TV Drama
Wednesday 15th November 2023
Television: Industries & Audiences
LO: To research the history, companies & regulators in the TV Industry
Publicly owned TV channel - public broadcasting, which receives government subsidies and usually does not have paid advertising interrupting the show
Commercial TV channel - primarily based on the practice of airing radio advertisements and television advertisements for profit
Convergence - a number of different processes which occur simultaneously and influence one another
Watershed - the time of day after which programming with content deemed suitable only for mature or adult audiences is permitted
Segmented market - the practice of dividing your target market into approachable groups
Mainstream - conventional newspapers, television and other news sources that most people know about and regard as reliable
Self-regulation - the ability to understand and manage your behaviour and your reactions to feelings and things happening around you
Franchise - a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series
Channel-surfing - the action or practice of quickly looking at one television channel after another by use of a remote control
PSB - public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests
TV license - A TV Licence is a legal permission to install or use television equipment to receive (i.e. watch or record) TV programmes, as they are being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, and to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer
Scheduling - the process of making a decision regarding the time and date that when the advertisement appears, the frequency of ads, etc
Conglomerate - a large corporation that owns a large number of media companies, such as television, radio, internet, publishing
When was TV introduced to the UK? - 1936
In 1965, how many channels were there in the uk and what were they doing? - three, the programming trends of the 1960s ranged in popularity from the heights of drama ( The Wednesday Play , BBC, 1964-70) to the extremes of escapism ( The Avengers , ITV, 1961-69), with a new television comedy form ( Till Death Us Do Part , BBC, 1966-75) edging in somewhere between the two
When did ITV start? Why was it different? - 1955, it was a commercial channel
Which UK channels have to follow PSB remits? - BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 3 (ITV1; and STV, in Northern and Central Scotland), Channel 4/S4C (Wales), Channel 5
Who regulates UK TV now? - Ofcom is the UK communications regulator, overseeing the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries
Who regulated TV channels in the 60s? - BBC
Wednesday 22nd November 2023
Television Industries: Ownership & Regulation
LO: To explore the ownership and regulation of BBC 1 & ITV
Name and number of TV channels
Their purpose and strategy
How it generates income other than through advertising
Wednesday 13th December 2023
- TV
- apps
- phone
- computer
- iPad
- streaming
- vr
- projector
- laptop
Reasons why we watch live TV:
- To feel like we're there
- Not to miss out
- So you know it's happening right now
- Join in on votes
- Second screening
TV Drama:
Teen drama
Big mouth
Period drama
Peaky blinders
Wednesday 10th January 2023
1960s - colourful, vibrant fashion, the beatles etc...
The 1960s!
LO: research the social, historical and political context of The Avengers
Berlin Wall was built in 1961 (divided the east and west of Germany)
U.S. established a military council in South Vietnam in 1962
Nuclear test ban treaty was signed by the U.S., Great Britain, and USSR in 1963
Buddhist-led military group overthrew the government of South Vietnam in 1963
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas -- Lyndon B. Johnson became president in 1963
The pill was created (women had control whether or not to get pregnant)
- The most popular bands in the 60s were The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Janis Joplin, The Doors, and Pink Floyd
- 1964 United Kingdom general election
Leader Harold Wilson Jo Grimond
Party Labour Liberal
Leader since 14 February 1963 5 November 1956
Leader's seat Huyton Orkney and Shetland
Last election 258 seats, 43.8% 6 seats, 5.9%
- Drugs were a big part of the 60s
- The Vietnam War and The Cold War was being fought in the 60s
- People protested about issues including the Vietnam War, free speech, the environment, and racism
- There wouldn't be as many protests
- No gender equality
Made people highly nervous
Wednesday 24th January 2024
The Avengers: The Town of No Return
- John Steed
- Mrs Emma Peel
- Piggy Warren
Wednesday 31st January 2024
The characters discover who the imposters are and what they are doing. They then fight them off and leave.
P - Women in the 60s may of related or aspired to Emma Peel as she was seen as almost equal to John Steed.
I - An aspect into the life of the 60s.
E - The TV had only newly been introduced, so this would be a great aim to show to aim at the 60s audience.
S -
Context - The Avengers: The Town Of No Return
Cold war
Threat of nuclear war
Threat of foreign invasion
Espionage
Wednesday 7th February 2024
The type of camerawork they used for "The Town Of No Return" was sometimes shaky in fight scenes etc. But in scenes with lots of dialogue, it would be perfectly still.
They use mise en scene by how they use characteristics. For example Peel is modern; she has a round floating fire, curved sofas and a sports car.
2. Steed is traditional; he wears a bowler hat, carries a cane and has a chesterfield sofa.
3. Peel wears suggestive clothing (her black leather cat suit).
4. She lives alone in a city, works as a spy and Steed often taps her bottom!
5. All of this would have been seen as permissive and quite risky.
Espionage - the
practice of spying or of
using spies, typically by
governments to obtain
political and military
information.
Pastiche – a media
product that imitates
another product through
visual style, media
language or narrative
(used in The Avengers,
as it imitates popular
spy thriller films, such
as James Bond, in a
light-hearted way)
Permissive - A person
or society that
is permissive allows
behaviour that other
people might
disapprove of. The
Avengers would have
been views as
permissive at the time
due to the sexual
innuendos and Peel’s
provocative costumes.
YOU MAY BE SHOWN A CLIP FROM THE AVENGERS AND BE ASKED TO ANALYSE
FOR LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATIONS. YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW HOW THE
1960S CONTEXT INFLUENCES THE SHOW AND ITS IMPACT ON AUDIENCES
KEY FACTS
1. The Avengers is a British spy (espionage)
drama.
2. The set episode, “The Town of No Return”
aired on 28th September 1965.
3. It was scheduled to air on ITV on
Saturdays at 9.05pm every week, which is
considered Prime Time viewing. This was
after the watershed which was introduced
in 1964.
4. The 4th series attracted audiences of
around 7 million homes with episodes
often appearing in the top ten TV
programmes.
5. The show did well internationally,
especially in America.
6. ITV had higher budgets for productions
than the BBC because of the profits made
from advertising.
7. However, TV at the time would usually be
studio based and shot live (as videotape
editing was very expensive) which meant
TV shows looked stagey and actors
mistakes would not be changed.
8. The show is shot in B&W because colour
TV sets were not available at the time.
9. Because the show was so popular in the
US, the 4th series had an injection of
money from the American Broadcasting
Company giving each episode high
production values for the time. This
meant they were able to shoot on location
and on film (like cinematic movies).
10. Each episode cost £56,000 which was
incredibly high for the time.
Personal Identity – identify with
upper class role models; strong,
tough, intelligent female; cool
unruffled Britishness.
Entertainment – humour,
escapist plots, new villain each
week and the heroes always
triumph
Social Interaction – watching
together as a family, discussing
show with friends, co-workers
Surveillance – gaining
information about working
classes, the world of spies (a
frequent subject in the news)
Most of The Avengers was shot using a
single camera. It was heavy and difficult to
move.
2. As a result we see less editing such as
shot reverse shot and more movement
such as panning from one character to
another.
3. This makes it seem much slower paced
than modern crime dramas.
4. Mostly we see mid shots and long shots
with the occasional close up to draw
emphasis.
5. Most edits that take place are to move to a
new scene, rather than within a scene
6. The majority of edits are simple cuts.
The narrative is carried by dialogue
between the two primary characters;
both have noticeably upper class
British accents.
2. Steed always addresses Peel
formally, never using her first name.
3. When they go on location strong
local accents are used to denote
where they are.
4. There is significant use of innuendo
between Peel and Steed.
5. Non diegetic orchestral music is
used to build tension.
6. Non diegetic playful flute is used to
indicate the flirtatious relationship
between Steed and Peel
Peel represents the new ‘working woman’ who is more than just a housewife and mother. She is a
martial arts expert, a certified genius and most importantly exudes confidence in her body language.
2. Emma is a represented as being equal to Steed in her role as a spy which was a breakthrough in
1965 and shows the changing attitudes towards women at the time.
3. Emma is still sexually objectified by her outfits such as leather catsuits and camerawork that
focuses on her assets (consider the fencing scene with the camera close-up of her bottom as Steed
pats it with his foil).
4. Steed is still represented as the stereotypical lead male, with power and authority which is shown
through his demeanour and his gentlemen style outfits.
5. Emma represents the younger emerging sexual revolution of the 60’s.
6. There is a lack of LGBT representation in The Avengers as there are no Gay or Lesbian characters.
7. John Steed represents the older generational values of traditional Post-War Britain.
8. Steed fought in World War 2 and makes many references to it in the episode - this shows that he
believes in his duty to the queen and country.
9. His costume helps to communicate this through the bowler hat, umbrella and suit which are symbolic
of the British ‘city’ gentlemen.
10. Steed’s accent and choice of language also reflects his conservative views - refers to Emma as Mrs
Peel.
11. Emma represents the values of the swinging sixties and the changing attitudes of youth. She is
younger and more carefree.
12. Emma is still always respectful of her elders and shows commitment to duty in that she goes on her
mission with Steed without question. This shows the tension for young people in the 60’s in that
they were still required to follow certain rules.
13. There are no characters of any other ethnicity in the Town of No Return apart from white.
Wednesday 21st February 2024
LO: To explore elements of media language and practise how to analyse an extract
Extract analysis: The Avengers
- Camerawork
- Mise en scene
- Editing
- Sound
Camerawork:
Shot types
Angles
Camera movement
Mise-en-scene:
Costumes, lighting, props, setting, facial expressions
Setting - beams on ceiling showing us that it is old fashioned
Low key lighting - foreshadowing
Wednesday 28th February 2024
Cross cut - used to determine movement in fight scenes - to block out what actually happened - cuts between locations
In the Avengers, they use a cutaway shot when they create the effect of suspense and showing his thoughts. They did this to add to the narrative showing us that something has happened to Emma. This leaves the audience in question of what may have happened.
Diegetic music is when the vicar pulls out the gun, they do this to create suspense.
Non-diegetic music is when the man is dying on the floor, once again they do this to create suspense.
Wednesday 6th March 2024
- mise en scene
- editing
- camera work
- sound
Camera work consists of angles, movement and type
1.) How was camerawork used to create meaning?
Camera work was used in this scene to create meaning within the avengers series. This was to create suspense. When the black smith is slowly walking towards Steed, he is displaying a serious face but also smiling at the same time. The black smith shows how hot the horse shoe is and he rams it into a bit of leather hung up on the wall. The leather catches on fire and Steed sees how it is a danger to him. The camerawork used in this scene is perfectly still and the shot used is a mid shot.
2.) How far does the extract create tension?
The tempo and volume increased the more tense the scene got. The music faded out during dialogue. They used music to create tension, as well as editing. The constant cutting between Steed and the black smith make us feel more scared for Steed. The tension builds through the foreshadowing, as we see Steed enter and notice the horse shoe. The audience would respond in a scared instant. They would be worried for Steed.
3.) How far does the extract create a stereotypical representation of men?
Language (media)
Institutions
Audience
Representation
The extract shows both stereotypes and non-stereotypes. Steed is shown saving Emma Peel which is stereotypical for the man to save the damsel in distress. A non-stereotype is when the villain (the black smith) is big and he gets beaten by the classic man. But the audience would almost expect Emma Peel getting saved by Steed as it is a stereotype.
Wednesday 17th April 2024
Do Now
- More races
- Black and white vs colour
- More accepting
- Different sexualities
Cuffs and audience appeal
LO: To analyse the appeals of TV drama
Propp characters types
Comments
Post a Comment