Representation of Sexuality in TV Dramas

Sexuality presentation explaining the different sexual orientations and their representation in TV dramas.

Audience and Institution June 2010 essay question

June 2010

"What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?"

Aspects:
Computers- 

• Editing: CGI, improvement of the 4th installment
• Distribution- DVD's, Blu Rays, Netflix- CHEAPER FOR BOTH CONSUMER AND PROVIDER, without it the films wouldn't benefit as people would watch them illegally than pay for a subscription thus adding to the films profit.
• Marketing- Cross media: Mad Max and other companies, social media Ex Mach Tinder, viral marketing Instagram  

Viewpoint-

• The improvement given by the development of technology (rotoscoping), explosions  

Instruction-

• What is the significance of it? How has it effected peoples lives?

Topic-

• Whats the effect on media institutions and audience

structure
production- FILMING (edge arm camera and slow mo camera)
post production- EDITING (rotoscope)
distribution- CINEMA SCREENS ETC
marketing- ADVERTISING

Things of note:

• 2D, 3D, IMAX (mad max)
• EDGE ARM
• More profit is made from the development of technology as it becomes a better quality thus a better experience 
• The way the films are marketed (viral, cross media etc) and how they draw upon the types of digital technology used in the film (avas body and the sfx of MM)
• perhaps technology isn't the most significant thing and other factors have better elements (actors, plotlines, times of release etc)?

"What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?"

The continuing development of digital media technology has had a very positive impact on digital media institutions and audiences thus having a great significance.

Digital media technology has vastly improved over past years and has made the quality and experience of films much better and more enjoyable. Films such as Mad Max: Fury Road and Ex Machina have been able to use effective camera equipment during production and editing techniques in post-production to make their films more interesting and to help fully carry out plotlines. The development of cameras has helped the film industry first off, as they are able to film for longer thus making the shooting process easier for the crew and allowing scenes to be filmed in one long run with less interruptions (this helped both Ex Machina and Fury Road as they both had long filming shots in the films). Fury Road for example used an edge arm to film some scenes in the movie. This edge arm enabled the crew to film the action going on in the moving vehicles and use closer shots on the action without the threat of danger to the cameramen. Fury Road also used a slow-motion camera shot to conclude the film that added a great effect to the ending and seemed very dramatic- it would also look extremely effective in 3D as the guitar being filmed coming forward in slow-motion would seem as though it is really coming out of the screen. This edge arm and slow-motion camera are a development of digital media technology as they are both fairly recent inventions and improve filming practices and add extra interest to the film. Without the development of technology, this film would seem more boring as it would have very similar shots all the way through.

Editing in post-production was very helpful for Ex Machina as it had a major role in carrying out the major plotline of Ava (Alicia Vikander) really being a robot. The editing crew used a technique called ‘rotoscoping’ in which they would film Vikander doing the same action twice and edit parts of her out to seem as though she was partly see through which gave her a more un-humane and robotic sense. Rotoscoping is similar to CGI however isn’t quite ‘animated’. Rotoscoping and advanced CGI has helped the genres of animation and science fiction (mostly) as the techniques have allowed more films of that genre be created at a good quality which have then been able to make a good profit. Ex Machina, fitting into the science fiction category was able to successfully make the audience view Ava as a robot due to the technology development in editing software, consequently helping this innovative film draw in viewers at the box office and taking their screens (in the US) from 4 to 2,000.

The development of digital media technology definitely aids the film in its success, as cinemagoers will go to see a film, usually, for the experience it grants. Without the development over the years in digital media technology, films would not be doing well at the box office and wouldn’t be shown on vast amounts of screens. Fury Road for example was played on 12,000 screens worldwide and Ex Machina was shown on 2,000- which is an impressive number for an independent film. Fury Road was almost guaranteed to do well at the box office as (with it being the fourth installment) it was known to have many explosions and therefore would’ve been expected to make an impact in cinemas and draw viewers in. The Fury Road crew then had to live up to this expectation and the development of digital media technology in editing software and cameras assisted their need to meet a high standard as the development created a great outcome for the film, thus being a large significance to the film institution doing well from this film.  Not only has the development of digital media technology assisted the viewing of films in cinemas; it has also created a new platform of profit on Video On Demand websites and apps. Instead of films being illegally downloaded, these new platforms had meant that the people involved in the film will get a profit from the views it gets due to the subscription people pay for the website account in question. A very popular example of this is Netflix. Ex Machina is currently shown on DVD.com (a Netflix company), which requires a subscription, thus then making profit from the people who watch the film with their paid subscription. Without the development of digital media technology in this online field, films would be more illegally downloaded or streamed and watched with the institution making no money from it and the consumer making an ‘exchange’ for a low quality version of the film in question, therefore getting a worse viewing experience than originally intended by the institution.

The development in digital media technology has had a significant effect on the practices in which films are marketed. Ex Machina was able to grasp viral marketing by using social media to market their film; this was also free for them which is a win-win situation. The development of digital media technology has ensured that social media becomes popular and popular thus becoming a very effective and potentially dependable platform to get the film’s name out there. Ex Machina used instagram and Tinder to market their film, which caused viral marketing. Fury Road used other platforms such as Youtube advertisements and cross-media to get their film noticed. In these advertisements, the crews use the best parts of the film - which in this case are Ava’s intriguing body and Fury Roads insane explosions and these are drawn upon in the marketing as they are the interesting factors of the film, put in thanks to the development of digital media technology.

The significance of the continuing development of digital media technology has meant that both institutions and audiences have benefitted from a great film experience. The institutions have made successful films (Fury Road and Ex Machina both succeeding in the box office and being nominated for plenty of awards) and the audiences have hopefully enjoyed the films and paid to watch them, creating an equal exchange.      

Mad Max: Fury Road and Ex Machina Comparing Essay

Below is the class written essay typed up with improvements made in red.

Ex Machina and Mad Max Essay With Improvements

Class and Status

Upper Class

Downton Abbey

The upper class characters in Downton Abbey show their superiority from their clothing, received pronunciation and materialistic possessions. The main family (shown above) care for their their staff and work with charities spending their wealth in helpful ways. Other upper class characters however are more snobby and arrogant fitting the stereotype of upper class.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones has a large mix of class divisions and the characters shown in the image above are all of a higher status. Jon Snow (left) is the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch and is therefore in charge of the men of the watch, however likes to be seen on the same level as them. The right three characters are all Lannister's who reign over the kingdom and therefore have a higher status because they are the royal family and treat those below them badly. Daenerys Targaryen (in blue) is the mother of Dragons and rules over the large city Qarth, attempting to help the people and do good but sometimes lets power get to her head and gets selfish.

Middle Class

Pretty Little Liars

The characters in PLL are mostly middle class but with some grey areas. All the characters go to a public school and Emily has a part time job in a cafe. The characters don't really have extravagant possessions, however Spencer is verging on upper class as her parents are both lawyers and they seem to have a lot of disposable income. Emily and Hanna on the other hand live with a one parent family and struggle with money.

Breaking Bad 

The family in Breaking Bad start off as lower middle class. They live comfortably in a home with a pool, but don't have disposable income for cancer treatment for Walt. Walt is a teacher- not seen as a high earning profession- but the family can manage with Skyler not working. After Walt's drug business picks up the family have to launder the money into their banks without people thinking the behaviour and large amounts of money is suspicious coming from a lower middle class family, thus them deciding to dispense of it slowly, keeping the middle class stereotype going.

Lower Class

Skins

Maxxie from Skins is one of the lower class members of the group. He lives in a block of flats with his dad and gets a scholarship to go to dance college when he finishes state school. Sketch (Maxxie's stalker) is a fulltime carer for her mother whilst also being a student, showing that they have no disposable income. Maxxie has a strong Bristol accent and talks using a lot of slang showing his working class characterism and doesn't tend to wear 'posh clothes'.

Misfits

Misfits is a group of criminals in jail for petty crimes and end up doing community service. The majority of the characters fit into the working class as some are chavvy (a stereotype of lower class) and they don't have many materialistic possessions.

Why have a British film industry?

The BBFC- An independent, non-governmental body which classifies and censors film, video as well as computer and console-based games released in the UK

BFI- Promotes understanding and appreciation of Britain's rich film and television heritage and culture.

British Council- The official UK agency for international cultural relations. Its film department promotes new British films (features and shorts), internationally, principally through festivals and showcases.

UK film council- Government backed and lead agency for film in the uk ensuring that economic, cultural and education aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad

British Academy Arts- Aims to support develop and promote the art form of the moving image





Films made by the main British film companies

• Film 4- Ex Machina
• Momentum Pictures- The King's Speech
• Working Title- Les Miserables 
• BBC Film Network- Open Skies
• Pathe- Slumdog Millionaire

Most dominating UK film industry is Momentum

Do these films qualify as British? 

18+/35= Yes

Ex Machina- at least 30/35

The Avengers Age of Ultron- at least 20/35

Star Wars the Force Awakens-  18/35

OLD BRITISH FILM RULES THAT MUST MEET AT LEAST 3 CRITERIA

• Have a British director
• Have a British producer
• A predominately British cast
• A British production company
• A subject matter that informs on British experience
• British identity defined by the BFI

How do British films attract an audience?

Usually British films have British themes and therefore will attract British citizens to the cultural and historical interest in the country.

British films add diversity to the industry when compared to American blockbusters which aren't necessarily made with intricate detail.   
Also, British films use innovative ways of marketing instead of mainstream TV adverts and posters which adds more kudos.


I think perhaps Aficionados went to see Ex Machina, Suffragette, The Inbetweeners 2, Macbeth, Attack the Block and Far from the Madding Crowd because they are all differ in genre, EG. Ex Machina is a Sci-Fi film and The Inbetweeners 2 is a comedy.
Other categories which may have seen the films are 'Mainstream' and 'Mainstream plus' as they will view popular films and the films listed are well known.

So, why have a British film industry?

Having a British film industry adds diversity to the motion pictures being watched around the world and also gives British citizens a chance for work in the industry, whether it be acting, directing, set design etc. The British film industry also seems to do well on profit and adds friendly competition to the American film industry when it comes to awards.

Representation of Ethnicity in TV Drama

Find examples of how the following ethnic groups are represented in TV drama (British or American):

• Black
• White
• Chinese/ White Asian
• Asian

1. Find examples from three TV dramas (not Soaps) for each ethnic group
2. Are the representations stereotypical or not?
3. How and why is this the case?

Key Themes in Racial Representations

• exotic
• dangerous
• humorous
• pitied

(Alvarado et al. 1987: 153)

Unity and Conflict

• Conflict is often the binary opposition of ethnic groups and the wider society.
• Unity is often an element of the representation of ethnicity, this hits a stereotype of ethnicity, that of close families and tight communities.

Black people

   Anwar- Skins                                                                   Maya- Pretty Little Liars

 

Gus- Breaking Bad

Anwar from Skins is seen as a humorous character and tends to make fun of his own religion. Anwar is supposed to be a Muslim however doesn't strictly follow the religion and is used in the TV drama for a good laugh.

Maya from Pretty Little Liars is seen as exotic. When she first comes into the series she has large voluminous dark curly hair- which nobody in the drama had, and had a chilled out lifestyle along with actually bringing Emily out of the closet.

Gus from Breaking Bad is probably the most dangerous character in the series. Gus is very intimidating and has a group of assassins to do his dirty work. If you get on the wrong side of Gus, you will most likely end up deceased.

  White people

The Chanels- Scream Queens             Main cast- Game of Thrones             The girls- Skins generation 2       

                                 

The Chanel's in Scream Queens are seen as very egotistical and stereotype the idea that while people think they're superior. They are also represented as skinny and blonde and don't have very distinct curves which white girls are stereotyped for.

The main cast of Game of Thrones (Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersi Lannister, Jamie Lannister and Tyrion Lannister) are all very high up and respected- The Lannister's are the royal family. Game of Thrones doesn't showcase many black people- especially not in the main cast but this is due to white people being dominant in TV.

The girls from Skins (Pandora, Emily, Naomi, Katie and Effy) are the main female characters of Generation 2, and out of the girls in that generation, none of them are of colour. The girls are used to represent typical British teenagers but don't showcase any non-white girls in this series. I don't think the casting was malicious as other series' have non-white female characters, i think it was just how the casting ended up based on talent.

Chinese

Glenn- The Walking Dead                                               Chang- Orange is the New Black

  

 

Kimball Cho- The Mentalist

Glenn from The Walking Dead isn't necessarily your stereotypical intelligent Chinese man, but he comes up with the best plans. He is very brave and he died after saving an enemy's life. He doesn't follow a Chinese lifestyle  

Chang from Orange Is The New Black has a Chinese accent and seems to be away with the fairies a lot. Again, she is not a stereotypical intelligent Chinese woman and is used for humorous purposes.

Kimball Cho from The Mentalist is usually seen as a very serious person and always follows the rules, and has a very dry sense of humour. Kimball was in juvenile detention, then got back on track and served Asia in the armed forces. Kimball Cho isn't a stereotypical Chinese man, however does add diversity to the character mix.

Asian

Navid- 90210                                                                                                        Emily- Pretty Little Liars

  

Mike- Glee

    

Navid from 90210 is from Persian decent and runs the school newspaper. Navid is one of the most wealthy characters in the series and is very focused on his work. He is not necessarily super intelligent, therefore not conforming to the Asian stereotype.

Emily from Pretty Little Liars isn't necessarily religious, but when she comes out to her mum her sexuality isn't taken well/ respected. Emily is clever and good at swimming and dancing which links to the stereotype that Asians are good at everything and are exotic. Emily is from a Philippino background

Mike from Glee is also known as 'The other Asian' in the series and is the best male dancer. He is very successful in his dancing field and represents the Asian culture in the performing world. Mike and his family follow the christian faith which is not stereotypical for an Asian family as they are usually represented to be Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim etc.

Generic Conventions in TV Dramas

TV dramas all have the following ingredients:

• Characters – even particular kinds of characters: eg, at its most simple, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters.
• Stories – they all tell stories, whether those stories involve adventure, crime or romance and they often, but not always, end happily.
• The stories are told against familiar backdrops: – eg, homes, police stations and offices (for crime dramas), hospitals (for medical dramas) – most of which are created in studios. However, most dramas also use outside locations to create particular effects.
• Camerawork – particular kinds of shots are used: eg, sequences involving establishing shots followed by mid-shots of characters, shot/reverse shots to show character interaction and, in particular,close-ups to show the characters’ emotions.
• Stories use dialogue to tell the stories. Occasionally, monologues are built in (as voiceovers, a character telling a story).
• Music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense, tension) and underline emotional moments.
• Particular subgenres tend to have items which make them immediately identifiable – police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, they symbolise the (sub)genre.