Newspapers: The times- Representations and Industries

 Representation

1) What representation of private schools can be found on the main front page story of the Times?

A positive representation of private schools can be found on the main front page story of The Times.

2) What representation of the Conservative Party can be found in the story at the top of the front page 'Calls for criminal enquiry as top ministers deny security leak'?

There's no positive or negative representation of the conservative party in the story at the top of the front page.

3) How are the Royal Family represented in the Times? (See front page 'Fitting tribute' - Duchess of Cambridge picture and the inside page 'Royal Anzac Day on both sides of the world').

The royal family are represented positively in The Times.

4) How does the coverage of the Royal Family in the Times contrast with the reporting of the same events in the Daily Mirror?

• The Times uses more formal language, as well as referring to them more respectfully - "Duke" and "Duchess". Whereas The Daily Mirror refers to them by their names
• The Times covers the story by focusing on the history of the event. Whereas The Daily Mirror covers it by focusing on the relationships between the two brothers, which is more gossip
• The Daily Mirror represents the royals as more 'normal' people. Whereas The Times represents them as more authoritative.

5) How are British people and Muslims represented in the article and sidebar 'Sri Lanka tourists warned of more terror'?

British people are represented as more important than any other - warning British  people who like to travel about what's been happening. And Muslims are represented badly. The picture of a Muslim man at the bottom is small and the story about this Muslim man is negative - they lack importance to The Times and aren't represented positively. 

Industries

1) Who owns the Times? Write the name of the company AND the billionaire who owns the company.

News Corp own The Times. The billionaire who owns the company is called Rupert Murdoch.

2) What was the The Times's circulation in 2019? How many papers did the Times used to sell back in the 1990s?

The Times circulation in 2019 was 376,000. The Times used to sell over 800,000 print papers in the 1990's.

3) How has the Times reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?

• The Times has moved towards a multi - platform landscape
• They have created a social media strategy in collaboration with the digital media team to drive growth of their Twitter and Facebook profiles.

4) What does IPSO stand for and what is IPSO's job?

IPSO stands for Independent Press Standards Organisation. Their job is to:

• Regulate 1500 print and online titles
• Listen to complaints about press behavior
• Help with unwanted press attention
• Advise publication editors
• Provide information to the public
• Provide a journalist whistleblowing content

5) Why do some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers? 

Some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers because  they feel as if regulators aren't doing enough, or are letting newspapers get away with things that aren't supposed to be gotten away with.

Newspapers: The times- Language and Audience

 Audience

1) What is the main readership demographic for The Times newspaper? Add as much detail as you can.

The main readership demographic for The Times newspaper is people over the age of 55+. They would most likely be in the ABC1 social classes - and largely the A or B groups within that group.

2) What aspects of the front page of the Times CSP edition suggest that their readers are likely to be more educated and interested in hard news rather than entertainment?

It provides information which is a form of hard news, it uses formal language, as well as large paragraphs.

3) Times readers are mostly over 55 years old. Why is this and how is this reflected by the news stories and kickers in the CSP pages we have studied? 

This is reflected by the fact that The Times have more traditional viewpoints, which older people would have, as they grew up in a time when these beliefs were more common and traditional.

4) What is the main audience pleasure offered by the Times? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory.

The main audience pleasure offered by The Times is surveillance. This is because it lets you know what's happening around the world, and also has information on important people such as the royal family.

5) Why might a reader enjoy this CSP edition of the Times? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory  categories and write as detailed an analysis as you can.

A reader might enjoy this CSP edition of The Times because it includes information on people who play a massive role in Britain, the royal family.

Language

1) What is the main story on the front cover of the Times CSP edition (26 April 2019) and why does it appeal to Times readers?

The main story on the front cover of The Times CSP edition is the one about fee - paying schools (private schools). This would appeal to The Times readers because they're people who can afford this stuff.

2) List the other news stories and kickers on the front page of the Times CSP edition. Why do you think the Times selected these for the front page?

3) What are the main stories on the inside pages of the Times CSP edition and how are they constructed to appeal to Times readers? 

The main stories on the inside pages of The Times CSP edition consist of the royal family, what's happening in other countries and a special day. The one about Sri - lanka is constructed to appeal to The Times readers because their readers are wealthy, so they can afford to travel worldwide so it is as if The Times are trying to let their readers know the dangers of traveling to certain countries before a final decision is made.

Welcome to GCSE Media Year 2

 Year 1 reflection - blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to reflect on Year 1 and make sure you are ready for Year 2:

1) Look at your tracker for Year 1 blogposts (this will have been emailed to you by your teacher either before the summer or this week). Make a list of any CSPs you haven't completed. We will cover these in lessons later in the year but you WILL need to complete the blog tasks before you take any exams. 

• Television 
• Newspapers 

 Which CSPs from Year 1 are you most confident on?

• Newspapers: The Times- Introduction 

3) Which CSPs from Year 1 are you least confident on?

• NHS advert 

4) Your upcoming assessment will only be on CSPs from the first half of the year leading up to lockdown. Write a brief summary of the following CSPs to start your revision (Reveal magazine is done for you as ):

OMO - Representation of women, lady cleaning, makeup and hair done whilst cleaning, looks like she enjoys cleaning etc.

TATLER - Sounds like tattle tale - somebody who spills tea on others (and celebs), magazine for quite wealthy people - upper, middle class, leans toward looking good and fashion, appearance matters a lot. formal etc.

REVEAL -Not a formal magazine, uses slang, not proper pictures - just ones from paparazzi, for lower middle or working class etc.

GALAXY TV ADVERT - Typical representation of a Woman falling for a wealthy man, red lipstick represents the idea of love, dressed attractively/nicely etc. 

NHS blood advert - Wants different ethnicity to donate blood (especially Black and Asian people), shows you could save lives.

Doctor Strange: 

A massive budget, yet successful movie made by MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). 

I, Daniel Blake: An independant, low/small budget film, which made a decent/good amount of money.

Magazines - Reveal:  A celebrity magazine aimed mainly at working-class women focusing on gossip, celebrity and motherhood for just 99p. Offers quite a traditional, stereotypical representation of women.

Magazines - Tatler:A magazine aimed at upper and middle upper class, which mainly focuses on fashion & beauty & wealth.

Advertising: OMO: An advert which represents a pure white clothes cleaning product. A typical stereotype/representation of Woman used on the products poster.

Advertising: NHS Represent: An advert which wants BAME to donate more blood to people who really need it as 1% of BAME donate blood.

Advertising: Galaxy chocolate: An advert for galaxy chocolate & how it is somewhat 'luxurious'. Used a robot/ai to ceate a lookalike Audrey Hepburn (who was a well-known & successful actress to sell their product/grab attention.

Newspapers: Daily Mirror- Language and Audience

 Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages:

Masthead: Title
Splash: Lead story  
Slogan: Short phrase 
Dateline: When the paper was released
Kicker: Story at the top of the paper 

Byline: Who the paper was created by
Standfirst: Introductory paragraph

2) How much does a copy of the Daily Mirror cost?

A copy of The Daily Mirror costs a few pence.

3) What are the main stories on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)?

The main stories consist of the royal family.

4) Why is the choice of news stories on the Mirror CSP front page typical of a tabloid newspaper?

The choice of news stories on the Mirror CSP front page is typical of a tabloid newspaper because it contains celeb gossip, which is mostly included in tabloid newspapers.

5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text?

The images are big and text is huge in bold. This could be because The Daily Mirror tends to focus on more images and more than big paragraphs as their target consumers are in lower-middle-class.

Audience

1) What is the target audience for the Daily Mirror?

The target audience for The Daily Mirror is lower-middle-class British women.

2) Why does the Mirror front page story appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?

The Mirror's front page story appeals to the daily mirror audience because it mostly talks about the royal family in which mainly older people, probably women, take interest in.

3) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer.

A reader might enjoy the daily mirror because it provides entertainment - celebrity gossip, as well as information. 

4) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences?

Print newspapers are generally read by older audiences because older audiences grew up with more paper than TV, hence the reason why older people prefer reading print news rather than digital news.

5) How is the 'Wills and Harry royal rift' story on the double page spread constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? 

The Wills and Harry royal rift on the double page spread is constructed to appeal to daily mirror readers with the use of big pictures, as well as bold writing makes their readers want to know more.

Class: Audience and Industry

Audience

1) What were the viewing figures for Class and why do you think it did so badly?

The viewing figures for Class would range between 100k-500k people depending on the episodes. This is because majority of the audience have heard Doctor Who would be starring in the series, and when they watched and saw that he wasn’t in all the episodes they stopped watching.

2) What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy Class?

• Teens
• Pre-teens
• Young adults 

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: Being able to relate to the fact April’s dad wasn’t there.

Personal Relationship: Growing to love characters.

Diversion (Escapism): The use of Corakinus' world - we are taken to a place that does not exist in real life, which is a form of escapism.

Surveillance (Information / Facts): The audience learn many information about science and space as well as being entertained.

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?

Visceral could be applied to Class out of the rest of the Vs. This is because the audience want to know what’s going to happen next, whether that be good or bad.

5) How did fans in the 'Whoniverse' (also known as 'Whovians') react to Class? Watch the fan reaction video (and read the YouTube comments) embedded above or check the comments in the extension articles below to help with this.

Many fans in the ‘Whovians’ agreed with George's reasonings. This is because many said it left them questioning what will happen next and it lured them in, which resulted in a somewhat positive review of ' Co-owner of a lonely heart' .

Industries

1) What was the objective of BBC3 when it was launched?

To educate, entertain and inform.

2) Why did BBC3 go online-only in February 2016? 

BBC3 went online in February 2016 because young people don't tend to watch TV, but go on their phones a lot.

3) How does Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain

It informs the audience that they shouldn’t be narrow minded and think about if there could be life outside Earth (space).

4) How did the distribution of Class contribute to the failure of the show with audiences?

The distribution of class contributed to the failure of the show, as it was shown online, then on BBC ONE quite late, as well as the confusing distribution model.

5) What advertising and marketing was used to try and promote Class to an audience? Why do you think this wasn't very successful?

• Trailer 

• Interviews
• Shown in America, where it was more popular
• Well known actors, such as the man who stars as Dr Who
• Merchandise 

Comparison: An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart

1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2016 Class (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?

• Way better FX - as there was no AI etc.
• CGI
• Better quality
• More use of props

2) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of the science-fiction genre?

• More colour (sci-fi stereotypical colours - blue etc.)
• Aliens 
• Space 
• Teenagers 
• Drama

4) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?

In Doctor Who, the characters were predominantly white and straight. In Class, there was a wider range of ethnicities, disabled people, and gay characters.

5) What similarities and differences can you find in terms of the audience pleasures for An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?

• Entertainment and diversion - Space, aliens 
• Info and education - Educates you about science/aliens etc.
• Social interaction - Being up to date in new episodes
• Personal identity - Teenagers relating to April and Ram with romance and drama

Class: Language and Representation

 1) Write an NCIS analysis for the episode - using notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed reference to moments in the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots and movement, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

Co-owner of a Lonely Heart

Narrative:

Relationship between April and Ram, shared heart between Corakinus and April, April goes to fight Corakinus 

Character:

• Corkinus
• Ram
• April
• Ms Quill 
• Charlie
• Tanya

Iconography:

Setting:

Shadow realm, school, classroom, bedroom, car, kitchen 

2) How does Todorov's theory of equilibrium apply to Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Try and use the expanded version of Todorov's theory: Equilibrium - Disruption - Recognition - Reparation - New equilibrium.

E - Shared heart between April and Corakinus 

D - April’s dad arrives and a bit of conflict occurs, flower petals shown 

R -  Headteacher talks about flower petals to Ms Quill

R - April jumps into portal to kill Corakinus 

NE - To be continued 

3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do each of the main characters in Class fit into? Alternatively, you may wish to discuss how characters do not fit Propp's character types.

April- Princess/hero

Ram - False hero

Tanya- Helper

Ms Quill - Donor

Charlie - Hero

Corakinus- Villain 

4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

Enigma:

The action codes you can find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart is April sharing a heart with a Corakinus which makes the audience wonder if April will ever get her heart back.

Representations

1) How is gender represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

Gender in Class is represented to be non-stereotypical. This is because April is seen to be more stronger then all the other male characters. Also when April opened a portal to go kill Corakinus, Ram volunteered to join her but she refused. This shows that men always want to help but April reinforced that stereotype.

2) How is age (e.g. teenagers; older people like teachers or parents) represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people?

Class challenges stereotypes of modern day teenagers. This is because the teenagers in Class are the protectors of their world and it is their responsibility to make sure nobody gets hurt, or nothing goes wrong. Therefore, it challenges stereotypes because teens are seen - by society, to be lazy and not want to do anything. 

3) How is race and ethnicity represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Are  stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

Stereotypes are reinforced and subverted in Class. This is because Ram (Asian) plays for the football team in his school. Stereotypically speaking, Asian people are known to be really smart and always doing work but Ram subverts that stereotype by not knowing how to do work, which is why he asked Tanya (Black) to tutor him. Tanya and her mother reinforced stereotypes. This is because her mother is very strict on her at home and really pressures her to do work and restricts her from hanging with friends outside, or FaceTiming boys. This is normalized in POC’s households. Because of this, I assume, Tanya is very smart and jumped three years ahead to take her A-levels early.

4) How is sexuality represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? How does this reflect the BBC's remit to represent modern Britain?

(meaning gender or who likes who?)

Sexuality in Class is represented to be more diverse. This is because we all assumed Charlie would like girls (April asking him out to Prom) but it turns out he’s into a boy in his class named Matteus. Matteus’s polish parents are deeply religious, so when he came out to them they had conflict and kicked him out which then he went on to live with Charlie.

5) How is disability represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Why are disabled people generally under-represented in the media and how does Class try to address this?

Disability is represented as a positive thing in class. Disabled people are under-represented in the media because they're different, and they apparently don't fit the "beauty standards" in society, which plays a major part in which they're under-represented.

Doctor Who: Industry and Audience blog tasks

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Has it changed since 1963?

The target audience for Doctor Who are predominately women and men at the ages of 12-40. It hasn’t really changed since 1963 since some adults go back and watch it for nostalgia.

2) What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy Doctor Who?

The audience psychographic groups that would enjoy Doctor Who are people who are interested in science fiction genres that involves advanced technology and futuristic concepts such as space, time travel, out of world creatures and parallel universes.

3) What audience pleasures are offered by An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

The audience pleasures offered by An Unearthly Child using Blumler and Katz’s and Gratifications theory is surveillance/information. This is because the audience are learning information that they didn’t already know. Doctor Who offers educational concept behind space travel, history and science.

 A second audience pleasure is diversion/entertainment. This is because the audience are experiencing entertainment away from their normal life. Science Fiction is a very good example because it’s exciting and very unrealistic.

4) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020 audience?

Additional Uses andGratifications of this episode would provide a more wider reach and diverse audience in a modern 2020 audience. This is because it has a more diverse representation over recent years such as gay characters, black central characters and strong female characters. 

5) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

Visceral: When the teachers are searching for the student

Vicarious: When Doctor Who tells the teachers they have to be his sidekicks

Voyeuristic: When everyone was inside the TARDIS

Industries

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

The television industry in 1963 wasn't as good as it is now. There was only one channel.

2) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC?

Doctor Who is such an important franchise for the BBC because it is one of the most well known franchise of the BBC and has been streamed globally by thousands of people.

3) How does Doctor Who meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain'?

Inform- To provide information 

Educate- To reflect the United Kingdom, it’s culture and values of the world 

Entertain- To produce creative output / to have diverse content 

4) How is the BBC funded?

The BBC is funded by their daily viewers- BBC licence fee payers.

5) Who regulates the BBC and what is the watershed?

The BBC is regulated by OfCOM. The watershed is if whatever themes are shown in this show is appropriate to put on tv before 9pm.

TV: Doctor Who Language and Representation

 Language and close-textual analysis

1) Choose three key moments in the episode and write an NCIS  analysis for those clips. You can use your notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed references using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

An Unearthly Child scene analysis

Narrative: The narrative of ‘Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child’ is that there is two teachers who are surprised by a student who is very intellectually smart. Mrs Wright decides to visit the students home, only to learn that the address on the record is a junkyard. Mrs Wright and Mr Chesterton decide to wait at the location until the student shows up. There they discover the students grandfather also known as “the Doctor”. The teachers soon discover that an ordinary police box is actually disguised as a spaceship. 

Character: Dr. Who, Mr Chesterton, Mrs Wright, the student (Susan)

Iconography: Spaceship, time machines

Setting: Space, Tardis

2) How does Todorov's theory of equilibrium apply to An Unearthly Child? Try and use the expanded version of Todorov's theory: 

Equilibrium - Todorov's theory of equilibrium applies to ‘An Unearthly Child' because near the beginning, Mr Chesterton and Mrs Wright decide to follow a student home (Susan Foreman). They just wanted to find out where she really lived. They then wait for Susan and as they see her, they follow her.

Disruption - Mr Chesterton and Mrs Wright. soon discover a elderly man (Dr Who)They hear something and hide.

Recognition - The teachers find out this is a spaceship in disguise, and they are held by Dr Who.

 

Reparation - Dr who tries to tell the teachers none of this is real.

3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do each of the main characters in An Unearthly Child fit into? Alternatively, you may wish to discuss how characters do not fit Propp's character types.

Barbara Wright - The Heroine 

Ian Chesterton - The Hero

4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in An Unearthly Child? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-

Barthe's enigma and action codes found in 'An Unearthly Child' consist of the beginning it makes  the audience wonder why there's a police inspector there. Especially after seeing the police box by the fogyou can tell something is not right about that place so we assume we'll find out what it is soon enough, which lures us into the show.

5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in An Unearthly Child? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience?

This show is driven by drama when they all end up in the space ship. They all get into some form of an argument. Therefore justifying Levi-Strauss' theory that all narratives must be driven by drama.

Representations

1) What stereotypes of men are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

No stereotypes are subverted, but they are reinforced. There is a representation of men, the male teacher, near the endwhere he doesn't fear anything and technically claims he'll not believe anything until he sees it - " I take things as I see them ". This is a stereotype because Men are seen as the Hero's who must protect the " Princess "  who in this case is Mrs Wright

2) What stereotypes of women/girls are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

Barbara Wright, a female is represented as emotional and afraid especially in the scene near the end. Once they arrive at this place Susan supposedly lives in, she gets scarednwhich is a typical stereotype of women 

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? Give reasons for your answer and consider historical / cultural context (the 1960s). Has this changed in more recent series of Doctor Who?

There is hardly any different representations of race/ethnicity. All the characters we've seen so far are white in the 1960’s.

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? Think about how education and knowledge is presented in the episode.

The social class represented in An Unearthly Child is middle class. I believe they are all the same.

TV: Introduction to Science Fiction

  1) How does Class meet the conventions of a TV drama series?

Class meets the convention of a TV drama series by including an ensemble cast, romance/relatable high school drama, tension.

2) What conventions of the science-fiction genre can you find in the Class trailer? List as many as you can and use NCIS to help you.

Conventions of a sci-fi genre in the class trailer includes AI, Villains/aliens, CGI, special fx, weapons

3) What other genres are suggested by the trailer (e.g. horror)? Is Class an example of a modern hybrid-genre show?

The other genres suggested by the trailer consists of mystery, drama, fantasy and romance. Class is an example of a modern hybrid-genre show.

4) Class is a spin-off from Doctor Who. At what point does the character of the Doctor appear in the trailer?

The character of the doctor appears right at the end of the trailer to build tension for the Doctor Who audience who are a fan of the series Doctor Who.

5) Who do you think the target audience for Class is? Is this a typical target audience for the science-fiction genre? Give reasons for your answer.

I think the target audience for this may be 15 and over. This is because it has more modern effects and it is based around teenagers in high school which means more teens would take interest in this series. Also the romantic scenes between Ram and April could somewhat be relatable towards nowadays teenagers.