P2: TV Drama

LO: To explore the content of this unit

>Looking at long-form TV drama

> Marks are 60%
> Need to learn and apply academic ideas
> One US drama (Homeland), one European drama (The Killing)

 What will I need to know?
Media language: how TV Drama communicates meaning through codes & conventions and technical and narrative techniques.

Representations: how events, issues, individuals and social groups are portrayed in TV Drama

Industry: how the TV industry processes of production, distribution & circulation work

Audiences: how TV dramas target, reach and address audiences and how audiences interpret and respond to them

Context: the economic, social and cultural contexts surrounding specific TV Dramas

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*Central characters whose motives develop with them.

*A main storyline with interwoven subplots.

*A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creates tension and questions for the audience.

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Game of Thrones

Central Characters: Daenerys Targaryen, John Snow

Main Storyline: Protecting the realm, living and the dead
Subplots: Battle, Watch

Characters: Aria Stark

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Wednesday

Central Characters: Wednesday Adams, Tyler, Enid.

Main Storyline: Finding out the secrets of Nevermore, finding the culprit behind the murders in the town.

Subplots: Family troubles (Enid's wolf pack/family, Addams family)
Characters: Eugene, Bianca, Ajax, Morticia Addams, Gomez Addams, Thing, Fester Addams, Mayor, Sheriff.

Wednesday Addams is a teenager going to an Academy for the 'outcasts' after being expelled from her old school for sticking up for her brother and getting revenge on her brother's bullies. Her parents, Morticia and Gomez Addams send her to Nevermore boarding school (where they had once attended). 

Wednesday views her parents as manipulative and scheming, defying her parents and refusing to follow in her mother's legacy.

The main cast consists of 20 characters.

The beginning of filming started in late 2021 and ended in early 2022, with Tim Burton directing this eight-part series. The choice of director gives the series a very sombre and unique tone, for example, Tim Burton directed the main actress, Jenna Ortega to not blink within any of the scenes to put emphasis on the creepy nature, almost corpse-like characteristics of Wednesday Addams.

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Homeland

Which TV network developed the show and which corporation is the subsidiary of?

The TV network that developed the show was a cable channel called Showtime, a subsidiary of Fox 21 Television (Formerly Fox 21).

Narrative task:

*Long-form TV Dramas often have a complex narrative structure: a main narrative arc that spans the whole series (continues from episode to episode) and several minor narratives that may only last one or two episodes.

*The main narrative will often have several 'strands' which come together throughout the series.

*You should already have discovered what the main narrative is in the last lesson.

*While you watch, you need to be looking for how these narrative strands are set and how the characters are introduced and represented.

Characters:

Brody- Returning hero/terrorist- family man, soldier, while the male, middle class, heterosexual.

Mike- Best friend/ Jess' love interest- traditional representation, beer/football game combo, helped Jess around the house.

Jess- Brody's wife/ Mike's love interest- mother, housewife, attractive, 'sexual object'.

Carrie- Protagonist- CIA agent, female, strong career, disliked, confrontational, driven and focused but lacks compassion, hyper-fixated on doing the right thing, mental issues, sexual role.

Saul- Carrie's mentor, confident, reliable, sensible, in control, and the only one with faith in Carrie.

David- the Boss Deputy of the CIA, criticises Carrie a lot, their relationship with her, and politics in his moves.

Abu Nasir- Main antagonist

Narrative and subplots:
Brody - terrorist.

Possible attack, Carrie fights to prevent the attack and reveal Brody Jess and Mike's affair.

Carrie's mental health.

Dana and Chris's kids - rebellious nature, stereotyped.

Jess and Brody- relationship breakdown.

Enigma codes:

Why did Brody kill Tom Walker?

Why was he lying about it?

Why was he focused on the white house?
Why is lying about meeting Abu Nasir?

Why did he lie to his wife?
What is the attack?

Will Carrie find out? Will Carrie be sent to prison?

Stages in the narrative:

Equilibrium

Working at the CIA no threat to security - power with the east as the USA doesn't suspect.

Carrie is unstable, and not a trustworthy character.

Disruption

Brody's release/ discovery initiates suspicion in Carrie.

Recognition of disruption

Confides in Saul - positions men as having higher power than women.

Attempt to resolve

Spies on him illegally - positions Carrie as unstable, crazy, not trusted, not reliable.

Todorov's theory is sufficiently simple to be widely applicable, meaning that it is possible to identify key elements - equilibrium and disruption- in long-form television dramas.

His theory is very useful in teasing out the message and values underlying a narrative, in pointing to the significance of the transformation between the initial equilibrium and the new equilibrium.

Narratology: Todorov

Limitations:

*Was not designed to explain long-form serial narratives with resolutions, so does not explain complex narratives where climax and resolution are necessarily delayed and sometimes, in programmers that there are designed to last many series, are never reached.

*Todorov's theory does not help to understand television's tendency towards segmented storylines of some long-form dramas.

*Todorov's theory does not help to understand narrative strands that do not add the narrative drive towards a resolution but establish characterisation, spiral out of the main linear narrative or create cliffhangers.

Usefulness:

*Todorov's theory is sufficiently simple to be widely applicable, meaning that it is possible to identify the key elements - equilibrium (often implied) and disruption - in long-form television drama

*Todorov's theory is very useful in teasing out the messages and values underlying a narrative, in pointing to the significance of the transformation between the initial equilibrium (displayed or implied) and the new equilibrium.

Genre theory: Naele 

*Genre theory is about what genres are, and about how and why they were created, change endure or decline.

*He argues that genre is a process by which generic codes and conventions are shared by producers and audiences through the repetition is media products.

*This means that genre is not fixed, but constantly evolves with each new addition to the generic codes (the body of production in a genre), often playing with genre codes and conventions or becoming hybrids with other genres.

*Generic codes and conventions are not just established in media products but in products that refer to these products such as critical writings or advertising and marketing material, what he referred to as the intertextual relay.

Usefulness:

*Was developed primarily to explain film genre, but can be applied to long-form TV drama as the most filmic form of television output, requiring an intertextual relay of pre-publicity and reviews to generate the large audiences required.

*Draws attention to processes of difference-within-repetition and hybridity in long-form TV drama.

*The theory of the shared code can be applied to the long-form television drama itself as a form - early versions of the form such as Twin Peaks established audience expectations of twisting and enigmatic narratives that have been developed through each addition to the generic corpus - even though these dramas range across various different genres.

Industry & Context

Historical: How long-form TV dramas are influenced through historical contexts through intertextual references. Societal influences and significant social historical events such as 9/11. Reflects a period when the US feared terrorism and national security was a priority.

Economic: How long-form TV dramas reflect their economy through production, financial and technological opportunities and constraints. The budget size, commercial vs public service, marketing distribution and use of stars in productions. Ownership and budgets.

Political: How long-form TV dramas can facilitate political developments through media language and messages created for events or issues. Political perspective. Ideology is constructed in long-form TV dramas of different values.

Social: How the audience consumes and interprets long-form TV dramas. How does Homeland influence the views of society on politics, gender and crime? Demographics of consumption, the intertextuality of texts, hybrid genres, multiple narratives, and the creation of meaning via media language. Reinforces social institutions such as family, community, society and culture. Homeland reinforces these as important through the fighting to save them for the US.

Cultural: How long-form TV dramas affect the audience's consumption of cultural views. Which values are evident in Homeland? Nationalism, patriarchy, family. Cultural identities are formed for groups of people, religion, gender, race age, and national identity. How the audience is positioned to receive and interpret the representations.

Traditional cultural religious dress

the backdrop includes a mosque

old cars

quite busy

steady cam - chaos

barbed wire

run-down prison

military guards

Levi Strauss:
Structuralism is the study of the hidden rules that govern a structure. Levi Strauss thought that the human mind could be investigated by studying the fundamental structure underlying myths and fables from around the world (which he saw as one unitary system). He developed the idea of the 'binary opposition' - that the system of myths and fables was ruled by a structure of opposing terms, e.g. hot/cold, male/female, culture/nature, raw/cooked. Many writers have analysed media products using the idea of binary opposition but seeing the overall system as an ideology rather than human consciousness.

Homeland examples:
Opening shots of the prison in Baghdad vs the smart office setting in the US. The streets in Baghdad are busy, uncontrolled and dangerous vs the calm, clean and organised streets in the US. Methods of torture in the flashback scenes with Brody in comparison to the clean professional method that he is being interviewed in the US.

Todorov:

The study of the narrative is called narratology. The narrative is the choice of which events to relate to and in what order to relate to them. Todorov's theory can be applied on a large scale to easily filter out the different elements. Todorov's theory can be used to filter out the intentions and results of the program. In doing so, one must include the situation at the beginning in the initial situation. There are several limitations to his theory. With his theory, it is not possible to follow a whole season. His theory is there to follow and not to analyse and understand too complex plots. 

Homeland examples:

In Homeland, the event of 9/11 relies on the whole show. Only from real-life events do people bring Homeland in touch with the reality of terrorism nowadays.

Neale:

The categorisation of different structural elements and patterns which can be found in collections of sorties are called different genres. The use of Neale's theory is to explain different genres of video material. If a product has a very specific target audience, look at the genre they need for the target audience. For example, attention must be paid to the time of the show, lead roles, storyline etc.

Typical drama characteristics are action, sometimes complex plots, a tragedy, and a good and bad side. However, series often deviate from their own genre to become more significant. This makes it harder to figure out the genre in analyses.

Homeland examples:

Thriller/espionage/drama- a hybrid of genres, that uses codes and conventions from all three genres. As genres more popular over recent years, as a result of 9/11 spies.

Van Zoonen:
Feminist theory:
Our current view of stereotypical gender roles comes from media, such as movies. These stereotypical characteristics are exercised by roles. But it depends on what kind of political influences or ethical influences the role has. Thereby then men, patriarchy, have a much bigger influence. So they can be implemented their ideas of gender.

Homeland example:

Van Zoonen's theory of Patriarchy applies to Homeland. The woman is weaker than the male leadership position. Even though she has a gender-typical male job, going against the norms, of men, for example, her boss is still in a position of power. 

Feminist theory
Bell Hooks:
Bell Hooks' theory is based on the opposite of Van Zoonen's theory. Female roles do not lean towards patriarchal expectations because women are supposed to identify with the roles and therefore roles are portrayed realistically.

Homeland example:

The main female character, Carrie, defies the male preset norms for women and thus provides room to identify with her. Since she doesn't care much about her appearance, doesn't use makeup and doesn't live in a typical marriage with children.

Barthes:
Barthes Identifies two interrelated theoretical perspectives: semiotics and structuralism.
Semiotics: the study of the relationships between those signs. He argues that the organisation of these relationships encodes particular ideologies.

Homeland example: 

Men are wearing traditional, cultural dresses and hats.
-Old cars

-Steady camera moving around everywhere portraying chaos either in the situation or location.

-Run down the prison, brutal ambience, along with an area where people can be hung, barbed wire, and military guards with guns.

-Middle east= Violent, brutal, barbaric, completely different culture.

-Guard smoking outside and conversing with an unknown man on the street where he isn't supposed to be.

Gilroy:
White superiority. Gilroy describes a 'myth of black criminality and attributed statistical differences in recorded criminality between the different ethnic groups as being due to police stereotyping and racist labelling (systemic racism)
Homeland example:
-East vs West and representation of the East and the methods imposed.

-The Middle East will accept bribery because they are less fortunate than Americans. 

-The white Americans have nice clothes whereas the Middle Eastern people have old, dirty-looking clothes.

(Hall & Bandura left)

Determined- Pays money to go into the prison - closes up on the money paid to get into the prison.

Demanding- Shouting over the phone at her boss - editing.

Powerful- Residing the guard in the prison.

Fearless- dragged by the guards clinging on to retrieve the answers.

Dedicated- persuasive nature of the conversation with the prisoner. 

Reckless- Going into prison, going against her boss.

Manipulative- Talks to the prisoner, bargaining with the prisoner using his family.

Mise en scene- Sets up the post-9/11 fear in the opening via the over-the-shoulder from the prisoner with the noose and gallows being set up for hanging the prisoner, the barbaric savage nature of culture and positions the East against the civilised West. Editing further reinforces this - go from run-down Baghdad to glitzy Washington.

The representations of Carrie in the opening scenes are more determined, cunning and stubborn. She consistently tries to convince guards into letting her in and bribes them into doing so, and then proceeds to use manipulative tactics to get the answers she wants, the editing in the beginning scene where she is talking to her boss shows her defiance and later on the close up scene shows her manipulating the prisoner, making things personal.

Sombre

Work-oriented

Dramatic music

Fast cuts to give a sense of urgency

Van Zoonen: Feminist theory.

*Ideas of femininity and masculinity are constructed in our performance of these roles.

*Gender is what we do rather than who we are and changes meaning depending on cultural and historical contexts.

*The concepts of patriarchy may be applied to the ownership and control of television, the recruitment and ethos of television professionals and the representation of gender.

Bell Hooks: Feminist theory and Homeland:

The representation of the men in power fit those suggested by Bell Hooks. How are the women represented and how are the men represented in Homeland?

Carried embodies the oppositional gaze that refuses to conform to the expectations of women and provides a character to identify with that challenges patriarchal ideologies.

Feminist theory: Bell hooks.

Intersectionality refers to the coming together of gender, race, class, and sexuality to create a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy which dominates media representations.

Women should develop an oppositional gaze that refuses to identify with characters that reinforce patriarchal ideologies and politicises the case.

Van Zoonen: Feminist theory and Homeland.

The concept of patriarchy may be applied to the ownership and control of television, the recruitment and ethos of television professionals and the representation of gender.

Carrie, although strong, and in a masculine role of leadership, has several flaws that make her unstable as a leader and a strong woman, thus showing the power of patriarchy reinforcing subtly the inferiority of women to men in positions of power.

1. The representation of Carrie in the text initially is determined and convincing. 2. This is seen when she resorts to paying a guard to speak to a prisoner, we see this through the use of the close-up of the money and when she mentions the prisoner's family to convince him to give her the information necessary. 3. The representations in this section that she will turn to questionable lessons to get the job done and this highlights her questionable moral compass. 4. Here we can see that the texts support what Van Zoonen says, such as the guards are all men in Baghdad and Carrie isn't particularly feminine in her conduct for example, when she comes home from her night out and doesn't take time to do a typically feminine routine (make-up, hair, etc.)5. This reflects the context of the time as it proves that the patriarchy is still dominant in many different aspects and if you wanted to be treated with the respect you must take on more masculine traits.

Brody analysis:

appearance:

unkept, neglected, lack of hygiene, clothes torn and dirty, hair and beard overgrown. scars and cuts on his face along with dirt. tortured. Locked behind a padlocked door. dehumanised 

1. POW, victim, audience, sympathise with him

2. arrival home

>Outline what happens in this scene.

>How is the family represented in the reunion scene? How does Brody react?

>How is the vice president represented?

David - CIA strategic lead

army man has sympathy for Brody- POW

Political context- CIA and vice-president don't care about Brody's well-being they only care about showing the country a hero.

Army cares for Brody and sympathises with him.

the family looks scared and nervous but also relieved, Brody is apprehensive and nervous and doesn't know how to act. His wife makes the first move

American style music, pride.

Brody seems disgusted with the crowd

and doesn't emotionally react to his mother's death due to being desensitised at war and missing out on family life.

wife represented as the stereotypical wife (traditional) and mother

family awkward, distant, lack of role, silence in reunion at the first emphasises the awkwardness, broken by Jess and her love and emotions (traditional female) followed by Dana -  loving daughter, thoughtful, caring, physical contact of a hug. Son- shot reverse shot of the meeting, lack of emotion and love. Link of impact in war.

1. The representations of Brody in the text initially are, a victim, and a hero. 2. This is seen when we first see him as a hostage via body cam, and once brought back to the USA he gets represented as a hero to the media and to the public. 3. The representations in this section establish that the trauma from war has left his mentality damaged and scars all over his body, he's very jumpy  (ie. when the cameras flash at the ceremony.  The audience can tell that he is still very hesitant in his mannerisms despite being represented as a hero. He was transformed from a victim of war trauma and torture to a hero and a proud American citizen although he has to reintegrate into society 4. Here we can see that the texts support what...5. This reflects the context of the time as it... 

Brody:

*Family roles- awkward, distant, lack of role, silence in reunion at the first emphasises the awkwardness, broken by Jess and her love and emotions (traditional female) followed by Dana- loving daughter, thoughtful, caring, physical contact of a hug. Son-shot reverse shot of first meeting, lack of emotion and love, link to impact of war, under roles in society and expectations.

*Gender role via Brody-hero - brave/male, reinforces tradition-dialogue, men in the audience of soldiers, the sound of traditional army band, flags to show nationalism patriotism. The backdrop of the army/airforce, planes etc... female as the wife/mother an addition to the male hero role

*Brody- sickness- fear of return to family- steady-cam footage reveals the unstable emotions in the state he is in. Close up on the face, camera flash, PTSD, emotional in reunion speech, the face is back to the cultural norm- clean shaven, no marks on his skin, the damage is hidden from war. later rev.

* Social context- the impact of war on society and family. Dialogue- "where's mom" missed out on family life/death. Desensitised to death.

Brody analysis:

Antagonist: A person who is opposed or hostile towards someone or something, the villain.

Antihero: Main character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage and morality.

>Which mise en scene choices have been made to make him look like a prisoner of war?

- Soldiers discovering him.
-Being found amongst the rubble.

- Explosions.
- Body camera, grainy footage, black and white footage to show severity.

- Overgrown hair, unkept, the face looks malnourished/neglected without basic hygiene, looks dirty, made to look like a victim.
- David: Well groomed, respected, suit. Editing between them both emphasises the severity of war.

1) Prisoner of war (victim) - audience sympathises with him.
2) Arrived home

How the vice president is represented

Brody is sick in the toilet, movement is unsteady, and David and the president come across as tactical, not caring about Brody's experiences but caring that he is a hero.

How reunion is represented

The family look apprehensive, Brody looks guilty and unsure of what to do and doesn't know how to act/nervous. His wife runs over first and hugs him like a traditional female, followed by the daughter who seems loving and caring. Son is introduced to him with a reverse shot of their first meeting, the lack of emotion and love, linking to the impact of war. Son seems scared to meet Brody because he doesn't remember his father.

Brody looks overwhelmed, disliking the camera and crowds, distanced.
The death of his mother causes little reaction from him, proving that he is desensitised from war.

A brief fake smile shows his lack of emotions and how uncomfortable he feels in the situation, showing the impact of war but also what sort of character he will be.

Brody's sickness

Steadicam footage reveals the unstable emotional state he is in. Close up on his face, camera flash, PTSD, emotions in reunion speech, appearance is back t cultural norm- clean shaven, unscathed, war scars hidden but are revealed later.

Brody analysis: How is Brody represented as a hero in S1 EP1?

Brody is a complex character and in the opening of S1, EP1 of Homeland he is represented as both a war hero and victim.

1. Initially Brody is presented to the audience as a Victim.

2. This is evident in the scene where he is rescued, we see him being manhandled by the US military who have stormed a base and find him locked inside a room with a padlock and no outside light or access.

3. The scene uses body camera footage to emphasise the danger of the situation through the unsteady camera movement. Whilst the use of low-key lighting functions to add an element of mystery to the setting and situation. The dialogue of Brody using a raspy voice highlights the neglect he has suffered over his capture by representing his ill health in the situation and emphasises the role of the victim.

4. Here we see that Van Zoonen's theory of representation can be applied to the character of Brody and the situation that is being portrayed. Brody is presented as the male hero who has suffered physically at the hands of terrorists reinforcing the traditional role of the male military hero.

5. In this scene we see the contextual references and the impact of the events of 9/11 and the following war on the military and their families as a result of the War on Terror that is still being felt in society 10 years later.

The representations created of Brody within this scene are that he is an uncomfortable and uncertain character at this point. This is seen when he walks into the room and sees his family, reuniting with them, however, shows no excited or joyful emotions at all. This scene uses the mise en scene of a stripped-back room which highlights the severity and importance of this reunion but also emphasises the awkwardness that we can clearly feel between the family. Jess, his wife, breaks this awkwardness by running up to him but the camera switches between his thrilled face and his emotionless face showing the impact that the war has left on this soldier. As we think of this, it makes the audience think that Brody must have truly been traumatised and neglected throughout his time or that he is scheming something and truly doesn't feel like he is reuniting with his family. Here we can see that Van Zoonen's theory can be applied since the stereotypical role of a wife and mother...

Rep: Mental Illness

* Carrie's mental illness -  her bipolar makes her amazing at investigating. She obsesses over details so much that she gets to the heart of the matter every time. She knows before everyone else does.

*This was/is a growing trend in dramas - using mental health as a link to investigative brilliance (BBC's Sherlock & CBS's Elementary).

*Carrie's illness manifests itself in an obsessive attention to detail, inappropriate sexual relationships and frequent hysterical outbursts.

* Mise en scene: Extremely wide-open eyes, quivering lip, screwed up face and raking her hand through her hair to express her frustration with her inability to fully protect the US homeland.

*Carrie represents a familiar construction of a professional woman whose personal trauma underpins her role as a truth seeker and law enforcer.

*The audience understands relatively early that Carrie is right to be suspicious of Brody, but the show withholds diegetic recognition; indeed, her interest in the pursuit of Brody, which merges personal obsession and professional responsibility, begins to undermine her status as a trustworthy protagonist.

*Initially, the show uses Carrie's illness to question her reliability - to her family, her profession and even to herself. The combination of being certain and being proven wrong is what drives Carrie to seek electroshock therapy, as the closing sequence of season 1 ends. But the audience knows she's not wrong.

How is mental illness shown in the homeland?

Mental illness is shown in a negative light, as something that needs to be cured. They show franticness and desperation.

Postmodernism: what is this?

* Irony
* Parody or Homage
* Bricolage

* Intertextual
* Fragmented narrative

* Self reflectivity 

* Common themes- What if?
* Loss of reality
* Lack of Verisimilitude

Postmodernism: Baudrillard

*Postmodernism is the idea that society has moved beyond modernism- either modernism is art and culture (early 20th century) or modernism in the sense of a belief in progress, which dates back much further.

* Baudrillard argued that, as modern societies were organised around the production of goods, postmodern society is organised around 'simulation' - the play of images and signs.

*Previously important social distinctions suffer 'implosion as differences of gender, class, politics and culture dissolve in a world of simulation in which individuals construct their identities.

*The new world of 'hyperreality' - media simulations, for example, Disneyland and amusement parks, malls and consumer fantasy lands - is more real than the 'real', and controls how we think and behave. Postmodernism is more than modernism, the world is a"simulation" (society) ie. Disneyland is a hyperreal simulation.

Representation theory: Gauntlett and identity and homeland

*Homeland offers diverse and contradictory representations that the audience can use to think through their identity as they have the time and resources to develop implied representations through Carrie and her links to mental illness.

*Homeland offers local representations that resonate with international audiences. Middle East and US representations. This increases the diversity of representations to reach an international audience, Homeland was successful in several international locations as a series.

*This assumes the power of the audience as active agents may underestimate the power of media conglomerates in shaping culture and identity.

Representation theory: Gauntlett and identity

Media representations portray a wide range of different and contradictory messages about identity, which can be used by audiences to think through their own identity, which can be used by audiences to think through their own identities.

Identities including gender and sexuality are now seen as less fixed than they were in the past.

Online media allow people to express and explore their identities.

Hall:

Gender:
Female is capable of brilliance
Always intelligent, and capable but not listened to or supported

Carrie was always capable but rejected because - of unreliable

Middle east:
Mental illness:

Bandura:
Media influences the values of behaviour directly

Imitation of media

media representations, directly and indirectly, influence the audience's values and behaviours.

patriarchal society
Behaviour imitating 
Patriarchal society:
-Este es in charge
-responds, offhand, dismisses

-Saul's mentor/friend
he doesn't believe her, doesn't support her, left pleading for help.

Industry theory.
Media ownership
The concentration of media ownership, dominated by small media conglomerates, limits the viewpoints represented

despite a huge media development, the small media conglomerates still dominate the industry.

Curran and Seaton: Power and media industries.

1. Patterns in ownership & control are important in how the media functions.

2. Media industries are capitalist & aim to increase the concentration of ownership; which leads to the narrowing of opinions represented, affecting plurality.

3. Owners pursue profit at the expense of quality or creativity.

A political economy approach to the media - arguing that patterns of ownership and control are the most significant factors in how the media operate. Media industries follow the normal capitalist pattern of increasing the concentration of ownership in fewer and fewer hands. This leads to a narrowing of the range of opinions represented and the pursuit of pro t at the expense of quality or creativity. The internet does not represent a rupture in the past in that it does not offer a level playing field for diverse voices to be heard. It is constrained by nationalism and state censorship. News is still controlled by powerful news organisations, who have successfully defended their oligarchy.

Curran and Seaton: Homeland.

*The issue of ownership and control, the working practices of creators and the risk and profitability vs critical appeal in TV drama depending on who is funding the production.

*There is an international dominance of American Streaming services- Netflix, in distributing many Long forms of TV dramas, this can limit the representations that are created through the ownership and control of the productions. Homeland is a Showtime production, sold to Channel 4 and then Netflix.

Studying television as an industry draws attention to issues such as forms and effects of ownership and control, the working practices of creators, and issues of risk and profitability.

This applies particularly to the international dominance of American streaming services distributing many Long-Form TV dramas. 

However:
In prioritising the effects of ownership and control on the content of television this theory may not aid in understanding how ideologies, audience choice or media language conventions may determine media content.

Hesmondhalgh and Homeland.

*Draws attention to the ownership and control purposes, such as the American commercial- Homeland, compared to the European Public service ethos.

* In Homeland, the risk and profitability are seen in the high budgets that then minimise the risk via formatting and the star system and co-production deals for the smaller European broadcasters. 

 * Homeland we see famous actors alongside the genre of crime/conspiracy that is successful in America. We do not see this in The Killing as there is not a high budget. However: In prioritising the effects of ownership and control on the content of television this theory may not aid in understanding how ideologies, audience choice or media language conventions may determine media content.

Hesmondhalgh: Cultural Industries

Cultural industries follow the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration and integration - cultural production is owned and controlled by a few conglomerates that vertically integrate across a range of media to reduce risk.

Risk is particularly high in the cultural industries because of the difficulty in predicting success, high production costs, low production costs and the fact that media products are 'public goods' - they are not destroyed on consumption but can be further reproduced. This means that cultural industries rely on 'big hits' to cover the costs of failure. Hence industries rely on repetition through the use of stars, genres, franchises, repeatable narratives and so on to sell formats to audiences, and then industries and governments try to impose scarcity, especially through copyright laws.

The internet has created new powerful IT corporations and has not transformed cultural production in a liberating and empowering way - digital technology has sped up work, commercialised leisure time and increased surveillance by government and companies.

Hesmondhalgh: Cultural Industries.

1. Cultural industries follow a capitalist pattern of increasing concentration and integration so production is owned by a few conglomerates. 

2. Risk is seen in terms of loss of money. Risk is high because production costs are high.

Similarly to Curran and Seaton, Hesmondhalgh sees media industries as being dominated by a small number of conglomerates. The high production costs and ease of reproduction and sharing of media products means media industries use a number of methods to reduce risk. These include vertical integration, and the reliance on established genres, stars and narratives.

Media industries are dominated by a small number of media conglomerates that rely on the repetition of popular genres, stars and narratives to reduce risk. 

Livingstone and Lunt:

Regulated media in the UK

Balances consumers' needs

Traditional forms of media are being dominated by streaming platforms.

The Killing (2007)

The series was created by Søren Sveistrup the two studios that produced the series are DR and ZDF Enterprises.

BAFTA Television Awards

DR1

Overview narrative season 1

The first season covers the first two weeks of the investigation and has three main storylines:

 the police investigation into Nanna Buk Larson's murder, 

the attempts of her family to deal with their grief, 

and the fluctuating electoral fortunes of a political campaign that becomes embroiled in the case.

After watching, explain how the following are established:
> Main narrative quest/ conflict set up: How is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/ problem that will drive the rest of the series.
> enigma codes: What questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will want to keep watching to find out.
>Individual character narratives: (separate from the main narrative) how are these setup/ introduced and what are they?
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Main narrative quest/ conflict set-up:
Nana Birk Larsen is missing and then her body is found, find out how she was murdered, and who did it.

Enigma codes:

Individual character narratives:
Oliver- her ex-boyfriend

Sarah Lund- Boss and is leaving her job, and country- moving to Sweden with her partner. Prioritizes her job over her partner and son.

Troels Hartman- Politician- Has a leak in his campaign. Relationship with his secretary- suggested to be a bit dodgy. Corrupt politicians as a theme.
Pernille Theis- Parents explore their lives, working-class lives, but respectable and hardworking. 

Genre

Nordic Noir is an umbrella term for Scandinavian crime fiction, a genre that has become very popular.

Rin outdoors, musted lighting, dark, shaky camera. dark empty area, eerie music, bats, the sound of footsteps, water droplets, wind

Low key muted lighting-  Internal investigation in the building.

The use of torches 

of rain in the opening outdoor scene

reflects dark reality and muted skies.

Stereotyping- racism, language

Racism is linked to white- wc, immature, uneducated, males, with suspicious, questionable morals.

Class-  Working class, home, lack of funds - home- upkeep- maintenance 

Fun family, love, carefree, prioritise family eg. Theis goes home when asked 

Family unit -  children 

Media language:
Mise en scene

sound 

editing 

camera

Genre Theory: Neale 

                             

Costume setting lighting props. 

The costume is the attire, the clothes that she is wearing are very wintery, a jumper layered over a turtleneck. and a thick coat. Despite its simplicity, it replicates reality. Practicality, not sexualised

The setting- Nordic Noir is out in the open, with fields, forests, and rolling hills. A very open area,  a common setting for reality, active on the scene is not put off by the weather. 

Lighting. The lighting is dim giving the whole scene a sombre feel but also a very simplistic and realistic setting.
The props, map in hand, look active/practical, sensible and realistic

Normal mother- close up on her face. when looking lovingly towards her sleeping son, OTS shit of the bedroom.

Partner to fiancee- Long shot of embrace, mise en scene= costume choice to reveal a shot of her underwear- why?

Comfortable/sexual.  

Women are often objectified in the media, the representations between male and female performances. Gender depends on cultural and historical context. 

Gender depends on us, the stereotypes given are simple because we created them. Almost naturalised to be allocated to a certain gender. "Heterosexual norms" can be challenged, 'gender trouble'. deconstructing and destabilizing apparent fixed gender and sexual identity issues

 

Respected - dialogue speech mise en scene, party

leader - dialogue questions

focused - overhead shot, crime scene

brave - lighting torch- close up on evidence

fearless - Close up blood + hand, not phased, 

strong - follows evidence alone stand-alone, tension

fun/laid back - close-up sign of +her face

dedicated - 

calculated - over the shoulder, leading, dialogue, questions she asks.

Sarah Lund is first represented differently from Carrie Mathison from 'Homeland'. Sarah is shown as well-respected and has the same amount of respect as a man in her position, whereas Carrie is less-trusted and less respected due to the cultural differences from the European and US standpoint, where the US is still in a heavily patriarchal society. Sarah is in a position of power compared to Carrie who is simply just another employee of the CIA. 

Their outfits are different, Carrie is dressed formally whereas Sarah is dressed for comfort. Sarah seems to be less interested in her appearance and focuses on her work. Carrie, on the other hand, has to maintain appearances. Sarah's hair is tied up and out of the way, however, Carrie's hair is covering a part of her eye. Sarah isn't wearing makeup, once again proving that her appearance means very little to her, and Carrie is wearing makeup once again her appearance is very formal.
Carrie's hair is dyed and blowdried. Sarah has minimal makeup, is casual and practical -> Confident in her skills. Carrie is wearing a low-cut shirt, not dressed for practicality, once again, she is dressed for appearances and respect.

Thanks to their appearance we can tell what kind of person each of them is. Sarah is a relaxed, laid-back person whereas Carrie is dressed-up, she's wearing a stereotypical suit, to prove herself and be well-respected. 

Denmark and Sweden 

Sweden and Denmark have fought each other for centuries and hold the record for the most wars fought between them. It adds up to about 30 wars since the 15th century. But now there is a Swedish embassy in Copenhagen.  

'In the hands of the enemy', refers to the police force- historical war rivalry. Is decomposed herring and light beer -  Friendly rivalry. 

Blond braided wig, joking/ stereotype.

The colour of the flag difference reflects differing cultures, 

Treated in the workplace.

Carrie, not respected, meeting scene, targetted.

Context: reflects USA viewpoints that gender is not equal and women are inferior.

Sarah, Repects, asserts her position to continue the search.

Context: Gender should be equally reflected in her role.


Carrie: Ignored, rejected, 'unstable'
Has her suspicions about brody and her mentor (male) doesn't believe her, asking her if she's taken her meds.

Sarah: Respected, equality.
During the 'investigation she finds a doll with a note taped onto it thanking her for her hard work.'

Gender issues in the killing. 

Not a trad, fem, characteristic, not domesticated, she's complex, career driven. 

Van Zoonen -  Gender roles change, performance historical + cultural context.
In media female representations are often objectified (not Sarah)

Gauntlett -  identity - different messages about identity in the media, more variation from the past, form our identity through online media.

cultural context (VZ) Sarah is respected reflects cultural context. Stereotypically masc. + feminine traits. 

Recap on theory

VZ.
1. objectified 
Stereotypes - performance of the gender roles

culture + time - roles.

Gauntlett-

Many media messages about identity

21st March

Equal

Respected

Non-sexualised, strong, smart, in control

intuitive, trusting, caring, kind...

Class;

Strong hard-working female. work> family 
Opposition - Pernielle

family central

work- important role - managerial, responsible but family comes first.

Different class, Working Class+ Middle Class.

Mayer- smokes a lot, and is stereotypically not represented as a professional. disorganised, decorations, gun poster, basketball.  

Theis -  family man, calm, collected, reasonable, resolves it, reprimands but less confrontational. 

Theis working class, Manual Labour 

Mayer- Middle Class, suit, older, well-respected, dress smartly, dismissive 

Hall.

Stereotypes try to fix representations suggesting that there is only one true meaning.

Though the stereotypes can't be altered, new stereotypes can be formed/created.

meant to educate and inform the public (represent Denmark)

Social Issues
Sarah

work-orientated

Split family, effects on children

advocate for gender equality

 

Homeland

Sexism

Sexualized woman

Negative representations of mental health

 The lead protagonist in Homeland is used to reflect societal issues such as Sexism, Hyper-sexualization of women and the negative representation of Mental Health. Moments. Sexism has been reflected, are at large in this Drama such as when Carrie gets humiliated when arriving late to a conference meeting, Her boss, a man, references the gender when confronting her about her tardiness. Hyper-sexualisation is also connotated when she goes out and flirts with a man she appears to have no interest in, she also wears tight clothing & makeup to enhance that affirmation. The negative representation of mental health is used as a plot point throughout the whole of the drama, considered as an issue and/or a burden. This is proved when Carrie mentions not being able to work in the CIA if they had known about her Mental Illness, despite sexism still being her first issue in the workplace, she also has to deal with taking care of her Mental Illness in secret. 

Whereas in The Killing, the lead protagonist is used to reflect societal issues such as...

(Apply Hall>)

28th March

Scene one: Sarah meets Jan Meyer

Sarah: hectic, packing, upbeat

Professional when Mayer enters, chat about her more

C/U over-the-shoulder shot of her son

Same shot edited of Mayers gun poster

 Opposite gender roles - Sarah caring family

Opposite cigarette vs gun - violence

Toy car + net = childish

diegetic sound of the radio (potential lack of respect) general lack of respect for sarah

There are studies of hidden rules that control a structure - Structuralism

Levi Strauss had a theory that we could learn about the human mind by studying fables and myths. Thus creating a system for binary oppositions.

The analysis of media uses binary oppositions, viewing the whole system as an ideology. 

Diegetic sound.

The Dialogue-  Sarah shut down Mayers personal attack on her career. Directs back to the investigation.

professionalism. remains calm and in control through her dialogue and agrees to investigate.

respectful- asks questions.

LS + MS reveals her control over the scene

Barthes

semiology, signs

non-diegetic sound, porfessionals

highlights for thought process + focus on the investigation.

Study of signs. Consists of an image etc.. and it's meaning.

denotation is its literal meaning 

 

loving family- friendly, fun

Close-up shots of Theis and Penielle - end

Non-Diagetic sound emphasise the upbeat nature.

tight economic context.

economic tight- duct tape- cant afford new/repair the dishwasher. gender stereotype.

context 2007

Theis masculine- fixed it/ tries to fix it. 

Mise en Scene - costume

family importance.

Bell Hooks

Intersectionality, representations in the media.

Women should refuse to take oon stereotypical roles.

Intersectionality: Gender, class, race, sexuality

Pernille- female, working class

Sarah/Carrie - female, middle class- independent work for men but are higher up, not a housewife, career driven.

Themes in the killing:

Betrayal: -politician, Yohan

Love: Pernille and Theis dancing around the kitchen

independence:

Family:

Grief: end scene cutting between Theis and Pernielle crying.

Barthes: Semiology

Meaning is communicated through signs which are made of the signifier. depends on the connotations of the sign

the word myth is used to describe connotations suggested by a sign that has come to be seen as normal and natural.

How are local politics presented?

competitive, hostile, selfish - job 'them', audience - negative. 

How is Troells represented? How is his team represented?

Focused -> people, loving/ caring/ emotional,  40s - relationship vs 60s mayor

Is politics represented as a game? Dirty tactic? Tripping each other (the opposition) up?

Mayor - manipulation. meeting minutes - secrecy 

Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?

Language Industry Audience Representation. 

change of music, midshot, close-up on the rose on the tombstone cut to his face.  

Audience theory, Gerbner: Cultivation theory

Mean world syndrome. similar messages being repeated,  People watching a lot of television were likely to have similar views, 'mainstreaming'

The media can influence audience perceptions of the world over a long period of time through the repetition of similar messages. 

>How is local politics represented.

threatening language

The negative representation of politics (Barthes)
Mayor is threatening

Todorov:

The Killing:

Equilibrium: Sarah- relationship, respected at work

Disruption: Missing person - murder

Recognition of disruption: Sarah visits Larson's house, and asks about the daughter

Attempt to solve: Sarah -  changes her plans - remains in Denmark 

New equilibrium: 

Homeland:

Equilibrium: Carrie at CIA  - criticized at work

Disruption: Brody returning home

Recognition of disruption: Confides in Saul her suspicions 

Attempt to solve- Illegal surveillance of Brody - recognises the message.

New Equilibrium: 

How is the tension built up in this scene?

The quick panic of Pernielle being used to create tension as well and the mid shot 

How is sound used? it is used to almost scare you, its a threatening sound

Facial expressions

close up

audience reactions and gender stereotypes

 Dialogue: close camerawork

Tension: Worry, shot, lack of focus

Facial expression: serious, worried -  close-ups 

reinforce gender stereotypes;

Pernielle: Passive, 

Theis: volatile regarding oliver, protective father, rescue her, bring her home 

Pernielle: Told to wait at home by Theis.

Van Zoonen fits because he talks about genders being performed 'it's not who we are it's what we do' Pernielle does what Theis tells her to do.

Car scene:

she's busy and is not really home so the only time Sarah and her son only really have a chance to talk is when they are in the car together. 

Car- tense, reflecting busy life, constantly moving, sarah driving -  control of the situation. in control in most scenes 

Dialogue- distant -  because of Sarah's work, KSF incorrect nameof Hockey team, lack of time + interest in her son

Focus on money/career than family in Denmark

Working and family. Dual burden

one then suffers. 

Gauntlett - Identity

Bell Hooks - MC+ female

Butler - 

Barthes - semiology 

The killing genre: Nordic Noir, Melodrama

Neile- merging genres.

    Sarah is represented as if she is in control, the whole investigation is being led by her.

Dominant, doesn't listen, she feels superior 

close up on her face, shows her instincts, larger scale control (directing police officers)  

scene 9 

close up on what she sees, at her sudden realisation

it's a somber sound, almost dominating like her instincts are.

non-diegetic music, builds emotion and tension, the leg falling out of the car makes it an instant realisation

editing in between the body and the parents. 

low-key lighting.

Tdodorov- returning to the recognition of disruption as we then attempt to solve the mystery. Stereotypical responses

 

How is the tension built up? How is mise en scene used to build tension?
Non-diegetic music builds up to create tension and also emotion. The leg falling out of the car makes us realise instantly. Low key lighting, at night.
How does the director position the audience? What do they allow us to see?
The emotional perspective of each of the characters, Pernille falling apart, Theis holding back.
How is cross-cutting used to provoke an emotional response from the audience?
Makes mystery by cutting and editing between Theis, Pernille and the body.
Todorov- Returning to the recognition of disruption as we then attempt to solve the mystery. Stereotypical response from Pernille, screaming and crying and from Theis, angry, shouting.

Ideologies definition:
a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

viewpoints definition: 

 a person's opinion or point of view

Sarah Lund is a detective in the police department in Denmark, who is transferring to Sweeden soon however she delays her move until she has finished this Missing-person case. The victim is the Birk-Larsen's daughter so Sarah decides to question them: This is how they meet and end up connecting the storyline. The Birk-Larsen family is an average family until Sarah informs them of their daughter's murder. They then cooperate with the police as they deal with their own grief. Meanwhile, Troels 

;

Troels:
Equilibrium-> Politician running a campaign - Wideower

Disruption-> mole in the party
Recognition->Mayor actions, reporting on him

 5 stages that a character will go through; those are Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition Repair the Damage and Equilibrium Again.

Vagn-Vagn makes a racist comment to a man from Pakistan, treating him as inferior.

Police Department- The Danish police department jokingly refer to Sweden as below them, they joke about their inferiority and how much of a downgrade it is going to be for Sarah to move there during her leaving party scene. They make fun of the Swedish culture such as with the skis and the helmets. They say to her: 'If decomposed herring and light beer are your thing, then you're welcome to it.' As they use the two  insults, it shows their discrimination.

consumerism:  of consumerism in the Killing is Theis refuses to buy the washing machine, what they need, because he is saving up for something he wants, the new house,  The camerawork when the house is shown presents the house as a grand achievement as a low angle shot is used to frame it which supports this consumerist ideology.

1. when she decides to investigate by the river, she relies completely on her intuition

2. during the investigation, the is wearing for the weather.

3. When she realises that the Birk-Larson's daughter went missing

4.  

Tuesday 6th June

Participatory culture is the idea that the development if new media allows the audience to be active and creative participants rather than simply passive consumers. 

Audience members become textual poachers taking aspects from media texts to create their own content. 

Convergence culture - media is shared, adapted and consumed constantly on a range of different platforms

Spreadable media - content that is adapted by audience members for their own purpose and shared with others

The development of online media has allowed audiences to participate in media culture, adapting media products to create their own content which is shared with online audiences.

Audience theory: Shirky: End of an audience

 

Technological developments have changed the relationship between media producers and audiences. 

In the past media producers created content for audiences, now content can be created using audiences. 

Prosumers have different motivation to professional media producers.

This can create cognitive surplus, where potentially large numbers of people give their time and expertise to create something (eg Wikipedia)

Audiences can no longer be seen as a single mass of people. Audiences engage differently with media products across different platforms, with some audience members now creating or adapting media products themselves.

Technological developments have changed the ways in which audiences engage with media culture, leading to the rise of user generated content and reducing the power of media producers to act as gatekeepers. 

Question 3: Synoptic

>how far = judgement must be made

> Context influence needs to be explored, all of them:historical, political, economic, social, cultural

> Analysis of the texts and theory that applies

>Refer to theoretical framework, media language, audience, representation, industry 

Intro- some groups are different and some are the same 

from looking at the killing. - DR on low budget - PSB, Denmark - success on BBC 

Different to HL - Big Budget, stars, on location filming , showtime big studio/big production

 

Carrie is an employee in the CIA, she is disrespected by her peer and colleagues. Homeland represents the country as a Patriarchal society where her skills and talents are belittled for example,In the scene where she is on the bench with Saul and expresses her suspicions only to be shut down without concrete evidence (Butler, Van Zoonen). Whereas, with Sarah, she is respected by her co-workers and seen as a leader. For example, During the scene where she looks at those boys on their bikes with their colourful fishing nets, she comes to a realisation and tell everyone to go the the lake, which everyone follows without any questions asked. In The Killing there lacks a gender hierarchy, to which everyone is equal. (Butler).  

Representation Theory:

10 marks 17 minutes to plan and write

Evaluate an academic theory in relation to the Killing and Homeland.

You do not need to know each theory in major detail.

P1: Define the theory - briefly explain key aspects of theory

P2: First reason why it's "useful"/ relevant - what does it help us to understand? Link to set product

P3: Second reason why it's "useful"/relevant - exemplify this by linking to set product

P4: Third reason why its "useful"/ relevant to the text

P5: State any possible limitations of the theory - interrogate weaknesses of the theory 

P6: Briefly conclude - evaluate the overall usefulness of the theory

5 steps. Equilibrium, Disruption,recognition of disruption, attempt to solve, new equilibrium.