'The Fear' essay

The TV drama clip ‘The Fear’ can be used to construct representation of social class using features such as camera shots, editing, Mise-en-scene and sound.

Throughout the clip, the social class difference and the effect that it has on the characters changes. The clip starts by the camera moving from left to right, in the direction of the two characters, which has been shown by the tracking movement of the camera. This camera movement has been used to make the audience look at the whole scene while it moves from left to right, rather than just focus on a close up of a character. The long shot being used by the camera is also affective for the same reason. It makes the audience focus on everything in the shot, which is good for an opening scene in a clip because the audience can identify the characters and the setting at the same time. The social class is automatically assumed and explained in that shot, this is because the props that is in the doctor’s reception. There are leather chairs, wooden desks and chairs flat screen computers and big glass windows which suggest that they doctors surgery and the people that work there are from a high class.

The sound in the clip also represents the social class. The first male character that appears in the clip; Ritchie, uses dialogue towards the reception lady which suggests that he is more important than her, although he is probably from a lower or even the same class as the woman. He says “Looking for doctor Whiteing” and by him using a demanding deep tone to his voice, makes Ritchie seem like a powerful and higher class character. When the reception lady replies to Ritchie by saying, “Do you have an appointment” in a soft but stern voice, it makes her then looks like the powerful one by questioning him. Because there isn’t any non-diegetic sound and there is just dialogue, it builds tension when the reception lady rebels against the male character. More dialogue is continued when Ritchie replies, “Just tell him its Ritchie”. The reception lady replied to Ritchie again by saying “im afraid doctor Whiteing can’t see anyone without an appointment” and then pauses to let Ritchie think but then adds “im afraid im ganna have to ask you to remove your car”. This shows representation of class because the woman who is the higher class is more dominating and demanding.

 The Mise-en-scene in both scenes; the reception area and then in the doctors room both show representation of class. In the reception area the props such as the furniture and the desk is all very modern and the costume of the receptionist is smart and formal that represents her as a high class. Even though he is in a suit and does look formal from his costume, the way he presents himself by picking up the computer keyboard and going to swing to hit the woman if she didn’t let him off moving his car is represented as violent and intimidating. This can make Ritchie look like he is from a high class by bossing the reception woman about but he can also be made to look weak because of how nasty he is. After Doctor Whiteing comes to see what was happening, he saw Ritchie at reception and caught him with the keyboard in his hand ready to swing at the woman he took him into his own room to have a chat.  

Editing has been used in this scene to represent class. The camera movement goes back to the very first tracking of the view of the whole reception area. The camera shot of Ritchie’s close up shot of his face has been edited with a cut onto the long shot. This goes from making Ritchie look powerful to looking small. The next shot that is shown of Ritchie is the close up in the doctor’s room. This editing cut has been done from one long shot to a close up to emphasize the facial expression. Because Ritchie’s personality is aggressive but also jokey in a way, it shows that he is not from the posh formal background unlike the receptionist who uses a formal tone of voice and Doctor Whiteing who is also formal and dedicated to his job. You can tell this from the dialogue: “What do you want Richie”. This is showing that he thinks Ritchie is messing him around and taking up his time by joking and shows he doesn’t want to speak to him. It represents class because the doctor is from the upper class and is looking down onto Ritchie who seems to be wandering in and annoying people.

In conclusion, social class has been represented in this clip by the use of sound, Mise-en-scene, editing and camera shots. Camera shots and angles gives effect by making the character look more or less powerful which can represent their class; the higher class looking powerful. The sound and dialogue plays a big part in the clip because the tone of voice and what characters say to each other are different depending on the gender, class and age.

Textual analysis and representation notes

-representation is linked to economic forces

-representation is shaped by technology, which is described as a fragmented audience

- textual analysis is an advanced form of media literacy and a basic level of it allows somebody to understand the narrative of a tv drama and to make criticisms in relation to other programmes

-For us to deconstruct a tv drama we need to know how its been put together and to do this we need to work at micro and macro levels of the text

-micro level means pulling apart aspects of the texts frame by frame construction

- frame construction includes camera angles and the movement, shot types, editing transitions music/sound effects and mise-en-scene (lighting choices, props and costumes)

- To work at macro level it means drawing up conclusions from micro work about how the sequence represents themes and people

-also witness the interpretations that viewers will create

representation 

-when people say did you watch the game last night?' you would say yes but strictly speaking your not..because your are really watching a meditated constructed re-presentation of the match

Metaphor

-Gauntlett (2007 developed a research method using lego, he asked people to make a metaphorical model with the lego so it represents their identity, he didn't expect them to make models that resemble them so that way he can get a better sense of how people see themselves and present them

Verisimilitude

-when we look at how a media text represents the world we are usually concerned with the representation of age, gender, ethnicity social groups, places and themes

-to explore representation in a tv/radio drama we will be asking

--What kind of realism is being attempted by the programme, who is being represented in the drama, who is not being represented and why, whether we can identify any stereotypical characters, is there a dominant view of the world that has been represented and what different responses might the audience members make to the representations.

representational codes

-'life on mars' is a good example of a tv drama that is rich with representational codes. the drama depends on the juxtaposition. Without the audiences complicity in understand the contrast the text is meaningless. 

Chapter 2.1- TV drama

-British TV still attracts huge viewing audiences and many of the shows are watched as one off peak time broadcasts

drama series has huge potential to produce ongoing revenue through sales to other countries and channels as well as DVD sales, but 'propor TV drama' brings prestige to institutions that attempt to make it 

-but british TV drama is no longer as big as it was

Connolly concludes that while British TV drama is now something of a poor relation in comparison to the america producer, it is still a fairly healthy state

camera shots- establishing shot, master shot, close up, mid-shot, long shot, wise shot, two shot, aerial shot, point of view shot and over the shoulder shot

camera angles- high, low and canted angle

camera movement- pan,tilt, track,dolly,crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom

camera composition- framing, rule of thirds, depth of field, deep and shallow focus, focus pulls

editing- transition of image and sound, continuity and non systems, cutting, shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut cross cutting, parallel, editing, cutaway, insert, dissolve, fade in and out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time

sound-diegetic, non, synchronous, sound effects, sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, model of address, sound mixing, sound perspective, soundtrack, score, incidental music themes, ambient sound

Mise-en-scene- production design, location, studio, set design, costume and makeup, properties, lighting, colour design

background to TV drama-

there are different types of tv drama that have different conventions 

-teen dramas

-soap operatas

costume dramas

medical/hospital dramas

police/crime dramas

docu dramas

teen dramas- 

it is a broad sub-genre, generally these are concerned with striking an entertaining balance between social issues that are of concern of the target audience, and creating an attractive representational range of recognisable character types. But the other issue of it is should kids copy the negative behaviour they see?

Examples of teen dramas such as 'grange hill' can be views as a social document that represents a range of social changes.

-teen dramas are unlike the rest of our examples as they do not set out to appeal to such a broad audience

Soap operas

- the soap opera format can be a area of study in its own right and can be the important interplay is between the micro and the macro elements of textual analysis.  

- soap operates rely on intertexual or extra textual meanings. However soap trailers have become increasingly sophisticated. 

terms of popularity we need to consider whether the reason for the longevity of the pleasure offered by these texts is to do with representation

period dramas

-not all of them are literacy adaptation but they do account for a substantial part of the sub-genre.

period drama is expensive to produce because of the high demands and fees earned by the kinds of acting personnel expected by the audience.we can say that they tend to be more 'filmic' in quality and that those that are based on literature will represent people and issues largely in keeping with the original novel or play

hospital dramas

-they balance two different narrative themes; public health and the treatment of illness and workplace interactions and relationship, this shares many conventions with soap operas

-they feature a range of character types that are referred to as stereotypes

crime dramas

-there are 2 kinds; one off crime tends to focus on the kinds of crime that create the most anxiety among the viewing public and long running tv crime dramas will have a variety of sub-plots over time that build up sustained audience interest, each one will have its own unique representational aspects that are not directly related to the crime being investigated

-media representations of crime normally set up 5 key binaries;

- crime/the police, criminals/the justice system, lawyers versus courts, social workers versus the police and victims versus the public, each one can be analysed using this system to get a sense of how each programme represents crime and law differently

'The Hour' essay

In the clip of 'the hour' that i watched, gender is represented by use of camera shots, editing transitions, mise-en-scene and sound.

At the start of the clip, The mise-En-Scene shows representation of gender very well. The first character shown in this clip is a female (Bel), and is smoking a cigarette whilst typing on her type writer. It shows that women at the time the clip was set (1957), it was more of the norm and acceptable for women to smoke and also smoke whilst working. Because the woman firstly shown is working in a office, it is a stereotype of the gender that the woman typing away in her office is working for a man who is a higher class and job than herself. Whilst the tilt-up camera shot is occurring to open the programme, before the woman is shown, the diegetic sound of the typewriter has been kept in to scene to inform the audience of whats happening, before the camera shot shows the woman on the type writer. 

More mise-en-scene has been shown with the costumes shown in this clip which could also represent gender. The second character thats introduced in the clip is also a woman, but unlike the first character who was wearing a skirt, she is wearing trousers. This could represent gender as wearing trousers then would be portraying a masculine image. With a masculine image being portrayed it also shows that the second woman is more powerful. Also because she is standing whilst speaking so she is speaking down to the first woman showing even more power. It represents gender as it shows how even though they are both female characters working in a office, one of them seems to have more power than the other, mostly shown by the mise-en-scene.

In this clip there isn't much editing that happens apart from 'cuts'. that appear towards the end of the clip where the new head of news rushes to the set, which has been used to show tension. The way the clips have been cut short and follow on after another represents gender because it builds tension of the male character playing the main part. The sound also plays a effect of the gender. 
The non diegetic jazz music and ticking sound has been added to also create tension as the news reader was running late. The jazz music and ticking sound has been added in during editing, to represent the gender of the male running late, when the stereotype is usually females running late.  This can also be linked with the main camera shots used in this clip.These are mostly pan shots and tracking shots. The tracking shot have mainly been used as the tension of the newsreader was running more and more out of time. With the camera chasing after the female character in a tracking shot, it shows panic and that they are in a rush. More on the sound representing gender occurs at the start of the clip when there is also a ticking noise, but a bell noise has been included to suggest times up on whatever Bel's job was, making her seem a weak character as she has not got hold of Hector. 

Although the main jobs given to the character in this scene are men (the news reporter and the head of news), throughout the clip there are examples of the female characters taking over power. The woman character first shown in the clip who is on her typewriter, seems to take more of a leading role throughout. She is responsible for directing the cameras and sound on the set in the end, directing peoples roles and tidying up their uniform,and is also responsible for showing the head of news around the building. She uses her costume to make herself look more formal and also so she can catch the news reporters attention by putting on her black glasses, which shows intelligence. 

Close up shots and looking down shots have also been put in. The close up shot of who we think is Hector, shows representation of the gender as we cannot see his whole face but can see him smoking and drinking whiskey, again like Bel at the start whilst they are meant to be working. This also creates tension as Hector is meant to be arriving at the studio as we can tell from Bel at the start who is trying to get hold of him, while he instead is sat relaxing. A looking down shot which shows Mr Madden making his way to the studio but in no rush because he stops for autographs. It represents the gender of males because he is being looked down on which shows weakness, but contrasts with this because he has a main job so is seen more powerful than others, and therefore doesn't see the negative side of being needed for the news. 

In conclusion, and in this clip there are many ways of gender being represented from sound, editing, Mise-en-scene and camera shots. They have all been added for the effect and stereotypes that are given to genders, and this clip has done both; blend in, and go against the stereotype. 

Discuss the ways in which the extract uses camera shots, editing, sound, Mise-en-scene to construct representation of different generation

In the clip of ‘Some Girls’, the representation of different generations is presented through camera shots, Mise-en-scene, camera shots, editing and sound.

During the clip, camera shots played a big part in representing the different generations.  In the scene where Viva and her dad and P.E teacher are arguing about her getting a new brother or sister, a over the shoulder shot has been used to give effect of looking at the whole family. The Mise-en-scene shows the different generations of the family, by the way they are standing and how the woman (p.e teacher) gets up of the chair and goes and sits with her partner. Viva also points at the adults and shouts ‘Why?!’ when she finds out about the adults having a baby. Her standing up and shouting whilst they are sitting down shows that Viva is taking over and being the responsible one of the household.

Throughout the clip, it shows that the generations are in conflict with each other, which is like the stereotypical teenager and parent relationship.  The dialogue that constructs the representation of different generation shows the stereotype clearly. Viva is being responsible by saying “your ganna have to get rid of it!” when she hears the news about the new baby. It shows the role of a parents being shown by a teenager, which constructs representation different to the normal stereotypical teenager that isn’t really bothered.  Whilst the conversation about the baby is occurring, the camera shots when Viva is talking are close ups on her face. This has been done so her facial expressions are shown and are effective, especially when she was speaking. It also gives the impression to the audience that nothing else in the Mise-en-scene background is important and that only Viva is talking.

After the scene of the baby talk, and when Viva storms out the room, the diegetic sound of upbeat high-pitched music has been added to create effect and shows representation of the evil step mums mood; happy that she’s moving out. When Viva is packing her bag to go to her friends, the things she grabs to put in her bag have been emphasized with a close up shot. Editing has been used to only show the important shots. A ‘cut’ has been used whilst Viva was packing her bags; one shot has instantly been replaced by another, this constructs representation of how Viva is feeling which is not thinking straight, and that her emotions are being replaced and are changing all the time. It could also imply that Viva’s dad is replacing Viva with his new partner quickly, just like the editing shots. 

The Mise-en-scene represents different generations again in the scene in Viva’s home. At first when she comes home, her dad is sitting on the sofa playing a game on his phone whilst she goes to get food from the kitchen. Throughout the conversation in the kitchen, her dad continues to play on his phone just like a stereotypical teenager and the daughter looks down to her dad and complains. The dialogue used from her dad “you know where the kitchen is”, is showing the male character as lazy and represents the different generations as child dominated, which is not usually a typical household.

The ‘evil step mother’ character; Anna, her camera shot has been edited for effect. When she comes out of the bathroom in her dressing gown, and waves her hair around, a slight slow motion effect has been put on to emphasize her looks in front of her boyfriend and trying to copy the stereotypical models on TV. She shows parts of the ‘evil step mother’ character towards Viva, with the Mise-en-scene, when Viva leaves the house and Anna does a sly wave that only Viva can see, leaving her dad and brother Jamie to continue their video game.

In conclusion, the main way in which the clip ‘Some girls’ constructs representation of different generations is with the Mise-en-scene. The position that the characters are situated in the scene, such as the parents lounging around the sofa whilst Viva is in the kitchen. It is the main technique because it’s where the different generations are and shows the relationship between them all.  The camera shot is the next main technique because the shots emphasize what the audience should mainly focus on. Sound and editing lso construct representation of the different generations in the clip, but the Mise-en-scene constructs the representation the most. 

questions 2.4 and 2.5

Analyze camerawork in a film-

1) Watch an action sequence from a film

2) Identify the different camera shots used, using the list

3) How is the importance of the setting and action emphasized by the camera movement?

4) What is the effect of the choice of the camera shots?

I have chosen to pick an action scene from Bruce Almightly. Before the action scene, a midshot has been used to mainly focus on the main subject (Bruce) but also to show his location. The importance of the setting in this screenshot is emphasized as not very important because of how simple the setting behind Bruce is.

This shot is between a wide
shot and very wide shot. This camera movement is emphasizing there is more going on in the scene so more needs to be seen by the camera. The effect of it is that we see a wider shot with more detail and can understand what is happening. 

This close up of the man is effective because it focus’ on his facial expression. If you hadn’t seen the clip it would leave you wondering why he is pulling that expression. The camera movement emphasizes the action and setting because you can see the setting, and from the clip the setting creates the ‘enclosed’ effect with only 1 way out.

2.5- analyzing camerawork in television documentary-

1) Watch a 5-minute sequence of a recent documentary

2) Identify the different camera shots, which are used, using the glossary given early

3) Does the camera work add the authenticity of the documentary?

4) Does the documentary draw your attention to the presence of the camera operator or does it attempt to conceal it?

Documentary- ‘In my shoes’

In this documentary, there is a range of camera shots used. Because it is filmed in China, when the camera is showing a lot of the place, a extreme wide shot is used. This is done so the audience can see as much of the subject as possible.

Also because it was filmed in China, the camera work is shooting mostly extreme wide shots, either looking down onto the landscape or looking up and around to show the view. The documentary draws my attention to the presence of the camera operator.

This camera shot is a mid-shot because its been used to emphasize the subject (people), their facial expressions and what they are doing. It adds authenticity to the documentary because it proves that we can rely on the clip that is it real documentary about China, and not unauthenticated.

Discuss the ways in which the extract uses camera shots, editing, sound, Mise-en-scene to construct representation of relationships

The clip ‘cutting it’ can be used to construct representation of relationships using features like camera shots, editing, Mise-en-scene and sound.

At the start of the clip, the relationship between the man and woman is represented in quite a secretive but close way. They are in the taxi together, and the camera angles show they are a close couple because of the close up camera shot used. The closeness of the couple is again shown by the camera shot in the taxi when an extreme close up is used to show them holding hands, and this is effective because the main subject in the shot is their hands. This is what shows the audience and makes it official that they are a couple.

The sound in the clip also represents the closeness of their relationship. Whilst the female character is in the hospital seeing the doctor, the dialogue is stopped and slow music is played over it. This gives the effect that there is something secretive going on which is why we cannot hear the dialogue because the non-diegetic sound that has been added in editing, hides it from the audience. This builds up tension because as well as the couple being secretive from each other; they are also being secretive towards us. The closeness of the couple is also represented in their relationship at the end of the clip. When the woman walks out of the hospital and ‘gets hit by the lorry’, she is left lying on the floor in pain, the man runs across the road and as he does this, the non- diegetic sound is stopped and a heartbeat sound effect is used instead. This sound is effective as it could imply the hearts are beating together in pain, showing that they both are in one body. The camera angle looking below onto the Mise-en-scene is them both lying on the ground, side by side, with Gavin looking like he was in the accident too. This constructs representation of a close relationship as it could be shown looking down from heaven onto them both, as they have both ‘died inside’ because of the car accident.

As close as their relationship seems, it is also represented as complex. You can tell this by the dialogue between the couple at the start. When they are in the taxi and Allie says, “I know about Melissa”, this implies that although they are married, there are more secrets and complexity that the audience doesn’t fully understand. It also shows that as well as a secret to us, it was a secret that the female character didn’t confess she knew until now. TA close up shot is used of the male character fiddling with his wedding ring and this shows insecurity. Its been zoomed in as a close up shot to give the effect that there not just happiness in this relationship and that maybe the feelings are making him second think. Another bit of dialogue that is used to construct a complex relationship is the dialogue again said by Allie when she says, “I’d want you to move on to love someone else” . This shows complexity in her relationship because its also being secretive as to why she’s said it. Later on in the clip she goes to the hospital, and even when the audience doesn’t know why. This links in with why she said the dialogue. Secrecy is again used when it makes the audience wonder why she is at the hospital, the fact she didn’t even tell Gavin that’s where they were going in the taxi, makes you maybe question how strong their love is.

The camera angles used during the clip use effect, which shows different aspects of their relationship. When the couple get out of the taxi before Allie goes into the hospital, the camera is only facing her when she kisses him goodbye, this could symbolise that only she means the kiss, whilst Gavin is still a bit unsure. After, whilst Allie is in the hospital, Gavin is waiting outside, for the first time in the clip they are both two separate people. The looking down shot is used whilst Allie is speaking to the doctor, and the close up is used on Gavin to show his facial emotions. When Allie get hit by the lorry, the producer has used ‘a cut’ edit of the close up of Gavin, to make it an extreme close up. This has been done to show emphasize the facial expression Gavin gets when he see’s his loved one on the floor lying in pain.

In conclusion, the main way in which the extract ‘cutting it’ constructs representation of relationships is the camera shots used. This is the main technique because it shows the audience the separate feelings of the characters and this is important because it shows how the relationship between them really is. Camera shots and angles gives effect by how much is in the shot. If there was a lot going on in a wide shot, it would be described as complicated, and confusing, compared to a close up which only lets the audience see a small part of the main subject. 

Media glossary

sound glossary
Ambient sound- Sound that can be recorded on location or sound that can be added to the soundtrack.

Camera shots- Establishing, master, close up, mid shot, long shot, wide shot, two shot, aerial shot, point of view
Camera angles- could be high, low, or canted angle

Diegetic sound: sounds that come from a person or object in the world of the story and are seen within the field of vision.

Dialogue- this is the sound made by characters talking to each other. ‘Foley’ recording is when characters lip-sync and the sound is recorded in a studio.

Editing- transitions, cuts, special effects, slow motion, cross cutting

ideology-a system of beliefs/values which can be identified in mass media products of texts

Incidental music-Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical

Non diegetic sound: sound that doesn’t come from anything within the field and has been added afterwards whilst editing. Examples are voiceovers, or soundtrack music. The sound can be added non diegetically but can still be within the diegesis.

Soundtrack- A recording of the musical accompaniment to a movie.

Sound effects- sound added to the visual whilst editing. 


Theme- Music that accompanies a certain programme or particular character.

Tune- A melody, one that characterizes a certain piece of music

Voiceover- Voice- is a production technique where a voice that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic) is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations.

Shot Types

These are the shot types we regularly use in our lessons. They are useful because instead of describing the shot as 'near the subject', we could say 'extreme close up (ECU). It gives more information about the shots. These shot types help us go in detail about scenes we watch and use them to describe the effect it might have. For example, if it was a extreme close up, it would be to show facial expression by a subject. 

Task 5-Selection of TV drama stills and annotations

The shot used in this screen shot is a midshot. It shows parts of the person and also shows part of the background, well enough so you can tell the setting. This has been used because the shot is not needed any closer, but does not have much of a background that is needed to be shown. 






This is between a wide shot (WS) and very wide shot (VWS). This is because the subject (the girl on the sofa) is visible, but concentration is mainly on the two adults in the background. This shot has been used because it shows the 3 characters in one conversation but in different parts of the scene. This is effective because you can see more going on, and the class of children being portrayed as lazy and unsociable on the sofa.





This is a over the shoulder shot (OSS). This has been used in this clip for effect to show that there is a conversation occurring between two characters. It is showing that the lady we can clearly see is more dominant and is the one speaking at this time, so dominance is shown here.







This shot is taken from above. They have decided to do this shot at this specific time of the scene because it gives the effect that you should look down to see the main part of the scene. Taken it from above shows the dominance of the character there being looked down on and that they are less powerful, or in this case injured/hurt/ unfortunate.  

Task 4-Roles in a tv drama

Television Producer: They look at the whole production and bring the elements and characters together. It also requires them to be across all the stages of production.

Television Director: Their role is to take responsibility for the sound and visual aspect of the drama. They are involved in preparing the schedule and script and makes sure everyone is sticking to it and doing the right thing. They also check that the characters have everything they need to before filming.  

Production Manager: They look at the production from start to finish. They look after the budget and organise all facilities such as catering, transport, and equipment accommodation and plan the crews.

Script editor- their job is to work with the writer and producer to make sure the story works well as a script and whilst filming. They will make sure the script is ready on time and create the atmosphere the script is explaining.

Script continuity-  They make sure the scene is running smoothly and that the crew is keeping on top of the filming by maintaining scenery, costumes lighting and all essential jobs that can make the edit accurate.

Production secretary- They will support the production team by fulfilling traditional duties make by secretaries.

Location Manager- they are responsible for ensuring the filming is hassle free and to find locations. They are also responsible for health and safety and dealing with owners of the chosen location.

Researcher- They support the producer, contribute ideas and will interview contributors and will write reports.

Runner- They are the most junior member of the team but will be able to get involved in all aspects of production such as photocopying or helping with research.

Task 2-TV drama research

TV drama scheduling

 Research scheduling- Most TV dramas are scheduled for autumn/winter. This is because that’s the time there is the biggest audience as people wont be out, they’ll be spending more time at home. The audiences TV dramas have are mostly adults or young adults. Change of characters can also encourage more people to watch a specific TV drama. Certain TV dramas are scheduled at the same time every day/week; this is so the audience knows when to watch it and so it doesn’t get confusing. They schedule dramas such as soap operas, e.g. Emmerdale at 7pm every weeknight. It’s put on at this time so its appropriate for all ages to watch. (Programme’s after 9pm watershed time isn’t always appropriate for young children). Not all dramas are aimed at exactly the same audience; a crime drama wouldn’t have the same audience as a comedy drama for example. Depending on the drama, it will have different audiences, and will have different reasons for watching them. Niche audiences are looking for a specific drama, whereas mainstream is the majority of people’s opinions. This affects TV drama because the schedule of Programme’s that are shown attract different audiences.

Analysing music videos table

We filled in this table in Media after we watched music video in class. I analysed the group it represented, the camera angles and what the age certification should be/is and why. This is my final table.

Task 3-How are social groups represented in Music videos?

In music video’s, groups are presented in different ways to entertain the audience.

In music videos, gender is represented in ways that show off women/men. Women in music videos are shown and made up to look ‘sexy’ and ‘glamorous’ This could be to attract the audience (men) to watch videos, or because its part of the genre of music. For example in Whistle, by Flo Rider, there are girls in bikinis, on the beach showing off their bodies and posing, this means that women are represented to be models or to entertain. The use of shot types used in the video ‘Whistle’ is close up on the women, which is trying to make it personal. Also the mid shot is used when there is more to see in the background. The lyrics used in the song are also hinting that Flo Rider’s audience is men to look at women. Apart from Flo Rider, there are no other men featured in the music video.

Another social group that is represented in music videos is class. In Jessie J’s video-‘Who’s laughing now’ its representing Jessie as a victim of bulling when she was at school, and is now telling people to now look at how far she has come and what she has achieved. This is also represented in her lyrics, ‘who’s laughing now’, meaning she’s done miles better than the people who bullied her. People who thought they was ‘higher’ than her, aren’t so clever and cocky anymore, represents the group of class.

The social group of gender is also represented in Katy Perry’s video ‘part of me’. The video shows Katy breaking up with her boyfriend and then joining the army. The social group of gender is being represented because people associate the army with men and not women so when she joins the army it catches the audiences’ attention. Close up shots are used when its personal and when the most important parts of the video are shown e.g. when Katy is cutting off her hair so she can join the army, and her facial expressions after she’s trained. Wide shots are used when it’s showing what is going on.

Also, the social group of class is represented in the music video ‘price tag’. In the video she’s seen standing under a tree with money over her, and that represents that money doesn’t matter and to ‘forget about the price tag’.  This is good for representing ‘class’ because it represents however poor or rich you are that you should forget about it and that you shouldn’t let money revolve around everything.

Why do adults enjoy watching Crime Drama?

Crime Drama’s are a very popular genre of TV programmes. It is aimed at mostly at adults; this is because young children are normally interested in ‘children’s channels’ or something more suitable to their age group. There are many reasons why adults enjoy TV drama. The uses and gratifications theory suggests some reasons for it.

Firstly, many adults watch crime drama for the excitement and thrill. After an episode of a crime drama, there may have been suspense at the end, causing the audience to want to wait until the next episode to see what happens. They do this so it keeps the audience attracted and interested in what might happen, and leave it up to them to try and work it out. This comes under the ‘personal identity’ purpose on the ‘Uses and gratifications theory’ because it’s about finding out yourself whether you can uncover the mystery or crime, and also you learn about people’s behaviour. 

Another reason why adults watch crime dramas is because it may relate to something that is happening in their own personal life, and they want to see how the characters on TV deal with it. It gives the audiences idea’s to try out in life, and because its only regularly, it always attracts the attention for them to watch another week longer. This would be from the ‘personal relationship’ purpose in the ‘uses and gratification theory’ because it uses the media for help or other interaction.

Also, adults may watch crime drama for comfort. If they see a programme such as ‘The Bill’ where there are people in that community who are causing trouble, (just like crime in our area’s) and then there are police who stop the crime and get them arrested, it might make the give the audience comfort that crime is being dealt with. Although its only a TV show, crime still happens in real life, behind the scenes of the TV, which is why it would give adults comfort knowing that crime can be dealt with.

On the other hand, watching crime dramas could put people off and scare them more. Seeing crime happening on TV, could make adults think more about crime that could be happening around them. Also it might teach adults about more crime that they didn’t originally know about. It has a big psychological impact on the audience than we would admit and it might change the way you see crime after you realize how easy it can be to commit one.

Overall, adults mostly watch crime drama because of the excitement they get by watching the thrill and suspense side of it. This is what causes them to continue watching it week after week and what keeps them interested. The uses and gratification theory plays a part in why adults watch crime drama, because it covers all the purposes why adults decide to tune into programmes such as ‘The Bill’ , ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Good Cop’, every time its on.  

Task 1-Examples of TV drama...

For the first task for our media exam blog, we have been told to research 3 different types of TV drama. The first example of TV drama that i researched is Soap Opera.
This genre of TV drama includes programmes such as Eastenders, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks. These shows are on mostly every night at a certain time, and usually follow different stories, through different characters and familes regularly.

Another example of TV drama is a SitCom. These are shows that appear in this catagory would be programmes such as 'The inbetweeners' 'Two and a half men' and 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'. They are normally written by the show’s creators.It features characters that are around the same environment and makes jokes as part of the dialogue.

A final example of a TV drama is Crime drama. This is mostly based with Police involvement and criminals breaking the law. It usually involves detectives, a hero (usually the Police), a villain (usually the criminal) and the victim and victims family.  This type of drama keeps the audience coming back and watching all the time because of the suspense and thrill. Programmes of crime drama include, 'CSI', 'Inspector George Gently' and 'New Tricks'.