Television

Industries and Audiences

Monday 29th October 2018
L/O: to research the history, companies & regulators in the Television Industry

Exam unit introduction:
Paper 1 Section A- 
Given an unseen extract from a Tv drama to watch and analyse.
Asked 3 questions about the extract.
       Examples of what you could be asked:

• How media language has been used to create meaning
• How the industry has influenced the meaning
• The audiences reaction to the extract
• The social, cultural and historical context

Terminology:

Publicly owned TV channel: (BBC)Refers to broadcasting for public benefit. Funded by governments and license fees for the public service

Commercial TV channel: Broadcasting TV programmes by a privately owned corporate. Funded through advertisements.

Convergence: It replaces the older technologies that can disrupt markets. Takes separate ideas and joins it all together to make one big idea.

Watershed: When a tv channel has an evening channel, before the channel is suitable for all audiences  (BBC has a well established policy of making 9pm the pivotal point of the evenings television until 5:30am)

Segmented market:Dividing a market of potential customers into groups or segments based on different characteristics, taste and interests.

Mainstream: mass audience, the ideas attitudes or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal or conventional

Self regulating: Making sure that consumers are not misled, harmed or offence by ads.

Franchise: A collection of related media in which several different works have been produced from an original created work. License from company of a product to use format/show/ideas

Channel surfing: Quickly scanning through different television channels only watching each for a certain amount of time.

PSB: Public Service broadcast- Delivering trusting news, UK. Regulators demand channels fulfil certain requirements as part of their license to broadcast.

TV license: Any household or business watching, recording live broadcasts require to pay a license fee. Funds the BBC

Scheduling:Deciding what shows to show at what time.

Conglomerate: A company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises.

When was TV introduced to the UK? 

Broadcast television started in the UK in 1936, but was subsequently shutdown during the war years (1939 - 45). Broadcasts were restarted in 1946.

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

3 channels- BBC1 BBC2 ITV

When did ITV start? Why was it different?

22 September 1955, United Kingdom, first commercial channel which meant it had adverts.

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 in the 1960s?
The law/government.
BBC regulated itself.

List the differences between TV in the 60s and now?

• Black and white in the early 60s, now in colour.
• Only had 3 channels, we have over 100.
• They'd only put it on at certain times of the day because pointless when people are at work. Would stop at night around 10/11. Now you can get up at any time and there is always something on.
• You would have to tune in channels using a dial. you wouldn't be able to channel surf as it would take so long getting channel on
• Couldn't record anything, no catch up, no plus 1.
• Both channels were public service broadcasting channels
• Was terrestrial tv, channels that you could get non digitally (without wifi) these are the channels that have to follow PSB remits.

Television Industries: Ownership

Thursday 1st November 2018

L/O: To explore the history of ownership in two key channels.

Public service broadcasting: 

Refers to any broadcasting intended to benefit the public rather than for purely commercial concerns. In the UK the BBC is the main PSB channel. The BBC, funded by the license fee, initially had a monopoly over broadcasting in the UK. Because they are funded but the public, the BBC have to meet the PSB remit in terms of the genre variety, audiences, representation and quality of programmes they produce.

BBC:

The BBCs mission statement is "to inform, entertain and educate" 

ITV was their first ever rival.

Factfile: 

Number and names of TV channels:

There are nine main BBC tv channels.

There are five more that can be accessed abroad so in total 16 channels.


Missions, vision and values:

Missions:To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.

Visions:To be the most creative organisation in the world.

Values:

• Trust is the foundation of the BBC: they are independent, impartial and honest.
• Audiences are at the heart of everything they do.
• They take pride in delivering quality and value for money.
• Creativity is the lifeblood of they're organisation.
• They respect each other and celebrate they're diversity so that everyone can give their best.
• They are one BBC: great things happen when they work together.

Most popular BBC 1 programmes:

Blue planet 2
Taboo
Doctor Foster

Doctor Who
Eastenders

Strictly come dancing

The apprentice
Sherlock

Most expensive programme to make:

Blue Planet 2 and Sherlock

Other platforms:

Radio
Weather
News

Website
Apps (TV and Radio)
Catch up

How else does it generate income:

As the BBC gets its money from TV licences, it does not take money from companies or shareholders. The BBC makes extra money by selling its programmes to other broadcasting companies so that they can show them. Selling merchandise on shows they have made.

Advantages of being publicly owned:

It provides diversity in its programmes and educates the public, It reaches large amounts of people.
License fee is guaranteed each year, don't have to make expensive programmes to attract large amounts of people. They have a variety of programmes for different ages and genders, they can take a risk with shows as they don't have to worry about money. They can develop more such as series as they're not dependent on advertisers.

Commercial institutions:
These generally have no guaranteed income (even ITV C4 C5 which have a small PSB remit) therefore it is essential they are profitable.
They can generate income by:

• Merchandise
• Subscriptions
• Pay Per view
• Sponsorship- sponsor stings or 'thanks to' messages on credits
• Advertising- companies pay for advertising slots based on programme ratings, the more potential viewers, the higher the advertising slot (250,000 for 30 seconds during BGT)
• Product placement: since 2011 thesis allowed on British TV just not during news or children. Subject to Ofcom regulations (certain products are banned, like cigarettes and alcohol) Companies pay to have their products shown in programmes. Like brands of car in a programme, or a character using a macbook quite obviously.

ITV

It isn't just one company, its a network of lots of different companies (regional programmes)

Thye have to broadcast things of national importance, news, current affairs, children and relies programming, political when necessary. Made available on all platforms free to air, makes it an important platform for advertisers to find large audiences.

ITV Factfile:
Number and names of TV channels:













9 channels, not including the plus one channels.

Most popular ITV programmes:
Coronation street
Broadchurch
Liar
Im a celebrity
X factor
BGT

Most expensive programme to make:
X factor

Other platforms:
Itv Hub and ITV hub+
Pay providers such as Virgin and Sky
Direct content deals with services such as Amazon Apple and Netflix.
App
Website
Subscriptions

How does it generate income:
Advertising
Franchising programmes
Premium rate phone lines
Reality Tv shows
Product placement
Sponsorship
Box sets
Online services


Advantages of being commercially owned:
Reaches a large audience.

DUOPOLY in the 1960s
Era of two competing broadcasters ITV and BBC, reffered to as the golden age. They had full control of all aspects, able to use their own creative vision. Competition between them meant that they both tried to be the best, production became more of a business.
Hard for voices outside of the institution to be heard, some argues with competing between them dumbed down some of its content.

Serial TV drama:

Monday 12th November
LO: to explore the TV drama genre and conventions

Tv Drama-

• Comes out in seasons
• 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 then humorous.
• Relies on stand alone episodes.
• Often contains complex narratives and key characters that evolve as the series goes on
• Sub genres of Tv Drama: 

Teen drama- Skins/13 reasons why/

Costume/period drama- Lady macbeth/The crown/Peaky Blinders

Medical drama- Casualty, Holby city

Police/Crime drama- Broad Church, Sherlock

Docudrama- The detectives

Sitcom drama- Inbetweeners

Political drama- House of cards

Sci-fi drama- Doctor who/ The 100

Fantasy drama- Game of thrones

Serial TV drama-

• Any TV drama that is organised into a series of episodes (as opposed to one off dramas)
• A series contains between 3 and 12 episodes.
• Has a continuing plot that unfolds episode by episode.
• Follow main story arcs that span an entire season.

Serials and Series both contain the same characters each week.
A serial has a narrative that continues from episode to episode. (E.g Game of thrones)
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 Friends, Casualty)

Serial dramas are popular with TV broadcasters because they offer a range of appeals:

• Familiar characters
• Familiar locations
• Familiar narrative lines
• Diversion/Entertainment 
• Social identity
• Known and specific audiences.

My Wikipedia TV serial drama introductory definition:

A Tv serial drama is a narrative that follows a storyline episode to episode as it unfolds continuously. It contains between 3 and 12 episodes. It follows main story arcs that span an entire season.

The Avengers & 1960s

Thursday 15th October
LO: research the 1960s (UK) in terms of social, historic and political climate of the decade; research the TV show "the Avengers."


1960s:

• Film in Black and white
• Children would go out and play, not stay inside as no technology except maybe a TV (3 Tv channels)
• Everyones more sociable.
• Helped out at a young age.
• Newspapers and the news was the only way of finding out whats happening in the world- didn't have Facebook/internet/twitter etc
• A TV was the equivalent of £5000 pounds now, used to be around £289.

Who were the most famous bands? How was this music different to previous decades?
The top bands of the 1960s were the Beatles, the kinks and the rolling stones.  pop and rock and roll trends of the 1950s continued; nevertheless, the rock and roll of the decade before started to merge into a more international, eclectic variant known as rock. In the early-1960s, rock and roll in its purest form was gradually overtaken by pop rock, beat, blues rock, and folk rock, which had grown in popularity. 

What significant historic events happened?
The Sixties dominated by the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Protests, the 60s also saw the assassinations of US President John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Cuban Missile Crisis, and finally ended on a good note when the first man is landed on the moon in 1969. The sexual revolution of the 60's had begun with the use of birth control pills and Hugh Hefner opening the first of his Playboy clubs in Chicago.

What wars were being fought around the world?

The Cold War (1947–1991)

The Vietnam War (1955–1975

Portuguese Colonial War (1961–1974) – the war was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies. 

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 began in September.

Arab–Israeli conflict (early-20th century-present)

Six-Day War (June 1967) – a

The Algerian War came to a close in 1962.

The Nigeria Civil War began in 1967.

Civil wars in Laos and Sudan rage on throughout the decade.

The Al-Wadiah War was a military conflict which broke out on 27 November 1969 between Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of South Yemen.

How would life have been different in the 1960s for women men and different races compared to now in the UK.

1960: nearly 80 percent of them did not have a college degree and did have a husband and kids. Some specifics: Among women between 30 and 34 years old, in 1960, only 7 percent had a bachelor's degree (or higher) Among the same women, only 30 percent were employed in 1960. In 1960, 93 percent of women in their early 30s were married. In 1960, 89 percent of women in their early 30s were had kids of their own living with them.


Which political party was in power in 1965, and who was PM:
In July 1965, Edward Heath defeated Reginald Maudling and Enoch Powell to succeed him as Conservative Party leader and the Prime minister was Harold Wilson.


Main 3 youth group fashions, what the groups were like in terms of stereotypes:
The main 3 groups were Hippies, Mods and Rockers. Hippies were stereotypes to reject established institutions, criticized middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons and championed sexual liberation, were often vegetarian and eco-friendly. Mods and rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the early/mid 1960s. Media coverage of mods and rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a moral panic about British youth, and the two groups became widely perceived as violent, unruly troublemakers. Rockers rode Vespas and often had shaved heads.

Were illegal drugs, according to the media, a big part of culture:
According to the media they wasn't however, generally in the society they were. The link between disease and behaviour was also central to the understanding of heroin addiction in the 1960s, but it was the behaviour itself (drug taking) that was regarded as a disease. Heroin addiction was extremely rare in Britain until the 1960s.


What scientific development changed women lives:
Contraceptive Pills, In 1960s,women's lives were very different. Often married at an early age, most women were expected to stay at home and raise an expanding family while men went out to work. Nowadays, women can choose to have children, further education and a career on their own terms. The pill was instrumental in changing that.

The Avengers 1965

Monday 19th November

L/o: research the TV show the Avengers

Which Institution channel produced the show?

ABC Television, a contractor within the ITV network.

Who was the primary and secondary audience (age rating/gender/interests):
Aired at 9pm,aimed at adults around 18+, also aimed at mainstream audience.

When did the first episode air:
7th January 1961

How many viewers followed the show:
ITVs biggest show, but it was difficult to get ITVs viewing figures back then.

How many seasons were made?

6- 161 episodes in total.

What date/year was the last episode aired?

21 May 1969

What was the budget for series 4?

The average budget for each episode was reportedly £56,000, which was high for the British industry. 

Series 4, Episode 1

• It was an action-adventure series. 
• Ran for nine years.
• Patrick Macnee stayed for the entirety of the show, the girls came and went.
• It was English
• A male thriller
• Called the Avengers as they tried to avenge the death of his fiancé, she died in the drug business

Series four was shot on film, what does this mean in terms of location, production values, editing, camerawork and sound.

As it was shot on film, it tells us that there were many mistakes made during the filming and they couldn't edit or crop mistakes out. In terms of location, the cameras back then were heavy and were not easy to move so they had to create fake locations within the studio. Videotape editing was a difficult and costly process so most television was mixed live, with mistakes left uncorrected

Who were the stars of series 4 Episode 1?

(Actors, images and background information- age, gender, previous roles)

Patrick Macnee (as John Steed) 





Male 
Died at 93
(1922-2015)
Been on the show for previous three series.









Diana Rigg (as Mrs Emma Peel)

                                                
20 July 1938 (age 80)
Female
New character came on in series 4.

ITV was seen as the working class channel, compared to BBC middle class. How did the avengers compare, in terms of the representation of rising youth culture, compared to the BBC flagship drama, The Foresyte Saga?
It was a period/historical drama. Based around an upper class family. Seen as far more daring, youthful with the subjects they covered. Diana Rigg was the first strong, independent woman on TV.

TV: Media Language

Monday 26th November
L/O: to revise and research key terminology for use with audio visual analysis.


You have to be able to analyse both episodes in terms of media language used to create meaning.
You will be asked to analyse one area in your exam.
Media language:

• Camerawork
• Soundtrack
• Editing
• Mise en scene 

The Avengers: The Town of No Return

Lo: To explore the narrative, characters, and context of Series 4 Episode 1
Thursday 29th January 2018

The narrative (storyline)-
Steed and Emma both work for a secret government agency and are sent to a town called Little Bazeley because they have lost four agents there over the years. They arrive there by train and meet a man called Mr Small on the way, when they get there realise people are not who they say they are and people are going missing, the town is empty, Mr Smallwood is found unconscious on the beach which raises questions. Emma Peel goes to the primary school where she's meant to be the new teacher, she discovers the school has been unused for years, a dying man runs at her in the school telling her "down below" and telling her to run, which she's confused about but later finds out why. They then discover that someone is bringing people in to the town and hiding them underground to kill and get rid of people in the world, starting with little Bazeley, Emma and John manage to beat these people and save the day. They leave the village by a motor scooter driven by Emma.


The characters-
John Steed and Emma Peel working for a secret government agency.
Mr Smallwood, the man from the train.

Links to social and cultural context (mid 60s)- Emma Peel was the first female hero, not just the mans side kick. Made gender equality more equal. The characters fashion linked with fashion in the 60s.

Avengers Stereotypes.

Monday 3rd December 2018

Representation:
How was the context of the 1960s shown in the different representations used in Episode 1?

Gender: It would of appealed to women as it starred a female lead. It would of been controversial because in the 60s men and women were not treated equally.

Age: Patrick Macnee is represented as a middle aged man, this is shown through his fashion as he wears a suit, hat and carries an umbrella. Diana Riggs is presented as being in her late 20s and this is also shown through her fashion, for example in the first scene she was wearing a leather cat suit, this conveys she's young and reckless.

Class: Target audience lower and upper class, upper because the main characters are quite posh and rich but lower class because it was on itv and was quite racey.

Sexuality: Homosexuality in the 60s was made to be against the law before 1967. There were protests so finally the law was passed. The protests in the 60s demanded for equal rights between all sexualities.

Ethnicity:  Emma Peel and John Steed played two very British characters, this is conveyed through their fashion and accents.

The Avengers: The town of no Return

Monday 10th December 2018
LO: To analyse representation and use of Media language in Series 4 Episode 1

How was "Britishness" represented in Episode 1?
Consider:

• Costume- Steed wore a Bowler hat and umbrella because it always rains in Britain.
• Settings- Seen a lot of the time in the pub/ They're based in a coastal town/Fisherman everywhere
• Props- Afternoon tea on the train
• Character interaction- Wary of outsiders coming into the town, everyones well mannered and friendly
• Dialogue- Steed and Peel both had a formal British accent, but the people from the small town had a vague country accent.
• Stereotypes- Man behind bar (Piggy Warren) had a moustache and the whole ex RAF manner.

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

Consider:

• Camerawork
• Mise en scene
• Editing
• Sound

1960s social context:

Class system

Vietnam War

Women given more rights

Changing views on sexuality

Fashion

Representation of different ethnics

Use PEEL to help you answer.

Point

Evidence

Explain

Link to question

Media language is used to show the social context of the 1960s through the camerawork. In the scene the camera goes to a point of view shot from Steeds view onto Peels lower body. By putting the camera from this angle it shows the lack of respect men had for women back then that as soon as she turns around he looks. Women rights were changing back then but clearly in this scene Peel was not seen as an equal. This links to the Laura Mulvey theory of the male gaze.

The social context of the 60s was also shown through the use of mise en scene in the way Peel is dressed and also the interior design of her apartment. Her apartment is seen as upperclass as it is in the city and could be a penthouse, it also has a very nice interior design. The paintings of pop art she has on the walls says she is following the new artwork in the late 60s. Also, the way she is dressed shows how women were becoming more independent and confident, she wears a figure hugging, leather jumpsuit, this shows the changing views on sexuality and women rights as the older generation would look down on her wearing something like that yet she still wears it to prove as a female, she can wear what she likes. Emma Peel also is using a fencing sword throughout the scene which shows the changing role of women as before the change in women rights, fencing would of been seen as something only a man could do yet when she fights against Steed its an equal fight.

John Steed very much conforms to the social context of the 1960s through the use of mise en scene. He wears a traditional suit and bowlers hat like an upper class gentleman would, this was also the mens fashion in the 60s. His outfit contrasts with Peels as his is more older generation, its also a lot more upper class. On the other hand, Peel is representing the younger generation of youths being more free to what they wear and not following the fashion trends and what they're expected to wear. In the early 60s fashion was more conservative and classy which is represented by Steed, the late sixties were the opposite which were represented by Peel,

Target: Explain the effect of the media language 
            Cover each Framework specified

WWW - you've linked your examples to different social contexts
EBI - You use more accurate terminology and explain what those contexts were about in more detail

The Avengers: The town of no return

L.O: To reflect on and improve exam style answers.

Thursday 13th December 2018

Targets:

Literacy- Capital letters.
Structure- Use the PEEL structure
Accurate Terminology- Media language (diegetic, point of view shot)
Context- Avoid big sweeping generalisations. 'women rights were progressing' Be specific and detailed

Monday 7th January 2019
Television in the 2010s 
LO: To research the 2010s (UK) in terms of social, cultural and political climate of the decade, research TV usage in 2015.

Key events in UK and globally that happened in 2015 that might influence a TV series set in present day UK?

• General Election
• Paris attacks
• TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson is suspended from Top Gear, one of the most popular BBCS profitable shows.
• Refugee crisis in Europe
• Ireland legalises same sex marriage (growing tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality as a whole) 

Which Political party was in power in 2015? Who was Prime minister? What was the relevance of UKIP being so popular?

The conservatives party were in power let by David Cameron who was the PM. The conservative party was the larger party with 306 seats in government. UKIP were so popular because they played on the immigration crisis as it was a fear of society.

What were the major fears and issues of the post 9/11 era?

People were scared to go anywhere because no one can define what counts as a weapon anymore, for example a civilian plane 

 What wars were being fought around the world?

Afganistan civil war

Syrian civil war

Iraq war 

They all link to major fears of the public.

What were people protesting about in the UK?

Anti-austerity- financial crash, high cost living and low wages, not enough money for key services- NHS, Police.

Humanitarianism issues (protests against strikes on Syria)

Gender/Wage gap

Cultural context:

Youth culture-

• Social media 
• Iphone
• Drug culture
• Knife crime
• Rap music
• Video game violence/obsession
• streaming

Human rights:

Third wave feminism 

Black lives matter

oscarssowhite

Refugees and tolerance

How have these key events shaped our era?

The film Avengers: Age of Ultron was a top movie in 2015, links to war and the rising terror attacks for that era, there was more violence in many films in 2015. 

In Eastenders Bobby Beale killed Lucy which shows the rising youth crime.

2015 VS 1965

Explain the differences you would expect to see in a police drama from 1965  and one from 2015.

Representations- Sexuality, gender, religion, age, class

Threat, issues

Potential storylines?

In the 2015 version Id expect to see more female roles in the police department because there was more gender equality although they might still be underpaid. And more violence to do with the youths.

Thursday 10th January 2019
LO: To analyse the narratives and characters constructed in an opening episodes.

Cuffs Series 1 Episode 1:

How are they presented and their own individual storyline. What are the audience appeal.

PC Ryan Draper- He is presented a strong alpha male, he is partners as a police officer with Jake and likes to take control. A clip from his home shows that he's looking after his son and daughter with the mother nowhere to be seen. He appeals to the audience as they may look up to him as he's very good at his job.

PC Jake Vickers- He is the son of the chief so is following in his dads footsteps. Its his first day as an officer and he is given many challenges, he seems quite shy and anxious to do his job and is sometimes scared to step up and take control but by the end of the episode he fits in with his colleagues and saves one of them from being stabbed. He will appeal to the audiences he's an attractive young male.

DS Jo Moffat- She's a detective Seargent and normally works from the back rooms at the computer  but in the first episode shows her to go help go catch a suspect of a stabbing, she seems quite strong minded and upfront and would appeal especially to the female audience as females are not as commonly seen in the police force.

Chief Super Robert Vickers- The chief is PC Jakes dad and is seen to be very professional and strict in his job as he is the boss of them all, you can tell he wants Jakes career to go well as he warns PC Ryan to not jeopardise his sons chance of doing well. He has quite a lot of authority as you can tell he intimidates the others. This will make him appeal to the audience.

DC Carl Hawkins- He is a detective constable and takes his jobs very seriously, he is seen the get on well with DS Jo, and is brave as he wasn't afraid to go into a fight to catch a suspect.

DI Felix Kane- Detective inspector, he seems quite smart as he figures out where a man took his daughter to using small details.

PC Donna Prager- She works as a pair with PC Lino and you can tell she enjoys her job and works hard at it, she seems very friendly and bubbly and would appeal to the female audience as its not that common to have female police constables, she would also appeal to the male audience as she is young and pretty. 

PC Lino Moretti- A good Police constable thats dedicated to his job but doesn't take himself seriously. He works alongside PC Donna Prager.

Episode one review:
In the first episode of cuffs the audience is hooked straight away as theres lots of storylines happening, you first are introduced to some main characters like PC Ryan and PC Jake. And the first thing they have to sort is a suicidal drug user. As the episode goes on you see fellow co workers of the police force like PC Donna and PC Lino and more crimes are committed like a stabbing, a kidnapping and a theft. All the performances were played very well by all the actors and the variety of different people attracted many target audiences like using younger and older people and males and females, it is mostly appealing to young adults but as it is pre watershed, younger people can watch it. It contains violence, racial scenes, drug abuse and more so isn't really suitable for pre watershed as younger people many find it quite upsetting or scary. It is suitable for the BBC as it is similar to other crime series they've shown. In conclusion, the first episode of Cuffs was eyeopening and interesting.

Television Industries: 2010s

L/O: to explore the TV industry in  2010s and the effect on TV shows and audiences.
Monday 21st January 2018

To get people to watch their shows they have to stand out because nowadays there is so much choice. 
There are 70 Tv channels and 30 Radio channels

• Shifting audience- lack of channel loyalty and identity.
• Loss of large mass audience except for event TV- World cup, Olympics
• Loss of national audience- niche channels
• Need for content- new ideas
• Need for stars and glossy production values.
• Mining of back catalogue- exploits nostalgia 
• Remakes of old shows (exploit brand)
• Move to TV shows as programme brands for marketing
• Striving to produce 'on trend' products or competing with popular genre formats
• Use of trailers and cross channel programming
• Use of pre title hooks to to entice/keep viewers 
• Serials rather then series- the ongoing narrative to hook viewers
• Evolution of series towards narrative arc of serials- recurring narrative strands
• Catch up TV
• Streaming TV
• Box sets via streaming
• External sourcing of product content
• Search for next big thing.

The following are changes to TV audiences:

• Break up of family viewing- the fragmented audience: Now instead of watching something on tv as a family, they individually watch things as they have more TVs and devices and theres shows catered to each individual.
• Erosion of channel loyalty- BBC viewer or ITV viewer, now theres many channels so you wouldn't just be loyal to one.
• Channel surfing- seeking the eye catching- When the audience sits and skims over channels instead of watching the duration of one, because of the amount of adverts and channels there are.
• Audience as schedule creators- shows trying to be aired at popular and peak times for the particular audience.
• 24/7 media- issues of saturation- It loses its impact as they can watch it or hear about it all the time.
• Demand for content-new content is needed to keep people interested
• Demand for quality- stars production values- When the quality of the TV show isn't up to the viewing standards, it could be due to costs
• Binge viewing- Watching a series of episodes in a row 
• Impact of meme TV shows- If the audience starts talking about it on social media then they're advertising it
• Search for latest on trend shows to share on social media 
• Need for shock or issue based TV to attract attention- we've seen everything so need shocking content to want to watch it as its something new.
• TV shows as brands- shows like stranger things has become a brand as it has merchandise and shops for it.
• Using social media to comment on live TV- For example using the apps like BGT and I'm a celebrity

Cuffs: Appeal

It is the genre 'police procedural'

What elements did the producers choose to include in the trailer?

The different crimes and characters. High action scenes like explosions, car chases, fights, bottle smashing.

What view of police life is represented?

Exciting, dramatic, and how they get no respect from the public. 

How are personal dramas represented?

There wasn't many personal dramas included but for example there was Jake kissing 'the enemy' the solicitor. Shows teens about diversity.

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

Mise en scene for typical police officers and different kind of characters, non diegetic music thats quite upbeat and fast moving showing what the series will be like. Shots of main characters. Cross cutting the intense clips and more formal parts, quick paced transitions to increase intensity.

Cuffs and social values:

Thursday 24th January
L/O: To explore todays social values and analyse how these are represented in Cuffs.

Aired October 2015- part of the winter schedule- aimed at wider family audiences. 16-65. 
Because its colder and darker so people are inside more.
Similar to target audience of Casualty and Waterloo Road- broadcasted 8pm on a week day
All different characters and storylines are to appeal to as many segments of demographics.
Fits modern post 2010 populist series format- consistent set of troubled characters- relatable storylines.
Narrative- 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 depth of darker post watershed series like Luther and Sherlock.

What are social values?

• Values shape how we judge others and ourselves. 
• They shape how we see the world and our place in it. 
• They shape our actions (right/wrong)

There are different sets of values and ideas. When we talk about social values, they're normally the thinking and actions that majority accept, which our laws and rules of society are based on. They're not fixed, they're constantly evolving. There never used to be swearing on tv, now it is a common place in TV dramas, on the other hand, in the 1960s smoking was a commonplace in tv dramas whereas nowadays, as we know about the bad effects of smoking, it is rare to see and when we do its to represent a bad character or criminal for example.

How does Cuffs represent the post 2010 era? (This decade)

1960s to 80s it would of been acceptable and justified to have an all white police force.

Far more multi cultural society now and in order to not be racist and fall in line with modern attitudes, many officers and those in senior rank are of multi ethnic origin and this needs to be reflected in the modern day drama. In Cuffs they also focus on the everyday crime that happens in the world and use the ideas. There is also swearing and more graphic detail as that is more acceptable today however as it was pre watershed, it wasn't that bad.

Episode 1: Social values

• Ethnicity- Shows a range of ethnicity, but majority of characters were white. There was a black policeman but then his son was seen to be stereotypical black thugs that are skipping school and vandalising things. There was also a muslim police officer and a mixed race.
• Gender-There were both male and female police officers but mainly most characters were male, its the more senior ranks there were more men which is quite stereotypical.
• Sexuality- There are both straight and gay couples seen in the episode and there is no judgements on either which shows how it is deemed acceptable to be with who you want, the social values aren't that its wrong to not be straight. The main character is gay and this wasn't flagged up as an issue for the audience, or fellow police officers although you wouldn't normally think there would be a gay male officer. It shows how society views have changed since the 1960s because there would not be a gay couple in the avengers as this would be upsetting and unsettling for viewers as it wasn't accepted with the social standards.

Characters or Tropes?

A trope is a common or overused theme or device, like a cliche. Its a device for representing characters in film or TV. E.g The character with glasses is nerdy. The blonde woman is lacking intelligence.

Make a list of 10 familiar tropes from TV drama or film. 

Damsel in distress-Star wars (Princess Leia)

Cool old person- Morgan Freeman in Bruce almighty

The mama bear - Gilmore Girls (Lorelai)

The casanova- Kissing Booth (Flynn)

Over protective dad- Gossip Girl (Rufus)

Dark action girl- Lego movie (Wyldstyle)

Girly girl - Legally blonde (Elle)

Alpha male- Batman

How are characters established in the clip?

 They're both quite argumentative and stubborn, Ryan says it upfront and straightforward whereas Jakes a bit more nervous. They both seem stressed out as the job they're doing is hard and in the clip you can tell one of them has messed up.

What stereotypes or tropes are used? 

Jake is the sensitive character and Ryan is the alpha male.

How does the clip represent being modern and relatable?

Its all in colour and HD, there is also some swearing in it which shows its modern as in the 1960s you wouldn't hear a swear word on tv.

How is the audience constructed? 

It is assumed that the audience 

How does it appeal to segments of 16-65 year old demographic?

In what ways is it evidently shown that its pre watershed?

Theres not loads of swearing or violence and at the end jake refrains from dying somethings s it may be seen as offensive.

Cuffs and Genre: 

Monday 28th January 2019
L/O: To analyse the use of genre conventions and media language.

• Exciting storyline
• Crime fighting
• A leader, an alpha male, an un stereotypical women who likes to be in the action
• Criminals represented badly
• Located in a city, a police station

Longest standing Tv drama format.

The attraction of police crime drama to audience (Blumler and Katz) is that they oppose questions that audience demand answers to.

Plotting usually involves entering into peoples lives at a time of crisis.

Crime dramas usually have strong central characters whose values and actions audiences identify with.

How does the opening four minutes of Cuffs set the audiences expectations?

Shows lack of respect for police force as the contrast between the opening scene on the beach and what the chief is saying is very different, he says "They will be responsible and respected" And as he says this, PC Ryan gets punched in the face and then accidentally lets the people get away with it. The crosscutting between these two scenes shows the audience that the series will be showing how the police force are a bit of a one to the public, no matter how hard they try to be professional. The music is fast and upbeat showing a light note as its pre watershed, this is non diegetic sound which the characters can't hear.  The tone of the show is therefore shown as exciting, yet not too graphic, as they don't go into much detail about anything. Also the location is a seaside town called Brighton which emphasises on how its pre watershed as its represented a friendly holiday town. The mise en scene of the characters in the realistic police outfits and the cars and radios gives an exciting tone to it.

Ambient sound- Buzz and or surrounding sounds 

How has sound been used to create meaning?

In the opening scene of Cuffs it starts with non diegetic music that is dramatic and tension building, this engages the audience straight away as it shows something is going to happen. It then has police sirens blaring and a radio report of what the audience assume is what PC Ryan is going to sort, these Contrapuntal sounds show the police genre but don't match what you're seeing at the time as its setting is Brighton Pier. This shows how they are on it and ready for anything. Throughout the scene, it crosscuts between the voiceover of the Chief super intendant giving a big speech about the duties of the police force and the "enduring respect they get from the public" and contrasts with PC Ryan fighting with a naked man and a group on a stag do while the voiceover carries on the dialogue, the formal seriousness juxtaposes with the comedic scenes to show what the series will be like, it has real life issues but with some light heartedness on top, the scene also shows how much of a joke the police force are to everyone and how they're not taking seriously as no one is afraid of them, theres lots of shouting and arguing in this scene. Theres lots of ambient sounds like the seagulls and sound of waves to match the location of the holiday town Brighton. The sound bridge is the voiceover as it goes from one scene to another to link the scenes. At the end the Music fades to highlight the punch to the policeman, then at the end the music is silent when the superintendent is discussing his sons graduation.

Monday 4th February
L/O: To review and improve our responses.

Exam practice DIRT:

DIRT: use accurate terminology (Sound)

Diegetic/ Non diegetic

Parallel/contrapuntal- Matches scene you are seeing/ What you're seeing doesn't match the sound you're hearing

Soundbridge- sound goes from one scene to another to link the scenes

Voiceover- The speech

Dialogue- The speech

Ambient sound

Music

Volume fades/increases

Cuffs  and the PSB Remit
L/O: To evaluate how effectively the BBC meets the PSB remit.

PSB: Public Service Broadcaster
Refers to broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than for purely commercial interests.
Purposes:

• Informing our understanding of the world
• Stimulating knowledge and learning
• Reflecting the UKs Cultural identity
• Representing diversity and alternative viewpoints  

(Last two link with Cuffs)

Characteristics:

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

The BBC has extra PSB requirement because it has TV license funding, so has to "reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world"
BBC as a mass audience channel for all the "unites 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 BBCs core mission?
Cuffs meets the PSB remit of "reflecting the UKs cultural identity" and "Representing diversity and alternative viewpoints' as they have a range of multicultural people from different ethnic backgrounds, PC Jake is white whereas PC Ryan is black and and a mixed race Police constable. They also have gay and straight people to represent different sexualitys. Different religions are shown as they have a muslim and finally both genders are represented equally as there is around the same amount of males as there is females.This shows how although is just a police drama, they understand and represent all alternative viewpoints and ethnicity and go against stereotypes. The show also "Informs our understanding of the world" and "Stimulates knowledge and learning" as the audience see issues and crimes that happen in real life and learn from them.
The BBCs core mission is to inform, educate and entertain. They inform their audience as it shows them real life problems as show them what its really like as a police constable or just working in the police force. This is also educating them on the life of a policeman, also the sudiemce are educated on social values. The show also entertains the audience as it shows light heartedness and comedic relief by having amusing characters and scenes.

Tiger aspect are the name of the company that produced cuffs.

What other Tv dramas have they produced before cuffs in 2015?
They created a lot of TV dramas before Cuffs. For example Poldark and Doctor Foster, Peaky Blinders

Who created the show? What shows has she worked on previously?
Julie Greary and she worked on coronation street, prisoners wives and the secret diary of a call girl previously.

Tiger Aspect and Cuffs

L/O: To explore the media producers of cuffs and their impact on the production.
Thursday 7th February

Tiger Aspect has a long track record in both comedy and quality drama. Benidorm, Bad education, Robin hood, gimme gimme gimme.
BBC wanted a programme to replace waterloo road, 8pm wednesday, this was the only day eastenders wasn't on so it was extra pressure to deliver large audiences.
Cuffs offered the possibility of reproducing the success of the bill. It offered a soap opera style ensemble cast in a character led narrative.

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

Television Audiences in 2010s

L/O: To explore targeting television audiences and technologies.

How is the mainstream audience different now?
Whole family audience thing isn't as popular and common because people have multiple devices in the house so watch programmes suited to the individual. You can stream and record so people don't watch shows as much when its aired. Less channel loyalty. Audiences are now more segmented- broken up into different groups, much more then they were in the 1960s.
Technology has affected audiences because people don't have to follow schedules and be home for example when the programme is shown as you can record.

At the time Cuffs was made- 81 percent of people were still watching the show as it aired, so the Wednesday 8pm was still significant.

Uses and gratifications:
Personal identity: People from the audience can relate to characters in the series. They relate to them on a personal level

Information (surveillance): It gives us ideas and informs us about the police force is actually like and how the public treat the police force and the difficulties they face.

Entertainment (Escape): The drama storyline is entertaining and the high action scenes and the comedy element of it, its an escape from reality watching someone elses life.

Social interaction: People would have watched Cuffs and after watching it, talked about it and the drama in the series.

Explain the uses and gratifications offered to audiences in Cuffs. Give specific examples from episode 1.
Cuffs uses the four different uses and gratifications. Cuffs uses Personal identity, this is when people from the audience can relate to the characters or locations of the show like Brighton. People who are police officers will relate on a personal level or if they're going through the same situations like having a family member with cancer, or coming out as a homosexual or having a drug addiction for example. 
Cuffs also gives Information which gives the audience ideas and informs them about the police force and the daily life for them. You also see the lack of respect they get from the public and the ongoing difficulties they face. For example at the start when PC Ryan gets punched we see this is how the public treat them. Also in the speech at the start, they talk about the duties of a police officer which teaches the audience the rules they have to follow.
Entertainment is also used in the show, its a method of escapism from real life as you're following other peoples life instead of focusing on your own. The drama storyline of all the different crimes and crisis' throughout the episode keeps the audience hooked and entertained, in the first episode alone theres a drug addiction, a murder, a kidnapping, a suicide, a robbery and an assault. Also the high action scenes like the police car chase scenes add excitement and the element of comedy keeps the show more lighthearted to entertain its audience.
Finally, the show uses social interactions to interest more people into watching the show, people who have watched Cuffs will talk about it and the drama it has and this will make others watch it. An example is the high action scenes which people would find exciting and they would go tell people about it.

Exam Preparation
Monday 11th February
L/O: To review the exam format and possible question types.

1hr 45mins (incl 30 mins viewing time)
Worth 70 marks
Section A: TV (5 questions 45 marks)
Section B: Lego Movie (4 questions 25 Marks)


Section A:
Three questions based on extract, further two questions on TV industry/ audiences/ context
Should allow yourself 45 minutes for this section.
Questions in general could include:

• Media language (sound, mise en scene, editing, camerawork)
• Representation
• TV industry
• TV audiences
• Social, political and historical context

Q1- Media language

Analyse the extract using one area of media language, give at least two specific examples. (5 Marks 5 Minutes)

Pinpoint where each specific example comes from in the extract, giving precise details.

Explain how each example creates effect and use correct terminology.

Q2- Media language and representation

Analyse the extract using media language and representation and make a judgement. (10 marks 10 minutes)

How particular viewpoints have been shown.

How certain groups have been represented.

How the audience has been positioned.

How certain values have been constructed.

Must use examples from extract

Q3- Long essay based questions

Analyse the extract using media language and representation and make a judgement and a conclusion. (15 marks 15 Minutes)

How particular viewpoints have been shown.

How certain ideas or values have been represented.

How the audience have been positioned.

How the context has effected the meaning. 

Give atlas three specific examples from the extract, can use same as question two if question fits.

Q4- TV industry

May ask you about the TV industry in  general.

• Scheduling
• Regulation
• PSB
• Technology

(5 Marks 5 Minutes)

Q5- Context

May ask you about social political or historical context of either programme.

Differences between 1965 and now.

Effects of context on programming.

Influence of political and social context.

(10 Marks 10 Minutes)

Section B:

Four questions- Two short and two long.

30 minutes left.

First two questions are likely to be general questions based on promotional techniques.

The longer questions will ask you to discuss lego movie as an example.

Q6-

Simple fact based question.

Could be asked about:

• Regulation
• Film industry
• Promotional methods

(1 mark 1 minute) 

Q7- Reasons Why

Why certain promotional methods are used

Targeting specific audiences.

(4 Marks 4 Minutes) 

Do two examples, one mark for example one mark for reason.

Q8 and Q9- Essay style

Will ask you about promotional methods and ask you to use the Lego movie as an example to support your ideas.

• Audience appeal
• Targeting Audiences
• Genre conventions
• Promotional methods used

Both questions 10 marks each

Monday 11th March
L/O: To review and reflect on the year 11 mock exam and set personal targets.
DIRT

Q2- Media language or representation
showing polices pov over criminals.
More close ups of police- see more into their personalities and feelings.
supposed to feel sympathy for police
music when criminals arrive is sinister, narrative shows good characters being interrupted by criminals.
One example from each area.
Put your judgement in

Q3 Five marks for your judgement
10 marks for analysis
Camera, sound, editing, miss en scene, narrative and themes, characters.
Must give examples from extract
Don't describe
Verisimilitude (Believable and realistic fictional world)
Settings
Costumes
Props

Q4 The BBC is funded by the public and is regulated by ofcom and is therefore having to follow a stricter set of regulations to meet.
High quality content
Reflect uks cultural identity
Range of diversity and alternative viewpoints

Q5 Refer to specific examples from the avengers, don't describe scene, look at all contexts, sexuality and diversity.

TV targets:
Revise subject terminology
Practice making judgements and conclusions
Social context of the 60s

Q8 Say about how movies offer Blumler and Katzs theory in general then use lego movie as an example.

Q9 talk about all parts of questions

Lego movie targets:
Effects of Blumler and Katzs theory uses and gratifications.