A textual analysis of Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation season 2 episode 1: 'Pawnee Zoo'

Representation - what groups are represented, how are they represented, and why?

Gay people 

Positively and stereotypically. Confident, loud, and motivated by partying. In The Bulge , a tightly packed group of gay men excitedly chant Leslie's name, which constructs gay men as over enthusiastic, loud, proud and confident. Exclusively gay men. Use of Lady Gaga as a gay icon reinforces stereotypical representations of gay men. However, this episode arguably perpetuates a simplistic and straightforward stereotype of gay men, which can cause issues for gay men in real life, as it constructs an idea, standard, and stereotype. Gay men in this episode are an accessory and a function rather than being a fully fleshed character attribute. The gay best friend stereotype. Thingy is represented as feminine for the purposes of comedy, which also represents stereotypes surrounding gay people

Middle-aged women 

Awkward and cringy. This also reinforces a stereotypical representation of middle aged women. Lacks knowledge on current life, on LGBT+ lifestyles, is clueless, ditzy, scatty, and barely competent.

Young people 

[The homeless] - creepy, stalker-y, but also, really funny. Homelessness is a joke in this narrative. The MES of the pit in his former garden is a ridiculously over the top aspect MES. The serious issue of homelessness is so unrelatable to working class audiences that it is treated as straightforward.

Media language - close textual analysis

Genre - what genre is this show and what are the conventions that make it?

Genre - comedy

Subgenres and styles - situation comedy, mockumentary

Conventions of the mocumentary -  handheld camera, single camera setup, long take, shakeycam, low production values 

This Country, Modern Family, The Office, Brooklyn 99 (borderline!), Trailer Park Boys, Always Sunny

Generic fluidity - how genres change over time. Genres will evolve to appeal to the tastes of the public

Comedy elements - foolish characters for the audience to identify with, fast paced punchy editing, the use of reaction shots, use of song, dance and movement, use of colour constructing a positive atmosphere

Audience - how does this product appeal to multiple audiences?

Uses and gratifications -the ways in which audiences use and take pleasure from a media product

Uses and pleasures of Parks and Rec - themes of the show provide escapism for the target audiences. The characters provide an escapist fantasy, through being relatable. They make mistakes, but then they solve them by the end of the episode. This is in stark opposition to real life, where being threatened with forced resignation and having to go on local news to defend your job would of course be highly stressful and upsetting.

Life imitating art: delivery robots

 

• The dull, drab mise-en-scene of the above image demonstrates that when actual, radical technological change is implemented, it will not be exciting, but will happen through the medium of bureaucratic announcements and legal red tape
• Robots in real life is an exciting idea!
• Technological advancements can help the world become a better place!
• Much technological advancement is not actually based on progress, but instead on emulating science fiction
• Robots are potentially a cost efficient way of cutting down wages. They can potentially replace 
• The design of these robots must be non-threatening, which suggests a public fear of robots, technology, and change in general
• But how much of our fear of robots is actually derived from exploitative science fiction dramas? Are we guilty of stereotyping robots?

Regulating newspapers: researching case studies

Today's task involves clicking on lots of links and researching. Please make sure that you make notes: you don't need to write a million words, but this information will be essential for a question on regulation of newspapers, which is frankly very likely to come up in your upcoming KA2 mock!

Introduction - starting with the conclusion

Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt argue that by and large, the regulation of all UK media is largely ineffective for a variety of reasons:

• Powerful media industries are motivated by maximising profit and securing power (Curran & Seaton), and are able to use their power and influence to bypass regulations
• Digitally convergent media technologies, for example streaming, internet piracy and difficult to regulate social media sites mean that traditional regulation is now essentially impossible
• The regulatory bodies that have been set up to regulate media are hands-off and ineffective at doing their jobs
  
  

Essentially, when writing about regulation, your conclusion will usually be that the regulation of the [x] industry is largely ineffective.

IPSO - the Independent Press Standards Organisation 

Click here to find resources appropriate to IPSO. 

(only the link to IPSO's code of practice still works, so don't worry about the other link)

Task 1 - Make notes on the IPSO code of conduct. What do newspaper editors have to think about when including stories? The following headings may help you

• Invasion of privacy
• Grief
• Self-harm and suicide
• Racist and discriminatory language
• Crime
• Reporting on children

Regulation in context: the News Of The World phone hacking scandal

First, watch this short (five minute) news broadcast that concisely explains what the phone hacking scandal was all about

Then watch this one, which goes in to more detail, several years on

Task 2 - make as many notes as possible on the News Of The World hacking scandal. What happened, who did it, where did it happen, why did it happen?

As a result of this incident, IPSO was formed to replaced the PCC. However, IPSO's guidelines are almost identical to the guidelines set out by the PCC. Why would so little change?

Criticisms of IPSO

Click here to find a link to a valid criticism of IPSO

Check out this short article by Mark Dixon which outlines some more issues and criticisms of IPSO's regulation of The Daily Mirror, as well as the hands-off method of regulation that IPSO operate.

Task 3 - in your notes, online the criticisms that exist about IPSO, and the regulation of newspapers in the UK. Why is it so hard to regulate the UK news industry?

Looking for trouble 

Now you know a little bit about IPSO, pick an online newspaper (eg The Sun, The Mirror, The Star, The Express... frankly tabloids will work better for this task) and complete the following task

Task 4 - make screenshots of articles that may breach IPSO's guidelines. Invasion of privacy is the easiest one to find here. How and WHY does this article breach IPSO guidelines? See how many you can find!

Bonus tasks

Here are some more tasks you may or may not have already completed. They're all importnant, so check them out!

Political ideology

UK newspapers: how representations reconstruct reality

If you are NOT in P block, or you just missed the lesson, then check out THIS post on a time when the Daily Mirror broke IPSO guidelines so significantly, IPSO had to step in! And... ask them to print a very small apology...

Demonising the working class for a working class audience

Click here to read the article as it was published in the Mirror's online edition before reading any further

Back to basics: the four types of media question

Industry - how a media product makes money 

Representation - how a group is re-presented by the producer to demonstrate their ideology

Audience - how the audience uses or interacts with a media product

Media language - how shot types, camera angles, MES etc make meaning for the audience

Representation

Which group is being represented in this article?

Working class people, specifically lower working class, the struggling working class. 

Who is the target audience for this article?

The target audience for the Daily Mirror is working class people, and it targets a left wing audience through it's political bias. 

What ideological perspective about this group is being constructed for the target audience? How?

That this family are unlikable, lazy, and bad with money. Therefore, it's their fault that they're poor. This ideological perspective is reinforced through the selection of images and the anchorage of MES

• Setting of a car boot sale is a sterotypically a working class environment, which has connotations of poverty and finacnial desperation
• The mother is wearing a handbag, which may suggest that far from being actually poor, she is spending money on hereself. This reinforces the narrative of the article. 
• Additionally, she is wearing the bag round the front, which functions as a proairetic code, suggesting that she is showing off her wealth 
• However, a polysemic interpretation is that the mother is vulnerable, and that she is taking care and control of her money, looking after it by keeping it in plain sight
• The man is wearing an Adidas tracksuit, which is a potentially expesive tracksuit. Once more the inclusion of this image constructs a representation of a family that have made poor finacial descisions
• The MES of the objects of the table further connote wealth. This includes a sterero, a keyboard, football shoes, and protien powder. However, the fact thayt they are selling these things constructs a narrative where the family have realised that these are not necesities, and must do things to make ends meet
• The family are clean, and are wearing nice clothes
• The Addidas trancksuit suggests stereotypical connotations of a working class lifestyle, involving council houses, being bad with money, and even crime
• Sterotypes are a widely held belief about a certain group of people, and they must be reinforced by being repeated multiple times in multiple situatuins
• The MES of the man's balding head and severe features further reinforces his status as a stereoypical working class person
• The MES of the cigarette in the woman's hand yet again further reinforces a stereotype that the working class are uncultured and bad with moeny
• The families car is small, modest and non-descript, which could be connotative of poverty

This entire article takes a highly voyeuristic mode of address which positions the audience in a judgemental position. 

Regulatory issues

• IPSO are the regulatory organisation for UK newspapers
• The Daily Mirror is owned by Reach PLC, a horizontally integrated distributor of hundreds of UK newspapers 
• However, despite being factually incorrect to a level that legally means that the newspaper has to apologise for it, the story is still being hosted, for financial reasons.

Why does the Daily Mirror encourage hatred of working class people?

• If the working class hate other working class people, does it make them feel better about themselves? Yes potentially! But it also means that working class people are more likely to blame other working class people for their issues. However, it is the ruling class, i.e. the government, the rich and those in power who actually cause widespread societal issues. If working class people are blaming the working class, then they are not blaming the people in power for their issues.

Does the Daily Mirror force the working class to fight against each other rather than facing their own issues? Does it reinforce hegemony?

• Marxist ideology - there are two types of people: the working class, and the ruling class. Everything in our society is based on the domination of the working class by the ruling class. 
• George Gerbner: cultivation theory
• Intertextuality: where one media product makes reference to another media product

Les Revenants initial discussion

The following notes were pulled from two different classes as a starter activity. As ever, if there's repetition, this means it's a good point worth making twice!

• The link between Lena and Camille is bizarre! Camille essentially crashes a bus killing everybody because her sister has an orgasm 
• Les Revs is an extremely unconventional show!
• But what genre is Les Revs? A drama? A zombie horror??? Is Camille a Zombie?
• Use of soundtrack: eerie soundtrack 
• A highly confusing narrative featuring a range of different characters. A flexi narrative or multi strand narrative
• A deliberately confusing narrative that forces us to engage with the topic of death 
• An extremely confusing use of time and space deliberately positions the target audience in a confusing mode of address, and will lead to confusion as to the relationship between Lena and Camille (actually twin sisters!)
• The use of long takes: continuous shots with no editing create a deliberately slow and awkward pace
• The narrative is highly unorthodox. There is not traditional typical build up to the bus crashing off the cliff, and this is potentially very unsatisfying to the target audience
• The final sex scene takes place between two 15 year olds having sex, which is below the age of consent in the UK. However, this scene clearly does not breach any UK guidelines, beyond offending certain audiences. This scene clearly reflects the differences in values between France and The UK
• The aesthetic: very dark, very gloomy 
• The show is set not in Paris or a major city as the audience might expect , but instead in the French ALPS, deep in the countryside
• Metaphysical: something beyond the physical realm and our understanding
• The concept of death itself is broken in this TV show, which constructs a highly confusing mode of address for the target audience
• Les revenants is a mysterious show. It makes extensive use of hermeneutic codes to position the audience in an inquisitive 
• The entire show is completely predicated on hermeneutic codes. It is reliant on them to an extreme degree, as many of the mysteries never get resolved?
• For example: 
• how did Camille come back to life?
• Why is it so jarring? This isn’t normal?
• How isn’t Camille eating anyone’s brains
• What are our expectations of this show? Because it is targeting a niche audience, it is very likely that audiences that stumble across this show rather than seeing advertising for it for example. 
• Audiences may choose to watch this show because of the music, which was composed by a band called Mogwai, an instrumental rock band from Glasgow. But why did they do the soundtrack? It acts as a unique selling point, and allows the show to target a pre-sold audience. Their music is also loud and mysterious, which suits the theme and the aesthetic of the show 
• It’s very creepy! The central theme is quite horrifying! Camille coming back from the dead, not as a zombie but as an identical girl to how she died is extremely unsettling to the audience. It completely subverts our expectations of the zombie genre, as none of the zombies/les revenants seem to be in any way aware of what’s going on, which is highly creepy, in a far more subtle way
• Deeply confusing narrative can be completely off putting to the audience, leaving them confused, overwhelmed, and even bored 
• The narrative is actually extremely straightforward, and for much of the episode, characters act in an off putting and emotionless way, which can be pretty distancing for certain audiences 
• A focus on ‘normal’ and relatable people. There is no struggle for life, there is no barricading in a house. In fact, ‘normal’ and relatable things happen, such as having sex, picking up guys, trying to find a house, and grieving over the death of a daughter. 
• However, there are two moments of shocking violence in this episode, including a scene where Mr Costa ties up and burns alive Mme costa, the bridge suicide, and the waitress being stabbed to death in the underpass. 
• Les Revenants is highly atypical in every conceivable way

Political ideology

Introduction: lets make this political

Ideology refers to the beliefs and values of the producer of a media product. But it also refers to our own beliefs and values.

Politics refers to how power is distributed. When we say 'politics', we tend to think of government, politicians, and world leaders like Emanuel Macron, Joe Biden and Liz Truss I mean Rishi Sunak.

For some people, EVERYTHING is political, as everything is about power and its exchange. For example public transport is political, as it reflects a decision as to how easily certain people can and cannot move freely. Videogames are political, as they reflect certain ideologies about sex and violence, and this can be reflected in society. When we think like this, the world becomes very complicated, and even scary.

For other people, NOTHING should be political. Games should just be games, books should just be books, and things like gender and race should be less important. You might have heard the phrase: "let's not make this political". When we think like this, the world becomes very straightforward.

For media studies, we are more likely to assume that everything is political. This is because, at it's heart, media studies is the study of power, who has this power, and how it gets distributed. One aspect of media studies that is unarguably political, however, are newspapers, which always demonstrate a political ideology, and therefore always demonstrate a political bias.

Bias - to favour one perspective, opinion

Types of bias

Bias through selection - where a particular story, image or source is used to reinforce a certain ideology

Bias through omission - where a particular story, image or source is NOT used, to reinforce a certain ideology

This handy guide represents the political ideologies of many of the major UK newspapers. Of course, this is completely up to interpretation, but generally I think it's spot on! Image via Nathan Gamester

Researching the difference between left and right wing politics

You may have heard these terms before, but what do they actually mean? Well, you are going to use the internet to find out!

Task 1: make two headings: right wing and left wing, and make notes about what these could mean underneath them.

BUT: this task is filled with difficulty. Why? Because every media product, and every person is biased. Yes, this includes me. It is absolutely impossible to avoid bias. So please, look at several sources when completing your research. 

By way if example, here's how my father in law explained right and left wing policy to his children when they were young:

"If you worked really hard for your money, would you just give it to someone who hadn't worked at all for it? Let's say you were on a desert island. You work really hard to make a hut and a running water supply. You grow crops and make a toilet. But this other guy lazes around and does nothing. Should he get to use your hut? No. That's why I'm right wing"

This is a pretty unhelpful analogy, even if it is very simple. It is extremely specific and is related to an imagined society of two people rather than 70 million. But most of all, it is deliberately emotive, and is designed to accept one answer. "Yes, I would let the bad man live in my hut" is clearly the wrong answer. In general, simple analogies like this tell us absolutely nothing about our world. A similar example might be "Rishi Sunak is literally Hitler". This is also simple, straightforward, emotive, and means that if you argue against it, you are probably a Nazi.

This type of argument is called a 'persuasive definition'. You cannot disagree with it without looking like a fool. It's a terrible way to make an argument, as it is made to deliberately wind up the recipient

However, newspapers use biased and emotive ideological perspectives like this all the time

Bias in action 1

The above page was published on the night of a general election between Teresa May's conservative government and Jeremy Corbyn's labour government. It is probably the most open and extreme example of political bias ever seen in a UK newspaper. 

Task 2 - use the textual analysis toolkit to answer the below questions

• What techniques are used to construct representations in this front page?
• How does the front page utilise both bias through selection and bias through omission? How do you know?
• How does this newspaper use 'persuasive definitions'? What are you if you disagree with the ideology of the newspaper?
• Why is this newspaper being so blatant with it's ideology? What is it trying to achieve? AND WHY?

Bias in action 2

You're probably really familiar with the above image. If you are sitting the exam in 2024 and beyond, you will be expected to make reference to this front page!

So, exactly the same:

Task 3 - use the textual analysis toolkit to answer the below questions

• What techniques are used to construct representations in this front page?
• How does the front page utilise both bias through selection and bias through omission? How do you know?
• How does this newspaper use 'persuasive definitions'? What are you if you disagree with the ideology of the newspaper?
• Why is this newspaper being so blatant with it's ideology? What is it trying to achieve? AND WHY?

What is your own ideology?

You might have a clear idea of your ideology. You might not. You might not care. But ideology, and politics influences every aspect of your life, weather you chose to think about it or not. 

I Stand With is a comprehensive online tool that lets you answer a number of questions, and then will tell you which UK political party best suits your ideology, based on their own manifestos (which are essentially a list of promises that parties make if they are to get voted in. Whether or not they actually do these things is another story!)

There are some difficult questions on here, and you can click to get more information. Remember, that every definition is potentially biased, and even something like I Stand With, which broadly seems legit, is swimming with bias. But it's a good starting point.

Task 4 - what political ideology are you? Take this quiz to find out!

Click here to take the quiz

Humans fact file

Here are a few facts about Humans that will make excellent contextual information in the final exam!

• Budget of £12million for the whole of the eight episodes of the first series
• C4s 'highest rated' drama since 1992 (lol)
• Written by Sam Vincent and Jonathon Ratcliffe
• Screened on Channel in the UK, and AMC in America
• American UK co-production. Allows producers to maximise audiences and minimises financial risk
• Cancelled in 2019, four years after starting, due to decline in viewing figures, especially in America 
• Commissioned in America due to the success of British exports such as Dr Who and Black Mirror 
• Laura had given birth six weeks before film 
• A remake of a Swedish show called Real Humans, with many of the same elements, but the sex and violence were significantly toned down for local audiences
• AMC - American Movie Channel. Previously a low-rent basic cable. However, they pivoted to 'serious' prestige TV, including The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Preacher, Mad Men. Humans totally fits in to their ethos of mid-budget prestige TV. A slightly different version of the show was aired in America to correspond to local regulations
• Channel 4. UK commercial TV channel with a reputation for edgy, out-there TV. The Inbetweeners, Broadchurch, Naked Attraction, GBBO, Gogglebox, Big Brother, Hunted, Black Mirror, Top Boy, Brass Eye, Taskmaster
• Aired on Thursdays at 2100. Post watershed, the time when it is accepted that adult shows may be broadcast (self-regulation). Primetime!

Applying postmodern theory to Humans

Jean Baudrillard – theories surrounding postmodernism

Odi is a hyperreal construct. To George, he is far more real than anything else in his life. But is this in spite of, or because of how irreparably broken he is? Does Odi and George's intense and subversive relationship reflect a breakdown in societal values? Why does George love Odi so much? What is real, and does it matter?

This 'theory' is extremely difficult to define, as it's an 'anti-theory' theory. So things are going to get very complicated very quickly. Luckily, postmodernism as a critical approach is often applied in a loose way, so don't worry too much about how you apply it in your written work. 

Concept one – it is impossible to objectively define what is real. Therefore, there is no such thing as reality

Concept two – we live in an age where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning

Concept three – Since all forms of meaning have collapsed, media products reflect ideologies and messages that have never even existed in the first place

Hyperreality

Hyperreality - where the representation is more real that the thing that is represented 

Baudrillard argued that we are increasingly unable to differentiate between what is real and what is not, but this does not matter, as there is no quantifiable, objective reality

Examples of hyperreality 

• Instagram accounts of famous models, for example Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid generally feature highly editing, 'perfect' reconstructions of reality, that are far more interesting than how they actually live their lives. Audiences are absolutely aware that Jenner is a hyperreal construct, and is 'fake' or not real... but we don't care! This is because the world is so complicated that we have absolutely no idea what is actually going on anymore, and it is preferable to simply accept the surface value of representations. The fake is BETTER than reality.
• News headlines and reportage of big stories, often reduce difficult situations to more easily digestible examples
• Advertisements: chocolate bars, for example Lindt chocolate sell an exciting sexual lifestyle that goes beyond the simple act of eating chocolate 
• Makeup, clothing, brands, products, all promise to transform us in to something completely different 

What examples of hyperreality are evident in the breakfast scene?

Sophie - "is this a party?"
Joe - "No Soph, this is what breakfast is supposed to be like!"

But what is breakfast 'supposed' to look like? For one thing, the whole family are eating together 

The family are surrounded by a number of different options, including the MES of teapots, a range of cutlery, toast in a toast rack, and little pots of jam and milk. It resembles a breakfast at a hotel rather than a 'real' breakfast at home. When Joe says 'this is what breakfast is supposed to be like', he is making reference to breakfast scenes on TV and in adverts.

The Hawkins family themselves are a stereotypical ,hyperreal and traditional white middle class family. They resemble other stereotypical white middle class groups, such as in Friends, Home Alone, Modern Family, My Family, Outnumbered, and many more examples. They fulfil every hegemonic norm and expectation. Even if you are from a white, middle class, nuclear family, it is frankly very unlikely you live in a similar manner to the Hawkins family. Yet, despite not resembling the vast majority of even white middle class families, they still seem more real through their familiarity. The audience not only suspend their disbelief, but simply accept this contradiction. 

Anita as a hyperreal construct

Anita herself is a hyperreal representation. She is absolutely perfect. What makes her perfect?

• Symmetrical facial features
• Well spoken 
• She is very tall
• Her movements are soft and graceful
• She is emotionless
• She laughs when she is told to 
• She is controllable
• She does what you tell her
• She is subservient 
• She is submissive
• She is conservative
• She doesn't need to eat or drink

But these ideas of 'perfection' are highly problematic! Anita resembles a hyperreal hegemonic approximation not of a real woman, but of a simulacrum of a 1950s British housewife 

The collapse of meaning

Baudrillard argued that we live in a world with more and more information and less and less meaning. This is a concept that has become more apparent since his death. 

The news cycle is engineered to be highly stressful and extremely confusing, with a number of highly contradictory stories. On any given day, themes of nuclear annihilation, economic collapse, and political manipulation are combined with stories about football, celebrity gameshows, and how thin Bela Hadid is. This extremely confusing mode of address instigate feeling of depression, misery, anxiety, resignation and confusion. The news cycle could be argued to be a form of social control. By presenting such a confusing, misleading and highly inflammatory set of contradictory narratives, audiences are simply so confused that they slip in to other media products, and escape in to less stressful situations. The world in which we live in has been structured in such a way that it is impossible to understand. 

The main news headlines from The Mail Online, 16th November 2022. A highly confusing and contradictory mess of information is presented to the audience

How are themes of confusion, anxiety and paranoia encoded in Humans?

• Laura is anxious and paranoid about being replaced as both a mother and a Lover, by Anita, a perfect, fake human. This could symbolise the collapse of the metanarrative of marriage, and traditional values that generally state we should remain with one partner
• Matty has completely lost all motivation, as traditional metanarratives of work and employment have been replaced. Increasingly, even highly skilled jobs can be carried out by robots and artificial intelligence. Traditional jobs, such as security guards, flight attendants, mail people, factory workers, media studies teachers, artists replaced with artificial intelligence
• Many of the human characters have found it hard to adjust to robots just existing. Laura refuses to get one, and inspector Drummond is highly critical of his wife's rehabilitation synth. 
• Laura gets very defensive: it's just a robot, she isn't your friend. "you're just a stupid machine, aren't you?" Constructs a 'them and us' situation
• George is highly critical of the police and the government for interfering with his private life with Odi. The MES of George's DON'T RING/NO VISITORS sign indicates his preference for isolation
• Leo has had his friends and lovers stolen from him, and he is desperately trying to get them back
• Leo is going through a significant identity crisis. He is not human. Or is he? He is half robot, and has essentially been bought back to life through technology. In many ways he should not exist, which adds to the confusing nature of the show
• The use of low key lighting throughout the show encodes a sense of paranoia
• Laura has a significant fear of being replaced by Anita. She is terrified of her role as a mother being replaced by Anita. Previously, she cleaned the house, read stories and cooked for her children. All these aspects have now been taken away from her.
• Themes of the singularity. Matty is absolutely dejected by the idea of the singularity. She has completely given up, because artificial intelligence will take any job that she applies for. Her future is completely uncertain, and frankly pointless

Key scene - breakfast

• While the breakfast scene may seem on the surface to be nothing but comic relief, the escapist hyperreal fantasy it offers presents deeply rooted themes of anxiety, distrust and depression, which are fundamental to the postmodern condition.
• The mid-shot reaction shot of Anita's laughing at Joe's performatively terrible joke anchors and emphasises the creepy and robotic nature of this laugh. This laugh has been digitally looped in post production to further emphasises her robotic nature, and the simple fact that she does not exist. This is further anchored through a montage of mid-shots of the increasingly confused reactions of the Hawkins family, followed by absolute silence, which constructs an awkward and uncomfortable binary opposition.
• Laura is clearly highly irritated by Anita's presence, at one stage shouting "for God's sake, that's already clean, just sit down'. This exasperated outburst is further anchored through the gesture of her hand being held up to her face in resignation 
• Joe's attempt at a joke is clearly an attempt to distract from a toxic situation 
• After referring to Anita as a 'dishwasher', Matty admonishes Toby with the line "because we can't guess why you like her so much , crusty sheets'. Matty realises and is disgusted by Toby's sexual desire for Anita, and by bringing up his masturbation in front of his family, is desperately trying to upset toby. This is symbolic of a collapse of the traditional nuclear family, and deliberately breaches sexual taboos 
  
  

Key scene - the brothel

• The montage of Leo walking down the narrow of the brothel draws attention to the MES of the building itself. The tight corridors function as a hermeneutic code, constructing a powerful sense of mystery and confusion for the target audience
• The gesture of Niska slapping Leo in the face is anchored through the use of a close-up reaction shot of Leo's confused face. This highly contradictory binary opposition further reinforces the themes of anxiety and confusions
• There is a huge contradiction formed between Leo walking in to the brothel, and Leo leaving Niska's room. Walking in to the brothel, Leo is constructed as a stereotypical, patriarchally dominant man. His sharp, dominant delivery of the line "keep walking" reinforces his dominant status as a hegemonically powerful man. However, this quickly unravels as he enter the brothel. A close up of his face as he rings the doorbell symbolises his nervousness, which stands in stark contrast to his earlier confidence. Through the use of POV shots, we as an audience are suddenly positioned as Leo himself. A close up reaction of his facial expression reveals a complicated polysemic mixture of disgust, confusion, paranoia and anxiety. This highly confusing and highly contradictory collection of emotions informs the audience that the world in which we live in is so completely complicated and contradictory that we have no hope of understanding
• The brothel itself is a hyperreal construction of a locations that audiences will be both highly familiar with, yet have no direct experience of. The MES of pink lighting, coupled with the uncomfortable MES of hegemonically attractive women dancing seductively behind glass makes intertextual reference to crime dramas. This contradictory and confusing mode of address positions the audience in a confusing way. 
• MES captured of panning shot of the already established brothel encodes women as a mere commodity, a highly dehumanising, anxiety inducing and emotionally distancing technique. It symbolises that prostitution is accepted or at least tolerated in a postmodern society, which forms a proairetic code, encoding the potential anxiety of the audience as they consider the outcome of sexualising women, which supports the postmodern theory that previously held metanarratives have been destroyed, and the audience must accept a confusing new world.
• "I was meant to feel pain". Niska defines her humanity through her ability to feel pain, and chooses to feel the pain of sexual exploitation even though she technically doesn't have to. This draws attention to uncomfortable and challenging themes surrounding sexualisation and objectification. 
• The character of Niska herself is particularly confusing. She is a cyborg. but she believes/knows that she is a human. She is also a prostitute, as encoded through the MES of her lingerie, and she is a friend, a murderer...

These elements underline and reinforce a powerful critique of the postmodern condition 

Distrust of metanarratives

Metanarrative: a way of understanding the world

• Examples of metanarratives include marriage, the nuclear family, traditional career paths, traditional gender roles, traditional sexuality, religion
• Postmodern theory not only disagree with these, but simply presents that they do not exist anymore. They never even existed in the first place...

Further examples of metanarratives include...

• Parenthood, with clearly defined gender boundaries as to what parents should do
• Sexuality - heteronormativity. Being heterosexual is 'normal', and being gay is tolerated, but generally seen as different, or 'abnormal'
• Capitalism! Getting money is important! You can buy stuff with it! Success in life can clearly be defined through earnings 
• Religion. Live a good life and receive an eternal reward

Simulacra and Simulation

This is the title of perhaps Baudrillard's most famous essay, which was published in a book of the same title. 

A Baudrillardian simulacra is a representation of something that never existed in the first place. It is a representation of a representation of a representation. An excellent example is Anita, who appears as a combination of a stereotypical 1950s housewife, a maid/butler and prostitute. Yet Anita is none of these things. She is not even Anita.

A simulation is a virtual world. Since we have ascertained that nothing is real, we all live in a simulation. Yep. Sorry. This isn’t real.

Negative criticisms of postmodernism 

• Theory is highly inconsistent, and has no sense of continuity
• Theory has no structure, and is completely unsubstantiated
• Self-destructive. How can a theory be 'anti-theory'?
• Postmodernism is arguably a metanarrative. It is a way of thinking about the world. However, it also argues that metanarrative do not exist. This is highly contradictory
• There is no objective accuracy, and we can never make definitive conclusions
• It's extremely confusing and difficult (impossible!) to understand 
• It is not a sustainable way to think about the world. Without some form of positivity, everything will collapse and no one will ever do anything
• Highly destructive, nihilistic, damaging to society
• It is a black hole of theory, it goes nowhere, and it contradicts
• It is extremely unpopular in academic circles 
• It's simply a cool and edgy theory, nothing more
• Postmodernism is yet another passive media theory. It argues that life sucks and we have no power
• Highly deterministic, absolutely lacking in nuance, it doesn't consider individual aspects

Gender performativity, Humans and cyborgs

Donna Harraway - we are all cyborgs. We are all reliant on technology, and ultimately, we all define ourselves through technology. And the thing that makes us fundamentally human is not simply our species, but the ways in which we are totally reliant on technology

The opening credits sequence of Humans uses a variety of highly confusing and contradictory representations of robots, including this early 20th century example. The the diegesis constructed by Humans, cyborgs, or combinations of flesh and technology not only exist, but have been somewhat integrated in to society

How is Anita an example of a cyborg?

Anita is creepy, and even unpleasant. This is because she occupies something we refer to as the 'uncanny valley'. This is further exaggerated though the casting of Gemma Chan as Anita. She is so hegemonically attractive that she is even potentially uncomfortable for the audience. She is a highly unrealistic standard of beauty, that is emphasised through mise-en-scene such as her makeup and the highly flattering lighting that constructs her. 

Judith Butler and gender performativity 

The American gender theorist (among other disciplines!) Judith Butler argues that our performance of gender has performativity, and influences and shapes the world around us. She cites a highly personal example where a teenage girl bluntly asked her if she was a lesbian. Butler's own gender performance had a very definite affect on the world around her, which demonstrates that even walking down the street can be a performative act!

Sex - biological distinction, male, female, intersex etc

Gender - the category that somebody identifies as 

Gender performance - the aspects of the gender stereotypes that we choose to conform to 

Gender performativity - how our gender performance affects the world around us, and constructs the world around us

Example question: Judith Butler argues that gender is a performative act, and that gender performativity is essential in fundamentally constructing the world around us. Evaluate this theory of representation. Make reference to Humans to support your answer. 

How does Anita's gender performativity shape the world around her?

Anita is a gendered cyborg. She is constructed by her gendered identity. It heavily inferred that she is able to have sex and she is sexually available. She has long hair, breasts, is wearing makeup, and has feminine features that construct her as a hegemonically sexually attractive woman. 

Sophie - is obsessed with the idea of Anita being pretty, and is visibly excited when Anita is revealed to be pretty. She says 'yay!'  Anita conforms to societal norms, and Sophie is delighted that she has a pretty doll to play with.

Joe - is clearly excited by the sexual prospects of Anita. He hides his nervousness by talking in a stereotypically manly way, perhaps to impress Anita? Or perhaps to distract himself from the guilt he is feeling? A high angled close shows both Anita and Sophie walking away, constructing a polysemic mode of address, where Joe is concerned by Anita walking off with with Sophie, but also looking at her backside. Later in the episode, a close up shot of Joe inspecting the 18 plus card functions as a hermeneutic code. Will Joe have sex with Anita? And how will this affect his relationship? It also introduces a powerful question to the audience: does having sex with a robot count as cheating? These questions help to engage the audience, while exploring issues of gender. Additionally, Anita is wearing a particularly innocent and sexless blue dress, that does not accentuate her body at all

Mattie - "what's your max processing speed?"

Toby - Toby is absolutely obsessed by Anita's sexual potential. This is encoded through the MES of Toby licking his, and a slow zoom on his face, which anchors this gesture

Laura - Feels as though she is being replaced by Anita, both sexually, and in terms of being a a mother. Because she appears to lack emotional engagement, however, she can never fully commit to these roles. 

Constructing an argument

The representation of gender in Humans is highly complicated, in order to both entertain it's science fiction fan target audience, but also to ask important questions about what it means to be a woman, and what it means to be a Human. Potentially, the producers of Humans are presenting a deliberately controversial and exploitive representation of women. Far from being feminist, it is instead being deliberately sexist, and hiding behind the idea of robots as allegory. Themes such as rape, slavery, racism and sexism are all chucked in with little thought, to create an exciting mode of address for the target audience. 

Black panther and audience appeal (and exam structure)

It is essential for major film producers to minimise risk and to maximise profit. Explore this idea with reference to Black Panther [15]

The character Erik Killmonger is highly appealing to audiences of Disney's Black Panther for a number of reasons, not least because he represents a straightforward and conventional villain that audiences of the genre have come to expect. Being the product of an enormous multinational corporation, every aspect of Black Panther was constructed in such a way to appeal to as many audiences, both new and pre0existing, as possible, and therefore to minimise risk and to maximise profit. 

Introduction

DAC

Definition, argument, context

D- The only reason a media product exists is to make money. 

A - In this essay, I shall argue that it was essential for Disney to make the largest profit possible from Black Panther, which they achieved in a number of different ways. 

C - Black Panther is a sci-fi/superhero hybrid blockbuster that cost a total of $350million and made $1.34billion in total. 

Paragraph one: audience appeal

Point

One way in which Disney minimised risk and maximised profit with Black Panther is ensuring that it appealed to its multiple audiences. An excellent example of it doing so can be seen in the Black Panther/Killmonger fight scene.

Evidence

•  As an enormous blockbuster film costing a total of $350million (including marketing and advertising), Disney ensured that Black Panther was a guaranteed hit that would certainly APPEAL to it's audiences, in every aspect of its production, distribution and marketing. Examples of its appeal include:
• High quality cinematography indicates high production values
• The selection of actors: fight scenes involve topless hegemonically attractive men, allowing the film to appeal to heterosexual women, who may not be traditionally the target audience for superhero films
• The setting is a beautiful fantasy world, which provides the audience with escapism 
• The exciting and interesting costumes of the characters appeal to fans of superhero cinema 
• Black Panther is a pre-existing character with a long history, who could appeal to older comic book fans
• Majority black cast, African setting, African accents and afro-themed soundtrack could appeal to a black audience, who would not traditionally engage with superhero products
• Ryan Coogler, the director ,also directed creed, a proven, blockbuster action film, which
• Star power: Michael B Jordan already associated with big budget action films, and already has a proven fan base
• Clear and easy to follow narrative, that follows established genre conventions
• Black Panther functions as a standalone film, with a clear beginning, middle and end. This could potentially appeal to a casual, parental audience who may accompany their children to he film
• Significant use of CGI, exciting and intriguing for the target audience
• Black main cast and themes are unusual in mainstream cinema, and may appeal to black audiences who historically have not been involved in nerd culture 
• Black Panther has been in development hell since 1992, perhaps due to the potential difficulty in marketing a 'black film'...
• Chadwick Boseman gives a convincing performance as an African superhero and his authentic accent may appeal to black and minority ethnic groups who do not feel represented 
• Representation of African people, as opposed to just African Americans is potentially highly appealing to many target audiences
• Many action scenes and a big focus on action will appeal to pre-existing fans of the superhero genre 
• Clear distinction between good and evil, and right and wrong allows even the youngest of audiences to follow this film
• A famous and well known cast will appeal to pre-existing fans of the cast. For example, Michael B Jordan appeared in Creed, another breakout action film with a black lead actor
• Star power: the stars are famous celebrities, and are potentially talking points for the audience
• Hegemonically, conventionally attractive men could appeal to heterosexual female audiences, who are not traditionally the target audience for comic book films 
• Mothers are catered for through the use of attractive male actors... sex sells!
• Superhero genre conventions easily appeal to younger audiences, while violent struggles between good and evil may appeal to older teenagers
• Use of fantasy action violence, rather than extreme violence and gore is far more appealing to mass audiences
• Strong, powerful, aspirational female actors may appeal to a female target audience, including a black female audience 
• Film was released in the thick of the black lives matter movement, which means it tapped into zeitgeist 

Paragraph two - regulation

In addition to its many appealing qualities, Black Panther was also expertly and specifically cut to ensure it would achieve a 12A certificate theatrically

Paragraph three - Disney the multinational conglomerate 

It was clear that Black Panther would make a significant amount of money, as the film was produced by an enormous multinational conglomerate

How to get in to game design talk

 Check out this awesome opportunity to hear a talk from a game industry veteran and ask questions too! For everyone even slightly interested in game design, this is a no-brainer/ To be honest, this is going to be fascinating just from a general media studies and sound design perspective. I can't wait!

Discourse analysis of UK TV spot advertisements (approx 1993-1994)

 Follow this link to view the adverts

Click to a random bit, and just go nuts.

What messages, values and ideological perspectives do you see REPEATED in these commercials?

Applying Gilroy to American snack food adverts

Paul Gilroy's work and analysis of media products sought to outline the ways in which subtle and not so subtle racism is encoded in media products. Gilroy argues that even long beyond it's colonial period, the UK still is inherently racist in it's discourse, and routinely presents white people as normal and acceptable, and black people as disruptive and different.

Much of Gilroy's most famous work was written in the 1980s, when racism in UK newspapers was barely concealed. This article in The Sun from 1987 casually suggests that black men are a sexual threat, and that the famous poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah should not be a visiting lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge, on the basic that he has dreadlocks (and "could do with a good shampoo"). Articles such as this reinforce the ideological perspective that black men are violent, threatening, and above all, different. 

For this activity, students analysed recent junk food adverts screened during the Super Bowl, one of the most watched sporting events in the world, with the most expensive advertising slots in the world. This is an excellent example for advertisers to demonstrate the dominant ideology of the society they are representing, and create an advert that appeals to the biggest, broadest audience possible!

Super bowl Doritos, Lays and Pepsi advert 2022

• In the Doritos, Lays and Pepsi advert, white people are represented as being boring, and 'normal'. A stereotypical white suburban setting is used. Audiences will understand this with being familiar with this stereotype, and it is anchored through the open plan staircase and the simple, straightforward furniture. The MES is neat and tidy, and a bland white colour scheme is used throughout. Their conversation is theatrically bland and boring as they discuss crisps and soft drinks.
• The first black person to enter the advert is represented as being loud, obnoxious, intrusive, chaotic, disruptive... The billowing smoke and and shattered wood resemble the conventions of an action film, which reinforces a representation of black people as being exciting, loud, and obnoxious. 
• After the house is literally demolished by two black visors, the remaining white character tells the audience "I'll tell your mum" which reinforces a stereotype about white people that they are no fun, and respect. However, the binary opposition of this is that the black characters do not respect authority, and are fun and exciting. 
• Another binary opposition is constructed through sound. Black characters are associated with with loud and obnoxious noises, while white characters are constructed through sudden silences. This differences reinforces a perceived difference between quite and black people
• The advert reflects commonly held stereotypes about both white people and black people. However, in doing so, the advert argues that white people are in a position of superiority over disruptive black people. 

Steve Carrel Pepsi advert 2019

• In this advertisement, white people are consistently represented as being boring. This representation is constructed through the lexis, which is consistently formal throughout. This encodes the symbolic connotations that white people themselves are stereotypically formal and even dull. 
• This stereotype is further reinforced through the casting of the waiter. He is physically weak looking, and has an awkward mannerism, which is made clear through how slowly he talks and is further anchored through his confused facial expression.
• The advert is set in a stereotypical American diner, which is made clear through the patriotic colours of red and white. This normal, straightforward and stereotypical setting would be instantly familiar to white working class audiences. 
• However, when BME people enter, the cinematography completely changes. The previously static, formalist shots are replaced with a more fluid and energetic cinematography, where the camera moves and drifts throughout the diner. This exciting change is further anchored through the significant change in costume. Cardi B's elaborate nails and jacket match the red white and blue colour scheme of Pepsi, which reinforces Pepsi as an exciting and interesting branding. 
• The deep, rolling sub bass has symbolic connotations of rebellion and excitement. The volume is excessively loud and over the top, which has connotations of both excitement and also threat. This notion of threat is emphasised through Cardi B's performance, as she assertively bursts through the door, which forms a direct mode pf address with the audience.
• Black people in this advert are represented as being loud, threatening, exciting and extravagant. In doing so, this advert constructs a binary between black and white people, where white people are represented as being 'normal' and relatable, and black people are construct as an other.
• However, black working class audiences may identify with the non-white characters in this advert, and see the white characters as 'other' 

Cheers to P and T block respectively for analysing these adverts! Good job!

Tide initial analysis 2022

For this task, students spent the entire lesson analysing the above advert. In the interests of comparison and friendly competition, this post includes the group discussions of T block and P block media

T block

Colour scheme is relatively simple, using the straightforward colours red white and blue. Basic, yet essential, with connotations of cleanliness.

The red, white and blue colour scheme is a clear reference to the colours of the American flag, and may reflect a patriotic worldview

The producer of the advert is constructing a stereotypical representation of the ideal woman. The anchorage of the American flag colours reinforces this 

Lexis of "tide's got what women want" has connotations of exclusivity and suggests that ALL women desire this product. The inference of this is that if you do not like or enjoy this product, you are not what you are supposed to be 

The housewife is portrayed as the perfect, ideal woman. This is reinforced through her fitting beauty standards of the 1950s.This includes her prominent lipstick, her blusher, and her stereotypically attractive hourglass figure. 

Selection of a white woman as the main model reinforces a beauty standard of white women

Post war context. During the war, housework was promoted as a patriotic duty, and almost resembles propaganda. Uses the inspirational imagery of propaganda to inspire women to buy the product

Women who had been working supporting the war effort, for example making ammunition or working in agriculture were suddenly encouraged to get back to housework in post war America. This advert reflects this ideology

Cleaning is represented as being brave and noble, which is encoded through the proairetic code of the woman hugging the soap in an assertive war

Complete lack of any men, husbands or male figures in this advert, suggesting a post war setting where men are still recovering

Box is positioned above the housewife, suggesting it's power. Housewife is therefore positioned beneath the box, suggesting that she is inferior. 

Advert presents sexist ideologies around women. Examples of sexism may include the assumption that women are the sole cleaners ("no wonder you women", direct mode of address, and categorises women as property, without free will, and submissive, deindividualization), the fact that only women are represented, the explicit depiction of women cleaning, 

Housewife is romantically attracted to the box of tide. This strange idea is reinforced through a number of codes.  For example, the lexis 'it's got what women want' has suggestive qualities, of love, sex and romance. The colour red symbolises love, romance and passion. Additionally, the MES of the love hearts suggest love, romance and affection. Finally, her lips are pursed as if about to kiss the box, which functions as a proairetic code.

The comedic association between the woman and her romantic relationship with the box provides a humorous mode of address

May provide a diversion from the trauma of war

The box may represent a child instead, amend may represent a more wholesome relationship with children. This reinforces the stereotypical assumption that women's lives are about cooking, cleaning, and children 

Key terms

Ideology - the ideas and the beliefs of the producer of the media product

Anchorage - is where a meaning is 'weighed down' by the producer using media language. For example, a caption under an image can completely change and reinforce the meaning.

Polysemy/polysemic - many meaning

Direct mode of address - where a media product directly talks to the audience

P block

The tide advert presents sexist ideologies. The use of lexis "what women want" makes an affirmative and assumptive statement about what all women 'want'. This clearly constructs a stereotype.

Historical context: created after world war 2. 1950's. Post war. Following the financial depression of WW2, there was a sudden and significant return to production and manufacture, that saw many many products being quickly created.

With so many products being created, this lead to heightened competition between brands, and more and more aggressive marketing campaigns

Target audience for the advert could potentially be men. Men in American families at the time would specifically have spending power, and stereotypically would be the one in employment. However, women at the time would typically buy the weekly shop.

Advert clearly follows the Z line rule, which clearly demonstrates to the audience the product, the slogan and the lexis associated with the advert. It is clear and easy to understand advertisement

Advert also follows the rule of thirds, which creates a visually interesting and easy to interpret advert for the target audience

Choice of font is exclusively sans serif which constructs an informal and inviting mode of address

Font has a hand written quality to make it more appealing for the target female housewife audience. Constructs an informal informal mode of address which is further anchored through the simple and even childish lexis of the advert

In 1950s America, women would typically have a lower level of education than men, which may explain why the advert essential talks down to its audience through its lexis

Big emphasis of red as a primary and striking colour, that forms a contrast with the basic background. A symbolic connotation of love and romance is therefore constructed. 

These themes of love and romance are further encoded through the lexis "tide's got what women want", which may be a reference to the deeper desires of the target audience. By buying the product, the advert is heavily suggesting that women can love themselves

The main image features a stereotypically attractive stereotype of an American women. Her American nature is emphasised through her costume, her stereotypical makeup and her hairstyle, which are all suggestive of 1950s America

Advert makes heavy use of red, white and blue. These are the colours of the American flag, which constructs a patriotic ideology. This is further anchored by the typical American comic book style of the drawings, which reinforces patriotic ideology 

The image of the housewife makes heavy reference to American war propaganda, in particular the 'We Can Do It!' poster. However, the Tide Housewife is using her arms to actively hug the box of soap, which has symbolic connotations of

Motherhood?

Romantic partner?

The connotations of romance are further anchored through the MES of cartoon love hearts floating above her head. Additionally, the housewife is pouting her red lips, which functions as a proairetic code, suggesting that she is about to kiss the box

The advert constructs a humorous and wholesome mode of address to the target female audience (20 - 50, working class, heterosexual) 

Complete lack of any men, which constructs a straightforward narrative where the housewife's husband is at work

Use of lexis "you women" creates a persuasive mode of address, and additionally a direct mode of address. By only only addressing women, the phrase suggests that any woman who does not buy tide is somehow less of a woman

Facial expression of the housewife in the boxout is absolutely elated. This clearly suggests that not only does tide have the potential to make women happy, but also reinforces the classic stereotype that not only are women better at cleaning, they also enjoy it. It is very likely a man made this advert

The male producer of this advert constructs a friendly mode of address with the female target audience

This advert clearly presents the ideology that not only should women clean, but they should also enjoy doing. This ideology was the dominant one at the time

Is the advert hiding rude jokes? Is the fact that ONLY tide can 'satisfy' women a reference to sexual frustration?

The housewife is note only wearing a full face of makeup, but also is wearing tight fitting, form fitting clothes that accentuate certain parts of her body, in particular her waist, hips and breasts. This hourglass figure was very popular in 1950s America

May resemble Marilyn Monroe

Wide hips may be a symbolic code fertility which constructs this woman as a mother. However, there is no MES connotative of babies or motherhood.

Ideology - beliefs and values of the producer 

Modes of address - how a media product talks to its audience

Dominant ideology: the belief that most people in society share

Revision: newspaper industry: finding explicit examples

Remember, you can find the 'new case studies' for 2022 ONLY by clicking right here

• Who publishes the Mirror and who publishes The Times?
• What else do these companies publish?
• What controversies have these companies been involved in?

Using the 'new case studies'...

• Find three examples of explicit political bias (eg how is The Mirror left wing and how is The Times right wing?)
• Find three explicit examples of possible regulatory breaches
• In what ways are newspapers distributed, and what advantages do these different forms of distribution hold?
• Find three explicit examples of how the regulation of online newspapers is particularly difficult and problematic
• Research the current financial situations of the parent companies of both of these newspapers. How has this potentially shaped the output of these newspapers?
• Explore alternatives to mainstream news sources. Find at least one explicit example

Historical representations of gay people in The Mirror on Sunday, 1963

Please note that these representations are harmful, offensive and deeply problematic. They are presented here in order to draw attention to changing societal values. This post should therefore not be considered an endorsement of these views. 

Newspaper industry ultrapost

This post is a mashup of all the work completed and submitted by second year media studies about the newspaper industry. There's some repetition here, but repetition is basically another name for revision. Think about it. Also, this gives you a choice for which resource you would like to use.

if your resource does not feature here, you probably didn't submit it as a jpg or PNG. So get on that. 

The anatomy of the newspaper

Industry key terms

Newspaper industry terms in quiz form!

Tabloids vs Broadsheets

Left and right wing politics explained 

The industry theorists

Regulation and controversies