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