Extra Revision - all social groups

Here is a link to a playlist that has a variety of TV drama extracts… A lot we have already covered but there are some additional texts here for all of the social groups! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAC15C50BB775177D

Extra Revision - Sexuality

Caution with this as it is a Sitcom!

Extra Revision - Ability

A useful read....https://stcmhstvd12d14.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/representation-of-physical-ability-and-disability-in-tv-dramas/

Past question dramas & topics

• 2016 June gender Sherlock
• 2015 June ethnicity Treme
• 2014 June class & status Downton Abbey
• 2013 June regional identity Doc Martin
• 2013 January age ER
• 2012 June ability Coming Down the Mountain
• 2012 January sexuality Fingersmith
• 2011 June class & status Merlin
• 2011 January gender The Hustle
• 2010 June gender Primeval
• 2010 January ethnicity Hotel Babylon
• 2009 June gender Dr Who
• 2009 January age Monarch of the Glen

The scores so far:

gender x 4

age x 2

ethnicity x 2

class & status x 2

ability x 1

regional identity x 1

sexuality x 1

Extra Revision - Representation of Age and Ability

Representation of Age

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3fdthr

Representation of Ability

Excellent Revision Material

There is some excellent analysis of TV drama extracts here. Take a look as part of your revision for next week

http://www.alevelmedia.co.uk/g322 

Extra Revision - Ethnicity

Representation of Ethnicity

Revision 1.

TASK

Go through the extract and printscreen key shots. Annotate your image and suggest how the camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound and editing decisions help to construct representations of age.


ER (Analysing Age) from Steve Boyes on Vimeo.

Representation of Age in Waterloo Road

Representation of Age

G322 Monarch of the Glen - Age from NESMedia on Vimeo.

G322 TELEVISION DRAMA: HOW TO WRITE ABOUT EDITING

G322 TELEVISION DRAMA: HOW TO WRITE ABOUT EDITING

G322 Television Drama: writing about how editing contributes to representation

David Allison notes also available at The Media Association www.themea.org

EDITING AND REPRESENTATION

As a technical code, editing is primarily related to narrative, and many students struggle to make connections between editing and representation. They see how camerawork such as close-ups and low angles conveys status and emotion to the audience. The use of costume, props and settings functions of mise-en-scène are also pretty transparent to most students.

But what does match-on-action have to do with character or representation?

This list is designed to help you to start thinking about how editing can, if sometimes subtly, influence the audience’s reading of a character, and lead on to wider questions of representation. It is not an exhaustive list, and you should be wary of assuming these suggestions are either a) complete or b) foolproof - in the same way that black and white don’t always represent good and evil (just ask a penguin). The role of editing in representation is open to interpretation, and is greatly dependent on context. So use your intelligence!

ACTION MATCH

When following a single character (e.g. Billy Elliot dancing) this is a purely technical device. However, when an action match is used for intercutting, it can heighten the parallels/contrasts between two different characters in two different situations and offers an opportunity for juxtaposition.

e.g. a scene in Skins showing a young Russian woman’s swinging of the axe (representing of sex and power) is juxtaposed with a fat Russian dinner lady heavy serving of congealed mashed potato. It draws attention to the contrasting ways in which Russian women are being represented.

EYELINE MATCH

Eyeline match usually provides insight to a character's private thoughts.

e.g. In Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords, Martha exchanges glances with all the people she loves, as though this may be the last chance she has to communicate with them before she dies. Similarly, as she confronts the Master, it keeps cutting between her and the friends watching her, signifying that she, the woman, is the centre of the action.

FINAL SHOT

In any scene, which character or characters are shown in the final shot of the sequence? This is often the character with which the audience is expected to identify.

e.g. in Primeval, although Abby saves the day, the last shot is on Cutter, signifying that the audience is intended to adopt the male, not female, point of view. See also every East Enders cliffhanger ever.

INTERCUTTING: JUXTAPOSITION

Although typically a narrative device, intercutting can set up juxtaposition between parallel storylines, exaggerating the impact or meaning of each by highlighting a point of difference e.g. in East Enders: Wedding Night, the warmth, light and music of the happy pre-wedding feast is in stark contrast with the two unhappy families represented in the cold and dark whenever we cut away. This provides a more favourable representation of Asian family life over white Londoners.

INTERCUTTING: TENSION

When intercutting is used to draw two storylines together, this can be structured to create tension, and therefore heighten the audience’s identification with a particular character.

e.g.: in Primeval, intercutting between the tiger’s pursuit of Cutter and Abby’s running in with the rifle is action code and prompts the question: will she get there in time? In Hotel Babylon, intercutting offers both tension and juxtaposition: just as Adam is saving his colleague’s life with a jar of jam, another African immigrant, Ibrahim, is being lost. The tension and juxtaposition lead the audience to identify with both characters.

JUMP CUTS

These are rarely used in TV or film; when they are, they tend to suggest either a) chaos and disorder, b) self-conscious ellipsis (drawing attention to the rapid pace of the action) or c) a director who likes to break the rules!

e.g. in Primeval, two jump cuts accelerate Cutter’s preparation to slide down the zip-wire; this could be read as speedy and decisive.

MOTIVATION

A motivated edit is any transition forced on the editor by the development of the action, narrative or character. Whenever shot (a) refers to the existence of an event outside the frame, and we then cut to (b) which shows that event, that’s a motivated edit. We can sometimes judge a character’s worth or importance by the number of cuts they motivate.

e.g. in Primeval, Cutter runs away from the tiger, drawing it away from Abby.

His constant motion motivates many of the cuts in this sequence, again reinforcing his status as the protagonist, if not the Proppian hero.

PACE OF EDITING

This can imply character qualities, especially if only one or two characters are in the sequence. A fast pace might suggest energy or panic (depending on context) while infrequent cuts (long takes) might suggest calm, a casual attitude, or provide documentary-style realism (as in Cast Offs). Similar effects can be achieved with speed ramping and slow-motion.

PREVALENCE

How much screen time does a character get? The more time we see them on screen, the more important their role. This can develop during a scene to change character’s status.

e.g. in Hotel Babylon, Adam is invisible (‘just one of many refugees’) until he steps forward to treat the diabetic maid. Suddenly, the editing favours him, and we realise his importance and skill, despite his menial status in the hotel.

SELECTION: to show or not to show

As film-makers yourselves, it can sometimes be interesting to ask what information has been included or omitted in an edit.

e.g. in Primeval, as Jenny comes under increased threat from West, at no point do we cut away to her colleagues approaching the barn. To do so might have reduced the tension in the scene; not doing so arguably increases Jenny’s apparent vulnerability. Narratively, it is also a nice surprise when the team arrive in a single cut, which contrasts with the early tiger chase (see intercutting).

SHOT / REVERSE SHOTS and REACTION SHOTS

S/RS indicates the relationship between two characters: it signifies and sometimes exaggerates their closeness or their opposition (depending on the context). The amount of time given to a character’s reaction shots can convey their status in the scene. For example, if two characters are in S/RS conversation, do they get equal screen time, or do we spend more time looking at one character, speaking and reacting? Equally (though this is also a function of camera, are the two characters framed equally?

e.g.: in Doctor Who, the S/RS between Martha and the Master gives Martha CUs and the Master MCUs, conveying Martha’s greater status as a character, even if narratively she appears defeated.

James Baker (OCR Assistant Principal Examiner G322) writes:

One approach to both sound and editing is to look at the way in which technical elements are used to create perspective or viewpoint within a sequence - a key element of the process of representation that goes beyond the identification of 'character traits'. 

By understanding, for example, how screen time, p.o.v. or reaction shots are distributed, even weaker students can see how hierarchies are established, leading to certain representations being privileged where others are marginalised. 

Stronger students are able to develop this further by discussing how the audience is positioned in relation to the representations on offer - the best answers in the June session of G322 offered some great discussion of the way in which editing frequently shifted the viewer's relationship to dominant views of gender in different scenes. 

Another important factor is the way that the editing of the sequence grants or witholds narrative information from the audience in order to encourage identification or rejection of particular characters/representations.  Fans of 1970s screen theory will recognise the essence of Colin McCabe's work on hierarchy of discourses in classic realist texts in this approach - obviously massively watered down!  There are good chapters on this in Television Culture (John Fiske) and Television Studies (Bernadette Casey) if you want to mug up.

Below is a short video by a teacher in another college, which also might be helpful:

Our Friends in the North clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kZglGx-Bdw

Representations of regional identity

Representations of regional identity qe obs from Jodie Turnbull


Link to sample answers Level 1 - Level 4 with examiner feedback
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/179236-example-candidate-answers-from-june-2013.pdf

Representation of Ability

Social Class: Lesson 2

G322 Downton Abbey - Class and Status from NESMedia on Vimeo.

Oliver Twist (social class)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEAUjTTT_8M

Representations of Class lesson 1

Representations of class from Jodie Turnbull

Representation of Sexuality - Sugar Rush

http://tvdrama.posthaven.com/sugar-rush-sexuality

Sugar rush stills from nicolanais

Representation of Sexuality

Representation of Sexuality from nicolanais

Fingersmith Exam Extract

 
G322 Fingersmith from Stephen Adams on Vimeo.

Exemplar Essay from Fingersmith:

In the clip, ‘Fingersmith’ the audience is being presented with an issue about sexuality. This clip is set in Victorian times, when being homosexual was very taboo for women and even illegal for men. In this clip, we are being presented with the issue of a woman, Maude, repressing her sexual feelings. The audience is instantly meant to be sympathetic towards Maude and this is known because she is the voiceover. The audience is being told of her secretive feelings through her voiceover, making them feel as though they are being trusted and are already on her side.

The first frame is a two shot of Maude and the woman she has feelings for. This two shot immediately demonstrates their unity as women. The audience immediately told by the voiceover of her feelings for this woman and this two shot reinforces the fact that this is an issue of homosexuality. The audience sympathises with Maude from the very beginning of the clip mainly due to the voiceover.

The director uses piano and violin while Maude talks about the thoughtful act the other woman did with her uncles’ books. Piano and violin are also used when Maude is lying next to the woman, almost stroking her, to emphasise this romantic and meaningful setting and furthermore to highlight Maude’s romantic feelings for the woman. The slow zoom on the women when they are in bed together, Maude resisting touching her, symbolizes how meaningful this moment is to Maude and making the audience empathise with Maude because she cannot romantically touch the one she loves. The focus on Maude’s hands is significant because she is wearing white gloves. These white gloves represent her purity and innocence. She wears these gloves even when trying to touch her, highlighting her sexual repression.

The director uses fading when moving on to a new scene and this constant use of fading represents how meaningful these moments are and dramatises them to provide sympathy for Maude from the audience.

In the next scene Maude is shown through a close-up, painting outside in a field watching the female character. While painting the sounds of singing birds is used, conveying a natural environment and signifying how Maude’s feelings are natural for her. The male character is then quickly introduced, emphasizing a binary opposite of homosexuality and heterosexuality. The first shot of the man shots him standing in between the women, thus suggesting that he will cause conflict.

The binary opposite between homosexuality and heterosexuality are again emphasized when the male character notices Maude looking at the womens breast, through the use of a close-up. When Maude realises she has not repressed her feelings successfully, she drops red paint from her brush. This red paint connotes danger and possibly foreshadows death. The use of flutes becoming louder and high-pitched highlight the tension and discomfort Maude is feeling now that she has exposed herself. Once the male character realises Maude’s feelings, cello, violin and flute are dramatically used to highlight his power in the narrative. The music then stops abruptly when the male character grabs Maude, emphasising that she is now in danger and gaining sympathy from the audience due to this aggressive male dominance.

After threatening Maude, the male character then takes Maude’s glove off. Maude has worn this white glove, a symbol of her purity and innocence, constantly throughout the clip and therefore this glove taking symbolizing her innocence being taken away, making the audience feel empathy for her.

The clip then fades again, indicating a transition into a romantic setting, and the female character is undressing. The setting is romantic once again, with violins playing throughout and a hot fire and candle is also placed in the shot to reinforce this intimate setting. The low-key lighting highlights how deep and secretive Maude’s feelings for this woman are and this low lighting is consistently used whenever the women are together, highlighting Maude’s true feelings and thus making the audience sympathise with her.

While the female character is undressing, the audience sees her through a point of view shot, therefore making them truly aware of Maude’s intimate feelings for this woman and thus making them feel empathy for her.

The clip ends with a close-up of Maude in her bed with her gloved hand close to her mouth, emphasizing how she is desperately trying to repress her homosexual feelings. The director has used this final close-up to let the audience know that this is who they should still sympathise with.

The director has clearly used camera, mise-en-scene, sound and editing to address the binary opposites of homosexuality and heterosexuality, and unsympathetic and sympathetic characters.

Another Exemplar Essay from Fingersmith:

SOME NOTES BELOW FROM CLASS DISCUSSION 2015

Useful Youtube Channel to follow

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGXfqzVEZr0XaZLWG3_HniA

A Helpful Video about making notes and deconstructing texts

Representation of Ethnicity - Creative Task

You have been commissioned to write the following;






An academic analsysis of how ethnicity is represented in the American TV drama Treme http://www.hbo.com/treme for A Level Media students to feature in the latest edition of Media Magazine https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media-magazine/






You should use exmples from this extract to form your analysis











Your analysis should include screen shots and detailed reference to the micro elements sound, cinematography, editing and mise-en-scene. Your completed article should be put into InDesign with a suitable page layout provided.


Read the example articles given out in class to give you an idea of how to structure you writing and how to devise an appropriate layout.


You have 2 lessons to complete the activity. Work should be exported as a PDF and printed out for your notes.

Representation of Ethinicty

https://youtu.be/t2U2ycG3JOs

Representation of Gender. Peer Teaching

Team 1.

How is gender represented in this extract?

Team 2.

How is gender represented in this extract?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=105Id1KOzRI

from 48 minutes to approx 58 minutes 30.

Representation of Gender Lesson 2.

OCR Hustle Jan 2011 from Andrew Coles on Vimeo.

TASK

Answer the following question through still analysis (annotate screenshots from the extract commenting on how the 4 micro elements work together and construct representations of gender).

"How are representations of GENDER constructed in the extract? You must refer to sound, cinematography, editing and mise-en-scene".

Please print out your analysis for your notes and for a future exam response that you will be completing (over the half term).

Representation of Gender

Representation of Gender on Prezi

Technical Definitions

CAMERA SHOTS

Aerial Shot – A camera shot taken from an overhead position. Often used as an establishing shot.
Close Up – A head and shoulders shot often used to show expressions/emotions of a character. Also can be a shot of an object, filmed from close to the object or zoomed in to it, that reveals detail.
Extreme Close Up – A shot where a part of a face or body of a character fills the whole frame/dominates the frame. Also can be a shot of an object where only a small part of it dominates the frame.
Establishing Shot – A shot that establishes a scene, often giving ther viewer information about where the scene is set. Can be a close up shot (of a sign etc) but is often a wide/long shot and usually appears at the beginning of a scene.
Medium Shot – the framing of a subject from waist up.
Two Shot – A shot of two characters, possible engaging in conversation. Usually to signify/establish some sort of relationship
Point-Of-View Shot (POV) – Shows a view from the subject’s perspective. This shot is usually edited so that the viewer is aware who’s point of view it is.
Over the Shoulder Shot – looking from behind a character’s shoulder, at a subject. The character facing the subject usually occupies 1/3 of the frame but it depends on what meaning the director wants to create (for example, if the subject is an inferior character, the character facing them may take up more of the frame to emphaise this)
Overhead Shot – a type of camera shot in which the camera is positioned above the character, action or object being filmed.
Reaction Shot – a shot that shows the reaction of a character either to another character or an event within the sequence.

CAMERA ANGLES

Camera Angle – the position of the camera in relation to the subject of a shot. The camera might be at a high angle, a low angle or at eye level with what is being filmed.
High Angle – A camera angle that looks down upon a subject or object. Often used to make the subject or object appear small or vulnerable.
Low Angle – A camera angle that looks up at a subject or object. Often used to make the subject/object appear powerful/dominant.
Canted framing (or oblique) – camera angle that makes what is shot appear to be skewed or tilted.

CAMERA MOVEMENT

Pan – Where the camera pivots horizontally, either from right to left or left to right to reveal a set or setting. This can be used to give the viewer a panoramic view. Sometimes used to establish a scene.
Track - a shot whjere the camera follows a subject/object. The tracking shot can include smooth movements forward, backward, along the side of the subject, or on a curve but cannot include complex movement around a subject. ‘Track’ refers to rails in which a wheeled platform (which has the camera on it) sits on in order to carry out smooth movement.
Crane – A crane shot is sometimes used to signify the end of a scene/ programme /film. The effect is achieved by the camera being put onto a crane that can move upward.
Stedicam - A steadicam is a stabilising mount for a camera which mechanically isolates the operator's movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface. Informally, the word may also be used to refer to the combination of the mount and camera.
Tilt - where a camera scans a set or setting vertically (otherwise similar to a pan).
Zoom – Using a zoom lens to appear to be moving closer to (zoom in) or further away from (zoom out) a subject/object when in fact the camera may not move (so, strictly not camera movement). Can be used for dramatic effect.

EDITING

Editing – the stage in the film-making process in which sound and images are organised into an overall narrative.
Continuity Editing – the most common type of editing, which aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward. Also nick named invisible editing referring to how the technique does not draw attention to the editing process.
Jump Cut – An abrupt, disorientating transitional device in the middle of a continuos shot in which the action is noticeably advanced in time and/or cut between two similar shots, usually done to create discontinuity for artistic effect.
Credits – the information at the beginning and end of a film, which gives details of cast and crew etc.
Cross Cutting – the editing technique of alternating, interweaving, or interspersing one narrative action (scene, sequence or event) with another – usually in different locations or places, thus combining the two: this editing technique usually suggests Parallel action (that takes place simultaneously). Often used to dramatically build tension and/or suspense in chase scenes or to compare two different scenes. Also known as inter-cutting or parallel editing
Cutaways – A brief shot that momentarily interrupts continuous action by briefly inserting another related action. Object, or person (sometimes not part of the principle scene or main action), followed by a cutback to the original shot.
Freeze Frame – the effect of seemingly stopping a film in order to focus in on one event or element.
Eye-line Match – a type of edit which cuts from one character to what that character has been looking at.
Flashback – a scene or moment in a film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the film’s narrative.
Graphic Match – an edit effect in which two different objects of the same shape are dissolved from one into the other.
Juxtaposition – the placement of two (often opposed) images on either side of an edit to create an effect.
Linear Narrative – a style of storytelling in which events happen chronologically.
Montage Editing – the juxtaposition of seemingly unconnected images in order to create meaning.
Parallel Editing – a type of editing in which events in two locations are cut together, in order to imply a connection between the two sets of events.
Visual Effects - visual effects are usually used to alter previously-filmed elements by adding, removing or enhancing objects within the scene.
Match on Action - A shot that emphasises continuity of space and time by matching the action of the preceding shot with the continuation of the action. (For example a shot of a door opening after a shot of a close up of a character’s hand turning a door handle)

SOUND

Diegetic Sound – sound that can be heard by the characters within a scene/ sound part of the imaginary world.
Non-diegetic Sound – sound that the characters cannot hear and is not part of the imaginary world of the story. This includes a musical soundtrack or a voiceover (however this excludes a narration by a character within the story – referred to as an internal monologue and is diegetic).
Score – The musical component of a programme’s soundtrack, usually composed specifically for the scene.
Sound Effects – sounds that are added to a film during the post-production stage.

OTHER KEY TERMS

Artificial Light – A source of light created by lighting equipment, rather than from natural sources.
Convention – a frequently used element which becomes standard.
Disequilibrium – the period of instability and insecurity in a film’s narrative.
Enigma – the question or mystery that is posed within a film’s narrative.
Equilibrium – a state of peace and calm, which often exists at the beginning of a film’s narrative.
Framing – the selection of elements such as characters, setting and iconography that appear within a shot.
Genre – a system of film identification, in which films that have the same elements are grouped together.
Iconography – the objects within a film that are used to evoke particular meanings
Intertextuality – reference within a film to another film, media product, work of literature or piece of artwork.
Mise en scene – a French term, which literally means ‘put into the frame’. When analysing a sequence the term refers to everything you see in the frame (props, costume, lighting, colour, makeup etc.)
Narrative – a story that is created in a constructed format (eg. A programme) that describes a series of fictional or non-fictional events.

Theory of Representation

Representation Intro from nicolanais

Representation Video - additional viewing

Dr Who

07 as a Level Media Studies UnitG322 June2009 Exemplar Analysis of Doctor Who Extract

What is TV drama about? (From the Chief examiner)

Tv drama from petefrasers