PAPER 2 A TELEVISON : Life on Mars text analysis

LINK TO EPISODE 1

Full revision pack


70s cop shows    INFORMATION



Summarise the key points about  S1 ep 1 of Life on Mars in the following areas



Genre (  Life on Mars is a hybrid genre text)


Use of  conventions in crime and scifi genre  (  characters, settings, narrative , iconography etc.)  and how they are followed or subverted . Link to Neale's genre theory and how the text is a combination of  familiar and different genre elements .



Narrative


Barthes enigma codes :  what enigmas ( mysteries ) remain unsolved by the end of the episode ? Are any solved ?

Is the episode a restricted or unrestricted narrative ?

 Representations

How are gender, ethnicity, the police and wider society represented in both the 1970s and modern day narratives of the episode ? Look at career and job roles, attitudes towards opposite genders , attitudes towards the law, use of technology , crime detection methods  etc. 

You should focus on these characters in particular :

Sam Tyler

Gene Hunt

Annie Cartwright

Nelson

BLOG ON REPRESENTATION

PAPER 2A Crime Drama : LUTHER AND OTHER EXAMPLES

Apply the genre codes of  crime drama ( the chart in the  previous post ) to  Luther , with examples from any episodes you have seen, explaining how it matches or subverts the basic genre  and narrative conventions. 

LUTHER SERIES 2 EPISODE 1  LINK

EPISODE 2  LINK   analyse how the narrative is resolved and which  enigmas are solved

LUTHER:  Knowledge organiser  LINK  ( more detailed information )

OTHER CRIME DRAMAS

Complete this short quiz on TV crime drama

Explore the Crime Drama section on BBC player ( LINK)  and find examples of three different programmes in three different crime subgenres. Use the list of categories in crime below

• The Detective or investigative  crime drama s a subgenre of crime fiction and drama   in which an investigator or a detective—either professional, amateur, or retired—investigates a crime, often murder.
• The cozy mystery is a subgenre of detective fiction in which profanity, sex, and violence are downplayed or treated humorously.
• The whodunit, the most common form of detective fiction, features a complex, plot-driven story in which the reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed at the end of the book.
• The historical whodunnit is also a subgenre of historical fiction. The setting of the story and the crime have some historical significance.
• The locked-room mystery is a specialized kind of a whodunit in which the crime is committed under apparently impossible circumstances, such as a locked room, which no intruder could have entered or left.
• The American hardboiled school is distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of sex and violence; the sleuth usually also confronts danger and engages in violence.
• The police procedural is a story in which the detective is a member of the police, thus the activities of a police force are usually convincingly depicted.
• Forensic crime drama is similar to the police procedural. The investigator whom the reader follows is usually a medical examiner or pathologist; they must use the forensic evidence left on the body and at the crime scene to catch the killer. 
• In a legal  or courtroom crime drama  the major characters are lawyers and their employees, and they become involved in proving their cases.
• In spy novels, the major characters are spies, usually working for an intelligence agency.
• The caper story and the criminal novel are stories told from the point of view of the criminals.
• The psychological thriller or psychological suspense, a specific subgenre of the thriller, also incorporates elements from detective fiction, as the protagonist must solve the mystery of the psychological conflict presented in these stories.
• The parody or spoof uses humor or sarcasm.
• The crime thriller has the central characters involved in crime, either in its investigation, as the perpetrator, or less commonly, a victim.
• the rural crime drama is set in the countryside rather than the city and may also be a cozy or parody crime drama
• The prison crime drama uses prison as the setting and the focus is usually on a prisoner

There are others...see if you can find ones that subvert or don't fit into these categories !

PAPER 2 A CRIME DRAMA

       BASIC  CRIME TV GENRE CONVENTIONS

Genre Convention	Stereotypical (Repetition)
Subgenres/links to other genres Characters see presentation below for more information	e..g  forensic , prison,investigative , whodunnit conventions from horror/action etc.      Investigator /Detective – Maverick ,troubled past, expert in solving crime unconventionally  Supportive / Conventional/ Antagonistic  Boss Supportive /Conventional Sidekick Supportive/ Conventional/ Antagonistic colleagues  Psychological expert , IT expert, forensic expert Villain ( usually murderer )    Nemesis ( long-term equal or flipside of detective)
Locations/Settings	City – more people = more crime Industrial spaces /dark side of city Interrogation Room Criminal dwellings Crime scenes Morgue  Domestic settings
Iconography (objects/props/ clothing etc) often used symbolically to indicate power, authority , morality etc.	e.g Police uniform Police badge Police cars Technology  e.g survellience,recording Weapons Informal clothing ( superior status of  investigators)
Narrative Structure	Began with a crime  Criminal identity revealed ? Search for evidence Crime solved  Enigmas ?  All solved within episode /series ? Usually linear Single strand plotline or multiple strand with subplots ?
Technical and Audio Codes (camera shots/angles/ editing/filter/ sound effects/ dialogue/ sound track etc)	Fast paced editing for chases Close-up to medium shots of characters when interrogating (intense camera shots) Low and high angles used to show status Police siren Police jargon – technical dialogue  Sound track to match pace or emotion of scene At times there is no sound and left in silence for tension or to hear dialogue

Applying  Neale's genre conventions to stock characters

PROGRESS EXAM QUESTION : Print production

 Your progress exam question this week  will be  a Paper 1 Section A question ( 1 hour /30 marks ) on analysing genre  and representation in the Kiss of the Vampire key text and one unseen print text. 

Genre analysis  can include how the visual elements  (images , iconography, colour, layout and language)  suggest , follow or subvert genre conventions and the  audience expectations of the content and narrative of the media product. 

Representation can include looking at how gender, ethnicity , age or qualities such as  power, sexuality or national identity are represented in the poster , as well as what the characters represent in terms of genre conventions

 

You should look at the technical codes ( use of images , layout, language, colour etc. ) and use some relevant theory ( e.g Neale on genre , Hall on representation) to support your points.

You can also choose to make other relevant points about industry such as franchises , audience ,budget etc. and any historical or social context

Please use the following resources and links to help you plan : you don't need to cover all of this content.   

Kiss of the vampire basic summary

Kiss of the vampire  Eduqas resource sheet

Kiss of the vampire more information and research

Genre and genre theory  presentation in Kiss of the Vampire 

You will be given a copy of both texts during the exam and you can bring in 1 single page of  notes

DON'T FORGET :  THIS PROGRESS EXAM WILL HELP DEFINE YOUR PREDICTED GRADE  AND GUIDE CONTENT AND YOUR LEARNING GOALS  IN THE SECOND YEAR SO DO YOUR BEST ! 

ESSENTIAL TASK : Statement of Aims

DRAFT STATEMENT OF AIMS ( for the cross-media production )  ( 450-550 words )


You will be required to complete a brief outline of your aims and intentions for your media production.

 This will enable you to explain the ways in which you will apply knowledge and
understanding of  key terminology and technical codes  to the production and target the intended
audience in specific ways.  For example :

Choice of main image on cover/poster

Title of products 

Layout and colour choices

Choice of cover lines and written content on cover

Layout/formatting  and image selection in magazine article/DVD cover

Selection about language and content of article/blurb 

Reason for narrative/setting   of music video e.g connetion to song lyrics, artist profile

How music video will use performance

Ideas for technical choices in music video e.g  closeups , colour ,editing

 

You can also demonstrate how you have considered the relevant producer and genre of your products.



DEADLINE : May 28 



Example 1 of a good statement of aims ( band 5 )


Example 2 of a good  statement of aims ( band 5)

PRINT EXAMPLES : Magazine 2 page spreads

 The articles must follow the instructions on the brief and the blog , but as you can see you can be more  bold and experimental in terms of layout and design than the more conventional front cover

PRINT EXAMPLES : DVD covers