ON FRIDAY I WILL BE SETTING THE FOLLOWING TIMED ESSAY:
'Producers of Long Form TV Drama, construct versions of reality that target the viewpoints and ideologies of their audiences." How far do you agree with this statement?
- consider the contexts in which long form television dramas are produced and consumed,
- explain how media contexts may have influenced representations in the set episodes of the two long form television dramas you have studied,
- refer to relevant academic theories,
- make judgements and reach conclusions about the reasons for the differences in representation between the two episodes.
In the comments section below, post your essay plan...
You should include:
- a brief summary of each paragraph
- the opening sentence
- the theory you intend to include
- the conclusion you expect to reach.
e.g.
Paragraph 1:
Summary: Economic Context 'Stranger Things.'
Opening: The enormous economic success of 'Stranger Things' is due, in no small part, to the rich and diverse representations that appeal to the viewpoints and ideologies of their equally diverse audience.
Theorists: Hesmondhalgh (Media Industry), Gauntlett (Representation), Jenkins (Audience)
Conclusion: While Netflix are able to use data in a very granular way to help them make judgements about commissioning Long Form TV dramas, it is unlikely that they specifically targeted the values and ideologies of their audience, but rather that they allowed their symbol creators (The Duffer brothers) the artistic freedom to produce a show that would attract a huge and highly engaged audience.
NB: Remember you will need to cover at least three different contexts and use a range of theorists. An ideal plan will use four to six paragraphs.
Paragraph 1
ReplyDeleteSummary: Stranger things economic context
Opening sentence: Stranger Things had immense success when released, becoming popular globally giving the show a uniquely diverse audience.
Theorists: Hesmondhalgh, Gauntlett, Jenkins
Conclusion: The ability LFTVDs have to allow symbol creators to delve into many different characters/their backgrounds/character arcs allow audiences to connect with their piece which then creates fandoms who further popularise a show. Despite Netflix’s data driven approach, they most likely allowed the Duffer Brothers to create what they wanted, and ignored targetting the viewpoints and ideologies of the audience since the diversity of the audiences (e.g. age range, ethnicity, gender) means it would be difficult to pinpoint a specific viewpoint.
Paragraph 2
Summary: Deutschland 83 economic context
Opening sentence: Produced by one American and one German producer, Deutschland 83 focused more specifically on historical accuracy and allowing the creators more freedom - most likely due to being produced by SunDance Tv who celebrate up-and-coming filmmakers at their yearly SunDance Film Festival.
Theorists: Hesmondhalgh, Hall (Reception)
Conclusion: The producers of Deutschland 83 allowed their symbol creators freedom to create their own story, with little regard to the risk of not using their audiences viewpoints and ideologies. In it’s native country, although having strong critical reviews, it was a flop which we can understand when using Hall’s reception theory as many German’s would react negatively to a communist protagonist due to the recent history. However due to the dual production, D83 was successful in America, which reinforces the belief that symbol creators should be allowed freedom. The use of producing across multiple production companies minimises risk which can be shared among them, along with their use of using a popular genre.
Paragraph 3
Summary: Stranger Things Historical Context
Opening Paragraph: The Duffer Brothers were born in the late 80s meaning they would have little to no memories of the time, rather choosing to create a hyperrealist, nostalgic representation of the 80s.
Theorists: Baudrillard, Van Zoonen/Barthes, Hall, Gauntlett
Conclusion: The representations of many characters point to the fact that the creators have used the viewpoints and ideologies of modern audiences rather than creating an accurate portrayal of the time. This is evident with characters such as Nancy who is independent and academically successful, and Joyce who is a single mother but is more involved with her son’s life and determined to help.
Paragraph 4
Summary: Deutschland 83 Historical Context
Opening Paragraph: A hyperrealistic representation of the 80s is created again, however in D83 this is more focused on accurately portraying history.
Theorists: Baudrillard, Hall
Conclusion: The viewpoints and ideologies of modern audiences are disregarded by the Wingers in order to create what we imagine as an accurate portrayal of 1980s Soviet Germany. The creator Jorg Winger served in the West German Military, meaning unlike ST the creators of the show were there and experienced the time period.