Case Study: Gossip Girl- Narrative

Todorov Theory 

§ In Gossip Girl, every episode has a sequence of disturbances that are not fully resolved by the end of the episode but will continue to the next episode to then be resolved.

§The reason for this may to be to keep generating interest in the show and that the narrative revolves solely around fixing the cycle in which they live. The structure of the narrative is, to some extent, open-ended in order to entice people to follow up as the story continues to unfold. As a result, the show continues to have high viewing rates and is ranked one of the best TV series in the US.The world of the characters in Gossip Girl seems a bit surreal in terms of what is normal for the majority of teenagers around the world.

§They live in a world where designer clothes are at their disposal, where they have maids and drivers in limos waiting on them, where they live in huge apartments and indulge in a luxurious lifestyle.

§Another observation is the fact that they don’t get punished for their mistakes, and they always seem to get what they want through manipulative games and lying. 

§The medium of the narrative would be the Gossip Girl site where constant updates on the lives of the characters are posted for everyone to see.

§In turn, the main characters including Blair and Serena are featured on the site frequently and they seem not to mind that the public knows details of their lives.

§This site possibly elevates their social status and makes them celebrities within their own community. What may seem innate or unnatural in the lives of these rich kids is in fact the opposite. In any other world, the Gossip Girl site would serve as the largest disruption of normality, yet it has been weaved into their lives as part of how their world operates.

Different group representations

§Class is a major theme throughout every season of Gossip Girl. There’s two major classes represented, middle class and upper class. The upper class ridicule the middle class society in the first few seasons. Even when a character from the upper class starts a relationship with a character form the middle class (Dan and Serena). The other characters are unwilling to accept their relationship

§Sexuaily plays a key theme in some seasons, as some of the characters are gay. One of the main characters (Eric) is gay and therefore the other characters aren’t as accepting of him as it will ruin their ‘social status’ and how others view them

§Social hierarchy is also a major theme throughout the seasons. Theses a complete difference between the social hierarchy, as this is shown through the types of events characters attend. For example, the characters from the upper class attend a masquerade balls and gala’s quite often, whereas class aren’t allowed to attend events like this, or events at all. 

Tv drama codes and conventions- Melodrama

The regulations of the film industry in the UK and the US

Film regulation in the US.

• The Motion Picture Production code was the set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of most United States motion pictures released by the major studios from 1930 to 1968. (Popularly known as the Hays Code after Hollywood's chief censor of the time Will Hays).
• It was developed to ensure the absence of 'offensive material' and prevent from government interference in film industry.
• Hays retired in 1945 and The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) took over. 
• In the late 1960's, the american film industry looked to artistic freedoms and the removal of the Hays code.
• In 1968, MPAA president Jack Valenti replaced the Hays code with the film rating system they use today. 
• The voluntary rating system consisted off G(general audiences), M(mature audiences-changed to PG), R(restricted audiences-no one under 16, later changed to 17), X(Adults only).
• In the 1980's/1990's some changes were made: G, PG(parental guidance), PG-13(midpoint between PG and R), R, X, XXX(added by pornography industry in the 1980s)
• 2004- Under Dan Glickman, the MPAA encountered the rise of the digital era meaning new opportunities as well as new threats. The most serious threat being the online copyright theft.

The current American rating system:

Film Regulations in the UK.

• The British Board of film classification(BBFC)was set up in 1912 and has been classifying cinema films and videos/DVD since the videos recordings act was passed in 1948.
• Cinema-In 1912 the British board of film sensors was set up. It was set up by the film industry as an independent body to standardise the classification of the film industry.
• Statutory powers on film remain with local councils which can overrule any of the BBFC'S decisions.
• Local councils can: pass films that the BBFC reject, ban films they’ve passes and even abandoning cuts and putting new one into place. They can also alter categories for films exhibited under their own licensing jurisdiction (authority.)  
• Video-In 1984 parliament passed the video recordings act.
• The video recordings act stated that, video recordings (bar certain exceptions) offered for sale or hire commercially in the UK must be classified by an authority designated by the Secretary of State. The President and Vice President of the BBFC were designated with applying the new test of ‘suitability’ for viewing in the home’.The boards title was changed to the British Board of Film classification to reflect that classification plays a bigger part in the BBFC’S work than censorship.

Comparison of the regulations in the UK and US.

•  The members of the US board work for the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), an independent division of the MPAA, in common with the BBFC as they're both funded by fees charged to producers/distributors for the rating of their films.
• Legally, the US rating system is voluntary, film makers aren't forced to submit films to the board for rating but most producers/distributors choose to. Members that are signed to the MPAA, which represent the major studios, have agreed to submit all of their theatrical releases for rating. Unlike the UK system, any American producer/distributor who wishes to avoid movie rating can go straight to the market without any rating or use any description of symbol they choose, as long as it cannot be confused with the recognisable symbols that are trademarks of the MPAA and can't be used by any other individual or organisation. 
• The US rating board is not associated with the U.S government and the film ratings have no legal meaning.However, most American filmmakers apply for a formal as US theatre chains are usually reluctant to show unrated films. Films that are released without rating are usually small, independent films/ foreign films and other types of films you wouldn't expect to receive wide distribution.
• Both the UK and the US have roughly similar age gaps between the five main film categories:
• (both have ‘PG’; ‘12A’ in the UK matches with ‘PG-13’ in the US, for example, or ‘18’ and ‘NC-17’). However, these similarities can be misleading, as the classifications are handled in quite different ways by both the public and the cinema theatres.
• In the UK, the BBFC has been classifying videos/DVDs since the passing of the Video Recordings Act in 1984. Even if a film has already been given a category for cinematic viewing, the BBFC will separately classify the DVD version of it, to be sold or rented. It is possible for a DVD of a film to have a different classification to the version shown in the cinema.

Main Task- Research and Planning, Construction and Evaluation

Audience Theory Prezi

“Vertical Integration actively stifles creativity in the movie industry”

Vertical integration is the process by which a media institution owns several companies at different stages of production or the supply chain.  20^th Century Fox is owned by News Cooperation and 21^st Century Fox, which is a huge an American multinational mass media corporation. It is one of two companies created from the 2013 split of News Corporation (as founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1979); 21st Century Fox retains the previous News Corporation's broadcasting and film assets and serves as its legal successor, while its publishing assets were spun off to form News Corp at the same time. Among its holdings are Fox Entertainment Group—owners of the 20th Century Fox film studio and Fox television network among other assets, and pan-Asian pay channel operator STAR TV.

In terms of infrastructure in the film industry, an early example of vertical integration would be the merging of companies of two different types. For example  The Fox Film Corporation was formed in 1915 by theatre chain pioneer William Fox, who formed Fox Film Corporation by merging two companies he had established in 1913: Greater New York Film Rental, a distribution firm, which was part of the Independents; and Fox (or Box, depending on the source) Office Attractions Company, a production company. 20^th Century Fox now owns companies at each stage of the supply chain enabling the institution to maximise profits and tap into new global markets. 20^th Century Fox’s more recent titles are currently available in cinemas, on digital HD, Blue-ray and DVD. The company owns Fox Studios in Los Angeles and Fox Studios Australia which is Australia’s largest film and television studio. Fox Broadcasting Company also owns Fox TV channels which show popular programmes such as Glee, New Girl and Family Guy. 20^th Century fox also owns DVD rental shops, they have ownership over all of these different chains so they can make money from every part of it. Vertical Integration allows them to make money, therefore actively stifling creativity as film companies are constantly thinking of ways they can maximise their profits.

 X-Men: First class (2011) is a good example of how 20^th Century Fox has used vertical integration in order to maximise the potential earnings from productions. It was produced by 20^th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry Productions and the Donners’ Company. It was then distributed by 20^th Century Fox which also distributed all the other X-Men films. The X-Men franchise is one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises. X Men: First Class was the fifth instalment in the franchise about superhero mutants, a big-budget action movie based on a popular comic book series. However, in X-Men: First class, “X-men” is a vastly different creature from the other films which presented some unique marketing challenges. It lacked a big name star and is set in the early 1960s, a period unfamiliar to much of the films target audience.  Therefore, it had to use marketing successfully in order to attract the audience’s attention. The entire production had to be immersed in the culture of that era, and there was one method used to help bridge that time gap in the minds of viewers – stunt casting.  One of the most critically lauded television shows airing today is the advertising period piece “Mad Men”, and replicating that feel was clearly a goal, having “Mad Men” cast member January Jones as one of the main mutants helped to achieve that goal.  The motion picture magazine Total Film got involved in both the contemporary marketing and the throw-back vibe of the production. 20^th Century Fox exhibits its X-Men films to an international audience, showing the films in cinemas all over the world. On the 20^th Century Fox website it says “As the digital revolution reshapes all aspects of the entertainment industry, 20th Century Fox remains on the forefront, embracing new technologies that take our audience deeper into our films.”

In November 2012, 20th Century Fox announced plans to create their own shared universe, consisting of Marvel properties that it holds the rights to including the Fantastic Four and X-Men, with the hiring of Mark Millar as supervising producer. This shows how 20^th Century Fox uses vertical integration to appeal to its audience.

Vertical Integration is important for multi- national media conglomerates because it enables them to squeeze out competition from independent film makers who cannot compete to the same level. Since 20^th Century Fox is able to produce, distribute, market and exhibit its products using its own integrated companies it means that anything produced by 20^TH Century Fox takes priority over anything produced by a different company’s studio. In conclusion, Vertical Integration does actively stifle creativity as it enhances competition between film studios. Vertical Integration is a threat on independent studios. For example, a British independent picture wouldn’t necessarily have the same advertising space or marketing tools as a 20th Century Fox picture would.

Rudimental- Not Giving In. Music video analysis.

Rudimental-Not Giving In.

Genre: Dance, Electronic, and Soul.

Audience: Primarily young people. The content of the video reflects the target audience, the street/break dancing relates the video to youth culture and focuses it on a younger popular audience.

Narrative: The music video tells a narrative story. It shows the story of two brothers living in a shanty town in the Philippines. The music video shows the conflicting decisions that the brothers face, living in a poverty-stricken town. One brother chooses to learn to dance whilst the other gets involved in gang violence and the drug trade. The video cross cuts to juxtaposing shots to show this. During the lyrics ‘not giving in’, a mid close up of the ‘good’ brother is used to show him dancing and working really hard to improve. This shows that he’s determined to achieve his goals and he’s not going to give up. This then cross cuts to a mid shot of the other brother carrying drugs and handing them to another person. He’s stood with his ‘friends’ and the other gang members all encouraging him to do it and take part. This shows the peer pressure that he’s facing, they’re stood around him in circle, which suggests that he’s now ‘trapped’ in that life. This shows that he’s chose to be a part of a gang involved with drugs in contrast to his brother who doesn't want to be associated with that life. It emphasises to the audience how the decisions they make shape the rest of their lives.

Shots: The opening shot of the video is a close up of a hand flicking down a penknife. This has connotations of violence and danger. This then cross cuts to a mid shot of the two brothers sat looking miserable and scared. This introduces the two characters to the audience and straight away suggests that they’re in danger and about to face a difficult, violent situation. A close up of one of the brothers follows this, the close up emphasises the tears running down his face. This is effective as it makes the boy look vulnerable and allows the audience to emphasise with his situation. A cross cut is used after this, which shows the man that was holding the penknife, grabbing the boy’s mother and abusing and hitting her, the brothers try to help her but get thrown violently to the ground.  This is effective as it shows the audience their troubled home life situation, which makes the message of the video, and song seems more inspiring. It allows the audience to understand why the boy was crying in the shot beforehand. It also shows the objectification of women as the male showing the inferiority and abuse she faces slaps the mum. This is important as it raises the issue of inequality in their lives. It creates audience interaction as the close ups capture how the characters feel throughout the video. An establishing shot is used after this to show poor run down city, it shows how high the poverty is in the area and the low circumstances the characters face. The props and location are effective in this shot as they enforce how deprived people living in shanty towns are. Irony is used effectively here, in the background you can see the city with big buildings and lights, it shows the juxtaposing situations. It shows how close they are to civilisation yet so far away from any help.          

A medium close up dolly shot of both brothers’ shoes is shown in the video as they leave their home, this is effective as they’re both wearing old flip flops. This enhances their lack of materialistic items or general everyday essentials which further shows their poverty stricken lives. It could also represent how both boy’s start off on the same path and in the same shoes but later on in the video will choose which route to go down. It foreshadows the different directions they choose to take. Both brothers start off sticking together, this is shown through the medium two shot of them both laughing, whilst running away with drinks and money that they just stole. This is effective as it shows the audience that at the start of the music video the brothers have a close ‘jokey’ relationship, it’s not until later on that things start to escalate. The two shot allows the audience to see the body language of both characters together portraying a family bond which the audience can relate to. It highlights the comparison between the beginning and the end of the video. It could also show how pick pocketing and stealing is the norm in the characters situation. A significant shot in the video is when the ‘good’ brother is drawn to a dance off/dance lesson in the street, the mid shot shows him looking to his brother encouraging him to come watch. This is significant as it’s the beginning of him drifting from his brother and the start of his determination to dance which emphasises the title ‘not giving in’ which is repeated throughout the video in the lyrics. This is followed by a reaction tracking shot close up of his brother shaking his head and walking off with one of the gang members, the shot shows him looking back as he walks off. This suggests that maybe he knows that he’s made the wrong choice, however the gang member has him arm around him which could show that there’s no going back for him as the peer pressure has him trapped. I think the penultimate shot in the music video is the most important, the reverse zoom shot shows the ‘bad’ brother lying dead on the ground after being shot by a gang member. The reverse zoom is effective as the further away the camera goes from the boy the more alone he looks. It allows the audience to feel empathy and emotion towards him.

Editing: Cross cutting shots are used consistently throughout the music video to show the contrasting actions of the brothers, this is used especially effectively when the ‘good’ brother is dancing in the dance competition and falls to the ground (as part of the dance), it then cross cuts to the ‘bad brother’ also falling to the ground but because he’s just been shot. This portrays the ending of one brother’s life and just the beginning for the other, it allows the audience to see the characters juxtaposing lives because of the decisions they made. Slow motion is used at the beginning of the video when the brothers’ mum is being abused by their dad, this creates emotion as it emphasises the pain she goes through. It could also explain why the ‘bad’ brother made the wrong choices, his home situation could've led to him acting out. This is effective as some of the audience can relate to being in the same situation. Continuity editing is used in the establishing shot when showing the shanty town that they live in, this makes the editing seem seamless and makes the video look more realistic to the audience. It’s effective as it shows the audience that people do actually live like that currently and makes them more thankful for their lives. The audience could use this video as a form of escapism as it makes them forget any problems they have in their own lives. Jump cuts are used during the lyrics ‘I'm gunna be stronger, no not giving in’ as the ‘good brother’ goes to get ready for his dance competition, it jump cuts to the other brother who’s getting ready for a fight. It takes away the actual competition and fight to create suspense with the audience, they have to wait for the next shot to see what happens.

Lighting: Ambient lighting is mostly used throughout the video, especially during the outside shots showing the setting and when the characters are running through the town. This is to create a realistic tone to the video in order for the audience to empathise with it. Low key lighting is used during the dance competition to focus the attention on the ‘good brother’ and how he didn't give up which links to the lyrics of the song. It also enhances his skill and how much he’s learnt because of his motivation.

Costume, Connotations & Denotations and Representation: The characters shown in the music video all tend to have the same costume style, both the brothers wear baggy sports shorts and vest tops. This fits the stereotypical representation of ‘lower class’ young people who can’t afford to have the ‘latest’ branded clothing. The brother that chooses to street dance wears flip flops/ bare feet when doing so. This shows that he didn't need the latest trainers to be able to learn to dance which highlights the message of the song and the idea about working hard no matter what obstacles you face. In this video, the example being living in poverty. When the ‘bad’ brother chooses to be a part of the gang and drug culture, his costume changes. He’s shown wearing baggy jeans, trainers, hoodies and a ‘flat peak’ hat. The contrast between the clothes he wore before joining the gang and after is significant because it suggests that they’re stolen as he couldn't afford them before. Also, all the gang members wear the same type of clothing which could represent the problem of peer pressure in young people. Hoodies and ‘flat peak’ hats have connotations of being quite ‘chavy’ which represents him as being out to cause trouble. Straight away in the video, the audience are shown a violent situation in the mid shot of the mum being abused and one of the brothers trying to help. This denotes that their lives are violent and they’re treated badly. This shot is followed by a long reverse zoom shot of the ‘good’ brother looking out his small, old and worn-down house and uses a tracking shot to show the surroundings. This is effective as it has denotations of everyone around him being in the same situation which allows the audience to emphasise with him. The fact that he’s looking out of the window has connotations that he wants more from life, it could show him looking at his future wanting something better. This foreshadows the goals he achievers through dancing later on in the video.