Television

Television: Industries and Audiences

Friday November 1st 2019

L/O: to research the history, companies and regulations in the television industry

Exam unit introduction:

paper 1 section A:

- You will be given an unseen extract from a tv drama to watch and analyse.

- You will be asked 3 questions about the extract.

- You could be asked about:

   - How media language has been used to create meaning

   - The audiences reaction to this extract

   - The social, cultural and historical content

Terminology:

- Publicly owned tv channel = funded by the government or a licence fee. e.g: BBC

- Mainstream = the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal or conventional (mainstream)

- Self regulating = regulating itself without intervention from external bodies

- Franchise = A licence from company of a product to use format/show/ideas

- Commercial tv channel = A tv channel that is funded through advertisements/commercials

- Convergence = the process of joining different technologies into one device e.g: Mobile phone

- Watershed = watershed means the time when TV programmes which might be unsuitable for children can be broadcast (9-5:30)

- Segmented market = Market segmentation is when you divide your visitors and customers into segments, or groups, based on qualities that they have in common

- Channel surfing = is the practice of quickly scanning through different television channels to find something interesting to watch

- PSB = Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) is broadcasting made, financed and controlled by the public, for the public, regulators demand channels fulfil certain requirements as part of their licence to broadcast

- TV license = any households or businesses watching, recording live broadcasts require to pay a licence fee. funds the BBC

- Scheduling = deciding which shows to show at which times

- Conglomerate = One big company that owns several smaller businesses whose products or services are usually very different



Research task...
1. When was tv introduced to the uk? 2nd November 1936
2. In 1965, how many channels were there in the uk and what were they? 3, ITV and BBC and BBC 2
3. When did ITV start? why was it different? 22nd September 1955, It was the first commercial tv channel
4. Which UK channels have to follow PSB remits? Channel 3, Channel 4, BBC, Channel 5, S4C
5. Who regulates TV now? OFcom
6. Who regulated TV channels in the 1960's? the BBC was self regulating, ITV eas regulated by independent television authority
7. List the differences between TV in the 60's and now,1960's: Black and white, expensive, unreliable, usually one per household, No channel surfing

Television Industries: Ownership                                   Friday 8th November 2019

L/O: To explore the history of ownership in two key channels

PSB Remit:

- To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.

- To support learning for people of all ages.

- To show the most, creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services.

- To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the UK's nations and regions.

- To reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world.

BBC's mission statement - "To inform entertain and educate."

BBC Fact File:

- The BBC owns 8 different national TV channels: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC Parliament, BBC Alba, CBBC, CBeebies.

- The BBC's mission is "to inform and entertain and educate". Their values include:
We're independent, impartial and honest. 
We put audiences at the heart of everything we do. We respect each other and celebrate our diversity. We take pride in delivering quality and value for money.
Their vision is to be the most creative organisation in the world.

- Some of  BBC 1's most popular programmes include: The Apprentice, Strictly come dancing, Eastenders, Masterchef.

- BBC's most expensive programme to create was 'his dark materials'.

- BBC's other platforms include: TV channels, Apps, I-player/streaming services, radio, websites, magazines.

- The BBC makes extra money in several ways. One way is by selling its programmes to other broadcasting companies. Another way is by selling audio tapes and CDs of its best radio programmes, and videos and DVDs of its best television programmes.

- The advantages of the BBC being publicly owned are: They know how much money they are earning a year from tv licences, they can budget and create expensive projects. They can take risks without worrying about losing profits. They can create shows for different varieties and interests as oppose to mainstream programmes.

Friday November 22nd 2019
ITV fact file:
- The itv own 10 channels: ITV, ITV HD, ITV 2, ITV 3, ITV 4, ITVBe, LittleBe, CITV, ITV Box Office and The Store.

- Some of the ITV's most popular programmes include: Coronation street, This Morning, Emmerdale, The Chase, Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Britain got talent, X factor.

- The ITV's strategy is to be 'More than TV' building upon ITV's unique and winning combination of creativity and commercial strength, driven by investment in data and technology.

- Some of the ITV's other platforms include: The ITV hub (catch up), multiple TV channels, Apps, Websites

- The itv generates income from:
- Subscription e.g BT Vision, Sky sports/movies.
- Pay Per View e.9 sky box office
- Sponsorship 
- Advertising
- Product Placement
- Premium phone calls
- Box sets

- Advantages of being commercially owned:
- Mass Marketing For Maximum Impact
- Cable Targeting for Specific Demographics
- Fewer Small Businesses, More Airtime 
- Cross-Promote on Digital Platform
- Global distribution

Commercial institutions:
These generally have no guaranteed income (even Itv, C4 and C5 which have a small PSB remit) therefore it is essential they are profitable.
They can generate income by:
- Subscription e.g BT Vision, Sky sports/movies.
- Pay Per View e.9 sky box office
- Sponsorship 
- Advertising
- Product Placement

Serial TV Drama                                                                                     Friday November 15th 2019

 L/O: To explore the TV drama genre and conventions

Sub genres of TV drama:

- Crime drama e.g Luther
- Hospital drama e.g Greys anatomy
- Teen drama e.g 13 reasons why
- Sci-fi drama e.g Black mirror, Doctor who
- Period dramas (set in a different time period) e.g Downton abbey
- Fantasy drama e.g Game of thrones
- Political drama e.g House of cards

Serial vs Series:
- Serials and series both contain the same characters each week.
- A SERIAL has a narrative that continues from episode to episode(e.g Luther, Game of Thrones, Peaky blinders)

Serial dramas are popular with TV broadcasters because they offer a range of appeals:
- Familiar characters/stars - appeals to audience
- Familiar locations - appeals to audience
- Familiar narrative lines - appeals to audience
- Diversion/entertainment - appeals to audience
- Social identity - appeals to audience
- Known and specific audience - appeals to advertisers

The Avengers and 1960's                                                             Friday 15th November 2019

L/O: Research the 1960's (UK) in terms of social, historic, and political climate of the decade; research the TV show the Avengers.

Duopology in the 1960's




TV:Media Language                                                                          Wednesday 4th December 2019
L/O: To revise and research key terminology for use with audio visual analysis

Key Terminology:

Camerawork:

Establishing shots: designed to show the audience where the action is taking place it is usually a very wide shot or an extreme wide shot 

Low angle high angle canted angle or aerial shots:

Low angle:  A camera angle typically at the persons feet looking up at them 

High angle:  A camera angle where the camera is placed up high looking down the the thing or people its looking at

Canted angle:  also known as the dutch tilt where the camera is set to an angle to capture the shot 

Aerial shots:   a picture taken for high up showing a landscape like a birds eye view 

camera movement such as tracks Steadicam or crane shots :  The camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement.

Hand held camera:  in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands

point of view shots:  A point of view shot 

shallow focus and focus pulls: is a creative camera technique in which you change focus during a shot.

Editing:

Shot/reverse shot:  is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character 

juxtaposition: the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

Non continuity editing: is when shots are mismatched to disrupt the impression of time and space.

crosscutting: alternate (one sequence) with another when editing a film.

Fast paced editing: Fast cutting is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration (e.g. 3 seconds or less).

Transitions:

Less common transitions dissolve wipe fade:

Dissolve: an act or instance of moving gradually from one image or scene in a film to another

Wipe: a cinematographic effect in which an existing picture seems to be wiped out by a new one as the boundary between them moves across the screen

Fade: (with reference to film and television images) come or cause to come gradually into or out of view, or to merge into another shot.

Post production effects: Unreal Engine provides Post Process Effects to allow artists and designers to tweak the overall look and feel of the scene.

Soundtrack:

Music: vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

Diegetic/non dietetic sounds: Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film

Sound effects: a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, film, or other broadcast production

Sound bridge: is a type of sound editing that occurs when sound carries over a visual transition in a film

Voiceover: also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary 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.

Mise en scene: 

Lighting: the arrangement or effect of lights.

Location/set: a particular place or position.

Costume and makeup: the overall appearance of a character or performer

Props: a portable object other than furniture or costumes used on the set of a play or film.

Casting and performance style:  actors to perform the characters 

Blocking(the composition of elements within the shot): the physical arrangement of actors on a stage or film set

The Avengers:The Town of No Return                              Friday 6th December 2019

L/O: To explore the narrative, characters and context of series 4 episode 1

Avengers popularity:
- Familiar characters/stars - appeals to audience
- Familiar locations - appeals to audience
- Familiar narrative lines - appeals to audience
- Diversion/entertainment - appeals to audience
- Social identity - appeals to audience 
- Known and specific audience - appeals to advertisers

- The narrative: Mrs peel and John Steed are sent to a small town called little blazley because of some 'strange activity'.  They discover Imposters impersonating people from the village, and what is assumed to be murdering the locals and creating a secret army underneath the primary school by smuggling people in from a bunker overnight.

- The characters: Mrs Peel, John Steed, Piggy Warren(the pub landlord), Mr Smallwood, The inspector, The headmistress, The fisherman

- Links to social and cultural context (mid 60s)

- Audience appeals: Adults, working/middle class

The Avengers:The Town of No Return                            Friday 13th December 2019

L/O: To analyse representation and use of media language in series 4, episode 1

How was the context of the 1960s shown in the different representations used in episode 1?
Consider:
- Gender - Patriarchal society - men in control over women in the scenes. Mrs peels outfits show that woman are becoming stronger and independent, however the outfits appeal to men. Men and women are seen as equal however men were still more powerful and seen as more important. Female empowerment to a certain extent however men are still the dominant gender.
- Sexuality - heterosexual(straight) is assumed all the way through
- Ethnicity - White characters, no other ethnicity were shown or represented at the time.
- Class - Characters represent upper/middle class - Blacksmith/fisherman seen as the only working class characters in the episode, the blacksmith/fisherman had a beard suggesting upperclass have more time and money for things like shaving.
- The fear of invasion (imposters/invaders/secret army) can represent the fear brits had of the cold war.

1960s social context:
- Gender inequality and changing role of women
- Fashion and design
- Class structure
- Changing views on sexuality
- Representation of different ethnicities
- Social values in general

Camerawork:
- Variety of different camera shots to establish different perspectives, fencing match could suggest battle for gender equality, High angle shot of steed suggests weakness to a low angle shot of Mrs peel to make her look powerful, close up shots.
- Handheld filming during the fencing fight, makes the scene more dramatic and emphasises the movement.


Mise - en - scene:
- Mrs Peels apartment posh house, clean tidy. Modern apartment, Modern artwork this shows a modern fashionable woman in a modern fashionable era.
- Steed waring three piece suit, Peel wearing leather catsuit, could suggest sex appeal for male audience.

Editing:


Sound:

- Variety of music and sound effects, relaxing music, Increased the volume of the fencing swords to emphasise the danger and fight.

Practice paragraph:
Mies-En-Scene is used a lot within this this extract to highlight and represent the social context within the 1960s. The use of Props and Mies-en-scene within Mrs Peels apartment, and her outfit choice shows this. The art and decor on the wall and on display within the room highlights the modern fashionable pop era of the mid 60's. The use of art emphasises the independence of a fashionable modern woman in this era. Her leather catsuit outfit reflects the changing attitudes towards woman and female roles and represents how time is changing. The extreme outfit represents female independence and how woman can choose to do and wear as they please and are not as confined to gender stereotypes, suggesting women rights at the time was progressing. However it can be argued that the choice of this outfit has been chosen to appeal to men, Linking to a patriarchal society of the time where women's rights were progressing, but men were still the dominant gender.


Within this scene camera work is used to represent gender inequality as well as women's rights of this era. When Steed and Mrs Peel begin a fencing scene, The camera does a point of view shot of Steed smacking Emma's bum, This highlights women as sexual objects for men. The patriarchal society of the era meant men where seen as the dominant gender, It was common for women to be seen as objects and to be over sexualised to appeal to a male audience.

The Avengers: Town of No Return                                   Friday 10th January 2020 

L/O: To reflect on and improve exam style answers

L/O: To analyse representation and use of media language in series 4, episode 1

The First scene in the pub,

How was media language used to show the attitudes and values of the 1960's?

Camerawork: Range of camera shots emphasise the eeriness of the scene

Mise-en-scene:

Sound: creepy music to highlight the creepiness/suspicious scene 

Gender inequality: Only men having conversations, Steed forces Peel to have a drink, School inspector takes over the conversation for Head mistress, Men are seen to have authority over women, both women do not say anything in response.

British values: two person shot of mrs peel and head mistress shaking hands.

Attitude toward foreigners/outsiders, locals don't speak to outsiders, suspicious of them, don't even say good evening when steed does

The Mise-en-scene of the pub represents British values of the 1960's, the pub is old fashioned, even for the 1960's. The dartboard, wooden beams and pillars and Cigars upon the wall by the bar represent the old fashioned, simplistic values of rural villages in Britain at the time. When Steed enters the pub none of the locals reply to him when he says"good evening", they all ignore him, suggesting that rural people at the time didn't take to kindly to strangers and outsiders, and where suspicious of them. This could be due to Britain's fear of invasion by foreign spies and agents sent to infiltrate Britain during the cold war. Therefore many people were suspicious and fearful of people they were not familiar with, and did not associate with them.

WWW: I Linked the values and attitudes to context of the mid 90's

EBI: I covered more than one area

Television in the 2010's                                                     Friday 17th January 2020

L/O: Research the 2010s (UK) in terms os social, cultural and political climate of the decade, research TV usage in 2015

- Which political party was in power in 2015? Conservatives
- Who was prime minister? David Cameron
- What was the relevance of UKIP being so popular? UKIP were strong believers of getting rid of illegal immigrants

- What were the major fear and issues of the post 9/11 era? People were scared at the threat of terrorism and terror attacks in the UK swell as the fear of North Korea having Nuclear weapons.

- What wars were being fought around the world? Afghanistan war, Syrian war and the war on Iraq and ISIS

- What were people protesting about in the UK? Austerity, The blackberry riots, The build-up to Brexit and Trumps election

Cuffs: series 1, episode 1

Television Industries: 2010s                                                Friday 31st January 2020

L/O: To explore the TV industry in 2010s and the effect on tv shows and audiences

- Mining of back catalogue - exploiting nostalgia 

- Remakes of old shows

- Trend of genres - e.g. games of thrones

- Break up of family audiences (watching shows in different places in the house, multiple TVs)

- Audience create their own TV schedule 

- 24/7 Media - any programme at any time on any device 

- TV shows become brands

Cuffs was a new TV series to BBC 1. It was in the genre that is termed police procedural.

- What elements did the producers choose to include and why?

High action scene chosen in the trailer suggests audience that the programme will be interesting.

Kissing scene in the trailer suggests that romance will be a part of the drama, appealing an audience.

Scenes of the officers in their everyday lives.

- How have they represented police life?

Dangerous, 'life and death situations', presented as a tough job.

They've represented the challenges of police life.

- How have they represented personal dramas?

The drama is not just about working in the police force as seen by a kissing scene in the trailer, implying that the drama will explore the characters personal lives and relationships. (personal drama is mainly shown through relationships).

- How have they used media language(editing, camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound) to make it appealing to the target audience?

Background music - connotes to action and danger.

Editing - fast paced, short sequences of different clips (montage) - could suggest the programme will be fast paced 

Mise-en-scene - a recognisable location, costumes and setting creates a realistic idea of being a police officer.

- Part of winter schedule for 2015: aired October 2015

- Typically, a time aimed at wider family audiences

- Broadcasted at 8pm on a weekday to target a broader target audience

- Target audience was 16 - 65

- Offered a range of characters and storylines to appeal to as many segments of the demographic as possible

- Everyday relatable storylines

- Narrative: Weekday winter pre-watershed formats are intended to be engaging but not threatening to mainstream audience values.

Passive VS active audiences:

1. Explain the difference and give examples,

An Active audience engages in the programme  and interprets it a different way, they challenge and think about the messages within the programme. Whereas a Passive audience sit back and accept the messages within the programme instead of trying to challenge them.

2. Explain how and why the audiences for The Avengers and Cuffs would have been very different and why,

The Avengers and Cuffs would've had two very different target audiences, For example in the 1960's there was only 2 channels to choose from whereas nowadays there are hundreds of shows to choose from, meaning Cuffs had to create a show that would appeal to a wider audience, Cuffs would've been more appealing to a family audience, due to the 8pm time it was aired, whereas The Avengers would have been more appealing to a predominantly male audience.

3. How did the producers of Cuffs use the following to target a mainstream family audience

Cuffs used comedy elements to appeal to a family audience,
they did this to make the show entertaining for all ages.

Cuffs also used a range of multicultural charaters to highlight Cuffs used authentic locations to make the show more realistic and relatable for a family audience, they might recognise or have been to the locations shown within the programme.

Cuffs also used exciting police chases to keep a family audience on the edge of their seats and to keep them focused and interested on the programme and to effectively create an entertaining programme they will tune in to watch every week.

Cuffs and social values                                                      Friday 7th February 2020
L/O: to explore todays social values and analyse how these are represented in Cuffs

The BBC remit (PSB) has to represent the UK as a whole, which means to consider diverse groups within society. We are a multi cultural society, therefore they have to represent different cultures, for example there are multi-ethnic officers, the use of different ethnicities represents the UK's society.

Cuffs represented ethnicity in episode 1 by including a range of different characters of different ethnicity and culture, This represents Britain's modern diverse society.

Cuffs have represented gender by including a range of  diverse female roles within the police force, some with higher ranking and some with lower ranking.

Cuffs have represented sexuality with the character of Jake, in episode 1 they begin to explore his sexuality (gay), however his character is not defined by his sexuality.

Tropes:

Cuffs and the PSB Remit

L/O: To evaluate how effectively the BBC meets its PSB remits

In the UK, the term public service broadcasting refers to broadcasting for public benefit rather than money. All of BBCs channels and radio stations have to follow a certain PSB remit that they have to follow to be able to broadcast. 

ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 have partial pub remits whereas the BBC has a full PSB remit.

PSB purposes:
- informing our understanding of the world
- stimulating knowledge and learning
- reflecting the UKs cultural identity
- representing diversity and alternative viewpoints

PSB characteristics:
- High quality
- Original
- Innovative
- Challenging
- Widely available
- Distinctive

The BBCs core mission is 'To inform, educate and entertain'

- How does cuffs meet the PSB remit and the BBCs core mission.
Firstly Cuffs meets the PSB remit as it reflects the UKs cultural identity. It does this by including a range of different characters of different ethnicity and culture, to represent Britain's modern diverse society. Cuffs also represents diversity and different viewpoints by including characters of a range of, ethnicity, cultures, sexualities and genders. within cuffs first episode they explore one of the main characters Jake sexuality, however this sexuality does not confine him to a trope but instead develops his character. This also meets BBCs core mission to 'inform, educate and entertain' as it educates the audience on the development within the UKs society and educates the audience on how equality is progressing, as well as keeping the programme diverse and entertaining for all ages within the target audience, we are also informed and educated on police life and the everyday challenges the police force face.