UNIT 1 Media products and audiences

UNIT 1 This externally assessed unit tests your knowledge of media industries, products and audience issues.

UNIT 1

UNIT 1

Exam Practice Discuss how narrative is communicated in a text you have studied (12 marks) Introduce the text and its narrative What are the techniques used to communicate this narrative? Is the text linear or non-linear? Does the text contain a multi-stranded narrative? Can you apply any narrative theory to the text?

Narrative What is narrative? The way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional media texts. In a fictional text this usually revolves around a story, whereas in non-fiction it refers to how messages are communicated to audiences to give a text meaning or sturtcure.

Narrative Keywords Anchorage – The techniques used to give a text it’s meaning. This can include voice-overs or captions on the screen that ‘anchor’ the text for the audience.

Narrative Keywords “The text I am analysing is a documentary. The text is a series of videos of animals in their natural habitat. It is anchored by a narrator talking over the images and communicating the meaning to the audience. Without this anchorage the audience might not fully understand the images they are watching.”

Narrative communication techniques Audio (Music, dialogue, narrator etc) Visual (Expressions, lighting, colours etc) Technical (Pace, camera shots and angles, editing) Captions Flashbacks

NARRATIVE THEORIES Todorov’s theory Barthes theory Propps theory Suggested that visual, technical, audio indicators are used to create meaning in texts. He referred to small clues that hint at narrative events as enigma codes When the narrative is revealed in a text he referred to this as an action code. Suggested narratives are communicated in 5 stages; Equilibrium (everything as it should be) Disruption (An event that disrupts the lives of the main protagonist(s)) Realisation (Protagonist realises the equilibrium is disturbed) Restoration (equilibrium is restored or new equilibrium created) Quest (Protagonist attempts to restore the equilibrium) Propps theory Levi-Strauss theory Propps theory suggests that recongisable characters help audiences understand narrative, they include; Hero (Main Protagonist) Villain (Main antagonist) Princess (prize) Helper (aid to the hero) Dispatcher/donor (Gives the hero the tools or objects needed) False hero (Betrays the hero) Levi-strauss’ theory suggests narratives are created through the use of binary opposites such as; Good vs Evil Night vs Day Light vs Dark

Title – Genre conventions Understand what is meant by the term ‘genre conventions’ Be able to recognise the conventions of media texts

How can you recognise what genre a specific text fits into? What are the key indicators?

Keywords Genre – The classification of Media texts into certain categories based on shared elements Genre Conventions – The shared elements of texts in the same genre Hybrid Genre – A text that contains elements of more than one genre.

THROUGHOUT THE MEDIA TEXTS YOU CONSUME THERE ARE INDICATORS OR CLUES THAT ENABLE TO DECODE WHAT THE GENRE OF THAT MEDIA TEXT IS. WE CALL THESE; Genre Conventions

Characters THROUGHOUT MEDIA TEXTS OF THE SAME GENRE YOU WILL SEE COMMON CHARACTERS REOCCUR.

Narrative Events WHEN CONSUMING MEDIA TEXTS OF THE SAME GENRE THERE ARE CERTAIN EVENTS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO OCCUR WITHIN THE NARRATIVE OR AN EXPECTED STRUCTURE TO A TEXT.

Iconography SOME COSTUMES, OBJECTS AND BACKGROUND BECOME CONVENTIONAL THROUGHOUT CERTAIN GENRES.

CODES (VISUAL/TECHNICAL/AUDIO) THE WAY A TEXT IS CONSTRUCTED VISUALLY OR TECHNICALLY AS WELL AS THE AUDIO CODES ARE OFTEN AN INDICATOR OF GENRE. FOR EXAMPLE THE TENSE, LEADING MUSIC IN AN ACTION FILM OR A CLOSE UP IN A REALITY SHOW TO SHOW PEOPLES REACTIONS.

Identifying Genre You would then go into detail about how you know this is the genre of the clip by discussing the genre conventions; Characters Narrative events Iconography Codes (Visual, Technical and Audio)

Identifying Genre What genre is the clip shown? How do the conventions (characters, iconography, narrative and codes) help us recognise the genre? Can you compare it to texts of a similar genre?

“I am now going to analyse the clip I was shown of the popular BBC drama ‘Holby City’. I believe the genre of this clip has been communicated through the use of Genre conventions throughout. I believe that the main genre of this clip is a hospital drama. The text doesn’t focus solely on medical issues but also issues such as relationships which adds a dramatic element to the text. “One indicator of the genre of the text came early on when we saw a variety of characters wearing hospital related clothing. This use of Iconography helps communicate the Genre to the audience early on in the scene. The use of a dramatic opening conversation between two people which seems quite tense and emotional also adds the drama element to the text and makes the audience understand that it also focuses on the lives on people in the hospital.

“Another indicator to the genre of this clip is the use of the dramatic and slow music at the end which is accompanied by the slowing of the overall pace of the clip. This adds to the dramatic effect of the clip, further enforcing the idea that this is a drama to the audience, clearly communicating that the genre of the text is dramatic and hospital related.”

Identifying Genre Analyse the video clip with reference to Discuss the genre conventions within the text Discuss – what is the genre(s) of the text What are the key indicators? (genre conventions) What are the indicators that there may be more than one genre? Try and be as analytical and detailed as possible

Genre Theory – Richard Altman Richard Altman suggested that media texts of certain genres offer audiences certain ‘pleasures’ such as; Emotional pleasures – Does the text make the audience happy or sad or trigger any other emotions? Visceral pleasures – ‘Gut’ responses such as excitement, fear, laughter etc. Intellectual puzzles – Does the text make the audience think? Apply this to the ‘Life on Mars’ clip we watched earlier.