G322

TV Drama and Representation

and

Audience and Institutions: UK Film

The Key Points

TV Drama and Representation

• Section A of the exam.• 30 minutes to watch clip (4 times) and

make notes.• 45 minutes to write your response.• Don’t bother with introductions or

conclusions: these won’t gain you any marks.

• Consider using note-making time to ‘plan’ your answer.

Question 1 – Television drama how to answer

• Whatever you do you should always read the question and underline or circle its key words. Then make your plan for your answer. Remember to use key words from the question to keep your essay’s argument relevant.

• Whatever you do you should always read the question and underline or circle its key words. Then make your plan for your answer. Remember to use key words from the question to keep your essay’s argument relevant.

• Make notes and make a plan of how you are going to tackle the essay but put a line through your notes once you have finished so examiner knows these are your notes.

• In your opening paragraph do not bother with an introduction get straight on with the question. You may want to start to answer the question in the opening paragraph and then move onto your key technical areas you must discuss: Camera Shot, Angle and Composition, Mise en scène,Sound and editing (see specs for further help)

• Although you may address each technical area one by one for a higher level mark make sure that you link technical features in creating representations. For instance in a conflict situation, conflict will be created through mise en scène (the stately home), through the use of shot reverse shot in (editing) and through extreme close ups an through sound, both diegetic and non diegetic.

• Ensure that all the technical elements are covered and that a discussion of the key concept takes place, not all technical elements will be covered in the same detail.

• It is important that candidates move from description of key technical areas to analysis of how representations are constructed. This will enable candidates to achieve higher marks for their responses. The mark scheme enables credit to be awarded to students at three different levels Explanation, Analysis and Argument (20 Marks), Use of Examples (20 Marks) and Use of Terminology (10 Marks).

TV Drama and Representation

• You must comment on…

– Camera– Sound– Mise-en-scene– Editing

– Representation

• Failure to discuss any of these areas will reduce your mark!

And how they link to…

Camera – shots, angle, movement and composition

• Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.

• Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.

• Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.

• Composition: framing.

Sound

• Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing.

• Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.

Mise-en-scene

• Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.

• Lighting; colour design.

Editing

• Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut.

• Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, post-production, visual effects.

Representation

“representations of individuals, groups, events or places…”

• Gender • Age • Ethnicity • Sexuality • Class and Status • Physical ability/disability • Regional identity

Keywords…

• All the terminology mentioned on the previous slides are keywords.

• Other you could mention include…– Realism – do the different techniques used

work to make the piece realistic?– Verisimilitude – the construction of a

believable world.– Stereotypes – how we expect people and

places to be.

What could you be shown?

Type of drama

• Teen dramas• Soap operas• Period dramas• Hospital dramas• Crime dramas

Examples…

• Skins, Hollyoaks.• Eastenders, Corrie,

Emmerdale.• Rome, Bleak House, Life

on Mars.• Casualty, Holby City.• The Bill, Prime Suspect,

Life on Mars, Cracker, Morse, Frost.

• Realism?• What are they used to represent?

The Mark SchemeLevel 4

Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)

• Shows excellent understanding of the task • Excellent knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects used in the extract • Excellent discussion of the extract’s representations, clearly linked to textual analysis • Clearly relevant to set question

Use of examples (16-20 marks)

• Offers frequent textual analysis from the extract – award marks to reflect the range and appropriateness of examples

• Offers a full range of examples from each technical area • Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question

Use of terminology (8-10 marks)

• Use of terminology is relevant and accurate

UK Film

• Section B.

• 45 minutes to respond to 1 question.

• Question will ask you to discuss the processes of production, distribution and exhibition in British Film

• Your answer should make reference to specific examples from the case studies we have studied.

How to answer section B• Whatever you do you should always read the question and underline or circle its key words. Then make your plan

for your answer. Remember to use key words from the question to keep your essay’s argument relevant. You also need to use key concepts such as Audience, Production, Distribution, Exhibition and Exchange. Remember to use and apply concepts such as Technological Convergence, Synergies, Media Convergence (for media ownership) etc.

• Rather than just plough through the expected format of production, distribution/marketing/exhibition issues with key terms tagged on, why not begin with the audience’s reception of the film. Its the most important part of the process and what happens there can decide the genres and casting, etc. of future films which institutions may then “greenlight”. Given how much of the audience first finds out about a film on the Internet and then discusses it on various websites, is a good way to discuss technological convergence early on. After all, YouTube, Face-Book, Blogsites, Amazon UK message boards on  films, etc have put people onto films that they would otherwise never have found.

• Moreover, like a detective you can go over the ISSUES as to why a particular film was a success or not for its institution(s) by beginning with the audience’s reactions to the film (both critics and ordinary people) and then by raking over  the production, marketing and exhibition issues associated with the film and its institution.  You will be better placed to decide why a film succeeded or failed to make money and please its audiences. After all, in the regular pattern of film-making and the decisions taken at each stage, errors can take place which could be rectified in future.

• Another possible angle is to begin with the importance of technological convergence and begin with its ever widening role in enjoying, making and marketing films.

• As mentioned at the beginning you need to address the question’s key words and not just spill down everything you know about your case study. Relevance is everything.

The Case Studies

Your answer can should contained detailed examples.

You can refer to:

• Working Title• FilmFour• 20th Century Fox• The UK Film Council (leading to Screen Yorkshire)• The BBFC• Warp Films

• You should refer to one main case study and use other examples to back yourself up.

Production / Distribution / Exhibition

The question requires you to discuss these three areas…

• Production – Processes and decisions that take place when making a film.

• Distribution – Advertising, merchandising and delivering the film to the market

• Exhibition – The different ways in which the audience can ‘consume’ the film.

You should also make reference to…

Synergy

• In media economics, synergy is the promotion and sale of a product (and all its versions) throughout the various subsidiaries of a media conglomerate, e.g. films, soundtracks or video games.

• Walt Disney pioneered synergistic marketing techniques in the 1930s by granting dozens of firms the right to use his Mickey Mouse character in products and ads, and continued to market Disney media through licensing arrangements.

Synergy in Film…

• 20th Century Fox, produces, distributes and markets films

• Owned by News Corporation..

• Which is Owned by Rupert Murdoch…

• Who owns: Sky, News International, Harper Collins, MySpace…

What does all this mean????

Proliferation (through technology)

• Downloading – itunes, ipod, apple TV• Digital Piracy – DVD’s, filesharing• Social Networking Sites – marketing and buzz• Accessibility – everywhere???• Control – industry/audiences

• Proliferations: means more of it ways to access media.

“The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences”

What does convergence mean and why is it important?

• When two or more technologies come together to create a new technology.

• Audiences: Everything in one product.

• Institutions: Audiences tied to one product.

Technology – The Digital Age

UK vs Hollywood• Hollywood dominates.• Different cultural values and appeals.• Successful partnerships…

FilmFour relies on joint partnerships with other companies to make films:

• Slumdog Millionaire = Celador Films, Pathe Pictures• Trainspotting = Polygram, Figment Films• Four Weddings = Polygram, Working Title

FilmFour relies on American studios to distribute their films to an international audience:

• Slumdog Millionaire = Fox Searchlight• Trainspotting = Miramax Films• Four Weddings = Gramercy Pictures

Your Experiences

How do you consume films?

Us challenging them…

• Remember that YOU are a key part of the film industry.

• YOUR behaviour influences what they (the institutions) do.

• Be prepared to comment on the power of the audience!

The Question• Discuss the issues raised by an institution’s need to

target specific audiences within a media industry which you have studied.

Or maybe…

• What issues / decisions do institutions face when releasing their products?

• How do audiences influence institutional decisions?• Consider here from both the perspective of the

independent or co owned British studio and their American counterpart.

What issues / decisions do institutions face when releasing

their products?• On the crib sheet which topic area is this

more similar to? in that topic area look at what the question is asking?

What issues / decisions do institutions face when releasing their products?

• You could perhaps start with when independent British companies release a film they would have problems with distribution because and you would explain the reasons why use examples of independent companies like Warp or Film 4 or co-owned like Working Title, and then contrast this with 20th Century Fox. You could then say this doesn't stop there and talk about in the production stage when decisions are made, particularly Film 4 films often target a more British audience and why? How does this effect how they will be distributed. i.e. a film like this is England would not be understood by an American audience because of its social realism focused on a midlands working class town, the accents would be difficult to understand. In contrast a film produced by working title which is co owned by universal traditionally make films which have a more global feel, because films like about a boy, four wedding, love actually are the type of films American audiences want to see. This would effect funding, so in the production stage big tie in deals like avatar and product placement would not happen so independent smaller British production companies would have to either get another studio involved, get funding from national lottery.

• They also would not have big Hollywood actors to attract an audience. British films have to focus on social realism to promote the film for a British audience rather than cgi or a all star Hollywood cast. In the production stage because independent film companies use cgi rather than 35mm film, and often use digital independent cinemas to screen why? This means the audience are not mainstream but niche.

• Also when creating trailers different edits will be produced think about Spiderman and Slumdog.

• In the distribution stage, independent film companies rely on a distributor, but it is more difficult to find if film are not commercially viable for a larger audience think slumdog millionaire.Here talk about distributing the films, again compare and contrast also perhaps make a link with how Slumdog millionaire overcame these problems, by using the internet, and targeting specific audience.

• Link this to exhibition, compare and contrast, how film festivals help to promote low budget films, this could also be linked to synergy how they can promote their products using their other products. Again this is true of 20th century fox, you could then make the link to convergence, and proliferation, how sky TV owned by news corps who owns 20th century fox you can download and watch films, so can access when you want. Big global companies generally focus on blockbusters so there are certain times of year they will release. You could so talk about how film 4 has there own channel to exhibit their films and big companies can you both synergy and technological convergence to promote their films. Also discuss audience and exchange.

Slumdog how they over came the challenge

• http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Pages/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16147&Title=How_%E2%80%98Slumdog_Millionaire%E2%80%99_attracted_over_21_million_online_viewers

What classes as a british film

• Most British films are either co-produced, co-funded, or solely American financed but British actors i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean or Titanic, Harry Potter. There are different ratings for whether a film is classed as British these are A,B,C,D

Categories

• A: entirely British funded

• B: Majority UK funded

• C: More common co-funded

• D: America film, with a British creative input.

UK Film Council has gone what about funding in the recession?

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/26/uk-film-council-abolished-reaction

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/2010/jul/26/uk-film-council-funding?intcmp=239

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/23/british-film-industry-funding-slumdog-millionaire

Key words to use• Key Terms – Understand and be able to apply these terms in your exam:

• Keep checking all of the Media department’s teacher blogs for additional information relevant to your research.• Above the line marketing Below the line marketing• Vertical Integration• Synergy marketing• convergence• Merchandising• Viral marketing• Budget (Low, mid range, big) Research cost of a variety of films• Four quadrant movies (Age – young and old Gender – make and female)• Conglomerate• Subsidiary• DSN – Digital Screen Network• HD – High definition• Blu ray• i-pods• Digital Distribution• 35mm reels• Independent cinema• Mainstream cinema• Piracy• ‘Orange Wednesdays’• Niche audience• CGI

The Mark Scheme

Level 4

Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)

• Shows excellent understanding of the task • Excellent knowledge and understanding of institutional/audience practices – factual

knowledge is relevant and accurate • A clear and developed argument, substantiated by detailed reference to case study

material • Clearly relevant to set question

Use of examples (16-20 marks)

• Offers frequent evidence from case study material – award marks to reflect the range and appropriateness of examples

• Offers a full range of examples from case study and own experience • Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question

Use of terminology (8-10 marks)

• Use of terminology is relevant and accurate

Revising

• The power points• The internet• Case studies• And these…Useful Websites•  • UK Film Council - http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/• Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com/• British Film Council - http://www.britfilms.com/• Marketing and distribution of film -

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/distribution/distribution1.html• Warp Film - http://warp.net/films• Working Title - http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/• Avatar website - http://www.avatar-movie.co.uk/

Example

• Now look at high level example papers for both section A and B and notice how they answer the questions for both representation and also for institutions and how to use your case studies.