Media

Notes:
Representation, Audience, Industry, Language
Media Language: Semiotics/conventions which are polysemic (They all have multiple meanings)
Roland Barthes Theory- (denotation and connotation- what you see literally vs what you see represented. People may interpret it in different ways)
Media Audiences: Psychographics and demographics, Hypodermic Needle Theory, how a media responds/creates something based on their target audience.
Media Representation: The way media portrays different gender, age, class, ethnicity, stereotypes, culture etc. It is powerful in influencing ideas and attitudes.
Feminist Theory: The way women’s bodies are represented as objects is different from how men are portrayed. They tend to have a stereotypical way of being
portrayed in films.
Media Industries: The process of production, distribution, and circulation as well as how it affects media platforms. Media industries affect media platforms as a
way of gaining money. Theorist Richard Dyer: Celebrities are mere commodities created by larger corporations to target a specific group of people to make money.
(E.g. some celebrities are very popular and will easily boost the chances of people being interested in and watching the film if they are in it. Using the influence of
their fanbase) He states that stars and celebrities are constructed in a specific way to appeal to their target audience. The star or celebrity are ‘made’ by the media
industry with a USP to appeal to their target audience. The image the star has is created by their marketing and management through advertising, their choice of
jobs, interviews the internet, social media etc. Some celebrities, for example appear in adverts to promote products.
Cultural and Social Context: Cultural-influencing society, Social – refers to the setting where people live or where something occurs. When something has a history
behind it and possibly something that influenced the meaning behind the film/ caused it to take inspirations from something. Such as the Jungle Book expressing
cultural diversity and the growing popularity of jazz music.
Political and Economic Context: Political- refers to issues in an environment or society. It is also relevant to actions such as laws and other peoples interest/ likely
to be a current issue. Economic- how business and the society is shaped to create jobs etc.
Historical Context: Social, religious, economic and/or political changes in the past. This also affects how people behaved during these historical changes.
Genre: Codes and conventions, sub-genre, hybridity (mixing genres), subversion (something unexpected) Genre helps to minimise risk and predict expenditure.
This is important because companies require predictable income and need to budget. Genre creates familial pleasures- we see what we expect and enjoy watching
the things we like. Genre can also lead to repetition of the same conventions, leading audiences to become bored. In order to maintain an audience’s interest
producers may use subversions to make it feel different. Repetition and difference- Steve Neale Theory: the idea that genres may be dominated by repetition, but
are also marked by difference, variation and change. The idea that genres change, develop and overlap with one another. Difference is essential to the economy of
genre.
Hybridity: This is where hybridity can be achieved as producers strive to make products that blend familiarity and innovation. (e.g. Dead pool breaking the 4th wall
and breaking lots of conventions or making posters that show something different to what the film actually is)
Christian Metz genre characteristics theory: 4 development stages- classical (iconic and traditional), experimental (establishing conventions for future generations),
parody (mock codes and conventions) and deconstruction (picking key features/generic elements of more than one genre to form hybrid genres)
Media Language- Narrative: Types of narrative include; Linear (chronological order, beginning, middle and
end) Non-linear ( A non chronological order where the narrative does not follow the direct, causal pattern of
the events featured; such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or narrating another story inside
the main plot-line. It is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory e.g. Bird Box) Circular
narrative (A cycle through the story, one event at a time to end back where the story originated. Rather than
provide a clear conclusion tying together the remaining pieces of the story, a circular narrative will provide 1
closure through a return to the opening material.)
Todorov Theory: Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition, An attempt to repair the damage, New equilibrium
(Linear approach)
E.g.: Lion King
1) Equilibrium: Simba is happy living in the Pride Lands and life is normal with him learning how to become 2
the next king.
2) Disruption: Mufasa is killed by Scar and Simba is banished from the land
3) Recognition: After being raised by Pumba and Timone, when he is reunited with Nala, Simba learns that
Scar has taken over the Pride Lands and food has run out.
4) New Equilibrium: Simba defeats Scar and becomes the rightful leader
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Narratives in Magazines: Jump Line- used at the end of a cover line to get the reader to turn the page. Tag
Lines- short, memorable phrases that sum up the product and give a sense of identity.

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Semiotics:
Key Words: Sign, Signifier, Signified, Icon, Index, Symbol, Denotation, Connotation, Myth, Ideology
Sign: When an image or sign of a thing is not the thing itself, (e.g. an image tells us something based on how we see it and what it represents- when we see someone
smiling we see happiness, when we see a mother and a child we see love or motherhood) Literal vs representative interpretation. Some signs and symbols have such a
simple meaning we often forget about it as it becomes a subconscious and recognisable thing. Such as when we see Captain America or something with typical
conventions of a superhero film, we immediately link that with superheroes naturally.
Semiotics: It’s a theory known for calling attention to the formal structures of signification, of meaning/making in culture. Studying signs and symbols to see their
interpretation. It can be used to reveal the arbitrary (random/inconsistent) or constructed (deliberate/planned) nature of the meanings we use in our every day lives,
semiotics is also a form of social criticism (stereotypes).
Myth: A story or idea that explains culture or customs of people. Myths are the ideas and stories that motivate daily behaviour. The special trick of myth is to present
an ethos, ideology or set of values as if it were a natural condition of the world, when in fact it’s no more than another limited, man-made perspective. A myth doesn’t
describe the natural state of the world, but expresses the intentions created by someone.
Myths of Britishness:
Stereotypical British TV shows: Coronation Street, Doctor Who, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, X Factor/Britain’s Got Talent, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Graham
Norton/chat shows, comedians, Friday Night Dinner
Stereotypes/Things to do with Britain: The Queen, posh people with posh cars and big houses, always talking about the weather, people who have horses, horse
racing, polo, tea, biscuits, fish and chips, curry, London, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Lidl, ,Countryside villages, old fashioned, castles, pubs, different accents, sarcasm,
British food, pit bulls, British bulldogs, football, British slang, people who are overly polite, queuing, Yorkshire pudding, scones, double decker buses, black taxis, harry
potter, everyone lives in Hogwarts and is a wizard
 Brexit Poster Analysis
‘Brexit- let’s get over it’ Bold font that
makes it stand out. It is simple and to the
point to deliver the main message of
Brexit going on for too long and the
government hesitating too much to get
things done. The strong font also adds to
the idea of frustration or impatience. The
phrase also rhymes to make it more
memorable.
The background is of the Union Jack which
is a clear way to represent that this poster
involves the UK. It also includes the houses
of parliament and the EU flag beside
Theresa May. Therefore the audience can
infer this is about politics regarding the UK
and EU.
Theresa May being in a not very
professional posture, gives the poster a
more light hearted feel, which might make it
more engaging. It also implies that the
magazine is making fun of the prime
minister and showing the government are a
bit clueless on the situation. However,
interpreting it in a comical way helps people
to be more hopeful that something can be
done.
‘It’s time to spill the tea’ –written in
fancy font to link to the British aesthetic
and represent a more sophisticated and
serious side to the poster. It is also a pun
towards tea which is a popular British
drink, the phrase means it’s time to be
honest and reveal something.
By having Catherine Tate on the magazine it
also adds to the more light hearted approach.
This can still get the readers interest and show
the main message in a more memorable way.
It also appeals to a new range of people who
may be familiar with her and therefore notice
the poster. By using her familiar catch phrase ‘I
ain’t bovvered’ people will feel involved
through intertextuality from understanding the
reference and applying it to the message used
in the poster. Her personality and expression
reflects the idea of the poster, showing her
exasperation at how Brexit is being dragged on
and people keep making poor decisions,
wanting people to ‘just get on with it’.