Television

Monday 29th October
LO: To research the history, companies and regulators in the Television industry


Paper 1, Section A

• Will be given an unseen extract from a TV extract (4 times)
• Three questions asked on the extract
• 1st question is media language (Camerawork, mies-en-scene etc..)
• 2nd question is how the industry has influenced the show, the audience's reaction to the extract or the social and historical context

Terminology

Publicly owned TV channel - Publicly owned TV channels broadcast shows specifically for the public with funds typically coming from the government

Commercial TV channel - Commercial TV channels are owned by private companies, they are funded by advertisements 

Convergence - The merging of previously distinct media companies or media forms due to digitalisation and computer companies. From a technological point of view smart phones have many uses like sat-navs and playing music.

Watershed - Protects children from harmful material on TV. The times are from 9pm to 5:30am on satellite companies it is from 8pm to 6am

Segmented market - Separated marketing campaigns based on interests, age and gender

Mainstream - Ideas that are accepted and regarded as normal in generally a country

Self-regulating - Self-regulating mechanisms that are independent from outside companies or the government that are designed to uphold the quality of media

Franchise - A collection of related media

Channel-surfing - Scrolling through a list of TV channels and reading titles

PSB - Programming produced for the benefit of the public rather than pure commercial reasons

TV license - A payment required to watch TV in many countries

Scheduling - The process of arranging TV shows in a schedule

Conglomerate - A media company that owns many forms of media like TV and radio

When was TV introduced to the UK?

1936

In 1965 how many channels were there and what were they?

3, BBC, ITV and BBC 2

When did ITV start, why was it different?

22nd September 1955, it was the first commercial TV channel

Which UK channels have to follow PSB remits?

BBC, ITV, STV, UTV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and S4C

Who regulates TV now?

Ofcom

Who regulated TV channels in the 1960s?
ITV - Regulated by ITA       BBC - Self regulated

List the differences between TV in the 60s and now
Colour, More TV shows, Amount of households with TVs

Thursday 1st November
LO: To explore the history of ownership in two key channels

Public Service Broadcasting - In the UK the term "public service broadcasting" refers to broadcasting which is intended for the public benefit rather than for purely commercial concerns. In the UK, the main PSB channel is the BBC.

The BBC is "to inform, entertain and educate". Up until ITV was introduced, the BBC had no rivals.

Commercial institutions

• Generate money from merchandise, subscription services (Sky movies), Pay Per View (Sky Box Office), Sponsorships and advertisements (It costs £250000 for and advert to be played during Britain's Got Talent. This is where the majority of the money comes from. They could also use Product Placement (however this was only allowed since 2011 and not in news or children's TV)
• Commercial institutions have to make programmes for all audiences so everyone sees their advertisements 

ITV

• The aim of ITV is to "remain focused on our original vision for ITV as an owner, producer and broadcaster of content".
• ITV is not one company.
• They have to remain under PSB remits, the have to show stuff such as news, current affairs, children's and religious programming party election broadcasts for major UK political parties.

The duopoly of the 1960s

• There were only two competing TV channels in the 1960s, ITV and BBC

Monday 12th November 

LO: To explore the TV drama genre and conventions

A TV drama contains a series of real life situations which are exaggerated yet relatable, through the use of: themes, settings, issues, and narrative. Intended to be more serious than humorous.

A Serial TV drama is defined as any television drama that is organised into a series of episodes (as opposed to one off dramas). Typically, a series contains 3 to 12 episodes.

What sub genres are there for TV drama?

• Crime: Sherlock, NCIS and Luther
• Fantasy: Game of Thrones, Supernatural and Merlin
• Teen: The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why
• Period/Historical: Poldark, Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders
• Political: The Handmaids Tale, Scandal12 and House of Cards
• Medical: Holby City, Casualty and ER
• Sci - fi: Doctor Who and The X Files 
• Melodrama: Dynasty and Winter Sonata

TV drama often contains complex narratives and key characters that evolve as the season continues

Serial VS Series

• Serials and Series both contain the same characters each week
• However a serial has a narrative that continues from episode to episode (E.g Game of Thrones, Luther and Peaky Blinders)
• A series contains the same characters throughout but each episode is a different story. So, you can start watching a series from any episode (E.g CSI, Friends and Casualty)

Serial Drama Popularity

They offer and range of appeals:

• Familiar characters
• Familiar locations
• Familiar lines
• Diversion/Entertainment

A serial TV drama is a drama that has a continuing narrative throughout a series, which usually contains 3 to 12 episodes, as oppose to a series TV drama which has characters and locations but not a continuing narrative and no dedicated seasons. Sub genres of serial TV dramas include, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Crime and Period/Historical. These are so popular as the offer a range of appeals like familiar characters, setting, lines and narrative. Examples of popular serial TV dramas include Doctor Who, Sherlock and House of Cards.

Thursday 15th November
LO: To research the 1960s (UK) in terms of social, hitsrical and political climate of the decade; research the TV show The Avengers

What was life like in the 1960s?

Youth groups

• Hippies
• Mods
• Rockers/Punks

Science developments

• Space Race

All About 1960s UK

In the UK, the most famous bands were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. This is different to previous decades where famous bands were very R&B, however in the birth of rock occurred in the 1960s.

In 1965s the Labour Party was in power for the first time in over a decade, the Prime Minister was Harold Wilson.

The main three youth groups were The Hippies, who very all for peace and freedom. Absurd coloured clothing and drugs were part of their culture. The Mods were very stylish and modern and listened to all the modern music. The Rockers were the punks of the era.

There were fears of large scale drug use, however hippies smoked cannabis 

The contraceptive pill was introduced in the 1960s, this changed women's lives drastically as it is used to prevent pregnancies.

In the UK, people protested against involvement in The Vietnam War, Gay Pride, Civil Rights and Women's Rights

Historical events that occurred were the election and assination of JFK, The Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Martin Luther King, first man on the moon, the rise of the IRA, and The Cold War

Wars that were being fought around the world were the Vietnamese War, The Cold War and The Bay of Pigs invasion to over throw the communist government

In the 1960s it was made easier for women to have an abortion, the contraceptive pill was introduced which helped prevent pregnancies however it was still a male dominant society as women were still seen to stay at home and do housework. For people of certain races there was a big change in cicvil right movements to allow them to have equal rights.

19th November 2018
LO: To research the TV show the Avengers

Which institution produced the show?
ITV/ABC/Thames

Who was the primary audience and secondary audience for the show?
18+ Men and Women (Mainstream)

When was the first episode aired?
7th January 1961

How many viewers followed the show?

How many seasons were made?
6 seasons

What date and year was the last episode aired?
21st May 1969

What was the budget for series 4?
£1,456,000

Cast for series 4 episode 1:

26th November 2018

LO: To revise and research key terminology for use with visual analysis

Key terminology:

Thursday 29th November

LO: To explore the narrative, characters and context of Series 4, episode 1

The narrative:

The narrative is about two characters John Steed and Emma Peel who are going to investigate a town called Little Bazely, where an unknown organisation are trying to take over Britain starting in that town. Many agent have died investigating. Eventually they take down the organisation by discovering who the real people are of the town and taking down the fake identities 

The characters:

John Steed discovered the true identity of Piggy Warren, and Smallwood's brother as he goes to save Emma Peel, kills his brother a find the true identity as he doesn't look anything like the photo Smallwood showed them.

Emma Peel discovered the true identity of the Vicar who faked everything in the church and hid the pages in the book, the fake school inspector and fake school teacher. She also discovered the true school inspector.

Smallwood helped to discover that the blacksmith was fake also as he gave them a picture of the real blacksmith, his brother

The rest of the characters all had fake identities which John and Emma would discover, apart from the real school inspector

Links to social and cultural context (the mid 60s):

• The representation of the genders was still very patriarchal, the man had to save the woman. However there was signs of the protests for equal gender rights as the female had a big role in discovering out the fake identities.
• The ages of the characters represented the socialist and labour movements in the country. Labour was for equal class rights and that younger generations are better, Emma Peel is much younger than John Steed and does just as much as he does which shows how Labour are correct and that the younger generations are better.
• Classes are represented as equal as together in the show. Both Emma Peel and John Steed are very posh and upper class, Emma Peel owns a very expensive house in London, but get up to what was seen as very lower class activities like fighting. This is because ITV were very for the working class and represented the upper class as the same as lower class. 
• Sexuality is shown as equal also as it shows characters like John Steed and Emma Peel can do stuff like in the episode without being in a relationship and that you don't have to be in a relationship with a women to do stuff with them.
• Ethnicity is shown as equal also. Labour had the ideals that everyone is equal and in America the government was going though major ethnicity change. The show was being shown in America and was the first insight into British life for America, and all the equal ideals would have helped for all ethnicities to be equal.

Monday 10th December

LO: To analyse representation and use of Media Language in Series 4, Episode 1

This series was the first British series to be shown in America, first impressions of Britishness in America

Stereotypes of Britishness:

• The setting, very British buildings like pubs
• People that actually lived in the village lived a traditional village old fashioned life
• Use of tea and cakes
• Props like bowler hat and umbrella 
• Their accents were received pronunciation, properly and formally spoken
• The infiltrators used exaggerated stereotypes like the old ex military officer
• All characters were very well mannaered

Exam style question:

How was media language used to show the social historical context of the 1960s?

Consider:

• Camerawork
• Mise en scene
• Editing 
• Sound 

Camerawork is used throughout the scene to show the uprising of gender equality in society in the 1960s. At the start of the scene, there is a close up shot on the doorbell of the apartment which has Emma Peel's name on it. Emma also has the title "Mrs". This close up shows how the apartment is under the name of a women, rather than a man. The society was very patriarchal so men tended to be the leader of the house so having the apartment under the name of a female shows how gender equality was on the rise during the 60s. It is also a very expensive apartment as it is located in the city which means it would have been very expensive, this shows that women were starting to earn more money and become more dominant in society.

Mise en scene is also used to represent British culture to a new American audience. For example, the costumes of Steed and Emma are very British. Steed is dressed in a prior 60s suit and tie, Peel in a  leather skin tight suit. This shows the rise of different fashion groups and different cultures, like The Mods and The Hippies in the UK during the 60s. Prior to the 60s, a women wouldn't wear a costume like this as they weren't independent enough to show off their body and wear what they want without being judged. With the rise of Labour in the government more ethnicity groups and females were becoming equal and independent which is shown by Peel wearing a revealing and sexy suit due to her independence. Women were also becoming more independent and could make decisions about life due to the contraceptive pill, they could chose about whether they wanted to become pregnant.  The independence is also shown further as she comes under the title of "Mrs" which is shown on the doorbell however we never know or meet her husband.

Editing is also used the further promote gender equality to the British public. At the start of the scene, during a conversation between Peel and Steed about tea, a shot reverse shot is used. It goes between Steed and Peel. This shows how Peel is becoming just as equal as Steed as she is getting her own focus as her lines and actions are being focused on just as much as Steed's. She is getting equal recognition as a main male character which links to how gender equality was on the rise in the British society and females were starting to get a lot more rights and their opinions were being heard more. This could also help to promote gender equality as the majority of the audience were working class due it being shown on ITV and ITV was the channel for the working class. The working class made up a lot of the British population so if a lot of people were seeing women were receiving equal rights in programmes it might make them start to support equal rights in real life.

Success Criteria:

Explain the effect of media language with more in depth links to the social historical context

Thursday 13th December

LO: To reflect on and improve exam style answers

Targets

• Literacy - The basics like capital letters 
• Structure - Use the PEEL structure
• Terminology - Use accurate terminology and media language
• Context - Avoid big generalisation. Don't just say "Women's rights were progressing"

Terminology: Good definitions. Exam terminology looks great too. TV Drama Conventions: Good understanding shown BBC & ITV fact files: well researched 1960s Social Context: excellent research Avengers Episode Notes: good. clear understanding Practice Q Avengers: great first attempt Eli, well done! WWW - you've used your terminology well and accurately EBI - You are more specific with your terminology. Mise-en-scene etc. DIRT: IMPROVE QUESTION USING MY FEEDBACK & THEN COMPLETE ANY NOTES on 

Monday 7th January
LO: To research the 2010s (UK) in terms of social, cultural and political climate of the decade; research TV usage in 2015

2015 events

• There was a general election in the UK in May
• The Conservative Party won a majority with 331 seats and a second term in charge for David Cameron
• The Paris attacks happened which ISIS were responsible for, killing 130 people
• Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage all resigned from their respective parties 
• Refugee crisis hit Europe 
• Support for UKIP grew massively since the last general election
• Ireland legalised same sex marriage
• Trump elected
• ISIS
• North Korean nuclear capability
• Theresa May was elected after Cameron's resign
• Social media was massive
• Knife and drug crime grew massively
• Campaigns like #blacklivesmatter

In 2015, The Conservative Party was in charge of the UK. David Cameron was in for his second term as PM. UKIP had become more popular however since the last election as they had beliefs of keep refugees out of Britain, which was relevant at the time due to the refugee crisis in Europe.

Their were major fears of Islamic people due to the many terror attacks around the world. These fears have been around since the 9/11 attacks. This is similar to the fears of Communism in the 1960s.

The major wars were the Afghanistan war, Iraqi civil war, Boko Haram Insurgency and The Syrian Civil War.

There protests in the UK on airstrikes on Syria, protests from students about tuition fees, also anti-austerity protests and funds for NHS and police force. 

In 2015, one of the most popular games was Metal Gear Solid V. It was set in Soviet occupied Afghanistan in 1984. This setting could be in response to the civil war occurring at the time in Afghanistan. It is a game full of violence and guns which links to debates about video game violence and effects of that on players.

2015 vs 1965

Representation of gender would be completely different in a police drama between the two. Firstly, there would be no women on the police force in the 1965 drama as women weren't seen capable to do that type of job. However in the 2015 drama women would be seriously involved as their rights were a lot more equal compared to the 1960s

Thursday 10th January

LO: To analyse the narratives and characters constructed in an opening episode

PC Ryan Draper (Ashley Walters)

He is the main character of the show, he is represented as the typical police officer. His job is difficult due to government cuts which is what people were protesting about in the UK in 2015. He is seen as a mentor also, which many of the public would have seen officers at the time due to attacks around Europe.

PC Jake Vickers (Jacob Ifan)

He is represented as the weakest officer, he is new to the job and doesn't know what to do. He is the chiefs son, which soon becomes annoying and his mentor, PC Ryan Draper analyses his every move. 

DS Jo Moffat (Amenda Abbington)

She is a talented detective, and diligent and organised. However her personal life isn't so good. She is a single woman and divorced. She represents a lot of struggle which would have happened in the police force, like not having funds for certain cases and struggles with solving cases like not getting an interview

Chief Super Robert Vickers (Peter Sullivan)

Father of Jake, Robert is the head chief of the police force. He organises most things and presents cases to the media. He is a great representation of the struggles of the police force and budget cuts which happened in 2015, he has to present mistakes to the media which could have been solved via better communication or a higher budget.

DC Carl Hawkins (Shaun Dooley)

Carl is a detective constable on the police force, he beliegs everything will eventually turn out okay. 

DI Felix Kane (Paul Ready)

Felix is detective inspector on the police force, he has always been a loner however is diligent and organised on the job.

PC Donna Prager (Eleanor Matsoura)

Donna is another one of the leading officers, she is haed working and always up for the job. Her and Lino are best mates and always up for the job.

PC Lino Moretti (Alex Carter)

Lino is again one of the other leading officers in the job, he isn't the most hard working or up to scale on fitness but him and Donna are a good duo in fighting the crime.

Homework:

Characters

The characters in Cuffs are excellent, they all have personal backgrounds and interesting stories behind them. Also integrated is how this affects their job, for example, Ryan's son is always skyving school off doing parkour so Ryan has to deal with his son being a single dad, slowing down how efficient he does his job. There is one slight problem with the stories though, there are many characters and we get bombarded with a lot of info at once, perhaps less info or more time for it to be given would make it perfect.

Performances

The performances of the characters are excellent, not much can be said to criticize. For example when Jake first goes out on the job he messes up trying to calm down Nathan, Ryan intervenes and the continued actions and gestures really show Jake's emotions.

Plotlines

Just like the characters, all the stories and narratives are excellent. The narratives for just one episode are great and the prolonged personal narratives intended to last over episodes are also. Exactly the same with characters though we are bombarded with narratives and plots so a bit less of them or more time for them to be explained would make them great.

Tone

Personally, the tone of the series is great. You have a mixture of humour and serious moments. For example when Jake punches and knocks out the murderer from the start of the episode, it's a serious situation as the murderer could have seriously injured Ryan, but when he punches and a moves his hand around in agony we get a sense of a humorous tone as he doesn't go to arrest him straight away he just does a funny act.

Suitability for BBC1

The programme is perfect for this type of channel, it is full of crime dramas and different soaps making it an excellent fit. However, due to it being prewatershed many moments which should have that more gory or explicit tone don't, which makes it a bit out of place on the channel.

Suitability for prewatershed

Personally I found a few moments that pushed the line for what was acceptable, for example the murder right at the beginning in the shop and the terms the racist used, however in general the show is fine to show prewatershed but some moments could be argued against it.

Audience appeal

In general, the audience appeal would definitely be for 15/16 year olds up, the humour and lack of any gory moments makes it suitable for a younger audience to watch it, and the more serious moments and moments that push the line for what is acceptable would appeal to older audienceinto this genre of programme.

Monday 21st January 

LO: To explore the TV industry in 2010s and the fact on TV shows and audiences 

Reasons why TV is now harder to make

• Shifting of audiences - Lack of channel loyalty 
• Need for content - Big starts and glossy productions 
• Looking for the next biggest thing - Next Game Of Thrones or Breaking Bad
• Loss of mass audiences - Except for big events like the Olympics or World Cup

Changes to TV

• Break up of family viewings - Audiences are now fragmented due to multiple ways of viewing TV and having multiple TVs in a house
• Erosion of channel loyalty - No one is loyal to channels anymore due to there being at least 100 more free channels to view
• Channel surfing - People now channel surf to see a show that catches the eye rather than just put putting on show, they have the option to browse due to having so many channels
• Audience as schedule creators  - Audiences influence what is aired due to interests and when they watch, also they watch what they want when and wherever they are due to catch up1
• 24/7 media - TV now runs for 24 hours every single day so content needs to be filled in for every hour
• Demand for content - Loads more original content is needed for 100s of channels 
• Demand for quality - Need big stars and glossy productions to interest a viewer
• Binge viewing - People now watch TV for hours on end as oppose to just sitting down to watch their favourite show, can be done via catch up tv and platforms like Netflix
• Impact of meme TV shows - TV shows now have influences on social media, for example Game Of Thrones has become so popular memes have been made out of it. Free advertisement for that show
• Search for latest 'on trend; shows to share on social media - Popular TV shows can be shared via social media to attract more viewers 
• Need for shock or issue based or TV to attract attention - TV shows now need shock or drama to be exciting or original to attract attention
• TV shows as brands - TV shows now have merchandise and brands based around the show
• Using social media to comment on live TV - Social media is now used to critique TV and can be used to influence ideas about certain TV shows

Cuffs

• The genre is 'police procedural'
• Covers the day to day actions of British police and insights into the characters personal life's
• It was intended to be a replacement for Waterloo Road

What elements would the producers have been clear to include in the trailer for the series?

They would have included tense moments from the series, for example the police chase through the country road or the bottles smashing. Also they included shots of the main characters to present them as busy or bad at their jobs.

What view of police life is represented?

It is presented as a busy job, there are many dramatic moments like the police chase or the arguments between Ryan and Jake. There is also the more formal side of police life like the cross cutting at the beginning of the trailer.

How are the personal dramas represented?

Family life is shown for the older audience and also more teen problems like relationship problems or  arguments with friends

What media language is used to shape the audience anticipation of the series?

Loads of cross cutting and quick transitions or create tension. An aerial shot at the start to present the police life a busy and loads of close ups on the main characters to establish who the main characters are. Also, loads of medium long shots to establish which characters work together like the shot on Jake and Ryan arguing.

Thursday 24th January
LO: To explore today's social values and analyse how these are represented in Cuffs

• The dominance of the police drama
• Part of winter schedule for 2015, aired October 2015
• Typically aimed at a wider range of family audiences (16 - 45)
• 8pm on a weekday 
• Offered a range of characters and storylines to appeal to as many segments of the audience 
• Fits modern post 2010 format, everyday storylines but a mix of different characters with different issues over the series
• Weekday winter pre-watershed formats are intended to be engaging but not threatening to mainstream audience values. Storylines tend to be covered superficially and lack of depth of darker post watershed shows.

Social values

• The ideas that shape the world and our place in it, what is right and wrong and how we judge other and ourselves
• Social values are widely accepted and personal values are our own.
• Personals values are different to everyone, criminals, drink drivers and racists all have different views to different people.
• Social values are a majority, for example western and eastern cultures have different values.
• Values are not fixed.
• Values are constantly evolving, swearing was not allowed on the TV in the 1960s but now it is common on TV. However smoking was common on TV in the 1960s but now we rarely see it.

How does Cuffs present the post 2010 era?

• The BBC has a remit to present the whole of the UK as it is a public service broadcaster 
• In the 1960s, it was a dominant white culture society so it was an all white cast.
• However in the post 2010 era it is a multi ethnic society so this is reflected in any show, in Cuffs they have many black officers and officers with different ethnicities. Also they have to present male and female officers.

How were the following resented in cuffs?

• Ethnicities - There are two officers in the cast with different ethnicities, PC Misha Baig is a Muslim and PC Donna Prager has an asian background. Also we meet two Black officers, Ryan and 'the boss'.
• Gender - There are many female and male officers in the cast, Jo Moffat has a lead role as a detective in the force, there are many female officers like Donna and Misha and male officers like Jake and Ryan
• Sexuality - Many sexualities are presented, there is a heterosexual relationship between Jake's parents yet Jake is in a homosexual relationship with the solicitor.

The presence of an openly gay character who is not there because of his sexuality, he is there as he is the new recruit. Cuffs reflects the BBC's assumption that modern UK audiences do not find this representation upsetting and unsettling, However in The Avengers this wouldn't have happened as these ideas weren't as openly accepted in the 1960s, and if they were the defining feature of a character would be their sexuality.

Character or Tropes?

• A Trope is a common or overused theme or device. A trope is a way of representing a characters, something that is instantly recognisable to an audience. For example someone with glasses is nerdy or the blonde girl is driven by her sexuality and is a characters lacking intelligence. 
• The downside of applying such and instantly recognisable tropes is of falling into familiar patterns that reinforce and sustain ideas about groups in society.

Familiar tropes:

• Damsel in distress - Princess Leia 
• Cool old person - Yoda
• The mama bear -
• The papa wolf -
• The casanova - Romeo Montague 
• Over protective dad - Aquaman's dad
• Dark action girl - Wyldstyle 
• Girly girl -
• Alpha male - 

Most tropes are not main characters

Tropes in Cuffs

• Donna is the Dark action girl
• Ryan is a mix between over protective dad/alpha male
• Jake is a sensitive vulnerable officer
• Felix is the secretive character
• Lino is the comedy character 

Watch the clip and answer the following

How are the characters established in the clip?

Jake is established as the rookie cop, he is making mistakes which annoy Ryan enough to make Ryan have a go at him. Ryan is established as a bit of horrible character, yet stressed at the same time. He is having a go at Jake for making mistakes on his first day because of the stress of being an officer, Jake making mistakes is pushing him over the edge.

What stereotypes or tropes are used?

Ryan is presented as the alpha make, he is the more intelligent and better at his job

In was ways does the clip represent the idea of being 'modern' and relatable?

It is relatable as Ryan is stressed out due to Jake's mistake which people could relate to how stressed he is. 

In what ways is the audience constructed?

They have assumed a lot of the audience are going through stressful times, mainly so they can relate to Ryan when he is going through this stressful time. Modern problems like the police cuts are shown in the video, Ryan complains about it all throughout to explain why he is so annoyed.

What might be the appeal to the different segments of the wide 16 - 65 year old demographic?

Younger audience may be appealed to the more personal issues of Jake's rookie mistakes

Monday 28th January
LO: To analyse the use of genre conventions and media language

Police drama conventions:

• Crime fighting and personal issues
• Characters such as a leader in personality and a boss of the police force. Also the rookie 
• City/Town location 
• Values such as crime is bad and criminals are represented as nasty characters
• They have built in enigmas (a question that the audience want answers to that drives the narrative of the story). Whether the audience knows who did the crime and follows how the police find out who did it, or the audience don't know who did and follow the police to find out who did the crime.
• Main characters are there which the audience can identify with, for example younger audience members can identify with Jake due to age.

Establishing genre:

• Title sequences are there to establish genre, the music and graphics set the mood so if it there were soft graphics with mellow music it may be a romantic series or if there was hyper music and exciting graphics it may be a police drama.

At the start of the extract, there is an aerial shot of the sea moving over the city with a police call voiceover which is diagetic as it was heard by Ryan. This happens right at the start of the episode to establish the location of the show, a big and busy seaside city of Brighton. The city is represented as big due to the aerial shot of the city and it is represented as busy because of the police diagetic dialogue in the background. This gives us the impression that the show has a very exciting tone, that the action never stops rather than a dark and more serious tone. The seaside setting is more fun and exciting rather than a dark and compact setting of a bigger city like London. This more exciting tone is due to the fact the show had a pre watershed showing time, so it couldn't include more dark, depressing and brutal narratives and settings.

Throughout the extract there is a juxtaposition of two scenes running along at the same time, the speech from the colonel and scene where Ryan is dealing with a fight at a nudist beach. This is full of irony due to the Colonel explaining how he will do anything for his officers and make sure they earn respect from the public for what they do. Meanwhile Ryan is receiving abuse from the public in a humorous situation at a nudist beach, this creates very humorous irony. The gives us the impression that the tone is quite laid back and funny, maybe not as serious or dark as other police drama. This could be down to the pre watershed showing where they couldn't show as serious narratives or perhaps to represent the struggles of the police force, that they end up in silly situations like being disrespected at a nudist beach and nothing is done about it.

Right at the end of the extract there are a set of credits. In this there is fast paced editing, exciting music and very bright and colourful graphics. The characters in this are represented as busy police officers as there are scenes full of action and exciting moments. The setting is represented as busy and exciting due to the colourful and exciting graphics. 

How has sound been used to create meaning?

Police dialogue

Waves and seagulls sound effects

Music throughout 

Argument dialogue

Colonel's speech at the end with no music

At the start of the scene, there is a sound bridge between the shot of the pier and Ryan driving the police car, the sound involves police radios and sirens. This gives us the impression that the tone is rather exciting as this happens right at the start of the show, so from the start there is action. Also, throughout the opening shot, there are ambient sound effects of waves and seagulls. This gives the impression that the tone isn't very serious, that there isn't much dark and depressing crime as these sounds are very innocent. There is non diegetic music all throughout the extract, and the volume fades when action starts again. For example in key moments like when Ryan gets punched or when the man says 'What is the point in you?'. This is to establish the key moments in the scene and establish the main characters. The dialogue of the speech from the superintendent is a sound bridge between the scene of him talking and the beach scene. This is to establish the fact that the Colonel is one of the main leaders and one of the main characters as the volume of the speech doesn't fade. Finally, the music stops when the Colonel announces his son, Jake has joined the forced. This is also to establish that Jake is one of the main characters in the show, that he needs to announced separately without music as he is one the main characters.

Monday 4th February
LO: To review and improve our responses

Exam Practice DIRT

LO: To evaluate how effectively the BBC meets its PSB remits

PSB purposes:

• Inform our understanding of the world
• Stimulating knowledge and learning 
• Reflecting the UK's cultural identity
• Representing diversity and alternative viewpoints

PSB characteristics 

• High quality 
• Original
• Innovative challenging 
• Widely available
• Distinctive 

The BBC has extra PSB requirements, because of its' funding it has to reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world.

How do the different BBC channels meet the PSB remits?

• BBC1 as a mass audience channel for all the 'unities and inspires the nation with high quality programmes across a range of genres'

The BBC core mission is 'to inform, educate and entertain'

How does Cuffs meet the PSB remit and the BBC's core mission?

The purpose of a PSB channel is that it is produced for the benefit of the public rather than purely for commercial reasons, it aims to inform and entertain the public rather than to make a profit off of the programmes. The core mission of the BBC fits right into the PSB remits, it is made solely for public. Using Cuffs as an example, you can see how the BBC does all of these. Cuffs informs the public of what is going on in society and the cultural diversity of the UK. It informs the public of life in the police force, that it is not necessarily easy yet more annoying and difficult, for example in the beach scene at the start of episode one where Ryan is dealing with a stag part on a nudist beach, these problems are rather irritating and show a more accurate view of police life rather than just gaining respect from the public because of your job title. It informs the public of the cultural diversity in the UK, the show involves a high ranked black officer and Ryan, a main character who is black. It also involves Misha, a muslim officer who is part of the force. This shows that there is a lot of cultural diversity just in one city let alone the whole of the UK. The show educates people as it teaches them traditional social values. For example, the racist murderer who Ryan and Jake fight who murdered the Indian male at the start of the episode solely because he was from another culture. The racist eventually gets arrested, this shows that you should have typical modern  social values rather than ones against else you will be punished. Another example is the fact there is a main male character is openly gay, and that his character is built on the fact he is a rookie other than gay. It again teaches the public that most people have social values that accept different sexualities and that people shouldn't be defined by them. Finally, it entertains by always having fast paced action, the police officers never stop. For example in the lunch scene where Ryan, Jake, Donna and Lino are sat round the table. They just sit down for lunch and have to get up again. This fast paced action entertains the public as it never stops and always brings in new narratives.

Thursday 7th February
LO: To explore the media producers of Cuffs and their impact on the production

Tiger Aspect:

Tiger aspect production, they have made Peaky Blinders, Ripper street., Bad Education and The Vicar of Dibley. They have a track record for good and quality drama. BBC needed a show to replace Waterloo Road, because Eastenders was not they didn't have a guaranteed audience by 8pm. Cuffs was seen as a replacement for The Bill, a mixture of serious drama, humour and soap opera. Julie Greary was the creator of the show.

Possible question:
How did Cuffs fit into the BBC schedule in terms of targeting audiences and why was Tiger Aspect chosen?

Thursday 7th February
LO: To explore targeting television audiences and technologies

Audiences now are more segmented, there is less family viewings. BBC1 and ITV are mass audience channels but not as much as in the 60s as of a wide range of channels. There are now channels that offer a certain type of show to a certain type of genre.

At the time Cuffs was scheduled, still 81% of all television viewing was still watching linear television as scheduled. 19% was shared between recorded and streamed TV. This meant the Wednesday 8pm spot was very significant.

Uses and Gratifications:
Personal identity
Information
Entertainment
Social interaction

Personal Identity:
There are loads of characters to relate to in Cuffs, the audience can relate to many different characters like the young rookie Jake or the stressed single dad Ryan. Brighton is a city full of bright colours and diverse cultures but Cuffs shows the dark side of Brighton also, we can identify to which part of the belong to.

Information:
In Cuffs, we gain a lot of information about society. For example we learn of real life problems like the struggles of the Police. We become more culturally aware of Britain, if the police force in one city is so diverse it shows the actual cultural diversity of Britain. Also we get informed about British values.

Entertainment:
The show is always full of action, it never stops. The bright colours and a wide variety of narratives, character narratives is very entertaining. It offers escape from the real world and the storylines intrigue us.

Social Interaction:
Television series with ensemble casts, such as Cuffs, offer audiences a team, or substitute family. We admire a character's achievements or hope the best for some characters. Scenes that occurred in the show would spark conversation, for example when Jake messed up the radio call when in the chase it would spark a conversation in a family viewing.

Explain the Uses and Gratifications offered to audiences in Cuffs. Give specific examples from Episode 1 (10 marks)

The uses and gratifications are, personal identity, information, entertainment, social interaction. Firstly, personal identity is used in Cuffs. There is a wide range of characters and families in Cuffs, this allows the audience to relate to their stories ad know where they fit in the society. For example the characters range from Jake, a young homosexual male who is rookie cop to Ryan, a senior dedicated officer who has a lot of experience. The families range from Ryan's family where he is a single dad with two kids to the Superintendents family where they have a homosexual son and a mum that suffers with cancer. There is a wide range of characters and families for the audience to relate to.

The next use and gratification is information. The audience gain a lot of information form watching the episode. We learn about the struggles of the police and the disrespect they get, for example when the women were filming Jake trying to arrest a hippie. We learn about the cultural diversity of Britain, there is a range of cultures, for example Misha the muslim officer or Ryan, a black police officer. We learn of the different cultures of Britain but specifically Brighton. We also learn of the daily life of  police officer, that it is rather busy a never stops. For example when Lino, Ryan, Jake and Donna go to sit down for lunch but have to get up again.

Furthermore, entertainment is another use and gratification used. The show is very action filled, the action never stops no matter where they are. For example the lunch again, when they go to sit down for lunch but have to get up again to respond to a call because their day is so action packed. There are also many humorous scenes, for example when Jake hits the racist, but he holds his hand in pain because it hurts so much. This is a humorous scene as it is different to the constant action, it would entertain the audience.

The last use and gratification is social interaction. The series has an ensemble cast, so the characters become substitute families or we interact with the characters.

Monday 11th February
LO: To review the exam format and possible question types

Exam Preparation

1hr 45 mins (30 mins viewing time)
Section A: TV (5 questions, 45 marks)
Section B: Lego Movie (4 questions, 25 marks)

• 30 minutes, watch extract x4

Section A:

• Three questions based on the extract. Two questions on TV industry, audiences or contexts.
• 45 mins for this section 
• Questions can involve the following areas: Media language (extract), representation, TV industry, TV audience, social historical and political context
• Q1 - Media language question, give two specific examples, 5 marks question. Pinpoint specific examples. Analyse meaning.
• Q2 - Media language and representation, how a particular place, person, group or viewpoint has been represented. How the audience is meant to feel. All via media language. 10 marks question. Three specific examples, analyse and explain and use appropriate terminology.
• Q3 - Long essay based question. Use media language and representation and make a judgement and conclusion. How particular viewpoint have been shown, certain ideas or values have been shown, how the audience are meant to feel and how the context has affected the meaning. 15 marks. Give at least three specific examples from the extract, analyse and explain, use appropriate media terminology, link to context.
• Q4 - TV industry in general. Could ask about scheduling, regulation, PSB, Technology. 5 marks. Explain ideas in full, specific examples, appropriate media terminology 
• Q5 - Context. Social, historical and political context. Influence of social context, political context, differences between 1965 and now, effects of context on programming. 10 marks. Explain your ideas in full, give specific examples, mention specific events and dates, use appropriate media terminology on language.

Section B:

• Four questions in this section: two short questions and two long questions. 30 minutes left. First two are going to be general questions based on promotional techniques. Longer two will discuss Lego Movie as an example.
• Q6 - Simple fact based answer. Regulation, Film industry, Promotional methods. 1 mark. Be accurate
• Q7 - Reasons why question. Why certain promotional methods are used, targeting specific audiences. 4 marks. 2 reasons 2 explanations. Appropriate terminology.
• Q8 and Q9 - Using Lego Movie as an example. Audience appeals, targeting audiences, genre conventions, promotional methods used. 10 marks each. Explain ideas in full, give specific examples, mention specific events and dates, use the appropriate media terminology.

Monday 11th March
LO: To review and reflect on the Y11 mock exam and set personal targets

Notes for exam

• Q1 - Use more accurate terminology and be more specific
• Q2 - Use 4 specific examples from each section of media language
• Q3 - 10 marks for analysis, 5 marks for judgement and drawing conclusions. Talk about media language along with narratives, themes and characters. 
• Q4 - Refer to the requirements of PSB channels
• Q5 -  Give contexts and then say how they are shown in the show given   

Targets:

• Learn more terminology 
• Practice making more accurate judgements 
• Use more examples for Q3

Targets:

• Write more accurately for Q9
• Revise marketing for The Lege Movie