OCR Spec
•MEDIA
FRAME WORK INCLUDES:
–Media
Language
•semiotics,
including Barthes
•narratology,
including Todorov
•genre
theory, including Neale.
–Media
Representation
•theories
of representation including Hall
•theories
of identity including Gauntlett.
Definitions
Genre - a style or category of art, music, or literature.
Propps Theory -
Semiotics - the study of signs and
their meaning in
society.
Barthes Theory
Narratives
like a ball of string
Roland
Barthes
was a semiologist.
If
you
imagine a text is like a ball of string, can it be unravelled in
one way or in many ways?
House of Cards is an example of a TV show with multiple narratives. It has 4 different narratives which intertwine with eachother, Frank Underwood, Claire Underwood, Peter Russo and Zoe Barnes. Franks story is the main narrative of the show with him being the central character and the other stories branching off of it, creating new narratives.
Open
or closed?
texts
may be
• '
open ' (i.e. unravelled in a
lot of different ways) or
• '
closed ' (there is only one obvious thread to pull on).
Barthes
also
decided that the threads that you pull on to try and unravel meaning are called
narrative codes and that they could be categorised in the following five ways:
Narratives in long form dramas are usually open to keep the show going and keep the audience interested in the things that are happening within the show, also it is helpful for when a character needs to leave the show, meaning the show doesn't have to finish.
The
Hermeneutic Code/ENIGMA
CODE
•
The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully
explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader.
• The purpose of the author in this is
typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final
scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is
achieved.
The
Proairetic Code/ACTION CODE
•
The Proairetic Code also builds tension, referring to any other action or event
that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the
reader guessing as to what will happen next.
• Action code - applies to any action that implies a further narrative action. For
example, a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the
resolution of this action will be.
•
The Hermeneutic and Proairetic
Codes work as a pair to develop the story's tensions and keep the reader
interested. Barthes described them as:
•
"...dependent on ... two sequential codes: the revelation of truth and the
coordination of the actions represented….."
The
Semantic Code
•
This code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning
over the basic denotative
meaning of the word.
• The
semantic code - any element in a text that suggests a particular, often
additional meaning by way of connotation
House of Cards contains a lot of Washington landmarks such as, the white house, the lincoln memorial, and Washington memorial. It also contains the american flag. Most of the Washington landmarks symbolise politics and leaders along with memories of great american leaders. The american flag symbolises the different states, and the 13 original colonies, and Liberty, Equality & Self-Government / freedom, life, liberty. Frank Underwood, the main character in house of cards, doesn't follow these values and goes against them, very quickly.
House of cards uses enigma to mirror the way the government keeps secrets from the public. This is because the show keeps Franks plans mostly secret, until it happens, he also speaks to other characters (mostly Zoe) quite secretively and in riddles.
How
does the enigma code apply to Telegraph Headline “the Brexit
Mutineers”
The enigma code applies to the telegraph headline "The Brexit Mutineers" by not really explaining how these politicians are "brexit mutineers" and grabbing the readers attention.
Todorov Narrative
The
primary function of most films is to tell a story.. The mise en scene, cinematography, editing and
sound are entirely subservient to the narrative, creating a seamless flow that centres the
viewer within the story.
Todorov’s
theory (Equilibrium
and Dis-equilibrium)
Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he
believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films
followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages:
•the equilibrium,
•disequilibrium,
•acknowledgement,
•solving
and again
equilibrium
Narrative Theory
Narrative conventions.
Film narratives share a number of
features that audiences expect:
•The
role of the protagonist
•The
problems faced by the protagonist
•The
resolution of these problems
The narratives of most films are centred on
one or two main protagonists
•Their
lives are disrupted by an outside event, or presence of an unfulfilled desire
•The
plot is then about removing that disruption or fulfilling that desire
•The
rest of the events in the plot are usually initiated by the protagonist and
have a clear cause and effect relationship
to other events
Captain Phillips also has this theory, of the start, the disruption, and the resolution. Captain Phillips is the protagonist of the movie and is a captain of a freighter ship, the ship is attacked by some pirates who board the ship and attack the crew. In the end everything is resolved.
In house of cards at the start everything is fine, frank is promised a promotion and has a loving wife, this is the equilibrium, then frank doesn't get the secretary of state position that he was promised by walker, which is where the disruption/disequilibrium occurs. he acknowledges this by trying to get the position of president by trying to impeach the current president, in the end he becomes president.
In what way does Todorov’s
theory apply to the following News stories?
1. England is fine,
2. Russians poison Russian ex-spy and his daughter, and a police officer.
3. Media talking about it, theorise on who ordered the attack (most likely Putin).
4. ~23 Russians diplomats expelled from England .
5. Things go back to normalish, bit different, scared of russia
Neale’s Genre
Neale’s theory of repetition and
differerence in
Genre•
"Genres
are instances of repetition and difference"•
"Difference
is absolutely essential to the economy of genre"
Neale’s theory of repetition and differerence in
Genre
What That Means:
•Steve
Neale is saying that a film and it's genre is defined by two things:
•How
much it conforms with a genre's stereotypes and conventions.
•He
says that a film must conform to these conventions enough that it can still
qualify and be identified as a film of that genre.
•How
much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions.
•He
says that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed
as a unique film, not just a clone.
some examples of these are the star wars movies. A new hope (1977) Conforms
to Genre expectations of a sci-fi and action film.
•Sci
– Fi film - special effects, hero and anti hero, epic
struggle over good and evil
•Action
film –
follows Structure of Propp
where the protagonist is sent on a quest to rescue a princess.
The last Jedi (2017) Conforms
to Genre expectations of a sci-fi and action film.
•Sci
– Fi film - special effects, hero and anti hero, epic
struggle over good and evil
•Action
film –
follows Structure of Propp
where the protagonist is sent on a quest
Subverts
the action film genre
•As
the (main) protagonist is female
•Plot
twist focus on female empowerment
To what extent does HOC conform to genre
expectations of a
Political thriller/Drama
1.About
politics
2.Plot
twists
To what extent does HOC subvert the genre
expectations of a political thriller/drama?
1.Anti-hero
2.Slow
paced (thrillers are usually faster paced)
