ways there is a negative representation of young people. The girls are strippers and the boys are objectifying women and getting drunk. The programme is constructed to make us think negatively, as they are not showing the girls talking about their life as students or what the boys are doing with their lives. 

In Strippers, the stereotypes of gender are confirmed because in the media men are often powerful and dominant, whereas women are sexualised and objectified. This is exactly what is being portrayed in this programme. The stereotypes of age are also confirmed as young people are often shown in a negative way, either being thugs or acting older than they are. Again, this is shown in the programme.
However, the stereotypes of ethnicity are contradicted, as people often see British people as quiet, tea-drinking, royal family lovers - the representation of British people in Strippers is the complete opposite, but it does confirm the stereotypes of Scottish people; although the men aren't wearing kilts and eating haggis, they all seem to be quite drunk and tight, where money is concerned. 

Audience
The target audience for this programme is both men and women aged 18-30 years old. It is obvious that it is aimed at men and women because both men and women feature in the programme. Women may watch for information whereas men would probably watch for entertainment. I can tell that it is aimed at 18-30 year olds due to the music, clothes, and age of the people involved - if the characters are young, the audience is much more likely to be quite young as they will be able for relate. Scottish people may be more interested than Welsh, English and Irish, but overall I think that the target audience is British people. The fact that it is set in Scotland makes it obvious that it is targeted at British people. The people who would watch this would probably be in group E and D on the socioeconomic scale due to what the programme is about. It is probably not sophisticated enough for people higher up the scale.

Most people would probably watch this for both information and entertainment. Some people would watch it for personal identity as they may be able to relate, and some people may watch it for social integration. 

People who would take a preferred reading are people who are interested in Strippers, and people who like to watch real life documentaries. This would probably 18-30 year olds.
People who would take an oppositional reading are older people and people who are high up the socioeconomic scale - they would probably find it disgraceful and somewhat unladylike.
People who would take a negotiated reading are people a bit older than the aforementioned targeted age group. Maybe also people in C of the socioeconomic scale.

Alvarado's Theory (Stereotypes of Ethnicity)

EXOTIC



This shows a different ethnicity to be very exotic in their ways. We see Nicki Minaj dancing with native costumes and native dancers. She is in her home country and shows many traditional items. To us, it is very exotic as we are not used to things like this!
_______________________________________________________________________
DANGEROUS

This article in the Daily Mail shows Indian people to be rather dangerous after attacking an innocent Russian man, who had rang a sacred bell without knowing its importance.
_______________________________________________________________________
PITIED



When we watch this advert, we feel pity for those involved and feel like we want to help. They use very emotive techniques to make us feel this way.

Textual Analysis Revision

VISUAL CODES:

• Clothing and physical appearance
• Gesture and body language
• Facial expressions
• Settings
• Use of colour
• Any use of graphics (anchorage?)
• Denotation/Connotation
• Intertextuality

TECHNICAL CODES:

• Shots - range of shots and why they're used - wide shots? close ups? high/low angle shots?
• Any camera movement?
• Editing - the way scenes change from one to the next
• The pace of the text- fast? slow? why?
• Lighting
• Mise en Scene - what's in the shot?

AUDIO CODES:

• Sound - diegetic (natural sounds from within the scene) and non diegetic (sound from outside the scene- music added in)
• Any ambient noise
• Voice over
• Music

Audience Revision

Audience:

• Groups/individuals targeted by producers as the intended consumer of texts
• Some viewers/consumers/readers might not have been the intended audience due to wide availability of texts
• Identification of target audience is crucial for marketing/advertising - categorised according to factors including age, gender, etc.
• Considered active/passive depending on point or view.

Passive:

• Hypodermic needle
• Two step flow
• Cultivation theory

Hypodermic Needle:

People do not question, they just accept

People trust what they see in the media

Injected with ideologies

Controlling the media will help to control their population

Two-step Flow:

This theory implies that a more active audience will discuss the media texts with each other. If the text is discussed with someone who has respect (opinion leader) then we may be passive enough to accept their received views of the text [think of how we listen to TV and Film critics]. Bloggers and make up gurus encourage this.

Cultivation Theory:

This theory implies that a single text does not have much effect, repeated exposure will make the audience less sensitive (desensitised. Think of all the violence on TV and how we just accept it. It takes something very graphic or real to shock audiences now. 

Active:

• Reception Theory
• Uses and Gratifications

Reception Theory

Reception theory is an active audience theory which considers an audience as actively engaged in the decoding of a text.

There are different ways an audience can decode a text:

-Dominant or preferred reading [I enjoy...]

-Negotiated reading [I appreciate...but...]

-Oppositional reading [I hate...]

Uses and Gratifications

Personal identity (identifying themselves as part of an audience)

Information (finding out about the world, events, etc)

Entertainment (escape from reality, emotional release)

Social integration (discussions, companionship, camaraderie)

Construction and Mediation Revision

Selection
Whatever ends up on the screen or in print, a lot more will be left out. Someone will make a decision about what to include and what to omit. Think about how this affects your feelings on the piece.

Construction
The elements that go to make up the final text will have been constructed in a way that real life is now. Example: Big Brother is edited from 24 hours of footage to make a 45 minute highlights programme.

Focus/Mediation
Mediation encourages the audience to focus upon particular aspects of the text to push us to make particular assumptions and to draw conclusions. In drama we focus on a particular character.

Anchorage
Images without words are open texts, open to many interpretations. Once there are words in the form of a caption, a headline or a description, then the text becomes 'closed' and the audience is told the meaning.

Dominant Ideology
Whose point of view is presented through the text? People in positions of power communicate their opinions and beliefs. A recent example of a dominant ideology: thin = beautiful.
--Ideologies change: there has been a backlash to the thin catwalk models. Those in positions of power control how certain groups of people are represented, if they are.

Representation Revision

Representation
Class
Race/Religion/Region
Age
Sexuality
Handicap
Events/Issues

Class:
Upper - Royal and gentry
Middle - Educated professional people: lawyers, doctors, teachers. Cultured.
Working - Little education. Manual Jobs. Not very cultural.
Underclass - Long term unemployment. Career criminals.

Race: 
English, Russian, Polish, Indian, etc.
Religion:
Christianity, Judaism, Islamic, Buddhism, etc.
Region:
Northern, or as specific as 'Geordie' (Newcastle)

Age:
Teenager -> 13-19 years
Pensioners -> 60+ years
Middle aged -> 40-49 years

Sexuality:
Heterosexual
Homosexual
Bisexual
STRENGTH: strong (confident), weak (troubled)

Handicap:
Physical
Mental
Cultural (not encouraged to go on to further education)

Events/Issues:
What is actually happening

Reception Theory

BBC iPlayer - Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents: Series 4: Episode 5
Preferred reading: The preferred reading for Sun, Sex and Suspicious parents is around 18 - 25 years old as they can relate to the people featured in the programme. Both males and females are in the preferred reading and it is probably directed at people lower down the socioeconomic scale.
Oppositional reading: People a lot older than the aforementioned target age as they probably won't be able to relate and will be totally against the way the teenagers act. Also people higher up the socioeconomic scale.
Negotiated reading: People a bit younger as they might be interested in going abroad with friends in the future, and people a bit older as they may be able to relate to things that happened in the past. Also parents may be interested as they can relate to the parents featured in the show.

ITV Player - Benidorm: Series 6: Episode 7
Preferred reading: I think that Benidorm is targeted at many people as there are factors which could appeal to most people; its main audience is families in C and below of the socioeconomic scale. It it targeted at both men and women and I'd say the average age is 13-50 but people of all ages watch it.
Oppositional reading: People who are higher up the socioeconomic scale would probably take an opposed view as it is not based on upper class people and they probably wouldn't be able to relate.
Negotiated reading: Most people would probably take a negotiated reading as they understand what is going on, but don't really act on the knowledge they have received. People who have never been to Benidorm or come across these kind of people would also probably take a negotiated reading.

4od - Jamie's Money Saving Meals: Series 2: Episode 11
Preferred reading: 25-50 year olds as the programme is all about money saving and it is between these two ages where people need to save their money (for children, wedding, new house, etc). It is probably aimed at people in E, D and C2 of the socioeconomic scale as they would be the types of people who need to save money. It is probably aimed at women as women are the stereotypical chefs of the house.
Oppositional reading: Younger people would probably find it boring and people higher up the socioeconomic wouldn't need to save money.
Negotiated reading: Men as they know what it is about but aren't really interested, and people slightly older or slightly younger.