Audience
For your coursework- be absolutely sure of the following
• Who were your audience demographic?
• Who were your audience psychographic?
• What were the social classifications of the audience?
• How did your production appeal to this target audience?
• What uses and gratifications will the target audience get from the production?
• The key thing with audience is that in producing your music video you were trying to please an audience and appeal to an audience.
• It links to GENRE as you met certain genre conventions to appease an audience.
• When defining and working with your audiences you looked at both DEMOGRAPHCS (gender, gender, class etc) and PSYCHOGRAPHICS (attitudes, usage, fan level).
Theorists
Frankfurt School – Saw the media as a hypodermic syringe and the contents of the media are injected into the thoughts of the audience who accept this without question.
Gauntlett – Gauntlett argues that we need to recognise the changing media landscape in which the categories of 'audiences' and 'producers' blur together. He argues that there is a shift from a 'sit-back-and-be-told culture' to a 'making-and-doing culture'.
Mc Quails Uses and Gratifications – How audiences use their media – that audiences have specific needs and turn to the media to satisfy those needs.
Hall - encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience - the text is encoded by the producer, and decoded by the reader, and there may be major differences between two different readings of the same code. However, by using recognised codes and conventions, and by drawing upon audience expectations relating to aspects such as genre and use of stars, the producers can position the audience and thus create a certain amount of agreement on what the code means. This is known as a preferred reading.
Blumler and Katz – television serves four needs:
Diversion – escaping from the pressures of every day.
Personal Relationships – where viewer gains companionship
Personal Identity – Viewer can compare their lives with those on television
Surveillance – Media supplies information about what is happening in the world.
Screen Theory – proposes that media texts address its intended audience in a particular way, establishing a relationship between the producer of the text and the media’s audience (e.g. music video artists addressing the audience correctly)
Horton and Wohl – Parasocial fans - … therefore you HAVE to know what your fans expect … but also bring new people into the genre.
Dyer - The music industry is well aware of the range of audiences it caters to. Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes, and will promote a certain ideology. Audience interest in these values enhances their 'star quality'.
Stewart - The music video has the aesthetics of a TV commercial (focus on the star’s face). Stewart’s description of the music video as ‘incorporating, raiding and reconstructing’ is Intertextuality (using familiar thing to generate both nostalgic associations and new meanings). The video allows more access to the performer and the mise-en-scene, in particular, can be used to emphasise an aspirational lifestyle.
Hart - How can we study audiences without relying at one extreme on personal anecdotes or, at the other, on masses of indigestible figures?
Paragraph Example
When first appealing to audience, in music video we had to consider several levels of audience. We had to appeal to audiences who weren’t fans of the genre, which was where we deliberately chose physically attractive performers singing to the audience and included a straightforward chase narrative in conjuction with familiar visuals. However, we also incorporated Horton and Wohl’s parasocial theory in that we appealed fans of the band and genre by including references in the mise en scene to various props and items from other associated bands and performance (e.g a Rolling Stones poster).
Monday 29 March 2010
Genre
Genre
For your coursework- be absolutely sure of the following
• What genre is your production?
• What are the codes and conventions of your production?
• How did you establish genre in your production (CEMS) and why?
• What is the role of the specific elements of the mise-en-scène?
• Have generic conventions been adhered to or subverted?
• How will the more generic elements of production appeal to the audience?
Music Genre
• Genre – classification of a text according to its style and content. Pop music is dependent on genre although easily the most nebulous as genres are being invented, crossed and revisited. The process of categorisation is an important one for both producers and fans.
• Some categorisations are just wordplay ("Dannii Minogue describes her new sounds as "futuristic retro pop/electro pop") and others have a complex set of definitions that are rigidly enforced by aficionados (club music scenes).
• You should be very clear about what genre your piece is (and if you crossed/combined genres) and how did this – being as descriptive as humanely possible).
Music Genre is more related to image
• Image – The artist’s visual look represented on CD covers, posters, promotional material, music videos, press releases. Expected visual effects can often be subverted.
• Genre is also a cornerstone of music retail because customers often restrict themselves to a certain style of music (eg hiphop, R'n'B) and are not interested in buying outside that genre. Although many artists resent being pigeonholed into a particular genre niche in this way, there is little doubt that retailers and customers rely on genre to make their buying choices.
Theorists
Duff - "a recurring type or category of text, as defined by structural, thematic, and/or functional criteria."
Reid – “How something is categorised is determined by who does it, for whom, where and when. The same is true for films.”
Shuker (2001) suggests three common approaches via:
1. the music industries' own categories drawn from music history and marketing
2. ideological analysis of lyrics and music styles relating to 'truth', 'authenticity' or 'artifice'
3. exploration of the fluidity of genres and the creation of new forms.
The genres identified then tend to be re-classified as 'meta-genres' (e.g. 'world music'), 'genres' (e.g. blues) and sub-genres (e.g. 'country blues')
Fowler - An individual text within a genre rarely if ever has all of the characteristic features of the genre.
Fairclough - suggests that mixed-genre texts are far from uncommon in the mass media
Frith – “musicians, producers, and consumers are already ensnared in a web of genre expectation.” – genres are used by record companies to integrate both music and marketing together – musician and audience are considered simultaneously.
Introduction example
The production being discussed is my A2 Advanced portfolio music video “Walking on Sunshine” from the genre of mainstream pop.
Paragraph example
Duff calls genre a “recurring type or category of text” that is governed by a certain set of rules and criteria. With regards to our A2 production, the initial choices we made were very governed by genre conventions. The use of close ups on the artist looking at the camera were a necessary part of that genre that we complied and we incorporated this along with the pop expectation of a female artist dancing, achieved through a series of cross-dissolves and quick cuts.
However, as Fairclough argues …
For your coursework- be absolutely sure of the following
• What genre is your production?
• What are the codes and conventions of your production?
• How did you establish genre in your production (CEMS) and why?
• What is the role of the specific elements of the mise-en-scène?
• Have generic conventions been adhered to or subverted?
• How will the more generic elements of production appeal to the audience?
Music Genre
• Genre – classification of a text according to its style and content. Pop music is dependent on genre although easily the most nebulous as genres are being invented, crossed and revisited. The process of categorisation is an important one for both producers and fans.
• Some categorisations are just wordplay ("Dannii Minogue describes her new sounds as "futuristic retro pop/electro pop") and others have a complex set of definitions that are rigidly enforced by aficionados (club music scenes).
• You should be very clear about what genre your piece is (and if you crossed/combined genres) and how did this – being as descriptive as humanely possible).
Music Genre is more related to image
• Image – The artist’s visual look represented on CD covers, posters, promotional material, music videos, press releases. Expected visual effects can often be subverted.
• Genre is also a cornerstone of music retail because customers often restrict themselves to a certain style of music (eg hiphop, R'n'B) and are not interested in buying outside that genre. Although many artists resent being pigeonholed into a particular genre niche in this way, there is little doubt that retailers and customers rely on genre to make their buying choices.
Theorists
Duff - "a recurring type or category of text, as defined by structural, thematic, and/or functional criteria."
Reid – “How something is categorised is determined by who does it, for whom, where and when. The same is true for films.”
Shuker (2001) suggests three common approaches via:
1. the music industries' own categories drawn from music history and marketing
2. ideological analysis of lyrics and music styles relating to 'truth', 'authenticity' or 'artifice'
3. exploration of the fluidity of genres and the creation of new forms.
The genres identified then tend to be re-classified as 'meta-genres' (e.g. 'world music'), 'genres' (e.g. blues) and sub-genres (e.g. 'country blues')
Fowler - An individual text within a genre rarely if ever has all of the characteristic features of the genre.
Fairclough - suggests that mixed-genre texts are far from uncommon in the mass media
Frith – “musicians, producers, and consumers are already ensnared in a web of genre expectation.” – genres are used by record companies to integrate both music and marketing together – musician and audience are considered simultaneously.
Introduction example
The production being discussed is my A2 Advanced portfolio music video “Walking on Sunshine” from the genre of mainstream pop.
Paragraph example
Duff calls genre a “recurring type or category of text” that is governed by a certain set of rules and criteria. With regards to our A2 production, the initial choices we made were very governed by genre conventions. The use of close ups on the artist looking at the camera were a necessary part of that genre that we complied and we incorporated this along with the pop expectation of a female artist dancing, achieved through a series of cross-dissolves and quick cuts.
However, as Fairclough argues …
Media Language
Media Language
Media Language means the way that meaning is communicated using the conventions of the particular medium and type of media product. Put basically, how did you utilise or challenge the conventions of music video and what messages did you give in it?
For your coursework be absolutely sure of the following:
Identify the elements or ‘signs’ within the production that are going to be discussed.
What connotations and significations are apparent?
What codes and conventions have been used?
What semiotic techniques have been used to generate meaning? (Props, sets, colours etc)
Identify and describe the meanings generated.
Theorists
Freud - Refers to the notion that erotic pleasure may be gained by looking at a sexual object (preferably when the object is unaware of being watched).
Davis (who does a lot)
To market the band/artist and song so must feature ‘repeatability’ In other words the narrative code must be ‘suggestive’ rather than ‘realistic’ or ‘detailed’. This is because music video audiences need to be able to watch videos repeatedly and a tight realist narrative would prove too boring after the first couple of viewings.
• Musical Synaesthesia only requires the musical or lyrical ‘mood’ to latch onto to develop a narrative concept.
• Illustration – either a straightforward performance video or a simple narrative video that illustrates the meaning of the lyrics and visualizes the music - music video ‘denotation’.
• Amplification – Rather than simply illustrate the lyrics or sounds this director will ‘amplify’ both with creative interpretation, unusual ideas and surrealistic approaches. There is still a direct link to the song like a ‘connotative’ link.
• Disjuncture – also created by ‘auteur’ directors these videos are completely abstract and have no obvious link to the music, lyrics, song title or artist.
Intertextuality: not all audiences will spot a reference but pleasure might be derived by those who recognise the reference and feel flattered by this. It also increases the audience’s engagement with, and attentiveness to the product.
Goodwin - Visuals either illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics and music. Genres often have their own music style/iconography. Close-ups should always be included
Stewart - The music video has the aesthetics of a TV commercial, with lots of close-ups and lighting being used to focus on the star’s face.
Paragraph Example
Stewart argues that a music video should have the aesthetics of a tv commercial. In the video this was achieved through the high-key lighting of our video during the cuts to the artists performance with close ups of the artist looking directly at the camera. With a black and white filter over these shots along with the bright light gave our artist an “ageless” look and therefore made her more attractive to the audience.
Technical Conventions of a Music Video
1. Conventions of the band performance: a degree of authenticity of the performance is sought by the band so lip-sync close-up, mimed playing of instruments, repetition of chorus shots to enhance ‘repeatability’, unusual camera shots and angles e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck of a guitar, sweeping crane shots.
2. Conventions of solo artist performance: many of the above plus choreographed dance routines to enhance ‘repeatability’, a first person mode of address directly engaging the viewer through close up shots of eyes and gesturing and if the video is a hybrid form cutting between performance and narrative then the solo artist or band lead singer often becomes part of the narrative story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time.
Audio-Visual Technical Codes for Music Video:
Camera Shots: jumping directly between long shots, close ups and extreme close ups. Primarily the close up on the singer’s face is the main generic convention for music videos. Also the extreme close up on the lips for lip synching.
Camera Movement: whip pans, fast dolly track shots and fast overhead crane shots to follow the running, walking or dancing of performers. Also fast vertical tilts and horizontal pans.
Editing: various terms: jump cutting, MTV style editing or montage editing. Creating the visually de-centred experience of ‘jumping’ from location to person to instrument without any normal narrative continuity. Instead it is often the beat or the rhythm of the track which provides the organising principle for editing movement. The editing moves so fast it creates the need for viewing ‘repeatedly’. There are exceptions though. Some ‘continuity editing’ used such as atmospheric ‘dissolve shots’ such as in Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compare to You’
Post-production digital effects: ‘colourisation’ ‘slow motion’ etc. Special effects are now conventional for music videos. Please look out for other innovative effects.
Lighting: Expressive lighting a key feature of music videos. Extreme artificial light to create the ‘bleaching’ effect on pop stars faces (making them seem ageless). Also the use of switching from colour to black & white or sepia to indicate a shift from chorus to verse. Also lighting effects such as strobes or flashing needs to be identified. This obviously links into the use of CGI in dance music videos to enhance the atmosphere.
Mise-en-scene: look for the overall artistic concept in a video. Is there a theme?. Does the video’s mise en scene follow the need for authenticity in performance videos by using the concert hall or rehearsal studio setting. Or is there an intentional ‘parodic’ setting to exaggerate star image?
Media Language means the way that meaning is communicated using the conventions of the particular medium and type of media product. Put basically, how did you utilise or challenge the conventions of music video and what messages did you give in it?
For your coursework be absolutely sure of the following:
Identify the elements or ‘signs’ within the production that are going to be discussed.
What connotations and significations are apparent?
What codes and conventions have been used?
What semiotic techniques have been used to generate meaning? (Props, sets, colours etc)
Identify and describe the meanings generated.
Theorists
Freud - Refers to the notion that erotic pleasure may be gained by looking at a sexual object (preferably when the object is unaware of being watched).
Davis (who does a lot)
To market the band/artist and song so must feature ‘repeatability’ In other words the narrative code must be ‘suggestive’ rather than ‘realistic’ or ‘detailed’. This is because music video audiences need to be able to watch videos repeatedly and a tight realist narrative would prove too boring after the first couple of viewings.
• Musical Synaesthesia only requires the musical or lyrical ‘mood’ to latch onto to develop a narrative concept.
• Illustration – either a straightforward performance video or a simple narrative video that illustrates the meaning of the lyrics and visualizes the music - music video ‘denotation’.
• Amplification – Rather than simply illustrate the lyrics or sounds this director will ‘amplify’ both with creative interpretation, unusual ideas and surrealistic approaches. There is still a direct link to the song like a ‘connotative’ link.
• Disjuncture – also created by ‘auteur’ directors these videos are completely abstract and have no obvious link to the music, lyrics, song title or artist.
Intertextuality: not all audiences will spot a reference but pleasure might be derived by those who recognise the reference and feel flattered by this. It also increases the audience’s engagement with, and attentiveness to the product.
Goodwin - Visuals either illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics and music. Genres often have their own music style/iconography. Close-ups should always be included
Stewart - The music video has the aesthetics of a TV commercial, with lots of close-ups and lighting being used to focus on the star’s face.
Paragraph Example
Stewart argues that a music video should have the aesthetics of a tv commercial. In the video this was achieved through the high-key lighting of our video during the cuts to the artists performance with close ups of the artist looking directly at the camera. With a black and white filter over these shots along with the bright light gave our artist an “ageless” look and therefore made her more attractive to the audience.
Technical Conventions of a Music Video
1. Conventions of the band performance: a degree of authenticity of the performance is sought by the band so lip-sync close-up, mimed playing of instruments, repetition of chorus shots to enhance ‘repeatability’, unusual camera shots and angles e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck of a guitar, sweeping crane shots.
2. Conventions of solo artist performance: many of the above plus choreographed dance routines to enhance ‘repeatability’, a first person mode of address directly engaging the viewer through close up shots of eyes and gesturing and if the video is a hybrid form cutting between performance and narrative then the solo artist or band lead singer often becomes part of the narrative story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time.
Audio-Visual Technical Codes for Music Video:
Camera Shots: jumping directly between long shots, close ups and extreme close ups. Primarily the close up on the singer’s face is the main generic convention for music videos. Also the extreme close up on the lips for lip synching.
Camera Movement: whip pans, fast dolly track shots and fast overhead crane shots to follow the running, walking or dancing of performers. Also fast vertical tilts and horizontal pans.
Editing: various terms: jump cutting, MTV style editing or montage editing. Creating the visually de-centred experience of ‘jumping’ from location to person to instrument without any normal narrative continuity. Instead it is often the beat or the rhythm of the track which provides the organising principle for editing movement. The editing moves so fast it creates the need for viewing ‘repeatedly’. There are exceptions though. Some ‘continuity editing’ used such as atmospheric ‘dissolve shots’ such as in Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compare to You’
Post-production digital effects: ‘colourisation’ ‘slow motion’ etc. Special effects are now conventional for music videos. Please look out for other innovative effects.
Lighting: Expressive lighting a key feature of music videos. Extreme artificial light to create the ‘bleaching’ effect on pop stars faces (making them seem ageless). Also the use of switching from colour to black & white or sepia to indicate a shift from chorus to verse. Also lighting effects such as strobes or flashing needs to be identified. This obviously links into the use of CGI in dance music videos to enhance the atmosphere.
Mise-en-scene: look for the overall artistic concept in a video. Is there a theme?. Does the video’s mise en scene follow the need for authenticity in performance videos by using the concert hall or rehearsal studio setting. Or is there an intentional ‘parodic’ setting to exaggerate star image?
Representation
Representation
For your coursework- be absolutely sure of the following
• Identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss.
• What representations have been generated?
• Discuss the specific elements of character representation, i.e. facial expression, costume, behaviour etc.
• Have any stereotypical representations been generated?
• Does the production conform to, or subvert, any dominant ideologies?
Representation
• Generally gender is the dominant representation in music videos:
Men Women
Rebellious males (clothing), links to the backdrop, losers (unshaven, shabby, noble), street (dangerous, hard), pretty boys (non-threatening, handsome) Mature Chanteuse, Solo Folkie-artist, the torch singer, sexy singers, bubble gum pop star
• However the music can also be represented
Heavy Metal – long hair, certain guitars, Indie – Rough and ready style – casual look
R n B – dark, gold, sex appeal, darker skin Techno/Dance – typical club clothing and costumes
• REMEMBER: Representation refers to the construction in any media text of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and others.
• However it can also be argued that because music videos are obviously “not real” they can seek to subvert reality and accepted levels of “reality”.
Theorists
Mulvey – The purpose of this displace is to facilitate a voyeuristic response in spectators, which presumes a ‘male gaze’ one that is a powerful controlling gaze at the female on display, who is effectively objectified and passive (can this be subverted?)
Dyer – A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials and stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes, and will promote a certain ideology. Stars also provide us with a focal point for our own cultural thinking — particularly to do with Youth & Sexuality. Stars provide audiences with a focus for ideas of 'what people are supposed to be like'
Foucault – sees representation as a discourse (a group of statements)
Alvarado – Racial Representation – exotic, dangerous, humorous, pitied
Class - contradictions which involve a mass medium attempting to reach all the parts of its class-differentiated audience
Hall - encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience. Messages are coded into the media text for the audience to draw messages from – there are preferred readings, dominant readings, negotiated readings and oppositional readings.
Tee - However, the critical questions really are the extent to which the images of music videos have the power to make a representation, have any relationships with the events of reality, or have the ability to portray these events.
Introduction example
The production being discussed is my A2 Advanced portfolio music video “Walking on Sunshine” from the genre of mainstream pop.
Paragraph example
The biggest issue with representation is the difficulty is promoting an ideology to the audience (Dyer). With our artist, we needed to represent of our artist as a rebellious, masculine man as this is expected in genre, although the inclusion of a youthful focus was needed to reach our target audience. This was done through a series of close-ups on the costume which included a leather jacket and tracking, on-tempo shots of him playing an electric guitar, although through cross-dissolves to a nonlinear narrative we also established our artist surrounded by a set of modern gadgets and a series of close-ups on the artist using an i-phone and facebook.
For your coursework- be absolutely sure of the following
• Identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss.
• What representations have been generated?
• Discuss the specific elements of character representation, i.e. facial expression, costume, behaviour etc.
• Have any stereotypical representations been generated?
• Does the production conform to, or subvert, any dominant ideologies?
Representation
• Generally gender is the dominant representation in music videos:
Men Women
Rebellious males (clothing), links to the backdrop, losers (unshaven, shabby, noble), street (dangerous, hard), pretty boys (non-threatening, handsome) Mature Chanteuse, Solo Folkie-artist, the torch singer, sexy singers, bubble gum pop star
• However the music can also be represented
Heavy Metal – long hair, certain guitars, Indie – Rough and ready style – casual look
R n B – dark, gold, sex appeal, darker skin Techno/Dance – typical club clothing and costumes
• REMEMBER: Representation refers to the construction in any media text of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and others.
• However it can also be argued that because music videos are obviously “not real” they can seek to subvert reality and accepted levels of “reality”.
Theorists
Mulvey – The purpose of this displace is to facilitate a voyeuristic response in spectators, which presumes a ‘male gaze’ one that is a powerful controlling gaze at the female on display, who is effectively objectified and passive (can this be subverted?)
Dyer – A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials and stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes, and will promote a certain ideology. Stars also provide us with a focal point for our own cultural thinking — particularly to do with Youth & Sexuality. Stars provide audiences with a focus for ideas of 'what people are supposed to be like'
Foucault – sees representation as a discourse (a group of statements)
Alvarado – Racial Representation – exotic, dangerous, humorous, pitied
Class - contradictions which involve a mass medium attempting to reach all the parts of its class-differentiated audience
Hall - encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience. Messages are coded into the media text for the audience to draw messages from – there are preferred readings, dominant readings, negotiated readings and oppositional readings.
Tee - However, the critical questions really are the extent to which the images of music videos have the power to make a representation, have any relationships with the events of reality, or have the ability to portray these events.
Introduction example
The production being discussed is my A2 Advanced portfolio music video “Walking on Sunshine” from the genre of mainstream pop.
Paragraph example
The biggest issue with representation is the difficulty is promoting an ideology to the audience (Dyer). With our artist, we needed to represent of our artist as a rebellious, masculine man as this is expected in genre, although the inclusion of a youthful focus was needed to reach our target audience. This was done through a series of close-ups on the costume which included a leather jacket and tracking, on-tempo shots of him playing an electric guitar, although through cross-dissolves to a nonlinear narrative we also established our artist surrounded by a set of modern gadgets and a series of close-ups on the artist using an i-phone and facebook.
Sunday 28 March 2010
Theoretical of Evaluation of Production
For Question 1(b) students will have to choose one of their productions, either the AS production, the A2 main task, or any of the two ancillary tasks. The question will focus on only one of the following: •
Genre
What genre is the production?
What are the codes and conventions of the production?
How is the genre established in the candidates production?
How does the mise-en-scène support the genre?
What is the role of the specific elements of the mise-en-scène?
Refer to props, costume, makeup, location, theme etc.
What themes have been used?
Have generic conventions been adhered to or subverted?
How will the generic elements of production appeal to the audience?
Key Theories
Narrative
What is the narrative structure of the product?
How do the specific elements of the production relate to the narrative structure?
Does the production adhere to, or subvert, narrative conventions?
How does the narrative support the establishment of the chosen genre of the production?
How have narrative techniques been used to appeal to the audience?
Refer to Todorov, Propp, Levi-Strauss, multi-strand, restricted, unrestricted, non-linear etc.
Representation
Representation theory – Dyer, Mulvey, Perkins etc.
Identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss.
What representational concepts are highlighted? (i.e. race, gender, cultural attitudes etc.)
What representations have been generated?
Discuss the specific elements of character representation, i.e. modes of address, facial expression, costume, behaviour etc.
Have any stereotypical representations been generated?
Does the production conform to, or subvert, any dominant ideologies?
Audience
Who is the target audience for the production?
Define by age, race, gender, social class etc.
What are the social classifications of the audience?
Why will the production appeal to this target audience?
What techniques and lines of appeal has the production used to attract the target audience?
What uses and gratifications will the target audience get from the production?
How does the production use narrative theory?
General theories: McQuail’s uses and gratifications theory, Vance Packard’s hypodermic needle theory etc.
Media Language
Identify the elements or ‘signs’ within the production that are going to be discussed.
What connotations and significations are apparent?
What codes and conventions have been used?
What semiotic techniques have been used to generate meaning?
Identify and describe the meanings generated.
Genre
What genre is the production?
What are the codes and conventions of the production?
How is the genre established in the candidates production?
How does the mise-en-scène support the genre?
What is the role of the specific elements of the mise-en-scène?
Refer to props, costume, makeup, location, theme etc.
What themes have been used?
Have generic conventions been adhered to or subverted?
How will the generic elements of production appeal to the audience?
Key Theories
Narrative
What is the narrative structure of the product?
How do the specific elements of the production relate to the narrative structure?
Does the production adhere to, or subvert, narrative conventions?
How does the narrative support the establishment of the chosen genre of the production?
How have narrative techniques been used to appeal to the audience?
Refer to Todorov, Propp, Levi-Strauss, multi-strand, restricted, unrestricted, non-linear etc.
Representation
Representation theory – Dyer, Mulvey, Perkins etc.
Identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss.
What representational concepts are highlighted? (i.e. race, gender, cultural attitudes etc.)
What representations have been generated?
Discuss the specific elements of character representation, i.e. modes of address, facial expression, costume, behaviour etc.
Have any stereotypical representations been generated?
Does the production conform to, or subvert, any dominant ideologies?
Audience
Who is the target audience for the production?
Define by age, race, gender, social class etc.
What are the social classifications of the audience?
Why will the production appeal to this target audience?
What techniques and lines of appeal has the production used to attract the target audience?
What uses and gratifications will the target audience get from the production?
How does the production use narrative theory?
General theories: McQuail’s uses and gratifications theory, Vance Packard’s hypodermic needle theory etc.
Media Language
Identify the elements or ‘signs’ within the production that are going to be discussed.
What connotations and significations are apparent?
What codes and conventions have been used?
What semiotic techniques have been used to generate meaning?
Identify and describe the meanings generated.
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