Analysing Media Text

• Who produced it?
• What/who is being represented in the text?
• How is that thing represented?
• Why was this particular representation (this shot, framed from this angle, this story phrased in these terms, etc) selected and what might the alternatives have been?
• What frame of reference does the audience use when understanding the representation?

Stereotypical/Non Stereotypical TV Drama Roles

Stereotypical Male: Aaron McCusker

(Jamie Maguire - Shameless)

Stereotypical Female: Gemma Merna

(Carmel Valentine - Hollyoaks)

Non Stereotypical Male: Michael Urie

(Marc St.James - Ugly Betty)

Non Stereotypical Female: Victoria Atkin

(Jason/Jasmine Costello - Hollyoaks)

Analysis

Semotics – The science of signs (Roland Barthes, 1964)

Denotation – What the sign actually is (Rose = Garden Plant)

Connotation – What you associate with that sign (Rose = Rugby, Valentine’s Day, Romance, Blood)

Verisimilitude – Realism

Proximity – The position of the character within the shot

Micro	Macro
Camera Angles, Movement and Position	Audience
Mise en Scene	Narrative
Sound	Genre
Editing	Representation

Audience Reception Theories

 - Stuart Hall (1950's)
    The encoding and decoding theory. ='Preferred Reading'

Representation in the Media

By definition, all media texts are re-presentations of reality. This means that they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us. When studying the media it is vital to remember this - every media form, from a home video to a glossy magazine, is a representation of someone's concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols which can be read by an audience. However, it is important to note that without the media, our perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. Therefore representation is a fluid, two-way process: producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

Male/Female Representations

Masculine	Feminine
Macho	Kind
Active	Chatty
Competitive	Creative
Jealous	Delicate
Paternal	Bitchy
Vulgar	Talkative
Mature	Emotional
Banter	Maternal
Xbox	Salad
Football	Make-up
Rugby	Wine
Builder	Flowers
Kebabs	Clothes
Beer	Chocolate
T.V	Children
Banker	Bra
Army	Nurse
Bread-Winner	Cocktails
DIY	Chick-Flicks

Production Rules

180 Degree Rule - the 180° rule is a basic guideline that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.

Match on Action - Cutting on action or matching on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. Although the two shots may have actually been shot hours apart from each other, cutting on action gives the impression of continuous time when watching the edited film.

Continuity Editing - The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.

Shot Reverse Shot - A film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Eye-Line Match - An eyeline match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. The eyeline match begins with a character looking at something off-screen, there will then be a cut to the object or person at which he is looking.

TV Drama Definition

A TV Drama is a dramatic programming that is scripted and usually fictional along the lines of a traditional drama. This excludes, sports television, television news, reality and game shows, stand-up comedy and variety shows. An example of a TV Drama is 'Shameless'.

TV Dramas

TV Drama	Genre	TV Channel	Time	Narrative
Desperate Housewives	Comedy	Channel 4	22:00	A comedy following lives of the 5 desperate housewives.
Misfits	Comedy/Teen Drama	Channel 4/ E4	22:00	Normal Teenagers who have powers, and a lot of problems. They have to keep their identity hidden.
Skins	Teen Drama/ Comedy	E4	22:00	Following lives of young teens.
Dr Who	Sci-Fi	BBC1	19:10	Following the many travels of the Doctor.
CSI	Crime Drama	Channel 5	22:00	Finding the victims murderer, and what exactly happened to the victim.
Doc Martin	Family Drama	ITV	21:00	The life of Doc Martin.
Shameless	Comedy	Channel 4	22:00	Following the lives of people living on a Manchester council estate.
Hollyoaks	Teen Drama	Channel 4/ E4	18:30	Soap on everyday, following the lives of people that live in the area.
Survivors	Sci-Fi	BBC1	21:00	The survivors of a virus try to find a cure, and keep themselves from being infected.
Grey’s Anatomy	Medical Drama	Channel 5	22:00	Life in the Hospital.