Homelands Race Representation and Americanisation

LO: Discuss, explain and evaluate how media context (where the media product was produced and screened) may have influenced representations in the TV Drama you have studied.

Americanisation: The action of making a person or thing American in character or nationality.

McDonaldisation: To describe how America has spread around the world.

Cultural imperialism: Cultural imperialism is the process and practice of promoting one culture over another.

Capitalism: An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Consumerism: He protection or promotion of the interests of consumers.

Islamophobia/Islamophibic: Islamophobia is the fear, hatred of, or prejudice against the Islamic religion or Muslims generally, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or the source of terrorism.

We are prisoners of American culture

American products is become global due to the media as Google is owned by American's, so therefore the rest of the world (mostly) will become influenced. 

Countries not following Americanisation - 

• North Korea
• Bolivia
• Ghana 
• Macedonia 
• Bermuda
• Zimbabwe
• Iceland

These countries don't have McDonalds, proving that they don't follow American culture unlike the rest of the world.

The cultural of American culture is a Western origin, but has spread out of the rest of the world which has influenced their social and cultural characteristics, such as, music, food,  and social-habits. As America is a large country, it has a large influence on young people and people with low IQ's. 

American Dominant Ideology:

Gender roles - Male (they're 'stronger' so they're suppose to look after females)

Race - White (black people are 'violent')

Social grade - C1-A (anyone below C1 aren't important)

Sexuality - Straight (any different sexuality it 'weird')

Religion - Catholic (muslim are 'terrorists')

Politics(e.g. Capitalism) - Capitalism (the American 'dream')

If you're not a white, straight middle class man, you're not important. "They have all the power and should be in power. They're the social norm." (Carl Marx argument)

How Homelands fix's/breaks gender conventions:

Gender roles - Female (breaks)

Race - White (fix)

Social grade - C1-A (fix)

Sexuality - straight (fix)

Religion - Catholic or atheist (fix)

Politics - Capitalism (fix)

Homeland breaks gender conventions as the main character is female (Carrie) but her boss is male which fixes gender conventions as Carrie has to follow his orders as she's below him socially. This balances out the broken and fixed gender conventions, so they audience can't argue that the main character is female. 

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Stages in Todorov's Theory

Equilibrium - A state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced

Disruption - Disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process.

Recognition of Disruption - The main character figures out the disruption.

Attempt to Fix Disruption - The main character attempts to fix the disruption.

New Disruption/Equilibrium - The main character either fixes the disruption or makes a new disruption.

Apply Todorov's Theory To Homelands

Equilibrium - 

• Set in Baghdad
• Carrie Mathison (played by Clare Danes)CIA agent 

Disruption - 

• Washington (US)
• Carrie has a bipolar disorder
• American agent Brodie thought dead, was really alive
• Main Disruption - An agent has been turned(Brodie) that's returning to America(Carrie to Saul)
• Brodie's wife and best friend are having an affair
• Brodie's teenage daughter is smoking bong's
• Brodie has come back (PTSD or nervous?)
• Carrie is happy to break rules (surveillance on Brodie without permission)
• Sex = Bad

Recognition of Disruption - 

Attempt to Fix Disruption - 

New Disruption/Equilibrium - 

Evaluate the relevance of Todorov's theory of narratology to long form television drama.

Todorov's narrative theory for long form television drama shows the meaning and messages of the episode. Todorov's theory is used for mostly films, it could also be applied for long form television drama but does contain some limitations especially when it comes to the drama Homeland as it's likely to start a new equilibrium. His theory includes the equilibrium, disruption, recognition of disruption, attempt to fix disruption, and new equilibrium (or disruption if it's a TV drama). The equilibrium is the start of the TV drama of film where everything is balanced and nothing bad has happened yet. Disruption is where the balance is changed as something bad has happened, casing drama. The main character will recognise the disruption, so they'll try to fix it (attempt to fix disruption) so they can become balanced again. After that's happened they'll be a new equilibrium where everything is back to normal again, or if it's a TV drama there'll be a new disruption so engage the audience to continue to watch the show.

Todorov's theory can be shown at the start of Homeland as the equilibrium is set in Baghdad which would automatically set the audience on edge as it's the capital of Iraq which is know for being dangerous but the main character (Carrie Mathison), a CIA agent, and her mission gets closed down so therefore she has to come back to Washington. Homelands is a crime drama which follows the conventions of the equilibrium as the opening is dramatic but that's Carrie's balanced life, which engages the audience as there's an automatic suspense in the drama, making them feel obliged to watch the show.

DIRT - Review your presonalized differentiated learning targets and make any relevant improvements to your Todorov narrative essay introduction.

Charlotte Dymond Evaluation

The Trial

On Wednesday the 18th and the 25th of September 2019 we visited the the Shire Hall to film the mock trail of the murder of Charlotte Dymond, which was made by animatronics in 1999. The trail lasted for 25-30 minutes; but unfortunately the first time of filming (18th), the audio of the animatronics wasn't working but the second time (25th) it was fixed. 

My team and I filmed the side angle of the trial.