Component/paper 2 - media forms and products in depth Flashcards
topics covered - TV (black mirror and the returned), magazines (vogue, attitude, and the big issue), online media (zoella)
black mirror
Give context of the show black mirror
- created by Charlie Brooker and Annabelle Jones.
- anthology TV show, with each episode acting as a standalone TV movie
- dystopian sci-fi
black mirror - San Junipero
Who is it written and directed by?
Written by Charlie Brooker
Directed by Owen Harris
black mirror - San Junipero
What is the main plot points?
- 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
black mirror - San Junipero
What music is used in the show that foreshadows the plot
Heaven is a place on earth - Belinda Carlisle
Living in a box - by living in a box
black mirror - San Junipero
What audience pleasures can be taken from the show
Yorkie and Kelly’s relationship please the LGBTQ community. The audience may find pleasure in a happier ending and positive representation.
black mirror - San Junipero
What uses and gratifications are relevant to San Junipero
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
black mirror - San Junipero
How can the show be seen as postmodern?
Use Baudrillard’s theory
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.
black mirror - San Junipero
Recap yourself on the annotations on heaven is a place on earth and living in a box
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?
- 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
black mirror - San Junipero
Using Todorov’s theory of the narrative stage, link this process to San junipero’s plot
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
black mirror - San Junipero visual codes
What does the clothing (visual codes) of Yorkie look like? What does it suggest?
- 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
black mirror - San Junipero visual codes
What does the clothing (visual codes) of Kelly look like? What does it suggest?
- 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
online media - Zoella’s blog study
How often is it updated? What order are the posts in?
It Is regularly updated. Entries are posted in reverse chronological order – most recent appears first.
online media - Zoella study
what is the context of Zoella?
- 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
online media - Zoella’s blog study
What is the content?
Lifestyle
online media - Zoella’s blog study
What is the tone of writing? What kind of language is used?
Usually quite a personal, conversational tone.
Written in first person.
Language is informal and chatty
online media - Zoella’s blog study
What are the codes and conventions of blogs?
Hyperlinks, lots of pictures, first person, short paragraphs, regularly updated
online media - Zoella study
Apply Gauntlett to Zoella
- 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
online media - Zoella study
Zoella has constructed herself as a feminist. How and why has she done this?
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
online media - Zoella study
Name three way that blogger and vloggers can market themselves and attract their desired target audience
- 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
online media - Zoella study
How does gatekeeping apply to Zoella?
Zoella filters her content by editing her videos to only show positive moments
online media - Zoella study
Name two theorists we can apply to Zoella and briefly explain how
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
online media
What is the difference between demographics and psychographics?
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
online media - Zoella study
Take a break from flashcards. Watch one of Mrs Fishers videos on Zoella
Sorry not sorry
online media - Zoella study
Name 2 appearances by Zoe Sugg in mainstream culture that indicate her status as a ‘cultural icon’
- Madame Tussaud’s have Zoe and Alfie as figures.
- Mental health ambassador (mind)
- first non musical personality in Band-Aid 30s Christmas record
online media
What is the primary way that online media personalities make money
Through advertisements/sponsorships, and YouTube partner program – ad revenue
online media
List 2 ways that YouTube attempts to regulate its content
- 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
online media
How has the Internet impacted media industries?
- 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
online media
What is a multichannel network?
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
online media - Zoella study
In 2018, what did Zoe and Alfie launch?
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
online media - ad formats
Online media
What is an advantage of advertising?
- 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
black mirror - San Junipero
Briefly explain Steve neal’s theory of genre, using SJ to support your response
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
black mirror - San Junipero
Consider the narrative and characters of the episode and briefly explain how gender is represented in SJ
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.
black mirror - San Junipero
Consider the narrative and characters of the episode and briefly explain how sexuality and relationships are represented in SJ
- 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.
black mirror - San Junipero
How are the genre conventions socially and historically relative, dynamic and can be used in a hybrid way
- 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.
black mirror - San Junipero
Identify Bell Hooks feminist theory and link it with SJ
- 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.
black mirror - San Junipero
Identify David Gauntlett’s identity theory and link it with SJ
- 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.
black mirror - San Junipero
Identify Henry jenkin’s fandom theory and link it with SJ
- 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.