Compare Narrative, Genre and Representation in all Three TV Programmes.
(Exam Section A: Text)
Genre
We can identify the genre of the text by reading the visual and technical codes and how they conform to genre conventions.
These include:
In your groups, for each of the 3 Television Industry texts, Happy Valley, First Dates and Always Sunny, make notes on the genre conventions that you can recall.
(Exam Section A: Text)
Genre
We can identify the genre of the text by reading the visual and technical codes and how they conform to genre conventions.
These include:
- Settings and locations,
- Characters (are there stereotypes?),
- Costumes,
- Iconography and repertoire of elements,
- Music that is used.
In your groups, for each of the 3 Television Industry texts, Happy Valley, First Dates and Always Sunny, make notes on the genre conventions that you can recall.
______________________________________________________________________
Narrative
All media texts, fiction or fact, have a narrative structure. The producers of media texts employ a range of narrative techniques to develop a story arc and to hold the attention of the audience.
These may include the following:
manipulation of time and space, for example a non linear structure in a crime drama.
Multi strand narratives
Conventions may include:
Flashbacks, used to give a backstory which develops the audiences understanding of a character
POV shots
Audience positioning, can be through the camera following a character (a murderer for example) or through the use of music.
Enigma codes
Action codes
Dialogue
The narrative events and the order in which they are presented.
What appear to be the most dramatic or significant moments in the narrative.
The formulaic (Proppian) characters that are used.
Also make note of how each programme begins and ends (equilibrium).
Other narrative conventions.
Task 2:
In your groups, for each of the 3 Television Industry texts, Happy Valley, First Dates and Always Sunny, make detailed notes on the narrative events and the order in which they are presented. Make note of what appear to be the most dramatic or significant moments in the narrative. Also make note of how each programme begins and ends (equilibrium).
Representation
Your knowledge of the concept of representation at this level should go further than a simplistic discussion of positive and negative stereotypes.
You should be aware of both the context and the purpose of the representation contained within the text.
All media texts go through a process of mediation. They are constructed through selection (and omission) and organisation with the intention of encouraging the audience to focus on concentrating on certain aspects of the text and ignoring others
These are the key questions that you need to consider:
Past exam questions
SECTION A: TEXT
Answer one question from this section.
You must refer to the three main texts you have studied in each answer.
Either,
A1. Explore the different ways in which people are represented in your three main texts. [30]
Or,
A2. How typical are your three main texts of their genre? [30]
Either,
A1. Explore the narrative structure of your three main texts. [30]
Or,
A2. ‘Most texts today mix genres.’ How true is this of your three main texts? [30]
All media texts, fiction or fact, have a narrative structure. The producers of media texts employ a range of narrative techniques to develop a story arc and to hold the attention of the audience.
These may include the following:
manipulation of time and space, for example a non linear structure in a crime drama.
Multi strand narratives
Conventions may include:
Flashbacks, used to give a backstory which develops the audiences understanding of a character
POV shots
Audience positioning, can be through the camera following a character (a murderer for example) or through the use of music.
Enigma codes
Action codes
Dialogue
The narrative events and the order in which they are presented.
What appear to be the most dramatic or significant moments in the narrative.
The formulaic (Proppian) characters that are used.
Also make note of how each programme begins and ends (equilibrium).
Other narrative conventions.
Task 2:
In your groups, for each of the 3 Television Industry texts, Happy Valley, First Dates and Always Sunny, make detailed notes on the narrative events and the order in which they are presented. Make note of what appear to be the most dramatic or significant moments in the narrative. Also make note of how each programme begins and ends (equilibrium).
_______________________________________________________________________
Your knowledge of the concept of representation at this level should go further than a simplistic discussion of positive and negative stereotypes.
You should be aware of both the context and the purpose of the representation contained within the text.
All media texts go through a process of mediation. They are constructed through selection (and omission) and organisation with the intention of encouraging the audience to focus on concentrating on certain aspects of the text and ignoring others
These are the key questions that you need to consider:
- How is the world represented in the media text constructed?
All media texts are constructed and all representations within media texts are constructed. This gives an illusion of reality which some audiences will accept without challenge.
- Who is in control of the text and how are their values and ideas communicated in the text?
Stereotypes are constructions which are made up of over exaggerated and easily recognisable character traits. They are used to convey information rapidly as audiences will have expectations of how certain stereotypical characters will behave. Not all stereotypes are negative.
- Who is the target audience of the text?
- How may different audiences respond to the representations contained within the text?
- Who will accept and who will challenge?
Producers encode ideas and messages within the text through representations. The aim of producers is to communicate their ideology to the audience. Audiences then decode the messages and respond in different ways.
A thing to remember when discussing representation is how characters are constructed to reflect the values of the text producer. Dominant British ideology tells us that, for example;
crime doesn't pay -BBC
there is someone out there for everyone (and if we make the right choices we can achieve happiness through the family unit) - Ch4
A thing to remember when discussing representation is how characters are constructed to reflect the values of the text producer. Dominant British ideology tells us that, for example;
crime doesn't pay -BBC
there is someone out there for everyone (and if we make the right choices we can achieve happiness through the family unit) - Ch4
Task 3:
In your groups, for each of the 3 Television Industry texts, Happy Valley, First Dates and Always Sunny, make notes on aspects of representation that you can recall.
In your groups, for each of the 3 Television Industry texts, Happy Valley, First Dates and Always Sunny, make notes on aspects of representation that you can recall.
________________________________________________________________________
Past exam questions
SECTION A: TEXT
Answer one question from this section.
You must refer to the three main texts you have studied in each answer.
Either,
A1. Explore the different ways in which people are represented in your three main texts. [30]
Or,
A2. How typical are your three main texts of their genre? [30]
_______________________________________________________________
Either,
A1. Explore the narrative structure of your three main texts. [30]
Or,
A2. ‘Most texts today mix genres.’ How true is this of your three main texts? [30]
___________________________________________________________________
Either,
A1. To what extent do your three main texts challenge genre conventions? [30]
Or,
A2. Explore the key gender representations in your three main texts. [30]
_________________________________________________________________
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