Dominant reading :
The simpsons is a program appropriate for all ages. With the show revolving around a nuclear family type ( married parents and blood related children , pets etc) the programme is family friendly. It uses current issues and trends with a twist to add comedy to everyday lives. Through the main characters never changing age , image etc and remaining the central characters in the text the program is made to remain current and to appear as though it is a 'classic'.
Negotiated reading :
Although the Simpsons can in general be positively recieved by all audience types it could be argued that at times it takes realistic and current storylines too far and over exagerates them to the point where they can no longer allow audience members to gain personal gratifications from viewing the text .
Oppositional reading :
Although the Simpsons is made to appear as though it is directed at a family based audience catering to audience members of all ages and racial backgrounds etc , it simply reflects the bias of the westernised world and elite. It reinforces gender differences in a derogative manner and undermines the role of women through the low status of Marge in the family. It also reinforcenegative stereotypes of ethnic groups for example those of an Asian background simply portraying asian men to be shop keepers and asian wives to have large numbers of kids which is not nececerily the reality. Thus making it inapropriate for younger viewers .
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
task 4 - violent scene and effect theories
SCARFACE FINAL SCENE
What is the effect of the scene on the audience? Use as many effects theories in your answer as possible to show your understanding of these theories.
The final scene in Scarface can be said to affect the audience in a number of ways, various audience theories can be used to reinforce such effects. Firstly due to the high level of blatant violence/death within the clip audience members could become desensitised to the violence thus making the audience view murder for example as a less shocking action.
Aswell as this the cultivation theory can also be applied. As audience members view such acts of violence repeteadly in the context of the film which presents violence being closely associated with high power , audience members may then in turn view this relationship as being realistic although it may be false. The hypodermic needle theory can also be very closely associated with this effect , injecting such ideologies upon the passive audience.
Many may also argue that the copycat theory can be applied which would suggest that audience members may view the violence within the film and then immitate such behaviours and actions. However this theory can be viewed to be constructed by the media in relation to moral panics and the evidence for this theory is quite limited.
What is the effect of the scene on the audience? Use as many effects theories in your answer as possible to show your understanding of these theories.
The final scene in Scarface can be said to affect the audience in a number of ways, various audience theories can be used to reinforce such effects. Firstly due to the high level of blatant violence/death within the clip audience members could become desensitised to the violence thus making the audience view murder for example as a less shocking action.
Aswell as this the cultivation theory can also be applied. As audience members view such acts of violence repeteadly in the context of the film which presents violence being closely associated with high power , audience members may then in turn view this relationship as being realistic although it may be false. The hypodermic needle theory can also be very closely associated with this effect , injecting such ideologies upon the passive audience.
Many may also argue that the copycat theory can be applied which would suggest that audience members may view the violence within the film and then immitate such behaviours and actions. However this theory can be viewed to be constructed by the media in relation to moral panics and the evidence for this theory is quite limited.
task 3 - Representations essay
It has been said that media representations often reflect the social and political concerns of the age in which they are created. Discuss.
There is a vast amount of evidence to support the view that the representations the media landscape puts forth are highly reflective of current social and political concerns. This is clearly evident in a number of texts such as in AdULTHOOD and Eastenders: E20 which reflect the current moral panic surrounding the youth of today being dangerous and out of control in regards to drug use and violence on the streets etc.
One way in which AdULTHOOD can be said to reflect current concerns of the public is through emphasising on current stereotypes of the British youth which are causing moral panics across the world. This is shown throughout the film through general iconographies such as weapons presenting knife crime, hoods reflecting the world known stereotype of the ‘hoodie’ and through diegetic sounds. The film itself reflects current news values while also aiming to break the negative representations of the youth.
This representation can also be seen to be reflected within underground music video ‘Slang like this’ by True Tiger ft. P-money. The mise-en-scene within the music video plays a vital role in painting a negative picture of the youth , supporting the moral panic surrounding the youth further. For example , the video is largely filmed outside in the streets , near-by a council estate. The council estate is a key feature in the stereotype of the youth and can be considered an iconography of the stereotype.A number of medium-long shots are also used in dark settings to reinforce the loss of identity and distancing of the characters (the youth) within the video. The characters are shown a number of times hooded, in dark settings creating the image of a blank individual – A character with no background and morals. This representation can be linked to the political panics surrounding the desensitisation of the youth which would in effect lead to an increase in crime rates and deviation etc.
E4 drama series Skins also represents the British youth , however it does so in a different manner. Instead of representing the youth as being dangerous criminals of the streets , Skins instead reflects another social concern for teens being rebellious and out of control in concern to illegal drinking , drug abuse and vandalism. When the first series was aired it could be argued that the moral panic surrounding this issue was still premeture , however in the four years after the first series aired the issue has risen incredibly. Some may argue instead of the drama reflecting current social and political concerns it instead influenced the rebellious behavior.
Television series ‘Super Size vs Super Skinny’ can also be seen to represent the social concern of increasing obesity in England and world wide. In recent years a number of acts and concerns have been put forth surrounding the area such as fast food chain Mcdonalds , withdrawing a number of high calorie options and replacing them with healthier options such as salads and fruit as sides. This is highly represented in the programme drawing comparisons between the two diets of the individuals being followed , aiming to educate the audience about obtaining a healthier life style.
This can also be linked to the image obsessed nature of the society today , with the growth of interest surrounding ‘Size 0’ there are a number of representations being expressed accross the media such as in soap operas , dramas etc. For example in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks , character Hannah was diagnosed with Bolemia. The soap represents the illness in quite a close to reality way , showing the rough details of the illness. Whilst the programme neither represents the illness positively or negatively , the representation of the reason for progressing the illness was realistic , acting as both a means of gaining personal and educational gratifications.
Finally the representation of mental health in the media can also be linked to social and political concerns. It has become apparent that mental health is a major tabboo in the society , thus the media has since placed more emphasis on this. For example new film genres have surfaced such as ‘The psychological horror’. As well as this E-media is also playing a vital role with social networking site Facebook giving members the chance to take a ‘How mental are you?’ quiz – giving off the idea that mental illness is almost fashionable.
To conclude the media landscape widely incorporates current social and political concerns into the media being made available to the audiences. Common storylines surrounding issues such as bodily health , youth crime and mental health are now on the rise whilst stories surrounding female empowerment and oppression of ethnic minorities are now becoming less popular.
Task 2-New and digital media essay
The development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Discuss the arguments for and against this view.
There are both arguments to support and disagree with the idea that “the development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production”. On one hand audiences now take on a less passive role in regards to the media, however on the other hand institution still regulates what can actually be accessed by the audiences and some elements of the media are still censored and controlled.
In regards to the audience gaining more powerful in terms of production of media , online sites such as ‘Youtube’ and ‘Facebook’ allow audience in effect to leave the past passive status of the audience behind , with audiences creating media to release to the wider society. Many people now use websites such as ‘Youtube’ to publicize their talents such as musical talents etc in a quick and easy way, which in the past would have been far more difficult. By doing so the audience is both gaining more power and receiving personal gratifications. Also it is possible for the general public to make money through their uploaded video’s by sharing revenue with the ‘Youtube’ institution itself , giving the audience power in a financial way.
Another way in which the audience gains power through new and digital media is through social networking sites and VoIP, which reflect the globalization of the media, landscape today. For example ‘Skype’ acts as a means of communication across the world allowing audiences to do business across the world with little difficulty and expense. As well as ‘Skype’ social networking site ‘Facebook’ allows audience to broadcast information to hundreds, even thousand of people at one time, whether this be business information, advertising or simply general information to friends. ‘Facebook’ means that the audience can both be in control of who they communicate with, what information they see and what it is that gets posted onto their own profile page. In effect making the audience both more powerful in the production of media and in the consumption of it.
However, there are also arguments to suggest that the audience have actually gained very little power from new and digital media. Firstly, from a Marxist outlook, the changes in the media actually reinforce the already established hierarchy, keeping the proletariat on the bottom and the bourgeoisie on top. Institutions do so by allowing the audience to believe they have been given more freedom such as when looking at Apple’s product the iPhone. The vast amount of app’s available create the illusion that the audience has great power in the selecting of what they consume, however Apple as a company still have to approve app’s before they are made available to the audience. This shows that institutions still have major control over what the audience is receiving and at what cost they will do so at.
As well as this the pluralistic and easily accessible nature of the new media landscape also has its negative effects on the audience as opposed to benefits , for example as search engines such as Google and Bing can be accessed from almost all new mobile phones such as Blackberrys and HTC smart-phones , audience members have the world wide web in the palm of their hands. Whilst this could be seen as highly beneficial it also reflects the reliance the audience has on such technology when considering obtaining information , inevitably ‘dumbing down’ audience members. This is also reflected by the use of social networking sites such as MSN , where people are now typing in shortened vocabulary and ‘text talk’ in the past people could only communicate in person , by writing letters or verbally through the phone – all of which use a number of basic literacy skills which are now often pushed aside due to the ease of technology and the lack of literacy required to do so in new media communication methods.
To conclude , it is apparent that the institution is still very much in power when it comes to what audiences produce and consume . However to a certain extent the audience can also be seen to have gained more power , although limited in regards to this , becoming more in control of what they consume and becoming less passive as a result of this.
Task 1 - Bully trailer / opening of skins
BULLY TRAILER
SKINS
1- Within the trailer for Bully teenagers are primarily represented to be aggressive and dangerous . This image is portrayed through the repeated shots of violence , reference to murder and a shot of one of the main protagonist holding a weapon.
This highly contrasts to the primary representation of teenagers within the skins opening (season 5) which represents teenagers to be rebels against the law etc , this is connoted through shots of drug use and promiscuity throughout the trailer. Although there is reference to drug use , drinking etc in the bully trailer , this is more of a secondary representation.
However , one of the main differences between the two representations is that while skins shows both female and male teenagers to be equally placed in terms of power , where as in bully there is a clear hierarchy between women and men , with men shown to be in power , for example in a shot which seems to show one of the male protagonists raping a female , and in a number of shots were the male characters are shown to be more actively aggressive and stronger etc through shots of male characters punching each other , shouting and so on.
2- It can be argued that the representation of teenagers currently in the media is simply another moral panic through the over exaggerated and dramatic representations.
Texts such as skins , AdULTHOOD and music video by p-money 'slang like this' can be seen to strongly support this view. Whilst a large percentage of teens in todays society are no more rebellious , dangerous or troublesome than you're average 24 year old , a small percentage are fulfilling such expectations.
This small percentage is then represented in the media , for example in the music video for UK underground grime song 'slang like this' a number of shots showing the stereotype of the 'hoodie' is repeatedly shown which is probably the most common association with the teenage moral panic today.
Such stereotypes associated with the moral panic can also be seen in AdULTHOOD a film following ex-prison inmate 'sam' and enemies in the streets of London. Teens are typically represented to be troublesome through scenes involving selling drugs , weapon use and violence.
Although these representations could be said to be based upon reality , it is certain that such representations are highly exaggerated and dramatised fitting into the current moral panic surrounding teenage rebellion with the majority of teen representations fulfilling such stereotypes across the media landscape .
3- New/digital media can be said to have allowed younger audience members the chance to shape their own media representations in many ways through the growth of e-media sites such as Youtube , Facebook and Myspace.
Firstly user generated content on Youtube for example acts as a means of the youth presenting their own content , presenting themselves , the youth in a light which they have created. Through putting home videos etc on the internet , the wider population are being given access to such representations , putting forth an alternative representation to the "big players" in the media such as the print industry and television. Youtube sensation 'Diary of a badman' is a great example of how the youth can express their own representations of the youth although partially playing on the mass media's stereotypes , the video's have put forthe a character from the youth made by the youth which has in turn been seen by thousands , all of different ages etc.
However there are arguments which contrast this view. With television still largely remaining on top in the media landscape , representations of the youth are still inevitably set , reaching out to the mass population.
SKINS
1- Within the trailer for Bully teenagers are primarily represented to be aggressive and dangerous . This image is portrayed through the repeated shots of violence , reference to murder and a shot of one of the main protagonist holding a weapon.
This highly contrasts to the primary representation of teenagers within the skins opening (season 5) which represents teenagers to be rebels against the law etc , this is connoted through shots of drug use and promiscuity throughout the trailer. Although there is reference to drug use , drinking etc in the bully trailer , this is more of a secondary representation.
However , one of the main differences between the two representations is that while skins shows both female and male teenagers to be equally placed in terms of power , where as in bully there is a clear hierarchy between women and men , with men shown to be in power , for example in a shot which seems to show one of the male protagonists raping a female , and in a number of shots were the male characters are shown to be more actively aggressive and stronger etc through shots of male characters punching each other , shouting and so on.
2- It can be argued that the representation of teenagers currently in the media is simply another moral panic through the over exaggerated and dramatic representations.
Texts such as skins , AdULTHOOD and music video by p-money 'slang like this' can be seen to strongly support this view. Whilst a large percentage of teens in todays society are no more rebellious , dangerous or troublesome than you're average 24 year old , a small percentage are fulfilling such expectations.
This small percentage is then represented in the media , for example in the music video for UK underground grime song 'slang like this' a number of shots showing the stereotype of the 'hoodie' is repeatedly shown which is probably the most common association with the teenage moral panic today.
Such stereotypes associated with the moral panic can also be seen in AdULTHOOD a film following ex-prison inmate 'sam' and enemies in the streets of London. Teens are typically represented to be troublesome through scenes involving selling drugs , weapon use and violence.
Although these representations could be said to be based upon reality , it is certain that such representations are highly exaggerated and dramatised fitting into the current moral panic surrounding teenage rebellion with the majority of teen representations fulfilling such stereotypes across the media landscape .
3- New/digital media can be said to have allowed younger audience members the chance to shape their own media representations in many ways through the growth of e-media sites such as Youtube , Facebook and Myspace.
Firstly user generated content on Youtube for example acts as a means of the youth presenting their own content , presenting themselves , the youth in a light which they have created. Through putting home videos etc on the internet , the wider population are being given access to such representations , putting forth an alternative representation to the "big players" in the media such as the print industry and television. Youtube sensation 'Diary of a badman' is a great example of how the youth can express their own representations of the youth although partially playing on the mass media's stereotypes , the video's have put forthe a character from the youth made by the youth which has in turn been seen by thousands , all of different ages etc.
However there are arguments which contrast this view. With television still largely remaining on top in the media landscape , representations of the youth are still inevitably set , reaching out to the mass population.
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