The effects debate - blog tasks

The effects debate - blog tasks 

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?') 
I do play video games, however i do not come across as a violent person in real life.


2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?
Audience theories regarding the effects of the media on audiences can be divided into these categories:
• Direct Effect Theories
• Diffusion Theories
• Indirect Effect Theories
• The Pluralist Approach

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events?

Child’s Play – The murder of Jamie Bulger
Marilyn Manson – The Columbine High School shootings
Natural Born Killers – a number of murders committed by
romantically linked couples.

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999. Murdered 12 students and one teacher. Ten students were murdered in the library, where the pair subsequently died by suicide.

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

The Columbine High School shootings occurred due to a complex relationship between: The ease of access to firearms and the social, acceptance of gun ownership,The alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though they did not fit in, the hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment was high.

6) What does Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggest?

This theory considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. Cultivation theory suggests that repeated exposure to television over time can subtly 'cultivates' viewers' perceptions of reality. Cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages

7) How does this front page of the Daily Mail (from this week - Wednesday 16 November) link to Cultivation theory?  Mail Online version of the story is here.
The front page of the daily mail is linked to the cultivation theory since many underaged kids are glued to screens for more than 4 hours a day. This reinforces the cultivation theory as the theory suggests high viewers of television are more violent in real life. In the daily mail it implies that when kids use technology such as smartphones for more than 4 hours, they start to neglect their parents which shows a sign of aggression towards them.



8) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
The texts do not always encourage the audience to question the values and ideologies presented in an action film. More often, action film do support violence; the reason for this is so the audience can identify the hero's intentions.


9) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?
This theory is largely discredited as it makes simplified judgements about the audience.

10) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

11) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?

12) Which audience theory do you think is most convincing? Why? It is important that you develop critical autonomy in judging the arguments for and against different theories and form your own opinion on these issues.

Cultural Industries

Cultural industries 
 1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?
The notion of cultural industries generally includes textual, music, television, and film production and publishing, as well as crafts and designs.  


2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?
Hesmondhalgh identifies that the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money. Hesmondhalgh also identifies that in contemporary societies the cultural industries often produce texts that do not support these conditions.

3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?
texts tend to offer ideologies which challenge capitalism or the inequalities of gender and racism in society. This happens because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with each other to secure audience members.

4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?
Problems
Risky business mk
Creativity versus commerce
High production costs and low reproduction costs
Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?
Risk derives from the fact that audiences use cultural commodities in highly volatile and unpredictable ways. Companies cannot completely control the publicity a product will receive, as judgments and reactions of audiences, critics and journalists etc. cannot accurately be predicted. It may be difficult to achieve high levels of profit for independent or individual companies

6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?
Long held that there should be an opposition between creativity and knowledge, and commerce. This has had the effect of generating a set of tensions.The creativity/ commerce tension helps to generate the relative and provisional autonomy that many symbol makers attain Adds to the uncertainty

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 
Most cultural commodities have high fixed costs and low variable costs. the high ratio of fixed costs to variable costs in the cultural industries means that big hits are extremely profitable.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?
I believe media products should be rewarded for their work, as they try to reduce the inequalities and injustices in wider society, however as Hesmondhalgh considers the way the cultural industries distribute and organise symbolic creativity (i.e. texts audiences consume) reflects extreme inequalities and injustices evident in capitalist societies. For instance, there are vast differences in terms of access to cultural industries in society, in terms of your level of wealth, gender or ethnicity.


9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?
People from different ethnicity don't like the use of Visual effects as it goes against their values and morals as they find it extremely disrespectful. 

10) What is commodification? 

Turning everything into something that can be bought or sold. He suggests this creates problems on both the consumption and production side.

11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society? 
I agree with this statement since not many media text reach a wide audience in the society. Many teenagers in the digital age rarely view media texts unless its relevant to them. Therefore, people's opinions are not generated through media text meaning the society does not reflect diversity among adults neither teenagers. 
12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

These large conglomerates are now connected in complex ways however there are also many small and medium sized companies who create cultural products. These companies are becoming increasingly connected with other medium and large cultural industries. 

Cultural products can now be shared across national borders. This increased the adaptation, reinvention and hybridity of genres and products. 

Cultural texts (films, programmes, records, print media, images etc) have been radically transformed. Promotional and advertising material now infiltrates areas and products more so than before.


 

Representation: Blog task

Representation: Blog task

1) List the different people/groups represented in the trailer (men/women/Americans etc.)

Albanians 

Men 

Women 

Sex Traffickers  

2) For each group you identify, decide whether the representation is a dominant or alternative portrayal. Explain why you think this.

Albanians at the beginning of the trailer are represented as dominant however as the story unfolds, the Albanians are shown to be fragile. weak and lethargic therefore, are represented as alternative. The Men in the trailer are represented dominant throughout the movie especially the main character Liam Neeson. the  main character reinforces male stereotypes as he is portrayed as a hero and is very robust and authoritative. The women as represented as dominant as well since they are portrayed to be weak, fragile and vulnerable. The victim in the trailer which is a woman reinforces woman stereotypes as she calls help to a robust make actor. 


3) What stereotypes can you identify in the trailer? 

Male stereotypes are reinforced since the main character is shown to be a hero towards the audience. The male character is seen as dominant as he gives commands which is foreshadowed in the movie. 

Woman stereotypes are reinforced since they act vulnerable and seek help immediately when they are in grave danger.  


4) Why might the Taken trailer offend or alienate certain groups?

The Taken trailer may offend a lot of female audience since it reinforces woman stereotypes. The trailer is very subjective and implies that woman are innocent and vulnerable. Many female audience would disagree with this point and therefore be offended.


5) Why do mainstream film and television texts such as Taken so often use stereotypes?

They use stereotypes in a very effective way to market and sell their movie and also text. the stereotypes associate with the genre of the movie which is action thriller which communicates the narrative plot much more easily,

#Dyer: stereotyping and power
Medhurst: value judgements
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true
Mulvey: the male gaze
Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology

Dyer: Dyer's theory is adopted in this trailer since white middle class people are seen to have big houses and luxurious cars. The trailer supports woman stereotypes as they are shown to be less powerful than others due to the victim( woman ) demonstrating a very vulnerable and fragile behaviour towards the sex traffickers. 

Medhurst: The stereotypes convey a negative representation of minority groups. For example, in this trailer it again reinforces that woman are weak and defenceless as they are easily kidnapped and used wrongly. Meanwhile, only relying on the protagonist to come help them. 

Perkins: Some stereotypes may be argued to be positive. For example male stereotypes are seen has heroic, robust and will fight according to what they think is right. Also in some aspects woman stereotypes in this trailer is seen as positive since they see conflict in a more rational approach. 

Mulvey: The male gaze is reinforced. The sex traffickers are attracted to the vulnerable women in Paris and use them as objects. I believe Mulvey's theory of woman being used by men will be supported throughout the movie. In the film, the girls are used horrendously when kidnapped and drugged. This allows the girls in the movie to be attracted towards the male gaze and feel good about it. 

Levi-Strauss: Claude Levi-Strauss suggests that representations in the media are informed by ideology: the set of beliefs and values held by the producer of the text. Some things are included and some things are left out to create a dominant and alternative representation. The different representations are formed corresponding to the genre which is Thriller. 

Media regulation: blog task

Media regulation: blog task

1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?
Systems of regulation are required to provide rules and regulations to ensure that organisations operate fairly. In the media industry there are several regulatory bodies that exist to monitor the way that their industries work. Broadcast media (TV and radio) are regulated by OFCOM-Office of Communication. 

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?
OFCOM is responsible for regulating television, radio, telephone services and some aspects of the internet. OFCOM is also responsible for granting licences to TV and Radio stations and it is illegal to broadcast TV and radio signals without a licence from OFCOM

3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?
In my opinion, i think 'protecting the under-eighteen' is the most important since the well-known element  of the code is 'Water shed'. This means that material that is unsuitable for children should not be shown before 9pm and after 5:pm. Therefore, protecting young teenagers from violence and inappropriate content will decrease their influence into crimes etc. The second important code is crime. This code should be regulated since it involves very high content of violence which could influence teenagers to do bad things. Section 9, 'commercial references in television programming'. This is a very important broadcasting code since they could communicate an offensive or unnecessary message that perhaps may result to people creating representations through the media. 


4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why? 
The movie 'Wolverine' contained 6 instances of violence that is deemed 'unsuitable for children', therefore, i believe that channel 4 was wrong to broadcast Wolverine before watershed as many young teenagers might of been influenced, perhaps might of imitated the violence to showcase it towards the media and the society.   

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice.
 Accuracy
Opportunity to Reply 
Privacy 
Harassment 
Intrusion into Grief and shock 

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?
the PCC became the focus of a great deal of controversy. It’s critics claim that the lack of statutory powers means that when a newspaper has been found to breath the rules. Critics also argue that many newspapers seem to fly in the face of the rules on a pretty regular basis and that very little is done to stop them.

7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?
Throughout 2011 and 2012, an inquiry into the “culture, practice and ethics of the press” was held, mainly as a result of the so-called phone hacking scandal.Goodman was a rogue reporter, working alone but it emerged during the Leveson Enquiry that phone hacking was much more widespread throughout the industry. The enquiry also looked at other areas of press behaviour that were considered questionable.

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?
On 8th September 2014, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?
Press regulation is a key topic in contemporary media regulation, at the moment the press is being regulated by a non-government regulation. I believe that the media should be regulated since young adult shouldn't have the right to have an opinion on everything. This will ruin the child's future due the teenager being influenced by many media platforms. 

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?
At this new digital age, people are becoming more comfortable and intellectual in the way they can manipulate the internet to work at their favour. Furthermore, there is a large population of users that use the internet therefore its difficult to regulate some websites. 

Representation theory

Representation theory

1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?
Representation is an important concept in media studies as it differentiates people to a group they correspond to such as black or young stereotypes. This makes it easier for the audience to identify characters in a video through representation.

2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?
The newspaper has re-presented how Kate Middleton looks like due to people manipulating and controlling the image at various stages. Consequently,this has lead to different interpretations of Kate Middleton in the media due to one in image. This shows that the media can re-represent someone with different meanings really easily.

3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.
All media products have a specific function which will impact on the representation they construct.
producers will consider three things: the expectations and the need of the target audience, the limitations provided by the genre codes and the type of narrative they wish to create. The representation itself is a combination of these selections and rejections.Even a simple element such as the choice of wallpaper used
to dress the set of a soap opera family’s living room will help to create ideological meaning.shows. This
repetition of values and ideologies starts to feel very ‘natural’ to the viewer.

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?
Hall’s critique is known as the ‘Encoding/Decoding Model’, and still challenges conventional assumptions
about how media messages are produced. Hall argued that audiences do not necessarily accept the ideology of texts passively, but instead draw on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations.

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?
Due to the media involving over the years, audience members are now able to construct and share their own products. There are more opportunities for people to self-represent themselves through social media. For example, when we post an image on insta or snapchat, we are constructing an idea of ourselves and distributing it to the followers.

6) What example if provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?
 National identity is invariably raised during national sports competitions.During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concepts of ‘Englishness’

Narrative: blog task

  Narrative: blog task

1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. 

Disequilibrium:The disequilibrium is when Bryan unwillingly agrees in sending Kim to Paris where sex traffickers kidnap her. Bryan uses violence and aggression to find where his daughter is kept. 

New Equilibrium: The story line is further developed in taken 2 since he saves his daughter from the leader of the sex traffickers.   

 2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a clip on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.


The setting is established in a huge environment of central city showcasing the beautiful atmosphere of the place. the opening scene is mostly set in day-line which brings out the beauty of the city since the audience are able to see the luxurious buildings from a high viewpoint. The character is called Barry Allen also known as the protagonist in the TV series. The main character is blessed with great powers to use to fight crime in central city and help others in need. Many unfortunate and tragic moments come in to Barry's life that tale the narrative in a certain way such as the death of his mother. The character is struck by lighting and sent to a coma fro 9 months. Then wakes up no  knowing that his life was going to change completely. The character is then trained how to control and use those gifts to his advantage and eventually manages to successfully defeat crime in central city for the first time.  

 
3) Provide three different examples from film or television of characters that fit Propp's hero character role.

Liam Neeson plays as the protagonist in the movie taken as the whole movie revolves around his actions. Liam Neeson is shown as heroic in the movie due to him saving his daughter from a gang organisation.

Cisco Ramon plays as the dispatcher and the donor as he sends Barry Allen, the protagonist, on many missions and quests. Cisco is also show in the TV show the Flash to help out the hero as he gives him tips and tricks to fight crime in central city.

4) Give an example of a binary opposition.
When the girl wins the heart of the guy in a romantic comedy the values of heterosexual relationships and monogamy are reinforced. In conventional texts crime doesn’t usually pay and the guy most often gets the girl. 

5) What example is provided in the Factsheet for the way narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values?
Binary oppositions can be very useful to help identify the ideology of a text. When the policeman captures the criminal in a crime drama– the ideology of the value of law and order is emphasised. When the girl wins the heart of the guy in a romantic comedy the values of heterosexual relationships and monogamy are reinforced.

6) Why do enigma and action codes (Barthes) offer gratifications for audiences?

Problems and their complications create enigma for the audience. The viewers are curious as to what actions will be undertaken and how the problems will be solved. Depending on the genre, particular emotions are generated by the narrative. Audiences feel:

Fear, excitement,Empathy, Suspense and tension   

7) Write a one-sentence summary of the four different types of TV narrative:

• Episodic narrative (the series) 
•  These are fictions which have many parts but where the narrative arc is usually resolved at the end of each episode.
  

• Overarching narrative (the serial)
• The serial uses the conventional narrative arc over a number of episodes. Often each episode begins with a summary of what occurred in previous episodes in case the audience missed a part.

• Multi-strand overlapping narrative (soap narrative) 
• These have a continuous narrative and they tell a number of different stories at the same time. This is sometimes called an open narrative as there is no final resolution for the text. Each narrative strand involves different characters.

 8) How does the Factsheet suggest adverts use narrative?  
In advertising the idea of the problem and resolution is crucial. Often adverts set up a problem (bad breath) and then immediately offer the solution (buy their toothpaste) to create a swift resolution

(fresh breath)