Life On Mars

Genre;

Crime Conventions (Modern/1970's);
- Characters
- Settings
-Narrative and Iconography

Sci-Fi Conventions;
- Characters
-Settings
-Narrative and Iconography

Narrative;
- Very well structured
- Linear narrative
- Restricted narrative as we see it from the point of view of the main character and no other sub narrative is revealed before the protagonist.

Todorov; Narrative Theory

Equilibrium; The show starts off with an unhappy equilibrium as the protagonist is having personal life problems and his work life is lacking enthusiasm.

Disruption; The disruption is when the protagonist gets hit by a car and he time travels to the 1970's to solve another murder and figure out how to get back to his "Normal life".

Resolution; The murder is solved and his relationship with his boss progresses however, the main narrative on how to get back to his normal life isn't resolved.

Barthes Narrative codes; Enigmas.
- Will he get back to the present day?
- is his girlfriend back home alive and safe?
- Will he get with the police women in the 1970's
- Does he change the future by destroying evidence and stop the murder influencing the child.

The episode finishes with a cliff-hanger as , as the audience we don't have all the answers to the enigmas in the show.

Representations;
- Gender.
Women are portrayed differently throughout the show. In the present day, his girlfriend is on the same level as him in the work place and is listened to by the men in the station. However, in the 1970's era, his potential love interest ( shown through the mid-shots used and the actions between them) isn't on the same level on him career wise and isn't listened to by the men in the police station as they make a lot of sexual comments towards her.

- 1970's/ Present day
1970's police are unprofessional and sexist.
present day police are more professional and inclusive.

- Ethnicity
During the 1970's period in the episode, the character are predominately white apart from the bartender who is Jamaican. Where as , in the present day, the cast is very ethnically diversed.

Post Modernism;
- Hyper reality
-Simulara
-Parody and pastiche
- Reflectivity
- Irony
- Intextuality

The protagonist is emotionally and mentally unstable. We are shown this through the fact he used to follow instinct and now follows protocol.

His girlfriend is also his sidekick ( Crime Conventions).

We establish how modern policing is done in the 2000's

Iconography is used to show the time change. Minimal dialogue is used.
- Cassette is shown in the car instead of the Ipod.
- The audio changes to the song "Life on Mars" by David Bowie
- The police uniform swapped in the different eras.
- Clothing of the protagonist changes through the eras as well.

The song "Life on Mars" by David Bowie is used as intertextuality. (Post Modernism)

Police station is an anchor of the time travelling. Contrasts through lack of technology as well as ethnic diversity and gender inclusivity.

As the episode progresses, women are viewed in a less objectified manner and ideologies progress.
 ( Same applies with ethnicity, Could talk about Post Colonial theory)

Coursework- Music video project

Music Video Project 30%

- Statement of Aims (500 Words)

- Music Video (3 Minutes Long)

- Magazine Front Cover 

- Magazine Double Page Spread

Potential Songs;
Dive- Ed Sheeran
Perfect Strangers- J.P Cooper
Mariah Carey- Without You

Inspiration For Magazine;

newspaper tasks

Definitions;

A large business corporation that is comprised of a range of different parts or smaller businesses.

- Conglomerate

This is when a Media Company owns different businesses in the same chain of production and distribution.

- Horizontal integration

This literally means ‘to work together’ and is where one form of media product ‘cross sells’ another form of media product to their mutual advantage of increasing sales/audiences. 

-Convergence    

This means  that there is a diversity of viewpoints available and consumed across and within the media industries and prevents any one media owner or voice having too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda.

-  Plurality

This is the process of how the media product gets to its audience after production

-Distribution   

This is when a sector of the media industry such as newspapers is dominated by one or a small number of large organisations. 

- Monopoly 

This is where a media company tries to maximise its power and profit by combining elements of its business into a more concentrated and more effective model. 

- Consolidation

This is the process of a company expanding its media production in the same area of media. For example, one newspaper company buying another newspaper company. This can happen by internal expansion, merger or takeover and can lead to a monopoly. 

- Synergy

This is where two or more companies, usually of similar size, combine to form a larger single company. 

-Merger

This is where a larger company buys a smaller company

-Takeover

This is the combination of different areas of the media coming together to maximise profit 

-  Vertical integration                                                                  

                                       

1. Trinity Mirror plc is the largest British newspaper, magazine and digital publisher after purchasing rival Local World for £220 million, in October 2015. It is Britain's biggest newspaper group, publishing 240 regional papers as well as the national Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People, and the Scottish Sunday Mail and Daily Record. Since purchasing Local World, it has gained 83 print publications.

                                                                     

                      

How has the newspaper industry maximised profits in response to technological changes?

How has the newspaper industry maximised profits in response to technological changes?

The newspaper industry maximises profit through ownership. Rupert Murdoch , who owns The Times, also owns a lot of other companies. Here we could apply the theory of Media Institutions by Hesmondhalgh, this states that the idea that cultural industry companies try to minimise risk and maximise their demographics through vertical and horizontal integration. Rupert Murdoch does this effectively in horizontal integration through The Sun and The Times. This allows him to influence the gatekeeper in his political bias and publish this in a broadsheet and a tabloid, which targets a more middle class audience but also a working class audience. Ownership doesn't only influence the print based sector but online and television sector. As Murdoch owns Sky, this allows him, again, to influence the way the news is broadcasted on Sky News, this is vertical integration as the same message is being portrayed through a different medium. During the breaks of the broadcasts, Murdoch promotes more of his other products through adverts, (convergence).

Another way that the newspaper industry maximises profit through technological changes is online technology. As technology is advancing , the newspaper, print industry is loosing profit. Social media has had a huge impact as it is more flexible and has more availability. This targets a wider demographic as a lot of people don't have the time to buy newspapers and can access the news everywhere from a device they always carry everywhere. The negative impacts of having an online resource of news, means they have less control on what is published and they make less profit. Newspapers are forced to have a "perfect" website or app but also keep the formal lexis they have in their print based work.

The Times battles the social media craze by making their online website a similar format to a conventional print broadsheet newspaper. They have kept their lexis formal and haven't compromised it to become more informal due to the way the text is distributed. The layout is quite simple and doesn't have many options to navigate the site. The downside of this is that there is a lack of audience feedback, this can effect the views of the broadsheet. As The Times's target audience is 40 years or above, having the website can damage how many of these view the broadsheet as conventionally people around that age don't know how to use technology.

Explain how ownership shapes media products. ­­­Refer to EITHER The Daily Mirror OR The Times to support your points(12 marks)

Explain how ownership shapes media products. ­­­Refer The Times to support your points  (12 marks)

Ownership often influences how media products are shaped. Rupert Murdoch , who owns The Times, also owns a lot of other companies. Here we could apply the theory of Media Institutions by Hesmondhalgh, this states that the idea that cultural industry companies try to minimise risk and maximise their demographics through vertical and horizontal integration. Rupert Murdoch does this effectively in horizontal integration through The Sun and The Times. This allows him to influence the gatekeeper in his political bias and publish this in a broadsheet and a tabloid, which targets a more middle class audience but also a working class audience. Ownership doesn't only influence the print based sector but online and television sector. As Murdoch owns Sky, this allows him, again, to influence the way the news is broadcasted on Sky News, this is vertical integration as the same message is being portrayed through a different medium. During the breaks of the broadcasts, Merdoch promotes more of his other products through adverts, (convergence).

cultural 

 

Rupert merdoch owns the times

- sky

- 20th century fox 

NEWSPAPERS

The Mirror and The Times

Masthead - " Daily Mail"

- Normally in a Gothic font and generally in black.

- Staple of Iconography

Broadsheet- Formal / Serious lexis and tone

Tabloid- Informal / unserious lexis and tone

Puffs or Blurbs- indication on what's inside the newspaper, normally in colour to draw demographic into smaller stories.

Headline- Main story - Bold and larger but not larger than masthead.

Strap-line - directly below headline , gives a little bit more insight on the headlined story.

By-line - Name of journalist that has written the article.

Standalone- An article that doesn't carry on inside the newspaper.

Main image- the central image on the cover, often links with the headline but not always.

Pull quote- large quote separated from the article.

Jump-line- " continued on page 6"

White space- empty space on the newspaper

News values;

Gate keeper- filters the story through the news values and decides what's published. Conglomerates normally influence this ( Reference to Rupert Murdoch). Cultivation theory and hypodermic needle theory.

Threshold- bigger impact and reach of story.

Unexpectedness - surprising story

Negativity - bad stories reach more consumers than good stories as people like to see others down fall (schadenfreude)

Elite persons - important people (Dyer star theory)

Unambiguous - Easy stories 

Personalisation - stories that include "real people"

Proximity - stories closer to home

Continuity- continued or updated stories.

Theory;

Cuman + Seaton - Variety of industries.

Hesmondhalgh - integration - horizontal and vertical.

RADIO INDUSTRY

RADIO INDUSTRY 

-LNWH is no longer broadcast by the BBC but is still available online . Summarise the differences between broadcasting and podcasting  for the audience and how it may affect the content and structure of a programme.

A large difference between podcasting and live radio is the fact that live radio cannot be edited after it has been broadcast, whereas podcasts are pre-recorded so they can easily be adjusted after recording. ... While radio can include pre-recorded content, many shows are usually live broadcasts.


-Define and give an example of a commercial  and a public Service  radio broadcaster, explaining the key differences.

A Public Service Broadcaster  is a state funded media broadcaster intended not simply for commercial purposes, but more, to benefit the public.A Commercial Broadcaster is a media broadcaster produced through by privately owned corporate media, a stark contrast to the state funded model of the PSB.

-Explain the identity and purpose of the BBC based on its origins, history and how it is funded.

The BBC is a British organization which broadcasts programmes on radio and television. BBC is an abbreviation for 'British Broadcasting Corporation'. The concert will be broadcast live by the BBC.We are innovative, adaptable and creative, making lasting improvements to people's lives.  BBC State that "We respect everyone we work with: our audiences, partners and colleagues. We seek to understand context, and to encourage diversity. We support, challenge and value our colleagues and partners, learning from each other.". The BBC are funded through their consumers paying their TV license on a rolling contract.

-How does the BBC broadcast or provide content nationally, locally and globally?

The BBC broadcast their programmes in the UK and also in America. They use BBC Worldwide ; BBC Worldwide is a principal commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC's brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world.