Thursday 20 December 2012

Task 3: HISTORICAL TEXT ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH

Cinema Verite Vs Geordie Shore?





Geordie Shore is deemed what we call nowadays a structured reality television show. Regarding a historical context that was linked Geordie Shore was quite difficult to find in particular the northern England region. So linking it to the Cinéma vérité era itself was a better idea. This era of cinema was what the 60's/70's deemed as the honest truth. It was documentary styled film usually fly on the wall and the slogan for Cinéma vérité was "the camera doesn't lie"

How does Cinéma vérité link to Geordie Shore?

The idea of of a set up, structured situation for the camera to record and rely on reactions is essentially what both are about. This idea of 'stylised set ups' here film makers have a conversation with audience about the subject is almost identical to what happens in Geordie Shore.

These two are very similar however there are just as many differences. Throughout the years political and hidden message within these shows have changed. The idea of Cinéma vérité was to voice the underrepresented and these ideologies have changed as time has passed. Especially in the north of England it was usually honest, truthful representations of the hard working class. Comparing to the today's adaptation of Cinéma vérité we have the northerners being represented as 'slutty, alcoholic, air head c list celebrities.' Mentioned by Newcastle upon Tyne MP constantly ranting that the show does not represent a true reflection of Newcastle.

Ethnofiction is a neologism which refers to an ethnographic docufiction, a blend of documentary and fictional film in the area of visual anthropology. It is a film type in which, by means of fictional narrative or creative imagination, often improvising, the portrayed characters (natives) play their own roles as members of an ethnic or social group. This is a key concept with a show like this as this is what the show is based around.

Task 2 BIBLIOGRAPHY


Works Cited
Andrejevic, Mark. Reality TV: the work of being watched. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004. Print.
Balkin, Karen. Reality TV. San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Print.
Murray, Susan, and Laurie Ouellette. Reality TV: remaking television culture. New York: New York University Press, 2004. Print.
Skeggs, Beverley, and Helen Wood. Reacting to reality television: performance, audience and value. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Wyatt, Wendy N.. The ethics of reality TV: a philosophical examination. New York: Continuum, 2012. Print.

Thursday 6 December 2012


Task 1 Textual Analysis

Geordie Shore season 4 trailer















CLAMPS  


  • Costume is one of the most obvious aspects to the video the short skirts, assets on show and the V cut tops for the males showing their chest or in a vest top. High use of make up really re-enforcing the idea of the glitz and glamour element to the show. 
  • Lighting is very high in order to create this hyper reality idea. Some of the lighting in this trailer is very artificial possibly referring the the artificial element of the show. The lighting is high key enabling audiences to see everything as it should be seen but as seen in night time scenes the lighting is still available giving the audience a sense of power.
  • As researched the codes and conventions of targeting a young audience, large, simple read texts appearing on screen immediately grips and interest the target audience of this kind of show. The trailer immediately begins by saying 'they've arrived' this triggers all kinds of questions. The actual video contains a lot of high speed action and showing snippets of big moments in the season. It is almost a cliff hanger as the short quotes tease the audience 'Gaz has finally met his match' 'I have a boyfriend and I'm in Gary's bed' This immediately engages the young audiences. 
  • Make up is of course used a lot in shows like these. The cast members often promote idea of being 'fake' is the way forward. One slogan of the cast members is 'I'm fake, flirty and I've got double F's' The make up element to the show just another aspect to it dumbing down television?
  • Props in this trailer there is no single one, however the one that appears the most is cups of alcohol. Constantly we see cast members with cups or glasses of alcohol. This shows teens that boozing is a necessity in order to have fun, or as they and much teenagers now call it 'getting mortal.'
  • Setting is the most important element in this as it embodies (in cast members eyes) exactly what it means to be Geordie. In every single monologue the cast members have there is a faint background picture of something linked with Newcastle. Newcastle in the trailer is described as 'our playground' and even around the house there are Geordie landmarks round the house. The setting in this show is the most important the as it is stressed in the name and being Geordie is what this show is all about.

Issues and debates

Representation in Geordie Shore representation is one of the main focuses on issues and debate. The consistent criticism of how the cast members do not represent the true Geordie lifestyle.
In the trailer we see and hear the Geordies speak about how Newcastle is their play ground and they will cause chaos, this links back to representation as audiences begin to believe that this is how Geordies behave.
A theory that links in with this aspect is cultivation theory. Similar yet very different to the hypodermic theory where rather than audiences being passive viewers and the re-enacting what they see in the programme, cultivation theory changes public opinion gradually by the amount of telly they consume. 'Heavy Viewers' of Geordie Shore then begin to believe slowly that this is what Newcastle is like and begin to form opinions. Of course the more television watched the more you believe it. This theory is especially vulnerable to the target audience of Geordie Shore as well.

Additional Research

 Melissa Wendy, 21 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

When asked to watch the trailer and to answer whether this is a fair representation of Geordies the answer was:

"I disagree, there are some members who are like this around the area, however it is a very small minority which are over represented for entertainment purposes. Furthermore those who are represented are only like that even more because of the introduction of Geordie shore."

This is an interesting opinion from someone who lives in this environment who is of a similar age to cast members who have completely different beliefs. The video was concentrated into everything that is wrong with Newcastle which has been glorified by this show.








Geordie Shore Season 4 teaser




CLAMPS


  • Coustume similar to the first trailer the females in revealing clothing and the males in tight tops. However the angle has been taken very differently after the 'atomic boom' in the trailer hits the floor as they sexualize the clothing and we see cast members clothes removed into corsets and males topless. This is simply the voyeuristic aspect to this where teens have 'eye candy' to look upon. We see the two new members muscles before we even see their face which clearly outlines the importance of eye candy
  • Lighting is very artificial in this trailer as low key and bottom lighting is used to make the cast members seem angelic and a breath of fresh air. Cast members walking down the street on a dark night however the lighting on them is high
  • Audiences are gripped to this trailer but the anticipation of the new cast members and the connotations this trailer brings. Things done in this trailer was for a specific purpose down to the script and the casts' actions in order to grip the audience. "This is going to be mint" while flirtingly waving at the boys posts questions in audiences head engaging them into the trailer instantly.
  • Make up as usual is of course high to keep the impression of looking good to teenagers is such an important aspect. This idea of being fake is a good thing and glorified is seen through the long nails, hair extensions and eye lashes.
  • Props used here is and engagement ring which symbolised a lot throughout the trailer as it flew away and the cast member Rici was grasping to get it. This symbolised the breaking up of his engagement which is later found out during the series. The phone smashing on the floor and cracking which we see is the cast member Sophie's boyfriend who also have a rocky relationship through series 4 also. All props used for a key purpose.
  • Setting is a normal road in Newcastle again Newcastle being so iconic to them but by setting it here and not at some sort of exclusive VIP bar it attempts to show the audience that they are normal people as they stroll past the kebab shop almost attempting to relate to audiences.

Saturday 24 November 2012

notes and quotes document

Reality television has become very popular over the past decade with shows such as "Survivor", "Big Brother" and "The Apprentice" attracting big audiences and making a lot of money for broadcasters worldwide. A definition of reality television is quite difficult but at its most basic it means programmes that show things really taking place, rather than drama or comedy that follows a script. Typically reality TV involves a group of people who are not trained actors being filmed in unusual situations over a period of time. Sport and news programmes are not considered reality TV. Documentaries that explore aspects of society are a grey area, with some closer to news reporting and others blurring into reality TV because they set up situations which did not already exist. Recently celebrity versions of reality shows have made definition even harder, because they show the private lives of professional singers, actors, sports people, etc. as they cope with new situations. Reality TV is often a hot topic as proponents believe it paints an unrealistic and inappropriate portrait and is therefore bad for our society and the children that make up the majority of the audience. They call for a cut in the number of hours given over to reality programmes, or even to ban them completely. Opponents meanwhile maintain that people should be allowed to watch what they like, and that reality programmes make good TV, as shown by consistently high viewer figures.


Reality TV throughout the years

  • Reality television began in 1948 with Alan Funt's TV series Candid Camera. The genre exploded as a phenomenon around 1999–2000 with the success of such television series as Big Brother and Survivor
  • The shows deemed responsible for the boom in reality TV and the rejuvenation in the genre IN 2000's are: Fear Factor, Big Brother and America's Next Top Model
  • There have been at least three television channels devoted exclusively to reality television: Fox Reality in the United States, launched in 2005, Global Reality Channel in Canada in 2010, and Zone Reality in the United Kingdom, launched in 2002
  • By 2012, many of the long-running reality television show franchises had begun to age, setting up declines in ratings across the format. This, along with increasing audience fracture from competing programs on broadcast and cable television, has raised questions about the long-term viability of reality television on the broadcast networks.
  • Shows which have become structured reality tv like 'The Only Way Is Essex Geordie Shore, Made In Chelsea, The Valleys, Big Brother and many more.
Quote Book
  • Reality TV is sleazy, it is manipulative. It is as momentary as anything in popular culture.  Morley Safer 
  • I think that reality TV is so bad. It is a tool by the media to not make people think. Naveen Andrews 
  • A key ingredient of reality TV is the casting of "ordinary people". No longer are audiences watching an actor pretend to be sad or happy. By and large, they are watching a real person be genuinely happy or sad. There is no performance to de-construct. It is real.
  • Reality TV is bringing us back from that uncaring brink. Watching real people aspire to some goal, and then seeing all but one or two of them fail, sensitises us once again to the pains and pleasures of our fellow human beings.
  • Instead of rising in anger at all reality TV, one should applaud these positive effects.
  • Why watch reality TV when I can just open my blinds and look out my window to all the reality I can handle?
 Jarod Kintz
  • When the likes of Victor from Big Brother's last series are rewarded with a radio station presenter's contract, I reckon that the violent confrontational ignorance that he demonstrated appears to be rewarded by the media which can only be harmful to society. The levels of hate/animosity and the death threats televised just are not light entertainment.



The Different types of reality TV

  • Documentary Styled (Fly on the wall which are sometimes referred to as docudrama)
  • Celebrities (Another subset of fly-on-the-wall-style shows involves celebrities. Often these show a celebrity going about their everyday life: notable examples include The Anna Nicole ShowThe Osbournes, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, and Hogan Knows Best. In other shows, celebrities are put on location and given a specific task or tasks; these include Celebrity Big BrotherThe Simple Life, The Surreal Life, and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!)
  • Professional Activities (Could be a form of informative show, the longest serving show of this kind is the show COPS)
  • Self Improvement (Some reality television shows cover a person or group of people improving their lives. Sometimes the same group of people are covered over an entire season as in The Swan and Celebrity Fit Club, but usually there is a new target for improvement in each episode.)
  • Social Experiment (Another type of reality program is the social experiment that produces drama, conflict, and sometimes transformation. Wife Swap which began in 2003 on Channel 4 and has aired for four seasons on ABC is a notable example. Big Brother is most probably the most notable show for social experimenting reality tv.
Pro's and con's of reality TV


ARGUMENTS FOR:
·                 We live in an age of mass culture. More people read tabloids than the broadsheets, and reality TV is a fair reflection of this.
·                 Elitism is out of date. People are no longer willing to accept only what broadcasters think is good for them. There is nothing wrong in giving people what they want.
·                 It is intrinsically fascinating to see how people speak and behave in unusual situations. This is why many intelligent people find themselves gripped by Big Brother and other reality shows. They teach us something about human nature and so broaden our experience.
·                 If we believe in freedom and free speech, then we have to accept reality TV as an expression of popular and democratic taste. Nobody is compelled to appear in reality TV programmes, or indeed to watch them.
·                 Reality TV is harmless fun. Only pompous people and snobs condemn it.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST:
·                 Reality TV is vulgar and shoddy. By creating pseudo-celebrities it contributes to the debasement of popular taste.
·                 It is often cruel, exposing the participants to gross humiliation for our amusement. This makes it the modern equivalent of going to laugh at the lunatics in Bedlam. The present row over racism on Big Brother shows how nasty it can be.
·                 It exploits the vulnerable, and has been condemned by the Mental Health Foundation for doing so.
·                 Popularity should not be the ultimate test of what is permissible. Public executions used to be popular and still are in some countries.
·                 It is nonsense to say that broadcasters shouldn't set standards or be obliged to adhere to codes of behaviour. We don't for instance allow them to promote racism or sectarianism or to incite violence. Reality TV is debasing and should be strictly controlled, if not banned altogether.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1470327/Reality-TV-is-damaging-society-says-Humphrys.html


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3607482.stm



Thursday 22 November 2012


will.i.am to launch iPhone accessories line

The first product to be released as part of the Black Eyed Peas star's i.am+ range will be a clip-on camera that significantly improves the quality of photos taken using Apple handsets.
Will.i.am and Cheryl Cole
leave Scott's restaurant in Mayfair after having dinner together
London, England

"We have our own sensor and a better flash. You dock your phone into our device and it turns your smartphone into a genius-phone. We take over the camera," the singer told The Telegraph.
will.i.am will release a range of other add-ons bearing his name, compatible with iPhone 4, 4S and IPhone models.

The first i.am+ camera makes an appearance in the musician's music video for 'Scream and Shout', a collaborative effort with Britney Spears.

The i.am+ range will be formally unveiled at a
London press conference next Wednesday (November 28) and go on sale at Selfridges next month.

Jimmy Savile & The BBC

In my opinion in the Jimmy Savile case i believe that it was wrong for newsnight to possible drop hints about who the alleged abuser in the welsh care home was without concrete evidence. Lord Mcalpine is well within his right to demand his £125,000. 

However newsnight should not be taken off the air being such a pivotal part of the BBC and they were also well within their right to run that show and speculate, however dropping hints was wrong. Let us not forget it was only hints aswell, the name was generated on the social networking site Twitter and Sally Bercow stirred the situation. I believe she should be sued more so than Newsnight.

The sacking of George Entwistle was also badly dealt with and i believe he was the scape goat of the BBC as they attempted to redeem themselves to the public and almost as if they are saying "look look we've done something and we are making changes." 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/22/bbc-director-general-lord-patten-tony-hall?INTCMP=SRCH


Thursday 8 November 2012

Gender & Ethnicity


Women are generally represented in a narrow range of social roles by various types of media, whilst men are shown performing a full range of social and occupational roles. Tunstall (2000) argues that media representations emphasise women’s domestic, sexual, consumer and marital activities to the exclusion of all else. The media generally ignore the fact that a majority of British women go out to work. Men, on the other hand, are seldom presented nude or defined by their marital or family status.


 Working women are often portrayed as unfulfilled, unattractive, possibly unstable and unable to sustain relationships. It is often implied that working mothers, rather than working fathers, are guilty of the emotional neglect of their children.

However, Gauntlett argues that there are still plenty of magazines aimed at men which sexually objectify women and stress images of men as traditionally masculine. Rutherford suggests that these magazines are symbolic of what he calls retributive masculinity – an attempt to reassert traditional masculine authority by celebrating traditionally male concerns in their content, i.e. ‘birds, booze and football’


Ethnic minorities as criminals – Black crime is the most frequent issue found in media news coverage of ethnic minorities. Van Dijk found that Black people, particularly African-Caribbeans, tend to be portrayed as criminals, especially in the tabloid press and more recently as members of organised gangs that pushes drugs and violently defends urban territories.
Ethnic minorities and moral panics – Watson (2008) notes that moral panics often result from media stereotyping of Black people as potentially criminal. This effect was first brought to sociological attention by Hall’s classic study of a 1970s moral panic that was constructed around the folk devil of the ‘Black mugger’. Further moral panics have developed around rap music, e.g. in 2003, ‘gangsta rap’ lyrics came under attack for contributing to an increase in gun crime.

Books

Racism and the Press. London: Routledge, 1991.
Elite discourse and racism. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE, 1993.

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Year 13 Critical Investigation Proposal

Working Title

Do structured reality TV shows like 'Geordie Shore' dumb down our culture and are the criticisms justified?


Angle

To understand the new craze which has been deemed 'Dramality' TV, why it is so popular, the other key players in this new genre and possibly why show's like Geordie Shore could have a negative effect on Britain or is it a good thing for us.

Hypotheses

The Dramality genre has dumbed down our culture and given Britain a negative perception  Example the main text is Geordie Shore; gives Newcastle stereotypes.

Linked Production Piece

Opening piece to a new Dramality show.

Contemporary media landscape

.My main focus will be Geordie Shore.
.Other texts include: The Only Way Is Essex, Made In Chelsea, Jersey Shore and where the reality TV was originated from Big Brother.

SHEP

Social  Geordie Shore is of course a spin off from the American show Jersey shore, again started as a special after receiving the average view of 631,000 the show got the go ahead for a second season. The show raised a lot of eyes brows and questions particularly in Newcastle as it was so different to it's original show 'Geordies' became offended by the show and were adamant this is not what their City is like. From a social look on things the show defiantly had a lot of its success from 'word of mouth' it is defiantly the kind of show that gets people talking.

Historical  The show is a spin off and it first aired on 24th of May 2011 bringing in a total of 635,000 viewers to the show. 

Economical  This show doesn't have the biggest budget so revenue is most probably high allowing it to continue and still be going strong to the present day.

Politics One politician who continuously has a lot to say about the show is Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah. She described the show as "Bordering on pornographic" She then went on to say the show is not representative of Newcastle or Geordies.

MIGRAIN

Media Language
  • High key lighting to glorify the glitz and glamour of the show
  • Star appeal knowing who is who, who dislikes who and understanding what the particular character stands for
  • Setting, the heart of Newcastle. Glorifying the night life, happy people and glitz and glamorous lights.
  • Costume for female, stereotypical dresses, heels, fake hair, tan and high make up. On the other hand more stereotypical in Newcastle males in V cut shirts high make up, high grooming products and styling. 

Institution

  • MTV famous for these kind of show now such as Jersey Shore, The Valleys etc. Appealing to a very specific young audience
  • Of course being a music channel first and foremost they still play a lot of music in the back of the show especially recognisable music to the niche audience MTV target.
  • The production company 'Lime Pictures' most famous for their break through soap Brookside went onto produce hollyoaks and grange hill.
  • They now have tapped into the recent boom of reality TV and structured television and now produce the award winning show The Only Way Is Essex as well as Geordie Shore.

Genre

  • The official genre of this show is deemed as Reality TV
  • however throughout the years we have come to notice a lot of this is structured and the situations are planned so it has been given the name of Structured television
  • More recently and abbreviation and a new genre for these kind of shows has been named 'Dramality' TV. The mesh of Drama and Reality TV.
  • Codes and conventions of Dramality TV (alcohol, sex, fake, accents, stereotypes and partying)

Representation

  • Representation is of the 'Geordie' lifestyle that we see on our television as the cast members often refer to the partying and drinking antics as 'Geordie Style' representing the city as these kind of people.
  • The male and female gaze, when the cast often go the party the low angle shots of females assets the close up angles of the males topless etc.

Narrative

  • The narrative is always done by the cast with little cut always of them explaining or reacting to a situation as they look back on it
  • There is no main character, so every character will have a specific story in every episode.
  • Regarding setting they tend to travel and go to different cities howeever the narrative mainly stays within Newcastle.

Audience

  • Demographic the audience is a E unemployed, students and causal workers. This is probably students aspiring to have this life while watching it as it is a young audience.
  • Star Appeal, the audience becoming attached to a specific character as they become likeable. For example the funny, cute and innocent Charlotte who is very likeable and fragile. Compared to the loud mouthed, strong minded and violent Vicky take different likes to the Audience.

Media Effects

  • The Hypodermic Theory, youngsters want to then go out and live this lifestyle. Evidence of the hypodermic theory in action regarding this show one of the cast members Garry 'gaz' has a catchphrase this has reverberated round youngsters in the E section of the demographic graph and tend to use it while drinking 
  • Blumur & Katz escapism. The student life can become very stressful and watching this shows gives them a chance to rightly or wrongly aspire this kind of lifestyle.


Issues and Debates

Geordie Shore is frequently under scrutiny about the shows actual content. It has been said that you can sum up the show in seconds. Drinking, partying, fighting and sex. The show lacks direction and substance as we watch the tanned gang live the lives that the aspirational audience lust for.

It also asks questions of what type of message does it convey the youth of not just Newcastle but UK. Having dreams to become famous for nothing and just party and have sex is what this target audience is looking up to. One of the stars Holly Hagan's quote is "I'm fake, flirty and got double F's." The teenagers then believe this is acceptable and look up to these people and aspire to be them.


And a critic for the Metro wrote: "I can usually take a fair amount of slop before I start with the moral proselytising and mourning of the death of television and I must confess to at times being amused and grimly entertained by this opening episode, but after an hour of wayward genitalia, shag pads in sheds and unprotected underwater sex, even the bawdiest DC's (daft c****s, thanks Vicky) can't help but be scornful." 

News Value

Regarding news Geordie Shore hardly makes headlines unless it is another MP slating the show about it's representations or a segment on how negative shows such as these have on the UK. But MTV being such a large institution it has its own news therefore having it's own news values where politics is probably not on the agenda. It frequently gives Geordie Shore a lot of stories like the 'gossip' who is leaving and hints and new stories. 

Regulation and censorship

There is not much that is censored in this show. Nudity is at a moderate level and swearing is not held back. This is why this show receives a lot of negative criticism. The high level of sex, violence and inappropriate language is what makes the show so gripping and 'Geordie'  

Digital Revolution

Geordie Shore has a very specific audience and of course with technology being so amazing nowadays the show use social networking sites to advertise the show. Before every programme they remind viewers they can 'hash tag' Geordie Shore and join the discussion. On top of this past and present cast members have their own personal twitter accounts however they still promote the show on behalf of MTV despite claiming this is the view of them and not the company. Facebook groups and pages never go amiss also all of these aspects that just ring in those extra viewers and fans.

Ownership and Control

As mentioned before the two production institutions are Lime Pictures and MTV. This show is particularly low budget as there is not much special effects and expensive things that go into these kind of shows. The main thing that money goes into is the house that the Geordies stay in. Geordie Shore is deemed a home-grown show from MTV as most of there shows are imported from the US within all there other channels like MTV UK and Ireland, Spain Base, VIVA, TMF and much more.

Online Research

The Guardian Articles


Front Cover
Reality TV restores a crucial, and often absent, element to the critical debate about reality television: the voices of people who watch reality programmes. From Animal Hospital to Big Brother, Annette Hill argues that much can be learned from listening to audience discussion about this popular and rapidly changing television genre. Viewers' responses to reality TV can provide invaluable information to enhance our understanding of both the reality genre and contemporary television audiences.
Drawing on quantitative and qualitative audience research to understand how viewers categorise the reality genre, and how they judge the performance of ordinary people and the representation of authenticity within different types of reality programmes.
* Do audiences think reality TV is real?
* Can people learn from watching reality TV?
* How critical are viewers of reality TV?
Reality TV argues that audiences are engaged in a critical examination of the development of popular factual television. The book examines how audiences can learn from watching reality programmes, and how viewers think and talk about the ethics of reality TV.







Front Cover

Jonathan Bignell presents a wide-ranging analysis of the television phenomenon of the early twenty-first century: reality TV. He explores its cultural and political meanings, explains the genesis of the form and its relationship to contemporary television production, and considers how it connects with, and breaks away from, factual and fictional conventions in television.

Friday 19 October 2012

13A Feminism homework

In regards to the article with Morinsons having a section of toys for boys and for girls, i believe that this is wrong. Simply from a childs prespective it forces a poor 4 year old girl to pick up a pink barbie doll as she walks past the spiderman action figure she really wanted. Referring to theorists this re-enforces Judith Butler's performance idea. The child is automatically directed to the pink or blue toys from a young age, untill it eventually becomes the social 'norm' for the child. It is how society expects the child to 'perform.'

A child be able to make their own decicison in selecting toys and other life choices they will eventually have to in their life without parents nudging them in the expected direction.
On the other hand if a normal sane person was being brutally honest, this is much ado about nothing. It may effect the companies overall sell but that is at their disgression. If it really was such an issue the boy/girl would walk over to the opposite genders allocated section and pick up the toy they wanted.

The article about females being represented in a certain way in newspapers and most articles are written by males is a fair point. however again i simply believe it is all mellow drmatic behaviour. 94% of the prison population is male. Something must be done to stop the outrageous sexism within the justice system (!)
Personally i think in newspapers represent females as simple minded housewives as the normally have a double page spread on how to lose weight in an hour or the perfect pasta dish for their husband when they come home from a hard day at work. My proposal is release a strong minded independant woman newspaper speaking about the strong female political views and be striving to be the breadwinners. This article is a classic example that we have not reached a stage of post feminism. That statement is very far fetched. In the same way the world will never be at war, or everyone will accept ethnic minorities and females may and a very big MAY surpass men. BUT, not for a very long time maybe never but they are making small baby steps towards it in their pink heels.

Too soon?

Monday 27 August 2012

Genre

General research : articles etc

BBC NEWS - BigBrother effect on unemployment in youth

Lee Barron ' From social experiment to postmodern joke '

Digital Spy - Is BB an experiment? debate.



'From social experiment to exploitation.' article
This article particularly caught my eye as it relates to some of the points i made in regards to the values BB puts forth and some of the ideologies people relate to the show.

"It has now become all about putting people in a house that they know will clash and it is more about ratings and staying popular rather than the actual prize money and the social side. It has turned from a social experiment to an absolute farce"
"It seems that both the celebrities and the ‘normal’ people seem to all become classed as stars if they appear on Big Brother."
"The Big Brother format has made it acceptable for people’s every single move to be documented and for it to be entertaining."

IThe values,representations, conotations etc behind the Big Brother Eye



DENOTATIONS , CONOTATIONS , VALUES , DEBATES ETC

The BigBrother eye quite overtly presents the main focus of the show- To watch others. At first glance there is nothing more to this well known and iconic image, the eye is an obvious choice for such a television plot after all. However when looking into the connotations of the image from a media perspective this eye represents a lot more.

1) The fact that the image consists of one single eye represents the idea of 'Big Brother' society that we live in - the idea that we ( the working and middle class , the subordinate > everyone other than the elite) are subordinate to the higher, elite. In effect the show is basically mimicking the world we live in. The 14 contestants are us and 'Big Brother' the anonymous voice-over is basically the Rupert Murdock's , The British Government and the equivalent to the BNP hierarchy wise. 

2) VOYEURISM! 

3) By simply using an eye for the shows logo it is in effect turning a massive and highly important issue and element of todays society into a trivial and ultimately acceptable icon. The masses of moral panic and up-roar from the public surrounding increasing CCTV and surveillance is merely a past time if looking at the following of Big Brother. The shows thousands of viewers follow these housemates daily , watching their everyday activities , watch these people wake up , go to sleep , shower. Big Brother is CCTV on a public scale. Yet we as public members of society would run at the chance to criticise the government for CCTV watching us. What channel 4 initially did (now channel 5) was cleverly dumb down us as viewers. They made peoples lack of privacy entertainment , making it socially acceptable to feed off of the private lives of everyday humans , thus minimalising the lack of consencus in regards to real life surveillance.

Sunday 26 August 2012

values and ideologies


One of the most obvious ideologies Big Brother presents is one of Order and of Hierarchy. The format of the show follows the housemates taking part in a number of tasks in order to win a luxury shopping budget as well as luxuries within the house such as alcohol and parties etc , this is extremely representive of the value that in order to possess the ‘better things in life’ we must work hard to get them.
The faceless character of ‘Big Brother’ creates a hierarchy immediately putting this character at the top of the hierarchy making the housemates the subordinate, similar to the everyday world enforcing the ideology that we are subordinate to a higher being/force etc which can be related to religion, government etc.

The show itself seems to have progressed the ideology over the years that fame and a celebrity lifestyle will follow those who take part. Looking at the contestant profiles this year a large percentage of the contestants said that they were entering the house in the hopes of obtaining fame and fortune after they left the house.

One of the most controversial ideologies I feel Big Brother presents regards the constant surveillance of the housemates. The philosophy of the show makes it acceptable to watch everyday people’s personal and intimate lives day-in-day-out , something there has been a vast amount of moral panic surrounding in the media in regards to rising amounts of CCTV in England. Through Big Brother taking this moral panic and turning it into entertainment it is almost supporting the idea of the increase in CCTV , enforcing the ideologies of the dominant ruling class . Marxist theorists would thus claim that Big Brother presents these idelogies to inject the view that CCTV and a lack of privacy is acceptable in order to create consensus in the lower demographic groups to keep the elite at the top of the hieracrchy.

Who is being represented? By who? How?


At the beginning of each big brother series a group of around 17 people enter the big brother house. These “every day” people range from what the big brother philosophy claims to be a vast and diverse range of cultures, lifestyles, ages etc. However in the 2012 summer channel 5 series a different group of people were presented to us. Representing a very narrow image of todays population with only 3 out of 17 contestants being from a non-Caucasian background. 6 out of 17 contestants being aged 25 and over. The vast amount of contestants within the house have a modeling background and have very little educational values.

Thus representing a highly narrow and incorrect view of today’s multi-cultural society. The show also represents the value that in order to be interesting to the public eye obtaining a positive visual image (being beautiful , in shape etc) is very important which to be honest is quite obviously presented to us through each of the 17 contestants.

I personally see this series of big brother as representing a very middle classed white Britain , latching on to stereotypes of the Essex and Chelsea lifestyle through characters such as Ashleigh and Caroline.

Propp’s character theory can be applied to the representations being put forth by Big Brother. Contestants such as Deena are immediately represented as being the villain due to her materialistic values , this representation is soon enforced further through the conflict between herself and Connor – who I believe is represented to be the Hero as a very much stereotypical mans man. Although on the outside world somebody like Sara would be perceived as the Princess I don’t feel that Big Brother really presents any kind of strong representation of a ‘princess’ this series.

Due to the reality element of the text I have chosen as far as the representation of individuals go I would have to say they were fair. However as I have said before I do not feel this is a fair representation of today’s society due to the restricted variation in characters.

BIG BROTHER SUMMER 2012 Contestant Profiles


Luke S 
night club promoter and university dropout. Age 24. White.
Benedict 
former porn actor and stripper. Currently a teacher. Age 32. White.
Luke A 
chef. Transgender (born female now male). Age 31. Born in south Africa. White.
Adam 
Mentor to young people. Born in the US where he became involved in infamous gang ‘crips’. Recovered addict, Age 27. Afro-Caribbean.
Ashleigh 
retail + barmaid. Essex girl. Age 20 . white.
Caroline 
university dropout , unemployed. Private school and boarding education. Age 20. White.
Chris 
Doorman , former bailiff. Age 21. White.
Sheivonne
Retail + former Playboy club host. Age 28. Afro-Caribbean.
Victoria
Former glamour model. Current plus size model. Age 41. White.
Lydia 
professional dancer. Engaged to “wannabe star”. Age 25. White.
Scott 
History student. Gay. Age 20. White.
Connor 
Personal Trainer+ Massage therapist. Age 24. White.
Deena 
Miss India UK. Model.Age 23. Indian Asian.
Sara
Model and runner up to miss Scotland. Age 22. White.
Arron
model and athlete. Age23 . White.
Lauren 
Criminology and sociology student. Age 20. White.
Becky
Drama Unversity student. Age 19. White.