Life and Death Row - BBC 3
Around one minute into the programme, we are introduced to Heinze via a short piece of text. It states he was "charged with the murders of eight members of his own family". Immediately we begin to dislike this character and words such as 'murder' influence our opinion. However, this is also an enigma code; it makes the viewer want to continue watching so that they can find out the backstory and what caused Heinze to commit such a crime. the next shot soon after is of a man in a small room, sat alone at a table - like the start of the programme, there is a voiceover of someone on the phone to the police - the audience automatically assume that it is Heinze, the man at the table. A few minutes later, there are some close ups of framed pictures. Again, we assume that these images are of Heinze and as an audience, we may begin to feel sympathy for him as we are witnessing him as a young, naïve, innocent child. After we see these images, we are taken back to the small room where Heinze is sat at the table. At first, his body language makes him seem like he doesn't care too much as he seems quite calm, but he then folds his arms on the table and puts his dead down on them. This is typical body language of someone who is tired and upset. While he has his head on the table, there is another voiceover. An elderly woman begins talking about how Heinze was never a confrontational person and this has quite a big impact on the audience as it makes us question whether he is actually the bad person we think he is.
Overall, the audience would have mainly negative opinions of this man due to his past offence and the way he treated his family, however the way his grandmother speaks about him makes us feel slightly more sympathetic. The mise en scene also makes us feel negative as it is mainly set in a courtroom.
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Monday, 3 March 2014
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.
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.
Friday, 28 February 2014
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.
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.
Monday, 24 February 2014
Textual Analysis Revision
VISUAL CODES:
TECHNICAL CODES:
AUDIO CODES:
- Clothing and physical appearance
- Gesture and body language
- Facial expressions
- Settings
- Use of colour
- Any use of graphics (anchorage?)
- Denotation/Connotation
- Intertextuality
- 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.
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
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
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