Eve and Villanelle are from different backgrounds but the media language with editing and props showcase that class isn't an issue
Eve combats the oppression of the patriarchal society that men are higher up, which clearly they aren't- promoting that they are oppositional to those characters like Bill and Frank who are meant to be higher up but are less dominant which is anti-sterotypical.
Monday 4th December 2023
Eve is shown to be realistic with a sense of humour at the beginning when she wakes up screaming and ,making a huge fuss due to the funny pain - the camera angles and diegetic dialogue being zoomed in and focusing on only her actions- presenting her wild and funny side as she is the centre of attention and in focus, grabbing the audience's attention to make not whilst she screams to connote how her funny screaming actions is a side of her, which present women as funny and quirky in today's society. Van zoonens theory that gender is what we create is applied here as stereotypically , women weren't allowed have opinions or do anything they want, which presents that gender is created as powerful and not stereotypically female, connoting that women arent limited to the typically female aspects of gender but are allowed to access typical 'masculine' ones of being loud and funny. Opposedly, she is presented as determine, her diegetic sound being used again with a props usage of documents to showcase her mission as vital and important with the excessive notes and sophistication of her speech proving she is determined to figure out the killers motives. This is a good representation of women in Killing Eve as she is presented to be aspirational and want to achieve her goals, which provides a message to all other females that want to achieve their dream job in the government of high skilled like the navy, biologists as Eve, a female is a symbol for those goals. Butler, a theorist that proposes that gender is created due top how they are performed. Sandra Oh performs Eve as powerful, funny and determined as we have seen, therefore creating a gender role that women are smart, intelligent, brave and individual due to the performance Oh has created and not just mens tools, proving how society as a whole have moved on from a traditional patriarchal society where women were not given the chance to perform at all in higher class job roles
Killing Eve: Characters Villanelle
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisation of Villanelle in set products
Anti- hero vs Antagonist
Stylish- creative
over the top - big dresses
wealthy - expensive
powerful - low camera angles
judgemental - facial expression
feminine - costume- tight and typically feminine
Ice cream shop
Blocking and wide shot of girl- parallel and opposing
Watch with possible blood
Lack of human empathy with facial expression - not smiling
Copies waiters smile adds depth to how she isn't natural
Lack of diegetic sound adds depth to the facial expressions
Cruel with gestures and tipping ice cream
Her bedroom
shopping bags and typically feminine -happy
Funny dialogue, mock helping old lady, humorous
feminine and makeup , clothes
Bullets and tampons- life against job, introduces her role with props
laptop prop and research proves she is determined as well and curious to see her victims
Pranks boss by scaring him with fake overdose- weird and unnatural vibes
Playful with dialogue. Diegetic sound with piano classical music adds ambience and an edge to the room.
Villanelle is represented as a typically feminine women as well as being unnatural and weird at times. First, she is presented to be well fancily dressed with tons of designer shopping bags, not run down and poor stereotyped ones. The props and costume ( parts of mise-en-scene media language) being combined with low shots and wide shots give us a full detail of her appearance and what she is carrying, letting us experience and view her character as. a whole which reflects how her gender is represented: stereotypically feminine with shopping bags and bright coloured pink accessories which is also traditionally feminine as well. Even though she is resented to be feminine, her actions (blocking) on screen present her to be intelligent and not a typical blond dumb female like other shows. The low camera angle presenting the pills gives an unnatural vibe and gives us a sense of curiosity and confusion. Paired with the fake death, we gather a sense that Villanelle is unnatural and chaotic as typically no females act like that, presenting her a stereotypically and not stereotypically feminine. Butlers theory of gender being created due to performance roles apply here as she is dressed fancily with shopping bags but also mysterious, conveying that females are more than just having shopping as a personality but are more complex than the usual stereotypes we see elsewhere in the media
Villanelle Tuesday 5th December
She subverts these stereotypes by being on a traditionally male motorbike and riding that, which typically men don't do
Audience respect her as she is likeable especially since victim is unlikeable
Tracking,establishing and long shots establish the scene and culture with close up of food.
Camera angle with binocular inside.
Low angle shot of her climbing shows how powerful she is
Non-diegetic music- female assertion and dominance
Camera tracking her movement. Over the head shot to tell us who she is looking out for
aggressive motion of the stab is paired with the prop of her hair pin
Shouting diegetic music amplifies the song and adds drama to the scene
Non - diegetic sound adds depth with th song with the lyric sorry when she clearly isn't
high - key lighting and bright blue conveys happiness
Ideologies we identify with are how powerful and assertive and women can be. The way she easily climbs up the building presents how women can do these stereotypically male activities. The way she subverts them allows the audience to believe that women can be anyone and do anything they want as being as powerful like Villanelle is like being the top in society due to her being laid back, confident and interested in climbing, motorbiking. The activities referencing to the audience that they can do activities whilst feeling good and not being shamed or being called masculine 24/7 due to doing the stereotypical men role therefore leading to the ideology that women shouldn't be underestimated than men since they can easily wipe the floor and be a successful individual in settings
Many characters can have various identities and associations that convey messages which viewers relate and contemplate
Meaning is created through stereotypes- what is present vs absence to create a specific representation.
Villanelle- Positive:
powerful
Likeable
Funny
Unique
Skilled
Villanelle- Negati ve
Dark Behaviour
Criminal
Cruel
Violence - Close up of wound in neck - emphasises severity as well as the screaming dialogue
Long shot of hospital room showcasing bloody props, bloody men
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Villanelle in episode 1 of killing Eve
Worked Example: In the first episode of Killing Eva, we can see her introduced as likeable and enaging- we see this when she is joking around with Konstantin , which shows she has a humorous side and is immature. The seen is where Villanelle want to watch a movie with Konstantin where she predicts he will refuse. Mise-en-scene of facial expressions combined with diegetic dialogue creates a natural atmosphere and that this is the usual Villanelle which then lets the audience like her further. This creates an impression Russians being the enemy, but also having fun which could add a little less severity to the poisoning in 2018 where innocent people died due to poisoning which could influence the viewers to understand how Russians, although severe and rough, could also make assassinations like an everyday task as she is unfazed when asked to do another job. Subverted female roles as she is seen as higher up as traditionally men weren't- Butler is presented to be shown as performed gender roles mean that Villanelle is higher up than Konstantin which shows woman's equal status in 2018
My example:
Furthermore, Villanelle is presented to be shown as skilled and dark, rathe than only just funny and humorous. We see this in the Tuscany scenes where she is shown to be climbing a pole / drain pipe which conveys how athletic and vigorous as she is easily able to climb up it when typically that would be a task for everyday lives- the mise-en-scene being the camera following her up the pole, the tracking movement being there to show how well she is doing as it is unique and an interesting skill, which allows us to experience Villanelle in a new light as athletic and competent. This presents how women in 2018/2017 were seen as highly skilled, able and competent, as Villanelle is presented to do so, being a symbol that women were allowed and are very able to do activities that stereotypically unfeminine, which allows her to be more in control and how she subverts traditional stereotypes of men being more athletic.Additionally, this gives us an insight that women can do more than just everyday tasks and that they are on the same level of men where they can also access . Gauntletts theory of media having different identities is portrayed here as we can see how Villanelle is. more than capable of climbing and being funny in the early scenes of where she and Konstantin is chatting, giving her two features of flexible identity that Gauntlett says that viewers can also relate too due to the different messages being expressed in the episode which allows the audience to also be able to know what they want to be due to liking Villanelles style.
Furthermore, Villanelle is also seen as dark and direct due to her malicious actions, as we see in Tuscany where she actively kills a Villain in their own house. After we see Villanelle speaking and flattering the villain (diegetic dialogue) we further see her stabbing him with a poisonous hair clip, the prop and close up being used to add emphasis of how violent this hair clip is and the effect it has on the villain. Barthes theory of denotation and connotation applies as we see a hair clip which is stereotypically feminine, but then when she uses it as a poisonous weapon, we see it as lethal and dangerous, which allows the audience to have a different, more anxious view on Villanelle. This theory allows us to see that women in 2018 were powerful enough to be villains and to get us respect them as we do within. Villanelle as we see her smoothly operate her killings, allowing us to recognise how we shouldn't look down on women but respect them as equals in todays society.
Context but mainly theory
Tuesday 12th December 2023
Representation
L/O: to explore the representations in set products
Stranger Things - both powerful genders
Buffy the vampire Slayer- women more powerful
X-files- both genders equal but government has majority men
Konstantin - father figure, boss. Neutral
Dom - naive, willing, helpful, supportive
Niko- less traditional, cooks, nurturing, looks after Eve - positive
Bill- Kind, caring, jokey, funny, supportive, authoritative
Villanelles victim -Negative - misogynistic Frank - boss way more serious than Bill, deceptive - Negative, predatory, negative representation
Konstantin is serious with traditional clothing- shown when he walks in without knocking and is intrusive- controlling when telling Villanelles romantic partners to leave
Turns of music so is more serious
Konstantin is siting down and Villanelle approaches and is taller than him with more low anges to present that even though he is her boss and serious ,she has more power than he does
Frank: traditonal by shouting, glasses show intelligence, speaking way more than Carolyn- dominance, suit wearing, power over Bill and Eve
Theory and representations Monday 8th January 2024
L/O: to explore the theory and representation in set products
Baudrillard- the play of images and signs, even an extension to hyper reals and a fake hyperreality
Killing Eve- fake simulacra with the MI5 office- its secretive and not meant to be shown to the world- showcases how it is limited by the fact that it isn't completely truthful
Gauntlett: expressions and actions of characters help create values,beliefs and ideologies that we ourselves can use in our own life and aspire to be greater and more confident in our ways.
Killing Eve: The powerful women being independent with their own choices. Never backing down.
Men are in a position of power but so is Carolin- conveying how men don't rule anyone, the world is an equal place, We see Nico being kind and. nurturing, showcasing an anti- masculine role of how men arent just fierce and dominating but can be passive and supporting too
Hall- representation: How specific stereotypes convey social groups, living conditions along with media language to convey different views and representations of different people in the world
Killing Eve: Races, jobs and gender is represented as powerful and equal, however the disabled and lower classes are not shown, presenting how they are not relevant or important enough to be in the show, which may let these viewers feel absent from the show as they haven't been included or represented like the other social groups
Patriachy in the British Intelligence service:
Bill, Frank, Carolin, Eve and Elena
Work from classmates
Theory and Audience and Industry Tuesday 9th January 2023
L/O: to explore the audience and industry theory and apply to set products
Hall - encoding/ decoding model FOR AUDIENCE
Dominant- accepts the preferred meaning and ideological meaning
Negotiated meaning - some of the message is accepted but the audience disagrees with parts of it and changes it to fit their experience and values
Oppositional reading - both the preferred and any ideological meaning is rejected when encoded in the product
E.g. Eve is completely independent, successful life, with a nice job.\
Negotiated She still has a husband whilst working so she isnt fully independent and relies on a man
Oppositional: she isn't the boss. She isn't independent, stereotypical masculine patriachy is still present in media
Bandura:
Media and other media platforms (social media) influences people on their own decisions and behaviours
The audience may imitate behaviours from media products, especially violence and aggression.
With hospital scene, the setting is violent , bloody and chaotic. People may have aggressive or feel threatened by the scene
tv drama has violent representations with the world being a dangerous place and that it is more negative in reality, therefore it needs to be regulated to avoid having harmful effects on viewers
In killing Eve, with Villanelles attacks, it is seen as oppression and violent
Leaks or repeated cover ups with the CCTV repeated dialogue ensure how the top agencies corrupt the governments true issues.
Monday 15th January 2024
Curran and Seaton: Power and media industries
Media industries are capitalist and increase concentration of being owned. Less opinions are represented in media
Owners prefer profit than creativity
Company Owners have more say on view points and representations expressed in the media.
Killing Eve: Industry
L/O: to explore the industry theory and apply to set products
Killing Eve
Diverse representations of race, gender performativity - Villanelle, Eve, Elena, Nico,Bill Carolin, Dom.
Britain and the MI5
Big companies like disney has bough all its other competers in order to not have profit be lost due to audiences watching that instead. Additionally, this restricts individuals opinions in media products as it follows a set formula which follows a set profit gain view that wont branch out to new ideas due to risk
Hesmondhalgh
they state that conglomerates are capitalistic and controlled by very few.
Risk is seen in terms of money. risks is high as production costs is high
They use vertical integration along with established stars, genres and narratives to be safe in the media- ,meaning they wont use more branched ideas as it is unreliable and will not make them a profit
Killing Eve: Sandra Oh is an established star- less risk
BBC PSB ethos even though this was for a paid USA subscription- fitting more representations than usual compaines
Spy/ Conspiracy and thriller is a usual genre set up in America and UK
Jodie Comer Villanelle isn't a well known actress at the time of production, so having an established star allows the audience to relate to one of them which reduces the chance of the audience disliking the character
Livingstone - Regulation
Consumers require regulation in order to keep safe and have interests peaked for the audience
TV dramas are regulated to be in the best interest of consumers - for killing Eve they still were regulated as it was a BBC production so would be regulated by OFCOM
Theory and Industry Tuesday 16th January 2023
L/O: to apply theory in exam responses . Demonstrate analysis of set product linked to an exam question
To what extent do TVD create contrasting representations in contemporary media
Niko -passive, supporting vs Eve- subverts stereotypes of being passive as a woman and is strong, independent with leadership skills
Villanelle vs Konstantin- again how representations are hugely different - he is seemed to be scared or confused of Villanelles motives. Villanelle in the apartment scene which subverts typical men being strong and overbearing, contrasting to Villanelle who is taking the leadership role
To what extent do TVD create contrasting representations in contemporary media
I believe that the representations are quite contrasting to one another. Along with the majority female writing team, there are multiple contextual factors involved to create contrasting representations. Ranging from the production to how the characters act on screen, we have been presented with different gender roles in Killing Eve. We first see this with Villanelle, who is presented to be fierce and bold. We can interpret this from many scenes, namely where she is easily scaling up a pipe on a building and in addition when she plans a fake suicide. The props like the pipe she is climbing and the fake pills are all serious and add depth to Villanelles bold character, the mise-en-scene letting the audience be able to experience how she is being portrayed with her daring movements before the climatic scenes -especially Villanelles murder.Furthermore, Villanelle as a character can be seen as subverting traditional female stereotypes of how women are passive traditionally. This is completely flipped where we seen Villanelle as independent and striving as a women which can influence fellow women to realise their true values and that they aren't weak and defenceless.Also, the rough nature of Villanelle is also conventionally not normal as female assassin and serial killers are typically unheard of- her fierce and murderous personality being conventially different to stereotypical female societal roles. We can see that Butlers theory of gender performativity applies as Villanelle is presented as strong and fierce, which is repeated over and over again with the killing scenes(especially the hospital) which fits Butlers theory as repeated gender roles creates a setting where they are the ones the audience relates too as it is seen as more natural over time- here reinforcing women's independence and strength. The BBC having an all female writing team also presenting how women being independent, strong and fierce are the main representation and message driven towards the audience.
The opposing representation is the male character Konstantin, where he is portrayed as scared and confused of Villanelles actions. In the one scene in Villanelles apartment, we see his facial expressions as narrowed and his movements (blocking) of him edging back slowly as Villanelle gets closer. The blocking - characters movements is vital as we can see the opposing gender roles created. The subverted male stereotype of being the leader and strong is true here as Konstantin is the passive and not conforming to these traditional roles at all whereas Villanelle is taking up more of these roles. The diegetic dialogue also pictures Villanelle as the typical leader as she controls the whole conversation, which allows the audience to know that women in power is normalised and accepted, and that men aren't always the ones in charge like stereotypical roles have been in thrillers and spy dramas as typically more of the lead characters are male, leading to contrasting representations in media and tv drama due the unusual female superiority within the drama which allows the audience to resonate with the show much more as they will feel ore comfortable and at ease whilst watching due to knowing that they are represented. The theory of Barthes and semiology is apparent in the scenes as the blocking creates a message -a connotation- of how Villanelle is superior and more dominant in the conversation as she is the one coming onto him rather than just a simple denotation of her walking towards him. His facial expression and stammered speech fir Barthes semiology theory as there is more hidden connotations behind his actions which evoke us to wonder whether there is more to mens superiority than just being a boss.
Monday 22nd January 2024
Lupin
L/O: to explore the narrative, theme and characters in set episode
22/1- Great analysis here and use of context to apply to the scenes. T3: You need to proof read and structure your response so that each scene you use is fully explained and explored.
Money Heist:
Central characters whose motives develop with them
Tokyo, Professor and the money heist gang, all with their unique skillset and on the run
A main story line with interwoven subplots
The obvious set up of each characters individual motives and plots- main storyline of robbing a spanish mint, her lover died and potential murderer links.
A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and questions for the audience
Can they handle each other, can they trust each other to keep their jobs right. Will they all succeed. do any of them have drama? any have a hidden motive to take all the money? Is the guardian reliable?
Lupin:
Lupin is a 2021 French mystery thriller streaming television series created by George Kay and François Uzan
The series was watched by 76 million households during its first month, becoming the most-watched non-English series on Netflix at the time.
It was a top 10?
first French original to chart in the U.S. Top 10 list
Part 3 was released in 2023
Assane Diop plans the theft of an expensive diamond necklace, once owned by Marie-Antoinette, which his father Babakar had been accused of stealing from the wealthy Pellegrini family 25 years earlier. He enlists the help of a group of loan sharks, to whom he owes money.
Lupin- Genre and Narrative
L/O: to explore the narrative theory and genre theory. To apply the theory too the set texts:
Lupin- Todorov
Narratology: todorov
Initial Equilibrium, disruption then new equilibium
Movement from initial to new transforms the hero and expresses the narrative values
Usefulness- easy to identify key plot points and meanings, values, ideologies and beliefs that come from these signs
Lupin - we can use his theory to allow us to get an insight of the true equilibrium and how the disruption - the necklace being sold- gave us knowledge of his past and motives
Limitations: not useful for drawn out long series
Doesnt apply to non-narrative events or sub plots
Todorovs stages to Lupin episode 1:
Equlibrium: Dad and son struggling, getting a job
/He is almost stable with a single parent, 'in debt 'to loan sharks at the beginning to recruit them.
Disruption- how the necklace was being transported to an auction from the museum- due to the necklace set up
How the necklace was stolen and the father was accused of theft
Recognition: Lupin finds out and becomes a janitor/ Father was set up ages ago
Attempt to resolve: They do the mission to steal the necklace/ also as an act of revenge for those years
'Lupin' got away with the necklace that was basically killed his father those yeas ago
Non- linear narrative- two flashback
Assane's plan and explain Babakars mistreatment and how that affected the central narratives conflict
Non- linear narratives adds tension to the viewers in the first episode. Contrasts to killing eve
Neale: genre theory
How genre is created and how it changes, endures or declines
repeated Codes and conventions shared by producers and audiences is a process of genre creation in media products
therefore these can evolve and genre can be adapted - a new addition to the generic corpus ( the body of products in a genre)
Genre codes can become hybrids- genre is not fixed and are also expressed through products relating to the media product - critical reviews and materials - intertextual relay
Can be used to differentiate Films and long form tv dramas and the processes of hybridity in LFTVD with new twists and enigmatic narratives being repeated
Lupin - crime and a thriller- suspenseful and new, mystery and heist( voice over replay flashback and slow mos)
Backstory to robbery is unique and adds a feel to crime- a new lens to the genre
Similar to Oceans 11, Sherlock homles, Money Heist
Both KE and LP portay serious social issues, negative police standards
Squid game season 2 trailer:
Disruption - the game have been exposed, 456 may be in danger
recognition of disruption - a new game is announced
Attempt to resolve: he tries to stop doing the game and tries to leave? not specified
Neale- mystery game , action, tense
Interesting hybrid of game, puzzles and thriller. Survivalist and questions created adding to a mystery element
Lupin- Context Tuesday 30th January 2024
L/O: to explore the context of the production and contextual themes in set episode
Lupin was written by an English writer and scripted in english, it was then translated by a french writer who co-wrote some of the eps into a french setting sand situation
Appealing due to both audiences through writing and fitting context of both cultures correctly
0-7 mins - media language
Context and Media Language:
Black immigrant experience can be presented through Assane's history, The pelligrini family and babakars representation
Dominant ideologies and witty subverted stereotypes - Assane is aware that he is overlooked in his society by authorities
Camera zoomed in when they are talking about the necklace, they know that no one cares about them and how they are underrated
Cleaning janitor uniform is dull and grey like an institutionalised look and class difference in paris
Racism and how people think less of black peoples strength and wealth
Killing Eve vs Lupin context
Economic
How any production values including money and budgeting affects a media product
Lupin filmed in only one location- Paris - lower budget
Killing Eve filmed in various locations around world- higher budget shown from location(s) of filming
Social
- Specific social groups that are common in society - stereotypes- and how they are represented
- Lupin representing many diverse classes
- Killing Eve only representing the middle class
- Many of those living outside of Paris is seen as
- Crime is an indicator of social decay
- Racial tension is acknowledged in Lupin within society as race and class are seen as intersectional ( those in power are white and those who are lower are people of colour)
- Ant-immigrant politicians who are right winged and how that impacts societial views on race e.g former president Nicolas Sarkozy
- Flashbacks - narrative tools - allow us to experience life with his father and racial inequalities surrounding the community
Culture
Any countries or group societies values and beliefs on a certain topic
Paris is known for having gender equality
80% of Paris' population living outside the city in areas that are deprived and unable to get out of the poverty trap
Intertextual references:
Mona Lisa, The eiffel tower being referenced - heart of Paris
Arsene Lupin book
shows of the rough banlieue reference the slums in french tv
Pink Panther and the saint
Cultural context - Covid affecting netflix watch rates
Historical
Intertextual references or any history relevant to any media product ( mona L
isa in lupin)
Political
Class divide caused by society, political leaders and governments causing the class divide
Lupin - male Characters Monday 5th February 2024
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisation in set products
We see men as strong and determined, inferior and unstable in regards to the community- Assane
helpless due to the prison
Caring - Assane and his kid
High status and noble, manipulative - mr Pellegrini
Fashionable, rich - auction
Brutal, criminal and disorganised - gang of loan sharks
Skilled and faithful - jeweller, policeman,( at end) Assane
Gaming inadequate man - anti stereotypical man - nerd and weakling
Media Language:
Camerawork
Editing
Camera
Mise-en-scene
Assane:
- Camera follows back of his head- tracking - importance - journey with main character - ariel shot
- Informative, intlelligence and reliable - dialogue of plan with camera and editing f=cycling through a mock plan and how it will be set up and followed
- Medium close ups to get whole facial expressions
- 'underestimated' dialogue linking to class and race, he's unnoticed due to being in an invisible class
Gang members:
- Violent - blocking and positions - shirt-vest- showcasing his muscles - strong , tattoos equal rough
- diegetic blunt dialogue - 'get in'
- messy - location and setting - rubbish and dark lighting.
- Ariel shot of the lower class buildings - mise-en-scene - non-diegetic ominous music giving suspense and a dark atmosphere
- Costume of tracksuit and informalises gang - rebel like
Babakar:
- Smart - diegetic dialogue - social awareness with inequalities
- Causal clothing - gives a nice status
- Zoomed in close up of locking car doors and how he is affected by racism.
- Polite - diegetic dialogue and how he volunteers to drive - ' i insist'
- Props - talented with
- helping out with the car , useful and helpful
Men are represented diversely in Lupin, ranging from Hot headed, rough and violent to smart, educated and strong. First we are greeted with a scene where we are introduced to the gang. Immediately, a wide ariel shot of the location presents the run down estate and the quality of life of the gang members. Assane is greeted roughly by Kevin, a gang member, where the dialogue is blunt and forceful - ' Get in.' Along with the blocking - the positions of the members hanging Assane over the balcony, we get to see how rough and bad natured these people are, representing men as rude, unstable and even dangerous in the lower classes due to the harmful actions these actors perform. The representation theory by Hall proposes how the representation of men being rough and rude is likely due to the stereotypical qualities that men are related to. By having these qualities of men being present, it adds to the bad stereotype of men in the media and how they are often represented as rough and not very nice at all in media products.
In contrast, we have Assane, who we meet just earlier. With the tracking shot of his head and way we are following him, we get to experience the journey of Assane and his motives. Instantly, he is forced over the balcony but once he gets a chance, he pushes kevin into the television. The breaking of the TV prop implies that the damage was servere and how Assane can stand up for himself, immediately being overlooked by the gang members. This is followed with his own diegetic dialogue and how he is often glanced over and treated badly by society as a whole. Moreover, his intelligence is shown. by his speech again and how he provides quality information to the gang, which they passively follow. The contrast between rough and rude to strong and intelligent creates a representation of men of how they are good natured with a pure spirit, unlike the thugs represented. Barthes semiology theory applies here where the connotations of Assane's actions are wise and strong, which allows us to understand how active Assane's role in the show is vital to the representation of men with his good nature and actions
Lupin- Characters Tuesday 6th January
L/O: to explore the narrative and characterisation in set products
What happens in auction scene - auction of necklace, flashback of pool scene
How Assane is represented - still inferior to due to being manipulated
Why scene is effective?Significant for plot in ep 1 - Representations of Black culture and how they can also be manipulated by higher classes - pool scene
How does this highlight the class difference in french society
How is the mise en scene / media language used to show that - blocking and how she is above the pool. Non-diegetic sound helps create weirdly unnatural vibe as it slowly fades to dialogue
setting of the auction is lovely, stylish, the costumes of the auctioneer and girl talking bout the necklace with respect
Powerful bright lighting contrast to the poor cleaners underground and how they are beneath in muted colours - colour palette
Graceful camera movement of the necklace in a circular position- emphasised the necklaces worth and how expensive and valuable it really is.
Higher class representations of how the higher class can be seen as successful and also superior and confident - presents how the higher class speaks and is higher than the rest of the characters
He is separated from the rest of the conversation - body language and dialogue being non-inclusive which could represent how racism is all around in every class
Gilroy can be present as the white culture is seen as superior with the car scene and how they treat the black minorities differently and inferior to them
Contextual issues are raised in Lupin from various examples. The main themes of racism and class are the main ones represented in the show which allow us to experience the main factors which affect the representations of class and racism. First, we have the car scene where Mrs Pellegrini blocks Babakar and Assane from helping out in the rain. The zoomed in close up of Mrs pelligini locking the car door represents her feelings towards racial minority groups and how she looks down upon them- negative and rude. The feelings of race can be viewed negatively in Lupin due to the distancing represented by Mrs Pellegrini and therefore showing how their is a divide between racial groups in our society. The theory of post colonialism byGilroy can be added here to prove the racist views and how a white superiority is still present in todays society and the views of Black cultures in modern society in Lupin are inferior to the white supremacy that Lupin presents to us
Gilroy looks about how white western culture is still still superior across representations and in cultures
He This influencesn attitudes of ethnicities in western societies
Messages and representations on screen allow us to think through our own and how we express ourselves
How images and signs are more important in our society- hyper reality of representations being more real than reality itself.
Hyperreal representations don't represent reality but representations of representations
Simulacra - representation that cannot tell and difference between reality and representations itself
Lupin - Race and Class Monday 19th February
L/O: to explore the social context of class and race through the characterisation in set products
Costume differences- bright pink puffy lavish and big dress all surround feminism and beauty appeal, the makeup is beautiful and nice
The guys outfit is typical of gangster- tank top with a gold necklace which is seen as cool and exposes his muscles to look intimidating - tattoos are bold and connotes
"France's lawmakers have adopted an immigration bill that may have a devastating impact on the rights of asylum seekers and migrants in France. "
Society was divided into three estates or social classes that determined an individual's access to rights and privileges. The First Estate consisted of the clergy, the Second Estate represented the nobility, and the Third Estate was the middle class, wage workers, and peasants.
This is represented with the suburbs in Lupin and the class divide it shows with the representation of the gangs apartment as well as the rough setting the apartment looks like
Multiculturalism is shown with the different races in killing Eve - Sandra Oh being Asian american alena being Black and Villanelle being russian. They include all of these races, as well as visiting various countries around the world which include diverse multicultural people and their views as well as the UK being united all across the world
Immigration in Lupin is shown with Assane and his father Babakar, where they are there to work for the higher classes and how they are there to work and get a well improved life
Multiculturalism as racism with the different French higher classes. viewpoints of race being discriminated against and how the UK is more accepting than the french of ethnicity and social backgrounds
Class issues in Lupin
Grey background,security guard checks - blocking and facial expression showcasin g the divide in classes and identification system - prop used to show inferior status and how they are just items. people from diverse multicultural backgrounds
Muted lighting to present the severe and realistic view points of the lower class
Graffiti on the walls - rough landscape and how their is no order - presenting chaos and how rough the area looks - social disorder, gang like, rogue behaviour
Ariel landscape presenting the unnatural basic and realistic suburbs in France
Hoodie fitting in with the sketchy vibes and rogue nature
messy video games , baby crying in background, sports wear
Again aerial shot with Assane out of the window to showcase how much of the b;land and rough suburb expands - how little nature exists - less hope and more
Dialogue of how Assane is never noticed
Spray bottle prop and how the gang members tapping randomly showcasing his lack of skills with computers and uselessness- how the lower classes lack of education links with lack of skills
Higher classes presented in much higher key lighting - more saturated with white and gold
Higher class accusing lower class of stealing - racism and white divide of discrimination
Barthes Semiology - The guard checks and ID system prop - the divide between the lower classes creates a connotation that there is a system of identification and that they lower classes is untrustworthy as they are being watched and regulated in case they cause harm
Graffiti on walls can be a denotation of just everyday life, but a more meaningful connotation of the graffiti is that it is illegal, being there represents the rogueness of society and how the lower classes aren't taking part in legal activities, suggesting that their quality of life is more dangerous. Combined with the suburban aerial shots, the camerawork establishes the scene as rocky and dull, the colour being muted with an absence of trees showcasing how the life of those lower classes in the suburbs are boring, rough and only focuses on houses in a rough looking estate.
Levi Strauss- binary oppositions - rich vs poor. Racism vs equality.
Lupin - Representation - Gender
L/O: to explore the social context of gender through the characterisation in set products
Gauntlett - identity and how it is created due to roles and how it can be added too within our own identities with various elements
Van Zoonen - gender roles are created due to historical context like femininity and how feminine roles are portrayed due to their context - objectified in the media impacting gender roles
Masculinity is presented much more than femininity- where Assane is shown to be smart, strong and a main hero character determined with his different occupational roles -0 being a thief, cleaner and a millionaire. Furthermore, the gang also represents masculinity and adds depth to each gender trait how they can be strong and violent, but also weak and inferior to those in higher job roles - shown by the car getaway scene as well as the computer screen scene as well. Babakar is more passive and supportive - focusing on education rather than
Femininity is presented as strong and capable - Assane's ex wife who seems to have all of her affairs in order. They are shown as nice but also scared and inferior to men - Mrs PELLIGRINI which potentially conforms to old stereotypical woman roles in society where men are seen as more powerful and superior to women - being objectified with Juliet Pelligrini
Hall: representation - stereotypes can be picked apart to find alternate meanings instead of one true fixed meaning. Representations that are present and absent connote what parts of people are more or less featured in their roles
Racial inequality:
- Babakar and how he is mistreated by Mrs Pellegrini - Car scene - lock door prop
- Babakar and how he is not believed by the police over the white Mr Pellegrini - handcuffs
- Assane and his dialogue - dialogue
Class inequality:
Assanes dialogue and cleaners being overlooked
White patriachal capitalist society:
Mr Pellegrini and his mistreatment of babakar
Gender equality:
- females are valued as strong and equal - Eve and Villanelle are seen as strong and determined, but are still inferior to men in control - Villanelle subverts this with Konstantin. Eve has Bill and Frank - more Frank
Multiculturalism in everyday life:
Asian, black and Russian ethnicities are featured and are not discriminated against
Career focused women
Demonisation of Russia
How are the lead protagonists in Lupin and Killing Eve used to reflect social issues?
Both protagonists in Lupin and Killing Eve have a range of social ideas and values presented in their shows- race, gender equality, cultures and representations of everyday society appear in both shows. First, with Lupin, we are greeted with a scene where Assane is in the gangs apartment and speaking, his diegetic dialogue paired with his facial expression setting the serious tone of the narrative and adding depth to being 'underestimated just like they do' - connoting how Assane's class and race are affected by societal judgements- being heavily overlooked due to his lower class - presented through his dialogue and cleaner scenes. as well as his race and how the white people are those in charge of authority whereas people from different ethnicities and backgrounds are heavily overlooked due to the white 'traditional patriarchal' society reflected in Lupin. The theory of Hall and his representation theory can be applied as the representation of Assane can be pulled apart away from the stereotype of the 'neglected and inferior' - we find out that assane knows how society overlooks him and how he uses this to his advantage with the necklace plan and props later on- presenting how even though the negative representation is apparent, we can see how the Halls theory applies due to more of Assane's strong and determined nature is found out alongside the inferior part - which allows us to experience the representations being pulled apart and recognised from Assane's character which are stereotypically abnormal for those in a lower class due to the old traditional stereotype of the lower class being inferior and lacking intellect. This clearly isn't the case with Assanes plans, highlighting how the rich are not more intelligent than the lower 'poor' class and how it is only based on a judgemental society
Additionally, we can see the opposite of Killing Eve, where race is accepted and ethnicities from all backgrounds were accepted and not discriminated against in the show. This is immediately presented in the first couple of scenes with Eve and Alena walking to the office and early meeting that Eve is late too. The camera angles places the two characters in the centre position and tracks them and their engaging dialogue and conversation as they head towards the meeting. The fact that they are both in the MI5 - a high elite job force in the Uk - gives us knowledge of how these characters are in a powerful position despite their races - Eve (Sandra Oh) being Asian and Alena being black and how they are important and that they aren't inferior to everyone automatically due to their skin colour. Barthes semiology theory applies here due to how the denotations of just 'talking' contrasts to the cultural connotations of equality; the play of signs being important to Barthes theory as it adds depth and knowledge for the audience to understand the representations and how in our society race doesn't impact occupational roles and their equal status connotations which may suggest that society has grown and is more hopeful than ever before in terms of equality furthermore, this can still be relevant n our society where we can see how race has evolved with stereotypical viewpoints of how people of colour and other races should not be within our society , being challenged by the signs and representations of how that is no longer true within our modern society and that the expectations are different: how we are all equal no matter our ethnic background
Furthermore, we are presented with a gender imbalance and inferiority in Killing Eve, where Eve is shown to be seen in a lower position than the men. The business scenes, especially the one with Eve and Bill being fired, the conversations of diegetic dialogue from the men are more apparent and control the room. As Franks tone rises, he shouts (speech) at Eve and is shown with his facial expression (narrowed eyebrows`) to be more fierce. This places the usual stereotypes of women being inferior to men due to the constant reminder of how Eve shouldn't investigate the case and how her findings have only resulted in bad punishments - presenting how gender imbalance is still relevant in todays society as they are not in a powerful position and are talked down to and judged as lower than men rather than respected and treated equally. Levi Strauss' theory of Binary oppositions applies to Killing Eve and the representation of women as we have the opposition of Men vs women with the higher vs lower status in the M15, along with the absence of knowledge the women are given vs the knowledge the men are giving sets up the social problem of men being superior in todays society and how women are under-looked and mistreated and that there still are some traces of gender imbalance in todays society
Lupin Representation- gender 26/02/24
L/O: analyse a selection of scenes using accurate terminology
medium close ups and quick paced cuts - zooming in weirdly and shaking due to the weird incompetent spray bottle spraying being unnatural and weird - the jerky movement. being paired with the alarm on the facial expressions to connote how they are in chaos and that their actions are unplanned and in disorganised
They are represented as higher in a higher more better high key lighting to show the contrast between the high more saturated lighting to the dullness of the lower class and how the contrasrt to high sophisticated windows gives a prison feel
Low angle shots to picture the auctioneer employee as high and the centre, as well as being a medium close up f the necklace to acknowledge the importance of the jewellery
Assane is shown, however there is a lack of ethnic diversity in the auction hall due to the majority being white
Mr pellegrini is shown to angry and in charge
Mrs Pellegrini is represented as caring and nice, shown by her diegetic dialogue and allowing Babakar to select a book, although she is seen inferior to her husband
Babakar is respectful , obeying Mrs Pellegrini with his dialogue and showing a genuine level of appreciation by respecting her command to get a book?
The gang are shown to be inferior - spraying the bottle - their blocking and positions shown to not work so they are instead forced to throw a trash can - the movement and bad use of props contrasting to Assane. Their dialogue of them being skepticle of Assane 'double cross' contrasting the trust between them and making them look unlikeable and dishonest
Levi Strauss - binary oppositions and structuralism -how both representations/ ideologies of a thing are represented to see the impact of one and how it affects the other
Lupin - class of rich vs poor and how we ourselves may want to dissociate ourselves with the snobby rich class ideology and how the rich are rude and neglectful - cleaners vs auction buyers Smart vs dumb - Assane and the gang members
This contrasts to the scene as we can see the status and power divide between Mrs Pelligrini and Babakar and the difference in control
The incompetence of the gang vs Assanes confident stance in the auction room area
Close up medium shot of his face. being confused about why he cannot see the necklace.
The contrast using the safe going to a flashback/ background exposition going back to Babakar - the quick movement of the camera ensuring how the scene was tense and how everything was rushed and addding surreality and realism - mid shots and close ups- mainly dirty mid shots
We arer shown the emotion by the wide shots showing stance and how his position (blocking ) is isolated and looking thoughtfully at the ground
The prop of the bad, small and neutral car beimng an immense sign of the gangs o
incapability due to messing up the plan with their lack of knowledge and ability to get th e right get away vehicle 'whats with this car?'
Barthes- connotations of white gloves and it being delicate to touch, necklace with camera angles placing it in the centre to symbolise attention and importance as well as the flashback and the racist connotations of the police with Mr Pellegrini
The elegant luxurious room and the bookshelf with the book missing can be a signifier of social injustice
Tuesday 27th February 2023
Wide establishing shot. Tracking medium shots to give us a sense of travel and knowledge of the prison and how the cells look like. The diegetic sound of doors opening and closing, walking movements and beeps fill the narrative
More relaxed representation of prisons - absence of guards,tall gates and weapons( mise-en-scene) give a more relax atmosphere - also connotes how the french prisons are much more relaxed with security than perhaps other regions, could highlight how french prisons are less agressive and more pleasant than those of other countries
non-diegetic music and sharp noises allow us to experience the harsh mood when we see Babakars hanging corpse and how unnatural, sudden and unfortunate the event is
'Go to hell madam' lacking proper stereotypical masculine roles
Hall: Dominant reading - the police are of higher status and maintain whole authority
Negotiated: the police are still in control, however the lack of security could result in this not being true
Oppositional reading: The power they have and safety of people in prisons are not viable at all since Babakar had killed himself - the neglect of looking over their prisoners and ability to danger themselves allows us to not think that they are in a powerful position at all due to the neglectfulness of just letting people die in there watch
Gerbner can apply as we can experience these negative scenes of Babakar's suicide and not feel as negatively affected as much as we would of if we did watch television tons?
Mean world syndrome can apply here with the negative views of double crossing and how the gang assume the worst of the plan and are looking at the possible negative outcomes rather than looking at the positive outcomes. This can be part of Gernbers mainstreaming theory as many viewers would robably also assume the worst in this situation - being realistic
L/O: Analyse a selection of scenes using accurate media terminology
Mystery crime drama thriller
Crime - fighting - movements of fighting
Thriller - the aspect of Assane almost being caught and how he'll escape being questioned by authority
Police procedural is shown by conventional interviewing - shown by dialogue and medium close ups of facial expression to connote seriousness and how important the situation is -' at a lab' with the professional lab background adding tension as we think that the necklace has been recovered and analysed.
Inspector - middle class, separate from suits - over the shoulder shots, the dialogue and body language make him seem fierce and organised- close up of evidence bags
Neale can be used with genre - the genre aspect of crime, thriller and mystery has been combined and added too - they aren't completely separate as without the thriller aspect, the crime and police would make us not question anything. With the suspense, the two genres have combined to create a twisted narrative that we wont know the outcome- promoting the combination of genres
Lupin representation Gender:
Tuesday 5th March 2023
Social realism is the text/character reflect the issues with society
High apartments with many buildings contrast to the beautiful nature of the louvre
The props used together- the cramped, close props together connote how the flat is small but packed - clothes dryer presenting how their is no garden space
Singular birthday present as a book connotes how they have only have that specific one - realism as its not huge amounts for his birthday but he's more appreciative for anything
Tv news advert showcasing Babakar and the theft - pinpointing the blame on the minority figures - diegetic dialogue and tv prop showing how widespread the news was and demonising him due to being from Senegal
Bandura - people can be influenced from the media directly. Any media forms, especially social media can influe
nce people's beliefs and values and how the audience may react and imitate the media's choices
Gerbner - long lasting effects of long form Tv dramas on audiences
Violent effects influence audiences to believe the world to be violent and a scary reality
Supports regulation
His real life is presented to be luxurious, the bookshelves and window showing the amazing view explaining his wealth and status in society and how he is actually presented to be of a richer class - with the use of costume and high quality clothes of suit
His costume of being in need of help and being a cleaner shows his roles of a lower class man in need, whereas his amazing suit outfit at the auctioneer can be shown to be far well off and gives a higher class feeling due to the way that people of a higher class associates high quality costume - suits and quality gold jewellery to be of a higher class
The gang being used in the heist is unnatural as it deters from the usual heist genre of being planned and organised. The absurdness and how Assane was able to pull of all of these roles are unrealistic of our society and does not fit a realist society
The sound is more dramatic with a monologue overlay to promote tension
Monday 11th March 2024
Hyperreal and how representations of signs and images are more powerful than reality which viewers would perhaps think through and consider
Representations of representations - using stereotypical influences e.g France and the sophistication can be used to bring the feeling to life
Irony - how it was Assane's plan all along
Homage
Intertextual references - wikipedia, the music, the Louvre, the car game.
Fragmented narrative - we are viewing the narrative from another lens
Self reflexivity - realistic? could this be relevant
Common themes - what if?
Loss of reality - the plan can be seen as extreme and far fetched
Lack of Verisimilitude ( appearance of being true or real)
Viewpoints and Ideologies: ( Monday 11th March 2024)
L/O: to explore viewpoints and ideologies in the set text
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Stereotypes of being poor,weak and inferior is typical of the lower class image - shown through Babakar and the cleaner
The rich is presented as powerful, superior, neglectful
Police are show as neglectful, smart , interesting
Migrants are presented as disliked and inferior to the people of france and are mistreated, however they are presented positively with being hardworking, polite and intelligent
Family can be shown as formal, close at times but united
Racism is still relevant and how people of the upper white class are racist and view themselves as superior
Racism is shown as prominent
Realism:
LFTVD often leans towards social realism, constructing a coherent fictional world that the audience can recognise and relate to with a sense of addressing real world social issues and the everyday concerns of 'ordinary' people
Events of flashbacks,the parenthood and struggles, cleaning in the Louvre
Characters of the cleaners, Babakar and the incompetent gang all showcase a range of identities of who we choose to relate too
Ideology - the belief of modern racism, lower class vs higher class , rich vs poor, gender roles, occupational in the different classes
Narrative is disfragmented , the flashbacks giving us every detail of the past and how realistic choices are still relevant in our society
Lupin: Industry Theory applied 12/03/2024
L/O: to explore the industry theorists and how these can be applied to set texts
Production costs are high , star vehicles , genres, franchises are used to sell to audiences
Netflix hits this as it needs to attract new subscribers as well as existing, so work has to be more diverse and creative to attract these audiences
Political economy approach to the media - ownership and control are the main factors on how media operates
Industries follow capitialist fashions and therefore leading to a narrowed range of opinions and a pursuit of profit instead of quality or creativity
State censorship and nationalism can restrict diverse voices over the internet
American Tv had limited networks so their was a narrow range of opinions expressed
Production costs are high , star vehicles , genres, franchises are used to sell to audiences
Netflix hits this as it needs to attract new subscribers as well as existing, so work has to be more diverse and creative to attract these audiences
Cultural production is owned by a few conglomerates who vertically
integrate across their media to reduce risk
Risk is high because success predictions is difficult. Media products is seen as 'public goods' so they can be reproduced. Industries rely on big hits to cover failure costs , relying on good stars, franchises, repeatable narratives which would gain the most profit, leaving out other cultural opinions
Consumers need regulation to protect against detriment
Citizens have needs - social,public or private benefits from the media, using language of rights and requiring regulation to promote public interest
Digital media and convergence can affect regualtion and how the industry works
Monday 18th March 2024
The show runner- an individual or small team, usually a writer or producer who places a personal stamp on the drama and gives it authored quality
Killing Eve - featured different female writers who already had critical acclaim and recognition of their successes - Phoebe Waller-Bridge season 1
Lupin -George Kay - wrote or co-wrote all the episode, collaborated with Francois uzan a Parisians, who translated the international themes in to a glamorous national french context. Possible reason for the success
Lupin Audience Theory applied
L/O: to explore the audience theorists and how these can be applied to the set texts
Jenkins: Fandom
Applies to the range and diversity if representations offered by LFTVD to textual poachers who wish to use these products to create their own. culture in fan sites
Many LFTVD achieve cult status adding to their value for fans
The optimistic view of power of audiences underestimates the power of the oligarchy of media conglomerates in shaping and controlling the media produced
Textual poaches - taking from media texts in their own culture
Participatory culture - audience are less passive, more active and creative. Creating online communities, new creative forms to solve problems and shape the flow of media, ' collective intelligence'
Convergence is a cultural process, not a technological one. Convergence culture is where media is shared adapted and consumed constantly on a range of platforms
Spreadable Media - emphasises active participatory element of the 'new' media
e
Shirky
Shirky: End of an Audience
The was focus on how value from LFTVD can be provided to us by websites, offers, comments etc
Does not apply to Broadcast TV
Streaming series do not reflect the view of the online media proposed by Shirky in so far as they primarily operate like the old media offering centrally produced content
Optimistic view of audiences power oligarchy of media conglomerates in shaping and controlling the media produced
Old media: Only centralised producers addressed atomised consumers. In the new media, any consumer is a producer. Traditional media producers would filter than publish, new producers aren't employees - they would publish then filter
They value autonomy, competence, membership and generosity contrasted to those high officials who only want profit. User generated content creates emotional connections between people who care about something e.g Wikipedia. This creates a cognitive surplus.
The audience behaviour is no longer predictable - variable across sites, some of the audience creating content, synthesising and consuming- the new media provide a platform for people to provide value for each other
Prosumers have different motivations to professional media producers - creating cognitive surplus - potentially large numbers of people give their time and expertise to create something - fan-fiction etc
Lupin Exam Practise Tuesday 19th March 2024
L/O: to explore the exam format to plan a comparative response to the set texts
Judgement made - 'how far'
Context influence to be explored - historical, political, economic, social cultural
Analysis of the texts and theory applied
Refer to all the theoretical framework, media language audience representations and industry
Social group - those who are similar in ages, interests, genders, races, sexualities, class
in what extent do long form TV dramas represent social groups differently?
Both of the Tv dramas of killing Eve and Lupin share different views and representations of social groups, mainly being class, gender, race and interest. There are some similar representations made in both Tv dramas of age and the omission of disability in the tv drama. The fact that the tv dramas are similar and different showcase the variety of social groups presented and how connections and how some factors are relevant to other audiences and how they are adjusted due to these views.
Contexts of how we can be influenced by lockdown, far right france politics and anti immigrants
Female heavy team - non stereotypical, unique. Men are represented unique
Me2 movement 2017 influencing women experience. Demonising Russia with cold war stereotypes
levi Strauss
Butler
Gilroy
Barthes Semiology
Hall reception
Both of the Tv dramas of killing Eve and Lupin share different views and representations of social groups, mainly being class, gender, race and interest. There are some similar representations made in both Tv dramas of age and the omission of disability in the tv drama. The fact that the tv dramas are similar and different showcase the variety of social groups presented and how connections and how some factors are relevant to other audiences and how they are adjusted due to these views.
First ethnicity and societal views of race is shown to be represented way much more in Lupin than in killing Eve- we have the scene where Assane is talking about the prejudice of white people on Black people, Assane directly quoting how he is 'underestimated, just like everybody else sees me'. The diegetic dialogue influences our own opinion of how Black people are represented as inferior and not equal to white people in Frances society- ensuring that ethnicities may still be viewed as overlooked in Frances everyday society and how their is still bias and racism in the community due to being 'underestimated' and not being presented to be equal with the 'white community'. Gilroys theory of white western culture still being superior can be applied, as the immigrants of Babakar and Assane are treated with a low level form of respect in Lupin and how they are still inferior to the 'superior white culture' of todays society
In contrast, race is not a heavy topic at all in Killing Eve, but rather everybody is treated equally, despite their ethnicity. When Eve and Alena are walking through the M15 building and Eve enters the business building, no one treats them as inferior and weaker than the white people. The diegetic dialogue as well as he mid shot camera angles showing everyone faces and how they aren't discriminatory presenting how race isn't a problem in todays society and how places of how authority are welcoming and diverse in our country. Barthes semiology theory of how signs and images create connotations can be applied heavily here, as we can see the direct neutral facial expressions showing how normal race is to everybody, and how nobody cares about her Asian skin tone, presenting positive connotations of our community and how we care about one another, the connotations being directly different to Lupin where racism is still apparent in French community. The BBC can then be seen to be striving to create a place of happiness and equality, and can be viewed to be welcoming rather than non inclusive and how Britain can be viewed as more safe and inclusive over France. The absence of women in Lupin in contrast to Killing Eve presents how Women may be seen as inferior and weak compared to men. They are seen as objectified with how Juliet pellegrini is perceived with her revealing swimming costume. The mise -en- scene of costume sets women as lower than men and how they are only objectified for their beauty appeal. Barthes semiology applies as the signs of the clothing and how the women are addressed dietetically all seem inferior and weaker than men and how they are treated. WE can get a connotation of men being superior due to them not being objectified and belittled(like women) and how we can gather the meanings and beliefs of how women can be a sign of a prize and an object, rather than equal to men in Lupin( which could suggest a bias and a lead to a patriachal society)- which is a direct contrast to Killing Eve, where women are far less objectified but more successful in their movements then the men - presented when we see Villanelle easily climbing the drain pipe prop and where Eve easily manipulates her way into the investigation room - diegetic dialogue being a direct contrast in the two LFTVD as they Barthes signs create some connotations
Q4 Exam practice Monday 25th March 2024
L/O: to explore format for Q4 and prepare a planned exam response
10 mark question about applying a specific theory to LFTVD
Barthes - study of signs and semiology
Signs create denotations - literal meaning
Connotations are created from these to create meaning
Connotations create myths in society and ideological meanings that are natural - beliefs and values
Hall representation:
Stereotyping causes an ideology of one fixed meaning
Meanings is created by present or absent
Stereotypes must be pulled apart to get a clearer understanding
P1 stereotyping caused ideology of fixed meaning, absent or present and they must be pulled apart to get a more in depth understanding
P2 - ideologies of women and how they aren't fixed but more powerful
P3- how Eve as a women can be seen as powerful and independent,
P4 How Lupin is shown to be inferior to the white superior society
P5 an in depth analysis of how she may not be a realistic as first seen with disabled community not being featured at all
Hall causes representations to be thought about in many ways relating to LFTVDs - how ideologies often have a fixed meaning, representations are present or absent and how they must be pulled apart for a greater understanding in relation to Lupin and Killing Eve.
First, in Killing Eve, we see how ideologies of women aren't stereotypical and are adapted to become part of a one true fixed meaning - Eve being shown various times to be better and more skillful than her male work colleagues- creating an ideology that women are powerful and even more so then men.
We can pull apart Eves representation and see how women aren't focused on appearance but rather their work life - as we see Eve barely touching her makeup but always trying to figure out Villanelle's secret, which we can pull apart to show the true hardworking women she is and how she isn't part of a stereotypical figure.
In Lupin, we can see through Assane's dialogue and diverse costumes of how he knows the capitalist white society is racist and the powerful social group. However we learn that through Assane's dialogue again that he isn't inferior at all and that, with his stereotype looked in further, he is far more intelligent than the capitalist white society and how that contrasts to a true fixed meaning of a patriarchal white society
We can gather how some representations are absent, like Halls theory suggests - we can see little women being represented in Lupin where they are only objectified for the male gaze and to be seen as a prize. The absence creates representations of how women can not do hard , risky work like a heist and representing how women are seen within a capitalistic society and how they are used as object and not human beings, which create a stereotypical patriachal message with Halls theory of how it relats to these stereotypes
Absence of representations can also be argued here- the disabled community has not been featured at all in LFTVDs with Killing Eve and Lupin. This presents how the tv dramas have not been entirely inclusive and how people are still not being represented and how that may not target a specific audience. This can be seen as unrealistic and may put some people off watching LFTVDs
Overall, Halls theory of representation can be applied thoroughly to TV dramas. There is little that the theory doesn't cover, which presents how it can be reliable to media products and their set themes as a LFTVD.
Daniel- Very good opening and explanation of theory, good examples selected that apply to the theory. T: Keep remembering that you need to tie your examples to how this theory is relevant and useful in analysis. Focus maybe on the absence of women in Lupin, what does that reveal about power, ideology and society? In comparison to Killing Eve.
Media Language Theory Thursday 26th March
L/O: to explore media language theories within LFTVD
Barthes! Colour = GREEN
DENOTATION - literal meaning is green
CONNOTATION - nature spiritual awakeneing
MYTHS AND BELIEFS
LIMITATIONS OF REPRESENTATION AND HOW RACE , GENDER IS REPRESENTENTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVxJULzEAsE
White can be a symbol of purity and a sign from the heavens like an angel - the connotation of white implying how it can be viewed as angelic due to those connotations - which may place a superiority over white people in our reality
Todorov: Theory of narratology and how movues and texts have to follow a strict structure - this isn't applicable in LFTVDs
Lego Movie links -
Equilibrium - Everything is normal and set! Emmet is relaxed and getting on with his daily life and adventures
Disruption- Lord Business is trying to take over the world
Recognition of Disruption - Emmet realises he must be the one to prevent the him from taking over once and for all
Attempt to resolve- Emmet ventures on a quest for the old master builders to help save the world from the clutches of Lord Business
New equilbrium - everything is fine, world is saved everything is awesome!
Neale - Genre can be a hybrid of different other genres - examples of Mystery thriller having aspects of humour. Action can have scenes of humour and love _ SHREK IN & GENRES
Levi Strauss - Structuralism _ hidden rules that govern a structure Monday 18th April
BInary Oppositions - How oppositions and contrasts create ideological meaning and variety throughout the LFTVD. Messages created help the audience decipher whether they agree with the narrative and who is being set up
Killing Eve- Eve vs Men
We see the realism with the M15 and the meetings we see Eve go through - the fake constructions being a hyperreal of the real M15 and how they are presented
Various locations from around the world can be seen as intertextual - Vienna, Tuscany
Ideologies in media language:
- Social realism - how Eve is restricted in her job due to not being of enough power to have that information accessible - diegetic dialogue of Bill shouting at Eve.
- Individualism can be seen from Eve's perspective as she is often trying to figure out who the assassin is on her own - we can see this from her dialogue and puzzled facial expressions in the interview scene as she is discovering the killer isn't a male
- Ethnocentrism is present in Lupin where we are watching as Babakar is constantly discriminated against due to his race - police and Mr Pellegrini scenes. However there is no ethnocentrism in Killing Eve, presenting how racial equality is more prominent in the middle class
- Consumerism - Villanelles shopping bags props and how the need for shopping is relevant to the middle class and holds those stereotypical values. The same can be said for the auction and the need to purchase from these events
- Men cane be viewed as patriarchal in both , especially in Killing Eve where men hold more information to their higher positions of power and in Lupin where Assane can be seen to always one up his ex partner and how Juliet Pellegrini is seen to be objectified in the swimsuit scene
- France is seen as a place of culture and art wealth in Lupin - the Louvre setting , artist paintings and necklace props . Globalisation of all the different countries - UK, Vienna and Tuscany unites these countries as a whole , adding to the feelings of equality and hope of these countries vs Russia, who is seen as antagonistic an the villains - Villanelle
Industry theorists:
Curry and Seaton - power and media industries
Companies are capitalist and only care about revenue and profit, fitting only narrowed viewpoints that gets the most money, rather than creative or quality that other, much less audiences prefer, sticking to repeated viewpoints expressed
Killing Eve has serious informative messages of distinct alternative ones as they are following a specific remit to follow - BBC so they can't provide too. many diverse opinions like the disabled community as that may be seen as not their aims
Regulation is now needed more than ever , and is needed to ensure the public remains interested. Online regulation is proving to be difficult due to the internet and technological advances everyday.
This sort of fits killing Eve as regulation is important for the BBC as they need to fir a PSB remit which if entertaining and informative, and not straying too far from the official remit. This contrasts to LUpin, where it is a netflix production so its regulation is far less official than the BBCs
Lupin: less risk for Netflix. as they are not seen to be official with their products. Having more risk as they have. more freedom allows Lupin to be made with a less risk due to Netflix high profit already , however with the lower budget Lupin already had, they were able to use the risk of thriller/ heist genre hybrid idea due to the risk being minimal as no star actor is featured
Meanings constructed
Who or what is represented, as well as who isn't represented
Representations may be with a preferred meaning through stereotyping and common associations , although audiences can contrast and deosociate themselves from these repeated ,messages
Representations create different and contradictory messages about identity , which can be used for audiences to think about theirselves and their own identities
Gender and sexuality is less fixed than before, with online being a space to express and explore more identiies
KE has a distinct equal view of race being equal and woman in power. A lesbian relationship i supported with the flirting and how no one has oppressed views. Woman are shown in powerful positions - Carolyn, alongside men and Eve is shown to think for herself - the interview scenes and the hospital scenes
Bell Hooks- Intersectionality and how multiple identities and systems of oppression overlap - gender race social class
Interactions of identities and how they all may result in oppression due to all of these and how they may be misinterpreted and how the media may reflect these oppressive representations
Van Zoonen- Women are objectified
Gender is represented based on social and cultural events and may be represented diversely on the internet
For Lupin , her body is objectified for the male gaze, which we can estimate and reach a conclusion of how they are representing a patriarchal society
Does not provide any other form of inequality
Butler- Gender roles is created by performance and how these roles have been repeated over and over to become naturalised socially
Those who identify as not feminine or masculine creates gender trouble if they arent within a heterosexual norms of our society
The flirting and relationship foreshadowing a lesbian relationship which can be socially expected if the messages are repeated through the performance of LFTVD
However Lupin has straight relationships and has men in power prodiminantly , reinforcing gender roles of how a patriachal society is still in place in the community
AUDIENCE MONDAY 22ND APRIL
MEDIA EFFECTS BANDURA
Media products often have lasting effects on peoples behaviours from these influences - cann be. violent and aggressive are the main tendencies from these influences
Killing Eve - Hospital rough scene, audiences would feel emotion and may pick up some violent feelings and feel threatened from this scene- which audiences may pick up from - diegetic screaming from Eve, the props and hospital being covered in 'blood'
Lupin - The gang and the heist may feel so real that all the agression - with the figthing is realistic and may be picked up by the audiences - blocking, camera angles and facial expressions
Cultivation theory - Gerbner
Media products need to be regulated to avoid the harmful view and effects on viewers with long term attitudes and situations
Leaks of CCTV and information being easily accessible and a joke. being a direct reference to how the world may be seen as distorted and not good at all - which may leave lasting effects for people not to trust government politics at all.
Lupin - treatment of the cleaners - Assanes dialogue of being overlooked and his experiences with Babakar - via more dialogue and facial expressions signifying how mistreatment in society is still apparent to be patriachal and disordered
Hall Reception audience theory- Dominant, negotiated and Oppositional Readings
Killing Eve - Eve has a successful job, isn't always happy but doing her work - dominant reading
Negotiated - She is providing for herself, but is also relying on her husband as the money provider and informative support
Oppositional - She is not successful and still manipulated in the workplace. She doesn't deserve to work in the MI5
Lupin - Assane is successful, we agree with his heist plot to get the necklace
Negotiated - Assanes reasoning makes sense, but the heist plot may seem a little drawn out
Oppositional - Assanes job roles are unbelievable, the heist wouldn't work and his job roles are not truthful enough
Fandom - Jenkins
Taking products from the media products to use in their own creative art and media form
Participatory culture -Audiences are less passive amnd far more active and very creative
Convergence Culture - media is shared and adapted and constantly consumed on all platorms
Killing Eve - Fandoms ,merchandise,
facebook sites, fan fictions and video edits are all forms of art created due to the popularity of the LFTVD
Lupin - less Convergence Culture - less fan sites of video edits, fan fiction and content
End of Audience - Shirky- Summary of values can be offered from content, websites, comments etc
Anyone can create media products - any consumer/ viewer is a producer in a world where we publish then filter to get our points across
KIlling Eve - edits of Villanelle and Eve kissing and their relationship - how the content was published and not filtered
Lupin - content is reviewed and is kept to the old style, rather t
L/O: to explore the exam format, to plan a comparative response to the set texts
1) Overall argument - how production in BBC America has different views and remits than Netflix for Lupin in response to the audience
2) Viewpoints of gender role -KE and Lupin - scenes of Eve using facial expressions, props of case files to prove her independence and adaptability of her work- vs Lupin and costume of JULIET PELLEGRINI
3) Contexts and theory how they are both used to determine accuracy - butler - gender performativity and how gender roles are created by performance/ Hall reception ( preffered, negotiated and oppositional)
4) Race _ KE and Lupin views from France
5) Context and theory how they are both used to determine accuracy - Barthes semiology (cleaners)
Context of production: Killing Eve has to follow a PSB remit for American audiences, whereas Netflix didn't but filmed Lupin as they had to film in certain EU locations, KE has an all female writing team, whereas Lupin has mainly men
Context of Consumption- how the audiences takes in the information - their own viewpoints, ideologies and feelings all being a key reason of how they interpret the said things on screen
Landmark iconography - London, Tuscany and Paris
Progression for the mee2 movement with Women in 2018 which can involve the all female writing teams.
Donald Trumps main influence over America and how he impacts the show
Hesmondhalgh and how Eve - Sandra Oh is a star vehicle , minimising 'risk' as audiences are more likely to be familiarised with the characters due to their actor
Immigrant crisis in France and the whole class divide and how Frances reputation may not be seen as pure and good
Class Divide with Lupin - Barthes - signs and how the cleaner and worker roles can have denotations of cleaning but actually may be seen as a connotation of how the lower classes are mistreated and looked over
Dominant conventions followed - Women are still used for male gaze, objectified and treated as inferior - Lupin, however this is not the case where in KE, where the women are strong and powerful
Where race is all equal and the world is without racism (KE) in contrast to where race is viewed as inferior (ethnocentrism) in France and that there is still bias in French society
Monday 29th April 2023
In both Killing Eve and Lupin, they both present how modern issues and events vary and are different depending on the country of origin - for Killing Eve, we get to experience how the traditional patriarchal society is challenged - how men are no longer in full control of business and operations. In contrast, we get to experience how disordered the social class system is in Lupin, as we get to watch Assanes story and how this represents the chaos in our own society.
For Killing Eve, the production is very different to Lupin, as it has to fit specific remits of being regulated for BBC America, as it was originally produced for the US. Having to fit specific regulations to be able to be shown on live TV , the all female team had to ensure that Killing Eve was safe for modern audiences, the female writing team being a heavy impact on the social events presented and how women are presented to be much stronger than their male colleagues, which would follow the PSB for America, due to it being designed for a place very different to the UK, which would mean the remit regulations would be different.
For Lupin, it was produced for and by Netflix. In 2018, there was a demand for european tv dramas and how they were required, so Lupin was produced. Due to having a lower budget and predominantly male writing team, the absence of women could be seen because of this- as well as the. budget being lower making sense as if Netflix didn't typically produce european dramas, the risk would be seen as higher, so a lower budget makes sense for reducing costs.
Next, Killing Eve has been produced to use realist opinions and subverts stereotypes to strive away from a patriachal society where white men dominate the business industry. We can see this through the portrayal of Eve, and how she is presented to be confident and daring - Her diegetic dialogue of how she knows the killer is a women, her blocking ( character positioning) having her character mannerisms be confident and strong. The actions of Eve, especially whilst proving to Bill that she knows the gender of the killer, provides the us with a feeling of satisfaction that women are strong and make their own decisions with ease, and with success - which we all know is the socialist norm and realistic nature of our society- the writers striving away from a socialist patriachal order with men in control. Having Eve subverting stereotypes of women being useless can be useful with Halls representation theory, which describes stereotypes as a one fixed meaning and connotation. With the feeling that the stereotype of women relying on men is subverted, the audience can realise how realistic Eve is with striving to get away from the predictable control of men.
Similarly, Lupin also conveys realistic views on how our society may be broken, the social divide. With diegetic dialogue again, Assane describes how society 'overlooks' him- implying to the audience the racism and prejudice the poor get in France, and how the rich white society always underlook those social groups- also presented with the car scene, where Mrs Pellegrini refuses Babakar and Assane entry, despite the pouring rain. The mise-en-scene of the rain and the wide shot camera angles presenting the rain to be forceful and demanding giving the audience a feeling of sorrow for Babakar and Assane, due to their prejudice being heavily relatable to them or their family members - as they may have relations to people in the fight of the immigrant law of France, where France is not allowing migration to occur- which audiences would understand through these representations of how Assane and Babakar was immediately shut down due to the racism and violent stereotypes associated with this. Hall representations theory fits here, as the stereotype of a capitalist white society is fulfilled, with the anti-immigrant law of France being presented in Lupin, and how audiences may relate to how they are being treated, the meaning from Halls theory being that racism and prejudice may still be apparent in Frances society, and how those viewpoints may still be held in France, which we all know is completely false in our progressive society.
In Killing Eve, the audiences feelings and opinions is vital for any show, which is clearly expressed. With the hospital scene, the scene where Eve is running (movements/blocking) with a horrified expression on her face as she sees the blood stained room being a prime example of how the audiences may not believe everything on screen. Even though Eve is horrified with her facial expression, and blood (props) is everywhere, audiences may choose not to believe this, as they may not have experienced this in their life - viewed with the reception theory by Hall - of Preferred, negotiated and Oppositional readings, where a negotiated reading may be present where people may believe how people are at risk of danger of hospitals, but killing may be untrue, or how an oppositional theory may be present, where people believe that hospitals are completely safe, and that Villanelles killing is completely fake and impossible. This theory allows audiences to have their own personal opinion and take on the events that happened, and how their feeling of the police force may have grown to be politer as they are feeling bad for the trauma of Eve, and how they may believe the world to be full of threats and horrors, which they may choose to believe from their watching experience from Killing Eve.
In conclusion, both tv dramas have used realistic values and opinions to get their messages across to the audience of how the world still may continue the bias and prejudice of todays society, but, with Killing Eve, their is always a change happening. With audiences being in different countries, we get to see how representations of peoples lives in France are way different that London, England where poverty and racism is less apparent, whereas a patriarchal society with mens influences and their control being much more explored in Killing Eve
Question 4 Tuesday 30th April 2023
L/O: to explore the exam format, to plan and evaluate response to the set texts
Paragraph 1- explain key terms and points from the theory
Paragraph 2 - First reason on how it may be useful and relevant to set product
Paragraph 3- Second reason on how it may be useful and relevant to set product
Paragraph 4 - Third reason on how it may be useful and relevant to set product
Paragraph 5 - Any limitations of theory and how it may not be relevant to set product
Paragraph 1 - Intro about Barthes - how signs create meanings. Denotations are what is literal and shown. These denotations have connotations. Myths and stories can be created along with these ideologies
Paragraph 2 - the signs created may come from anything- costumes - Villanelles shopping bags and how they fit upper class stereotypes of femininity and shopping - denotations of shopping, connotations of femininity stereotypes (myth)
Paragraph 3 - Lupin - how the plan creates a denotation of intelligence, but also defies the myth of the poor and 'inferior being dumb and socially weak. The juxtaposition subverts usual ideologies and make us ponder on whether they are are socially true
Paragraph 4 - The industry side of the production isn't explore with Barthes as a theory, as well as narrative and genre being hard to analyse due to the complexity of them not being straightforward
Conclusion - how the theory is great for meanings and proving stereotypes, however their isn't enough for Barthes to talk about whole meanings about the whole story, just about characters in the moment
Barthes talks about 3 main features : Myths and how ideologies are apparent and categorised, how signs are everywhere and connote meanings, and how denotations often lead to hidden meanings ( connotations) and how they do relate to LFTVDs (long form tv dramas) - especially the latter two.
First, signs create can come from anything, especially the mise-en-scene in KE, where Villanelle is presented to be carrying shopping bags, walking out from a shop- which the signs/denotations would be the shopping bag props, and how she is carrying many of them. This fits the usual stereotypes of how women are invested in shopping and that this is one of the only things that women are passionate about, relating to the myth and common ideology of how women are associated with a sense of fashion and shopping, KE being a prime example of this belief- the connotations being how women are usually and only interested in fashion and how it embraces the feminine stereotypical view- which audiences may not relate too, or recognise as something they don't want to take part in?
Next, Lupin can also be attributed to how there are common myths and viewpoints of how poor people - the lower class aren't intelligent, whereas in Lupin, we can see this view being subverted- with Assanes dialogue and quick paced editing of camera shots flicking through the plan of action to set up his heist idea. This juxtaposes the ideology of how the lower class may be less intelligent than the upper class, which we can then experience how these signs create a meaning of how this viewpoint may not be completely true, the signs allowing the audience to interpret them individually and creatively.
However, Barthes theory may not be applicable to every aspect of tv drama , as genre and narrative aspects are not viewed, only the minor details. Whilst this can be good for every minor episode and meanings, Barthes can not be applicable to the whole of the Tv drama, but rather individual scenes in the episodes which the audiences would still understand and appreciate knowing, but it cannot be proven for the genre of Killing Eve and Lupin as the signs of the media language being the best example of Barthes theory, which is only accurate for the minor details in LFTVDs
Exam Dirt Tuesday 14th May
L/O: to reflects on targets from the end of unit assessment
The class ideology is present in Lupin with the gang and how the dialogue of Assane presenting them to be seen as inferior, presenting of how the french society is unjust and unfair. With Assane's dialogue, it presents how no one is seeing him in the world , and how people tend to 'underestimate him'. This may reflect how the French society ignores those in need and how they may be mistreated, representing the life struggles of the lower class and how the government may not be as helpful to those who need support and charity, referenced by Assane's diegetic dialogue of how they tend to ignore them! This can link to old ideologies of how a patriarchal society existed where only the rich were important and valued. Bell Hooks theory of intersectionality applies with how class is part of a whit patriarchal society, and how Assane and the gang are not part of that- due to their lower positions in the society. However, they were all male, so Netflix and the production company could be making a statement on how they aren't completely inferior in society as they don't necessarily fulfil all of the sections that represents opposition from Hooks, as there gender is not female, which means they aren't completely inferior in the society which Hooks talks about.
Paragraph 1 - intro to the theory and the 3 main components - preferred, oppositional and negotiated
Paragraph 2 - Apply to KE and Lupin
Paragraph 3 - Apply to KE and Lupin
Paragraph 4 - Apply to KE and Lupin
Paragraph 5 - limitations to LFTVD
Paragraph 6 - Conclusion - how effective it really is on KE and Lupin
Targets More specific for readings overall
Limitations need exploring
The limitations of Halls reception theory can be analysed as it can't really analyse in depth readings and ideologies that the industry (e.g BBC America for Killing Eve) may have as if it is down to the audiences perception, then people may overthink the actual show and not realise the true messages and implied meanings towards the audiences. The theory can be good for scenes and the whether the consumers it with the agreed or an alternate meaning, but it may not be good at analysing representations and how people are represented in relation to our society and how the show is written with the industries values and beliefs
They were still allowed, the women didnt get justice for what happened
Ice-cream - associations with delight, fun, treat and innocence.
Gender, class and sexuality also contribute to oppression alongside to gender to create a view that they affect a white superior patriarchy dominating media representations
Tracking,establishing and long shots establish the scene and culture with close up of food.
Consumers require regulation in order to keep safe and have interests peaked for the audience
13/11- Excellent start to the unit, great notes on the genre, well done.
ReplyDelete27/11- Excellent analysis of the scene. T: 5.Link to context- Social context of female roles that this then reflects as present now.
ReplyDelete11/12- Some excellent points here, well done, you cover the structure well.
ReplyDeleteT: 5-Be careful with your assertions on context at the time, think about it not necessarily relating to climbing but actually to the competence of women in all roles and able to those of a typical man easily.
22/1- Great analysis here and use of context to apply to the scenes. T3: You need to proof read and structure your response so that each scene you use is fully explained and explored.
ReplyDelete20/2- Excellent analysis here, you are using the structure very well and an in depth coverage of the media language analysis.
DeleteTarget:
5.Link to a context (Histroical, social, cultural, political, economic).
11/3- Great notes here Daniel, keep these up and remember to challenge yourself by trying to pick examples from the text of how the industry theory can be applied or demonstrated.
Delete