Component 2; Black Mirror (TV), Magazines, Online media

Question 1

black mirror

Give context of the show black mirror

Answer 1

• created by Charlie Brooker and Annabelle Jones.
• anthology TV show, with each episode acting as a standalone TV movie
• dystopian sci-fi

Question 2

black mirror - San Junipero

Who is it written and directed by?

Answer 2

Written by Charlie Brooker
Directed by Owen Harris

Question 3

black mirror - San Junipero

What is the main plot points?

Answer 3

• Yorkie and Kelly meet at a bar and dance then go to Kelly’s place
• weeks pass and yorkie cannot find Kelly
• Kelly and yorkie argue then make up
• Kelly sees yorkie in the hospital
• Kelly and yorkie get married
• yorkie dies, then they fight and Kelly tries to die
• they both make up and Kelly joins/passes over for Yorkie

Question 4

black mirror - San Junipero

What music is used in the show that foreshadows the plot

Answer 4

Heaven is a place on earth - Belinda Carlisle
Living in a box - by living in a box

Question 5

black mirror - San Junipero

What audience pleasures can be taken from the show

Answer 5

Yorkie and Kelly’s relationship please the LGBTQ community. The audience may find pleasure in a happier ending and positive representation.

Question 6

black mirror - San Junipero

What uses and gratifications are relevant to San Junipero

Answer 6

Entertainment- viewers watch programmes for enjoyment

Personal identity - viewers can recognise a person or product, role models that reflect similar values to themselves and mimic or copy some of their characteristics

Escapism - computer games and action films let viewers escape their real lives and imagine themselves in those situations

Question 7

black mirror - San Junipero

How can the show be seen as postmodern?
Use Baudrillard’s theory

Answer 7

The level of technology is futuristic and is available to acquire and produce San Junipero
This shows they are using technology for a good thing

Baudrillard:
San Junipero is no longer possible to distinguish between reality and simulation. Both sides have collapsed.

Question 8

black mirror - San Junipero

Recap yourself on the annotations on heaven is a place on earth and living in a box

Question 9

black mirror - San Junipero

What do the songs heaven is a place on earth and living in a box suggest about the world of S-J?

Answer 9

• They suggest that SJ is endless and goes on forever. It’s like escaping the real world
• it also suggests that living in SJ is like a box because there is restrictions on where and what you can do because it is not real
• SJ is like a ‘heaven’ but out into real life. It is accessible on earth and is where dead people stay
• shows the state Yorkie is in, paralysed, and how trapped she is but loves saves her
• the world is alive in SJ where everyone is alive and partying. Juxtaposes the reality in which everyone is dead or dying

Question 10

black mirror - San Junipero

Using Todorov’s theory of the narrative stage, link this process to San junipero’s plot

Answer 10

Equilibrium: Kelly and yorkie meet in SJ

Disruption: Kelly becomes absent and disappears. Yorkie becomes desperate to find her and gets obsessed

Recognition: Kelly finds out Yorkie is quadriplegic and will die, so she need to get married to go to SJ. Kelly says she has cancer

Repair disruption: Kelly and Yorkie decide to get married in real life

New equilibrium: Kelly and Yorkie both decide to stay in SJ together and be with each other

Question 11

black mirror - San Junipero visual codes

What does the clothing (visual codes) of Yorkie look like? What does it suggest?

Answer 11

• neutral colours = less attention to her
• glasses are not real and used as a distraction and a way she hides her insecurities.
• body language = hands and legs close together meaning she is shy and closed off
• basic plain clothing comparing to Kelly
• collared shirt, not revealing, dressed to seem modest with no makeup. Sensible choice

Question 12

black mirror - San Junipero visual codes

What does the clothing (visual codes) of Kelly look like? What does it suggest?

Answer 12

• sequinned bright outfits to stand out and be more confident
• her stance is more open and confident
• hair, makeup and lots of jewellery = lots of effort
• trendy clothing eg leather trousers for lots of attention.
• confident about her body with skin tight clothes
• less modest, more party wear

Question 13

online media - Zoella’s blog study

How often is it updated? What order are the posts in?

Answer 13

It Is regularly updated. Entries are posted in reverse chronological order – most recent appears first.

Question 14

online media - Zoella study

what is the context of Zoella?

Answer 14

• Zoe Elizabeth Sugg was born 28th of March 1990 and lives in Brighton
• She was 19 when she created her blog in 2009
• she was named the first digital ambassador for mind, the mental health charity and has spoken about her own anxieties
• She is a successful author , releasing 3 books
• She has her own Zoella beauty range
• she is a relationship with Alfie Deyes
• Her main YouTube channel Zoella has been abandoned
• Zoella’s blog is a website featuring regular posts and links to her YouTube channel and social media pages including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Question 15

online media - Zoella’s blog study

What is the content?

Answer 15

Lifestyle

Question 16

online media - Zoella’s blog study

What is the tone of writing? What kind of language is used?

Answer 16

Usually quite a personal, conversational tone.
Written in first person.
Language is informal and chatty

Question 17

online media - Zoella’s blog study

What are the codes and conventions of blogs?

Answer 17

Hyperlinks, lots of pictures, first person, short paragraphs, regularly updated

Question 18

online media - Zoella study

Apply Gauntlett to Zoella

Answer 18

• The media provides us with resources in the form of stories. Gauntlett suggests we use media products such as these to “ frame our experiences and to bring order to the stream of stuff that goes on in our lives”
• In this way, the stories that circulate the media ‘ provide an opportunity for individuals to think about the kind of person they want to be’
• By Zoella and other bloggers/vloggers, sharing their personal stories and experiences online, they are providing fans for means of imposing order and meaning on the stuff that they experience in their own day-to-day life

Question 19

online media - Zoella study

Zoella has constructed herself as a feminist. How and why has she done this?

Answer 19

Zoella has constructed herself as a feminist which might help her appeal to her young female audience demographic. One of her main blog posts entitled ‘ who run the world’ is an inter textual link to Beyoncé’s, arguably feminist, song. Beyoncé is an advocate for feminism so for using these lyrics, Zoella subsequently construct herself as a feminist

Question 20

online media - Zoella study

Name three way that blogger and vloggers can market themselves and attract their desired target audience

Answer 20

• targeting through content
• Targeting through marketing and distribution
• Collaboration videos to broaden appeal
• Conventions – meet and greets
• Move towards traditional media (for marketing)
• Interaction and participation (subscribe, likes, comments, UGC)
• Audiences actively involved in media production

Question 21

online media - Zoella study

How does gatekeeping apply to Zoella?

Answer 21

Zoella filters her content by editing her videos to only show positive moments

Question 22

online media - Zoella study

Name two theorists we can apply to Zoella and briefly explain how

Answer 22

Stuart Hall
- Zoe produces her own representation for the way she speaks and acts in her posts. She presents herself as a stereotypically hegemonically attractive woman. She reinforces certain expectations on how women should look.

Gauntlett
- Audiences may take inspiration from Zoella’s existence

Question 23

online media

What is the difference between demographics and psychographics?

Answer 23

Demographics
- A common and traditional method of audience profiling.
- This defines the adult population largely by the work that they do

Psychographics
- A way of describing an audience by looking at their behaviour, interests and personality traits

Question 24

online media - Zoella study

Take a break from flashcards. Watch one of Mrs Fishers videos on Zoella

Answer 24

Sorry not sorry

Question 25

online media - Zoella study

Name 2 appearances by Zoe Sugg in mainstream culture that indicate her status as a ‘cultural icon’

Answer 25

• Madame Tussaud’s have Zoe and Alfie as figures.
• Mental health ambassador (mind)
• first non musical personality in Band-Aid 30s Christmas record

Question 26

online media

What is the primary way that online media personalities make money

Answer 26

Through advertisements/sponsorships, and YouTube partner program – ad revenue

Question 27

online media

List 2 ways that YouTube attempts to regulate its content

Answer 27

• guidelines a user must follow
• age restriction on every video
• Demonetisation – a video doesn’t follow guidelines and gets removed or won’t make ad revenue
• Users can flag inappropriate videos/content

Question 28

online media

How has the Internet impacted media industries?

Answer 28

• disrupted the power structures that traditionally operate within the media (Curran and Seaton)
• democratised the media by enabling ‘ ordinary’ uses to create and distribute their own content, removing traditional gatekeepers and allowing for greater levels of democracy (web 2.0)
• For example, all a Vlogger needs is a digital camera or WebCam and access to the Internet to produce content
• Growth of UGC

Question 29

online media

What is a multichannel network?

Answer 29

This refers to companies that work with hundreds or thousands of YouTube creators under one umbrella.
These networks provide creators of production, promotion and marketing services in exchange for a fairly large percentage of ad revenues

Question 30

online media - Zoella study

In 2018, what did Zoe and Alfie launch?

Answer 30

In 2018 Zoe and Alfie launch their own creative agency called A-Z creatives.
This will allow them to manage themselves and other talent outside of the framework of the larger conglomerates

Question 31

online media - ad formats

Question 32

Online media

What is an advantage of advertising?

Answer 32

• advantage of online media over traditional mass media forms is that advertising can be targeted to match the tastes and interests of individual users based on their personal browsing histories and information gathered about them whenever they go online (cookies!)
• googles AdSense programme uses algorithms to place targeted ads on the websites of those who sign up to use the service

Question 33

black mirror - San Junipero

Briefly explain Steve neal’s theory of genre, using SJ to support your response

Answer 33

Genre - Steve neale
The idea that genre may be dominated by repetition but are also marked by difference, variation, and change.
————
(The genre in SJ is dystopian sci-fi)
- lesbian couple + sci-fi, differs from the usual sci-fi genre
- love story + sci-fi, differs from the usual theme of BM
- positive ending + sci-fi, differs from the usual BM ending

Question 34

black mirror - San Junipero

Consider the narrative and characters of the episode and briefly explain how gender is represented in SJ

Answer 34

Any other valid points not included below can also be accepted
Kelly
Alpha female, wanted and desired by many whereas Yorkie is the opposite

Greg
Man in nurses role - positively challenges stereotypes. Lonely character which influences his portrayal

Wes
Desires Kelly, stereotypical man.

Question 35

black mirror - San Junipero

Consider the narrative and characters of the episode and briefly explain how sexuality and relationships are represented in SJ

Answer 35

• cage fighting and dancing, clothing worn in Quagmire, all either sexual or dramatic. This creates a unique setting in the narrative that contrasts the 80’s and its common sexualities
• Kelly and wes’ relationship is traditionally seen as heterosexual, but Kelly has more control which is different for the 80’s
• Kelly and Yorkie’s relationship is quite emotional and dramatic, with a bisexual female lead.

Question 36

black mirror - San Junipero

How are the genre conventions socially and historically relative, dynamic and can be used in a hybrid way

Answer 36

• the same sex romance reflects the changes to social norms that have taken place in the late 20th and 21st centuries
• the romance has a happy ending - a departure from films and TV featuring LGBTQ+ characters, where often the characters are punished for their sexuality with a tragic finale.

Question 37

black mirror - San Junipero

Identify Bell Hooks feminist theory and link it with SJ

Answer 37

• bell hooks identifies patriarchal power as a major problem in society. She says patriarchy victimises both women and men, forcing them into stereotypical roles, and punishing them if they do not conform to these roles.
• San Junipero challenges this view by portraying a ‘heaven on earth’ where the female LGBTQ+ characters are free to interact, flirt, have sex and fall in love without the disapproval or persecution of patriarchal society.

Question 38

black mirror - San Junipero

Identify David Gauntlett’s identity theory and link it with SJ

Answer 38

• Gauntlett asserts that audiences actively borrow from media texts to help construct their identity: “a narrative of the self”. These are not stable, they are fluid, depending on the media text and characters being consumed.
• Long form multi-protagonist dramas offer audiences a range of different characters for audiences to identify with. Black Mirror departs from this, as each of the episodes is self-contained, usually focusing on one or two main characters.
• Nonetheless, San Junipero has been widely acclaimed by critics and by the LGBTQ+ community for showing a healthy, optimistic portrayal of a same-sex relationship, the result of which has had a very positive effect on queer viewers’ sexual identity. Kelly’s shift from a heterosexual marriage (and motherhood) to a LGBTQ+ relationship with Yorkie also suggests a fluid nature to sexuality.

Question 39

black mirror - San Junipero

Identify Henry jenkin’s fandom theory and link it with SJ

Answer 39

• Jenkins asserts that fandom is a deeply personal and creative relationship with media products.
  He believes that genre films and TV in particular can unite marginalised people, and even be appropriated for political purposes (e.g. the use of the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games by Hong Kong democratic protestors).
• As an anthology show - with standalone episodes instead of a multi-strand, ongoing narrative - it is less likely that audiences would identify with a particular character and their ongoing arc.
• Having said that, San Junipero has created a passionate fan group, especially amongst LGBTQ+ audiences. There are regular posts from fans on Twitter and other social media, even many years after the episode was first released. Many have created fan art and
  ‘femslash-fiction’ that honour the characters and extends their story beyond the original narrative: in the virtual world of San Junipero anything is possible, and fans have imagined Yorkie and Kelly in other historical settings or interacting with LGBTQ+ characters from other films/TV.
• The spin-off webisodes in Poland and South America were written and directed by YouTubers, who could be considered
  ‘prosumers’ - fans who have created their own professional standard versions of the show’s themes, distributed via each creator’s YouTube channel. However, these were still commissioned by Netflix, with the intention of using them to market the series in these territories.

Question 40

magazines - vogue

What were the values and beliefs of a vogue reader in the 1960’s. Give reference to the set vogue booklet

Answer 40

The 1960’s was a time of great change and women became more independent. In the article, however, women were described to never be independent and even if they had kept something private for some time, eventually the affairs would be public. The article states that “married women have to bring their husbands in some how” showing a patriarchal tendency of the time. Before the 1960’s women were seen as a man’s “trophy” and the women belonged to the man; this shows a male dominated society.

Question 41

magazines - vogue

Who created and publishes Vogue magazine

Answer 41

Conde Nast

Question 42

magazines - vogue set product booklet

Analyse the cover of Sophia Loren

Answer 42

Sophia Loren was a very famous actress in the 60’s. The front cover is a close up of her that makes her seem important, powerful, exotic, and like a role model. The exotic nature of her image may reflect stair hall’s ideas about the use of Middle Eastern stereotypes, representing ethnic minorities as “other”

Question 43

magazines - vogue set product booklet

Analyse the money article, what it suggests

Answer 43

The inclusion of an article that gives basic definitions of financial terms might suggest that women don’t understand economics and investments, this may represent the new changes in the 60s of women gaining a little independence from their husbands and fathers, but not completely- the article copy suggests that women still are reliant on their husbands in many ways and unable to keep finances secret.

Question 44

magazines - vogue set product booklet

Analyse the Cutex advert, what it suggests

Answer 44

The Cutex advert denotes a woman with bare shoulders suggesting nudity, “bare essentials”, “barely decent”. The shade names have connotations of nudity, suggesting that showing flesh and being sexualised is important for women. “Are you woman enough to wear them?” the rhetorical question suggests that femininity is linked to nakedness and sexual appeal.
Very reflective of the way women were, and often still are, represented.

Question 45

magazines - vogue set product booklet

Analyse the imperial leather advert, what it suggests

Answer 45

The Imperial Leather advert- the image on this advert clearly reflects the stereotype that women are maternal and domestic. Her body language and facial expression show women as emotional, caring and loving.
Because it’s speaking about soap and the softness of your skin, it represents women as needing to be soft and gentle, which may mean delicate or weak.

Question 46

magazines - vogue set product booklet

Analyse the picnic articles/photos and what they suggest

Answer 46

• The picnic articles and fashion pages show women holding children, nurturing them-they’re passive, not doing anything, just lounging around in those photos. It feels quite romantic but also shows women not taking any actions. The passivity of the women in many articles fails to reflect the growing power of some women in the 60s,
  such as feminists.
• This may be because feminism was still considered a new and alternative ideas whereas Vogue was aimed at a mainstream market. May also reflect the fact that richer women were under less financial pressure to go out and work, so many of them did lead lives more centred around leisure and family life.

Question 47

magazines - vogue set product booklet

What does the use of young women as mothers in the picnic photos reflect

Answer 47

The use of images of young women as mothers refiects the historical context as women in the 60s were typically expected to marry young and start families. Moder women’s magazines aimed at those age 20-35 often choose not to feature content about children, as many women now are able to have careers first, and have children in their 30s or later.

Question 48

magazines - vogue set product booklet

What are the class representations in the booklet

Answer 48

There’s quite complex language going on because the magazine is targeted toward middle-to-upper classes with an assumed advanced lexis. The costume, specifically the on the picnic spread, is very formal. In the article’s copy, they talk about lords and ladies, famous artworks, etc, representing upper-class “cultured” women. These upper class people are featured as a utopia, idealised and being aspirational role models.

Question 49

magazines - vogue set product booklet

What are the ethnicity representations in the booklet

Answer 49

• White models are often pictured in jewels and expensive clothes, representing them as high status.
• White ethnic appearance is normalised, with darker ethnicities being underrepresented in the range of “nude toned” Cutex products - the colour ranges of lipstick and other makeup in the magazine is clearly representing lighter skin tones and not darker tones. - - The lack of minority models, and makeup aimed at darker skinned readers, reflects the less inclusive nature of Britain in the 60s.
• There are representations for black
  Egyptian men in the fashion pages but their positions show them as marginalised; they’re in the background of the shots, out of focus, and are seen as working and doing deals, whereas the white woman is dancing and enjoying leisure time, this idea that the black men are poorer.
• This marginalisation of ethnic minorities creates a post colonialist view of ethnicity, with them being seen as “staff”, or less important than the white models.
• The white man’s suit, tie, watch and writing suggest wealth, status and a Westernised view of “professionalism”.