Wednesday, 27 April 2016

How to get an A* exam essay

WWW:
  1. Has clear knowledge of their text with data and statistics to support their ideas
  2. Discussing the theory, arguing with the essay question and also arguing against it
  3. Using key phrases like however, on the other hand, in contrast etc.
  4. Continuing to debate the essay question, looking at both sides and using their evidence to compare.
  5. Uses contextual information to further their debate e.g. changes in law or social change – Dr Foster; reflects a representation of how they are now – AOC: is slightly outdated
  6. Includes theorists in relation to her point for her case studies and only uses four media theory throughout the essay – helps to avoid listing theorists
  7. Recognises the context of the media text and uses them to argue the essay question e.g. Dr Foster; British/London – AOC; America/Deep South
  8. In conclusion – goes back to essay question, think about collective identity that it is not always collective
  9. Discusses what future might hold – looks at recent changes to representations and provides examples
Dr Foster:
1 - BBC one-flagship channel 'most watched television channel. 
June 2013 the channel controller for BBC One is Charlotte Moore.
Writer: Mike Bartlett 
Director: Tom Vaughan 
Screening: BBC One 9pm weeknights. 
The series was commissioned by Charlotte Moore and Ben Stephenson
The executive producers are Roanna Benn, Greg Brenman, Jude Liknaitzky and Matthew Read. 
Suranne Jones won Serial Drama Performance for National Television Awards 2016 for her portrayal of Gemma.

AOC:
1 - Smoke House Pictures. 
The company was founded in 2006 by George Clooney and Grant Heslov after the shutdown of Section Eight Productions.
Director: John Wells           
Writers: Tracy Letts (screenplay), Tracy Letts (play)
It is produced by George Clooney, Jean Doumanian, Grant Heslov, Steve Traxler, Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
For their performances in the film, Streep and Roberts received Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Peer marking

WWW: 
  1. Focuses on how the group are represented in different mediums e.g. reality TV and TV drama
  2. Uses a wide range of examples trying to find common representation types within them e.g. short list in introduction
  3. Clear understanding that there is no such thing as collective identity 'many and various'
  4. Clearly understands the genre of the texts and the generic expectations we have of these fictional characters e.g. a staple of the crime genre
  5. Uses small sections of description from the texts to exemplify the point e.g. 'wedding speech'
  6. Investigates the representation e.g. uses phrases such as on the other hand
  7. Uses another text to compare/further the ideas e.g. takes things further
  8. Does describe, but turns the description into analysis. continually use PEE structure
  9. Recognises the audience in the argument - knows the demographic of the texts BARB
  10. Continual comparison of the texts and similarities/patterns shown where possible
  11. tUnderstands the use of stereotypes to create familiarity, but also explores where it is challenged
  12. Recognises our need for these types of representation. e.g. stock characters, entertainment, but also investigates the need to distort them

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Mulvey's male gaze theory

Sicario – Emily Blunt and Sandra Bullock were starred in the movie however these roles were originally written for men.
Women are replacing men’s roles e.g. Ghost busters, Mad Max

Mulvey:
Male gaze – cinema and moving image are created for men.
Patriarchal in nature – mainstream cinema
Female gaze – female producers/actresses/films to encounter male gaze
Mulvey suggest patriarchy is inscribed in mainstream cinema by ensuring that men are the “bearer of the look” whilst women exist “to be looked at”.
Are women’s bodies in the text represented as fragmented? Are they shown through close-ups?
Men are active – making things happen – contrast to women’s passivity?
What do the women’s in the text say? Are they knowledgeable? Are they academic? Are they powerful?
      AOC : women driving/rescuer/type of car/confidence
Women sexualised? – Dr Foster? – Complicated representation of women
How use of editing enforces the representations?
-       Gemma and Simon in kitchen as final scene – strength of both are shown

Use of theories to talk about representation of women

Tuesday, 19 April 2016

Seven codes of Realism

1. The Code of Surface Realism - Does the representation look and sound to you like the real world it claims to show?
Dr Foster is a TV drama therefore, some sections of this will be dramatised for the interest of the audience who watch this for entertainment. But the costume, props and setting of the character Gemma is kept very realistic as a married women who is also a mother. Her style of clothing is kept very conventional as well as dull due to the clothing majority of the time being black, grey or navy. This represents her serious nature and also her profession of being a GP, keeping her look quite reserved and sophisticated. Also her make-up and jewellery is kept to a minimum due to her being careless or this could also mean her not having the time as she is too busy with her child and workplace, that she has not given herself some time in doing things majority of women or is seen as the "norm" of society. but within some scenes she is seen as wearing make-up and fixing her hair or wearing heels, this is for her to be shown as trying to look "pretty" as she wants her husband to notice these things about her or when she meets Neil, to present sexuality and trying to make her husband "jealous" by going out.

On the other hand, in August Osage County, Barbara is shown as very careless with the way she looks again as she is a wife and a mother, she does not have time to focus on herself. But Violet is shown as very concerned with her appearance by saying "women need make-up, else they look like a lesbian" and that "women get fat and ugly when they are older", this view is realistic as it is what society do believe, that attraction goes with age. Wearing make-up has become such as globally trend that if a women is seen without it, they are believed to be "ugly" or a "tomboy." This view has influenced her youngest daughter Karen, as she is shown throughout the movie in dresses with an elegant hairstyle, however her look contradicts a lot with Ivy as she is shown in clothing that will be classed as "masculine", which Violet does not like.

2. The Code of Social Realism - Does the representation present social reality ‘like it really is’? Or ‘as it really was’?

Dr Foster is based on a more modern society as she is an independent professional women who is not just a house wife but has a career as well as takes care of the household finance. Other women in the drama too are working and are seen as professionals, this shows how they do not have the stereotypical mindset of women not working especially after marriage, as they need to stay home and cook, clean and childcare. This is a form of reality, as in some areas of society, it is seen as conventional to do so, especially now that society is becoming more open minded and allowing women to be equal to men.

August Osage County is based on a typical minded society, this is because all women within the movie are not professional workers or even have a job, but are shown as housewives. They all have a stereotypical mind of staying home, for Barbara that means taking care of her child and for Violet and Karen they are most interested in their appearance. Again this can be seen as reality as many women in societies wish to just marry and have children, do not want to study or work, this is either their own choice due to their upbringing or it could be a pressure as it is seen as the norm within their society.

In both mediums, although they have contradicting views, as women they do have similarity in values and characteristics. Within the drama, Gemma and Simon show their family and friends that they are a happily married couple and try to cover up, or Gemma is being very strong in not letting her situation out to society. Within the movie, this is what Barbara and her husband are going through as well, they try to show their family that they are still together however are going through separation maybe even divorce. This shows how even though they are struggling within their own households, they still care about society that they will start to question and interfere.

However within August Osage County, if issues arise in a relationship, the men is questioned and is seen as the negative person. But within Dr Foster, Gemma has a fear of this as within her society, this question will be asked to both and more likely to women. Also if their children become deviant, the blame will be on the mother that she has lacked in her upbringing. Regardless of how negative or bad influence the father may be, as they are not the birth giver or seen as staying with the child as much as the mother should.

3. The Genre Code - Is the representation what you’d expect to see and hear in this sort or genre of text? - Does it make you suspend your disbelief?

4. The Narrative Code - Are events likely to happen in this way and in this order?

5. The Code of Psychology and Character Motivation - Does a fictional representation invest greater realism in the psychology of its characters than in the other codes?

6. The Code of Discursive or Ideological Truth - Does a fictional representation construct for its viewers a particularly compelling and persuasive sense of truth?

7. The ‘Counter-Realism’ Code of Institutional Constraint - Are representations shaped by the institutions that produce them in ways that constrain or limit their realism?