Exam Q 1B

Apply narrative theories to one of your coursework productions.

For my AS Coursework I constructed the opening of a film in a genre of psychological thrillers by research existing film in the media such as Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs, The Step-Father & Memento.

The storyline for our film was about an obsessive stalker who is in love with a girl and attempts to win her affection, through increasingly violent means.

My group decided that our pre-title sequence should hook the audience into the narrative of the film in a number of ways.   Roland Barthes discusses narrative in terms of a number of codes that are used to help to unravel the text for the viewer.  One of these is his Enigma code – the purpose of this is to add a sense of mystery, that is done by dropping clues that aren’t not answered, which makes the audience want to watch until the reveal at the end. In order to hook our audience we produced a shot of the Stalker cutting out a picture of a man and stabbing it with a knife. The fact that we never get to see the Stalker’s true emotions while performing this act makes the audience wonder what has happened for him to want violently attack the man in the picture. Therefore, they want to continue watching till they find out.

Barthes also discussed a film in terms of Action codes.  In our film we included shots of fire, a knife, tarot cards. These conventional iconography of action as they tell an audience that some form of physical conflict will occur.

Semantically, we also included key codes to help our viewers understand our narrative.  For example, our opening sequence establishes the ideology that our stalker is not sane. This is shown through him dealing the cards ‘the fool’, ‘the lovers’ & ‘the hermit’ during the sequence. These cards foreshadow that the plot will include something around those themes, letting the audience know from the off what the story is related to.

We also included what Barthes describes as Referential codes (symbols which have meanings in our culture and society which have further connotations for the viewer) by including shots of picture taped to the wall with masking tape. In our western culture, this is understood to mean that the film explores criminality and illegal behaviours. This is also known to be common themes in horror and thriller films.

Vladimir Propp is a theorist who discusses narrative purely in terms of character and actions.  Despite his research being about fairy tales, his work is helpful in decoding our sequence.  The antagonist in our film clearly meets Propp’s definition of a villain in that he is stalking a girl and is plotting to take her for his own, by violent means. We see this with a slow track in towards pictures of a girl in public places. Furthermore, Propp came to the conclusion that all narratives can be boiled down to a number of functions initiated by these characters.  Our film follows the function of….. in that our protagonist does…..

Todorov’s theories of narrative discuss texts in terms of the arc of a storyline.  His theory split stories into 5 clear steps: equilibrium, disruption of equilibrium, the recognition of the disruption, the repair of it and then the new equilibrium.  Our title sequence plays with these codes in the following way:

Finally Claude Levi-Strauss defines narrative as requiring the constant creation of conflict and opposition.  He summarised this in terms of visual opposition (such as light versus darkness) or conceptual (eg. Love versus hate, control versus panic).  We included a number of binary oppositions in our opening sequence, such as a sharp change of pace he exhibits while stroking a picture of the girl and the sketching of the girls face to symbolise the characters manic & unstable sanity and personality.

 

How effectively can contemporary media be regulated?



How far do changes to the regulation of media reflect broader social changes? 



To what extent is contemporary media regulation more or less effective than in previous times?



Discuss the need for media regulation.



Evaluate arguments for and against stronger regulation of the media.



To what extent can the media be regulated in the digital age? 



To what extent are contemporary media regulated adequately?



Why is the regulation of media so complex? 



Explain which forms of media regulation are the most effective, which are not so, and your reasons for both.



“Media regulation becomes less important as society progresses.” Discuss. 



We need stricter media regulation.” Discuss. 



To what extent is it becoming more difficult to regulate media, and why? 



Explore the arguments against stricter media regulation. 



Consider the particular challenges to regulation posed by digital media. 



“Some media regulatory practices are more effective than others.” Discuss. 



How far do you accept the view that there is no need for media regulation to be any stricter now than in the past? 



We get the media we deserve.” Discuss this statement and its implications for media regulation. 



How well does contemporary media regulation protect the public? 



Assess the arguments for the regulation of media in 2015.



‘Some areas of contemporary media require stricter regulation than others.’ Discuss. 

What is OFCOM?

OFCOM regulate TV, radio, video-on-demand services, mobile and postal services.

They are accountable to parliament, meaning they are a statutory regulator and have laws they have to enforce.

Jekyll and Hyde - Had complaints saying that it was too violent to be shown at 6:30pm on a Sunday. OFCOM opened an investigation to see if the broadcasting of the show before the watershed was appropriate. There are rules that say that broadcasters have to ensure children are not exposed to unsuitable material.

Channel 4 News Presenter - OFCOM rejected complaints about a Channel 4 News presenter, who wears a hijab, presenting the Nice truck attack. OFCOM stated 'The selection of a presenter is an editorial matter for the broadcaster, and the way in which the presenter chose to dress in this case did not raise any issues under our rules'.

Celebrity Big Brother - Christopher Biggins made comments about bisexual people. OFCOM received 44 complaints but said that it did not breach any rules. They understood that the comments could be considered to be offensive, though.

How are video games regulated?

They are regulated by the Video Standards Council and PEGI.

PEGI has eight key badges that show the content of the game. They are; violence, bad language, fear, sex, drugs, discrimination, gambling, online.

PEGI is backed by the Games Rating Authority which uses legal rating (3, 7, 12, 16, 18).

The GRA is a involuntary, statutory regulator.

Games containing pornographic content are regulated by the BBFC.

Illegal for 12 and under to purchase games.

Queer Representation in Film and Television

1. Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin, in their book Queer Cinema: the film reader, elaborate three general criteria for identifying cultural products as queer.  What are they?

Auters (created by queer people), forms (concerned with queer issues) and reception (embraced by queer community).

1. What are "queer aesthetics"?  Summarise Benshoff and Griffin's definitions in your own words.

'Camp' is considered as a queer aesthetic. It's been shown in the media by the likes of song artists like Janelle Monae and the Scissor Sisters. It's often seen as quite flamboyant, bold and exaggerated way of behaving, with their visual style being easy to recognize in the queer community.

1. What reasons do the authors give for queer audiences to identify with mainstream texts?

In 1999, a show called 'Queer as as Folk' was shown by Channel 4. It recieved good reviews by the gay community and the mainstream press. The gradual increase in high profile shows staring the gay community has enabled the audience to identify with the themes in the show and become more relevant in society.

1. What does Vito Russo argue about the portrayal of gays and lesbians in Hollywood films?

It has been homophobic and cruel.

1. What is an archetype?

A typical example of something or someone.

1. What is the Hayes code?

Moral code that introduced film censorship to the US that had the general principles:

- No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.

- Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
- Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

1. Why did some people in the gay community dislike the film "Brokeback Mountain"? 

The fact the men in the film were straight acting in gay roles, barely having sex and accepting their feelings and desires is not considered a gay movie to their community.

1. What was the intention of New Queer Cinema?

To challenge the idea that queer legitimacy could only come from assimilation into mainstream heterosexual society.

Leveson Inquiry

What was the Leveson Inquiry?

Is judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press.

Why did it take place?

The News International phone hacking scandal. It emerged that thousands of people had been victims of press intrusion.

When did it take place?

2011-2012

What did it recommend?

New self-regulation body recommended

Independent of serving editors, government and business

It should take an active role in promoting high standards

The body should be independent of current journalists, the government and commercial concerns, and not include any serving editors, government members or MPs.

Newspapers that refuse to join the new body could face direct regulation by media watchdog Ofcom.

''Bradley raises doubts about press-police relations inquiry''


Karen Bradley revealed that the government is to start a conversation an two issues involving press regulation. One, the cost of provisions for the victims of phone hacking. Two, Leveson ''part two'' into police wrongdoing. She stated that the cost of the investigations, and the implementation of part one would cost a total of almost £50 million pounds, so the government are unsure whether to do part two. Karen said that if they were to investigate part two, it would have to be ''appropriate, proportionate and in the public interest''
Bradley commented further saying that ''politicians must not seek to muffle the press or prevent it doing legitimate work''.
Tom Watson said that what Bradley was effectively doing was covering up a cover-up.
The potential cancellation of part two of the Leveson Inquiry betrayed the promises made to the victims of press abuse, stated Evan Harris.

Q1B - Audience Summarised

Hypodermic Needle Theory - Frankfurt School - Germany between the wars 20s and 30s - the rise of Hitler and the influence of the mass media on the public - related to film - also known as the effects model - audience is passive.

Cultivation Theory - George Gerbner - keep seeing a representation on the media and it reinforces a stereotype- people who watch soaps think there is more divorce in society than there actually is - tv and advertising - passive audience.

Roland Barthes - Myths are created in society by the media.

2 Step Flow - Paul Lazarsfel - opinion leaders influence society more than the original text does - this relates to film critics influencing you to watch a movie .

Uses and Gratifications - a text can inform, entertain, cause you to identify with the characteristics in the text, meet your social needs.

Stuart Hall - Reception Theory - Texts are created by producers with a meaning in mind that might be  read differently by an audience due to their social or cultural backgrounds - Preferred or dominant reading, oppositional reading and negotiated reading - (oppositional would be: if a sympathetic character in a soap has an affair then an audience of very religious Christians would no like the character anymore)

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - media texts meet the needs of an audience - e.g. some car ads sell the car on its safety; aftershave adverts sell sex; Coke adverts sell the idea of friendship.