Feminist Approaches to Understanding Advertising

 Feminism - Equal rights for men and women 

James Bond Die Another Day Jinx Scene:

• POV Shot
• Target Audience is heterosexual men 
• Bond's face connotes that he is admiring her 
• Jinx is strutting which draws attention to herself 
• When she emerges out of the water, the object of pleasure is her body 

Male Gaze Theory 

The theory that describes the assumption that every media product is constructed for heterosexual men. When women appear, they are to be looked at by men.

Intradiegetic gaze - where a character looks at another character

Extradiegetic gaze - where the audience looks at another character 

Both gazes are potentially voyeurisitc in pleasure

John Berger - Men act, women appear

Liesbet Van Zoonen - Feminist Theory

Men's bodies and women's bodies are constructed in completely different ways in media products. Women's bodies are used to sell media products, the assumption is that the audience is heterosexual men.

Protein World Advert

• Direct Mode of Address "are you beach body ready?"
• Target audience is heterosexual women
• The lifestyle being sold is to lose weight to be sexually attractive to men 
• The woman represented is not someone who would use the product 
• Creates unrealistic expectations for women 
• Says that there is only one body for the beach 
• The woman is sexualised 

Sexualisation - the process of making something sexual 

Objectification - the process of making something an object 

Subjugation - the process of doing somebody down

Hegemony - Where one power wields power over another, not through domination, but through coercion and consent (wearing clothes, face-masks, and cheating)

Everything

 

Maybelline Advert

• Enigma code of "Make it happen" creates the question "make what happen?" could also be left up to the viewers own interpretation of what they want to make happen
• The model's face takes up half of the shot which draws more attention to her face and especially her lips because of the red lipstick she has applied
• The other half of the shot is taken up by a rose and the lipstick itself to draw attention to the product itself
• The shot makes use of lighting by having all the lipsticks have a shine on them making them look more pristine and high quality
• The advert features different shades of red lipstick which the advert calls the "most passionate"
• One of the lipstick is dripping which emphasises the "creamier feel" of the lipstick
• The "New York" connotes the exciting lifestyle of living there
• The "Make it Happen" is encouraging the audience to make something happen and that Maybelline makes you feel more confident in doing that
• The choice of words to describe the lipstick: crispier, creamier passionate, sensational. These words were specifically chosen to make the product sound more attractive

Tide Advert

• The woman is depicted hugging the tide pods packaging with hearts above her head which connotes she is in love with it and women are in love with it in general
• The large red words are the first thing a viewer of this media product will probably read because of the way it is larger and a different colour from the other text
• The woman is dressed like a stereotypical housewife from the 50s that would do all the housework such as cleaning and cooking
• "Tide's got what women want!" connotes the fact that the target audience is females and this is further reinforced by the text at the top which suggests that only women buy this type of product

• The primary audience for this advert is white women 

• This comic book style may appeal to a secondary audience of young girls

• The advert connotes sexism since there is no mention or depiction of men in the advert 

• The women hanging up washing are using slang/informal language connoting that the advert is meant to be seen in a silly, informal way

• The woman holding up the men’s trousers is symbolising that she is doing this for a man and she looks delighted to do it

• Women are seen as childish with the lack of responsibility they have in this advert while men do the real work

• Women aren’t as good as men is the ideology the advert is giving off 

• The woman on the right mentions the brand name and the product name which is quite odd thing to do

• The advert is polysemic - has a lot of possible meanings 

• This advert has a extremely condescending mode of address 

Coca Cola Advert

• Gives off a relaxing lifestyle because of the woman resting her head on the table and smiling

• The woman has messy hair connoting she is care free

• The advert could be aimed at women because the model is a woman

• A difference from the tide pod is that the coca cola advert doesn’t use any text

Claude Levi Strauss: Structuralism 

How different cultures are structured 

Binary- Two things which are the opposite of another 

Binary Opposition - two concepts presented in direct opposition of each other. Strauss suggested our world is based on this

Dolce and Gabbana Advert

Binary Analysis

Fancy vs Street-wear 

Young vs Old 

Carefree vs Working 

Definitions (advert, ideology)

Advert - The function of an advert is to sell a lifestyle 

John Berger suggests that adverts will make you feel bad about your current life and try to sell you something that will make your life better 

Ideology - An ideology is the beliefs and the values of a media product

The ideology of a media product comes from the producer of the media product 

Dominant Ideology - the set ideas or culture that is most common or widely accepted in a society. It can change over time 

Stuart Hall: Representation 

A reconstruction of the world. The way a media product constructs the world and aspects in it, like social groups, real life events etc. 

Everything we see in a media product is constructed 

1. Who or what is being represented 

2. How the representation is constructed with media language

3. What ideology is presented about the group

4. What is the societal impact on the group 

What Stuart Hall argued was that representations can construct society 

Captive audience - An audience that has to watch 

1. What brands are being advertised

2. What is the target audience 

3. What is the lifestyle being sold

4. What problems are presented 

5. What people are being presented 

6. What message about the group are being presented 

7. How might this impact the group 

• Michelob Ultra Beer

• White working class male 

• Only do things you enjoy

• That working out and playing sports is difficult 

• Men and women 

• Avocado Mexico

• Hard Rock Hotel

• Super Genesis

• Coca Cola Energy

• Famous people 

• High class people 

• Middle class people 

• Rockstars 

• Binary opposition between John Cena and Jimmy

• In Genesis advert, white people are seen as posh and arrogant 

• A lot of stereotypes

• Non white people are represented as energetic and fun in the Hotel ad

• Coca cola energy represents white people as lazy

• White people are average and are seen as normal

• Non white people are seen as different 

• Target audience is white people 

Stereotypes - Dominant ideology - commonly held belief about a certain group of people

• There is an element of truth in stereotypes
• We generally tend to get them from media
• Allow us to recognise certain people in society
• Stereotypes are funny
• Allow audiences to identify characters
• Stereotypes can never be true
• Never can be truly positive
• Creates simplistic version of the world
• Sets false expectations

Richard Dyer - Role of stereotypes

• An ordering process
• A short cut (for producers)
• A reference point (for audiences)
• An expression of dominant societal values

Identity - the way we present ourselves to the world

This girl can, what about you?

• Lots of bright colours
• Lots of hard cuts between different workouts
• Quick pace
• Variation of shot types - close ups, wide shots
• Audience positioning
• Close ups of facial expressions - shows that they are putting effort in, hard-working
• Lots of sweat in the video to further evidence the hard work and power, could be also seen as gross
• Challenging the assumption that women aren't able to do sport
• Stereotypical assumption that women are supposed to be beautiful and attractive while they are doing a task, which the advert subverts
• The women aren't wearing makeup
• There is a range of body types
• Racially diverse
• 'Girls are powerful'
• Purpose of workout is to feel attractive

Voyeurism - Getting pleasure from looking at someone when they don't know they are being watched

Established Shot - the first scene we are shown

Pot Noodle Advert:

• Tissues on the floor, messy room, typical of a boy
• Poster of boxing which is also associated with males
• Damaged walls suggesting poverty
• The mise en scene of the first half is dark and gloomy
• Training in deprived, abandoned areas
• We see a stereotypical representation of up north
• Guy sleeping on couch in one shot to further support the idea of starting at the bottom
• The pot noodles have a connotation of helping you achieve your goals
• Inspirational, uplifting, piano and string, soundtrack
• Training montage - British take on Rocky
• Intertextuality - one media product makes reference to another media product
• Atmos is different
• It switches from monotone colours to bright lively colours
• His family looks stereotypically British working class
• Binary Opposition of Las Vegas and the North
• Binary Opposition of his family and Americans
• The family is represented as working class and is represented in a negative way
• Advert is targeted at working class people
• The close up shot of the old woman is anchorage of us supposed to be excited to see the guy on TV
• The guy being revealed as ring girl is supposed to be funny
• The black guy is stereotypically represented as a rapper
• The black guy connotes that black people are sexual
• The black guy licks his lips which is a proairetic code of wanting the ring girl

Intertextuality - one media product makes reference to another media product

Charity Advertising:

• The purpose of them is to raise money for their cause
• They emotionally manipulate you into donating
• Direct mode of Address
• Conventions in an advert include showing distressing scenes
• Statistics of bad things
• A specific request for donation
• Directly positioned in the advert

NSPCC Advert:

• Adverts like this are normally shown on daytime television because it is much cheaper
• One of the primary audiences is old people, women, and unemployed/underemployed
• Sound effects of baby crying over soft, sad music
• Black and white colours connotes sadness
• Little stories and the victims are named to make them seem more human
• The group represented are children and they are represented as victims which is quite stereotypical
• Builds up the assumption that if we don't donate then these children don't get help
• We are being positioned as the abuser

Barnado's Advert:

• Cockroach in baby's mouth symbolises poverty
• The cockroach makes the audience feel bad
• Babies in poverty don't get silver spoons instead they get cockroaches
• This image creates the question of "Why is no one helping the baby?"

WaterAid TV Advert:

The established shot is England where it's raining which we can tell by the rain drops on the window whereas the image below is Zambia which is dry with no rain. This creates a binary opposition between the two images. 

The colour contrast between the start of the advert and top image. The start of the advert has very bland colours whereas the top shot has all kinds of bright colours like pink, blue, green for example. At the start of the advert she is alone with the stark contrast to the image where she is with others.

• This is an unconventional charity advert 

• Proairetic code of her smiling showing she is happy with them getting water 

• Hermeneutic code answered because this shows that money being donated is helping 

• Symbolic code of the song she is singing connotes positivity and happiness

• Atypical/non stereotypical representation of an African person 

• Her singing in english appeals to an english audience and they are far more likely to identify with her

• The mise en scene of running water at the end is showing progression and establishes the idea of positivity 

• The buckets being colourful anchors the audience that this is a positive advert because of the bright colours

• The people are shown smiling connoting positivity

• The sun shining connotes a happy, warm place 

• This advert shows Africa as an escapist place 

• A binary opposition of England which is connoted as a rainy, depressing place and Africa as a happy, sunny place 

• The teenagers are represented as hard working in the advert which is an atypical representation since they are stereo-typically shown as lazy

• This advert subverts the hegemonic norm that men do all the labour by showing women working in the field 

• A much more complex representation of women than in the Tide advert

•  The shots being focused on her face rather than her body humanises her instead of objectifying her

 Paul Gilroy: Theories around Ethnicity and PostColonial Theory

Colonisation - a country forcing their rules and beliefs on another country 

Paul Gilroy argues that we have subtle racial prejudices in UK and that they are encoded in media products 

Hierarchy - A system that ranks individuals to who’s better than who

The White Saviour

• Generalises that only white people help Africans

• Adverts show a pathetic Africa which only a white citizen can help

• Represents a post colonial ideology 

• Direct mode of address 

• Mise en scene of scared and sad expression on her face 

• She is shown looking helpless 

• Sweat on her forehead to show fatigue 

• Looking at us for help (the british audience)

• The name given is a stereotypical British name which helps us identify with her

• Her name humanises her (Use of Nancy)

• The lexis “I’m 6 years old” connotes innocence 

• We are being positioned very close to her which helps anchor a feeling of sympathy

• We are being positioned as the white, wealthy British audience 

• Binary opposition between us and them (she is sad and can’t help herself)

• The hashtag is there to be shared around on Twitter and other social medias

Wateraid and Postcolonial Identities

In the UK we are living in a post colonial society.

• The lifestyle being sold is a philanthropic one (helping other people out by donating)

• You can get recognition for helping out other people 

• We like to help people because it helps us feel good about ourselves 

• We’re being positioned as a British audience

• The home is a stereotypical British home 

• The target audience is working class people

• What we get from the advert is the satisfaction of helping people

Genre:

Generic Paradigms - (genre conventions) demonstrates what genre a media product is

Iconography - familiar signs of genre

Sub-genre - a genre within a genre - attracts a wider audience 

Hybrid genre - genres put together 

Horror Subgenres:

• Gore - Saw
• Apocalyptic - Walking Dead
• Psychological - Get out

Steve Neale - Theories around Genre

• Genre allows audiences to identify 
• To sort and make sense of media industries 
• Beneficial to producers to identify trends
• Genres leads to a standardised product (identical products)

Neale believes genre is instances of repetition and difference. He suggests that texts need to conform to some generic paradigms to be identified within a certain genre - but also subverts these conventions so they don't appear identical.

Desensitised - we keep seeing something until it doesn't have an affect 

• The iconography mise en scene of the bats reinforces that it is a horror film and that it is a conventional vampire film 
• Full moon which is a genre paradigm of a horror film
• Creepy castle in the background reinforces the idea of a horror movie 
• Stereotypically attractive women functions as a generic paradigm suggesting romance elements
• Hybrid genre Romance Horror 
• Bites on a woman neck, and exposed neck 
• Low key lighting symbolises key themes of movie
• selection of colours, depressing, bleak, and miserable 
• Early 20th century late - 19th century setting highly conventional of horror films 
• Produced by Hammer Studios - specialists in horror films 
• Costume: revealing nightdresses
• Title: "kiss of the vampire" - word kiss also carries romantic elements
• Further anchored by the positioning of the women: sexual overtones
• Frightened face of vampire: atypical and subversive representation of vampires
• One of the main killers is a woman 
• Enforces the hegemonic notion that violence is acceptable 
• The mise en scene of a male vampire surrounded by women enforces the idea of his status, hegemonic patriarchy 
• This poster is polysemic 
• Non stereotypical representation of a male vampire 
• Atypical representation of female vampire since she is shown as strong 
• Violence is shown as good

Type Casting - an actor who is cast for a specific role

intertextuality helps target different types of audiences:

Double mode of address - When a media product speaks to multiple audiences

Nostalgic 

Included

Narrative

the way in which a story is told

Character archetype - character which plays a specific role

Tzvetan Todorov - Narratology

narratives tell us so much about how societies are constructed 

Equilibrium - balance 

Todorov Story Structure

Establishment of Equilibrium 

Disequilibrium 

Partial restoration of Equilibrium/ New Equilibrium  

Shrek:

Shrek lives in his swamp

All fairytale characters move to Shrek's house

Fiona moves in with Shrek 

Sam and Cat:

Sam and Cat are friends 

Then a new girls comes 

They all become friends 

Cars:

Lightning McQueen wins every race 

Falls out of transport lorry and ruins a road

Goes on to win race

• We as an audience enjoy and take pleasure from things going wrong, this makes us spiteful, horrible, hateful, and terrible people
• The theory simplifies our world and you can apply it to everything 
• A disadvantage is that it is too simple 
• Lots of media products have multiple things going bad

All narrative is conflict, we need something going wrong 

Diesel clothing brand Advert:

• Montage of wide angled establishing shots demonstrates the quintessential American setting
• Several CU shots of women's bodies, intimate mode of address
• Use of a dark, dull and desaturated colour palette, which resembles an old film shot on film
• MES of analogue film studio presents a nostalgic and backwards looking mode of address 
• Urban, run down and stereotypically working class
• Rebellion against authority - encoded through the MES of the prison setting, further reinforced through costume such as leather jacket
• We see a woman who is being constructed as a stereotypically attractive woman which then shows a close up shot of her cross eyed
•  The message is that you can still be attractive even with flaws
• Proairetic code of him looking at the camera suggesting a romantic attraction between him and the woman
• Enforces the idea that you have to be attractive
• The song is saying "i have no regrets" in french
• everybody in the advert is skinny and there is no ethnic diversity 

Hegemonic Power:

• The school system 
• Parents
• Patriarchal hegemony (men are above women)
• Going to work - societal hegemony 
• Culture/Cultural hegemony 
• Religon (going to church every Sunday)
• Eat with a knife and fork 
• Having a shower 

It is widely believed that media manipulates audiences 

Propaganda is a good example 

Every media product will have a target audience

Targeting two or more viewers will increase viewership

T.A.P

Text

Audience 

Producer

Audience sees text and reports back to the producer

Producer encodes text

Audience decodes text

• Atypical representation of a woman
• Unconventional video game cover

Audience Negotiations: 

Stuart Hall - Reception Theory

Prefered reading - the right reading of a text

Dominant reading - the audience agrees with dominant values and ideologies 

Negotiated reading - the audience generally agrees but disagrees with some aspects

Oppositional reading - the audience completely disagrees with what they see

An actor will have a contract which states the minimum screen time they are supposed to have

Task 1

Differences between mainstream cinema and indie:

• Themes of action in mainstream

• Themes of family relationships in indie 

• Mainstream have a much higher budget that’s spent on making the movie as full of action as possible

• Indie have a much smaller budget normally not using any special effects

• The narratives are always clear in mainstream movies 

• Indie films normally have a more artistic narrative

• Lots of editing is done in mainstream movies 

• Little to no editing is done in indie movies 

• Soundtrack in mainstream movies is always loud and dramatic to get the audience hyped for the movie 

• Soundtrack in indie movies is much more calm and there is a bigger focus on dialogue 

• Mainstream have a clear genre 

• Indie have an abstruse genre paradigm 

• Mainstream has a broad target audience 

• Indie has a niche target audience

Mainstream movies: 

• Guardians of the Galaxy 2

• Mission Impossible Fallout

• The Fate Of The Furious

Independent movies:

• Happy End

• Chevalier

• Sorry We Missed You

Task 2.1

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Sorry We Missed You

Task 2.2

The dominant ideology in Guardians of the Galaxy is that people with flaws can still be heroes. We are told this near the beginning where a golden woman is listing negatives about them however they later say in the trailer they want to save the galaxy connoting they still want to do good despite their flaws. It also says “anyone can save the galaxy” further supporting the idea that you don’t necessarily have to be a saint to be able to save the galaxy.

In Sorry We Missed You, the trailer has a very strong message that family is important. Multiple times throughout the trailer the relationships between the family members being shown and the word “family” is repeated multiple times as well by different characters.

Task 2.3

Guardians of the Galaxy 2:

Preferred - the audience will find the action scenes cool and find the characters likable

Oppositional - the audience will think the action scenes are too violent and will not like any of the main characters

Negotiated - the audience might like most of the characters but one character they could find annoying

Sorry We Missed You

Preferred - the audience will find the indie film an artistic representation of family relationships

Oppositional - the audience will find the plot being about family to be boring

Negotiated - the audience might find the characters to be annoying but the relationships between them to be interesting 

Film is a specialised institution 

Film:

• First film was made around 1890s

• Films used to be shown in fairgrounds and music halls

• Initially films were a private attraction 

• First kiss in film was between two naked women 

• Static camera

• Lack of colour 

• Low fps 

• Basic story 

• No dialogue 

• Film is a standardised product on both narrative and industrial levels

• Hollywood films are normally shot in warehouses

David Borwell - classical narrative cinema 

• Spatial continuity - the audience always know where they are

• Temporal continuity - the audience always know what order the events happen, and any flashbacks will be signposted 

• Realistic - must not make reference to other films 

The studio system - the studio assets 

Conglomeration

Exhibition - how the films are presented 

Convergence 

Distribution - how the film is spread to the public

Regulation - the rules of making a film 

Production - the process of making a film

Vertical/horizontal integration - 

Digital technologies - the technology used to edit the film

A production company is a company that makes a film

A distribution company is a company that distributes a film 

Digital technology is anything that involves a computer

Regulations are rules and restrictions

Conglomeration is the coming together of two companies that were separate 

People moved from physical media to digital media 

David Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries 

Horizontal integration - where one company buys another company in the same sector to reduce competition. For example, Disney buying Pixar

Vertical integration - where a company buys up other companies involved in different stages of the production and circulation

Conglomeration - a corporation that consists of a group of businesses coming together dealing in different products and services

Producers and Distributors

• Producer - the company that makes a media product
• Distributor - the company that puts a media product out
• Distribution - the process where a media product ends up with an audience

One way films are distributed are through digital streaming (netflix

The cinema

DVDs

Blu-ray

Pirating films (stealing intellectual property, copyright)

• Indie has less of a focus on making money

• Indie has smaller budget - less advertising, recognisable actors

• Indie are made by less known companies

• Indie lack a clear genre

• Mainstream name of production company used a selling point

• mainstream have an emphasis on famous, well known actors

• Mainstream have an emphasis on well known and clearly defined genre conventions: action, fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, superhero

• Mainstream heavy use of CGI

• Mainstream straightforward and easy to decode narratives

• Often a part of a franchise- allows the producer to target a pre-sold audience

Black Panther:

• Released 2018
• American superhero film
• Major film
• Budget is $200 million
• Cinema sales was $1.347 billion
• Worldwide
• Produced by Marvel Studios
• Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Curran and Seaton - Power and Media Industries

• media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by profit and power
• Media concentration limits variety, creativity and quality
• More socially diverse patterns of ownerships can create more varied and adventurous media productions

How is Black Panther so successful?

• Use of extremely famous and well known actors
• Use of highly evocative mise en scene provides an escapist fantasy for the audience
• Exotic locations including the fantasy city of Wakanda, London, Seoul
• Highly hybridised use of genre: superhero, action, fantasy, and sci-fi
• Extensive and elaborate CGI creates a whole different world
• Powerful soundtrack, combing electronic, hip-hop, and rock
• Universally understandable themes of power
• Minimising risk and maximise profit

Black Cinema:

• Black main character
• The majority of the characters are black
• Hard boiled film - deals with life's troubles
• Allows audiences to relate to themes and the setting
• Themes of drugs and violence
• A white antagonist
• City setting
• Themes of subjugation, racism, and political corruption

USP - unique selling point

Black Panther USP - The main character is black

How does Black Panther appeal to black audiences:

• Wakanda which is a fictional country located in Africa
• Traditional African clothes
• Big emphasis on family and heritage
• 'Black saviour'
• Strong black women
• Representation of black issues like black kids being shown in the poor parts of London
• The Black Panther movement which challenged racial prejudices
• Themes of revolution 
• African accents 

Black Panther Fact File

• Production history - cost $200,000,000 to make, 
• Ownership
• Directors and actors 
• Critical reception 
• Production and Distribution costs 
• Earnings 

Production History

• $200,000,000 to make 
• Coogler was confirmed as director in January 2016
• Filming began early 2017
• They had planned to make more scenes out of Wakanda to represent what it's like to be African in other parts of the world 
• They tried to make the film a cross between Godfather and the James Bond films 
• Coogler's vision for Wakanda was inspired by the southern African country Lesotho
• He wanted Wakanda to feel like a full country with multiple distinct tribes
• Special care was taken to create a futuristic look that was not alien
• $1.37 billion earnings as of May 22nd 2018 
• Opening weekend they made $197,000,000

Ownership

• Produced by Marvel Studios 
• Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 

• Columbia Pictures Tried Making Black Panther In The 1990s

•  in 2000, The Blair Witch Project studio Artisan Entertainment acquired the rights to Black Panther

directors and actors 

• director - Ryan Kyle Coogle, American film director, producer, and screenwriter
• came out 12 February 2018
• main character - Chadwick Bosemen, first black actor to headline an MCU film
• actors - Michael B. Jordan,  American actor and producer, known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant
•  actors - Lupita Nyong'o, Kenyan-Mexican actress and author 
• actors - Danai Gurira,  Zimbabwean-American actress and playwright

critical reception

• African audience had an emotional response 
• over 6.1 million viewers
• 97% approval rating with critics
• 79% approval rating with audience members
• response - Representation is important — on and off-screen. Black Panther is a movie that appreciates the richness and depth of both black culture in the United States and African culture
• response - Black Panther doesn't really challenge the norms and instead amplifies prejudices and stereotypes

Exam Question:

• Marvel is a major film studio 
• Disney is the distributor 
• Heavy use of CGI 
• Recognisable actors
• Popular genre so exposure to a wider audience 
• 4,072 cinema screenings 

Film Marketing 

Synergy 

Film is a specialised institution 

Marketing:

• Official Websites - interactive, very visuals, links to social marketing 
• Social Marketing 
• Traditional Marketing - Trailers (teaser trailers), posters (teaser posters), billboards 
• Viral Marketing Campaigns - Blair Witch
• Press Marketing - Magazine covers, synergistic relationship between films and magazines 
• PR Stunts - James Bond parachuting and walking with the queen 
• Fan created Marketing - websites, forums, Twitter feed, Facebook pages, fan fiction, fan made merchandise, fan made posters 

https://www.marvel.com/movies/black-panther

Regulations - the rules and restrictions a media product has to follow 

Regulatory Frameworks - films in the UK have to follow 

Age Certificates:

• One reason we have age certificates is because someone might try to emulate the things that happen in the film 
• Trauma 

BBFC regulate films (British Board of Film Classification)

Age certificates meaning 

Uc:

Especially suitable for children 

U:

 Universal, 4 years over, positive framework, not show violence, threat, horror Dangerous behaviourPotentially dangerous or anti-social behaviour which young children may copy must be clearly disapproved of. No emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons.

• Discrimination
  
  Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of
  
  Drugs
  
  References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be infrequent and innocuous, or have a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for young children.
  
  Language
  
  Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.
  
  Nudity
  
  Occasional nudity, with no sexual context.
  
  Sex
  
  Occasional nudity, with no sexual context.
  
  Threat and horror
  
  Scary or potentially unsettling sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome should be reassuring.
  
  Violence
  
  Violence will generally be very mild. Mild violence may be acceptable if it is justified by context (for example, comedic, animated, wholly unrealistic).

PG:

Parental Guidance, unsuitable for young children, should not unsettle a child 8 or over

Dangerous behaviour

No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy, if that behaviour is presented as safe or fun. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No focus on anti-social behaviour which young children are likely to copy.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of, or in an educational or historical context, or in a particularly dated work with no likely appeal to children. Discrimination by a character with whom children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.

Drugs

References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.

Language

Mild bad language only. Aggressive or very frequent use of mild bad language may result in a work being passed at a higher category.

Nudity

There may be nudity with no sexual context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only.

Threat and horror

Frightening sequences or situations where characters are in danger should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings and comedy may be mitigating factors.

Violence

Violence will usually be mild. However there may be moderate violence, without detail, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).

12/12A:

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, we recommend that they check the Ratings Info for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work.



Dangerous behaviour

No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

Drugs

Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give detailed instruction.

Language

There may be moderate bad language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity

There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must be brief and discreet.

Sex

Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat and horror

There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained.

Violence

There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context.

15:

No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.



Dangerous behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, suicide, self-harming and asphyxiation) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example, through detailed instruction). The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Language

There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity

There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. Sexual nudity may be permitted but strong detail is likely to be brief or presented in a comic context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour. Repeated very strong references, particularly those using pornographic language, are unlikely to be acceptable. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal are unacceptable.

Sexual Violence and sexual threat

There may be strong verbal references to sexual violence but any depiction of the stronger forms of sexual violence, including rape, must not be detailed or prolonged. A strong and sustained focus on sexual threat is unacceptable.

Threat and horror

There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic threat is unlikely to be acceptable.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.

18:

No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video work. Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.

Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:
where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society. For example, the detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sadistic violence, rape or other non-consensual sexually violent behaviour which make this violence look appealing; reinforce the suggestion that victims enjoy rape or other non-consensual sexually violent behaviour; or which invite viewer complicity in rape, other non-consensual sexually violent behaviour or other harmful violent activities
where there are more explicit images of sexual activity in the context of a sex work (see right) In the case of video works, which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.
Sex works at 18

Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are generally passed 18. Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the R18 category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at R18 is also unacceptable in a sex work at 18.

R18:

Special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults

The regulation of films in the UK is highly ineffective:

• digital technologies/ digitally convergent technologies 

Sonia Livingstone and Peter Hunt - Regulation

the theory that media completely transformed how media is regulated

I, Daniel Blake (Loach, 2016)

What issues affect our society?

• Racism 

• Poverty 

• Homophobia 

• Climate change 

• Police brutality 

Films don’t want to address these issues since it is harder to sell these films. They would be too political and controversial. People also use media as a form of diversion.

The Social Realist Genre

• In these films, they explore issues that affect the most vulnerable in our society

• They are typically set in North England 

• Depict working class people as heroic 

• Appeals to a niche and fragmented audience 

• Anti establishment 

• Rebellion against authority 

• Include abuse

• Deprivation in the working class

• Anti British - attack the government and capitalism in general

Kes (1969)

• A trouble making kid 

• Has problems at school and at home 

• Northern accents

• Hints that something may be up with Casper 

• Strict school 

• Casper’s only form of escapism is his bird called Kes

The Selfish Giant (2013)

• Kid gets excluded from school presumably for bad behaviour 

• Northern accent 

• Has a horse which he has a strong bond with

• The kid does child labour for money 

• The labour involves pretty dangerous jobs for a kid 

This is England (2006)

• Kid gets bullied at school

• Makes friends with a group of skinheads 

• Finds a group which he can relate to 

• Gets into all kinds of trouble 

• Northern accents 

• Deals with the issue of the unemployed 

1. What makes the film an independent film?

2. What genre is it?

3. What specific issues does it focus on?

4. In what ways are working class people shown to be heroic?

I, Daniel Blake (2016)

• The trailer focuses more on the story rather than showing flashy scenes 

• The trailer doesn’t really focus on promoting any of the actors 

• It has themes of rebellion since it shows Daniel doing graffiti in protest to how the job system works 

• It focuses on unemployment issues 

• It also focuses on how people with medical conditions aren’t really cared for, his doctor deemed him unfit for work but he has to continue working to receive benefits

• Daniel is shown to be heroic since he is shown standing up to the government essentially 

• Talks about “non existent jobs” probably referring to shortage of jobs that accept someone with a medical condition or shortage of jobs in general

• Issues of single parents having to provide for their kids but struggling to

Explain the ways in which social and political contexts may influence independent films. Refer to I, Daniel Blake to support your points

Dichotomy - same as opposites 

Capitalism - an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state

I, Daniel Blake Facts

• Estimated to be around £2 million budget

• 15.8 million USD box office 

• Earned £445,000 in the opening weekend 

• 94 cinema screenings 

• The production companies are eOne Films, Why Not Productions, BBC Films, and Wild Bunch

• It was distributed by BFI in the UK and Le Pacte in France 

• Directed by Ken Loach who also directed Sorry We Missed You, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, and Kes

• Stars Hayley Squires (The Miniaturist, In Fabric)

• Stars Dave Johns (23 Walks, Fisherman’s friends)

• Stars Sharon Percy (The Song of Names, School for Seduction)

• Stars Briana Shann

• Stars Dylan Mckiernan 

• Stars Kate Rutter (Cotton Wool, The Full Monty)

• Stars Kema Sikazwe (Lady Macbeth)

• Got rated 92% critically on Rotten Tomatoes 

• Rated 7.9/10 on IMDb

• Rated 78% on Metacritic

• Audience scored it 85% on Rotten Tomatoes 

• Lots of positive user reviews on IMDb

• Funded by BFI and BBC

• Won multiple awards - Palme d’or, Prix du Public UBS, and more 

Black Panther Scene:

• The dominant ideology of the scene is that Black Panther treats his people equally

• The scene includes a superhero getting an upgraded suit

• It also includes the superhero testing out new gadgets 

• The target audience is Americans and we know this because in the scene, Shuri refers to the noiseless shoes as “sneakers” which is the american term for trainers

• It also targets a young teenage audience since it uses the “what are thoseeeeee?” joke

• This clip also appeals to an African audience since it represents Wakanda in this scene which is set in Africa

• Dominant ideology is that black people are powerful and other cultures can be technologically advanced 

I, Daniel Blake Scene:

• The dominant ideology is that working class people aren’t treated right despite what they might be going through

• It shows a single mother getting told off for being late even though she only just moved to Newcastle

• Woman tries to explain she has to get the process done today since her kids start school tomorrow 

• The target audience is British people since 

• Job seekers are misunderstood 

Black Panther Age Rating: 12

• A fantastical mind-altering potion is drunk during a ceremonial ritual

• One brief scene of a man and a woman kissing.

• Non-sexual shirtless scenes.

• A man and a woman make out briefly in a van. The man pushes the woman towards him before one of the assistants posing as a medic shuts the door.

• A weapon's dealer stores a phallic shaped piece of metal in his fly. When removing it, it looks as if he could be exposing himself. Very brief, played for comedy.

• There are battles with swords, spears, guns and fantastical weapons.

• The violence in Black Panther is slightly more intense and realistic than other MCU films. Characters are impaled and slashed with spears and swords, the blood and wounds not always focused on by the camera.

• A man is stabbed in the chest, another the same, another stabbed in the abdomen.

• A man is cut numerous times during a fight

• A large battle/civil war takes place with friends fighting each other. No clear if anyone actually dies, though bodies are thrown, trampled, stabbed, etc.

• Security guards are shot, some at point blank range, another shot in the back unexpectedly

• Two main characters are shot, one at point blank range (offscreen). Bullet wounds are shown (though not much blood)

• During a comical scene, one character gives someone the middle-finger.

• Although not actually in the film, the movie's soundtrack is explicit.

• A few uses of the word "shit."

• Some uses of "damn" and "hell," but generally speaking, the amount of profanity is low.

• 1 use of "For bast's sake", Bast is one of the Wakandan gods.

• A scene takes place in a bar.

• A character ask for whiskey

• A man is thrown off a cliff to the horror of onlookers.

• In the final battle, Black Panther stabs Killmonger. Killmonger laters pulls out the weapon, killing him.

• Several main characters either die or almost die. Some in either dramatic or prolonged fashion.

• Many intense battle scenes, showing many people being stabbed by spears.

• In a flashback, Black Panther's father gets killed in an explosion of a building.

• T'Challa almost dies by getting thrown down a waterfall.

I, Daniel Blake Age Rating: 15

• There is infrequent use of very strong language ('cunt'), as well as more frequent use of strong language ('fuck'). Milder terms include 'bastard', 'bullshit, 'wanker', and 'twats'

• Other issues include visual and verbal references to prostitution

• There are two notable scenes of emotional intensity. They include 'the food bank' scene and the ending 'funeral' scene

 Set Texts

Daily Mirror and The Times

when people say the media they normally refer to the news, the media can manipulate us to believe the things they want you to believe 

institution - the values and ideology of a media production

Long Road Website:

• Lexis of "congratulations" connotes success 

• layout is neat and tidy, connotes professionalism 

• bright and inviting colours, connotes diversity 

• the logo which consists of arrows connotes there is a path for everyone 

We need institutions to have differentiation, easier to make a choice, competition, identification, ideology 

Shell

• the actual logo is a shell which symbolises nature and natural places

• looks like a sunset

• basic colours - red and yellow

• conglomerate 

• rich and bright colours symbolise wealth 

• the lines represent everyone coming together 

Starbucks

• green connotes eco friendly and natural

• simplistic and straightforward

• looks like a princess which connotes royalty 

• mermaid denoted which connotes that the brand is imaginative 

• A circle within a circle connotes a inner depth

• the smile is welcoming 

• the long hair and stereotypical ideal female body

Every newspaper in the UK is politically bias 

Masthead - title of newspaper

front page - is the front page of newspaper

Broadsheets - formal target a middle class audience

Tabloids - informal targeting a working class audience 

• Point of view and ideology 

• Codes and conventions of news products/newspapers/type of newspaper

• Layout and design 

• Composition – positioning of headlines, images, columns, combination of stories

• Images/photographs - camera shot type, angle, focus

• Font size, type of font (e.g. serif/sans serif)

• Mise-en-scène – colour, lighting, location, costume/dress, hair/make-up

• Graphics, logos 

• Language – headline, sub-headings, captions

• Copy 

• Anchorage of images and text

• Elements of narrative

• Headline "No Jab No Entry" is dramatic to catch attention - spins a story

• Entertaining and informal mode of address 

• Font is sans serif which indicates a working class target audience 

• There are more images than there is copy (image dominated)

• The font is large 

• Informal slang use "corrie"

• Has a dominant ideology

• Targeting an older audience with coronation street 

• Digital convergence of there being a website - multiple media coming together thanks to technology 

• Left side rule - more important information being on the left side since you read left to right

• The red, blue, and white are very patriotic colours

• Refers to Sir Philip as Sir Greedy which is very informal

• narrativization - narratives being created (heroes and villains)

• bias against the conservative party 

• games are included in the newspaper 

• story of pub being relatable to the working class 

The target audience will of course be aware of the symbolic connotation of the orange outfit Rooney is wearing that he is in trouble since he is dressed like a convict going to prison 

Newsworthiness - what is worthy to be in the news

"if it bleeds it leads" - stories involving suffering are much more news worthy

news values - the values or ideology a newspaper might have  

Intertextuality means the same thing as referential code

• "Enders Hayley glassed by thug" referencing an Eastenders star, assuming the target watches Eastenders 

• Advertising gambling with a £1 for shop bet with Ladbrokes (betting shop), assuming that the audience is gambling working class 

• Brexit being sandwiched between two gambling adverts is suggesting that Brexit is a gamble 

• The front page is bias against Theresa May

• Daily mirror is a left wing tabloid 

• The lexis of "mayhem" is indicating that she isn't doing a good job, bias choice of words 

• Unflattering image of Theresa May, looking confused like she doesn't know what she is doing, looks a bit sinister 

• Right next to her face there is the word "Mayhem", anchorage 

• Her outfit is red which is the colour of death and aggression 

• Her image being smaller connotes that she can't handle things 

• The shadow on her face makes her look sinister like a villain from movies 

• lexis of "mayhem, surrenders, massive defeats, chaos" sound like a war movie 

• "Fighting for you" is reinforcing the idea that the Daily Mirror fights for us 

Left Wing Ideology:

• Equality 

• Belief in the government regulation 

• The power of the government 

• Collectivism 

Right Wing Ideology:

• Hierarchy

• Free market

• The rights of the individual 

• Individualism  

Ideology in newspapers - those in power use their power to distort meaning

can also be used to normalise dominant ideas of the ruling class

Why would a newspaper wish to manipulate the ideology of its target audience?

• Supporting a specific ideology will bring a specific audience

• Creating an audience 

• Allows audiences to express their opinion 

• To persuade audiences to vote for a particular party 

• To shape political outcomes 

• Government and other ruling class figures will support the newspaper

Karl Marx - Marxism 

The ruling class use media to manipulate the working class

The rich stay rich, the poor stay poor 

Hegemonic control - prevents people from rebelling 

False Consciousness - fake reality constructed by the ruling class through media

Tabloid VS Broadsheet

• Broadsheet has more hard news 

• Broadsheets are more formal 

• Broadsheets are bigger 

• Serif font use in broadsheet 

• Less gossip based news in broadsheets 

• Copy over images in broadsheets

• Broadsheets targeting middle class 

• Broadsheets has more fancy home adverts rather than gambling 

• Broadsheets aim at a knowledgeable audience

• Broadsheets have a plain layout 

• Serious headlines in broadsheets 

• Longer articles in broadsheets 

• Tabloid has “popular press”

Anchorage - fixing a particular meaning to a media text, often through captions

Bias - favouring a particular point of view over another

Agenda - attempting to accomplish something through bias

The Sun cover

• Childish mode of address calling him a chicken 

• Bias headline 

• “Cluck” clear reference to the F bomb

• Lexis of chaos and cowardly 

Can representations construct reality?

• This is a subtle representation 

• The Times is centre right 

• Image taken with zoomed lens 

• She is represented looking tired and being pushed to despair 

• Lexis of “despair” connotes she is dishevelled 

• She is being constructed as the victim 

• The preferred reading is that we are supposed to feel sympathy for her

• She looks on the brink of tears because she can’t hold back tears

• This is a stereotypical representation of a weak and vulnerable woman 

• She is also being denoted as a damsel in distress 

• Lexical field of war

• The low key light has symbolic connotations of depression and defeat 

• The caption of “heavy defeat” anchors that she lost badly 

• The vote results are positioned next to her face 

• The image is an invasion of her privacy 

• Makeup smudged connoting that she could’ve been crying 

• The skyline on the newspaper makes it clear that it is targeting a middle class audience, the words “spring wardrobe” suggest that the audience can afford a wardrobe specifically for spring time 

Representations construct reality 

• The red jacket she is wearing connotes danger 

• Lexis of shambles connotes her being a mess 

• Mise en scene of her hands looks like she is surrendering however also looking like she is trying to de escalate the situation 

• The conservatives look stressed visually 

• The front page is deliberately bias to sell the newspaper 

• The copy is surprisingly sophisticated 

• Talking to a diverse audience, use of words “shambles” which is quite colloquial 

• It’s blaming Theresa for the shambles 

• The readers of the Mail are assumed to be quite high up the social scale

• The headline “a faller at 2nd” is a metaphor for horse racing 

• This double page has a double mode of address

• On the left the double page have a sidebar

• A sketch is a jokey way of telling the news: “Gandalf” which is a Lord of the Rings reference which is also an example of intertextuality 

•  There is another reference to horse racing at the bottom with the odds

• We get an opinion from Kevin McGuire who uses the word “dud” (calling May a mess) and “kamikaze” (calling her a suicide bomber basicallly)

• A pull quote in a red text box which summarises the whole story 

1. Who won Love Island 2020?

Amber 0

2. What’s the name of the man who cheated in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, the scandal that was turned into an ITV drama called Quiz in 2020?

0

3. Which anniversary did Coronation Street celebrate this year?

60th 1

4. When did Barbara Windsor make her last appearance as Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders?

0

5. Who is the Tiger King whose life and dramas at his private zoo were documented in the Netflix series of the same name?

Joe Exotic 1

6. What was the name of the BBC telethon organised during lockdown in April?

0

7. The English Game was a Netflix drama about the origins of which sport?

Rugby 0

8. Who replaced Sandi Toksvig as a present on the Great British Bake Off?

Matt Lucas 1

9. What was the name of the TV show which saw celebrities perform while disguised as various animals?

0

10. Which castle was I’m A Celebrity filmed in?

0

1. What’s the name of Elon Musk and Grimes’ baby born in 2020?

X AE A12  1

2. Bobby Ball was part of which legendary comedy double act?

0

3. What big birthday did Kim Kardashian celebrate in 2020?

40 years old 1

4. Jesy Nelson left Little Mix in December. Which year did they win the X-Factor?

2012 0

5. What’s the name of Richard Osman’s debut novel?

6. How did Joe Wicks raise £1.5million for Children in Need?

Live workouts 1

7. Which TV programme did Louis Tomlinson vow never to go back on?

8. Which actor lost a libel battle against News Group Newspapers over an article published in The Sun which branded him a "wife beater"?

Johnny Depp 1

9. Which Love Island couple split in March saying they couldn’t make it work?

10. To the nearest thousand, how many votes did Kanye West receive in this year’s US Election?

60 thousand 1

The government routinely feeds information to sympathetic sources 

The picture of Donald Trump is his daughter are both re conforming to hegemonic gender norms and stereotypes

Trump Mob Newspapers

• The headlining story is the Trump supporter mob breaking into the US capitol for the Times

• The choice of lexis “mob” demonstrates what the newspaper thinks of their actions 

• The Times main image of the men in the suits with the guns are not Trump supporters 

• The Times is also saying America is chaotic and important by giving it page number bias 

• The word “siege” connotes war, battle, and violence 

• The headlining story for the Daily Mirror is about the covid vaccine 

• The Daily Mirror focuses on the UK instead of the US

• The Daily Mirror chose to “if it bleeds it leads” approach 

• The Mirror is choosing to appeal to its’ british working class audience by making the main headline about covid 

Feminist Theory:

Hegemonically attractive - attractive by society’s standards 

Hegemonically unattractive - unattractive by society’s standards

All media products are aimed at heterosexual men 

Women’s bodies are used as a spectacle 

The Mail Online is the online version of the Daily Mail, it is the most viewed online news website in the world 

The Don’t Miss column is what gets the website so many clicks, aka sidebar of shame

The daily mail reinforces a hegemonic norm about how women are supposed to look

Back to reality! Zara McDermott flaunts her figure in tight sportswear after being caught flouting Tier 4 travel rules and editing images

1. Young women 

2. The newspaper uses the word “toned” frequently and continually draws attention to Zara’s body. The images used are taken from her instagram and they chose the ones where her curves are prominent. This constructs her to be admired by the audience and perhaps even envy her look

3. The message is that her athletic body looks good and that she is breaking tier 4

4. This objectifies women since the newspaper encourages to gaze at their bodies which also has elements of sexualisation as well. It also creates the idea that you’re supposed to look like her