Tehran Media Language Flashcards
How Tehran conforms to the Spy Thriller Genre
-Tehran conforms to many of the typical codes and conventions of the genre; one of the most prominent being the narrative set within the real-life context of the Iran-Israel proxy conflict.
-Season 1 of Tehran reflects the current tension between the two countries regarding Israel’s opposition to Iran’s nuclear program, making the narrative of the show culturally and socially relevant for global audiences
The Protagonist
-The protagonist is a government agent (Tamar Rabinyan) who enters Iran undercover in an attempt to bring down their air defences
-If successful, this would enable the Israeli Air Force to bomb a nuclear plant, ending Iran’s ambition of creating nuclear weapons
The dynamic and historically relative nature of the genre
The Hindustan Times claims that Tehran is a show ‘that toys with the conventions of the genre, but also feels refreshingly current’
How genre conventions are socially and historically relative
-Similar to Killing Eve, Tehran offers a refreshing change by placing a female character at the centre of the narrative, replacing the more traditional male spy character
-The increase in women in traditionally male roles is reflective of current audience demands to see more dynamic and original characters
Viewpoints and ideologies
-When the Israeli students realise that they will be landing in Tehran, their fear is portrayed through their body language, facial expressions and panicked dialogue with the flight attendant, who tries to assure them of their safety when
the plane lands
-The pair then suffer violent interrogation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, portraying the Iranian regime as brutal and unforgiving
-This portrayal is further reinforced when the Iranian woman who switches with Rabinyan states that she would ‘rather die’ than stay in Iran
- The car scene where Rabinyan witnesses the hanging of an Iranian citizen.
How media language influence meaning - Visual Codes
-Within the opening moments of episode one, the audience is able to establish the cultural context of the show, which is anchored by the characters’ dress codes.
-The main character begins episode one wearing a black Niqab
-There is also on-screen text that displays the flight details from Amman, the capital of Jordan, to New Delhi, India, further aiding the audience’s understanding of the show’s context
-The male Iranian agents wear black suits, anchoring their authoritative status and creating intertextual reference to other spy films, where male agents are typically dressed in suits
How media language influence meaning - Technical Codes
-At the beginning of episode one, the use of a handheld camera positions the audience within the action from the start
-Set on a plane, the camera follows a female character down the aisle, with tense, ominous music creating enigmas for the audience
How media language influence meaning - Audio Codes: Dialogue
-There is a mixture of languages used within the show, such as Persian (Farsi), the official language of Iran; Hebrew, the official language of Israel; and English
-The use of official languages is another tool to help the audience understand character context and creates a sense of verisimilitude within the narrative of the show
How media language influence meaning - Audio Codes: Music
Mark Eliyahu worked as the composer for Tehran and succeeds in creating an enigmatic score throughout the series, with fast-paced, tension-building music being used during the more dramatic scenes (such as the hacking scene in episode one), which is typical of the genre
Music and Iranian instruments
Throughout the series, the use of Iranian instruments, such as the kamancheh, anchor the cultural context of the show. The catchy theme tune, which is woven throughout the narrative, creates a sense of identity for the Tehran brand that continues into the second series
Mark Eliyahu
Eliyahu, who is Israeli, has grown in popularity among Iranian audiences despite not being able to perform in Iran due to political tensions between the two countries.
Narratology (Todorov)
-Episode one immediately throws the audience into the critical stage of the mission: the switching of Rabinyan with an Iranian woman disguised as a flight attendant so that she can work undercover in Iran to bring down their air defences
-There is no build up or equilibrium to be disrupted; instead, the audience are instantly emerged in the action of the mission
Genre (Steve Neale)
Tehran strikes the perfect balance between containing enough of the traditional spy thriller genre conventions to have global appeal, but also sufficiently plays on the traditional tropes to establish itself as a contemporary example of a spy thriller drama series, with its own unique spin on the typical genre conventions
Structuralism (Levi Strauss)
-Tehran is set within the factual context of a political conflict between Israel and Iran
-This binary opposite creates an automatic enemy of the Iranians, as the audience is positioned on the side of the Israeli agent Rabinyan on her mission to bring down the Iranian air defenses.
