News Q3 practice.

b) Explain how the political context in which newspapers are produced, influences their ownership and regulation. Refer to The Guardian and The Daily Mail newspapers you have studied to support your answer. [10 marks]

In this essay, we will be examining the political context in which newspapers; The Guardian and the Daily Mail, are produced and how they influence ownership and regulation. The news industry here is oligopolistic which contradicts the concept of a free press if it is controlled by the elite, upper-class. 

The Guardian, left wing, labour, is owned by the Scott Trust, which is a British company that owns other businesses as well, not just The Guardian since 1936. This type of ownership can be seen to allow freedom in speech for its journalists as the Trust only governs the structure of the paper and doesn’t have a say in content or leader lines, which is beneficial for journalists. The profits made are reinvested back into the Trust, and quality journalism rather than financial dividend is the Trust’s goal.

In terms of further regulation, the Leveson report believed that the relationship between the press and politicians was too close. They believed that the press were easily influenced by the politicians, and were not in the interest of the public. But despite this, there is evidence for the fact that the newspapers are both linked to political parties, their influences, as well as their affiliations (whom they're sided to). For example, one of The Guardian's front covers says "Half UK's young black men are out of work" which could easily be identified with the Labour party, as the labour party is for the idea of full employment for everybody. Whereas one of the Daily Mail front covers, says "This lady's not for turning!" with Theresa May on the front, which could signify that the newspaper clearly supports the Conservative party and is for the idea of Brexit. The political context doesn't entirely affect the production of the two newspapers, but it can be argued that the news itself can influence the political context.

Moreover, the two newspapers, or any newspaper in the UK, is regulated by a new self-regulatory body called IPSO. It is independant and was set up due to the Leveson report, and the phone hacking scandal that took place in July, 2011. However, this could suggest that if newspapers are regulated, they would not be able to express their freedom, which is contradictory. Though, newspapers like The Guardian are free to leave the regulatory body IPSO and be independent, but other newspapers that do not join the IPSO, would be confined to direct regulation by OFCOM.

In conclusion, the relationship between political contexts, ownership and newspaper regulation is complex and affected by a number of factors. The importance of press freedom and the relationship that newspaper owners enjoy with political parties can be seen to be influenced by the political context in which newspapers are produced. But, at the same time, the political contexts in which the press functions are also influenced by press ownership and the press’ response to regulation.

News Q2 practice question.

Sources A and B cover the same news event but are from two different newspapers. How far has the combination of elements of media language influenced meaning in the sources? In your answer you must:

• explain how the combination of elements of media language influences meaning in newspapers

• analyse how media language has been used to construct meaning in the sources



• make judgements and reach conclusions about how far the combination of elements of media language has influenced meaning in the sources. [15 marks]

PLAN:

• The Sun: right wing, conservative, popular
• The Times: centre-right wing, conservative, quality

• The Sun: informal language, more pictures, less text, individualism paper;  that each individual is acting on his or her own, making their own choices, and to the extent they interact with the rest of the group, it's as individuals. The sun is conservative, therefore would be against the idea of someone non-British in the royal family. Picture of Markle is not as enlarged, could mean they're belittling her, undermining her; "princess pushy".
• The picture of Meghan and Harry are seperate, which could signify, again, that The Sun does not welcome her into the family. 
• The Times: formal language, less pictures, more text, collectivism paper; views the group as the primary entity, with the individuals lost along the way. The Times on the other hand, is centre-right wing, so it would be in favour of the royal family; "welcome to the family", the picture of the daughter and mother is enlarged, which could mean that they're proud to welcome them into the royal family. The image is also in the centre of the paper, which means the paper wants this story to be the audiences' prime attention. 

Source A and source B cover the same story about the royal family, but are from two different newspapers; The Sun and The Times. The Sun, is a right-wing, conservative and popular newspaper, which means it covers stories like gossip and examples as such. Whereas source B, is The Times, which is also center-right, conservative, but it's a quality newspaper, which is more formal compared to popular. In terms of analysing how media language has been used to construct meaning in the sources, we can derive that from source A; The Sun, has the codes and conventions of informal language that consists of sans-serif font, such as "Princess Pushy", which conforms to the codes and conventions of a popular newspaper. Furthermore, there seems to be less text and more pictures, which again, conforms to a popular newspaper, but it could also signify that it's audience is aimed at a working class, rather than a middle class. In contrast to this, The Times has a formal use of language with the use of serif font, which could signify classiness, with less pictures and more text, which conforms to the codes and conventions of a quality paper. The use of more text and less pictures could be targeted at a middle and upper class, rather than a working class.

In terms of other use of media language and how it's been used to construct meaning in the sources, The Sun's image of Princess Meghan is seen to be small, which could connote they're belittling her, undermining her; "princess pushy", and the fact that they're conservative, they'd possibly be against someone non-British joining the royal family. In addition to this, the image of Princess Meghan and Harry are seen to be separate, which again, could mean that they're not for the idea of Princess Meghan being in the royal family. On the other hand, The Times priorities the image of both Meghan and her mother by enlarging the image and centering it in the middle, which could connote that they're proud to welcome them into the royal family, and having the image centered could signify that they want the image to capture the audiences attention. In addition to this, The Times is center-right wing, so it would be in favor of the royal family; "welcome to the family".

In making judgements and reaching conclusions about how far the combination of elements of media language has influenced meaning in the sources, both sources cover the same exact story, but from two different perspectives and from two different newspapers; The Sun, which is right wing and The Times, which is center-right wing. In analysing the different use of media language over the two sources, we can come to the conclusion that source A provides a negative view of Meghan Markle and her joining the royal family, whereas source B provides a warm and more positive view of Meghan Markle and her joining the royal family. 

News Q1 practice question.

Q1. Analyse the different representations of gender, social class and / or ethnicity in Sources A and B. Apply one appropriate theory of representation in your answer. [10 marks]
In terms of representation of gender for this front cover of The Sun, we can apply:

•  Van Zoonen's feminist theory.
• Being very sexualised; chest area exposed, wearing red; connotes seductiveness & promiscuity, her face is airbrushed, which means stereotypically, she is supposed to look perfect because she is a woman, and society believes women are supposed to be beautiful and desirable, hence why Van Zoonen says women are treated as sexual objects in the media.
• Gillroy's "otherness" theory; in this cover, she is connoted as a white person rather than a mixed person; this could signify that since the Sun is right wing, they're not as for mixed people, as they are for white people. 

In terms of representation for this cover, we can apply: 

• Disprove Van Zoonen's feminist theory (in contrast to source A..) unlike Source A, this cover rejects Van Zoonen's feminist theory; two women are seen as respectable and they're being represented in a positive light. 

In the two sources, both newspapers cover the same story, which is about Meghan Markle and her marriage to Harr, however in some aspects, there are elements that are quite different. For example, in source A, we could apply Van Zoonen's feminist theory as in the front cover, Meghan is painted as a sexual object, and we can tell this by the way she looks; she's wearing a red, exposing dress, which could connote seductiveness, power/strength and desire. She is also being represented here as though she is promiscuous. Moreover, we can also see that her face is airbrushed, which could support Butler's feminist theory as well; gender is not natural, it is culturally determined and constructive, and in this case, this is true, because women are stereotypically, supposed to be perfect and be beautiful, they should be desirable and aim to please men. So therefore, Meghan seems to be conforming to this stereotype; Butler would also agree with Van Zoonen, that women are indeed represented as sexual objects. In further use of Van Zoonen's feminist theory, the text "Don't fall for my little sis, Harry, she'd be the next Princess Pushy" which again, puts Meghan in a negative light, she's being connoted as pushy, forceful and selfish. This is an understandable point of view, as The Sun newspaper, is right-wing/conservative, so perhaps they'd want someone as a citizen of Britain to be in the royal family, and not someone who used to be an American actress. Van Zoonen's theory here is definitely painting a negative light towards Meghan Markle, she indeed is being sexualised and signified as an object. 

In contrast to source A, source B is centre-right, so it has a different worldwide view of the royal family, or in this case, Meghan Markle and her mother. In the cover, they're being represented as a respectable and royal family, which would reject Van Zoonen's feminist theory of women being signified as sexual objects. Here, the two women are dressed appropriately and are covered up, without any skin being on show, whereas in source A, Markle is seen as promiscuous and seductive with her skin out on show. The headline "Welcome to the family" also portrays them in a significant and positive light, it's welcoming them to the Royal family. "Kindness to mother leaves Meghan touched" could also support the connotation of a positive light being shone on them.  Whereas in source A, the text "Exclusive: Meghan 'shallow'" in all capitals and red font, completely reject the positive light and instead, shine negative light onto Meghan.

In conclusion, both sources can be easily applied to Van Zoonen's feminist theory; in source A, the woman is being very sexualised and undermined as a woman, whereas in source B, it completely rejects Van Zoonen's theory, and instead, portrays two respectable women.

Discuss how far the distribution of the 1967 Jungle Book differs from the distribution of the 2016 Jungle book (15 marks) You must refer to economic and historical contexts.

•Discuss how far the distribution of the 1967 Jungle Book differs from the distribution of the 2016 Jungle book (15 marks)

•You must refer to economic and historical contexts

Plan: 
•Use of website to promote 2016 film - 1967 film was promoted through print adverts in newspapers
•Use of digital platforms (YouTube, Twitter, Instagram etc.) to promote the 2016 film as opposed to only cinema trailers for the 1967 film
•2016 film distributed on DVD/Blu-ray etc whereas only cinematic release initially for 1967 film
•1967 film released on VHS in 1991 (and the UK in 1993) and on DVD in 2007. It was re-released several times on DVD and on BluRay (e.g. the Limited Edition DVD released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment in 1999 or the Diamond line combination of Blu Ray and DVD in 2014).
•1967 version has been ‘vaulted’ (not available for purchase) which pushes up the demand
•2016 film available on television much earlier than 1967 version
•Still some similarities – e.g. both use film premieres and trailers to support release.

•The most significant factor influencing the differences are advances in technology
•Digital distribution is much more cost efficient. Also able to physically move stocks of film much more quickly and easily around the world with the potential for simultaneous release dates globally
•More platforms are available to promote the film today making it easier to build a campaign across a range of media
•As distribution is no longer confined to theatrical release, the 2016 release needed to take account of a variety of platforms to maximise profit
•In spite of the changes to film distribution between 1967 and 2016, many similarities remain, e.g. use of trailers and film posters, the aim of a film premiere is still to generate excitement about a new film.


The distribution, of the 1967 Jungle Book differs from the distribution of the 2016 Jungle Book to a significant extent. There are many similarities and differences between the two drama/adventure movies. For example, in the 1967 version, the distribution of the film was very limited - it was promoted through print adverts in newspapers, it was more of a physical promotion, whereas in the 2016 version, the movie was promoted through different types of media platforms, such as the use of website and trailers. It also used different ways to promote itself, such as Youtube, Twitter and Instagram, which are the top most used platforms in the world today, as opposed to the 1967 version, the film was distributed through the cinema. In addition to this, the 2016 version was released on DVD/Blu-ray copies, whereas the 1967 version was only released in the cinemas. People were not able to get actual copies of the 1967 version back then, they had to watch it on TV at home, which would only come about after 2 to 3 years; people could only access an actual copy of the 1967 version in 1991, where VHS copies were made, and was finally released on DVD in 2007. The 2016 version of the film was available on television much earlier than the 1967 version, however, there are still some similarities to be considered, such as the fact that both films use film premieres, trailers and film posters to advertise their movies, and to support their release. However, there are some down sides when it comes the 2016 distribution of the film, such as how the digital distribution is more expensive, such as the use of CGI, whereas the 1967 version did not have the CGI back then, therefore it was less expensive. In addition to this, we can also argue that the 2016 has more of an advantage when it comes to distribution through different media platforms; this is highly significant as it allows for more audiences to be reached, whereas the 1967 version was not distributed/promoted through different media platforms, as it did not have that back then.

In conclusion, the most significant factor between the two movies; the 1967 version and the 2016 version is the advances in technology over time, as already mentioned before, the 1967 version was only distributed through print adverts in newspapers, whereas the 2016 version was promoted through many different media platforms, such as the use of website and trailers, and other platforms such as Youtube, Twitter and Instagram, which are the world's most used platforms. There are also continuous similarities between the two, such as how the 1967 version and the 2016 version remain use of trailers and film posters. In addition to this, the 2016 did have more advantages than the 1967 version, as the 1960s did not have any advanced technology back then, such as the use of CGI and media platforms, whereas the 2016 version is filled with CGI and was distributed through different media platforms, though of course, this has its negatives, such as it being very expensive to produce movies with the use of CGI. The 1967 version was cheaper, as it did not have CGI. To conclude, the overall distribution of the 1967 Jungle Book and the 2016 version of the Jungle Book differs to a major extent due to the advance of the technology over the years.

Media theory application to long form tv drama.

Theory set 2: 

• Neale - Genre
• Gauntlett - Identity 
• Jenkins - Fandom
• Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation

• Neale's Genre 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 vary, as they borrow from and overlap with one another
• the idea that genres exist within specific economic, institutional and industrial contexts.

Stranger Things: sci-fi genre with a mix of supernatural and horror, This is because it does include the six common characters found in a traditional horror movie. These are character types like: the jock, the dumb cheerleader, the nerd / stoner, the token minority, the nice guy and the last girl / the virgin. Stranger Things does in fact include all of these conventions of the horror genre but it subverts them to be different. For example the jock, who is normally focus on one thing only and doesn’t treat others well, becomes a sensitive caring guy who proves he deserves the girl. Or the last girl / virgin, the one who normally survives to the very end, she ends up being the one who dies quite soon into the series. Stranger Things reflects his theory because of the way it does subvert and change the characters seen within a traditional horror or sci-fi movie. His theory means that it is important to follow some of the conventions of a certain genre so that people know which genre the show falls in. However it also states that something must be changed within the genre to make the show new and exciting for audiences to watch. Stranger Things did this by taking the traditional 80s theme of a movie and twisting it.

Deutschland 83:   historical genre. Reflects this theory as it is a historical TV drama, 

• Gauntlett's Identity theory:  The idea that the media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities The idea that whilst in the past the media tended to convey singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities, the media today offer us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas.

• Jenkins - Fandom:
• The idea that fans are active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meanings The idea that fans appropriate texts and read them in ways that are not fully authorised by the media producers (‘textual poaching’) The idea that fans construct their social and cultural identities through borrowing and inflecting mass culture images, and are part of a participatory culture that has a vital social dimension.

• Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation:
• The idea that there is an underlying struggle in recent UK regulation policy between the need to further the interests of citizens (by offering protection from harmful or offensive material), and the need to further the interests of consumers (by ensuring choice, value for money, and market competition) The idea that the increasing power of global media corporations, together with the rise of convergent media technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media, have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk

News revision.

News revision:

The Guardian: left wing, labour
The Daily Mail: right wing, conservative

Question 1 and 2. 
You will be given two sources to analyse in the exam. The sources may be extracts from print newspapers, from newspaper websites, or from newspaper social media feeds such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.


One will be an extract from a quality newspaper


One will be an extract from a popular newspaper



The two sources cannot be both of the two set products; The Daily Mail and The Guardian. At least one source will be a newspaper you have not studied in depth

Question 1 will probably ask for analysis with the focus most likely on analysis of media language or representations. It may require you to use a specific concept or theory in your analysis.

Question 2, as well as testing your knowledge and understanding of print and / or online newspapers as media forms and analysis skills (probably of media language or representations), will also ask you to make judgements and draw conclusions.

Media language: 

• Colour
• Newspaper layout: masthead, skyline, byline, standfirst, sidebar, columns, headlines, image, space
• Online layout: margins, headers, footers, navigation bars, tabs, sidebar
• Online functionality: hyperlinks, embedded multimedia, interactivity
• Images
• Language: formal / informal, mode of address
• Typography: serif, sans-serif
• House style: of the news brand / social media site

Media language theories: 

• Barthes: signifier and signified; denotation and connotation; anchorage; myth (ideological meaning)
• Todorov: narrative equilibrium / disequilibrium and narrative disruption (beginning, middle, end < equilibrium aka balance, then something happens e.g bad guy > disequilibrium aka no more balance)
• Levi Strauss: binary oppositions (good and bad people)
• Baudrillard: hyper-reality and simulacra (fake news?)
• Neale: genre as repetition and a shared code that changes over time

Useful example of analysation:

Layout conventions: print, masthead: Daily Mail, headline: "Smirking at soft justice Britain", images which accompany the story, captures the audience's attention, standfirst: "mockery: kyle davis", columns, 

Online functionality: Hyperlinks (click on something to take us to another page), embedded multimedia videos on the bottom right, sidebar of shame (embarrassing things of celebrities), headers, navigation bars e.g home, news, U.S, sport, etc, 

Language: informal language/slang used e.g "selfie", tabloid unlike The Guardian.

Typography: Bold serif font, 

Housestyle: use of white and blue on the website, as well as on the print; "eat to beat illness"

Theories: Barthes semiotics theory: the man on the right who is taking a selfie looks careless, which could connote how he is not serious about how he has just came out of court after 'dodging prison'.

Todorov: tells the story of 'Jodie' who was a stab victim on page 16

News values: 

• Dictates form and conventions as well as content. Galtung and Ruge (1981)
• Frequency - time scale of events perceived to be newsworthy
• Threshold - The bigger impact the story has, the more people it affects, the more extreme the effect or the more money or resources it involves, the better its chances of hitting the news stands.
• Proximity (includes cultural proximity- see Gilroy)
• Negativity - Bad news is always highly more rated than good news, because it's more exciting and interests the readers more
• Predictability - 
• Continuity and narrative (see Levi-Strauss and Todorov)
• Composition
• Personalisation

The Guardian world view/ politics
*Independent Scott Trust: liberal, progressive

*Reader funding model

*Shirky’s collective intelligence / cognitive surplus applies to the interactive nature of social and www.theguardian.com and “below the line” UGC commentary / shares on social media


The Daily Mail world view/politics:

 The Mail supports a free market economy, and British traditions such as the royal family, the church and the army. They are sceptical of the European union (although they have criticised Theresa May over Brexit). Owned by DMG, a media oligopoly. Hegemonic?? (Hall)

*Populism is favoured over in- depth debate / comment pieces BUT “below the line” is popular.

*Link to Curran and Seaton’s theory: The Mail follows the capitalist pattern of increasing concentration of ownership in fewer hands. This leads to a narrowing of the range of opinions represented and a pursuit of profit at the expense of quality or creativity. News is still controlled by powerful news organisations, who have successfully defended their oligarchy.

Theories on representation and ideology (Q1/Q4) 

Hall- representations are constructed and contested. They are not fixed. This might particularly apply to representations which go against dominant ideologies = dominant, preferred and negotiated

Gilroy- looks at the creation of a transatlantic Black identity. Also focuses on the way the media “others” non-white representations.

Van Zoonen- gender is contextual and performative (in this sense she agrees with Butler). Women are objects and men are spectacle.

Butler- gender is not natural, it is culturally determined and performative

hooks- intersectionality describes the varying representations and experiences of women according to class and ethnicity. Black women should develop an “oppositional gaze.”

Gauntlett- identity is not fixed, online media offers a route to self-expression and choosing one's’ own identity (post-modern).

Deconstructing ideologies

*Patriarchy: Van Zoonen, Butler, hooks;

Van Zoonen's theory: Van Zoonen believes the media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views. The media does this because they believe it reflects dominant social values (what people believe in) and male producers are influenced by this. This is a patriarchy (a society ran by men for men) which dominates and oppresses women.

For The Sun's front cover, we can apply Van Zoonen's theory as the woman is clearly being portrayed as a sexualised object because we can see that she has barely any clothes on and is exposed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6603313/Serena-wears-green-lycra-bodysuit-Australian-Open.html Again, we can also apply Zoonen's theory to this because as above, the woman is also being sexualised by being given a custom jumpsuit by Nike, that exposes her curves and legs and the paper focuses on her body more than the actual sport that she's playing. 

Exams may ask you on:

• The Times: centre-right wing, conservative, quality
• The Sun: right wing, conservative, popular
• The Daily Mirror: left, labour, popular
• The Daily Express: right wing, popular
• i: liberal
• The Star: 
• The Daily Telegraph: right wing, quality

Individualism papers:  right wing

Collectivism/social action: left wing



Q1. Analyse the different representations of gender, social class and / or ethnicity in Sources A and B. Apply one appropriate theory of representation in your answer. [10 marks]
In terms of representation of gender for this front cover of The Sun, we can apply:

•  Van Zoonen's feminist.
• Being very sexualised; chest area exposed, wearing red; connotes seductiveness & promiscuity, her face is airbrushed, which means stereotypically, she is supposed to look perfect because she is a woman, and society believes women are supposed to be beautiful and desirable, hence why Van Zoonen says women are treated as sexual objects in the media.
• Gillroy's "otherness" theory; in this cover, she is connoted as a white person rather than a mixed person; this could signify that since the Sun is right wing, they're not as for mixed people, as they are for white people. 

Can you find examples of recent news stories from the Daily Mail and The Guardian which have been widely shared on their social media and the meaning mediated / shared / commented on / gone viral?

How could these be an example of collective intelligence / textual poaching (Jenkins) or cognitive surplus (Shirky)?

What are the pros and cons of this sort of audience / pro-sumer activity?

Prepare a case study for each of the online / social news sites

The Daily Mail:

The Guardian:

Fans pay tribute after rapper Nipsey Hussle killed in LA shooting - video; A large crowd of fans gathers to pay tribute to the rapper Nipsey Hussle after he was shot dead outside his Los Angeles clothing store on Sunday. The 33-year-old earned a Grammy nomination this year for his major-label debut and was a respected figure in south LA, where he grew up

With reference to Emeli Sande's "Heaven", how realistic are the representations offered by the video? In your answer, you should consider the social and cultural context.

Neila Bazileviciute

With reference to Emeli Sande's "Heaven", how realistic are the representations offered by the video? In your answer, you should consider the social and cultural context. 

Heaven is the debut single from Emeli Sande, the Scottish singer and songwriter. The song was released on 14th August 2011 by Virgin Records, and was the first release from Sande's debut album 'Our Version of Events. This song was released alongside the Heaven music video, which was released onto Emeli Sande's YouTube account. The song was written about the younger generation and how they grow up too fast and are influenced by friends, family members, education and the media. Using Andrew Goodwin's music video theory of the 5 aspects of the music video; the music video is a performance video, as well as a narrative because the singer is seen lip-synching, and the music video tells a story.

In terms of representation in this music video, there are many. Firstly, we could talk about how street life and urban culture is represented. In the mis-en-scene, the video is shown in a montage of people within people, places and events shot in traditionally working-class areas of Bethnal Green, which is where the music video was originally shot. The use of the location Bethnal Green is significant because it's very naturalistic, as well as the people in it and it depicts actual reality and how people actually live; in poverty or under the influence of drugs, and we see that in Emeli Sande's music video. The idea that they used real people for the music video is significant because it can show the real naked face of the world, instead of everything being so perfect, glamorized and sugar-coated, it gives the music video a documentary-like style, which is not as conventional for a music video today and it can also be said that there is no particularly dominant race or ethnicity seen in the music video, it's all inclusive, which would make the target audience feel connected and positive about the message being spread; that everyone is equal. In terms of other elements like the costumes used, the people are seen wearing naturalistic and realistic clothes that everyone would wear in general, such as a hoodie and a pair of jeans with trainers, this is a contrast to other music videos, because usually the people would be wearing very high-end and fashionable clothes, but Emeli Sande's music video rejects this convention. Furthermore, we can see a lot of close-up shots, for example when the camera zooms in on the people; connoting their facial expressions, which makes the music video more realistic, because again, it shows how harsh the world can be. We can also see use of mid-shots, where we can see the people from waist up, as well as the background, which are mostly very urban areas, such as alleyways with dark lighting. The use of dark lighting could signify how the people on street are in a bad place, that they're suffering from either poverty or the influence of drugs, and the use of dark lighting is used a lot throughout the music video.

Another theme that's represented is spirituality and religion. We can see this element through her lyrics; "Oh heaven, I wait with good intentions" which could symbolise Christianity, as it is all about being good and doing good in life, including loving your neighbour and your enemy. Perhaps here, the artist means people are trying to be good in order to reach their destination which is heaven. The lyrics "something's gone inside me and I can't get it back" could signify sins and redemption, that perhaps the people who have committed sins, are trying to redeem themselves and wash away their sins, so that they're given the chance to reach heaven. An even more obvious point that it represents Christianity, could be the use crosses throughout the video as well. There's also an element of angel wings being used in the music video, which could symbolise the people with the angel/angel wing tattoos are the good people, and in terms of religion, angels are seen to be the messengers of God, and that they're beings of light and positivity. Moreover, the people are seen to be constantly looking up in the music video, which could symbolise they're looking at the Gods, even the artist herself is seen looking up at the sky. In terms of more mis-en-scene, the lighting is very bright and naturalistic, which could signify her lyrics "Oh heaven", as the lighting is heavenly and bright. In addition to this, the artist or anyone else in the video is not sexualised, which could relate to religion. 

The final theme we're going to explore is the artist herself and how she is being represented. During the beginning of the music video, she is represented as a sad and vulnerable person, which could be corroborated by the use of dull lighting in the mis-en-scene. She is also seen not making any direct address with her audience, which subverts to the normal conventions of a music video, as normally the artist in the music video would make direct address with the audience. However, at some point, due to the use of a close-up shot, she is indeed seen making direct address once, which could make the target audience feel connected to her. Furthermore, she is not being sexualised, the artist instead, is presented as a respectable admirable and elegant woman, which is not a common form of representation in the music industry. In terms of other representations of her like class, she is
being portrayed as middle class, whereas the man next to her at the end of the video, is low class and could possibly be poor.

In conclusion, Emeli Sande's music video of "Heaven" explores a range of themes which are interesting and deep to think about and explore.

Half term homework: Emeli Sande - "Heaven" lyrics analysis.

A.) Lyric annotations.

Will you recognize me
In the flashing light?

> The flashing lights could connote the paparazzi cameras that are pointed at the celebrities they're taking pictures of, so "will you recognize me" could perhaps initiate a change of her personality, as she could suggest that the flashing light or the paparazzi cameras are going to change her personality and who she is as a person. She's asking the audience if they'll still recognize her when she's drowned and consumed by the celebrity/paparazzi world. 

I try to keep my heart beat
But I can't get it right

> The heart could represent her soul and how now that she's wrapped up in the world of fame, she's struggling to be herself, struggling to revert back to who she was because she's being drained from all that culture of fame; "but I can't get it right" could easily corroborate her struggle for this. 


Will you recognize me
When I'm lying on my back?

> "When I'm lying on my back" could signify her death, and therefore she's asking her audience, or rather, her friends and family, if they will recognize her when she's dead.


Something's gone inside me
And I can't get it back

> In the consumption by the world of fame, she's again, struggling to find herself again, the real her and who she was before this world of fame, her true self is the thing that she refers to as "gone inside me", and she "can't get it back" because again, she's almost enslaved to this world of fame, enslaved to a contract and she can't escape from it and go back to her normal life. However, this lyric can also suggest  that many deep down want to do a good thing and become a good person but there is a theme of regret as people don't live to their own intentions; people want to do what other people do because they think it's "cool" and they'll get more respect in life out of it e.g becoming a celebrity instead of staying your own true person.

Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions

> From another perspective, this could be taken from a religious point of view; this suggest Christianity, these lyrics suggest that many try to do good things in order to become a good person in God’s eyes, allowing them to go to heaven when they die; it's about the younger generation and how they grow up too fast and are influenced by friends, family members, education and the media, how it's "cool" to become famous and that people would almost do anything to have a taste of the world of fame. 

But the day it always lasts too long

> This small lyric could suggest that the "day it always lasts too long" due to the mental drainage and toll it has taken by the celebrity world and she is getting tired of it, hence the day lasts too long; time is slow and she just wants it to be over already.

Then I'm gone
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
But the day it always lasts too long

Then I'm gone

> The repeated line ‘then i’m gone’ is ironic; if Emeli believes Heaven to exist, then surely her soul wouldn’t cease to exist – it would live on, so she isn’t gone. Or, from another perspective, it could also be a reference to the fear, that this cycle will keep on repeating until you die, leaving only the memory of your ugly actions.

Will you recognise me
When I'm stealing from the poor?
You're not gonna like me
I'm nothing like before

> Fear of irrevocably having become a bad person, feeling permanently ‘dirty’ and corrupted. whatever happens next you will have to live with, not always having been the good person you wished you’d be.

Will you recognise me
When I lose another friend?
Will you learn to leave me?
Oh, give me one more try again

> Due to having lost herself and who she once was, she's questioning whether people will still like her and who she is now, these feelings are stemmed from insecurity, regret and self-hatred, being disappointed or fed up with herself to the point of not understanding how any sane person could possibly see through her flaws and actually like her or want to be around her.

Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
But the day it always lasts too long
Then I'm gone
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
But the day it always lasts too long

Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
You say that you will wait
I try but always break
Cause the day always lasts too long

In depth analysis of Burn the Witch (with screenshots).

Burn the Witch (Radiohead song) "Burn the Witch" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead. The song centers around the idea that the band wanted to raise awareness about Europe’s refugee crisis and the “blaming of different people… the blaming of Muslims and the negativity".

Type: Narrative; during the video, an inspector is greeted by a town mayor and invited to see a series of unsettling sights, culminating in the unveiling of a wicker man. The mayor urges the inspector to climb into the wicker man, whereupon he is locked inside as a human sacrifice and the wicker man is set on fire. As the flames gather, the townspeople turn their backs and wave goodbye to the camera. After the song ends, the inspector escapes among the trees.

Camera: A lot of establishing shots to see the full scene and what the people are doing - we're seeing the full story. There's also use of long shots and mid-shots, which enable us to see what the characters are wearing, we can probably even tell who they are from wearing the costumes.  

Mis-en-scene:    In the music video, we can see the video open up with a bird scene and it also opens up with a traditional British village. The outsider, who is on the left, with the clipboard and suit, represents urbanism and central authority, whereas the insider, who is on the right, represents traditional authority and ruralism. Traditionally, women have no power, and if a woman does indeed have power, she becomes the 'witch' and therefore gets burned. We can see that they take on this traditional approach where they all wear traditional clothes and have the women tied up to a tree for being a "witch" 

Exploitation of foreign workers is represented by polytunnels of tomato pickers who appear to be different and don't feature in the visitation of the Mayor. 

Social exclusion is represented by the painting of the red cross, which back in the medieval times, it was marked to represent a plague victim

We can also see adaptations of different forms of intertextuality here, for example: the music video takes inspiration from The Trumptonshire Trilogy (1966 - 1969) Trumpton is a stop-motion children's television series from the producer Gordon Murray. First shown on the BBC from January to March 1967, it was the second series in the Trumptonshire trilogy, which comprised Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley. Trumptonshire was created using stop motion animation and actual 3D scaled down models.

Furthermore, the music video also takes inspiration from a classic horror movie The Wicker man (1973) which centers on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle, in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practice a form of Celtic paganism. Paul Giovanni composed the film score. This therefore creates intertextuality.

Postmodernism essay on Deutschland 83 & Stranger Things. (800 words)

Neila Bazileviciute

In this essay, we're going to discuss the idea of postmodernism and cooperate it the German tv series Deutschland 83 and Stranger Things, as well as Baudrillard's idea of Simulacrum, what it is and how it can be seen through the two different, yet similar shows.

First off though, what is Postmodernism? It's a late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism. It's an idea represented by different images, stereotypes and art, it could almost be compared to the concept of surrealism. Postmodernism can be seen everywhere in the two tv series. What is Baudrillard's concept of Simulacra or Simulacrum? A Simulacra or Simulacrum, is a representation or imitation of a person or thing, in this case, there are imitations of the two shows. Deutschland's opening scene, as it takes on the appearance of a bricolage - a construction from a diverse range of available material; the process of adapting and juxtaposing old and new texts, images, ideas or narratives to produce whole new meanings. Which similarly, Stranger Things also takes on a postmodernism introduction, except that it takes more of a sci-fi approach. We can also see postmodernism take form in the idea of intertextuality, especially in Stranger  Things, it has many 80s references or in other words, takes on the concept of Baudrillard's Simulacrum, such as E.T, which is an indirect reference; the four boys and the alien, which in Stranger Things case, is Eleven, the mysterious girl with superpowers. In terms of Deutschland's 83 intertextuality, it can be seen through how the show uses brands and technology from the past which allows the audience to view it from a modern perspective, it creates a feeling of nostalgia and this again, denotes this idea of a simulacrum; an imitation of today's modern reality, incorporated within the 80s reality.

Furthermore, both of the shows do indeed, mask the basic reality of the two worlds, in Deutschland 83, the East and the West are divided and are both different; the West is more romanticised and is more positive, but unrealistic, for example the scene where Martin is in the supermarket where all the food and fruit look polished and untouched, where similarly, Stranger Things also represents a fake façade of the basic reality in the 1980s also; how the four kids are able to just stay out late at night, do whatever they want and how the parents seemed completely oblivious to their children's lives. That indeed is an unrealistic representation of an 80s society. It can be said that the two shows take on the factor of a pastiche - an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period, which both of the shows do, the history based show Deutschland 83 romanticises some aspects like the West, and so does Stranger Things, where the children are allowed to stay out late at night and wander about with the parents being completely oblivious to their children's lives. 

However, in terms of whether it truly masks the entire face of reality - no. There are some elements, aspects, that are realistic and factual - Deutschland's 83focuses on the two governments and the events of the Berlin Wall, which really did happen in 1961 and was finally destroyed in 1989 and in Stranger Things, it also focuses on the government factor, except its how the government did experiments, which again, also took place in real life, in the early 80s; the show was inspired by the Montauk Project, which was the US government experimentation in psychological warfare, and we can see that Stranger Things took this inspirational turn and adapted it. Is it purely Baudrillard's simulacrum? For both shows, yes and no, the ideas are based on representations of different images, connotations and ideas, but it's also based on facts, however, those facts are deeply embedded, especially in the Stranger Things show, where it's actually based on a real life experiment that took place in the USA during the early 1980s, whereas for Deutschland 83, the facts are more obvious and direct; the Berlin Wall and the division of East Berlin and West Germany.

In conclusion, both of the shows show a variety of similarities and indeed conform to Baudrillard's concept of Postmodernism and Simulacra. Deutschland 83 takes on an unrealistic but factual approach, just like Stranger Things does. In Deutschland 83, it's based on the events of the Berlin Wall and the two governments in the 1980s, where similarly Stranger Things can be seen to also focus on the government factor in the 1980s too. Both shows also adapt to the idea of intertextuality, where some are deeply embedded within the show and aren't as direct; Stranger Things and whereas some, are more obvious and direct, such as in Deutschland 83. In terms of masking the true reality of the 1980s era, yes, both shows mask some aspects, such as in Stranger Things, the four kids are able to just stay out late at night, do whatever they want and the parents being completely oblivious to their children's lives and in similar fashion, Deutschland 83 romanticises the West, where Martin for example, walks into the supermarket and sees all of these foods and fruits completely polished and untouched. 

 word count: 882

Deutschland 83 review homework.

Deutschland 83, a German and historical period TV show about a divided Germany in 1983, when a naive 24-year-old East German soldier Martin Rauch is pulled from his benign post as a border guard and given a new assignment: undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service in West Germany. The cast;  Jonas Nay, who plays the main character, Martin Rauch. Maria Schrader as Martin Rauch's aunt, Lenora Rauch. Ulrich Noethen, who is one of the key main characters in this drama also, plays Generalmajor Wolfgang Edel and Sonja Gerhardt, who plays Martin's fiance back home in the East. There are many movies and shows that are similar to this historical-war period drama, for example, German TV-series The Same Sky, which also focuses on similar elements just like Deutschland 83; the Berlin Wall, except that The Same Sky takes on a more of a romantic genre than Deutschland 83 does. The Same Sky is about how The fates of two families become intertwined when an East German `Romeo' agent on assignment seduces a woman on the other side of the Berlin Wall, however, for Deutschland 83, you could say that there are some elements of romance in the show, such as the main character, Martin's fiancee back in the East, Annett. In terms of the quality of this show, in my opinion, I love this show, but that's because I also have love for history and everything that's happened in the past. I find it all so interesting. I'd say Deutschland 83 is indeed for those who have a love or an interest in history, particularly in the 1980s East Berlin and West Germany and the focus of the Berlin Wall.

In terms of other factors, such as the story detail in this show, I think some events are accurate e.g the whole idea of the Berlin Wall that took place in 1961 and ended in 1991. However, perhaps this show romanticises some of its story detail, for example, they romanticise the West side of Germany, how it seemed more liberal than the East, and in reality, we don't really know if it's true, only the people who lived in either of those regions at the time could know the answer. But overall, the story detail is realistic in terms of how those events or characters could've actually existed. I think for someone to watch this show, they'd really have to pay attention to the episodes because it's the type of show you need to concentrate on to really get what is going on, and for me, that works, because again, I love history and I'm curious about the types of events that took place back then. Uses of film language, of course, the TV show is German, hence the title of it; Deutschland 83. I think it's significant that this tv show is in another language other than English because I feel like movies or shows that aren't American English or British English, don't seem to be as important, which I think should change. Further, in terms of other factors like uses of the camera, I think is great because the camera mostly focuses on the main characters and you really get to see a lot of close up shots of those characters, and that's to see their facial expressions whenever something is said or whenever something happens that requires that facial expression to be seen. The mis-en-scene in this movie is also quite accurate, it's set in the 80s, so you would expect people to wear 80s clothing and Deutschland 83 really does that; women with short updos and floral/vintage looking dresses/cardigans and men with almost the same hairstyle and suits. The sound and editing of Deutschland 83 is varied, especially the sound because it has different types of popular German soundtracks attached to specific scenes, the most noted song they used is 99 luftballons by Nena, which was played on more than one occasion, and I think that in a way, it makes you feel like you're in a German environment yourself, I also think it makes the whole TV show stronger because as it's a German speaking show, you'd also expect German soundtracks. Moreover, the editing is limited, you'd only see the element of editing in the introduction part of the episode.

In conclusion, I think the key strengths of Deutschland 83 would be the fact that it does take some accurate things into account, like how the Berlin Wall was indeed real. I also think that the soundtracks are suitable for the specific events that they use and just the overall idea of the soundtracks in the show being German. However, the negatives I'd say, would be the fact that some of the elements of this drama is biased, for example, how West Germany is more romanticised than East Berlin. But overall, I think this drama is really good and interesting, it's certainly for those with an interest and love for all types of history.

Music videos.

Types of music video:

• Performance - Lip synch, live performance, choreographed/free style dance, playing instrument
• Narrative- storyline theme/motifs; linear / non-linear e.g Taylor Swift's 'love story' music video
• Conceptual - abstract set of motifs that may have no obvious link to the lyric

Things to analyse -

• Camera: angles, shot size, camera movement, framing, usually close up angles to see the face, makeup and facial expressions.

• Editing: cutting rate/rhythm (to the rhythm/beat?) types of cut (matched, jump, cutaways(e.g singing about a text, the camera shows the text), transitions, effects (SPX)
• Mis-en-scene: costume, make-up, props, location, lighting
• Lip sync and authorage(signature basically) / star quality, which links to... their signature, distinction e.g Sia's wig.
• Representation: of the star, sexuality, gender, ethnicity/culture, subculture(emo, punk, etc) and genre, personality, celebrity and consumerism
• Audience: and how the video "positions" them; the male gaze 

Examples:

1.Jorja Smith's The One music video: camera: contains a lot of close ups, zoom ins, mid-shots of her
Editing:  cuts in and out of some scenes = cutaways and cross cutting between three strands e.g her room, bathroom and outside of the motel.
mis-en-scene: naturalistic, set in her motel room and outside the motel, wearing natural clothes and natural makeup, lighting is dull which reflects her feelings about her unsure relationship, retro 70s setting(?)
Representation: vulnerable, weak, sexuality is shown but not in terms of male gaze, 
Audience: 
performance: lip-sync

2.Beyonce - Formation - postmodernism.
Camera: mid-shots, long shots, zoom in,
Editing: cutaways,
Mis-en-scene: set in different locations, fancy costumes (historical clothes),
Representation:   male gaze because the female bodies are put on show, Beyonce wears revealing clothes, this contradicts with post-feminism, as you can wear whatever you want and have female power. 
Performance & Conceptual: dancing, lip-sync, abstract elements > slavery, female empowerment, everyone in the music video was black except for two police officers,

Music videos you need to know: Emelie Sande’s “Heaven” and Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch”

Focus on media language, context, representation, genre differences, postmodernism. Baudrillard, narratology, Levi-Strauss.

Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch”: idea of postmodernism.

Theory you need to know for music video: Goodwin:

1. relationship between lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, reinforce or contradict the lyrics.
2. Music videos create a mood: romance, nostalgia, nihilism(sad, depressed)
3. Thought beats: we see the sounds, relationship between the music and the visuals
4. Genre-related style and iconography present.
5. Multiple closeups of artist.

Third example:

Gotye - somebody that I used to know

Type: conceptual (lyrics don't really relate to the music video, abstract)
Camera: mid-shot, close up of face
Editing: timelapse (speed up), animation
Mis-en-scene: setting was very odd looking, post-modern looking background,


You have to know this example! Radiohead - Burn the witch.



type: Narrative  During the video, an inspector is greeted by a town mayor and invited to see a series of unsettling sights, culminating in the unveiling of a wicker man. The mayor urges the inspector to climb into the wicker man, whereupon he is locked inside as a human sacrifice and the wicker man is set on fire. As the flames gather, the townspeople turn their backs and wave goodbye to the camera. After the song ends, the inspector escapes among the trees.

Camera: 

Editing:

Mis-en-scene: figurine setting with figures/dolls,

Representation:


Context: Wicker Man 1973 - British mystery horror film, centres on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle, in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practise a form of Celtic paganism. Paul Giovanni composed the film score. This creates intertextuality.

The Trumptonshire Trilogy (1966 - 1969) Trumpton is a stop-motion children's television series from the producer Gordon Murray. First shown on the BBC from January to March 1967, it was the second series in the Trumptonshire trilogy, which comprised Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley. Trumptonshire was created using stop motion animation and actual 3D scaled down models.

- The band wanted to raise awareness about Europe's refugee crisis and the "blaming of different people, the blaming of Muslims and the negativity" - Kettu (British animator who worked on this music video.)

Emelie Sande's Heaven:

• going somewhere?
• personality change?
• trying to be a better person?
• religion
• themes from the video
• religious iconography - cross, writing on the window; there is only one God, angel wings - graffiti, 
• poverty - people in streets, mise-en-scene, clothing, dull lighting

Things to analyse

Camera: -hand held, sometimes out of focus, repeated close ups of artist, low angle repeated master shot of emeli sande with sky filling frame, low angle of sky/shooting into light, lack of direct address v breaking the 4th wall

Sound:

thought beats

cross cutting from social realist imagery to religious/transcendental imagery

jumpy but not jump cuts from different people, locations, time periods and moods

edited in synch with the beat, lyric

lyric is downbeat contrasts with upbeat rhythm

montage of different characters, locations and symbols of street life

Deutschland 83.

Deutschland 83

1. Language

Semiotics – Barthes

Signification

Sign (iconic, symbolic, indexical), denotation, connotation, myth, anchorage

What are the key signifiers that create meaning in the episode?

In the episode, Barthes Semiotics theory can be used to describe the way Lenora looks at the main protagonist, Martin and also the way Mrs Werner looks at Martin, which is similar to how his aunt looks at him. The male gaze from the two women could signify their attraction towards Martin.

2. Narrative – Todorov

Equilibrium

Disruption

Resolution

Identify the elements of narrative in the episode?
Historical, based on the Berlin wall that split East Germany and West Germany.

3. Genre – Neale

Spy espionage thriller genre – examples?

What are the key generic elements of this drama? Locations, costume, props, camera, plot, sound, editing etc.
Genre: Historical period tv show

Locations: East Berlin and West Germany.

Costumes: 1980s clothing

Props: Weapons,

Camera: Dim in the East, brightened up in the West 

Sound:

Editing: 

4. Levi-Strauss – Structuraliam

Underlying structures

Binary oppositions

What are the ideological significance of binary oppositions in this episode?

5. Character – Propp

Hero

Villain

Princess

Can you apply character types to this narrative?

Hero - Martin

Villain - The East could be considered an enemy because they've drugged Martin and sent him to the West to be a spy and report back to the East. But also, America could be an enemy as they think they'll win the war by using nuclear weapons/bombs on Russia

Princess - Annette (Martin's girlfriend in the East), Yvonne (possible love interest of Martin in the West)

6. Representation

Representation Theory – Stuart Hall

Are their stereotypes by the powerful of excluded groups?

Identity – Gauntlett

How do we construct our identity out of this episode?
The identity here would be the fact that in this drama, people have to choose sides. e.g Martin has to take an identity of someone who is an enemy and therefore has to spy on the West.

Feminist Theory – Van Zoonen

Does the narrative objectify women?

I personally do not think that the narrative objectifies women as much, but it's the other way round instead. Men are sexualised/objectified, such as Martin; the way his aunt looks at him and also the way Mrs Werner looks at him. However, it could be said that some women are potentially objectified, such as Linda Seiler, who Martin is told to seduce to get information from her.

7. Gender Performativity - Judith Butler

Towards the end of the first episode, we can see Martin and his aunt, Lenora, behind him. She is standing behind him and looking down on him, which makes her seem like she is dominant, which is stereotypically a male quality, whereas Martin, looks quite innocent and submissive. 

Historical context of Deutschland 83.

What was the political situation in 1983 regarding East and West in 1983?

 The Wall physically cut off (by land) West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989.

Create a historical timeline of the ‘cold war’ from 1945 to 1991. Try to identify 10 key events.

1945: The Allies agree in Potsdam to the fundamental conditions of the occupation of Germany. American nuclear bombs destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1947: The Truman Doctrine: The US offers assistance to countries threatened by communism -- especially Greece and Turkey. US Secretary of State George C. Marshall announces a massive aid program for the reconstruction of World War II-torn Europe that will become known as the Marshall Plan.

1948: The Communists take power in Czechoslovakia.

1948: The Soviet blockade of West Berlin begins on June 24. Cut off from the outside world, provisions are delivered to the isolated city by the Americans in the Berlin Air Bridge action. This is the first major Berlin crisis during the Cold War. On May 12, 1949, Stalin lifts the blockade.

1949: On April 4, the NATO Treaty is signed in Washington.

1949: On May 23, the Federal Republic of Germany is established. Not long later, on Oct. 7, the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) is founded.

1949: On August 29, the Soviets detonate their first atomic bomb.

1949: After winning the country's civil war, the Communist Party under Mao Zedong establish the People's Republic of China.

1950-1953: The Korean War: After North Korea attacks South Korea, UN troops led by the United States invade the country. China and the Soviet Union back North Korea. The cease-fire leaves the two countries with the pre-war status quo.

1952: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin offers to hold negotiations on the reunification of Germany on the condition that a united Germany remain neutral. With the support of the West German parliament, the Western allied powers reject the offer.

1953: On June 17, 1953, a workers' uprising in East Germany is crushed by Russian tanks.

1955: The Federal Republic of Germany joins NATO and forms the Bundeswehr, the first Germany army to exist after Hitler's fall.

1956: The Hungarian uprising takes place, starting on Oct. 20, but it is ultimately crushed by the Russians.

1956: From Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, the Suez crisis takes place. After Egypt attempts to nationalize the Suez Canal, Israel, France and Great Britain occupy the canal zone and bomb Egyptian air fields. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev threatens London and Paris with nuclear war.

1961: The construction of the Berlin Wall begins on August 13.

1962: The Cuba crisis: After the Soviets position nuclear war heads in Cuba, the United States threatens war. The world is on the verge of nuclear war for days.

1963: The US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union agree to suspend surface and underwater tests of nuclear weapons.

1965: The first US combat forces land in South Vietnam. More than 2 million people will perish during the Vietnam War -- mostly civilians. The US withdraws its troops in 1973. Two years later the communist north conquers the southern part of the country.

1968: Troops from the Warsaw Pact, an organization of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe, stamp out the Prague Spring uprising.

1969: Negotiations between the United Nations and the Soviet Union begin on the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons. The talks end with several treaties in 1979, but the arms race continues unabated.

1970: The so-called Ostpolitik, a policy of rapprochement with the Eastern bloc championed by German Chancellor Willy Brandt, begins. His policy of "change through conciliation" bears its first fruits: The Germans and Russians agree to a treaty that renounces the use of force.

1979: The NATO Double-Track Decision is approved, enabling the US to station 572 "Pershing II" nuclear war heads in Western Europe if the negotiations with the Soviets over the dismantling of SS-20 mid range missiles fail. The deployment begins in 1983.

1980: Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the US imposes sanctions on the Russians and boycotts the Moscow Olympic Games.

1983: US President Ronald Reagan announces the development of a world-wide "Star Wars" missile defense system with his Strategic Defense Initiative.

1985: Kremlin chief Mikhail Gorbachev begins to reorient Soviet foreign policy.

1987: Gorbachev and Reagan agree to eliminate all land-based intermediate-range missiles.

1989: The Berlin Wall falls on November 9.

top 10 events:
1961: The construction of the Berlin Wall begins on August 13.

1983: US President Ronald Reagan announces the development of a world-wide "Star Wars" missile defense system with his Strategic Defense Initiative.

Who was President Reagan?

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. 

Who was the East German leader?

Erich Honecker

Who was the West German leader?

Konrad Adenauer

What were the social, economic and cultural issues?

Postmodernism on Deutschland 83.

What is postmodernism; 

1. Loss of Faith that things will get better - careers, economic status, romance : Acknowledgement of capitalism - Greed is Good! We live in an increasingly consumerist society
2. Loss of Faith in new technology and industry : We have so many tens, hundreds of ‘Friends’ on Facebook - how many of them do we actually speak to in a week? Are we actually more alone now than before?
3. Loss of Faith in the opportunities that Globalisation offered previously gated countries/communities to become interconnected : BREXIT!

types of postmodernism:

Intertextuality - meaning is given to a text by it referencing, knowingly, other texts

Pastiche - A light-hearted, tongue in cheek imitation of another’s style. Different to parody as it is usually good natured and respectful



Apply Baudrillard’s theory of postmodernism to stranger things and Deutschland 83

Consider the following questions to help you write an answer.

1.What is the basic reality represented by each drama? E.g. from drama

2.Does the representation mask a basic reality? E.g. from drama

3.Does the representation mask the absence of a basic reality (plays at being an appearance) E.g. from drama

4.Does the representation bear no relation to any reality, it is purely a simulation and becomes a hyper-reality. E.g. from drama





Essay 800 words.

•Identify key signifiers in episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and explain how they help the audience understand the genre they are watching. 

Deutschland 83 = Bricolage introduction showing bombing, missiles, nuclear weapons, government,

Deutschland 83 =  Footage of President Reagan talking about the "evil empire" which suggest the genre is historical: 80s.

Stranger Things = Opens up in a starry sky, reference to E.T, already signifies its a sci-fi genre

Stranger Things = Lab

•What are the key generic elements of episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and how do these help the audience understand the genre they are watching? 


•Identify key elements of narrative and underlying structure in episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and, giving examples, explain how they shape meaning. 


•Identify key examples of intertextuality in episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things and explain how they help the audience understand what is going on. 


•Do episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things reinforce or challenge dominant ideology? 

HW.

•Who is the audience for episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things? (Research)
•“What effect do episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things have on the audience?”
•HW 800 words approx

Explain Effects theory, cultivation theory and reception theory and give examples from both episode 1 of D83 and Stranger Things in your response