G322
TV Drama and Representation
and
Audience and Institutions: UK Film
The Key Points
TV Drama and Representation
• Section A of the exam.
• 30 minutes to watch clip (4 times) and
make notes.
• 45 minutes to write your response.
• Don’t bother with introductions or
conclusions: these won’t gain you any
marks.
• Consider using note-making time to ‘plan’
your answer.
Question 1 – Television
drama how to answer
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Whatever you do you should always read the question and underline or circle its key words. Then
make your plan for your answer. Remember to use key words from the question to keep your
essay’s argument relevant.
Whatever you do you should always read the question and underline or circle its key words. Then
make your plan for your answer. Remember to use key words from the question to keep your
essay’s argument relevant.
Make notes and make a plan of how you are going to tackle the essay but put a line through your
notes once you have finished so examiner knows these are your notes.
In your opening paragraph do not bother with an introduction get straight on with the question.
You may want to start to answer the question in the opening paragraph and then move onto your
key technical areas you must discuss: Camera Shot, Angle and Composition, Mise en
scène,Sound and editing (see specs for further help)
Although you may address each technical area one by one for a higher level mark make sure that
you link technical features in creating representations. For instance in a conflict situation, conflict
will be created through mise en scène (the stately home), through the use of shot reverse shot in
(editing) and through extreme close ups an through sound, both diegetic and non diegetic.
Ensure that all the technical elements are covered and that a discussion of the key concept takes
place, not all technical elements will be covered in the same detail.
It is important that candidates move from description of key technical areas to analysis of how
representations are constructed. This will enable candidates to achieve higher marks for their
responses. The mark scheme enables credit to be awarded to students at three different levels
Explanation, Analysis and Argument (20 Marks), Use of Examples (20 Marks) and Use of
Terminology (10 Marks).
TV Drama and Representation
• You must comment on…
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Camera
Sound
Mise-en-scene
Editing
And how they link to…
– Representation
• Failure to discuss any of these areas will reduce
your mark!
Camera – shots, angle, movement
and composition
• Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up,
mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial
shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot,
and variations of these.
• Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
• Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane,
steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
• Composition: framing.
Sound
• Diegetic and non-diegetic sound;
synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound
effects; sound motif, sound bridge,
dialogue, voiceover, mode of
address/direct address, sound mixing.
• Soundtrack: score, incidental music,
themes and stings, ambient sound.
Mise-en-scene
• Production design: location, studio, set
design, costume and make-up, properties.
• Lighting; colour design.
Editing
• Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match,
graphic match, action match, jump cut.
• Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fadeout, wipe, superimposition, long take, short
take, slow motion, post-production, visual
effects.
Representation
“representations of individuals,
groups, events or places…”
• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Sexuality
• Class and Status
• Physical ability/disability
• Regional identity
Keywords…
• All the terminology mentioned on the
previous slides are keywords.
• Other you could mention include…
– Realism – do the different techniques used
work to make the piece realistic?
– Verisimilitude – the construction of a
believable world.
– Stereotypes – how we expect people and
places to be.
What could you be shown?
Type of drama
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Teen dramas
Soap operas
Period dramas
Hospital dramas
Crime dramas
• Realism?
• What are they used to represent?
Examples…
• Skins, Hollyoaks.
• Eastenders, Corrie,
Emmerdale.
• Rome, Bleak House, Life
on Mars.
• Casualty, Holby City.
• The Bill, Prime Suspect,
Life on Mars, Cracker,
Morse, Frost.
The Mark Scheme
Level 4
Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)
• Shows excellent understanding of the task
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects used in the extract
• Excellent discussion of the extract’s representations, clearly linked to textual analysis
• Clearly relevant to set question
Use of examples (16-20 marks)
• Offers frequent textual analysis from the extract – award marks to reflect the range and
appropriateness of examples
• Offers a full range of examples from each technical area
• Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question
Use of terminology (8-10 marks)
• Use of terminology is relevant and accurate
UK Film
• Section B.
• 45 minutes to respond to 1 question.
• Question will ask you to discuss the
processes of production, distribution and
exhibition in British Film
• Your answer should make reference to
specific examples from the case studies
we have studied.
How to answer section B
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Whatever you do you should always read the question and underline or circle its key words. Then make your plan
for your answer. Remember to use key words from the question to keep your essay’s argument relevant. You also
need to use key concepts such as Audience, Production, Distribution, Exhibition and Exchange. Remember to use
and apply concepts such as Technological Convergence, Synergies, Media Convergence (for media ownership)
etc.
Rather than just plough through the expected format of production, distribution/marketing/exhibition issues with
key terms tagged on, why not begin with the audience’s reception of the film. Its the most important part of the
process and what happens there can decide the genres and casting, etc. of future films which institutions may
then “greenlight”. Given how much of the audience first finds out about a film on the Internet and then discusses it
on various websites, is a good way to discuss technological convergence early on. After all, YouTube, Face-Book,
Blogsites, Amazon UK message boards on films, etc have put people onto films that they would otherwise never
have found.
Moreover, like a detective you can go over the ISSUES as to why a particular film was a success or not for its
institution(s) by beginning with the audience’s reactions to the film (both critics and ordinary people) and then by
raking over the production, marketing and exhibition issues associated with the film and its institution. You will be
better placed to decide why a film succeeded or failed to make money and please its audiences. After all, in the
regular pattern of film-making and the decisions taken at each stage, errors can take place which could be rectified
in future.
Another possible angle is to begin with the importance of technological convergence and begin with its ever
widening role in enjoying, making and marketing films.
As mentioned at the beginning you need to address the question’s key words and not just spill down everything
you know about your case study. Relevance is everything.
The Case Studies
Your answer can should contained detailed examples.
You can refer to:
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Working Title
FilmFour
20th Century Fox
The UK Film Council (leading to Screen Yorkshire)
The BBFC
Warp Films
• You should refer to one main case study and use other
examples to back yourself up.
Production / Distribution / Exhibition
The question requires you to discuss these three
areas…
• Production – Processes and decisions that take
place when making a film.
• Distribution – Advertising, merchandising and
delivering the film to the market
• Exhibition – The different ways in which the
audience can ‘consume’ the film.
You should also make reference to…
Synergy
• In media economics, synergy is the promotion
and sale of a product (and all its versions)
throughout the various subsidiaries of a media
conglomerate, e.g. films, soundtracks or video
games.
• Walt Disney pioneered synergistic marketing
techniques in the 1930s by granting dozens of
firms the right to use his Mickey Mouse
character in products and ads, and continued to
market Disney media through licensing
arrangements.
Synergy in Film…
• 20th Century Fox, produces,
distributes and markets films
• Owned by News Corporation..
• Which is Owned by Rupert
Murdoch…
• Who owns: Sky, News
International, Harper Collins,
MySpace…
What does all this mean????
Proliferation (through technology)
• Downloading – itunes, ipod, apple TV
• Digital Piracy – DVD’s, filesharing
• Social Networking Sites – marketing and
buzz
• Accessibility – everywhere???
• Control – industry/audiences
• Proliferations: means more of it ways to
access media.
“The importance of technological convergence for
institutions and audiences”
What does convergence mean and why is it
important?
• When two or more technologies come together
to create a new technology.
• Audiences: Everything in one product.
• Institutions: Audiences tied to one product.
Technology – The Digital Age
UK vs Hollywood
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Hollywood dominates.
Different cultural values and appeals.
Successful partnerships…
FilmFour relies on joint partnerships with other companies to make films:
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Slumdog Millionaire
Trainspotting
Four Weddings
= Celador Films, Pathe Pictures
= Polygram, Figment Films
= Polygram, Working Title
FilmFour relies on American studios to distribute their films to an international
audience:
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Slumdog Millionaire
Trainspotting
Four Weddings
= Fox Searchlight
= Miramax Films
= Gramercy Pictures
Your Experiences
How do you consume films?
Us challenging them…
• Remember that YOU are a key part of the
film industry.
• YOUR behaviour influences what they (the
institutions) do.
• Be prepared to comment on the power of
the audience!
The Question
• Discuss the issues raised by an institution’s
need to target specific audiences within a media
industry which you have studied.
Or maybe…
• What issues / decisions do institutions face
when releasing their products?
• How do audiences influence institutional
decisions?
• Consider here from both the perspective of the
independent or co owned British studio and their
American counterpart.
What issues / decisions do
institutions face when releasing
their products?
• On the crib sheet which topic area is this
more similar to? in that topic area look at
what the question is asking?
What issues / decisions do institutions face
when releasing their products?
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You could perhaps start with when independent British companies release a
film they would have problems with distribution because and you would
explain the reasons why use examples of independent companies like Warp
or Film 4 or co-owned like Working Title, and then contrast this with 20th
Century Fox. You could then say this doesn't stop there and talk about in
the production stage when decisions are made, particularly Film 4 films
often target a more British audience and why? How does this effect how
they will be distributed. i.e. a film like this is England would not be
understood by an American audience because of its social realism focused
on a midlands working class town, the accents would be difficult to
understand. In contrast a film produced by working title which is co owned
by universal traditionally make films which have a more global feel, because
films like about a boy, four wedding, love actually are the type of films
American audiences want to see. This would effect funding, so in the
production stage big tie in deals like avatar and product placement would
not happen so independent smaller British production companies would
have to either get another studio involved, get funding from national lottery.
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They also would not have big Hollywood actors to attract an audience. British
films have to focus on social realism to promote the film for a British audience
rather than cgi or a all star Hollywood cast. In the production stage because
independent film companies use cgi rather than 35mm film, and often use
digital independent cinemas to screen why? This means the audience are not
mainstream but niche.
Also when creating trailers different edits will be produced think about
Spiderman and Slumdog.
In the distribution stage, independent film companies rely on a distributor, but it
is more difficult to find if film are not commercially viable for a larger audience
think slumdog millionaire.Here talk about distributing the films, again compare
and contrast also perhaps make a link with how Slumdog millionaire overcame
these problems, by using the internet, and targeting specific audience.
Link this to exhibition, compare and contrast, how film festivals help to promote
low budget films, this could also be linked to synergy how they can promote
their products using their other products. Again this is true of 20th century fox,
you could then make the link to convergence, and proliferation, how sky TV
owned by news corps who owns 20th century fox you can download and watch
films, so can access when you want. Big global companies generally focus on
blockbusters so there are certain times of year they will release. You could so
talk about how film 4 has there own channel to exhibit their films and big
companies can you both synergy and technological convergence to promote
their films. Also discuss audience and exchange.
Slumdog how they over came
the challenge
• http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Pages/Arti
cle.aspx?ArticleID=16147&Title=How_%E
2%80%98Slumdog_Millionaire%E2%80%
99_attracted_over_21_million_online_view
ers
What classes as a british film
• Most British films are either co-produced,
co-funded, or solely American financed but
British actors i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean
or Titanic, Harry Potter. There are different
ratings for whether a film is classed as
British these are A,B,C,D
Categories
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A: entirely British funded
B: Majority UK funded
C: More common co-funded
D: America film, with a British creative
input.
UK Film Council has gone what
about funding in the recession?
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/26/
uk-film-council-abolished-reaction
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/201
0/jul/26/uk-film-councilfunding?intcmp=239
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/
23/british-film-industry-funding-slumdogmillionaire
Key words to use
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Key Terms – Understand and be able to apply these terms in your exam:
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Keep checking all of the Media department’s teacher blogs for additional information relevant to your research.
Above the line marketing Below the line marketing
Vertical Integration
Synergy marketing
convergence
Merchandising
Viral marketing
Budget (Low, mid range, big) Research cost of a variety of films
Four quadrant movies (Age – young and old Gender – make and female)
Conglomerate
Subsidiary
DSN – Digital Screen Network
HD – High definition
Blu ray
i-pods
Digital Distribution
35mm reels
Independent cinema
Mainstream cinema
Piracy
‘Orange Wednesdays’
Niche audience
CGI
The Mark Scheme
Level 4
Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)
• Shows excellent understanding of the task
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of institutional/audience practices – factual
knowledge is relevant and accurate
• A clear and developed argument, substantiated by detailed reference to case study
material
• Clearly relevant to set question
Use of examples (16-20 marks)
• Offers frequent evidence from case study material – award marks to reflect the range
and appropriateness of examples
• Offers a full range of examples from case study and own experience
• Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question
Use of terminology (8-10 marks)
• Use of terminology is relevant and accurate
Revising
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The power points
The internet
Case studies
And these…
Useful Websites
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• UK Film Council - http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/
• Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com/
• British Film Council - http://www.britfilms.com/
• Marketing and distribution of film http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/distribution/distribution1.html
• Warp Film - http://warp.net/films
• Working Title - http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/
• Avatar website - http://www.avatar-movie.co.uk/
Example
• Now look at high level example papers for
both section A and B and notice how they
answer the questions for both
representation and also for institutions and
how to use your case studies.