Unit 6 assignment 4

Ciaran Morton

Sit-Coms and Soaps are they really for real?

Introduction:

In this assignment, I am going to be analysing the

Sitcom called The thick of it, this is a series based in
an office. The image to the right shows the DVD cover
image of the thick of it.
The image to the right is the cover of the series that I
have decided to analyse, this shows that the age
rating is an 18+ as it includes a lot of bad language.

Genre 1:

Film:

(Film is not applicable to this series) Film is one of the

content types, this is where the video is on for a 1-3+
hours (depending on the style of film e.g. short film
(could be under an hour the link here is to a five-
minute film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=RDn0og5Vldg.)
The link above shows that films can be as short as four
minutes; this is because the example tells the whole
story and gives a beginning, climax and ending to the
storyline within four minutes. The image to the right
shows a screen shot from the film that I linked above.
The image to the right shows the cover from Lights Out,
the film that I linked to.
Currently, a whole film has been produced around this concept, this is
called Lights out as well, the full (feature length) film has used the short
film as a preview/trailer type to give some insight on what the film is
going to be about. You can buy this film online and on DVD, the image to
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the left shows that this film is able to buy on DVD and Blu
ray.
The image above shows two websites that people can buy
the DVD from, alternatively, people can pay to watch the
film online through websites like:
YouTube, PlayStation store, Amazon Prime and other
streaming network sites that allow purchases. The
image to the right shows the Google Play store with the
online copy of Lights Out.
The image to the right shows that Google Play store has
the film available from 3.99. The wording is from
3.99 as it this is the price to rent it for a couple of
weeks in standard resolution (SD/720ppi) to buy it in SD
this costs more, to rent it in HD (1080ppi) it costs more
and to buy it in HD it costs more. This goes up to about 10 in total.

Video:

Video is the format used by the series (The Thick of it).

The image to the right shows a box set of The Thick of It.
This shows the complete box set of the show.
The video footage, just like the film Lights out that I have
written about above
is available both
online and in-store.
An example of this is
the image to the left shows the video
on YouTube where people can watch
the first season for free as someone
has put the videos on YouTube.
The image to the left shows one method of
watching the videos; however, this is
often a scam as most of these are
still images taken from the series shown for half an hour to an hour
etc. This is used a lot in films on YouTube; this is so that the video
will gain views which means more advert revenue.
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The image to the right shows an image to the Thick

of it on Google Play store. In the image to the
right, it shows that you are able to buy
separate episodes or the full season for a
reduced price. One episode is 1.99 whereas
the full season is 8.49, this shows that
buying the seven episodes separately it
would cost near 14 where buying them
together saves around 8.

Audio:

(This section is not applicable to the sit-com)

Audio refers to music/podcasts/radio; this
is where there is sound and no video. An
example of this would be a Cd. either this
is a disk that you can buy with music
already on or you can burn .mp3 files
onto. The image to the right shows the
steps on Windows media player that allow
you to burn .mp3/audio files onto disks.

Another example of audio is online as you can listen to albums (music) ore
podcasts through a few different
options online, examples of this
include YouTube, PlayStation
store, Google play, Amazon,
EBay, and Gumtree etc. These all
provide physical or digital copies
of cds/podcasts. The image to
the right show the top cds sold
on Google Play.
The image to the right shows
some popular and new CDs available on the Google Play store. This shows
the album covers (descriptions on each once you click on them) and the
price of each album/track if you go in the description.

Print:
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Print is used in this sit-com as print refers to places

(newspapers/magazines that write about the series, this
is called print as it is printed. These are online so people
can access them through the internet. The image to the
right shows an article written for the thick of it.
The image to the right shows an article in the paper about
the lead star of the Thick of it, this is the first article I
found that mentions and writes about the thick of it.

Most other print media would

be published every week and
decide to review a current
episode so people can decide
if they want to watch it or not,
this would be the best
example of print media.
The image above shows three
different reviews, the middle one
is from The Telegraph, this shows
a newspaper companies review
of the Thick of it.
The image to the left shows the
article that the image above is quotiung from, this shows that the telegraph has
published an article about the Thick of it, this means that print mendia has
affected the series in some way, this could be by bringing in more viewers.

Digital:

Digital refers to all of the topics that I have mentioned above; this shows
the films (that are not related to the series), the videos (that are related to
the series), the audio (which isnt related) and the print (that is related to
the series).
The images to the right shows the Thick of it video and review on two
separate websites.
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The image to the right shows the videos available to

buy from the sit-com, this shows the google play
website.

The image to the right shows

the article from the telegraph,
this shows that the thick of it
has been mentioned/written
about in an article. I found this
online as the telegraph (along
with most other news outlets)
will post all of their articles online as well as printing them; this means
that it will be able to reach a wider audience.
The two examples that I pasted above are both examples of the media that is
related to the series that I found online, as audio and film are not related to the
series I cannot find any examples of this online.

Digital distrubuting media methods:

Television:

Televison is a method of distrubuting video and audio footage across tv

networks (aka channels). Examples of this include the BBC, SKY, Virign
media, BT etc. These all have their own channles and exclusive content.
The image to the right shows the bbc logo,
this is taken from a TV ident, this is a small
frmae inbetween programmes that
advertises the channel.
The image to the right is a still frame from
an ident played on a BBC tv channel.
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The image to the left shows the Sky

exclusive section (as I wrote above
about each network having exclusive
content). This shows some films and
shows which other networks do not
show.
This screen shot is quite old now but
when this was the exclusive section
films like Batman vs Superman were just out in Cinema and were not
available to any other network othewr than Sky making it an exclusive.
The Thick of it was originally shown via the TV, this is an ongoing thing as
some channels are dedicated to playing re-runs of old shows, this means
that occasionally there will be an episode playing on a channel. However
due to the box sets and online copies this has become inferior as re-runs
are often played randomly and do not nortmally play in any particluar
order.

Cinema:

Cinema is a way of getting new films out, this is

not used by the Thick of it as this is not a film.
The image to the right shows a cinema, this is
where films are shown a few weeks/months
before they are are produced and solf on
DVD/Blue ray.
As shown in the image to the right, the cinema
is a large room filled with seats and a big screen. Cinemas vary from
location, an example of this is the Stockport cinema and the Manchester
cinema, the more a cinema is visited the more money they make and the
better they can maske the facilities, by having less people in they cannot
buy better equiptment.
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This is a short section as this has nothing to do with the sit-com or any
series sit-com as they are not films.
Alternatively, home cinemas couold be used to shows the series (there are
just people with big TV in their house and call them home cinema but
these places do not receive exclusive content or any films before they are
relased for sale.

Radio:

Radio is slightly related to the series as there have been

a few podcasts or reviews mentioned on radio stations.
Radio is a way of broadcasting audio through different
channels, just like TV differnet channels have exclusive
content such as interviews with people, music etc.
An example of channels is the BBc as they own a few
different radio and tv channels. The image to the right
shows all of the different channels the BBC own.
The image to the right shows that the BBc own seven
different radio stations.
The image to the right is the logo from BBC radio 3, this
is a cannel owned by the BBC that reviewed/ talked about
the Thick of it, this is because the Thick of it is a BBC show
and they were advertising their won show.

Internet:

The internt is basically all of the topics that I have listed on but in one
location, this includes TV, video, radio, audio, cimena, film, news, print,
and all of the other media sectors created.
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On the internet you can:

Watch The Thick of it throgh countless diffenret
websites
Read thousands of reviews for the Thichk of it
Listen to any pre-recorded reviews/internviews on
the Thick of it
And any other related matter to this or any other sit-
com.
The image to the right is of the Thick of it cover
image, this is because this is a broad category about
the show in general so there is no direct image for
this category.
As I have basically wrote out about the internet in
every other section I would just be repeating the
information over and over again in this section.

CD:

The image to the right shows

some Cds from the Google play
store. This shows some new and
some popular cds. These are all
priced and availve to buy online.
Aswell as buying pre-made CDs
with songs or podcasts or
reviews or interviews etc. you can also create
your own by burning the audio files onto the
CDs, the image to the right shows a software
called Windows media player and the steps
to burining audio files onto disks.
The image to the right shows Windows media
player and how it is used to burn audio files
onto CDs.
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The image to the left is a CD by the BBC about

the Thick of it, this is a review based CD that
explains what the thick of it is and reviews the
content, as it is made byt the BBC it is a review
about how good the program is, this is because
they also createdf the thick of it.

iPod:

iPod is another way of listennig to audio/.mp3 files, the image

to the right is of an iPod. The image to the right is an iPod, this
shows that people can access/listen to audio files and store
photos on the device, this shows that you are able to listen to
podcasts/reviews/interviews on the Thick of it. This section
very similar to cds and audio as this is an audio player so it is
the same as the audio and cd section. The only difference
between this section and the Cd section is CDs need a cd
reader to play the content on them whereas the iPod is a
device that takes content from the internet and plays it.

Mobile Phone/devices:

Mobile is similar to iPod as it too plays audio files, however a mobile

(smart phones anyway) are able to play video and
audio, this means that people are not only able to
listen to the internves, reviews and podcasts for the
thick of it but are also able to watch the videos
through their phones. An example of this is buying the
episodes on google play sotre or the apple store
thrtough the device and watching them on the phone.
The image to the right shows the Thick of it season 1
on google play, this shows that it costs 8.49.
The image to the right shows an example of how
people can watch the series thorugh their phones.
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Mobile devices are mentioned in hand held consoles, this is because

mobile phones are also used to make calls/texts where a device/console is
not.

Home computer:

The image to the right shows a home computer

or PC, this is where people can access the
internet and watch content or listen to audio
files, this means that people can access the
Thick of it via their home computers, phones,
iPods and most other electronic with the basic
spesifications required.
The image to the right is just an example of a computer, home computers
vary masssively on cases and components.
This section is very shoet as it is basiclly a hom,e cxomputer s used to
play games and go online and do work. It can also be used to watch the
thick of it/any sit-com/soap or any content related atall to the thick of it or
any soap or sit-com.

Hand held consoles:

Hand held consoles are anything from phones to PS Vita or Nintendo Switch. As I
have mentioned a few times in this document MOST
technology up to date can access the content of sit-
coms or any relevent content based on or around
the sit-coms. The image to the right is of the
Nintendo Switch, this is the most up-to-date hands
free console out, this can also be used as a stand
alone console.
The image to the right shows the Nintendo Switch,
this is a hand held cxonsole that I capable of
watching online videos and audio files.
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The image to the right is the

playstation store, by searchnig for the
Thick of it on this webiste you are able
to purchase a digital copyy of the series
to download and store on any play
station device. This is for Playstation 4
or in this case the Play station Vita, this
is a hand held version of the console
that is able to purchase and dowenload
content from the internet, the image
below shows
the Play station
vita.

(Genre 2)

Genreic codes and conventions:

Content:

The sit-com that I chose is called the Thick of it, the image to
the right shows the cover image from this sit-com. This shows
that my sit-com is a formal based sit-com marketed at an
audience who is 18 or over as the PEGI sticker in the bottom
right cornor is for 18+.
The content of this sit-com is based around offices, this is
where different sectors of the modern british govement and
how formal and informal each sector is, an example of this is
the main character (Peter Capaldi) constanly goes around
screaming and shouting at people. This shows the informal
side of polotics.
There are a total of 4 seasons in this sit-com and a total of 24 different
episodes.
This sit-com won awards for BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy in 2006
and 2008. The cast member Rebecca Front aloso won an award for her
role in The Thick of It.
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Style:

The style of this sit-com is a formal office

enviroment. This is shown in the image to the
right. The image to the right shows some of
the cast in formal wear in an ofice, this shows
that trhe stlye of the sit-com is a very
formal/professional enviroment. This is due to
the fact that the sitcom is based around the
British govement. This menas that it has to represent the British
Government and how people dress and act. However in this comedy most
of the characters will often swear and scream at each other.
In short, the sit-com has a very formal style and scripts/has the characters
act in an informal way to make the scenes funny. This is through peoples
thoughts of how the charactrs shoulds act due to the way they dress and
the enviroment they are in.

Symolic:

The cover image to the right shows dvd cover of the series.
The white symbol on the cover shows the British govement
seel this is a symbol of the British Govement and is used on
the cover to show that the sit-com is tied to the british
government. This is the most prominent symbol throughout
the series as it is featured on all of the covers and is the main
tie to the entire plot. As this is based around the British
government offices the British government sector logos are
shown in this sit-com, these are symbolic as they show the
British Government and is a constant tie to the plot of the characters
being in the British Government.
(I cannot find any examples of this online) Another big symbolic thing on
the show would be all of the advertisements/sponsered content in the
show, this includes any products e.g. drinks or food or cars or office
stationary etc. By showing the logo of any product is is techinally
advertisment which is symolic to the compagny that produces the
products shown in the show.
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In addition to the symbols that I have mentioned, there might have been a
few more symbols used throughout this series that I have forgotten as this
series is roughly 24 hours long and takes place in a few different offices.

Cultural:

The image to the right shows the cast of the

Thick of it. This image shows the entire cast and
how they are both male and female. Even though
this show has both male and femal as it was
made in 2006 it mainly features the male
characters in higher up jobs than the female
characters who do not do as high up jobs as the
men. The image to the right also shows that there are the entire cast is
white, this is more a symolic state of how the British Government was, this
also shows that the show does not show many different cultures as it does
not feature any other etnicity of people.
This section is quite short as the sit-com that I have chosen to write about
only features a full white cast menaing it does not touch on many cultural
components.

Technical:

Technical aspects of the show include how the show is

filmed/recorded/editied as this is the technical side of creating
a sitcom. The image to the right shows the cover for the
series. This image shows the a mid shot of the main
character, a prompt symbol of the plot, a PEGI rating a a big
bold centered mast head. These are all assets that have been
edited together to create the cover, this is just one example
of the technical side of creating a sit-com.
First, the script is created and edited on computers, then the
cast will act irt out while being filmed. Then the raw footage is
edited down by cutting out all of the out-takes and messed up scenes (e.g.
light flares or duest on the camera lense may ruin a shot). Then the edited
footage is put onto disks which have been edited (the dvd faces, the dvd
box, the dvd box set cover etc.) and then sold.
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Adam Tandy produced the Thick of it, the producer is

in charge of all aspects of the sit-com, this includes
overlooking all videop footage and editing, this is to
make sure everying is made correctly and up to
standards. The image to the right shows a zoomed in
section of a Wikepedia article that states that Adam
Tandy is the producer of the Thick of it.

Changes over time in:

In audience:

Throuhout any sit-com the cast and storyline will change

either slightly or drastically (an example of this is
characters dying off or characters leaving etc.) this
means that the audience will also change as some people
may stop watching if a certain character dies off or more
people may start watching it if a certain character leaves
or joins etc.
The graphs to thw right show that The Thicxk of it has a
constant rise and fall in viewers until the last season
where they get well over seven times there usual
viewers.
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The image to the right shows that the first season started off with 319,000
viewers and went down to 164,000 by the third episode. Then the second
season started off at 245,000 viewers and went down to 146,000 by the
third episode. Then the third season started out at 247,000 and went up
to 258,000 views. And finally the fourth/last season received 1,590,000
views for the first episode and 1,380,000
views for the second episode. This shows that
in the last season the sit-com grew over
seven times in views. This shows that the
fan base or viewer base grew from 146,000
near the end of the second season to 1.5
million in the fourth season. This shows that a
lot of people started watchnig the Thick of it
either due to characters joining or leaving the
season or just through advertisent of the
series. The image to the right shows an image from a bbc channel ident.
This shows that the BBC advetised this show on their channel, this may
have brought in more viewes as more people were aware of the shows
exsistance and where/when they could view the programme. This would
have brought in a lot of views.
Ideogical shifts:

The image to the right shows the cover for the Thick of it.
In many sit-coms the cast/crew will change as the series
progresses, this leads to differnet styles in plot, character
building, ideogical stand points etc.
The ideogical view of this seriesw was to parody the British
Government by dressing and looking like them but acting
completely differnet, this was the main point of the sit-com.
As far as I know the show did not change in ideogical views as
the show was only on for four seasons and did not
span that much time, this means that no one needed
to leave or retire meaning that the same cast and crew
were around (or most of the cast and crew) meaning
that the ideogical view point did not change at all or
very much. If the ideogical view point did change it
would have either been a big change to the series or a
very small change that went un-noticed. The image to
the right shows the cast of the Thick of it

This is a very short section as this was a very short sit-com that did not
span for that long meaning the cast and crew were not chaged meannig
the ideogical view did not shift.
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Re-definition:

Re-definition refers to the change of the view point of

a character/chartacters or the entire show. This
section is similar to the ideogical shift, as the
programme was short lived and no-one left/joined the
programme the characters did not change and the
plot/premise of the programme did not change. The
image to the right shows the entire cast of The Thick
of it.
The image to the right shows the cast of The Thick of It, this shows the
cast throughout all of the series of the show.
Bigger sit-coms will have a lot of re-definition as they will be onl for longer
and producers/mamagers/crew/cast may be replaced or switched out
causing the views to change and the sotryline or chartacters to be re-
defined to suit the modern trends. However, as the thick of it was created
witih a few years this was too short a time to have any major changes
made.
This section is very short as just like the ideogical views there was no
change. However, unlike the ideogical shift, this section had a lot less
content to write about as the ideogical shift alolowed my to talk about the
change in viewers and which season had the most or least views where
this section was just wheather or not the character or plot was ever re-
defined or altered which it was not.
Obsolescence:
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Obsolescence refers to sit-coms or shows becoing out-dated or

irrelevent. The image to the right shows the cover to the Thick
of it.
This season was only around for a few years this was not for
that long, this shows that the series was not around for that
long meaning that the sit-com was not around long enough to
become obsolete or out-dated.
Longer sit-coms (sitcoms that have been out for longer) have
to keep briniging in new writers and directors as this keeps the
programme from being obsolete, this is because the same
writers will only have so many ideas for different episodes
before they begin to repeat themselves causing the show to become
obsolete.
This section is very short as it is just about the show not being on for that
long and how it was un-able to become obsolete as it was not out for that
long and there werent that many episodes released for it.

Spoof/parody:

A spoof or parody means to mock

something by creating a spoof of it, an
example of this is the film Scream was
spoofed by the film Scary Movie. The
image to the right is a side by side
comparison of the two film covers.
The images to the right show the Scream
cover and the scaryt movie cover, these
are two separate covers, the closesest to
the left is for the real film where the one to the far right is a spoof of the
real film, this is where they explote the steriotypical horror movie scenes
in the classic hororo and turn them into somedic situations, an example of
this is the main character being alone and checking on a noise outside at
night; Or moving house right at the start of a horror film.
There isnt aqny spoof for the thick of it as I could not find any spoofs
online, this sohws that no-one has used the content and altered it to make
fun of the original content.
I have merged Spoof and Parody together as they are very simiar as they
both mean to take work that has already been created e.g. in the example
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above an old/classic horror fim and exploit it for its flaus and mistakes or
sunny moments.

Pastihe:

A pastiche is simialr to a spoof; however, a pastice uses

the same content as the orignal film or series and uses it
respectfully of the original series, this includes things like
fan based parrodies. The image to the right shows a
pastiche of the thick of it.
The image to the right shows a pastiche where a viewer
has created a book based off of the series revolving
around the main character, they have titled it The Thick
Of It The missing DoSAC files. This is a call back to a
prevouis episode in the series where files went missing.
This shows that the creator has watched the series
extensively and has taken the time to create a book
based on the sit-com.
This section is also short ad it is basically a short version explaiing what
pastche means, and an example of a pastiche of the thick of it. This shows
that atleast one fan has created a pastiche of the series.

Narrative structures:

Narrative:

Single strand:

Single strnad refers to a storyline that starts and ends in one episode or
video, an example of this is a film, short story or smaller plots in a large
series. The image to the right shows the Babbadook, this is a horror film
that had the entire plot/storyline in one film meaning that it is a single
strnad video.
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The image to the right shows the Babadook, this is a film

that has the entire plot/storyline in one film and is a great
example of single strand storyline.

As I am writing about a series the main storyline/plot is noty

simgle strand as it takes 24 episodes to finsh, however
there are always side stories and some of these will start
and end in a single episode, this is to break up the main
story.
In short, the series will be single straw but some of the episodes include
side stories that are single staw.

Multistrand:

Mutistrand is the oposite to single straw as single straw takes one

film or episode to finish a sotory off where multistrand takes
multiple episodes or films to finish the storyline/plot. Lots of film
franchises or series are multistrnad, this is to keep the story going
instead of having one stoey with a quick ending. An erxample of
this in the film indusrty is the Star Wars film franchise, the image
to the right shows the third fim in the series.

Examples of multistrnad seasons (not sitcoms) include: Dexter, Breaking

Bad, Better Call Saul, Sons Of Anarchy etc. These are all multistrand as
they need multiple episodes/series to fully tell the entire plot/storyline,
this is because they keep working on the storyline as the series goes until
they reach a conclusion.
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As the Thick of it is a series it is a multistrand show as it

takes 4 seasons (24 episodes) to finish the plot/storyline.
The image to the right shows a case, this is the box set for
all 4 seasons on the show.
The image to the right shows the case that the entire
season is in, this shows that this is a multistrand show. Even
though it is a multistrnad show it does include single strand
sections in the sub plots.

Closed:

Closed sessions are basically the same as single strand videos or films as
they are closed, they start, have a conflict, resolution and
conclusion. The example in single straw (The Babadook) is
perfect for this section as it starts, builds up and ends in
one film. The image to the right is the cover to the
Babadook.
The image to the right shows the cover for the Babadook,
this shows that this is a single strand closed fim as the
entirte story starts and ends in one film and does not run
over in to another film or does not have any prequals.

The major story line in the Thick of it is not closed as it takes 24 episodes
to finish, however as I mentioned in both sinlge and multi straw there are
often side stories that often finished in one episode so even though this is
not a single strand closed film/series it does incvorporate single
strand/closed apects in invididual sections.

Open:
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Open and multistraw are very simiar as they both

refer to the story being continued in mulitple films or
episodes, an example of this is the TV show Dexter,
this is an open series as it has 8 seasons which all
mainly follw the same story line, this changes slightly
throughout due to the side sotries, the image to the
right is the cover for Dexter.
The image to the right is of a multistrand open series
that continues on for eight seasons. However, much
like the thick of itr it incorporates side stories that are
often closed to one episode to break up the major
sotry line.

The thick of it is a multi strand open series that takes

four seasons to finish, this is shown by the image to the
right as this is the box set which includes all 24
episodes of the series. As I have mentioned in the
prevoiuos sections, the thick of it has a major plot and
side plots that are often closed single straw so although
it is commonly a multistraw open story it also
incorporates single straw closed assets.

Linear:

Linear refers to a plot that goes, start, middle, end. This

means everything follows in order, an example of this is the
film from the closed example, the Babadook (cover shown
to the right). This film has a beginning, middle and end,
these are all shown in the correct place and does not flash
back or have any scenes out of place.

In the series the scenes sometimes use flash backs, this

menas that even though for the nmain part the show is shot
in a very linear aspect there are still non-linear traces found in this show.
This section is very short as it is a very simple section and is basiclly
telling a story from beginning to end without any flash backs or change in
time.
Unit 6 assignment 4
Ciaran Morton

Non-linear:

Non-linear is the opposite from linear as linear is all about

having the story in order from start to end where non-linear
will have the beginning middle and end jumbled up and
shown in different places, a perfect example of this is Pulp
Fiction, this shows the film in a random order. The image to
the right shows the cover of the film.
The image to the right shows the cover to Pilp Fiction which
is a non linear film as it jumbles up the beginning, middle
and end of the film and also shows the second last scene
first etc.
In the Last of us the series is based on a very linear
persecitive, this is not counting any brief flash backs in the series, this
shows that the series is both linear in some episodes and also non linear
due to flash backs in other sepisodes.
This section is very short as like linear I have written what non linear is,
given an example and written how it is linked in with the Thick of it.

Alternative narrative:

Enigma:

Enigma means a person or thing that ia mysterous or

difficult to understand.
An example of this is the brief case on the fim Pulp Fiction
(cover shown to the right). One of the storylines in this film is
based all around this briefcase that never shows the
cxontense, however this brief case is opened several times
in the film and glows bright yellow light once opened.
Unit 6 assignment 4
Ciaran Morton

The image to the left is the top few results

after searching for Pulp Fiction brtiefcase, this
shows that it is a perfect example of enigma
as the top few hundred results are all fan
pages where people still debate what was in
the brief case, this is a debate going on since
1994 the films release.

In the thick of it there arent any multistrnad

enigmas, this means that there may be some
small enigmas but they are shown/ explained
fully by the end of the episode. This means
that there are traces or enigma in the series.

Climax:

This section is all about the main part of the story, the startes with the
intro, building up to the climax of the story then concluding. An example
of this is a single strand film as this is all in one film compared
to multistrand films or series where the plot follows on from
the prevouis plot climax. An example of this is the film the
Babadook as the climax is all about the family beating the
demon/monster, the image to the right is the cover of the
Babadook.
The image to the right shows the dfilm example I wrote about
above.

The series the thick of it will have climaxes in each episode as there this
makes people want ot watch the next episode to see how the episode will
conclude. This shows that the Thick of it (like every story) uses climaxes to
make the audience want to watch the next spisode to see how it is
concluded.

Equilibrium:

The definition of equlibrium is a state in which opposing forces or

infulances are balanced.
In media Russian theorist, Tzvetan Todorov, suggests that all narratives
follow a three part structure. They begin with equilibrium, where
Unit 6 assignment 4
Ciaran Morton

everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt

that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is
restored.
This is shown by the beginning, middle and of a story as the
film will start out balanced, something happens, then there
is a conclusion.
The image to the right is the Babadook as it is a single straw
film that has all three elements in one film.
The image to the right is of a film cover which includes a begginig,
middle and end. This is a great example of equlibrium.

The series the thick of it alltoghether will incorporate the three

stages of equlibrium as all tohgther they tell the start, middle and end of the
story.

Represnetation:

Negative/positive:

Social groups:

Different social groups are used in sit-coms quite often

to ensure everyone has a direct group that they can
relate to, an example of this is in the series Dexter as
this is shot mainly in an office where there are
different groups of people/different social groups (the
image to the right is of the cover image.)
The image to the right shows the series Dexter, this is
a great example of a series that incorporates different
social groups in one show as it is shot in an office that
has lots of different groups of people.
This is used in the thick of it as they too are in an
office as different people form different social groups
depending on their characters. This can be defined in schools by
steriotypical comedy standards e.g. nerds, jocks etc.
This is very common between sit-coms as they will have a variety of
different social groups so that lots of different people can relate to the
show.
Unit 6 assignment 4
Ciaran Morton

Social issues:

Some of the bigger shows will often tackle different social

issues e.g. abuse, bullying etc. En example of this is in the
series Dexter where there a quite a few different social
issues met and dealt with, an example of this is depression.
The image to the right shows the cover of the series Dexter.
The image to the right shows the cover of the example.

The thick of it does not really tackle that many big social issues, this
instead basically just makes fun/parodies the British government instead
of steriotypical sit-coms.
This section is short but mets all the criteria as I have mentined what this
section means, gives an example and explained how this section is not
included in the thick of it.

Steriotyping:

Steriotyping is used in most media, this is through the

people in the shows or films, how they dress, what they wear
etc. This is used a lot in classic horror films. An example of
this is the film Scream, this uses a lot of the scallic horror
steriotypes like checking on a noise outside, running into
danger etc. The image to the right shows the cover of the
film Scream.
I kept this section short as there are thousands of different
shows, film, music series that all use the very steriotypical
aproach.

This sit-com is not steriotypical as it is based around the British Govement

which hadnt been done beofre, this shows that thew creaotrs did not
jump on a trend to create this show but instead made a very different idea
that hadnt been used beofore.
Again, this section is short as there is too much to write on steritypes and
how most of the media will use steriotypes in movies, shows, adverts,
books, magazines, films etc. I have written about steriotypes, given an
exampe and written about how the thick of it does not use steriotypes.
Unit 6 assignment 4
Ciaran Morton

Presence and absense:

Prensece refers to certain characters being there, absence is the oposite

absence refers to characters who are not there.
A perfect example of this is in Dexter as his foster father
died and is used as Dexter talking to himself but picturing
Harry next to him. The image to the right is of the cover of
Dexter. This example perfectly shows how someone can
be both present and absent.
In this series characters often dissapear also showing the
presence and absence comparison.

The thick of it does not really use presence and assence

like the example above. In the thick of it they do use
presence and absence slightly with people being at work and some people
not being at work etc. But they dont use presence and absence very
often or as a major part to the story.
Unit 6 assignment 4
Ciaran Morton