11th September 2019
Camera Work
Shot Types
- Extreme close up
- Close up
- Medium close up
- Extreme long shot
- Long shot
- Medium shot
Angles
- Birds eye view
- Worms eye view
- Low angle
- High angle
Movement
- Panning
- Tracking
- Tilt
- Dutch tilt
Friday 17th April 2020
L/O: To explore the content of the unit
Long Form TV Drama
Media Language: How TV drama communicates through codes and conventions and technical and narrative techniques.
Representations: How events, issues, individuals and social groups are portrayed in TV drama.
Industry: How the TV industry processes of production, distribution and circulation work.
Audiences: How TV drama target, reach and address audiences and how audiences interpret and respond to them.
Context: The economic, social and cultural contexts surrounding specific TV dramas.
How am I examined?
There will be TWO exam essay questions:
1. A longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies.
2. A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case studies to a particular theory you've studied.
Defining the Genre
- Long-form TV dramas are normally characterised by in-depth, lengthy narratives.
- The Story unfolds over approximately 10 episodes, allowing for plot and character development.
- "Long Form Drama is a term coined to describe the recent shift of interest towards television series of high quality that many consider to have replaced the cinema as a locus of serious adult entertainment. Unfolding over multiple episodes, hours, and even years, these TV shows are seen to provide a content, often dark and difficult, and an innovative style that strain against the conventions of cinema as well as network television. Once considered a cultural wasteland--hence the pejorative nickname the 'boob tube' as TV came to be called in the nineteen sixties--television now attracts some of the best and most innovative writers, directors, and even actors." - CineAction
- The inception of this form has emphasised cinematic qualities and complex flexi-narratives.
Flexi-narrative represent a complex story-telling form with the following features:
- Central characters whose motives develop with them.
- A main story-line with interwoven subplots.
- A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and question for the audience.
What have you seen?
Choose a TV drama series that you have watched(not case studies)
Explain, in detail, how it uses the characteristics of a flexi-narratives:
Game of Thrones
Central characters whose motives develop with them
Daenerys - Wants to claim back the iron throne for a good cause, but ends up destroying Kings Landing and killing innocent people.
A main story-line with interwoven subplots
A decade-long summer is ending, and winter looms as characters claim for the Iron Throne, but lots of people want to claim it so there's lots of backstabbing and bloodshed.
A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and question for the audience.
Littlefinger - You never know who he's going to manipulate next, making the audience question everything he does.
Research Task
- Find an overview of the storyline of Season 1.
The first seasons follows Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of was, was turned by the enemy and now poses a significant risk to national security.
- Write a character profile for each of the three main characters: Carrie, Brody and Saul.
Carrie Mathison - She is a former operations officer working for the Central Intelligence Agency. She is obsessively hunting down a terrorist named Abu Nazir, whom she suspects turned Nick Brody, an American prisoner of war, against his country.
Brody - Brody is rescued by Delta Force troops during a raid on a terrorist compound in Afghanistan. He is flown back to the U.S., where he is reunited with his wife, Jessica, and his children, Dana and Chris.
Saul - Saul Berenson is Carrie Mathison's mentor and to some extent, protector at the CIA.
Production
Which TV network developed the show and which corporation are they a subsidiary of?
The series was developed by SHOWTIME - a cable and satellite TV network. A subsidiary of CBS Corporation. They are known for high quality film and TV programming.
Which studio produced the series?
Fox 21 Television Studios
What award did the first season win?
Season 1 won the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best TV Drama Series - showing the critical acclaim the show received.
Distribution
Episode 1, 'Pilot', released differently to normal to the US? How many viewers did it have than in the UK on Channel 4?
US - Released at 10PM after watershed hours, receiving 1.08 million views. This was Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in 8 years.
The first episode was made available online more than 2 weeks before TV broadcast - viewers had to complete game tasks to gain access to the episode.
UK - Released at 9PM, on the watershed hour on Channel 4 and attracted approximately 2.8 million viewers.
It was also distributed in Canada, Ireland, India and Pakistan.
What genre is it?
Drama
Tuesday 21st April 2020
Season 1, Episode 1, October 2011
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in a set episode
Homeland: Narrative
- LF TV dramas often have a complex narrative structure:
a main narrative arc that spans the whole series and a number of minor narratives that may only last one or two episodes.
- The main narrative will often have several 'strands' which come together over the course of the series.
While you watch, you need to be looking for how these narrative strands are set up and how the characters are introduced and represented.
After watching, explain how the following are established:
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: How is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
- An agent, Nicholas Brody, has been possibly turned suspected by Carrie Mathison as when she was in Baghdad someone told her that an "an American prisoner of war has been turned". She also thinks that he(Brody) is trying to make contact as every time the camera is on him, his fingers starts twitching in a pattern.
ENIGMA CODES: What questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Questions that are created for the audience want to discover is firstly that Carrie is a ruthless person and we aren't told much about, just the way she behaves. She does questionable things such as put unauthorised CCTV camera in Brody's home just to watch him and see if he tries to contact anyone. She's obsessed with trying to figure out Brody and watching him to a far extent as watching him having sex with his wife. The audience want to know if she's right or crazy- but she admits it herself, "I am crazy" when being confronted about taking medication. Also the fact that she wears an engagement ring suggests she's married, but admits that she isn't which makes her seem suspicious and therefore the audience will want to know what she's hiding.
- Brody also seems suspicious as he denies knowing the person in the photo Carrie showed him "never met him", and then goes on having flashback of the man with him during his time held captive. He also lies to his wife about having an extended meeting when he really went to go to the park to meet Helen Walker(Brody's partners ex-wife) and tells her that he died by being beaten to death which was true, but lies AGAIN to her as we find out later on that Brody was in fact there, and he was the one to beat him to death. The audience questions why he lied so much at the start of the Pilot, but we find out it was to cover himself with what he has done, and could possibly foreshadowing that Brody has done much more and it'll probably be uncovered in upcoming episodes.
- Lastly Jessica(Brody's wife), is keeping the fact that she has been cheating on Brody with his best friend but Brody suspects something going on between them as they were rather close in the kitchen. This makes the audience keep watching as they want to know who tells the truth first or will it come out as a mess?
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: (Separate to main narrative) - How are these set up/introduced and what are they?
Carrie - Carrie is a CIA agent with a bipolar disorder that no one knows about. She breaks rules to do her own investigations because of something that happened 10 years ago.
Brody - Brody is a USMC Sergeant who was held as a prisoner of war by al-Qaeda terrorists of eight years and because of that he now suffers from PTSD and is shown not to like bright lights for unknown reasons yet.
Saul - Saul is Carrie's mentor who recruited her for the CIA and assigned her to the Brody's case. He doesn't want to help Carrie as she's reckless, but is shown being easily convinced by her.
Jessica - Cheating on Brody with his best friend (Mike).
Dana - (Brody's daughter), shown doing drugs.
David - Carrie's boss but is shown not to like her very much as because of her he only sees his kids twice a year.
Friday 24th April 2020
Homeland: Industry & Context
L/O: To explore the production, social and political context of set products
What did you think of the first episode? Did you like it or not? Why?
The episode seemed like any other episode of a crime drama which similar pacing and a dull story.
What did you think of the characters and narrative?
I didn't really like Carrie at first as she just doesn't really care about anyone but herself as she lies to her friend/asset, and she end up being killed.
At first I felt bad for Nick as he had so much attention on him as soon as he got back, but his flashbacks and the lying makes me question his true motives.
Industry Context
TV VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD) systems can either stream content through a set-top bow, allowing viewing in real tome, or download it to a device such as a computer.
Showtime, as a cable TV-based television provider offers both VOD streaming and free content.
Homeland is a great example of how a successful cable TV show has been distributed as VOD using digitally convergent devices, and it illustrates how the internet provides a wider and global reach to online audiences.
Political Context
- September 11th 2001 still stands as one of the most shocking, dramatic and traumatic days of recent history.
- Attacks were targeted symbolic location in American (Twin Towers, Pentagon and The White House). The were symbols of political power.
- The loss of life, the physical scaring of the city and the realisation that the US was not 'untouchable' had a devastating impact on Western culture. American and the world felt vulnerable.
9/11: The Impact
- Impact on individual lives
- Internal and international security legislation
- Declaration by America of a 'war of terror'
- Subsequent conflicts in the Middle East
- Feeling of fear and unease caused by the unforeseen attack
- Religious/cultural dimensions including racism, religious intolerance and fear of outsiders/ others
"September 11th terrorist attacks have changed the world dramatically, that nothing will be the same as the world enters into a new and frightening 'age of terror'." - Noah Chomsky (American Philosopher)
This is what is known as the post 9/11 period and we're still in it.
Post 9/11 Era: The Media
Post-9/11 the city of New York was usually presented positively. The big budget The Day After Tomorrow showed New York with its culture and its history under attack but the film's user of The Statue of Liberty in the promotional material shows the city representing hope after near devastation.
American Blockbuster films or TV series that were released in the 3 years after 9/11 that show the impact of the post 9/11 era -
"South Park" (2001) The first episode of the always topical dark comedy to air after 9/11 revolved around America's invasion of Afghanistan.
"Third Watch" (2001) This drama about New York City's first responders remembered 9/11 with a non-fiction episode, followed by two episodes putting its main characters directly in the aftermath of 9/11.
Analysing The Context
This may be in;
- The way the text is produced, its media language choices, the construction and representation.
- The way it challenges or supports dominant ideologies at the time of production.
- The way audiences interpret and react to the media.
- Midway through the decade, there were attempts to deal with the event of 9/11 itself in films such as United 93 (2006) and World trade Centre (2006) where 9/11 drove the narrative of the films.
- The I am Legend (2007) and Cloverfield (2008) showed New York as a post-apocalyptic location.
A decade on- Homeland
Homeland was based on an Israeli programme called Prisoners of War, Homeland took the story of the return home of a long term prisoner of war and located it in the post- 9/11 American context.
Although Bin Laden had been found and killed earlier that year, it had already been written and filmed.
How was Homeland tapped into post 9/11 themes and anxieties 10 year on?
Homeland tapped into post 9/11 themes as the Pilots' equilibrium is with Carrie being in the Middle East(Baghdad) and the season is based around the terrorist group of Al-Qaeda. This creates anxieties for the audience as Al-Qaeda were the perpetrators of 9/11, so the audience would want justice for that.
How important is the 9/11 context to Homeland as a media text?
It's quite important as season 1 of Homeland is based on terrorists from the middle east(Osama bin Laden) and trying to chase after him.
Throughout Homeland attitudes and opinions of 'war on terrorism' are represented as being towards middle eastern areas (such as Iraq).
Tuesday 28th April 2020
Homeland: Characters
L/O: To explore the narrative and characterisation in set products.
Starter - Explain how this image represents the two main characters
The denotation representations shown between Carrie and Brody as they're shown as being on their own. Carrie is giving direct address to the audience but her body pressed against the wall saying "may nothing stand before the pursuit of truth", and Brody seems to be staring off into the distance with his marine uniform on. Brody is seen to be faded in this image which connotes to death or being ghostly as he was missing for 8 years, but came back to haunt Carrie(as he's turned), like a ghost, implying he's going to effect Carrie in some way. In the image there seems to be a reflection of Carrie but it's faded, similar to Brody which could connote that she's trying to figure out her future self, and imply she could turn out that she ends up like Brody, being secretive and mysterious, like a ghost. As Carrie is pressed against the wall that says, "may nothing stand before the pursuit of truth" could connote to her trying to find out the truth, no matter how difficult it'll be.
Carrie Mathison
The lead protagonist in Homeland is Carrie, a CIA agent. Our first encounter with her shows her in the field in Baghdad.
How is she first represented to us?
She's impatient, wants justice for people, and also wants to get the most of people's information and takes risks doing so.
How have they constructed a sense of the post 9/11 fear and anxiety?
Phobia of Islamic people (Islamophobia) because of 9/11- shown as being aggressive to Carrie and locking people up.
Carrie is presented in an active and dynamic way, arguing with an authority figure and attempting to persuade a prisoner to pass some information.
You could describe her as;
- Fearless
- Determined
- Will go to any lengths for the truth
Opening Scene
MAKE NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Outline what happen in the scene.
In Baghdad, Carrie is trying to get information out of a prisoner.
- How is Carrie first represented? Stereotypes/counter type? Media language choices? (shot types, mise-en-scene, editing)
SHOTS TYPES
In this scene, we are shown with a close up, extreme close up and an over the shoulder shot. At first in the close up, Carrie is represented being nervous about the prisoner being hung, and tries to ask David for help. The camera goes to an extreme close up of her face so the audience can understand the emotion that she's feeling. Finally in this scene, the camera goes behind the back of Carrie's head so you can see the reflection of her in the mirror. As she's stuck in traffic she appears to now be annoyed as nothing is going her way. This represents Carrie being determined to try and save the prisoner, but she knows she has no power to do so.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Carrie is shown blending in with the clothing choice used in Baghdad, as she's wearing lots of layers and trying to cover up part of her face a she's a female, so she's trying to respect their culture. This is the stereotype of middle eastern culture as women are associated with wearing a hijab out in public. Meaning, Carrie is represented trying to respect their culture, but not really as her face is seen throughout the scene, implying that American's don't respect the Middle Eastern people because of 9/11.
EDITING
The editing in this scene cuts from Carrie on the phone to David, to David on the phone to Carrie. This creates suspense to the audiences as we see both of the characters reactions, representing Carrie as someone who wants to do their best, she's determined.
Carrie Mathison: Scene 2
Back in Washington and her representations subvert the conventional ideas about feminine roles and behaviours, why?
Shot types?
The camera is focused on certain parts of her home, such as kitchen, bedroom, picture, and then a pan shot of her "messy" living room, then focusing on the pictures on her drawing board. This shows that Carrie has a chaotic lifestyle, subverting feminine roles as females are stereotyped as living a simple and easy life, which Carrie is not.
It then cuts to Carrie opening the door and hurriedly unchanged herself, and has a close up of her taking off high heels, and a behind the head shot of he getting ready/cleaning herself. This subverts conventional ideas of feminine roles as Carrie has no time to get ready, and similar to the stereotype of men getting ready faster then women, Carrie breaks that by getting ready in a short amount of time.
Mise-en-scene and actions of Carrie?
Carrie's house is "messy", which subverts the conventional ideas of females as they tend to keep the house tidy and clean, which Carrie does not.
Also, her home seems dim and gloomy which connotes to a lack of hope, which could reflect Carrie's mood as being 'dark'.
What message are they trying to get across the audience?
The message they're trying to get across to the audience is that women can essentially do a masculine job(working for the CIA), and risking their own lives for something they're passionate about.
Carrie Mathison: Analysis Points
- Carrie represents a non-conventional and highly flawed hero.
She breaks the rules for victory (illegally place cameras in Brody's household)
- Not only is she a female who represents authority, a role usually taken by a male, she is also fiercely independent and has grit, determination and is happy to ignore the chain of command. She is a maverick who is her own worst enemy.
She lives by herself, and tends to work with herself.
- This alienates her from authority male figure of the CIA.
David(her boss), doesn't seem to agree with the way she handles things as she's reckless and tries to help everybody.
- Carrie alienates herself further by refusing to follow procedure and lying to her mentor, all in the same of her pursuit of truth.
She lies to Saul about finding stuff about Brody, but later finds out.
- She has an obsessive attention to detail.
Such as Brody twitching his fingers, she assumes he's sending out a signal.
- Carrie makes several decisions within the narrative that cause the audience to question her judgement.
Lies and watches the Brody household constantly.
- As a woman she is represented as highly emotional.
Emotional over her job as she wants to be right, and get justice.
-She uses her sexuality as a tool.
Put it all together
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Carrie Mathison in Episode 1 of Homeland.
You could mention;
- Media language
- Narrative
- Stereotypes
Throughout Homelands episode 1, Carrie is represented as being a highly flawed and reckless protagonist as she breaks the rules of the CIA for her own personal gain as she's determined that she's right. She breaks down general female stereotypes as she represents authority and she listens to only herself, and also working in a stereotypical masculine job (CIA), and is shown to be well educated and intelligent. She is shown to be a highly flawed protagonist in the first episode as she doesn't listen to her mentor (Saul), and goes ahead and illegally plants surveillance stuff throughout Brody's household, she's determined that he is a terrorist and she will do anything and everything she can to prove that she's right. As she's one of the only females to be working in the CIA in episode 1, you can make the assumption that the CIA has more men, and the other two men are David (Carrie's boss) and Saul (Carrie's mentor).
Friday 1st May 2020
Homeland: Characters
L/O: To explore the narrative and characterisation in set products.
What is the difference between an antagonist and anti-hero?
Antagonist - The character who has opposite goals/beliefs than the protagonist.
Anti-hero - The protagonist of the story who lacks generic "heroic" attributes.
Who do you think have these roles in Homeland and why?
I think Carrie is the anti-hero is Homeland's as the audience question her behaviour throughout the episode, and the antagonists are the terrorists as it's hinted from Carrie that they kept Brody alive for information.
Nicholas Brody
Marine sergeant Nicholas Brody is the lead antagonist in Homeland. Brody is clearly disturbed by his experiences as a prisoner of war and the programme parallels his struggles in the setting back into a normal family life.
Mise-en-scene choices that have made Brody look like a prisoner of war.
- Long knotted messy hair
- Dirty face
- Dry skin
As a man and a soldier, he would be the most traditional character to play the 'heroic' role, but we tend to see him differently from Carrie's perspective.
Nicholas Brody: Reunion Scene
MAKE NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Outline what happens in the scene
Brody comes back by plain for 8 years being a POW, whilst his family patently wait in the lobby.
Despite it being a bit awkward, they all hug Brody.
Brody asks about his mother, but realises she died a while back.
- How is his family represented in the reunion scene? How does Brody react?
Brody's wife seems tense upon their meeting after 8 years, whilst their children seem relaxed.
Brody seems a but awkward, and not sure how to react at first.
Upon seeing him, his family seem stunned, but his wife reacts first with a hug but their children don't really know how to react, so they hug him too.
- How is the vice president represented?
The vice president is represented as holding authority as impenitently entering Brody halts himself seriously. They have a handshake but it seems a bit meaningless.
- How is Brody represented as a hero and a villain in S1 E1?
Tense
Nicholas Brody: War Hero
- Brody fits the traditional role of a hero.
- Carrie rejects this view of Brody and whilst the audiences see him as a heroic character in E1, they do see enough of his behaviour to join Carrie in being suspicious.
- So the audience have to reject the reassurance a conventional hero can provide. As an audience - we are positioned. We are shown certain viewpoints and given enough information to see him from a specific perspective.
- Sergeant Brody's Islamic 'turn' is represented as a precursor to becoming a terrorist. While Islam may provide Brody with therapeutic comfort, he is a Stockholm - syndrome covert, coerced into his Islamic faith and its associated terrorist politics.
- Homeland exploits the viewers initial surprise associated with seeing a white US Marine worshipping Allah in his garage by anticipating and refuting the stereotypical assumption that Brody's faith is evidence that he is a terrorist.
- We learn that he's a terrorist.
Extended trailer for Homeland
How does the trailer create two different representations of Brody as both a possible hero and possible villain?
Hero - Brody is seen being a hero here as you can tell he has been through a lot due to the amount of scars he has, showing he's in a lot of pain.
Villain - Brody is shown being a villain here as he's standing strong in front of the White-house(?). This could be a 9/11 reference as terrorists were suppose to crash into the White-house alongside the twin towers. Brody could be possibly planning to become a kamikaze pilot?
How does the trailer create doubt in the heroic nature of Carrie's Character?
The trailer portrays Carrie as being pushy and breaking rules, also she seems to be more suspicious than Brody as she goes behind people's back.
Nicholas Brody: Analysis
1A). How does the surveillance set up by Carrie allow that audience to identity and sympathise with his character and the circumstance on a more human level?
As Carrie didn't ask for permission from her supervisors, or ask for a warrant from his family, is shows that she has no empathy towards Brody who has been a prisoner of war for 8 years. The audience will feel bad for Brody as he's been through a lot, and now he's getting constantly watched without him knowing.
1B). How does it 'position' the audience? What values and ideologues does this act of surveillance represent?
The audience would feel uncomfortable by the fact that Carrie illegally broke into their home and placed cameras and voice cons throughout Brody's home, then constantly watch them even at inappropriate and personal time.
2). Do you think Brody is difficult to like? What values and ideologies does he represent?
I do think that Brody is difficult to like because he seems quite stiff of a character as he doesn't seem to have much emotions. He represents clear PTSD due to being prisoner of war for 8 years, and he's clearly struggling mentally throughout the episode as he doesn't open up to anybody, showing he's a reserved character.
3) Why are flashback used in episode 1 and how do they attempt to manipulate the audience into thinking a certain way about Brody?
The flashback are used to show the audience that Brody isn't as innocent as he seems. He's obviously been through a lot, but it also shows that he has done some rather unpleasant things from his time away. The audience are suspicious of Brody as he constantly lies about meeting terrorists because he has been manipulated by them for such a long time, he has become accustomed towards terrorism.
Carrie Meets Brody: 31.08 - 35.04
Analyse what information the producers are trying to get across to the audience in this scene.
- What mise-en-scene choices are key? Lighting?
The setting is in a meeting room of sorts, all questioning Brody whilst giving him direct address on what he knows whilst being captive for 8 years. They're all wearing suits implying it's a professional environment/workplace. The lighting around the square table seems dim and shadowy, but the square table itself seems bright, meaning the light is directly above the table, showing this discussing is the centre of attention.
- What shot types are used?
In this scene there's a lot of over the shoulder shots, showing a discussion evolving around Brody, and that they're giving him all their attention as they're seen with a medium close-up.
- How do they use flashback to give information to the audience?
The use the flashback to inform the audience that Brody isn't telling the truth, and that he in fact know the man in the picture. The orange-hazy filter implies that it's a flashback as it feel like you're looking back into the past.
- How is Carrie represented?
Carrie is represented as being professional by her clothing and giving Brody direct address as she's asking him questions quite harshly, showing she wants to know everything, and that she's mentally strong than Brody as she seems more confident than
- How is Brody represented?
Brody is represented as staying professional despite being asked many questions, at first he tries his best to stay normal with Carrie's questions, but when asked again he took longer to respond, showing he's still mentally weak.
Put It All Together...
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Nicholas Brody in Episode 1 of Homeland.
You could mention:
- Media language
- Narrative
- Stereotypes
Throughout Homeland episode 1, Brody is represented as being a highly disturbed antagonist as he has continuous flashbacks of him being held captive, and also lying to the CIA and his family. He shows general masculine stereotypes as he is a Marine sergeant, which would be a typical masculine job, and has the nuclear family. He acts strong in front of everyone, but in fact has a lot of bottle-up emotions that he doesn't show, which implies he suffers from PTSD. He is shown being a highly disturbed antagonist by the use of the continuous flashbacks throughout episode 1, implying he can't escape his dark thoughts so he ends up lying to his loved one and the people he's closest with.
Tuesday 5th May 2020
Homeland: Representation
L/O: To explore the representation in set products.
How many other TV drama or films can you think of where the protagonist has some sort of mental illness?
- Joker (psychopath)
- Finding Dory (amnesia)
Carrie's Mental Health
How is Carrie's mental health represented in this clip? What is she doing? How does she try to control herself?
She's represented as 'crazy' when a her co-worker asks her about the drugs shes been taking. She defends herself saying, "I am crazy".
In this scene, Carrie is listening to Brody and she thinks he's making contact, but ends up being called "crazy" for assuming that in the first place as he only goes to speak to his partners ex-wife.
She controls herself by agreeing that she's crazy, and saying she's been dealing with her mental-illness for some time now.
Comment on the article as part of your analysis. Do you agree with the article?
I do agree with the article as that Homeland has portrayed Carrie's mental illness well.
Rep: Mental Illness
- Carrie's mental illness - her bi-polar makes her amazing at investigating. She obsesses over details so much that she gets to the heart of the matter every time. She knows before everyone else does.
- This was/is growing trend in dramas - using mental health as a link to investigate brilliance (BBC's Sherlock and CBS's Elementary).
- Carrie's illness manifests itself in obsessive attention to detail, inappropriate sexual relationships and frequent hysterical outbursts.
- The audience understand relatively early that Carrie is right to be suspicious of Brody, but the show withholds diegetic recognition; indeed, her interests in pursuit of Brody, which merges personal obsession and profession responsibility, begins to undermine her status as a trustworthy protagonist.
- Initially, the show uses Carrie's illness to question her reliability - to her family, her profession and even to herself. The combination o being certain and then being proven wrong is way drives Carrie to seek electroshock therapy, as a closing sequence of season 1 ends. But the audience know - she is not wrong.
Is it right to frame mental illness as a profession asset?
If your mental illness is really having a big impact on your career, then I think it's okay. But if you're just using it as an excuse then I don't think it's fair when some people are really struggling because of it.
Representation
MAKE NOTE ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF REPRESENTATION:
Deception
Throughout Episode 1 of Homeland, Brody lies to family about him staying at the CIA place for longer when really he meets up with his partners ex-wife, but then lies to her about not being there when he died. The episode also suggests he possibly killed him, so Brody is keeping that to himself.
Similarly to Brody, Carrie also lies throughout episode 1 of Homeland. She sneakily set up cameras in Brody's house without a warrant and lied about coping with her mental illness. When found out by Saul about the surveillance, he tells her to get a lawyer as he's going to tell her boss on her. But then I think he feels bad for her, or thinks she's right about Brody, so he gives her four weeks to watch him. As for her co-worker who confronted Carrie on her medication, Carrie says she's fine and that she's dealing with it, but surely that isn't true.
Relationships
Carrie being the main character is suggested being married as she has a ring, but takes it off for work. David is her boss and Saul is her mentor, so she's obliged to listen to them.
Brody is also the main character in season 1, and is married to his wife Jessica, containing two children(Dana and Chris). Mike is his marine best friend and was in a relationship with Jessica whilst Brody was a POW.
Fidelity
At the end of episode 2 of Homeland Brody is shown praying to Allah in his garage, and then in the morning he isn't afraid of showing his face to public, meaning, Brody has been turned and now is acting like the "hero".
Tuesday 12th May 2020
Homeland: Review and DIRT
L/O: To reflect on and improve analysis.
AREA 2 - TERRORISM AND AMERICA IN HOMELAND
Terrorism
- Carrie made a mistake in the past that she doesn't want to make again.
- Carrie obsesses over the fact the Brody is a terrorist, which we get hinted throughout the episode, such as Brody looking up the Capitol building in Washington DC.
- Terrorism is represented as a major issue facing society post 9/11. Post 9/11 fears have been used within Homeland to create suspense, these have been represented by Carrie saying she made a mistake in the past.
- Mise-en-scene has also been used to represent what terrorism i like and to create a fear of it. Such as scene 1 where Carrie is shown in Baghdad in a dusty country which is shown to have been taken over by war, the barbed wire; the army vehicles; the soldiers carrying guns and the fear shown in the citizens that live there. The country is also shown as 'the prisoner of war' as the people who live there have to deal with this situation constantly, so they're used to this living environment.
America
- America is shown to be all powerful, a strong independent country who will do anything for their own. This is show as the upward shot of the Capitol building or an upward shot of the Vice president. Having a low camera angle shows the person object as powerful and strong. American does these techniques to represent themselves as a patriarchal society.
- Brody is shown to be a hero for surviving 8 years, so American leaders and investigators won't question him. Whereas Carrie sees past that and is suspicious of him when no one else is. This is all because America cares about their own, so much so they could end up trusting a terrorist just because they are American.
- America could also be argued as weak and gullible for trusting their own because of the situation. American just wants to show off to the rest of the world that they're powerful without taking into consideration that Brody could have been turned. Was it luck to find him, or was he planted so he could be found? Many questions raised by the Americans in Homeland as in should they trust their own, or should they be suspicious?
AREA 4 - CIA AND CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POLITICS (SURVEILLANCE) IN HOMELAND
Throughout episode 1 of Homeland, the CIA is represented as confident and powerful, especially over Carrie:
- The CIA are confident when they find Brody after 8 years by the use of the narrative and editing. David calls it a "massive win" for the agency, and portrays the mission ans quick and easy. The use of the jump cuts of the footage of the mission, and the close ups on Brody suggests that this is a loss for the terrorists of Iraq.
- Another example of the CIA's confidence is when we first meet Saul whose having a conversation with Carrie over Brody's recapture. We can see the confidence thought the diegetic dialogue. Carrie insists that the surveillance package needs to be applied to Brody, to monitor his actions in case he's a terrorist. Saul insists that isn't necessary due to the lack of evidence, and the CIA are certain that Brody isn't a terrorist.
- Comparing this to real life, the representations are opposite of the CIA in reality. Examples of this include security failures such as a suicide attack on the forward operating base for the CIA in Khost, Afghanistan on 30th December 2009. They have also been involved in several human rights concerns. They have been called into question for at times using torture and funding and training groups of organisations that would later participate in the killing of civilians and other non combatants.
- As much as the CIA have been represented in this way, international politics and relationships have been represented as conflicting and concerning.
- Firstly, the narrative throughout episode 1 helps to show this. American has tense relations with Middle Eastern countries throughout the whole season, we see American forces in conflict against Middle Eastern extremist forces. We see Carrie struggle to make her way through Iraq city at the start of the episode. Also, there is the instant assumption made the Brody is a terrorist just because he was a prisoner of war to extremist forces.
- Compared to this however, the relationship between Germany and American is represented as a strong and prosperous relationship, Germany has allowed America to set air forces bases in the country, which is where Brody returns to before he returns to America.
- This representation does reflect international politics in real life opposing to the representation of the CIA. There have been wars between America and countries/extremist groups in the Middle East. For example, the Gulf War between America/Western countries and Iraq and the continuing war of terror. For relations between Germany and America, the representation is accurate. An example of this is after 9/11 when German troops were sent to Afghanistan along with American troops to help combat tension.
Friday 15th May 2020
The Killing: Season 1, Episode 1, October 2007
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and character in set episode
Research Task:
Who created the series?
Soren Sveistrup
Which two studios produced the series?
DR and ZDF Enterprises
What awards did the series win?
Best International TV Series (2011)
Episode 1 was released in 2007. What Danish channel was shown on and how is this channel similar to the BBC?
DR1 - DR1 and the BBC have a similar logo, with the white sans serif font, with the black background.
It was shown in the UK on BBC Four. How many viewers did it have in Denmark and then in the UK on BBC4?
Denmark (2011) - 1.7 million
UK (2011) - 500,000 (per episode)
What did Netflix do with the series in 2014?
Netflix did an American remake produced by Fox 21 TV Studios for the US domestic market which was distribued globally.
The Killing: Narrative
- LF TV Dramas often have a complex narrative structure: a main narrative arc that spans the whole series and a number of minor narratives that may only last one or two episodes.
- The main narrative will often have several 'strands' which come together over the course of the series.
- While you watch, you need to be looking for how these strands are set up and how the characters are introduced and represented.
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: how is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
Lund is shown at the start of the episode being called to a crime scene after just waking up from a distressed sleep.
At the crime scene, she realises it was a prank made by her co-workers in celebrating her moving to Sweden with her fiance and son.
She's then called to a crime scene in a field as she packs up her stuff in the office. With a possibility of a death of a teenage girl.
ENIGMA CODES: what questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Want to know where Nanna is at first.
- After they found the body the audience might want to know how she died.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: how are these set up/introduced and what are they?
Inspector Sarah Lund - Main protagonist introduced as intelligent and determined to solve the case.
Their Birk Larsen - Nanna's dad, shown being determined to find his daughter.
Prenille Birk Larsen - Nanna's mum, cries a lot.
Inspector Jan Meyer - New recruit as Lund is suppose to be leaving, show as not being as intelligent as Lund and thinks he's right.
Troels Hartmann - Policician and candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen.
Tuesday 19th May 2020
The Killing: Industry and Context
L/O: To explore the production, social and political context of set products
What did you think of the episode? Did you like it or not? Why?
I thought the episode seemed interesting and the characters were likeable apart from Meyer as he seemed stuck up and not as qualified as Lund.
What did you think of the characters and narrative?
Sarah Lund is a strong main character as she's shown being intelligent, whereas Meyer thinks he's right and she should listen to his advice.
The narrative is interesting as Lund is suppose to be leaving for Sweden soon, but that doesn't stop her in solving a case, she goes out and tries to find Nanna and ends up delaying her flight.
Industry Context
- The Killing (Forbrydelsen) is a great example of European LFTVD produced grown out of a strong public service remit. It share the conventions of the commercial form (Homeland) but it also concerned with he wider social, political and moral issues.
- Each 50 minute episode covers 24 hours of the investigation, with the first series consisting of 20 episodes! It shows the economic context of a small, publicly-owned national broadcaster that can old finance one LFTVD per season, and this only in co-operation with other European TV producers.
- DVD box sets sales and a number of international co-producers (the BBC being one) and distribution agreement have aided the success of Danish dramas.
- By 2013, Danish Drama had become very popular as content on multi-platform online media like Netflix - recognition of its quality and significance.
Genre
- Nordic Noir is an umbrella term to describe Scandinavian crime fiction, a genre that has become VERY popular in the last few years.
- It is a hybrid police procedural drama with elements of family drama and audience melodrama. This mix was intended to attract both male and female audience.
- The term defines the stylistic and narrative elements that the genre employed.
- The Killing has a visual style that relies on open, forlorn spaces where it is often cloudy or raining, and interior shots with muted lighting and monochrome colour design, creating a distinctive look.
Other successful Nordic Noir series
- Wallander
- The Bridge
- Trapped
- Bordertown
- Case
- Department Q
Nordic Noir: Conventions
- Partly because its PSB remit, Danish TV drama consciously incorporated into its storytelling a cause and effect narrative, covering crime and broader sociopolitical contexts in this case.
- Part of the conventions is to weave intricate characters and plots that coverage and diversify to encourage audience interpretation and reading events.
- This linking of compelling storytelling to relevant discourses in society is described as double storytelling. It layers a text with meaning about Danish society, and also primes the show to appeal to international markets.
Media Language: Title Sequence
- The series is noted for its plot twists and dark tone and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the victim's family and the effect in political circle of the murder and police investigation.
Comment on the following:
Style
The Killing is a crime drama with contents of mystery and thriller.
Lighting
Throughout episode 1 of The Killing it's shown being dim-lighted to create an ominous atmosphere to the drama.
Camerawork
The camerawork is usually at a medium shot
Sound
Editing
The Killing: Content
- The Killing is set in the Danish Capital of Copenhagen.
- Copenhagen is the cultural and political centre of the country and the series is the product of the Danish public broadcasting network DR (their version of the BBC), which dominates Danish programming.
COMPARE: Where is the majority of Homeland set in E1?
United States, Washington
- Danish society is renowned for being a rational and civilised society. The Murder of Nanna Birk Larsen is framed as a shocking anomaly to this.
COMPARE: How is American society usually represented in Homeland?
American society is represented in Homeland as being a strong, independent country compared to the rest of the world.
Social Context
- 'Crime' is one of a number of indicators of social decay or, at best, decline.
- In Forbydelsen, the impact on Denmark of the recent financial crisis was raging a the writer/director scripted the programme; a stressed social context in which, as he perceived it, people reacted by looking after number one.
- But we see how this creates a conflict between her public and private lives.
- Ene though she begins a woman who plans to move to Sweden with her fiance and son, she is emotionally and professionally committed to this case, and can't abandon it to her colleague Jan Meye, ad this brings personal sacrifice, which we see when Bengt, her fiance, finally leaves without her.
- We also register the economic struggle of the Larsen family which reminds is of the broader social context. Theis runs a successful business which employs a number of workers bu the Larsen's still have trouble funding money to fix the dishwasher and struggle harder once the costs of the funeral are added.
- Third is that crime occurs in a notably "familial" setting, distinguished by the "extension of a sense of biological family to other groups".
- In Forbydelsen we see the "familia" represented across the different narrative strands, specifically by the Larsen's , by Lund and the reconstituted family that she is neglecting.
- The tight political circle around Troels Hartmann (candidatefor mayor), acts as an aspiration for "uncle" Vagn, who clearly wants to belong to the Larson family, yet whose racist outraged at Nanna's secret love affair with an Asian boy, is so intense that Vahn rapes and kills her.
10 - Friday 22nd May 2020
The Killing: Characters
L/O: TO explore the narrative and characterisation in set products
Opening Scene
The opening scene and title sequence sets the tone and pace of the whole series. The series starts off with a dramatic wild chase of what appears to be a "mad man" after a young partially dressed girl.
TASK: Review the opening scenes again (0.00-1.57)
- What media language choices have been made to represent this crime to the audience?
Camera work
Mid shot of "mad man" and Nanna's legs runnign to show she's trying to get away from him whereas he's trying to chase her down.
Mid angle showing panic on Nanna's face, she's trying to escape him.
Long shot of running shows chaos in this scene.
High angle of Nanna showing she's inferior and denotes that she's the one being chased down.
Low angle of aeroplane shows the plane is superior to her as it just flies over her with ease, connotation to her doom.
Mise-en-scene
Lighting is dark as it's in the middle of the night, and more more tend to go "missing" during the night as no one is around or the lack of sight due to the lack of light to guide her the way.
The "mad man" is shown holding a torch so he's the only one with the source of light.
Blood on what's assume to be Nanna's face suggesting she has been attack by this "mad man".
"Nanna" is running through the woods to escape the "mad man", but the woods during the night are connoted with danger and most likely getting lost.
Nanna wearing white dress but it's ripped connotes that "Nanna" might know this man as she's dressed up, but he has possibly attacked her and her running through the woods could've made her dress tear.
Man wearing a hazard-like costume showing he's intimating.
Aeroplane connotes "Nanna" is close to civilisation.
Sound
The sound of crunching of leaves of Nanna running and her (possible) murderer.
Diegetic sound of heavy breathing denotes that she's scared, and out of breath from running for a long period of time.
The diegetic sound of the aeroplane suggests that Nanna is near civilisation.
Non-diegetic sound of the soft spooky noises creating tension to the audience.
Editing
Cuts from "mad man" to "Nanna" showing that he's the one chasing after her and that it's all happening rather quickly.
Black fades from action to the credits of the show, creating suspense.
- What first impression does it give us about the content of the programme?
The first impressions it gives us is that the programme has dark elements to it and that the audience sound pay attention.
Sarah Lund
"After the frightening and chilling case through the woods, we meet our brunette female good-cop protagonist - waking up from a disturbed sleep, tired and worn out, staggering around the house in her pyjamas, checking on her teenage son who's is sleeping in front of a static-filled television screen. A single mum, we son meet her Swedish partner, also in his pyjamas, also walking up tired and worn out, stumbling through the dark amidst the boxes of a new life. Our protagonist, Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) smiles warmly when reassured that everything about the move will be okay, but we can see in her relief thew fear and vulnerability that she carries with her; her anxiety and tension, the complexity and disarray of her domestic circumstances. None of it is glamorous, none of what we see establishes her as anything other than a real person who, like everybody else out there, has to deal with the demands of real life." - John Alberti (2017)
- Sarah Lund is the main protagonist in The Killing (Forbrydelsen).
- The saga starts off as Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lund is preparing to withdraw from the Copenhagen Police Force and transfer to Sweden to be with her fiance. That soon changes through after the discovery of a raped and murdered body of a nineteen-year-old girl.
TASK: Scene 2 Analysis (1.15 - 4.08)
- How is she first represented to us?
- How is she sexualised in any way?
- What do we think of her?
- Use analysis of media language to help you come to a decision.
Lund is first represented as a woman who is protective and cares about her son as she switches off his TV, gazes down on him with a slight smile shown in the dark. And is shown to also love her fiance as she's ready to emigrate to Sweden with him. Diegetic sound of her moving around shows that she's represented as an honest person as no music/non-diegetic sound is trying to convince the audience otherwise.
Lund is sexualised by her clothing choice as she doesn't wear much apart from a shirt and pants because of the fact she has just woken up. Also, he fiance gives her a passionate kiss while touching her bum, showing that they're in a heterosexual relationship. When her fiance turns on the light, it's an orange tint, the use of the colour orange shown could connote to happiness or attraction they feel towards one another.
I think that Lund seems like a "normal" person as she has a family that she gets along with. But she's shown being disturbed during the night, and wakes up with a shocked look on her face. As it's still early when she wakes, everything is dark, unable to see her true expression when she turn to her side profile as it's shown as a bit hazy, similarly to a dream but focusing on the time.
The Crime Scene
Watch scene 3 (4.08 - 6.43) The "Crime" Scene
Make note on the following:
- What happens in the scene
- How Sarah is represented
- Why this scene isn't effective and significant for the plot in Episode 1?
Sarah has been told to go to a "crime" scene as she walks through the warehouse as sees some "blood", she then follows it tracing to an axe and continues to follow the blood until it reaches a body-shaped figure behind cloth. She unravels it to reveal it's just a blow-up doll with a note saying "thanks for 7 great years".
Sarah is being represented as being overly cautious as soon as she enters the room and the lights go out and looks at the blood carefully and follows it, she only has thoughts of the "crime" scene, as seems uptight until it's shown that it was just a prank and lets out a smile.
This crime scene isn't effective or significant for the plot in Episode 1 because it doesn't convey an information about whats about to happen later on, and as it's a prank none of it is relevant.
Exam Style Question
Compare and contrast the way that Sarah Lund is first represented to the audience to the way Carrie Mathison in first represented to the audience in Homeland and The Killing?
- Ensure you are writing in full sentences and paragraphs
- Include detailed reference to the to text
- Use accurate media language
Sarah Lund and Carrie Mathison are both represented as women who care about their work a lot and are shown as equally intelligent and have a lot of skills.
11 - Tuesday 2nd June 2020
The Killing: Context
L/O: To explore the social issues represented, specifically gender.
Starter Task
- Explain the different connotation of how the two protagonists are portrayed through costume, hair and make-up.
Sarah Lund - Brown haired, is a police inspector, heterosexual, has a child and fiance.
Carrie Mathison - Blonde haired, works for CIA, heterosexual, assumed to be single.
Reflecting Social Attitudes
TASK: Article and Scene 4 Analysis (6.22 - 7.19)
1. Read the article about the historical /recent issues between Denmark and Sweden. Put the link in your blog and summarise the key points of the article.
2. Watch scene 4 from 6.44 - 7.19. How does the dialogue and mise-en-scene choices reflect the relationship between Denmark and Sweden?
- Denmark has always been seen as internationally progressive in terms of gender equality.
- In 2007,(date of first series) they were ranked 8th in the world for this (Sweden was 1st).
- In 2020, they rank 14th in the world (Sweden 4th).
- In 2011 the US was ranked 17th place.
- In 2020 the US is ranked in 53rd place.
Is the way Sarah Lund is treated in the workplace different to the way Carrie Mathison is treated in the workplace in Homeland?
How does this link to the different countries stance on gender equality?
Gender Issues
- Lund's professionalism reflects societal issues surrounding the sexes.
- Nadia Reich, head of fiction as DR, states that Scandinavia's recent insight into gender, careers and society are reflected within the stories and characters we see on TV.
- She adds, "It means something that women in Denmark were early onto the labour market to carve out careers, and that our children have been looked after in daycare centres. It helps us to tell stories which have both a political dimension and relate to the dilemmas that exist between family and society" - (nordicrepublic.com, 2012)
- Lund's professionalism comes at a cost and the relentless demands of her job, as well as her patriotic duty, means that she lacks the ability to commit fully to relationships - both professionally and personally. (Reminds me of Carrie).
- Forbrydelsen questions many traditional female characteristics with its lead Sarah Lund. Society has changed and there is no longer the demand or desire for depictions of domesticated women.
- There is more desire for career driven women who struggle with the traditional demands expected of them. Characters, like Lund, become more layered and complex and they resist any attempts to shoe-box their roles.
- Forbrydelsen challenges traditional gender rules by depicting the parenting skills of a woman driven by her professional code. Sarah Lund is motivated by a juxtaposition of male and female traits.
Social Issues
What social issues does Homeland reflect in relation to its lead protagonist? Make notes on your ideas:
I would argue the following:
- Internalised Sexism
- Mental Health and Ableism
Women are looked down by the male colleagues for their "lack" of intelligence.
Exam Style Question
How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect societal issues?
- Ensure you are writing in full sentences and paragraphs.
- Include detailed reference to the two texts.
- Use accurate media language.
Homeland - Brody's wife is in a financial struggle
The Killing - Theis talks about money
Friday 5th June 2020
The Killing: Analysis
L/O: To analyse a variety of scenes using accurate terminology.
Scene 1: (7.20 - 9.34) - Sarah meets Jan Meyer
- How is Sarah represented at the start of the scene? What is she doing? How is she acting?
- When we meet Jan - how is he represented? How are gender roles represented in this scene?
- Does Sarah's demeanour change when Jan arrives?
At the start of the scene we see Sarah Lund pack up her things in her office whilst on the phone to her fiance discussing leaving to Sweden and packing. She acts happy by the medium close up of her face smiling whilst packing, she's excited to start a new life.
When Jan Meyer arrives he's represented as being a bit rude and also a bit awkward as he smokes in her office and only asks permission after he's already started smoking. He also doesn't move out of the way for Lund when she tries to move past him with a box and doesn't apologise at all and tries to compare Lund's situation with his sister and her boyfriend who also went to emigrated to Sweden and went crazy as it's too remote, implying Lund will go crazy as well. Meyer hags a picture of guns where Lund had a picture of her son, showing the juxtaposition of different personalities and lives both of these character have.
Meyer also acts a bit childish compared to Lund as Lund clears the "silly" objects from her leaving party, whilst Meyer hangs up a small basketball hoop on the board, and then when Lund and Meyer are about to head out to look at a crime scene Meyer says "let's catch some villains", and then proceeds to throw a ball through the hoop, implying Meyer thinks it's a game, making him seem childish.
Sarah's demeanour changes when Jan arrives as instead of packing away her belongings slowly whilst on the phone to her fiance, she quickly says says goodbye on the phone and tries to hurry up her packing as she could feel like she's being a burden to Meyer as he's just standing there. She also seem like she isn't paying much attention to what he's saying as she was in a good mood before he arrived, and because of his rude behaviour she tries to smile though it (close up)but you a sense of annoyance too.
Scene 2: (9.35 - 11.58) - First time we see Sarah out investigating
- What shots are used to represent her instincts a detective?
Low angle of plane - Foreshadows that this scene has to do with the girl from the night before.
High angle of car - Juxtaposes between the car and the plane, making the car seem small and weak, foreshadows how big this case will become.
Establishing shot her and Jan walking down onto marshland - Both Jan and Sarah don't really know what this case is about yet, so they're both shown being equal with one another and portrays the significance of this scene.
Close up of her looking around (side profile)- Showing that Sarah is in deep thought about the case.
- How is sound used to represent her instance as a detective?
Non-diegetic sound - Sarah, Jan and crime scene investigators discussing about the scene of the crime, the sound of the wind, and the sound of the plane landing just before the scene cuts.
Diegetic sound - High pitch sounds of piano playing to create suspense when Sarah looks in the woods to imply that this case has something to do with the girl from the night before.
- How does the way she directs others on the team reflect Danish society and their
stance around gender equality?
When Sarah talks to Jan he interrupts her and carries on like nothing happened which breaks Danish society stereotypes as women are represented as strong, but when talking with other people Sarah seems to be the one with more authority as she asks the questions.
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Both main protagonists are represents as being strong and seen to prefer working on their own.
Scene 3: (11.59 - 15.45) - Introduction to the Larsen Family
- How are they represented as a family?
Strange line of work(fix it man?), love each other
- How are economic issues represented in the scene?
Not poor to say but lower income, working to survive
- How does Theis fit gender stereotypes?
Strong masculine man with a wife and kids
- How is their home represented? Mise-en-scene?
Broken dishwasher, family home
- Can you make any comparison to Homeland?
The Larsen family in The Killing is rather large (Theis, his wife, two sons and Nanna), whereas in Homeland Carrie Mathison is shown being single and not have many friends. Both of these families juxtapose each other.
Scene 4: (15.47 - 21.10) - Troells Hartmann gains ground
- How are political politics represented?
- How is Troells represented? How is his team represented?
- Is politics represented as a game? Dirty tactics? Tripping each other up?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 5: (21.11 - 23.04) - Sarah and Jan meet the Larsens
- How does this scene represent Sarah as a detective?
- What shot types are used to support this representation?
- What are the differences between Sarah and Jon? Can you link this to gender stereotype?
- Can you make any comparison to Homeland?
Scene 6: (35.24 - 36.26) - Larsen's begin to panic
- How is tension built up in this scene?
- How is sound used?
- Ho are (mise-en-scene) facial expressions used to convey meaning?
- How does gender stereotypes represented in this scene?
- can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 7: (36.27 - 37.51) - Sarah and her son car scene
- Why was this scene shot in a car? Why not set this scene in a family home?
- What does the car represent?
- How does the dialogue represent the relationship between mother and son?
- How does the scene reflect societal issues in Denmark and in general?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 8: (37.52 - 39.45) - Investigations and search continues
- Hows is Sarah represented in this scene?
- There are tensions between her and Jan - what does this represent? Power/struggle?
- Her expertise is highlighted - how? Shot types? Mise-en-scene? Dialogue?
- Her instincts are correct - how is this shown?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 9: (45.58 - 48.19) - Sarah's instinct
- What shots are used to represent her instincts as a detective?
- How is sound used to represent her instinct as a detective?
- How does the way she directs others on the team reflect Danish society and their stance around gender equality?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 10: (49.17- 52.20) - Discovery of the body
- How is this scene filmed?
- How is tension built up? How is mise-en-scene used to build tension?
- How does the director position the audience? What do they allow us to see?
- How is cross cutting used to provoke an emotional response from the audience? E.g. cut from car, to Theis, to Pernille on the other end of the phone.
Friday 12th June 2020
13 - The Killing: Analysis
L/O: To analyse key areas of set products.
Starter
Narrative structure: Three plot structures - three damaged characters - a detective, a mayoral candidate and the family of a murdered girl up in a murder investigation.
Explain how these three narratives develop and merge over episode 1
The three narratives develop throughout episode 1 as they all have their own issues and story lines, through the cross cutting of each of the narratives it foreshadows their significance to the story, and end up meeting each other in episode 1.
Viewpoints and Ideologies
How are the following ideologies represented in The Killing? Use detailed reference to episode 1 and accurate media language to answer.
- Individualism
Ideologies of Individualism are represented in The Killing as Sarah Lund is shown as having been previously working by herself on cases as at the start of the episode Jan Meyer tries to intervene, Lund backs his thoughts, and she ends up being right anyway.
- Consumerism
Consumerism is represented in The Killing as at the end of episode 1, Sarah finds a dead body (assumed to be Nanna) tied up in in water. The audience would want to know who killed her, and for what reason, making them want to consume/watch more episodes.
- Patriarchy
Patriarchy ideology is represented in The Killing as Meyer tries to hold power on Lund by trying to convince her that his opinion (that there's no evidence of Nanna in the woods) is wrong. But Lund is determined she is right, so she goes against the patriarchy society, and trusts her own instincts. This could be represented as the first female Prime Minister of Denmark came to be in 2011, showing the women in Denmark are showing more authority in the 21st Century, shown by Lund in The Killing.
- Ethnocentrism (belief that your own culture is normal and natural and that other cultures are inferior and strange)
Ethnocentrism ideology is shown in The Killing as Lund's fiance convinced her to move to Sweden, implying Sweden is a better place to live in Denmark.
Sarah Lund
For each of the following points, explain how this is conveyed in episode 1. Use detailed reference to the episode and accurate media language.
1. She doesn't use her sexuality to get what she wants because she has confidence in her intuition and ability.
This is shown when Meyer tries to be a stereotypical man and take over the situation regarding the case, but as Lund uses her own intelligence to make Meyer go in her direction, and there's nothing sexual ever shown in regards to Lund and her working environment, she knows she's capable to make judgements for herself and doesn't need a man to make decisions for her.
2. Her female sexuality is not focused on.
Lund's sexuality is shown not to be the focus in Episode 1 of The Killing as only a part of the first scene is shown of her sexuality, but throughout the rest of the episode there's nothing else shown. This is because the Nanna case is more important than her sexuality, so there's no need for her to bring it up. The fact that she tends to wear clothing that covers her completely shows that she isn't objecting herself on her sexuality and that she'd much rather wear sensible clothing for her line of work, than to be scantily dressed.
3. She is presented to us as a maternal figure.
Lund is represented as a maternal figure shown in the first scene of episode 1 when she goes in her sons room and switches off his TV whilst he is sleeping, and then she smiles upon him whilst sleeping. This shows her adoration towards her son, imminently showing she's a maternal figure.
4. As Lund becomes involved in a murder case investigation, her professional life takes precedence.
Lund is shown being completely dedicated to the murder case investigation from the moment she was informed about it. From when she was packing her belonging in her office to then completely stopping from what she was going just to go to a crime scene, to her delaying her flight to Sweden shows her dedication to her job up until the very last second.
But her dedication to her job takes precedence to her personal life as the scene of her in the car with her son, she gets the name wrong after her son telling her countless of times, showing Lund has too many thoughts in her head to pay 100% of her attention to her son.
Stereotypes - How are stereotypes used in The Killing?
Think about the following:
- Victim
Nanna is represented being a stereotypical teenage girl who likes to hang out with her friends, and "sneaks" off to a boys place.
- Politicians
The politicians (the mayor and Troels) are stereotyped being competitive rivals for the upcoming election. The mayor is defending to keep his positions whereas Troels want his position.
- Police
The police are stereotyped being professional and it takes them all day and night without any rest just to find the body of Nanna.
- Swedish nationality
The Swedish nationality is stereotyped as being "remote" (says Meyer), and that anyone who moves to Sweden goes crazy. This could represent the relationship between Swedish and Danish people.
- Family unit
The family are stereotyped as being a happy family as they all get along with each other.
- Racism
Racism is stereotyped in the scene where a man Theis works for drops something he was carrying then is racist to the guy.
Realism
LFTVD often leans towards social realism, constructing a coherent fictional world that the audience can recognise and relate to with a sense of addressing real-world social issues and the everyday concerns of 'ordinary' people.
How is realism constructed in The Killing?
Consider:
- Events
- Characters
- Ideology
- Narrative
Realism is constructed in The Killing as the events in each episode is taken to be a single day in real time, setting a solid and realistic time frame of the series.
Tuesday 30th June 2020
14 - LFTVD: Exam Practice 1
L/O: To plan and write an effective comparative essay.
Reminder...
There will be TWO exam essay questions:
1. A longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies.
2. A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case studies to a particular theory you've studied.
Practice Question
Why do long form TV dramas represent social groups differently? In your answer you must:
- Consider the context in which LFTVD's representations can be understood.
- Explain how media contexts may have influenced representations in the set episodes of the two set texts.
- Make judgements and reach conclusions about the reasons for the differences in representations between the two episodes.
REMEMBER - You can argue the contexts either do or do not influence representations, or that they do to some extent with other influences too. You would spend 50-55 minutes in the exam on this question (6 paragraphs including an introduction and a conclusion).
1) PLAN
Homeland -
Politics(9/11 terrorism, represents America being the strongest country).
Main character is represented being smart but also having a mental illness (bi-polar).
The Killing -
Political issues shown
Moral issues
Danish society is progressive with gender equality.
Wednesday 3rd March 2021
Homeland - Season 1, Episode 1 October 2011
L/O: To explore the narrative, themes and characters in set episode.
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: How is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
- Nicholas Brody: Former prisoner of war has been turned.
- Carrie Mathison: Suspects Brody as when she was in Baghdad a prisoner told her that "an American prisoner of war has been turned".
ENGIMA CODES: What questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Carrie is shown as a reckless individual show having Bipolar Disorder therefore the audience will question the way she behaves, especially as she suspects Brody. The Audience wants to know if Brody has been truly turned, making Carrie's suspicion towards Brody right. Carrie says "I am crazy" when confronted taking Bipolar medication, suggesting she's hiding her problems from the audience. As she also takes off a wedding rings which suggests something has happened in her personal life, and she's hiding it from everyone around her.
- Brody denies the picture of a person shown by Carrie, then imminently has a flashback to the individual whilst he was held captive. He also continuously lies to his wife about coming home, and lies to Brody's partners ex-wife about his death, making Brody seem suspicious from the audiences point of view.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: How are these set up/ introduced and what are they?
- Carrie: CIA agent with a bipolar disorder.
- Brody: USMC Sergeant, was a prisoner of war held captive by Al-Qaeda for 8 years.
- Saul: Carrie's mentor, recruited her to the CIA.
- Jessica: Cheated on Brody whilst he was held captive (with his best friend).
Wednesday 17th March 2021
Homeland
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in set episode in relation theory.
Narratology: Todorov
- Narratology is the study of narrative; narrative structure - how the parts fit together to make a whole.
- States of equilibrium to another, to a new equilibrium.
- Todorov's theory doesn't fit TV shows (Homeland) as it's a continuous story.
How its shown in Homeland:
Original equilibrium - Carrie a CIA agent working in Iraq.Distribution - Carrie finds out a US soldier has been turned/ Jessica (Brody's wife) cheating on Brody with his best friend (Mike).Recognition - Brody (US soldier) turns up for the first time in 8 years.Attempt to repair - Carrie suspects Brody and tries to figure out hat he's hiding (Brody's fingers twitching).Story continues...
Genre Theory: Neale
- Draws attention to the processes of difference within repetition and hybridity (mixing of genres).
- Audience expectations are that of twisting and enigmatic narratives that have been developed.
- Genres aren't fixed!!
How its shown in Homeland:
Carrie: We see that Carrie is determined to find out if Brody is he is the turned soldier, engaging the audience as they know she's right but seeing how she plays it out.
Jessica: She has been cheating on Brody for years with his best friend, therefore being portrayed as an unfaithful person, making the audience engaged as they want to know if/when she'll tell Brody the truth.
Saul: Acts as Carrie's mentor/friend, he believes in Carrie but he doesn't think that she's right on the Brody situation, making the audience engaged a they're wondering if there will be a betrayal or that he'll eventually agree with her.
Brody: Soldier that has been turned, makes the audience engaged as they know he's guilty.
Mixing of genres: Drama/thriller
Examples of drama: Serious tone, dark colour pallet, serious characters,
Industry and Context
Context
Historical: Aired after 9/11
Economic: Large budget, no restriction in marketing and production.
Political: Based in America, shows terrorism.
Social: Eastern/Western narrative.
Cultural: American culture (Americanisation).
Industry
- TV video on demand (VOD) NETFLIX
Analysing the Context
Is America seen as strong?
Yes.
Is America seen as vulnerable?
America feels vulnerable because of 9/11 as it was a huge disaster of terrorism.
How is the text choosing to show the contexts of the day?
Homeland aired 10 years after 9/11, meaning it was still a memorable event to the audience.
How is the media choosing to portray the current political, social, economic, cultural and historical contexts?
Media portrays America as strong due to Americanisation globally, meaning larger budget for production and marketing. Now there's a sense of fear (Islamic-phobia)in America between the Eastern and Western narrative shown in Homeland. Homeland supports dominant ideologies as it brings the fear of terrorism to the audience (Baghdad), but also challenges ideologies for the audience Eastern audience as it could be culturally insensitive.
Finding Brody in captivity America - No support shown for him Family - Barely checks to see if he's okay after traumatising events.Baghdad - Could be offended
How has Homeland represented the context of the time in their opening episode?
The equilibrium of the first episode of Homeland starts in Baghdad, an Eastern country stereotyped for terrorism for the 9/11 attacks in 2001, filmed and released 10 years later in 2011 after Bin Ladens death. This creates fear to both Eastern and Western audiences as it was a traumatising and catastrophic event. The episode shows some Islamic-phobia as a prisoner is being held captive, and his last words to Carrie were "a prisoner of war has been turned", the drama creates a sense of fear to the audience as that cold have affect on their country (America), and after 9/11 they don't want to go through that again.
This could be shown through Brody as he shows signs of PTSD, which could be reflected to the audience who may have PTSD because of the events of 9/11.
Semiology: Barthes
- Semiology is the study of signs. Signs consist of a signifier and it's meaning (the signified).
- Denotation (literal meaning).
- Connotations (hidden meaning).
Where this theory is shown in Homeland - Brody (PTSD) and Carrie (OCD).
Brody's appearance - dirty, long hair, bushy beard, scars.
Denotations of his appearance - He hasn't cleaned/trimmed himself in a long time.
Connotations of his appearance - He's being physically and mentally tortured everyday, held hostage, not being able to have the luxury of being fed, bathed or any basic human decency.
Structuralism: Levi-Strauss
- Study of rules.
- Through the human mind could be investigated by studying myths and fables from around the world.
- Binary opposition = Concepts with opposite meanings.
Examples in Homeland - Carrie visiting the cell in Baghdad.
Eastern society -Soldiers carrying guns looking intimidating, cells are dark, humid weather, no human right regulations, sexism.
Western society - Equality is better, guns aren't legally allowed to be shown, cells are well managed with a toilet, weather changes throughout the year, human rights is (literally) a right.
Gilroy: Ethnicity and Post-Colonialism
- Draws attention to the colonial ideology.
- Black v White
Colonial rule - white, western culture(British Empire).
How it's shown in Homeland:
The majority of the main characters are white in American, implying white society is superior(which it's not).
How the West is represented as superior in various aspects in the episode:
The West is shown being in a rich society, with a white majority shows that's the cultural norm.
Wednesday 24th March 2021
Homeland: Characters
L/O: To explore the narrative and characterisation in set products.
Van Zoonen: Feminist Theory
- Ideas of femininity and masculinity are constructed in our performance of these roles.
- Gender is who we are, changes meaning depending on our cultural and historical contexts.
- Patriarchy = control
- Equality is unequal.
- This is seen in Carrie (female, CIA agent) unstable flaw = not reliable as a woman(seen as inferior as controlled by David and Saul).
Feminist Theory: Bell Hooks
- Intersectionality is coming of gender, race, class and sexuality (white supremacy, capitalist media).
Homeland society = Homosexual, white.
David = Black, male, middle-class (still superior even though his race isn't in the dominant group).
Women are represented negatively in Homeland (Carrie and Jess).
Even though Carrie is shown as superior, she still ha flaws.
Carrie Mathison
Scene 1
What Happens in the Scene?
- Carrie is in Baghdad
How is Carrie represented?
- Impatient, stubborn, and can easily manipulate people.
How are the Middle East and Middle Eastern people represented?
- Uneducated, religious, over-populated, violent
Scene 2
How is Carrie represented?
- Weak (shown flaws)
Analysis Points
- Carrie represents a flawed hero.
- (Obsessive attention to detail (OCD).
- Psychologically damaged.
- Audience questions her behaviour.
- Uses her sexuality as a tool (highly emotional).
How is Carrie Mathison represented? DIRT plenary.
Carrie is represented as a flawed, but intelligent individual shown in the first scene i Homeland as she's shown to be stubborn at her job (CIA agent) in Baghdad which is portrayed with the negative stereotype, which suggests even in bad circumstances she's still able to work hard. But she's shown to be flawed in the second scene as we're given an insight to her home life as she has an OCD disorder which could be her flaw in the future, making the audience question her reliability as a woman, portraying women negatively even if they're good at their job. This links to Van Zoonens theory of the concept of patriarchy, even though we're in the 21st Century and women are no longer governed by men, it's still being represented to that ideology in television (Homeland). Carrie being represented as strong (masculine role), she's still a women therefore she must have "flaws" considered by the socialisation of the patriarchy society.
Being a woman, Carrie is able to use her sexuality as a tool, which suggests that women can't get what they want unless it involves sex, shows that society will never have equality when it comes down to both race and gender of a patriarchal society, which links to Bell Hooks theory of intersectionality of gender, and that women will never be able to be seen equal to men, which is clearly shown by Carrie's character in Homeland.
Nicholas Brody: War Hero
- The "hero"
Scene 15
How is Brody represented?
- Negatively (Carrie), suspects him- Positively (family and friends), shown as a war hero, respected
How does he react to family?
- They don't know how to approach/talk to him at first, wife is excited, and the children barely recognise him so they act cautiously (particularly the son)
- He doesn't respond to them until they make the first move, showing he's taken aback about the situation
Representation Theory: Gauntlett and Identity
- Media has a complex relationship with identities.
- Diverse and contradictory messages in individuals thought their identity.
- Homeland has representations to America.
- International representation as the CIA is heard as important.
- Middle Eastern representation (9/11)
- Shows a diversity of representations in Homeland(Baghdad v America)
Representation Theory: Hall and Homeland
- Creates dominant meaning through the ideology of East v West to support those in power (US/West).
- carrie = lack of elements in her character, closeness, compassion and success outside her job.
- Carrie and the Middle East = Carrie is in respected clothing, only female being shown, Carrie is shown to be in power (even though she failed).
Carrie Meets Brody: 31.08 - 35.04
Mise-en-scene
- Dark lighting background (but their faces are lit, showing importance), creating tension- Non-diegetic sound = white noise - Diegetic sound = Interview conversation- All wearing suits (formal)
Shot Types
- Over-the-shoulder hot (Carrie and Brody)- close-ups (Brody), shown as importance- Long/mid shot (Carrie), shown as not important- High angle of everyone at the table- Jump-cuts between Carrie and Brody's conversation
Flashbacks
- Brody hanging by his hands, man in Carrie's photo shows up
Carrie's Representation
- Pushy, undermined by David, curious about Brody
Brody's Representation
- Lying, suspicious, traumatised(PTSD)
Brody Analysis: How is Brody represented in Homeland?
Brody is represented both negatively and positively in Homeland. He's shown positively when he returns home, being reunited with his family which suggests that Brody feels uneasy being back home. But when Brody is being interrogated by Carrie he's portrayed negatively shown through the rapid jump cuts which creates a sense of uneven balance between the characters. The fact that the background lighting is dark creates tension as suggests importance and the conversation of Carrie and Brody their faces are highlighted, but Carrie being slightly darker which is suggesting that Brody holds more power over Carrie which links with Hall's representation theory that even though Carrie is suppose to hold more power, her being female makes her less valued in the conversation, meaning men are constructed as being more superior than women, showing masculine ideology in men.
Wednesday 31st March 2021
Homeland: Representation
L/O: TO explore the representations in set products.
Postmodernism: Baudrillard
- Modernism in art culture in the 20th Century (modernism)
- Postmodernism are things that don't really exist (E.G. Disneyland), also social media as it's not the real "world", it's a simulation.
- Homeland doesn't fit with this theory(9/11).
Baudrillard doesn't fit to Homeland as it has real world events such as 9/11, mental health (bipolar and PTSD) and the CIA.
Audience Theory: Hall
Dominant reading - Accepts the preferred meaning.
Negotiated meaning - Some of the meaning is accepted but the audience can disagree with parts of it.
Oppositional meaning - The audience rejects ideological assumptions, I.E, West is superior.
Carrie's Mental Health
Camera - Close up (conversation)
Editing - Jump cut to Carrie alone in the room to her panicking to get drugs, then to her lying on her bed.
Sound - Diegetic sound (conversation)
Mise-en-scene - Awkward, Carrie put of revealing clothes to show off her body, extremely wide open eyes, facial features.
- Carrie has bipolar which makes her a good investigation (obsessive to detail).
Using mental health is a trend in dramas
- Her bipolar disorder makes her seen to be struggling (pulling hair)
- Carrie doesn't plan things out humanly (negative representations of a woman).
How is mental illness presented in Homeland?
Mental illness is presented in Homeland through Carrie's bipolar disorder. She's shown to be struggling through her facial expressions and the lack of care in herself. It suggests that America thinks that mental health is a negative thing to have due to the way they're represented Carrie as an individual.
In the scene where Carrie is talking to Saul as he figures out that she had put CCTV in his house. We're shown that Carrie feels incredibly stressed as her career is on the line, so bad she tries to pursue Saul not to press charges, but ultimately fails as he asks her, "what are you doing?". Due to her bipolar disorder she's able to change her personality quickly which is shown with her facial expression from scrunching up her face to her eyes wide open making her a stereotypical woman as they're stereotyped as more emotional than men. The use of the jump cuts in between from when Saul left Carrie alone, to her then immediately taking her medication suggests she's a highly flawed character and woman as she is seen to not be in control of he emotions.
This makes the audience think that she isn't a suitable character as she's weak, making her not suitable for her job. Due to the fact that she's a woman working in a highly masculine field makes her stand out, but also more vulnerable due to emotions than the men. This presents mental illness negatively in Homeland, implying Carrie shouldn't take the job.
As women are traditionally represented negatively, there's no doubt about it that Carrie is as well. From being and woman having mental health issues in America is looked down on, , making it more difficult for her in a workplace, showing that despite these features, Carrie is a strong individual in the eyes of the audience who may be suffering mental illness themselves, which links to Gauntlett's theory.
NOT FINISHED
1. point
2. scene description (sound, editing, mise-en-scene, camera).
3. textual detail (audience, representation, theory).
4. explain how 3 reinforces 1
5. link to context.(representation of women, America deal with backlash of 9/11 and mental illness.)
6. Theory reference.(Gauntlett= strong woman, audience will identify with mental illness.)
Audience theory: Bandura; media effects
- The media influence people directly.
- Media can influence directly or indirectly through platforms (social media), and we become influenced by the media.
- Audience need the media to be regulated to prevent public harm.
Long term effects on people who consumer LFTV Drama.
Curran and Seaton: Power and media industries.
1. Patterns in ownership and control are important in how the media functions.
2. Media industries are capitalist and aim to increase concentration of ownership (narrowing of opinions).
3. Owners pursue profit at the expense of quality or creativity.
- Issues = Creators and the risk and profit vs critical appeal in TV drama depending funding
- International dominance of American Streaming services.,
Hesmondhalgh: Cultural industries and Homeland
- Draw attention to ownership and control
- High budget of Homeland = low risk
Livingstone and Lunt: Regulation
1. Consumers seek benefits from media for public interest.
- American cable is highly regulated to avoid harm for their audiences.
- UK has OFCOM to send complaints to(not international streaming services).
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Brody in Episode 1 of Homeland
How is gender represented in Homeland and how does this reflect social and cultural context.
Brody and Carrie is represented as complex.
Gender is represented in Homeland both positively and negatively shown through Brody as he's a man who is stereotypically suppose to be strong despite any circumstances. Despite this Brody is shown to be a strong individual around people, but when he's alone he is shown to be weak(in a corner in his bedroom), suggesting he doesn't want to cause issue because of his gender and what he has went through.
In the scene when Carrie meets Brody; Brody is represented as a strong man and answers all the questions without hesitation. But when Carrie asks him specific questions about an individual in the photo he has flashback to getting tortured, showing that Brody is internally hiding all his emotions in front of people as he can't be seen as weak because of his gender as a man. The close-up shot of Brody tries to focus of his facial features to see if he shows a reaction to the photo, but he remains calm and collected (unlike Carrie), suggesting as a man he has better control over his emotions. The dark lighting in the background creates tension towards Carrie and Brody's conversation, trying to make Brody tense and hopefully reveals his emotions, but being a strong, white man who is stereotypically meant to be superior, he succeeds.
This reflects social context as Brody is shown to clearly having PTSD, a mental health issue
NOT FINISHED
Wednesday 21st April 2021
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in set episode.
The Killing
The Killing: Narrative
MAIN NARRATIVE:
Lund is shown at the start of the episode being called to a crime scene after just waking up from a distressed sleep.
At the crime scene, she realizes it was a prank made by her co-workers in celebrating her moving to Sweden with her fiancé and son.
Nanna borrows her dads (Theis) rental car.
She's then called to a crime scene in a field as she packs up her stuff in the office. With a possibility of a death of a teenage girl.
ENIGMA CODES:
- We want to know where Nanna is at first.
- After they found the body the audience might want to know how she died.
- Why her friends are acting suspicious, if they’re hiding anything.
- Why Larsen has someone who died, and political party (center), who is going to win? Snitch in the party.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES:
Inspector Sarah Lund - Main protagonist introduced as intelligent and determined to solve the case. She’s preparing to leave for Stockholm. Acts un-motherly towards her son as she doesn’t listen to him
Their Birk Larsen – Building worker. Nanna's dad, which is shown being determined to find his daughter.
Prenille Birk Larsen - Nanna's mum, cries a lot.
Inspector Jan Meyer - New recruit as Lund is supposed to be leaving, show as not being as intelligent as Lund and thinks he's right and tries to act cocky over Nanna’s case.
Troels Hartmann - Politician and candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen, Center political party.
Mark – Sarah’s son. Doesn’t seem to want to move and lives with a mother who barely acknowledges him.
Genre
Nordic Noir – Term to describe Scandinavian crime fiction.
Genre Theory: Neale
- Draws attention to the process of difference within repetition and hybridity (mixing of genres).- Audience expectations are that of twisting and enigmatic narratives that have been developed.- GENRES AREN’T FIXED
How is genre introduced in the opening episode?
Genres are introduced in a complex way, shown by the Nordic Noir show of The Killing, showing men and women are introduced as both negatively and positively which shows the hybridity of the show itself.
At the show starts off with a girl running away show in a dark and eerie atmosphere, in which later on become the missing girl in the episode, which suggests women are weak and unable to protect themselves. But as the main character is shown a strong independent woman with a successful career as detective (Lund), that shows women can be just as powerful and men in the patriarchy society. Women are shown being weak as Meyer’s tries to be the traditionally masculine and whom interrupts Lund, but that backfires on him as Lund takes charge of him, belittling him as a man.
Due to Meyer and Lund’s introductory rivalry, it’s makes the audience question if they’ll get along and solve the case together, which links with Neale’s genre theory as it shows a mixing of genres in gender, creating a complex narrative.
(I just realised I misread the question, sorry!)
1. Sarah and Jan investigate (introduction)2. Enigma codes (will Sarah and Jan get along, individual character narratives).3. Theory of Neale (drama, family drama and crime.)4. Back to Q
Generic corpus – The body of products in a genre
- The Killing interweaves three generically different narrative strands and then combines into fourth “whodunit”.
Wednesday 28th April 2020
The Killing: Industry and Context
L/O: To explore the production, social and political context of set products.
Industry Context
- The Killing is a good example of a European LFTVD.- Each 50-minute episode covers 24 hours of investigation.- - 1st series 20 episodes.- Economic context: publicly-owned national broadcaster that can only finance one drama per season, this only co-operation with other European TV producers.
The Killing: Context- Set in Danish capital (Copenhagen)- Danish society are civilised (when Nana is murdered is strange in Danish society).- Comparison with Homeland: Two different social and cultural context - Denmark: Civilised- America: Terrorism, international attacks
Contexts
Historical: LFTVD events.Economic: LFTVD production, financial and technological opportunities.Political: LFTVD political developments through media (messages and issues) national identity.Social: How the audience consumes LFTVD.Cultural: How LFTVD affects audience consumption of cultural values.
Social Context
- Crime is an indicated of social decline.- Killing: Denmark’s financial crisis (writer/director) scripted into programme.- Sarah feels like she can’t leave to Sweden.- Larsen family: shows economic struggle (no money to fix dishwasher)- Shows society is changing- Political: Mayor (Troels Hartmann)- The Killing: Characters
Bauldrillard: Postmodernism
- Society is postmodernism, we live in a simulation (social media).- Hyper reality: Media simulations (not real).- LFTVD: Influence representations
Van Zoonen: Feminist theory
- How feminine and masculine roles are constructed.- Gender in the concept of patriarchy (shown in TV).
Butler: Gender
- How gender is represented in women(negatively), and males = masculinity.
The Crime Scene
What happens in scene:
- Lund arrives at scene in the rain (storage area), follows “blood” trail in the dark to doll (prank as she’s leaving).- On phone to fiancé: talking about leaving to Stockholm, meets Meyer (new position)- Real scene: Meyer dominating conversation
How Sarah is represented:
- Positively: She’s serious at her job, good at looking for clues (woods) E.g. fearless- Negatively: Not handling conversations well with men (with Meyer)
How the scene is effected/significant:
- Introduces Lunds as a character, ready to leave for Sweden, good at her job.- Start of the search for Nanna
Theories:
- Van Zoonen: Sarah is shown not having the traditional feminine tropes.- Reflecting Social Attitudes
- Denmark has always been seen as internationally in gender equality.- 2007: 8th in world (Sweden 1st)- 2020: 14th in world (Sweden 4th)- US in 2020: 53rd - Is the way that Sarah Lund is treated in the workplace different to the way Carrie Mathison is treated in the workplace in Homeland?
Sarah and Carrie and both shown to be treated differently within their workplace. Sarah is treated positively in her workplace, whereas Carrie is treated negatively in her workplace. Sarah is shown being good at her job, having authority over Meyer as she knows she’s right (crime scene). Similarly, to Sarah, Carrie is good at her job, but she’s shown to be having mental health issues (bipolar), which is implied to have a negative effect on her work, meaning she’s not equal in her workplace (like Sarah).
How does this link to the different countries stance on gender equality?
Denmark is shown to have better gender equality than the US as it’s ranked 14th in the world in 2020, whereas the US is ranked 53rd.
How does this link with Van Zoonen and Butler?
This links with Van Zoonen as Sarah is shown not having traditional feminine tropes, and she’s more marked as stereotypically masculine. Carrie links with Butler’s theory as women are portrayed negatively and so is she in Homeland, meaning US is shown having masculinity over femininity.
Gender Issues: Sarah is shown having both feminine and masculine traits (work + mother)
Bell Hooks: Feminist
- Coming together of gender, race, class, etc
Gauntlett: Identity
- Intersectionality: Complex relationships with identities (Sarah)
Hall: Representation
- Stereotyping and ideology of those inn power (preferred reading).- What is present vs what is absent.- How stereotypes are constructed.
How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect societal issues?
The Killings main character is Sarah Lund who is portrayed being a strong woman which is shown in the first scene of the fake crime scene; she enters the room in a hand-held panorama with shows she’s unafraid to investigated, and when the lights turn out she shows no hesitation, and switches on a torch which suggests that even in a vulnerable position, Sarah is not afraid. The use of the non-diegetic spooky sound creates tension to the audience, but not to Sarah as she’s a professional in her line of profession (detective), in which Denmark purposely portrays women as strong which suggests that women can be just as strong as men, if not strong. This links in with Van Zoonen’s theory of femininity; in which Sarah is constructed not having the traditionally stereotypical feminine tropes, and is stereotypes in a more masculine manner in a Western society. But due to Denmark gender ranking being 14th (2020), shows that gender equality is more considered compared to the US.
However, in Homeland, the main protagonist, Carrie Mathison is portrayed being strong, yet also weak due to the fact she has a mental illness. She is shown being strong by first scene we’re introduced to Carrie of her being in Baghdad; which is traditionally portrayed with the negative stereotype, but despite this, Carrie is there. She is shown to be intelligent and a hard worker shown by a close up of her interrogating the prisoner trying to get information out of him, showing that she’s determined to do what’s right. But she’s also shown negatively when we’re first introduced to Carrie’s mental health as we’re instantly cut off from a close up of her alone in her room, then with a jump-cut to her panicking to searching for pills, then instantly another jump cut to her lying on her bed looking exhausted. This shows that despite being a CIA agent, she has weaknesses that need to be controlled in the form of medication or else she has no control of herself. This shows that despite the US being technologically advanced in terms of production, gender equality is shown to be a flaw especially in America as gender equality is ranked 53rd (2020), which links with Hall’s theory of stereotypes, and the absence of Carrie trying her hardest despite everything she’s going through.
Wednesday 5th May 2021
The Killing: Analysis
L/O: To analyse a variety of scenes using accurate terminology
Semiology: Barthes
- Study of signs. Consists of a signifier (image, etc.) and its meaning – the signified.- Denotation = literal- Connotation = hidden
Scene 3: Intro to the Larsen Family
Theis gender stereotypes = strong, respected, supports his family, physical labour, denotes to a stereotypical masculine man.Family representation= Nice house but can’t afford to fix washing machine a struggle (economic issues), broken items at shop (economic issues), close to his wife, traditional (working man and wife stays at home)and loving family, zoom of family photographs.Home representation = Economic crisis in Denmark = struggling home, photographs of family, Mise-en-scene = Clothing of builder bulky clothing=connotes to hard working, non-diegetic sound of sad music, close-up with him and his wife connotes to their loving relationship they have, lighting is warm toned connotes to happiness.Comparison to Homeland = Denmark vs American society, rich vs poor, Carrie (CIA) vs mother (stay at home, Brody family(struggling and sad) vs Theis family(struggling but happy)
How it links with theory - BarthesBroken washing machine denotes to poor (sign)Connotes Theis is in debt (signified)Signified = wife buckling Theis (affectionate)
Viewpoints and Ideologies
Individualism = relying on yourself
Consumerism = What you buy reflects who you are
Patriarchy = Men dominating society
Ethnocentrism = Belief that your own culture is normal and natural and that other cultures are inferior and strange
The Killing
Individualism = Lund relies on herself as she is shown to be a strong individual as she solves the murder by investigating critical clues, Lunds family breaks down due to her own quest (motive to solve the case)
Consumerism = Theis buys a house suggesting he wants his family to have a nice life, Denmark is a socialist country (compared to Homeland)
Patriarchy = Meyer tries to dominate Lund, Theis works whilst his wife stays at home with the children, Hartman wanting to become mayor
Ethnocentrism = The Pakistani man is deemed inferior but Theis respects him as an individual(racism), Sarah talks about he move to Sweden her work mates joke about to and Meyer insults her.
Stereotypes
Victim = Nanna (murdered) young female, assumption of a prostitute
Politicians = Troels Hartman (Green party) wants to become mayor, male dominated society, corrupted politicians/society (trying to ruin Troels)
Police = Lund and Meyer trying to find Nanna, Meyer = negatively(smokes, gun photo), Boss (old, close, male),
Swedish Nationality = Portrayed negatively in Denmark’s society (insulted and joked about), viking hat, blow up-doll viking, flags, sword, blond plaits.
Family Unit = Theis’ wife(stay at home mother) with her two son and daughter (Nanna)
Racism = Pakistani man is insulted(Theis defended man only because of a fight)
Audience Theory: Jenkins Fandom
Strengths: 1. Diversity by LFTV to use products to create their own culture in fan site.2. Many LFTV achieve cult status adding to their values for fans.
Limitations:1. Optimistic view of power of audiences, underestimates power of media conglomerates in shaping how media is produced.
Textual poaching = Audiences taking a media product and remaking or reworking it to create their own meaning.
Sarah Lund's jumpers = popular fashion piece in Denmark.
Homeland
Evaluate the relevance of Todorov’s theory of narratology to long form TV drama.
PLAN
The Killing
Equilibrium – Nanna running away from someone in the woods/ Lund celebrating her leaving to SwedenDisruption – Lund is called back in a case (missing girl = Nanna)Recognition – Lund uses her detective skills, finds Theis family and figure out that Nanna is missingRepair – Lund uses her detective skills and finds clues linking to NannaNew Equilibrium – Lund finds Nanna’s dead body in a water barrel in a car
Homeland
Equilibrium – Carrie is in Baghdad finds out by a prisoner of war has been turnedDisruption – Brody has been found Recognition – Carrie thinks that Brody has been turnedRepair – Carrie tries to get evidence over BrodyNew Equilibrium – Brody glaring at the white house (terrorism)
- Extreme close up
- Close up
- Medium close up
- Extreme long shot
- Long shot
- Medium shot
Angles
- Birds eye view
- Worms eye view
- Low angle
- High angle
Movement
- Panning
- Tracking
- Tilt
- Dutch tilt
Friday 17th April 2020
L/O: To explore the content of the unit
Long Form TV Drama
Media Language: How TV drama communicates through codes and conventions and technical and narrative techniques.
Representations: How events, issues, individuals and social groups are portrayed in TV drama.
Industry: How the TV industry processes of production, distribution and circulation work.
Audiences: How TV drama target, reach and address audiences and how audiences interpret and respond to them.
Context: The economic, social and cultural contexts surrounding specific TV dramas.
How am I examined?
There will be TWO exam essay questions:
1. A longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies.
2. A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case studies to a particular theory you've studied.
Defining the Genre
- Long-form TV dramas are normally characterised by in-depth, lengthy narratives.
- The Story unfolds over approximately 10 episodes, allowing for plot and character development.
- "Long Form Drama is a term coined to describe the recent shift of interest towards television series of high quality that many consider to have replaced the cinema as a locus of serious adult entertainment. Unfolding over multiple episodes, hours, and even years, these TV shows are seen to provide a content, often dark and difficult, and an innovative style that strain against the conventions of cinema as well as network television. Once considered a cultural wasteland--hence the pejorative nickname the 'boob tube' as TV came to be called in the nineteen sixties--television now attracts some of the best and most innovative writers, directors, and even actors." - CineAction
- The inception of this form has emphasised cinematic qualities and complex flexi-narratives.
Flexi-narrative represent a complex story-telling form with the following features:
- Central characters whose motives develop with them.
- A main story-line with interwoven subplots.
- A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and question for the audience.
What have you seen?
Choose a TV drama series that you have watched(not case studies)
Explain, in detail, how it uses the characteristics of a flexi-narratives:
Game of Thrones
Central characters whose motives develop with them
Daenerys - Wants to claim back the iron throne for a good cause, but ends up destroying Kings Landing and killing innocent people.
A main story-line with interwoven subplots
A decade-long summer is ending, and winter looms as characters claim for the Iron Throne, but lots of people want to claim it so there's lots of backstabbing and bloodshed.
A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and question for the audience.
Littlefinger - You never know who he's going to manipulate next, making the audience question everything he does.
Research Task
- Find an overview of the storyline of Season 1.
The first seasons follows Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of was, was turned by the enemy and now poses a significant risk to national security.
- Write a character profile for each of the three main characters: Carrie, Brody and Saul.
Carrie Mathison - She is a former operations officer working for the Central Intelligence Agency. She is obsessively hunting down a terrorist named Abu Nazir, whom she suspects turned Nick Brody, an American prisoner of war, against his country.
Brody - Brody is rescued by Delta Force troops during a raid on a terrorist compound in Afghanistan. He is flown back to the U.S., where he is reunited with his wife, Jessica, and his children, Dana and Chris.
Saul - Saul Berenson is Carrie Mathison's mentor and to some extent, protector at the CIA.
Production
Which TV network developed the show and which corporation are they a subsidiary of?
The series was developed by SHOWTIME - a cable and satellite TV network. A subsidiary of CBS Corporation. They are known for high quality film and TV programming.
Which studio produced the series?
Fox 21 Television Studios
What award did the first season win?
Season 1 won the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best TV Drama Series - showing the critical acclaim the show received.
Distribution
Episode 1, 'Pilot', released differently to normal to the US? How many viewers did it have than in the UK on Channel 4?
US - Released at 10PM after watershed hours, receiving 1.08 million views. This was Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in 8 years.
The first episode was made available online more than 2 weeks before TV broadcast - viewers had to complete game tasks to gain access to the episode.
UK - Released at 9PM, on the watershed hour on Channel 4 and attracted approximately 2.8 million viewers.
It was also distributed in Canada, Ireland, India and Pakistan.
What genre is it?
Drama
What is the difference between an antagonist and anti-hero?
Antagonist - The character who has opposite goals/beliefs than the protagonist.
Anti-hero - The protagonist of the story who lacks generic "heroic" attributes.
Who do you think have these roles in Homeland and why?
I think Carrie is the anti-hero is Homeland's as the audience question her behaviour throughout the episode, and the antagonists are the terrorists as it's hinted from Carrie that they kept Brody alive for information.
Nicholas Brody
Marine sergeant Nicholas Brody is the lead antagonist in Homeland. Brody is clearly disturbed by his experiences as a prisoner of war and the programme parallels his struggles in the setting back into a normal family life.
Mise-en-scene choices that have made Brody look like a prisoner of war.
- Long knotted messy hair
- Dirty face
- Dry skin
As a man and a soldier, he would be the most traditional character to play the 'heroic' role, but we tend to see him differently from Carrie's perspective.
Nicholas Brody: Reunion Scene
MAKE NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Outline what happens in the scene
Brody comes back by plain for 8 years being a POW, whilst his family patently wait in the lobby.
Despite it being a bit awkward, they all hug Brody.
Brody asks about his mother, but realises she died a while back.
- How is his family represented in the reunion scene? How does Brody react?
Brody's wife seems tense upon their meeting after 8 years, whilst their children seem relaxed.
Brody seems a but awkward, and not sure how to react at first.
Upon seeing him, his family seem stunned, but his wife reacts first with a hug but their children don't really know how to react, so they hug him too.
- How is the vice president represented?
The vice president is represented as holding authority as impenitently entering Brody halts himself seriously. They have a handshake but it seems a bit meaningless.
- How is Brody represented as a hero and a villain in S1 E1?
Tense
Nicholas Brody: War Hero
- Brody fits the traditional role of a hero.
- Carrie rejects this view of Brody and whilst the audiences see him as a heroic character in E1, they do see enough of his behaviour to join Carrie in being suspicious.
- So the audience have to reject the reassurance a conventional hero can provide. As an audience - we are positioned. We are shown certain viewpoints and given enough information to see him from a specific perspective.
- Sergeant Brody's Islamic 'turn' is represented as a precursor to becoming a terrorist. While Islam may provide Brody with therapeutic comfort, he is a Stockholm - syndrome covert, coerced into his Islamic faith and its associated terrorist politics.
- Homeland exploits the viewers initial surprise associated with seeing a white US Marine worshipping Allah in his garage by anticipating and refuting the stereotypical assumption that Brody's faith is evidence that he is a terrorist.
- We learn that he's a terrorist.
Extended trailer for Homeland
How does the trailer create two different representations of Brody as both a possible hero and possible villain?
Hero - Brody is seen being a hero here as you can tell he has been through a lot due to the amount of scars he has, showing he's in a lot of pain.
Villain - Brody is shown being a villain here as he's standing strong in front of the White-house(?). This could be a 9/11 reference as terrorists were suppose to crash into the White-house alongside the twin towers. Brody could be possibly planning to become a kamikaze pilot?
How does the trailer create doubt in the heroic nature of Carrie's Character?
The trailer portrays Carrie as being pushy and breaking rules, also she seems to be more suspicious than Brody as she goes behind people's back.
Nicholas Brody: Analysis
1A). How does the surveillance set up by Carrie allow that audience to identity and sympathise with his character and the circumstance on a more human level?
As Carrie didn't ask for permission from her supervisors, or ask for a warrant from his family, is shows that she has no empathy towards Brody who has been a prisoner of war for 8 years. The audience will feel bad for Brody as he's been through a lot, and now he's getting constantly watched without him knowing.
1B). How does it 'position' the audience? What values and ideologues does this act of surveillance represent?
The audience would feel uncomfortable by the fact that Carrie illegally broke into their home and placed cameras and voice cons throughout Brody's home, then constantly watch them even at inappropriate and personal time.
2). Do you think Brody is difficult to like? What values and ideologies does he represent?
I do think that Brody is difficult to like because he seems quite stiff of a character as he doesn't seem to have much emotions. He represents clear PTSD due to being prisoner of war for 8 years, and he's clearly struggling mentally throughout the episode as he doesn't open up to anybody, showing he's a reserved character.
3) Why are flashback used in episode 1 and how do they attempt to manipulate the audience into thinking a certain way about Brody?
The flashback are used to show the audience that Brody isn't as innocent as he seems. He's obviously been through a lot, but it also shows that he has done some rather unpleasant things from his time away. The audience are suspicious of Brody as he constantly lies about meeting terrorists because he has been manipulated by them for such a long time, he has become accustomed towards terrorism.
Carrie Meets Brody: 31.08 - 35.04
Analyse what information the producers are trying to get across to the audience in this scene.
- What mise-en-scene choices are key? Lighting?
The setting is in a meeting room of sorts, all questioning Brody whilst giving him direct address on what he knows whilst being captive for 8 years. They're all wearing suits implying it's a professional environment/workplace. The lighting around the square table seems dim and shadowy, but the square table itself seems bright, meaning the light is directly above the table, showing this discussing is the centre of attention.
- What shot types are used?
In this scene there's a lot of over the shoulder shots, showing a discussion evolving around Brody, and that they're giving him all their attention as they're seen with a medium close-up.
- How do they use flashback to give information to the audience?
The use the flashback to inform the audience that Brody isn't telling the truth, and that he in fact know the man in the picture. The orange-hazy filter implies that it's a flashback as it feel like you're looking back into the past.
- How is Carrie represented?
Carrie is represented as being professional by her clothing and giving Brody direct address as she's asking him questions quite harshly, showing she wants to know everything, and that she's mentally strong than Brody as she seems more confident than
- How is Brody represented?
Brody is represented as staying professional despite being asked many questions, at first he tries his best to stay normal with Carrie's questions, but when asked again he took longer to respond, showing he's still mentally weak.
Put It All Together...
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Nicholas Brody in Episode 1 of Homeland.
You could mention:
- Media language
- Narrative
- Stereotypes
Throughout Homeland episode 1, Brody is represented as being a highly disturbed antagonist as he has continuous flashbacks of him being held captive, and also lying to the CIA and his family. He shows general masculine stereotypes as he is a Marine sergeant, which would be a typical masculine job, and has the nuclear family. He acts strong in front of everyone, but in fact has a lot of bottle-up emotions that he doesn't show, which implies he suffers from PTSD. He is shown being a highly disturbed antagonist by the use of the continuous flashbacks throughout episode 1, implying he can't escape his dark thoughts so he ends up lying to his loved one and the people he's closest with.
How am I examined?
There will be TWO exam essay questions:
1. A longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies.
2. A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case studies to a particular theory you've studied.
Defining the Genre
- Long-form TV dramas are normally characterised by in-depth, lengthy narratives.
- The Story unfolds over approximately 10 episodes, allowing for plot and character development.
- "Long Form Drama is a term coined to describe the recent shift of interest towards television series of high quality that many consider to have replaced the cinema as a locus of serious adult entertainment. Unfolding over multiple episodes, hours, and even years, these TV shows are seen to provide a content, often dark and difficult, and an innovative style that strain against the conventions of cinema as well as network television. Once considered a cultural wasteland--hence the pejorative nickname the 'boob tube' as TV came to be called in the nineteen sixties--television now attracts some of the best and most innovative writers, directors, and even actors." - CineAction
- The inception of this form has emphasised cinematic qualities and complex flexi-narratives.
Flexi-narrative represent a complex story-telling form with the following features:
- Central characters whose motives develop with them.
- A main story-line with interwoven subplots.
- A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and question for the audience.
What have you seen?
Choose a TV drama series that you have watched(not case studies)
Explain, in detail, how it uses the characteristics of a flexi-narratives:
Game of Thrones
Central characters whose motives develop with them
Daenerys - Wants to claim back the iron throne for a good cause, but ends up destroying Kings Landing and killing innocent people.
A main story-line with interwoven subplots
A decade-long summer is ending, and winter looms as characters claim for the Iron Throne, but lots of people want to claim it so there's lots of backstabbing and bloodshed.
A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and question for the audience.
Littlefinger - You never know who he's going to manipulate next, making the audience question everything he does.
Research Task
- Find an overview of the storyline of Season 1.
The first seasons follows Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of was, was turned by the enemy and now poses a significant risk to national security.
- Write a character profile for each of the three main characters: Carrie, Brody and Saul.
Carrie Mathison - She is a former operations officer working for the Central Intelligence Agency. She is obsessively hunting down a terrorist named Abu Nazir, whom she suspects turned Nick Brody, an American prisoner of war, against his country.
Brody - Brody is rescued by Delta Force troops during a raid on a terrorist compound in Afghanistan. He is flown back to the U.S., where he is reunited with his wife, Jessica, and his children, Dana and Chris.
Saul - Saul Berenson is Carrie Mathison's mentor and to some extent, protector at the CIA.
Production
Which TV network developed the show and which corporation are they a subsidiary of?
The series was developed by SHOWTIME - a cable and satellite TV network. A subsidiary of CBS Corporation. They are known for high quality film and TV programming.
Which studio produced the series?
Fox 21 Television Studios
What award did the first season win?
Season 1 won the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best TV Drama Series - showing the critical acclaim the show received.
Distribution
Episode 1, 'Pilot', released differently to normal to the US? How many viewers did it have than in the UK on Channel 4?
US - Released at 10PM after watershed hours, receiving 1.08 million views. This was Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in 8 years.
The first episode was made available online more than 2 weeks before TV broadcast - viewers had to complete game tasks to gain access to the episode.
UK - Released at 9PM, on the watershed hour on Channel 4 and attracted approximately 2.8 million viewers.
It was also distributed in Canada, Ireland, India and Pakistan.
What genre is it?
Drama
Tuesday 21st April 2020
Season 1, Episode 1, October 2011
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in a set episode
Homeland: Narrative
- LF TV dramas often have a complex narrative structure:
a main narrative arc that spans the whole series and a number of minor narratives that may only last one or two episodes.
- The main narrative will often have several 'strands' which come together over the course of the series.
While you watch, you need to be looking for how these narrative strands are set up and how the characters are introduced and represented.
After watching, explain how the following are established:
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: How is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
- An agent, Nicholas Brody, has been possibly turned suspected by Carrie Mathison as when she was in Baghdad someone told her that an "an American prisoner of war has been turned". She also thinks that he(Brody) is trying to make contact as every time the camera is on him, his fingers starts twitching in a pattern.
- An agent, Nicholas Brody, has been possibly turned suspected by Carrie Mathison as when she was in Baghdad someone told her that an "an American prisoner of war has been turned". She also thinks that he(Brody) is trying to make contact as every time the camera is on him, his fingers starts twitching in a pattern.
ENIGMA CODES: What questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Questions that are created for the audience want to discover is firstly that Carrie is a ruthless person and we aren't told much about, just the way she behaves. She does questionable things such as put unauthorised CCTV camera in Brody's home just to watch him and see if he tries to contact anyone. She's obsessed with trying to figure out Brody and watching him to a far extent as watching him having sex with his wife. The audience want to know if she's right or crazy- but she admits it herself, "I am crazy" when being confronted about taking medication. Also the fact that she wears an engagement ring suggests she's married, but admits that she isn't which makes her seem suspicious and therefore the audience will want to know what she's hiding.
- Brody also seems suspicious as he denies knowing the person in the photo Carrie showed him "never met him", and then goes on having flashback of the man with him during his time held captive. He also lies to his wife about having an extended meeting when he really went to go to the park to meet Helen Walker(Brody's partners ex-wife) and tells her that he died by being beaten to death which was true, but lies AGAIN to her as we find out later on that Brody was in fact there, and he was the one to beat him to death. The audience questions why he lied so much at the start of the Pilot, but we find out it was to cover himself with what he has done, and could possibly foreshadowing that Brody has done much more and it'll probably be uncovered in upcoming episodes.
- Lastly Jessica(Brody's wife), is keeping the fact that she has been cheating on Brody with his best friend but Brody suspects something going on between them as they were rather close in the kitchen. This makes the audience keep watching as they want to know who tells the truth first or will it come out as a mess?
- Questions that are created for the audience want to discover is firstly that Carrie is a ruthless person and we aren't told much about, just the way she behaves. She does questionable things such as put unauthorised CCTV camera in Brody's home just to watch him and see if he tries to contact anyone. She's obsessed with trying to figure out Brody and watching him to a far extent as watching him having sex with his wife. The audience want to know if she's right or crazy- but she admits it herself, "I am crazy" when being confronted about taking medication. Also the fact that she wears an engagement ring suggests she's married, but admits that she isn't which makes her seem suspicious and therefore the audience will want to know what she's hiding.
- Brody also seems suspicious as he denies knowing the person in the photo Carrie showed him "never met him", and then goes on having flashback of the man with him during his time held captive. He also lies to his wife about having an extended meeting when he really went to go to the park to meet Helen Walker(Brody's partners ex-wife) and tells her that he died by being beaten to death which was true, but lies AGAIN to her as we find out later on that Brody was in fact there, and he was the one to beat him to death. The audience questions why he lied so much at the start of the Pilot, but we find out it was to cover himself with what he has done, and could possibly foreshadowing that Brody has done much more and it'll probably be uncovered in upcoming episodes.
- Lastly Jessica(Brody's wife), is keeping the fact that she has been cheating on Brody with his best friend but Brody suspects something going on between them as they were rather close in the kitchen. This makes the audience keep watching as they want to know who tells the truth first or will it come out as a mess?
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: (Separate to main narrative) - How are these set up/introduced and what are they?
Carrie - Carrie is a CIA agent with a bipolar disorder that no one knows about. She breaks rules to do her own investigations because of something that happened 10 years ago.
Brody - Brody is a USMC Sergeant who was held as a prisoner of war by al-Qaeda terrorists of eight years and because of that he now suffers from PTSD and is shown not to like bright lights for unknown reasons yet.
Saul - Saul is Carrie's mentor who recruited her for the CIA and assigned her to the Brody's case. He doesn't want to help Carrie as she's reckless, but is shown being easily convinced by her.
Jessica - Cheating on Brody with his best friend (Mike).
Dana - (Brody's daughter), shown doing drugs.
David - Carrie's boss but is shown not to like her very much as because of her he only sees his kids twice a year.
Carrie - Carrie is a CIA agent with a bipolar disorder that no one knows about. She breaks rules to do her own investigations because of something that happened 10 years ago.
Brody - Brody is a USMC Sergeant who was held as a prisoner of war by al-Qaeda terrorists of eight years and because of that he now suffers from PTSD and is shown not to like bright lights for unknown reasons yet.
Saul - Saul is Carrie's mentor who recruited her for the CIA and assigned her to the Brody's case. He doesn't want to help Carrie as she's reckless, but is shown being easily convinced by her.
Jessica - Cheating on Brody with his best friend (Mike).
Dana - (Brody's daughter), shown doing drugs.
David - Carrie's boss but is shown not to like her very much as because of her he only sees his kids twice a year.
Friday 24th April 2020
Homeland: Industry & Context
L/O: To explore the production, social and political context of set products
"South Park" (2001) The first episode of the always topical dark comedy to air after 9/11 revolved around America's invasion of Afghanistan.
"Third Watch" (2001) This drama about New York City's first responders remembered 9/11 with a non-fiction episode, followed by two episodes putting its main characters directly in the aftermath of 9/11.
What did you think of the first episode? Did you like it or not? Why?
The episode seemed like any other episode of a crime drama which similar pacing and a dull story.
What did you think of the characters and narrative?
I didn't really like Carrie at first as she just doesn't really care about anyone but herself as she lies to her friend/asset, and she end up being killed.
At first I felt bad for Nick as he had so much attention on him as soon as he got back, but his flashbacks and the lying makes me question his true motives.
Industry Context
TV VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD) systems can either stream content through a set-top bow, allowing viewing in real tome, or download it to a device such as a computer.
Showtime, as a cable TV-based television provider offers both VOD streaming and free content.
Homeland is a great example of how a successful cable TV show has been distributed as VOD using digitally convergent devices, and it illustrates how the internet provides a wider and global reach to online audiences.
Political Context
- September 11th 2001 still stands as one of the most shocking, dramatic and traumatic days of recent history.
- Attacks were targeted symbolic location in American (Twin Towers, Pentagon and The White House). The were symbols of political power.
- The loss of life, the physical scaring of the city and the realisation that the US was not 'untouchable' had a devastating impact on Western culture. American and the world felt vulnerable.
9/11: The Impact
- Impact on individual lives
- Internal and international security legislation
- Declaration by America of a 'war of terror'
- Subsequent conflicts in the Middle East
- Feeling of fear and unease caused by the unforeseen attack
- Religious/cultural dimensions including racism, religious intolerance and fear of outsiders/ others
"September 11th terrorist attacks have changed the world dramatically, that nothing will be the same as the world enters into a new and frightening 'age of terror'." - Noah Chomsky (American Philosopher)
This is what is known as the post 9/11 period and we're still in it.
Post 9/11 Era: The Media
Post-9/11 the city of New York was usually presented positively. The big budget The Day After Tomorrow showed New York with its culture and its history under attack but the film's user of The Statue of Liberty in the promotional material shows the city representing hope after near devastation.
American Blockbuster films or TV series that were released in the 3 years after 9/11 that show the impact of the post 9/11 era -
The episode seemed like any other episode of a crime drama which similar pacing and a dull story.
What did you think of the characters and narrative?
I didn't really like Carrie at first as she just doesn't really care about anyone but herself as she lies to her friend/asset, and she end up being killed.
At first I felt bad for Nick as he had so much attention on him as soon as he got back, but his flashbacks and the lying makes me question his true motives.
Industry Context
TV VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD) systems can either stream content through a set-top bow, allowing viewing in real tome, or download it to a device such as a computer.
Showtime, as a cable TV-based television provider offers both VOD streaming and free content.
Homeland is a great example of how a successful cable TV show has been distributed as VOD using digitally convergent devices, and it illustrates how the internet provides a wider and global reach to online audiences.
Political Context
- September 11th 2001 still stands as one of the most shocking, dramatic and traumatic days of recent history.
- Attacks were targeted symbolic location in American (Twin Towers, Pentagon and The White House). The were symbols of political power.
- The loss of life, the physical scaring of the city and the realisation that the US was not 'untouchable' had a devastating impact on Western culture. American and the world felt vulnerable.
9/11: The Impact
- Impact on individual lives
- Internal and international security legislation
- Declaration by America of a 'war of terror'
- Subsequent conflicts in the Middle East
- Feeling of fear and unease caused by the unforeseen attack
- Religious/cultural dimensions including racism, religious intolerance and fear of outsiders/ others
"September 11th terrorist attacks have changed the world dramatically, that nothing will be the same as the world enters into a new and frightening 'age of terror'." - Noah Chomsky (American Philosopher)
This is what is known as the post 9/11 period and we're still in it.
Post 9/11 Era: The Media
Post-9/11 the city of New York was usually presented positively. The big budget The Day After Tomorrow showed New York with its culture and its history under attack but the film's user of The Statue of Liberty in the promotional material shows the city representing hope after near devastation.
American Blockbuster films or TV series that were released in the 3 years after 9/11 that show the impact of the post 9/11 era -
"South Park" (2001) The first episode of the always topical dark comedy to air after 9/11 revolved around America's invasion of Afghanistan.
"Third Watch" (2001) This drama about New York City's first responders remembered 9/11 with a non-fiction episode, followed by two episodes putting its main characters directly in the aftermath of 9/11.
Analysing The Context
This may be in;
- The way the text is produced, its media language choices, the construction and representation.
- The way it challenges or supports dominant ideologies at the time of production.
- The way audiences interpret and react to the media.
- Midway through the decade, there were attempts to deal with the event of 9/11 itself in films such as United 93 (2006) and World trade Centre (2006) where 9/11 drove the narrative of the films.
- The I am Legend (2007) and Cloverfield (2008) showed New York as a post-apocalyptic location.
A decade on- Homeland
Homeland was based on an Israeli programme called Prisoners of War, Homeland took the story of the return home of a long term prisoner of war and located it in the post- 9/11 American context.
Although Bin Laden had been found and killed earlier that year, it had already been written and filmed.
How was Homeland tapped into post 9/11 themes and anxieties 10 year on?
Homeland tapped into post 9/11 themes as the Pilots' equilibrium is with Carrie being in the Middle East(Baghdad) and the season is based around the terrorist group of Al-Qaeda. This creates anxieties for the audience as Al-Qaeda were the perpetrators of 9/11, so the audience would want justice for that.
How important is the 9/11 context to Homeland as a media text?
It's quite important as season 1 of Homeland is based on terrorists from the middle east(Osama bin Laden) and trying to chase after him.
Throughout Homeland attitudes and opinions of 'war on terrorism' are represented as being towards middle eastern areas (such as Iraq).
Throughout Homeland attitudes and opinions of 'war on terrorism' are represented as being towards middle eastern areas (such as Iraq).
Tuesday 28th April 2020
Homeland: Characters
L/O: To explore the narrative and characterisation in set products.
Starter - Explain how this image represents the two main characters
The denotation representations shown between Carrie and Brody as they're shown as being on their own. Carrie is giving direct address to the audience but her body pressed against the wall saying "may nothing stand before the pursuit of truth", and Brody seems to be staring off into the distance with his marine uniform on. Brody is seen to be faded in this image which connotes to death or being ghostly as he was missing for 8 years, but came back to haunt Carrie(as he's turned), like a ghost, implying he's going to effect Carrie in some way. In the image there seems to be a reflection of Carrie but it's faded, similar to Brody which could connote that she's trying to figure out her future self, and imply she could turn out that she ends up like Brody, being secretive and mysterious, like a ghost. As Carrie is pressed against the wall that says, "may nothing stand before the pursuit of truth" could connote to her trying to find out the truth, no matter how difficult it'll be.
Carrie Mathison
The lead protagonist in Homeland is Carrie, a CIA agent. Our first encounter with her shows her in the field in Baghdad.
How is she first represented to us?
She's impatient, wants justice for people, and also wants to get the most of people's information and takes risks doing so.
How have they constructed a sense of the post 9/11 fear and anxiety?
Phobia of Islamic people (Islamophobia) because of 9/11- shown as being aggressive to Carrie and locking people up.
Carrie is presented in an active and dynamic way, arguing with an authority figure and attempting to persuade a prisoner to pass some information.
You could describe her as;
- Fearless
- Determined
- Will go to any lengths for the truth
Opening Scene
MAKE NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Outline what happen in the scene.
In Baghdad, Carrie is trying to get information out of a prisoner.
- How is Carrie first represented? Stereotypes/counter type? Media language choices? (shot types, mise-en-scene, editing)
SHOTS TYPES
In this scene, we are shown with a close up, extreme close up and an over the shoulder shot. At first in the close up, Carrie is represented being nervous about the prisoner being hung, and tries to ask David for help. The camera goes to an extreme close up of her face so the audience can understand the emotion that she's feeling. Finally in this scene, the camera goes behind the back of Carrie's head so you can see the reflection of her in the mirror. As she's stuck in traffic she appears to now be annoyed as nothing is going her way. This represents Carrie being determined to try and save the prisoner, but she knows she has no power to do so.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Carrie is shown blending in with the clothing choice used in Baghdad, as she's wearing lots of layers and trying to cover up part of her face a she's a female, so she's trying to respect their culture. This is the stereotype of middle eastern culture as women are associated with wearing a hijab out in public. Meaning, Carrie is represented trying to respect their culture, but not really as her face is seen throughout the scene, implying that American's don't respect the Middle Eastern people because of 9/11.
EDITING
The editing in this scene cuts from Carrie on the phone to David, to David on the phone to Carrie. This creates suspense to the audiences as we see both of the characters reactions, representing Carrie as someone who wants to do their best, she's determined.
Carrie Mathison: Scene 2
Back in Washington and her representations subvert the conventional ideas about feminine roles and behaviours, why?
Shot types?
The camera is focused on certain parts of her home, such as kitchen, bedroom, picture, and then a pan shot of her "messy" living room, then focusing on the pictures on her drawing board. This shows that Carrie has a chaotic lifestyle, subverting feminine roles as females are stereotyped as living a simple and easy life, which Carrie is not.
It then cuts to Carrie opening the door and hurriedly unchanged herself, and has a close up of her taking off high heels, and a behind the head shot of he getting ready/cleaning herself. This subverts conventional ideas of feminine roles as Carrie has no time to get ready, and similar to the stereotype of men getting ready faster then women, Carrie breaks that by getting ready in a short amount of time.
Mise-en-scene and actions of Carrie?
Carrie's house is "messy", which subverts the conventional ideas of females as they tend to keep the house tidy and clean, which Carrie does not.
Also, her home seems dim and gloomy which connotes to a lack of hope, which could reflect Carrie's mood as being 'dark'.
What message are they trying to get across the audience?
The message they're trying to get across to the audience is that women can essentially do a masculine job(working for the CIA), and risking their own lives for something they're passionate about.
Carrie Mathison: Analysis Points
- Carrie represents a non-conventional and highly flawed hero.
She breaks the rules for victory (illegally place cameras in Brody's household)
- Not only is she a female who represents authority, a role usually taken by a male, she is also fiercely independent and has grit, determination and is happy to ignore the chain of command. She is a maverick who is her own worst enemy.
She lives by herself, and tends to work with herself.
- This alienates her from authority male figure of the CIA.
David(her boss), doesn't seem to agree with the way she handles things as she's reckless and tries to help everybody.
- Carrie alienates herself further by refusing to follow procedure and lying to her mentor, all in the same of her pursuit of truth.
She lies to Saul about finding stuff about Brody, but later finds out.
- She has an obsessive attention to detail.
Such as Brody twitching his fingers, she assumes he's sending out a signal.
- Carrie makes several decisions within the narrative that cause the audience to question her judgement.
Lies and watches the Brody household constantly.
- As a woman she is represented as highly emotional.
Emotional over her job as she wants to be right, and get justice.
-She uses her sexuality as a tool.
Put it all together
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Carrie Mathison in Episode 1 of Homeland.
You could mention;
- Media language
- Narrative
- Stereotypes
Throughout Homelands episode 1, Carrie is represented as being a highly flawed and reckless protagonist as she breaks the rules of the CIA for her own personal gain as she's determined that she's right. She breaks down general female stereotypes as she represents authority and she listens to only herself, and also working in a stereotypical masculine job (CIA), and is shown to be well educated and intelligent. She is shown to be a highly flawed protagonist in the first episode as she doesn't listen to her mentor (Saul), and goes ahead and illegally plants surveillance stuff throughout Brody's household, she's determined that he is a terrorist and she will do anything and everything she can to prove that she's right. As she's one of the only females to be working in the CIA in episode 1, you can make the assumption that the CIA has more men, and the other two men are David (Carrie's boss) and Saul (Carrie's mentor).
Carrie is presented in an active and dynamic way, arguing with an authority figure and attempting to persuade a prisoner to pass some information.
You could describe her as;
- Fearless
- Determined
- Will go to any lengths for the truth
Opening Scene
MAKE NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Outline what happen in the scene.
In Baghdad, Carrie is trying to get information out of a prisoner.
- How is Carrie first represented? Stereotypes/counter type? Media language choices? (shot types, mise-en-scene, editing)
SHOTS TYPES
In this scene, we are shown with a close up, extreme close up and an over the shoulder shot. At first in the close up, Carrie is represented being nervous about the prisoner being hung, and tries to ask David for help. The camera goes to an extreme close up of her face so the audience can understand the emotion that she's feeling. Finally in this scene, the camera goes behind the back of Carrie's head so you can see the reflection of her in the mirror. As she's stuck in traffic she appears to now be annoyed as nothing is going her way. This represents Carrie being determined to try and save the prisoner, but she knows she has no power to do so.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Carrie is shown blending in with the clothing choice used in Baghdad, as she's wearing lots of layers and trying to cover up part of her face a she's a female, so she's trying to respect their culture. This is the stereotype of middle eastern culture as women are associated with wearing a hijab out in public. Meaning, Carrie is represented trying to respect their culture, but not really as her face is seen throughout the scene, implying that American's don't respect the Middle Eastern people because of 9/11.
EDITING
The editing in this scene cuts from Carrie on the phone to David, to David on the phone to Carrie. This creates suspense to the audiences as we see both of the characters reactions, representing Carrie as someone who wants to do their best, she's determined.
Carrie Mathison: Scene 2
Back in Washington and her representations subvert the conventional ideas about feminine roles and behaviours, why?
Shot types?
The camera is focused on certain parts of her home, such as kitchen, bedroom, picture, and then a pan shot of her "messy" living room, then focusing on the pictures on her drawing board. This shows that Carrie has a chaotic lifestyle, subverting feminine roles as females are stereotyped as living a simple and easy life, which Carrie is not.
It then cuts to Carrie opening the door and hurriedly unchanged herself, and has a close up of her taking off high heels, and a behind the head shot of he getting ready/cleaning herself. This subverts conventional ideas of feminine roles as Carrie has no time to get ready, and similar to the stereotype of men getting ready faster then women, Carrie breaks that by getting ready in a short amount of time.
Mise-en-scene and actions of Carrie?
Carrie's house is "messy", which subverts the conventional ideas of females as they tend to keep the house tidy and clean, which Carrie does not.
Also, her home seems dim and gloomy which connotes to a lack of hope, which could reflect Carrie's mood as being 'dark'.
What message are they trying to get across the audience?
The message they're trying to get across to the audience is that women can essentially do a masculine job(working for the CIA), and risking their own lives for something they're passionate about.
Carrie Mathison: Analysis Points
- Carrie represents a non-conventional and highly flawed hero.
She breaks the rules for victory (illegally place cameras in Brody's household)
- Not only is she a female who represents authority, a role usually taken by a male, she is also fiercely independent and has grit, determination and is happy to ignore the chain of command. She is a maverick who is her own worst enemy.
She lives by herself, and tends to work with herself.
- This alienates her from authority male figure of the CIA.
David(her boss), doesn't seem to agree with the way she handles things as she's reckless and tries to help everybody.
- Carrie alienates herself further by refusing to follow procedure and lying to her mentor, all in the same of her pursuit of truth.
She lies to Saul about finding stuff about Brody, but later finds out.
- She has an obsessive attention to detail.
Such as Brody twitching his fingers, she assumes he's sending out a signal.
- Carrie makes several decisions within the narrative that cause the audience to question her judgement.
Lies and watches the Brody household constantly.
- As a woman she is represented as highly emotional.
Emotional over her job as she wants to be right, and get justice.
-She uses her sexuality as a tool.
Put it all together
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Carrie Mathison in Episode 1 of Homeland.
You could mention;
- Media language
- Narrative
- Stereotypes
Throughout Homelands episode 1, Carrie is represented as being a highly flawed and reckless protagonist as she breaks the rules of the CIA for her own personal gain as she's determined that she's right. She breaks down general female stereotypes as she represents authority and she listens to only herself, and also working in a stereotypical masculine job (CIA), and is shown to be well educated and intelligent. She is shown to be a highly flawed protagonist in the first episode as she doesn't listen to her mentor (Saul), and goes ahead and illegally plants surveillance stuff throughout Brody's household, she's determined that he is a terrorist and she will do anything and everything she can to prove that she's right. As she's one of the only females to be working in the CIA in episode 1, you can make the assumption that the CIA has more men, and the other two men are David (Carrie's boss) and Saul (Carrie's mentor).
Friday 1st May 2020
Homeland: Characters
L/O: To explore the narrative and characterisation in set products.
Antagonist - The character who has opposite goals/beliefs than the protagonist.
Anti-hero - The protagonist of the story who lacks generic "heroic" attributes.
Who do you think have these roles in Homeland and why?
I think Carrie is the anti-hero is Homeland's as the audience question her behaviour throughout the episode, and the antagonists are the terrorists as it's hinted from Carrie that they kept Brody alive for information.
Nicholas Brody
Marine sergeant Nicholas Brody is the lead antagonist in Homeland. Brody is clearly disturbed by his experiences as a prisoner of war and the programme parallels his struggles in the setting back into a normal family life.
Mise-en-scene choices that have made Brody look like a prisoner of war.
- Long knotted messy hair
- Dirty face
- Dry skin
As a man and a soldier, he would be the most traditional character to play the 'heroic' role, but we tend to see him differently from Carrie's perspective.
Nicholas Brody: Reunion Scene
MAKE NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Outline what happens in the scene
Brody comes back by plain for 8 years being a POW, whilst his family patently wait in the lobby.
Despite it being a bit awkward, they all hug Brody.
Brody asks about his mother, but realises she died a while back.
- How is his family represented in the reunion scene? How does Brody react?
Brody's wife seems tense upon their meeting after 8 years, whilst their children seem relaxed.
Brody seems a but awkward, and not sure how to react at first.
Upon seeing him, his family seem stunned, but his wife reacts first with a hug but their children don't really know how to react, so they hug him too.
- How is the vice president represented?
The vice president is represented as holding authority as impenitently entering Brody halts himself seriously. They have a handshake but it seems a bit meaningless.
- How is Brody represented as a hero and a villain in S1 E1?
Tense
Nicholas Brody: War Hero
- Brody fits the traditional role of a hero.
- Carrie rejects this view of Brody and whilst the audiences see him as a heroic character in E1, they do see enough of his behaviour to join Carrie in being suspicious.
- So the audience have to reject the reassurance a conventional hero can provide. As an audience - we are positioned. We are shown certain viewpoints and given enough information to see him from a specific perspective.
- Sergeant Brody's Islamic 'turn' is represented as a precursor to becoming a terrorist. While Islam may provide Brody with therapeutic comfort, he is a Stockholm - syndrome covert, coerced into his Islamic faith and its associated terrorist politics.
- Homeland exploits the viewers initial surprise associated with seeing a white US Marine worshipping Allah in his garage by anticipating and refuting the stereotypical assumption that Brody's faith is evidence that he is a terrorist.
- We learn that he's a terrorist.
Extended trailer for Homeland
How does the trailer create two different representations of Brody as both a possible hero and possible villain?
Hero - Brody is seen being a hero here as you can tell he has been through a lot due to the amount of scars he has, showing he's in a lot of pain.
Villain - Brody is shown being a villain here as he's standing strong in front of the White-house(?). This could be a 9/11 reference as terrorists were suppose to crash into the White-house alongside the twin towers. Brody could be possibly planning to become a kamikaze pilot?
How does the trailer create doubt in the heroic nature of Carrie's Character?
The trailer portrays Carrie as being pushy and breaking rules, also she seems to be more suspicious than Brody as she goes behind people's back.
Nicholas Brody: Analysis
1A). How does the surveillance set up by Carrie allow that audience to identity and sympathise with his character and the circumstance on a more human level?
As Carrie didn't ask for permission from her supervisors, or ask for a warrant from his family, is shows that she has no empathy towards Brody who has been a prisoner of war for 8 years. The audience will feel bad for Brody as he's been through a lot, and now he's getting constantly watched without him knowing.
1B). How does it 'position' the audience? What values and ideologues does this act of surveillance represent?
The audience would feel uncomfortable by the fact that Carrie illegally broke into their home and placed cameras and voice cons throughout Brody's home, then constantly watch them even at inappropriate and personal time.
2). Do you think Brody is difficult to like? What values and ideologies does he represent?
I do think that Brody is difficult to like because he seems quite stiff of a character as he doesn't seem to have much emotions. He represents clear PTSD due to being prisoner of war for 8 years, and he's clearly struggling mentally throughout the episode as he doesn't open up to anybody, showing he's a reserved character.
3) Why are flashback used in episode 1 and how do they attempt to manipulate the audience into thinking a certain way about Brody?
The flashback are used to show the audience that Brody isn't as innocent as he seems. He's obviously been through a lot, but it also shows that he has done some rather unpleasant things from his time away. The audience are suspicious of Brody as he constantly lies about meeting terrorists because he has been manipulated by them for such a long time, he has become accustomed towards terrorism.
Carrie Meets Brody: 31.08 - 35.04
Analyse what information the producers are trying to get across to the audience in this scene.
- What mise-en-scene choices are key? Lighting?
The setting is in a meeting room of sorts, all questioning Brody whilst giving him direct address on what he knows whilst being captive for 8 years. They're all wearing suits implying it's a professional environment/workplace. The lighting around the square table seems dim and shadowy, but the square table itself seems bright, meaning the light is directly above the table, showing this discussing is the centre of attention.
- What shot types are used?
In this scene there's a lot of over the shoulder shots, showing a discussion evolving around Brody, and that they're giving him all their attention as they're seen with a medium close-up.
- How do they use flashback to give information to the audience?
The use the flashback to inform the audience that Brody isn't telling the truth, and that he in fact know the man in the picture. The orange-hazy filter implies that it's a flashback as it feel like you're looking back into the past.
- How is Carrie represented?
Carrie is represented as being professional by her clothing and giving Brody direct address as she's asking him questions quite harshly, showing she wants to know everything, and that she's mentally strong than Brody as she seems more confident than
- How is Brody represented?
Brody is represented as staying professional despite being asked many questions, at first he tries his best to stay normal with Carrie's questions, but when asked again he took longer to respond, showing he's still mentally weak.
Put It All Together...
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Nicholas Brody in Episode 1 of Homeland.
You could mention:
- Media language
- Narrative
- Stereotypes
Throughout Homeland episode 1, Brody is represented as being a highly disturbed antagonist as he has continuous flashbacks of him being held captive, and also lying to the CIA and his family. He shows general masculine stereotypes as he is a Marine sergeant, which would be a typical masculine job, and has the nuclear family. He acts strong in front of everyone, but in fact has a lot of bottle-up emotions that he doesn't show, which implies he suffers from PTSD. He is shown being a highly disturbed antagonist by the use of the continuous flashbacks throughout episode 1, implying he can't escape his dark thoughts so he ends up lying to his loved one and the people he's closest with.
Tuesday 5th May 2020
Homeland: Representation
L/O: To explore the representation in set products.
How many other TV drama or films can you think of where the protagonist has some sort of mental illness?
- Joker (psychopath)
- Finding Dory (amnesia)
Carrie's Mental Health
How is Carrie's mental health represented in this clip? What is she doing? How does she try to control herself?
She's represented as 'crazy' when a her co-worker asks her about the drugs shes been taking. She defends herself saying, "I am crazy".
In this scene, Carrie is listening to Brody and she thinks he's making contact, but ends up being called "crazy" for assuming that in the first place as he only goes to speak to his partners ex-wife.
She controls herself by agreeing that she's crazy, and saying she's been dealing with her mental-illness for some time now.
She's represented as 'crazy' when a her co-worker asks her about the drugs shes been taking. She defends herself saying, "I am crazy".
In this scene, Carrie is listening to Brody and she thinks he's making contact, but ends up being called "crazy" for assuming that in the first place as he only goes to speak to his partners ex-wife.
She controls herself by agreeing that she's crazy, and saying she's been dealing with her mental-illness for some time now.
Comment on the article as part of your analysis. Do you agree with the article?
I do agree with the article as that Homeland has portrayed Carrie's mental illness well.
Rep: Mental Illness
- Carrie's mental illness - her bi-polar makes her amazing at investigating. She obsesses over details so much that she gets to the heart of the matter every time. She knows before everyone else does.
- This was/is growing trend in dramas - using mental health as a link to investigate brilliance (BBC's Sherlock and CBS's Elementary).
- Carrie's illness manifests itself in obsessive attention to detail, inappropriate sexual relationships and frequent hysterical outbursts.
- The audience understand relatively early that Carrie is right to be suspicious of Brody, but the show withholds diegetic recognition; indeed, her interests in pursuit of Brody, which merges personal obsession and profession responsibility, begins to undermine her status as a trustworthy protagonist.
- Initially, the show uses Carrie's illness to question her reliability - to her family, her profession and even to herself. The combination o being certain and then being proven wrong is way drives Carrie to seek electroshock therapy, as a closing sequence of season 1 ends. But the audience know - she is not wrong.
Is it right to frame mental illness as a profession asset?
If your mental illness is really having a big impact on your career, then I think it's okay. But if you're just using it as an excuse then I don't think it's fair when some people are really struggling because of it.
Representation
MAKE NOTE ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF REPRESENTATION:
Deception
Throughout Episode 1 of Homeland, Brody lies to family about him staying at the CIA place for longer when really he meets up with his partners ex-wife, but then lies to her about not being there when he died. The episode also suggests he possibly killed him, so Brody is keeping that to himself.
Similarly to Brody, Carrie also lies throughout episode 1 of Homeland. She sneakily set up cameras in Brody's house without a warrant and lied about coping with her mental illness. When found out by Saul about the surveillance, he tells her to get a lawyer as he's going to tell her boss on her. But then I think he feels bad for her, or thinks she's right about Brody, so he gives her four weeks to watch him. As for her co-worker who confronted Carrie on her medication, Carrie says she's fine and that she's dealing with it, but surely that isn't true.
Relationships
Carrie being the main character is suggested being married as she has a ring, but takes it off for work. David is her boss and Saul is her mentor, so she's obliged to listen to them.
Brody is also the main character in season 1, and is married to his wife Jessica, containing two children(Dana and Chris). Mike is his marine best friend and was in a relationship with Jessica whilst Brody was a POW.
Fidelity
At the end of episode 2 of Homeland Brody is shown praying to Allah in his garage, and then in the morning he isn't afraid of showing his face to public, meaning, Brody has been turned and now is acting like the "hero".
I do agree with the article as that Homeland has portrayed Carrie's mental illness well.
Rep: Mental Illness
- Carrie's mental illness - her bi-polar makes her amazing at investigating. She obsesses over details so much that she gets to the heart of the matter every time. She knows before everyone else does.
- This was/is growing trend in dramas - using mental health as a link to investigate brilliance (BBC's Sherlock and CBS's Elementary).
- Carrie's illness manifests itself in obsessive attention to detail, inappropriate sexual relationships and frequent hysterical outbursts.
- The audience understand relatively early that Carrie is right to be suspicious of Brody, but the show withholds diegetic recognition; indeed, her interests in pursuit of Brody, which merges personal obsession and profession responsibility, begins to undermine her status as a trustworthy protagonist.
- Initially, the show uses Carrie's illness to question her reliability - to her family, her profession and even to herself. The combination o being certain and then being proven wrong is way drives Carrie to seek electroshock therapy, as a closing sequence of season 1 ends. But the audience know - she is not wrong.
Is it right to frame mental illness as a profession asset?
If your mental illness is really having a big impact on your career, then I think it's okay. But if you're just using it as an excuse then I don't think it's fair when some people are really struggling because of it.
Representation
MAKE NOTE ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF REPRESENTATION:
Deception
Throughout Episode 1 of Homeland, Brody lies to family about him staying at the CIA place for longer when really he meets up with his partners ex-wife, but then lies to her about not being there when he died. The episode also suggests he possibly killed him, so Brody is keeping that to himself.
Similarly to Brody, Carrie also lies throughout episode 1 of Homeland. She sneakily set up cameras in Brody's house without a warrant and lied about coping with her mental illness. When found out by Saul about the surveillance, he tells her to get a lawyer as he's going to tell her boss on her. But then I think he feels bad for her, or thinks she's right about Brody, so he gives her four weeks to watch him. As for her co-worker who confronted Carrie on her medication, Carrie says she's fine and that she's dealing with it, but surely that isn't true.
Relationships
Carrie being the main character is suggested being married as she has a ring, but takes it off for work. David is her boss and Saul is her mentor, so she's obliged to listen to them.
Brody is also the main character in season 1, and is married to his wife Jessica, containing two children(Dana and Chris). Mike is his marine best friend and was in a relationship with Jessica whilst Brody was a POW.
Fidelity
At the end of episode 2 of Homeland Brody is shown praying to Allah in his garage, and then in the morning he isn't afraid of showing his face to public, meaning, Brody has been turned and now is acting like the "hero".
Tuesday 12th May 2020
Homeland: Review and DIRT
L/O: To reflect on and improve analysis.
AREA 2 - TERRORISM AND AMERICA IN HOMELAND
Terrorism
- Carrie made a mistake in the past that she doesn't want to make again.
- Carrie obsesses over the fact the Brody is a terrorist, which we get hinted throughout the episode, such as Brody looking up the Capitol building in Washington DC.
- Terrorism is represented as a major issue facing society post 9/11. Post 9/11 fears have been used within Homeland to create suspense, these have been represented by Carrie saying she made a mistake in the past.
- Mise-en-scene has also been used to represent what terrorism i like and to create a fear of it. Such as scene 1 where Carrie is shown in Baghdad in a dusty country which is shown to have been taken over by war, the barbed wire; the army vehicles; the soldiers carrying guns and the fear shown in the citizens that live there. The country is also shown as 'the prisoner of war' as the people who live there have to deal with this situation constantly, so they're used to this living environment.
America
- America is shown to be all powerful, a strong independent country who will do anything for their own. This is show as the upward shot of the Capitol building or an upward shot of the Vice president. Having a low camera angle shows the person object as powerful and strong. American does these techniques to represent themselves as a patriarchal society.
- Brody is shown to be a hero for surviving 8 years, so American leaders and investigators won't question him. Whereas Carrie sees past that and is suspicious of him when no one else is. This is all because America cares about their own, so much so they could end up trusting a terrorist just because they are American.
- America could also be argued as weak and gullible for trusting their own because of the situation. American just wants to show off to the rest of the world that they're powerful without taking into consideration that Brody could have been turned. Was it luck to find him, or was he planted so he could be found? Many questions raised by the Americans in Homeland as in should they trust their own, or should they be suspicious?
AREA 4 - CIA AND CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POLITICS (SURVEILLANCE) IN HOMELAND
Throughout episode 1 of Homeland, the CIA is represented as confident and powerful, especially over Carrie:
- The CIA are confident when they find Brody after 8 years by the use of the narrative and editing. David calls it a "massive win" for the agency, and portrays the mission ans quick and easy. The use of the jump cuts of the footage of the mission, and the close ups on Brody suggests that this is a loss for the terrorists of Iraq.
- Another example of the CIA's confidence is when we first meet Saul whose having a conversation with Carrie over Brody's recapture. We can see the confidence thought the diegetic dialogue. Carrie insists that the surveillance package needs to be applied to Brody, to monitor his actions in case he's a terrorist. Saul insists that isn't necessary due to the lack of evidence, and the CIA are certain that Brody isn't a terrorist.
- Comparing this to real life, the representations are opposite of the CIA in reality. Examples of this include security failures such as a suicide attack on the forward operating base for the CIA in Khost, Afghanistan on 30th December 2009. They have also been involved in several human rights concerns. They have been called into question for at times using torture and funding and training groups of organisations that would later participate in the killing of civilians and other non combatants.
- As much as the CIA have been represented in this way, international politics and relationships have been represented as conflicting and concerning.
- Firstly, the narrative throughout episode 1 helps to show this. American has tense relations with Middle Eastern countries throughout the whole season, we see American forces in conflict against Middle Eastern extremist forces. We see Carrie struggle to make her way through Iraq city at the start of the episode. Also, there is the instant assumption made the Brody is a terrorist just because he was a prisoner of war to extremist forces.
- Compared to this however, the relationship between Germany and American is represented as a strong and prosperous relationship, Germany has allowed America to set air forces bases in the country, which is where Brody returns to before he returns to America.
- This representation does reflect international politics in real life opposing to the representation of the CIA. There have been wars between America and countries/extremist groups in the Middle East. For example, the Gulf War between America/Western countries and Iraq and the continuing war of terror. For relations between Germany and America, the representation is accurate. An example of this is after 9/11 when German troops were sent to Afghanistan along with American troops to help combat tension.
Friday 15th May 2020
The Killing: Season 1, Episode 1, October 2007
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and character in set episode
Research Task:
Who created the series?
Soren Sveistrup
Which two studios produced the series?
DR and ZDF Enterprises
What awards did the series win?
Best International TV Series (2011)
Episode 1 was released in 2007. What Danish channel was shown on and how is this channel similar to the BBC?
DR1 - DR1 and the BBC have a similar logo, with the white sans serif font, with the black background.
It was shown in the UK on BBC Four. How many viewers did it have in Denmark and then in the UK on BBC4?
Denmark (2011) - 1.7 million
UK (2011) - 500,000 (per episode)
What did Netflix do with the series in 2014?
Netflix did an American remake produced by Fox 21 TV Studios for the US domestic market which was distribued globally.
The Killing: Narrative
- LF TV Dramas often have a complex narrative structure: a main narrative arc that spans the whole series and a number of minor narratives that may only last one or two episodes.
- The main narrative will often have several 'strands' which come together over the course of the series.
- While you watch, you need to be looking for how these strands are set up and how the characters are introduced and represented.
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: how is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
Lund is shown at the start of the episode being called to a crime scene after just waking up from a distressed sleep.
At the crime scene, she realises it was a prank made by her co-workers in celebrating her moving to Sweden with her fiance and son.
She's then called to a crime scene in a field as she packs up her stuff in the office. With a possibility of a death of a teenage girl.
ENIGMA CODES: what questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Want to know where Nanna is at first.
- After they found the body the audience might want to know how she died.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: how are these set up/introduced and what are they?
Inspector Sarah Lund - Main protagonist introduced as intelligent and determined to solve the case.
Their Birk Larsen - Nanna's dad, shown being determined to find his daughter.
Prenille Birk Larsen - Nanna's mum, cries a lot.
Inspector Jan Meyer - New recruit as Lund is suppose to be leaving, show as not being as intelligent as Lund and thinks he's right.
Troels Hartmann - Policician and candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen.
The Killing: Narrative
- LF TV Dramas often have a complex narrative structure: a main narrative arc that spans the whole series and a number of minor narratives that may only last one or two episodes.
- The main narrative will often have several 'strands' which come together over the course of the series.
- While you watch, you need to be looking for how these strands are set up and how the characters are introduced and represented.
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: how is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
Lund is shown at the start of the episode being called to a crime scene after just waking up from a distressed sleep.
At the crime scene, she realises it was a prank made by her co-workers in celebrating her moving to Sweden with her fiance and son.
She's then called to a crime scene in a field as she packs up her stuff in the office. With a possibility of a death of a teenage girl.
ENIGMA CODES: what questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Want to know where Nanna is at first.
- After they found the body the audience might want to know how she died.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: how are these set up/introduced and what are they?
Inspector Sarah Lund - Main protagonist introduced as intelligent and determined to solve the case.
Their Birk Larsen - Nanna's dad, shown being determined to find his daughter.
Prenille Birk Larsen - Nanna's mum, cries a lot.
Inspector Jan Meyer - New recruit as Lund is suppose to be leaving, show as not being as intelligent as Lund and thinks he's right.
Troels Hartmann - Policician and candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen.
Tuesday 19th May 2020
The Killing: Industry and Context
L/O: To explore the production, social and political context of set products
What did you think of the episode? Did you like it or not? Why?
I thought the episode seemed interesting and the characters were likeable apart from Meyer as he seemed stuck up and not as qualified as Lund.
I thought the episode seemed interesting and the characters were likeable apart from Meyer as he seemed stuck up and not as qualified as Lund.
What did you think of the characters and narrative?
Sarah Lund is a strong main character as she's shown being intelligent, whereas Meyer thinks he's right and she should listen to his advice.
The narrative is interesting as Lund is suppose to be leaving for Sweden soon, but that doesn't stop her in solving a case, she goes out and tries to find Nanna and ends up delaying her flight.
Industry Context
- The Killing (Forbrydelsen) is a great example of European LFTVD produced grown out of a strong public service remit. It share the conventions of the commercial form (Homeland) but it also concerned with he wider social, political and moral issues.
- Each 50 minute episode covers 24 hours of the investigation, with the first series consisting of 20 episodes! It shows the economic context of a small, publicly-owned national broadcaster that can old finance one LFTVD per season, and this only in co-operation with other European TV producers.
- DVD box sets sales and a number of international co-producers (the BBC being one) and distribution agreement have aided the success of Danish dramas.
- By 2013, Danish Drama had become very popular as content on multi-platform online media like Netflix - recognition of its quality and significance.
Sarah Lund is a strong main character as she's shown being intelligent, whereas Meyer thinks he's right and she should listen to his advice.
The narrative is interesting as Lund is suppose to be leaving for Sweden soon, but that doesn't stop her in solving a case, she goes out and tries to find Nanna and ends up delaying her flight.
Industry Context
- The Killing (Forbrydelsen) is a great example of European LFTVD produced grown out of a strong public service remit. It share the conventions of the commercial form (Homeland) but it also concerned with he wider social, political and moral issues.
- Each 50 minute episode covers 24 hours of the investigation, with the first series consisting of 20 episodes! It shows the economic context of a small, publicly-owned national broadcaster that can old finance one LFTVD per season, and this only in co-operation with other European TV producers.
- DVD box sets sales and a number of international co-producers (the BBC being one) and distribution agreement have aided the success of Danish dramas.
- By 2013, Danish Drama had become very popular as content on multi-platform online media like Netflix - recognition of its quality and significance.
Genre
- Nordic Noir is an umbrella term to describe Scandinavian crime fiction, a genre that has become VERY popular in the last few years.
- It is a hybrid police procedural drama with elements of family drama and audience melodrama. This mix was intended to attract both male and female audience.
- The term defines the stylistic and narrative elements that the genre employed.
- The Killing has a visual style that relies on open, forlorn spaces where it is often cloudy or raining, and interior shots with muted lighting and monochrome colour design, creating a distinctive look.
Other successful Nordic Noir series
- Wallander
- The Bridge
- Trapped
- Bordertown
- Case
- Department Q
Other successful Nordic Noir series
- Wallander
- The Bridge
- Trapped
- Bordertown
- Case
- Department Q
Nordic Noir: Conventions
- Partly because its PSB remit, Danish TV drama consciously incorporated into its storytelling a cause and effect narrative, covering crime and broader sociopolitical contexts in this case.
- Part of the conventions is to weave intricate characters and plots that coverage and diversify to encourage audience interpretation and reading events.
- This linking of compelling storytelling to relevant discourses in society is described as double storytelling. It layers a text with meaning about Danish society, and also primes the show to appeal to international markets.
Media Language: Title Sequence
- The series is noted for its plot twists and dark tone and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the victim's family and the effect in political circle of the murder and police investigation.
Comment on the following:
Style
The Killing is a crime drama with contents of mystery and thriller.
Lighting
Throughout episode 1 of The Killing it's shown being dim-lighted to create an ominous atmosphere to the drama.
Camerawork
The camerawork is usually at a medium shot
Sound
Editing
The Killing: Content
- The Killing is set in the Danish Capital of Copenhagen.
- Copenhagen is the cultural and political centre of the country and the series is the product of the Danish public broadcasting network DR (their version of the BBC), which dominates Danish programming.
COMPARE: Where is the majority of Homeland set in E1?
United States, Washington
- Danish society is renowned for being a rational and civilised society. The Murder of Nanna Birk Larsen is framed as a shocking anomaly to this.
COMPARE: How is American society usually represented in Homeland?
American society is represented in Homeland as being a strong, independent country compared to the rest of the world.
Social Context
- 'Crime' is one of a number of indicators of social decay or, at best, decline.
- In Forbydelsen, the impact on Denmark of the recent financial crisis was raging a the writer/director scripted the programme; a stressed social context in which, as he perceived it, people reacted by looking after number one.
- But we see how this creates a conflict between her public and private lives.
- Ene though she begins a woman who plans to move to Sweden with her fiance and son, she is emotionally and professionally committed to this case, and can't abandon it to her colleague Jan Meye, ad this brings personal sacrifice, which we see when Bengt, her fiance, finally leaves without her.
- We also register the economic struggle of the Larsen family which reminds is of the broader social context. Theis runs a successful business which employs a number of workers bu the Larsen's still have trouble funding money to fix the dishwasher and struggle harder once the costs of the funeral are added.
- Third is that crime occurs in a notably "familial" setting, distinguished by the "extension of a sense of biological family to other groups".
- In Forbydelsen we see the "familia" represented across the different narrative strands, specifically by the Larsen's , by Lund and the reconstituted family that she is neglecting.
- The tight political circle around Troels Hartmann (candidatefor mayor), acts as an aspiration for "uncle" Vagn, who clearly wants to belong to the Larson family, yet whose racist outraged at Nanna's secret love affair with an Asian boy, is so intense that Vahn rapes and kills her.
- This linking of compelling storytelling to relevant discourses in society is described as double storytelling. It layers a text with meaning about Danish society, and also primes the show to appeal to international markets.
Media Language: Title Sequence
- The series is noted for its plot twists and dark tone and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the victim's family and the effect in political circle of the murder and police investigation.
Comment on the following:
Style
The Killing is a crime drama with contents of mystery and thriller.
Lighting
Throughout episode 1 of The Killing it's shown being dim-lighted to create an ominous atmosphere to the drama.
Camerawork
The camerawork is usually at a medium shot
Sound
Editing
The Killing: Content
- The Killing is set in the Danish Capital of Copenhagen.
- Copenhagen is the cultural and political centre of the country and the series is the product of the Danish public broadcasting network DR (their version of the BBC), which dominates Danish programming.
COMPARE: Where is the majority of Homeland set in E1?
United States, Washington
- Danish society is renowned for being a rational and civilised society. The Murder of Nanna Birk Larsen is framed as a shocking anomaly to this.
COMPARE: How is American society usually represented in Homeland?
American society is represented in Homeland as being a strong, independent country compared to the rest of the world.
Social Context
- 'Crime' is one of a number of indicators of social decay or, at best, decline.
- In Forbydelsen, the impact on Denmark of the recent financial crisis was raging a the writer/director scripted the programme; a stressed social context in which, as he perceived it, people reacted by looking after number one.
- But we see how this creates a conflict between her public and private lives.
- Ene though she begins a woman who plans to move to Sweden with her fiance and son, she is emotionally and professionally committed to this case, and can't abandon it to her colleague Jan Meye, ad this brings personal sacrifice, which we see when Bengt, her fiance, finally leaves without her.
- We also register the economic struggle of the Larsen family which reminds is of the broader social context. Theis runs a successful business which employs a number of workers bu the Larsen's still have trouble funding money to fix the dishwasher and struggle harder once the costs of the funeral are added.
- Third is that crime occurs in a notably "familial" setting, distinguished by the "extension of a sense of biological family to other groups".
- In Forbydelsen we see the "familia" represented across the different narrative strands, specifically by the Larsen's , by Lund and the reconstituted family that she is neglecting.
- The tight political circle around Troels Hartmann (candidatefor mayor), acts as an aspiration for "uncle" Vagn, who clearly wants to belong to the Larson family, yet whose racist outraged at Nanna's secret love affair with an Asian boy, is so intense that Vahn rapes and kills her.
10 - Friday 22nd May 2020
The Killing: Characters
L/O: TO explore the narrative and characterisation in set products
Opening Scene
The opening scene and title sequence sets the tone and pace of the whole series. The series starts off with a dramatic wild chase of what appears to be a "mad man" after a young partially dressed girl.
TASK: Review the opening scenes again (0.00-1.57)
- What media language choices have been made to represent this crime to the audience?
Camera work
Mid shot of "mad man" and Nanna's legs runnign to show she's trying to get away from him whereas he's trying to chase her down.
Mid angle showing panic on Nanna's face, she's trying to escape him.
Long shot of running shows chaos in this scene.
High angle of Nanna showing she's inferior and denotes that she's the one being chased down.
Low angle of aeroplane shows the plane is superior to her as it just flies over her with ease, connotation to her doom.
Mise-en-scene
Lighting is dark as it's in the middle of the night, and more more tend to go "missing" during the night as no one is around or the lack of sight due to the lack of light to guide her the way.
The "mad man" is shown holding a torch so he's the only one with the source of light.
Blood on what's assume to be Nanna's face suggesting she has been attack by this "mad man".
"Nanna" is running through the woods to escape the "mad man", but the woods during the night are connoted with danger and most likely getting lost.
Nanna wearing white dress but it's ripped connotes that "Nanna" might know this man as she's dressed up, but he has possibly attacked her and her running through the woods could've made her dress tear.
Man wearing a hazard-like costume showing he's intimating.
Aeroplane connotes "Nanna" is close to civilisation.
Sound
The sound of crunching of leaves of Nanna running and her (possible) murderer.
Diegetic sound of heavy breathing denotes that she's scared, and out of breath from running for a long period of time.
The diegetic sound of the aeroplane suggests that Nanna is near civilisation.
Non-diegetic sound of the soft spooky noises creating tension to the audience.
Editing
Cuts from "mad man" to "Nanna" showing that he's the one chasing after her and that it's all happening rather quickly.
Black fades from action to the credits of the show, creating suspense.
Camera work
Mid shot of "mad man" and Nanna's legs runnign to show she's trying to get away from him whereas he's trying to chase her down.
Mid angle showing panic on Nanna's face, she's trying to escape him.
Long shot of running shows chaos in this scene.
High angle of Nanna showing she's inferior and denotes that she's the one being chased down.
Low angle of aeroplane shows the plane is superior to her as it just flies over her with ease, connotation to her doom.
Mise-en-scene
Lighting is dark as it's in the middle of the night, and more more tend to go "missing" during the night as no one is around or the lack of sight due to the lack of light to guide her the way.
The "mad man" is shown holding a torch so he's the only one with the source of light.
Blood on what's assume to be Nanna's face suggesting she has been attack by this "mad man".
"Nanna" is running through the woods to escape the "mad man", but the woods during the night are connoted with danger and most likely getting lost.
Nanna wearing white dress but it's ripped connotes that "Nanna" might know this man as she's dressed up, but he has possibly attacked her and her running through the woods could've made her dress tear.
Man wearing a hazard-like costume showing he's intimating.
Aeroplane connotes "Nanna" is close to civilisation.
Sound
The sound of crunching of leaves of Nanna running and her (possible) murderer.
Diegetic sound of heavy breathing denotes that she's scared, and out of breath from running for a long period of time.
The diegetic sound of the aeroplane suggests that Nanna is near civilisation.
Non-diegetic sound of the soft spooky noises creating tension to the audience.
Editing
Cuts from "mad man" to "Nanna" showing that he's the one chasing after her and that it's all happening rather quickly.
Black fades from action to the credits of the show, creating suspense.
- What first impression does it give us about the content of the programme?
The first impressions it gives us is that the programme has dark elements to it and that the audience sound pay attention.
The first impressions it gives us is that the programme has dark elements to it and that the audience sound pay attention.
Sarah Lund
"After the frightening and chilling case through the woods, we meet our brunette female good-cop protagonist - waking up from a disturbed sleep, tired and worn out, staggering around the house in her pyjamas, checking on her teenage son who's is sleeping in front of a static-filled television screen. A single mum, we son meet her Swedish partner, also in his pyjamas, also walking up tired and worn out, stumbling through the dark amidst the boxes of a new life. Our protagonist, Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) smiles warmly when reassured that everything about the move will be okay, but we can see in her relief thew fear and vulnerability that she carries with her; her anxiety and tension, the complexity and disarray of her domestic circumstances. None of it is glamorous, none of what we see establishes her as anything other than a real person who, like everybody else out there, has to deal with the demands of real life." - John Alberti (2017)
- Sarah Lund is the main protagonist in The Killing (Forbrydelsen).
- The saga starts off as Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lund is preparing to withdraw from the Copenhagen Police Force and transfer to Sweden to be with her fiance. That soon changes through after the discovery of a raped and murdered body of a nineteen-year-old girl.
TASK: Scene 2 Analysis (1.15 - 4.08)
- How is she first represented to us?
- How is she sexualised in any way?
- What do we think of her?
- Use analysis of media language to help you come to a decision.
Lund is first represented as a woman who is protective and cares about her son as she switches off his TV, gazes down on him with a slight smile shown in the dark. And is shown to also love her fiance as she's ready to emigrate to Sweden with him. Diegetic sound of her moving around shows that she's represented as an honest person as no music/non-diegetic sound is trying to convince the audience otherwise.
Lund is sexualised by her clothing choice as she doesn't wear much apart from a shirt and pants because of the fact she has just woken up. Also, he fiance gives her a passionate kiss while touching her bum, showing that they're in a heterosexual relationship. When her fiance turns on the light, it's an orange tint, the use of the colour orange shown could connote to happiness or attraction they feel towards one another.
I think that Lund seems like a "normal" person as she has a family that she gets along with. But she's shown being disturbed during the night, and wakes up with a shocked look on her face. As it's still early when she wakes, everything is dark, unable to see her true expression when she turn to her side profile as it's shown as a bit hazy, similarly to a dream but focusing on the time.
Lund is first represented as a woman who is protective and cares about her son as she switches off his TV, gazes down on him with a slight smile shown in the dark. And is shown to also love her fiance as she's ready to emigrate to Sweden with him. Diegetic sound of her moving around shows that she's represented as an honest person as no music/non-diegetic sound is trying to convince the audience otherwise.
Lund is sexualised by her clothing choice as she doesn't wear much apart from a shirt and pants because of the fact she has just woken up. Also, he fiance gives her a passionate kiss while touching her bum, showing that they're in a heterosexual relationship. When her fiance turns on the light, it's an orange tint, the use of the colour orange shown could connote to happiness or attraction they feel towards one another.
I think that Lund seems like a "normal" person as she has a family that she gets along with. But she's shown being disturbed during the night, and wakes up with a shocked look on her face. As it's still early when she wakes, everything is dark, unable to see her true expression when she turn to her side profile as it's shown as a bit hazy, similarly to a dream but focusing on the time.
The Crime Scene
Watch scene 3 (4.08 - 6.43) The "Crime" Scene
Make note on the following:
- What happens in the scene
- How Sarah is represented
- Why this scene isn't effective and significant for the plot in Episode 1?
Sarah has been told to go to a "crime" scene as she walks through the warehouse as sees some "blood", she then follows it tracing to an axe and continues to follow the blood until it reaches a body-shaped figure behind cloth. She unravels it to reveal it's just a blow-up doll with a note saying "thanks for 7 great years".
Sarah is being represented as being overly cautious as soon as she enters the room and the lights go out and looks at the blood carefully and follows it, she only has thoughts of the "crime" scene, as seems uptight until it's shown that it was just a prank and lets out a smile.
This crime scene isn't effective or significant for the plot in Episode 1 because it doesn't convey an information about whats about to happen later on, and as it's a prank none of it is relevant.
Sarah has been told to go to a "crime" scene as she walks through the warehouse as sees some "blood", she then follows it tracing to an axe and continues to follow the blood until it reaches a body-shaped figure behind cloth. She unravels it to reveal it's just a blow-up doll with a note saying "thanks for 7 great years".
Sarah is being represented as being overly cautious as soon as she enters the room and the lights go out and looks at the blood carefully and follows it, she only has thoughts of the "crime" scene, as seems uptight until it's shown that it was just a prank and lets out a smile.
This crime scene isn't effective or significant for the plot in Episode 1 because it doesn't convey an information about whats about to happen later on, and as it's a prank none of it is relevant.
Exam Style Question
Compare and contrast the way that Sarah Lund is first represented to the audience to the way Carrie Mathison in first represented to the audience in Homeland and The Killing?
- Ensure you are writing in full sentences and paragraphs
- Include detailed reference to the to text
- Use accurate media language
Sarah Lund and Carrie Mathison are both represented as women who care about their work a lot and are shown as equally intelligent and have a lot of skills.
Sarah Lund and Carrie Mathison are both represented as women who care about their work a lot and are shown as equally intelligent and have a lot of skills.
11 - Tuesday 2nd June 2020
The Killing: Context
L/O: To explore the social issues represented, specifically gender.
Starter Task
- Explain the different connotation of how the two protagonists are portrayed through costume, hair and make-up.
Sarah Lund - Brown haired, is a police inspector, heterosexual, has a child and fiance.
Carrie Mathison - Blonde haired, works for CIA, heterosexual, assumed to be single.
Reflecting Social Attitudes
TASK: Article and Scene 4 Analysis (6.22 - 7.19)
1. Read the article about the historical /recent issues between Denmark and Sweden. Put the link in your blog and summarise the key points of the article.
2. Watch scene 4 from 6.44 - 7.19. How does the dialogue and mise-en-scene choices reflect the relationship between Denmark and Sweden?
- Denmark has always been seen as internationally progressive in terms of gender equality.
- In 2007,(date of first series) they were ranked 8th in the world for this (Sweden was 1st).
- In 2020, they rank 14th in the world (Sweden 4th).
- In 2011 the US was ranked 17th place.
- In 2020 the US is ranked in 53rd place.
Is the way Sarah Lund is treated in the workplace different to the way Carrie Mathison is treated in the workplace in Homeland?
How does this link to the different countries stance on gender equality?
Gender Issues
- Lund's professionalism reflects societal issues surrounding the sexes.
- Nadia Reich, head of fiction as DR, states that Scandinavia's recent insight into gender, careers and society are reflected within the stories and characters we see on TV.
- She adds, "It means something that women in Denmark were early onto the labour market to carve out careers, and that our children have been looked after in daycare centres. It helps us to tell stories which have both a political dimension and relate to the dilemmas that exist between family and society" - (nordicrepublic.com, 2012)
- Lund's professionalism comes at a cost and the relentless demands of her job, as well as her patriotic duty, means that she lacks the ability to commit fully to relationships - both professionally and personally. (Reminds me of Carrie).
- Forbrydelsen questions many traditional female characteristics with its lead Sarah Lund. Society has changed and there is no longer the demand or desire for depictions of domesticated women.
- There is more desire for career driven women who struggle with the traditional demands expected of them. Characters, like Lund, become more layered and complex and they resist any attempts to shoe-box their roles.
- Forbrydelsen challenges traditional gender rules by depicting the parenting skills of a woman driven by her professional code. Sarah Lund is motivated by a juxtaposition of male and female traits.
Social Issues
What social issues does Homeland reflect in relation to its lead protagonist? Make notes on your ideas:
I would argue the following:
- Internalised Sexism
- Mental Health and Ableism
Women are looked down by the male colleagues for their "lack" of intelligence.
Exam Style Question
How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect societal issues?
- Ensure you are writing in full sentences and paragraphs.
- Include detailed reference to the two texts.
- Use accurate media language.
Homeland - Brody's wife is in a financial struggle
The Killing - Theis talks about money
Reflecting Social Attitudes
TASK: Article and Scene 4 Analysis (6.22 - 7.19)
1. Read the article about the historical /recent issues between Denmark and Sweden. Put the link in your blog and summarise the key points of the article.
2. Watch scene 4 from 6.44 - 7.19. How does the dialogue and mise-en-scene choices reflect the relationship between Denmark and Sweden?
- Denmark has always been seen as internationally progressive in terms of gender equality.
- In 2007,(date of first series) they were ranked 8th in the world for this (Sweden was 1st).
- In 2020, they rank 14th in the world (Sweden 4th).
- In 2011 the US was ranked 17th place.
- In 2020 the US is ranked in 53rd place.
Is the way Sarah Lund is treated in the workplace different to the way Carrie Mathison is treated in the workplace in Homeland?
How does this link to the different countries stance on gender equality?
Gender Issues
- Lund's professionalism reflects societal issues surrounding the sexes.
- Nadia Reich, head of fiction as DR, states that Scandinavia's recent insight into gender, careers and society are reflected within the stories and characters we see on TV.
- She adds, "It means something that women in Denmark were early onto the labour market to carve out careers, and that our children have been looked after in daycare centres. It helps us to tell stories which have both a political dimension and relate to the dilemmas that exist between family and society" - (nordicrepublic.com, 2012)
- Lund's professionalism comes at a cost and the relentless demands of her job, as well as her patriotic duty, means that she lacks the ability to commit fully to relationships - both professionally and personally. (Reminds me of Carrie).
- Forbrydelsen questions many traditional female characteristics with its lead Sarah Lund. Society has changed and there is no longer the demand or desire for depictions of domesticated women.
- There is more desire for career driven women who struggle with the traditional demands expected of them. Characters, like Lund, become more layered and complex and they resist any attempts to shoe-box their roles.
- Forbrydelsen challenges traditional gender rules by depicting the parenting skills of a woman driven by her professional code. Sarah Lund is motivated by a juxtaposition of male and female traits.
Social Issues
What social issues does Homeland reflect in relation to its lead protagonist? Make notes on your ideas:
I would argue the following:
- Internalised Sexism
- Mental Health and Ableism
Women are looked down by the male colleagues for their "lack" of intelligence.
Exam Style Question
How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect societal issues?
- Ensure you are writing in full sentences and paragraphs.
- Include detailed reference to the two texts.
- Use accurate media language.
Homeland - Brody's wife is in a financial struggle
The Killing - Theis talks about money
Friday 5th June 2020
The Killing: Analysis
L/O: To analyse a variety of scenes using accurate terminology.
Scene 1: (7.20 - 9.34) - Sarah meets Jan Meyer
- How is Sarah represented at the start of the scene? What is she doing? How is she acting?
- When we meet Jan - how is he represented? How are gender roles represented in this scene?
- Does Sarah's demeanour change when Jan arrives?
At the start of the scene we see Sarah Lund pack up her things in her office whilst on the phone to her fiance discussing leaving to Sweden and packing. She acts happy by the medium close up of her face smiling whilst packing, she's excited to start a new life.
When Jan Meyer arrives he's represented as being a bit rude and also a bit awkward as he smokes in her office and only asks permission after he's already started smoking. He also doesn't move out of the way for Lund when she tries to move past him with a box and doesn't apologise at all and tries to compare Lund's situation with his sister and her boyfriend who also went to emigrated to Sweden and went crazy as it's too remote, implying Lund will go crazy as well. Meyer hags a picture of guns where Lund had a picture of her son, showing the juxtaposition of different personalities and lives both of these character have.
Meyer also acts a bit childish compared to Lund as Lund clears the "silly" objects from her leaving party, whilst Meyer hangs up a small basketball hoop on the board, and then when Lund and Meyer are about to head out to look at a crime scene Meyer says "let's catch some villains", and then proceeds to throw a ball through the hoop, implying Meyer thinks it's a game, making him seem childish.
Sarah's demeanour changes when Jan arrives as instead of packing away her belongings slowly whilst on the phone to her fiance, she quickly says says goodbye on the phone and tries to hurry up her packing as she could feel like she's being a burden to Meyer as he's just standing there. She also seem like she isn't paying much attention to what he's saying as she was in a good mood before he arrived, and because of his rude behaviour she tries to smile though it (close up)but you a sense of annoyance too.
At the start of the scene we see Sarah Lund pack up her things in her office whilst on the phone to her fiance discussing leaving to Sweden and packing. She acts happy by the medium close up of her face smiling whilst packing, she's excited to start a new life.
When Jan Meyer arrives he's represented as being a bit rude and also a bit awkward as he smokes in her office and only asks permission after he's already started smoking. He also doesn't move out of the way for Lund when she tries to move past him with a box and doesn't apologise at all and tries to compare Lund's situation with his sister and her boyfriend who also went to emigrated to Sweden and went crazy as it's too remote, implying Lund will go crazy as well. Meyer hags a picture of guns where Lund had a picture of her son, showing the juxtaposition of different personalities and lives both of these character have.
Meyer also acts a bit childish compared to Lund as Lund clears the "silly" objects from her leaving party, whilst Meyer hangs up a small basketball hoop on the board, and then when Lund and Meyer are about to head out to look at a crime scene Meyer says "let's catch some villains", and then proceeds to throw a ball through the hoop, implying Meyer thinks it's a game, making him seem childish.
Sarah's demeanour changes when Jan arrives as instead of packing away her belongings slowly whilst on the phone to her fiance, she quickly says says goodbye on the phone and tries to hurry up her packing as she could feel like she's being a burden to Meyer as he's just standing there. She also seem like she isn't paying much attention to what he's saying as she was in a good mood before he arrived, and because of his rude behaviour she tries to smile though it (close up)but you a sense of annoyance too.
Scene 2: (9.35 - 11.58) - First time we see Sarah out investigating
- What shots are used to represent her instincts a detective?
Low angle of plane - Foreshadows that this scene has to do with the girl from the night before.
High angle of car - Juxtaposes between the car and the plane, making the car seem small and weak, foreshadows how big this case will become.
Establishing shot her and Jan walking down onto marshland - Both Jan and Sarah don't really know what this case is about yet, so they're both shown being equal with one another and portrays the significance of this scene.
Close up of her looking around (side profile)- Showing that Sarah is in deep thought about the case.
Low angle of plane - Foreshadows that this scene has to do with the girl from the night before.
High angle of car - Juxtaposes between the car and the plane, making the car seem small and weak, foreshadows how big this case will become.
Establishing shot her and Jan walking down onto marshland - Both Jan and Sarah don't really know what this case is about yet, so they're both shown being equal with one another and portrays the significance of this scene.
Close up of her looking around (side profile)- Showing that Sarah is in deep thought about the case.
- How is sound used to represent her instance as a detective?
Non-diegetic sound - Sarah, Jan and crime scene investigators discussing about the scene of the crime, the sound of the wind, and the sound of the plane landing just before the scene cuts.
Diegetic sound - High pitch sounds of piano playing to create suspense when Sarah looks in the woods to imply that this case has something to do with the girl from the night before.
Non-diegetic sound - Sarah, Jan and crime scene investigators discussing about the scene of the crime, the sound of the wind, and the sound of the plane landing just before the scene cuts.
Diegetic sound - High pitch sounds of piano playing to create suspense when Sarah looks in the woods to imply that this case has something to do with the girl from the night before.
- How does the way she directs others on the team reflect Danish society and their
stance around gender equality?
When Sarah talks to Jan he interrupts her and carries on like nothing happened which breaks Danish society stereotypes as women are represented as strong, but when talking with other people Sarah seems to be the one with more authority as she asks the questions.
stance around gender equality?
When Sarah talks to Jan he interrupts her and carries on like nothing happened which breaks Danish society stereotypes as women are represented as strong, but when talking with other people Sarah seems to be the one with more authority as she asks the questions.
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Both main protagonists are represents as being strong and seen to prefer working on their own.
Scene 3: (11.59 - 15.45) - Introduction to the Larsen Family
- How are they represented as a family?
Strange line of work(fix it man?), love each other
- How are economic issues represented in the scene?
Not poor to say but lower income, working to survive
- How does Theis fit gender stereotypes?
Strong masculine man with a wife and kids
- How is their home represented? Mise-en-scene?
Broken dishwasher, family home
- Can you make any comparison to Homeland?
The Larsen family in The Killing is rather large (Theis, his wife, two sons and Nanna), whereas in Homeland Carrie Mathison is shown being single and not have many friends. Both of these families juxtapose each other.
Scene 4: (15.47 - 21.10) - Troells Hartmann gains ground
- How are political politics represented?
- How is Troells represented? How is his team represented?
- Is politics represented as a game? Dirty tactics? Tripping each other up?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 5: (21.11 - 23.04) - Sarah and Jan meet the Larsens
- How does this scene represent Sarah as a detective?
- What shot types are used to support this representation?
- What are the differences between Sarah and Jon? Can you link this to gender stereotype?
- Can you make any comparison to Homeland?
Scene 6: (35.24 - 36.26) - Larsen's begin to panic
- How is tension built up in this scene?
- How is sound used?
- Ho are (mise-en-scene) facial expressions used to convey meaning?
- How does gender stereotypes represented in this scene?
- can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 7: (36.27 - 37.51) - Sarah and her son car scene
- Why was this scene shot in a car? Why not set this scene in a family home?
- What does the car represent?
- How does the dialogue represent the relationship between mother and son?
- How does the scene reflect societal issues in Denmark and in general?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 8: (37.52 - 39.45) - Investigations and search continues
- Hows is Sarah represented in this scene?
- There are tensions between her and Jan - what does this represent? Power/struggle?
- Her expertise is highlighted - how? Shot types? Mise-en-scene? Dialogue?
- Her instincts are correct - how is this shown?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 9: (45.58 - 48.19) - Sarah's instinct
- What shots are used to represent her instincts as a detective?
- How is sound used to represent her instinct as a detective?
- How does the way she directs others on the team reflect Danish society and their stance around gender equality?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 10: (49.17- 52.20) - Discovery of the body
- How is this scene filmed?
- How is tension built up? How is mise-en-scene used to build tension?
- How does the director position the audience? What do they allow us to see?
- How is cross cutting used to provoke an emotional response from the audience? E.g. cut from car, to Theis, to Pernille on the other end of the phone.
Both main protagonists are represents as being strong and seen to prefer working on their own.
Scene 3: (11.59 - 15.45) - Introduction to the Larsen Family
- How are they represented as a family?
Strange line of work(fix it man?), love each other
- How are economic issues represented in the scene?
Not poor to say but lower income, working to survive
- How does Theis fit gender stereotypes?
Strong masculine man with a wife and kids
- How is their home represented? Mise-en-scene?
Broken dishwasher, family home
- Can you make any comparison to Homeland?
The Larsen family in The Killing is rather large (Theis, his wife, two sons and Nanna), whereas in Homeland Carrie Mathison is shown being single and not have many friends. Both of these families juxtapose each other.
Scene 4: (15.47 - 21.10) - Troells Hartmann gains ground
- How are political politics represented?
- How is Troells represented? How is his team represented?
- Is politics represented as a game? Dirty tactics? Tripping each other up?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 5: (21.11 - 23.04) - Sarah and Jan meet the Larsens
- How does this scene represent Sarah as a detective?
- What shot types are used to support this representation?
- What are the differences between Sarah and Jon? Can you link this to gender stereotype?
- Can you make any comparison to Homeland?
Scene 6: (35.24 - 36.26) - Larsen's begin to panic
- How is tension built up in this scene?
- How is sound used?
- Ho are (mise-en-scene) facial expressions used to convey meaning?
- How does gender stereotypes represented in this scene?
- can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 7: (36.27 - 37.51) - Sarah and her son car scene
- Why was this scene shot in a car? Why not set this scene in a family home?
- What does the car represent?
- How does the dialogue represent the relationship between mother and son?
- How does the scene reflect societal issues in Denmark and in general?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 8: (37.52 - 39.45) - Investigations and search continues
- Hows is Sarah represented in this scene?
- There are tensions between her and Jan - what does this represent? Power/struggle?
- Her expertise is highlighted - how? Shot types? Mise-en-scene? Dialogue?
- Her instincts are correct - how is this shown?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 9: (45.58 - 48.19) - Sarah's instinct
- What shots are used to represent her instincts as a detective?
- How is sound used to represent her instinct as a detective?
- How does the way she directs others on the team reflect Danish society and their stance around gender equality?
- Can you make any comparisons to Homeland?
Scene 10: (49.17- 52.20) - Discovery of the body
- How is this scene filmed?
- How is tension built up? How is mise-en-scene used to build tension?
- How does the director position the audience? What do they allow us to see?
- How is cross cutting used to provoke an emotional response from the audience? E.g. cut from car, to Theis, to Pernille on the other end of the phone.
Friday 12th June 2020
13 - The Killing: Analysis
L/O: To analyse key areas of set products.
Starter
Narrative structure: Three plot structures - three damaged characters - a detective, a mayoral candidate and the family of a murdered girl up in a murder investigation.
Explain how these three narratives develop and merge over episode 1
The three narratives develop throughout episode 1 as they all have their own issues and story lines, through the cross cutting of each of the narratives it foreshadows their significance to the story, and end up meeting each other in episode 1.
The three narratives develop throughout episode 1 as they all have their own issues and story lines, through the cross cutting of each of the narratives it foreshadows their significance to the story, and end up meeting each other in episode 1.
Viewpoints and Ideologies
How are the following ideologies represented in The Killing? Use detailed reference to episode 1 and accurate media language to answer.
- Individualism
Ideologies of Individualism are represented in The Killing as Sarah Lund is shown as having been previously working by herself on cases as at the start of the episode Jan Meyer tries to intervene, Lund backs his thoughts, and she ends up being right anyway.
Ideologies of Individualism are represented in The Killing as Sarah Lund is shown as having been previously working by herself on cases as at the start of the episode Jan Meyer tries to intervene, Lund backs his thoughts, and she ends up being right anyway.
- Consumerism
Consumerism is represented in The Killing as at the end of episode 1, Sarah finds a dead body (assumed to be Nanna) tied up in in water. The audience would want to know who killed her, and for what reason, making them want to consume/watch more episodes.
Consumerism is represented in The Killing as at the end of episode 1, Sarah finds a dead body (assumed to be Nanna) tied up in in water. The audience would want to know who killed her, and for what reason, making them want to consume/watch more episodes.
- Patriarchy
Patriarchy ideology is represented in The Killing as Meyer tries to hold power on Lund by trying to convince her that his opinion (that there's no evidence of Nanna in the woods) is wrong. But Lund is determined she is right, so she goes against the patriarchy society, and trusts her own instincts. This could be represented as the first female Prime Minister of Denmark came to be in 2011, showing the women in Denmark are showing more authority in the 21st Century, shown by Lund in The Killing.
Patriarchy ideology is represented in The Killing as Meyer tries to hold power on Lund by trying to convince her that his opinion (that there's no evidence of Nanna in the woods) is wrong. But Lund is determined she is right, so she goes against the patriarchy society, and trusts her own instincts. This could be represented as the first female Prime Minister of Denmark came to be in 2011, showing the women in Denmark are showing more authority in the 21st Century, shown by Lund in The Killing.
- Ethnocentrism (belief that your own culture is normal and natural and that other cultures are inferior and strange)
Ethnocentrism ideology is shown in The Killing as Lund's fiance convinced her to move to Sweden, implying Sweden is a better place to live in Denmark.
Sarah Lund
For each of the following points, explain how this is conveyed in episode 1. Use detailed reference to the episode and accurate media language.
1. She doesn't use her sexuality to get what she wants because she has confidence in her intuition and ability.
This is shown when Meyer tries to be a stereotypical man and take over the situation regarding the case, but as Lund uses her own intelligence to make Meyer go in her direction, and there's nothing sexual ever shown in regards to Lund and her working environment, she knows she's capable to make judgements for herself and doesn't need a man to make decisions for her.
2. Her female sexuality is not focused on.
Lund's sexuality is shown not to be the focus in Episode 1 of The Killing as only a part of the first scene is shown of her sexuality, but throughout the rest of the episode there's nothing else shown. This is because the Nanna case is more important than her sexuality, so there's no need for her to bring it up. The fact that she tends to wear clothing that covers her completely shows that she isn't objecting herself on her sexuality and that she'd much rather wear sensible clothing for her line of work, than to be scantily dressed.
3. She is presented to us as a maternal figure.
Lund is represented as a maternal figure shown in the first scene of episode 1 when she goes in her sons room and switches off his TV whilst he is sleeping, and then she smiles upon him whilst sleeping. This shows her adoration towards her son, imminently showing she's a maternal figure.
4. As Lund becomes involved in a murder case investigation, her professional life takes precedence.
Lund is shown being completely dedicated to the murder case investigation from the moment she was informed about it. From when she was packing her belonging in her office to then completely stopping from what she was going just to go to a crime scene, to her delaying her flight to Sweden shows her dedication to her job up until the very last second.
But her dedication to her job takes precedence to her personal life as the scene of her in the car with her son, she gets the name wrong after her son telling her countless of times, showing Lund has too many thoughts in her head to pay 100% of her attention to her son.
Stereotypes - How are stereotypes used in The Killing?
Think about the following:
- Victim
Nanna is represented being a stereotypical teenage girl who likes to hang out with her friends, and "sneaks" off to a boys place.
- Politicians
The politicians (the mayor and Troels) are stereotyped being competitive rivals for the upcoming election. The mayor is defending to keep his positions whereas Troels want his position.
- Police
The police are stereotyped being professional and it takes them all day and night without any rest just to find the body of Nanna.
- Swedish nationality
The Swedish nationality is stereotyped as being "remote" (says Meyer), and that anyone who moves to Sweden goes crazy. This could represent the relationship between Swedish and Danish people.
- Family unit
The family are stereotyped as being a happy family as they all get along with each other.
- Racism
Racism is stereotyped in the scene where a man Theis works for drops something he was carrying then is racist to the guy.
Realism
LFTVD often leans towards social realism, constructing a coherent fictional world that the audience can recognise and relate to with a sense of addressing real-world social issues and the everyday concerns of 'ordinary' people.
How is realism constructed in The Killing?
Consider:
- Events
- Characters
- Ideology
- Narrative
Ethnocentrism ideology is shown in The Killing as Lund's fiance convinced her to move to Sweden, implying Sweden is a better place to live in Denmark.
Sarah Lund
For each of the following points, explain how this is conveyed in episode 1. Use detailed reference to the episode and accurate media language.
1. She doesn't use her sexuality to get what she wants because she has confidence in her intuition and ability.
This is shown when Meyer tries to be a stereotypical man and take over the situation regarding the case, but as Lund uses her own intelligence to make Meyer go in her direction, and there's nothing sexual ever shown in regards to Lund and her working environment, she knows she's capable to make judgements for herself and doesn't need a man to make decisions for her.
2. Her female sexuality is not focused on.
Lund's sexuality is shown not to be the focus in Episode 1 of The Killing as only a part of the first scene is shown of her sexuality, but throughout the rest of the episode there's nothing else shown. This is because the Nanna case is more important than her sexuality, so there's no need for her to bring it up. The fact that she tends to wear clothing that covers her completely shows that she isn't objecting herself on her sexuality and that she'd much rather wear sensible clothing for her line of work, than to be scantily dressed.
3. She is presented to us as a maternal figure.
Lund is represented as a maternal figure shown in the first scene of episode 1 when she goes in her sons room and switches off his TV whilst he is sleeping, and then she smiles upon him whilst sleeping. This shows her adoration towards her son, imminently showing she's a maternal figure.
4. As Lund becomes involved in a murder case investigation, her professional life takes precedence.
Lund is shown being completely dedicated to the murder case investigation from the moment she was informed about it. From when she was packing her belonging in her office to then completely stopping from what she was going just to go to a crime scene, to her delaying her flight to Sweden shows her dedication to her job up until the very last second.
But her dedication to her job takes precedence to her personal life as the scene of her in the car with her son, she gets the name wrong after her son telling her countless of times, showing Lund has too many thoughts in her head to pay 100% of her attention to her son.
Stereotypes - How are stereotypes used in The Killing?
Think about the following:
- Victim
Nanna is represented being a stereotypical teenage girl who likes to hang out with her friends, and "sneaks" off to a boys place.
- Politicians
The politicians (the mayor and Troels) are stereotyped being competitive rivals for the upcoming election. The mayor is defending to keep his positions whereas Troels want his position.
- Police
The police are stereotyped being professional and it takes them all day and night without any rest just to find the body of Nanna.
- Swedish nationality
The Swedish nationality is stereotyped as being "remote" (says Meyer), and that anyone who moves to Sweden goes crazy. This could represent the relationship between Swedish and Danish people.
- Family unit
The family are stereotyped as being a happy family as they all get along with each other.
- Racism
Racism is stereotyped in the scene where a man Theis works for drops something he was carrying then is racist to the guy.
Realism
LFTVD often leans towards social realism, constructing a coherent fictional world that the audience can recognise and relate to with a sense of addressing real-world social issues and the everyday concerns of 'ordinary' people.
How is realism constructed in The Killing?
Consider:
- Events
- Characters
- Ideology
- Narrative
Realism is constructed in The Killing as the events in each episode is taken to be a single day in real time, setting a solid and realistic time frame of the series.
Tuesday 30th June 2020
14 - LFTVD: Exam Practice 1
L/O: To plan and write an effective comparative essay.
Reminder...
There will be TWO exam essay questions:
1. A longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies.
2. A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case studies to a particular theory you've studied.
Practice Question
Why do long form TV dramas represent social groups differently? In your answer you must:
- Consider the context in which LFTVD's representations can be understood.
- Explain how media contexts may have influenced representations in the set episodes of the two set texts.
- Make judgements and reach conclusions about the reasons for the differences in representations between the two episodes.
REMEMBER - You can argue the contexts either do or do not influence representations, or that they do to some extent with other influences too. You would spend 50-55 minutes in the exam on this question (6 paragraphs including an introduction and a conclusion).
1) PLAN
Homeland -
Politics(9/11 terrorism, represents America being the strongest country).
Main character is represented being smart but also having a mental illness (bi-polar).
The Killing -
Political issues shown
Moral issues
Danish society is progressive with gender equality.
Wednesday 3rd March 2021
Homeland - Season 1, Episode 1 October 2011
L/O: To explore the narrative, themes and characters in set episode.
MAIN NARRATIVE QUEST/CONFLICT SET UP: How is the main narrative introduced and what sets up the initial conflict/problem that will drive the rest of the series?
- Nicholas Brody: Former prisoner of war has been turned.
- Carrie Mathison: Suspects Brody as when she was in Baghdad a prisoner told her that "an American prisoner of war has been turned".
ENGIMA CODES: What questions are created that the audience will want to discover the answers to and will have to keep watching to find out?
- Carrie is shown as a reckless individual show having Bipolar Disorder therefore the audience will question the way she behaves, especially as she suspects Brody. The Audience wants to know if Brody has been truly turned, making Carrie's suspicion towards Brody right. Carrie says "I am crazy" when confronted taking Bipolar medication, suggesting she's hiding her problems from the audience. As she also takes off a wedding rings which suggests something has happened in her personal life, and she's hiding it from everyone around her.
- Brody denies the picture of a person shown by Carrie, then imminently has a flashback to the individual whilst he was held captive. He also continuously lies to his wife about coming home, and lies to Brody's partners ex-wife about his death, making Brody seem suspicious from the audiences point of view.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES: How are these set up/ introduced and what are they?
- Carrie: CIA agent with a bipolar disorder.
- Brody: USMC Sergeant, was a prisoner of war held captive by Al-Qaeda for 8 years.
- Saul: Carrie's mentor, recruited her to the CIA.
- Jessica: Cheated on Brody whilst he was held captive (with his best friend).
Wednesday 17th March 2021
Homeland
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in set episode in relation theory.
Narratology: Todorov
- Narratology is the study of narrative; narrative structure - how the parts fit together to make a whole.
- States of equilibrium to another, to a new equilibrium.
- Todorov's theory doesn't fit TV shows (Homeland) as it's a continuous story.
How its shown in Homeland:
Original equilibrium - Carrie a CIA agent working in Iraq.
Distribution - Carrie finds out a US soldier has been turned/ Jessica (Brody's wife) cheating on Brody with his best friend (Mike).
Recognition - Brody (US soldier) turns up for the first time in 8 years.
Attempt to repair - Carrie suspects Brody and tries to figure out hat he's hiding (Brody's fingers twitching).
Story continues...
Genre Theory: Neale
- Draws attention to the processes of difference within repetition and hybridity (mixing of genres).
- Audience expectations are that of twisting and enigmatic narratives that have been developed.
- Genres aren't fixed!!
How its shown in Homeland:
Carrie: We see that Carrie is determined to find out if Brody is he is the turned soldier, engaging the audience as they know she's right but seeing how she plays it out.
Jessica: She has been cheating on Brody for years with his best friend, therefore being portrayed as an unfaithful person, making the audience engaged as they want to know if/when she'll tell Brody the truth.
Saul: Acts as Carrie's mentor/friend, he believes in Carrie but he doesn't think that she's right on the Brody situation, making the audience engaged a they're wondering if there will be a betrayal or that he'll eventually agree with her.
Brody: Soldier that has been turned, makes the audience engaged as they know he's guilty.
Mixing of genres: Drama/thriller
Examples of drama: Serious tone, dark colour pallet, serious characters,
Industry and Context
Context
Historical: Aired after 9/11
Economic: Large budget, no restriction in marketing and production.
Political: Based in America, shows terrorism.
Social: Eastern/Western narrative.
Cultural: American culture (Americanisation).
Industry
- TV video on demand (VOD) NETFLIX
Analysing the Context
Is America seen as strong?
Yes.
Is America seen as vulnerable?
America feels vulnerable because of 9/11 as it was a huge disaster of terrorism.
How is the text choosing to show the contexts of the day?
Homeland aired 10 years after 9/11, meaning it was still a memorable event to the audience.
How is the media choosing to portray the current political, social, economic, cultural and historical contexts?
Media portrays America as strong due to Americanisation globally, meaning larger budget for production and marketing. Now there's a sense of fear (Islamic-phobia)in America between the Eastern and Western narrative shown in Homeland. Homeland supports dominant ideologies as it brings the fear of terrorism to the audience (Baghdad), but also challenges ideologies for the audience Eastern audience as it could be culturally insensitive.
Finding Brody in captivity
America - No support shown for him
Family - Barely checks to see if he's okay after traumatising events.
Baghdad - Could be offended
How has Homeland represented the context of the time in their opening episode?
The equilibrium of the first episode of Homeland starts in Baghdad, an Eastern country stereotyped for terrorism for the 9/11 attacks in 2001, filmed and released 10 years later in 2011 after Bin Ladens death. This creates fear to both Eastern and Western audiences as it was a traumatising and catastrophic event. The episode shows some Islamic-phobia as a prisoner is being held captive, and his last words to Carrie were "a prisoner of war has been turned", the drama creates a sense of fear to the audience as that cold have affect on their country (America), and after 9/11 they don't want to go through that again.
This could be shown through Brody as he shows signs of PTSD, which could be reflected to the audience who may have PTSD because of the events of 9/11.
Semiology: Barthes
- Semiology is the study of signs. Signs consist of a signifier and it's meaning (the signified).
- Denotation (literal meaning).
- Connotations (hidden meaning).
Where this theory is shown in Homeland - Brody (PTSD) and Carrie (OCD).
Brody's appearance - dirty, long hair, bushy beard, scars.
Denotations of his appearance - He hasn't cleaned/trimmed himself in a long time.
Connotations of his appearance - He's being physically and mentally tortured everyday, held hostage, not being able to have the luxury of being fed, bathed or any basic human decency.
Structuralism: Levi-Strauss
- Study of rules.
- Through the human mind could be investigated by studying myths and fables from around the world.
- Binary opposition = Concepts with opposite meanings.
Examples in Homeland - Carrie visiting the cell in Baghdad.
Eastern society -Soldiers carrying guns looking intimidating, cells are dark, humid weather, no human right regulations, sexism.
Western society - Equality is better, guns aren't legally allowed to be shown, cells are well managed with a toilet, weather changes throughout the year, human rights is (literally) a right.
Gilroy: Ethnicity and Post-Colonialism
- Draws attention to the colonial ideology.
- Black v White
Colonial rule - white, western culture(British Empire).
How it's shown in Homeland:
The majority of the main characters are white in American, implying white society is superior(which it's not).
How the West is represented as superior in various aspects in the episode:
The West is shown being in a rich society, with a white majority shows that's the cultural norm.
Wednesday 24th March 2021
Homeland: Characters
L/O: To explore the narrative and characterisation in set products.
Van Zoonen: Feminist Theory
- Ideas of femininity and masculinity are constructed in our performance of these roles.
- Gender is who we are, changes meaning depending on our cultural and historical contexts.
- Patriarchy = control
- Equality is unequal.
- This is seen in Carrie (female, CIA agent) unstable flaw = not reliable as a woman(seen as inferior as controlled by David and Saul).
Feminist Theory: Bell Hooks
- Intersectionality is coming of gender, race, class and sexuality (white supremacy, capitalist media).
Homeland society = Homosexual, white.
David = Black, male, middle-class (still superior even though his race isn't in the dominant group).
Women are represented negatively in Homeland (Carrie and Jess).
Even though Carrie is shown as superior, she still ha flaws.
Carrie Mathison
Scene 1
What Happens in the Scene?
- Carrie is in Baghdad
How is Carrie represented?
- Impatient, stubborn, and can easily manipulate people.
How are the Middle East and Middle Eastern people represented?
- Uneducated, religious, over-populated, violent
Scene 2
How is Carrie represented?
- Weak (shown flaws)
Analysis Points
- Carrie represents a flawed hero.
- (Obsessive attention to detail (OCD).
- Psychologically damaged.
- Audience questions her behaviour.
- Uses her sexuality as a tool (highly emotional).
How is Carrie Mathison represented? DIRT plenary.
Carrie is represented as a flawed, but intelligent individual shown in the first scene i Homeland as she's shown to be stubborn at her job (CIA agent) in Baghdad which is portrayed with the negative stereotype, which suggests even in bad circumstances she's still able to work hard. But she's shown to be flawed in the second scene as we're given an insight to her home life as she has an OCD disorder which could be her flaw in the future, making the audience question her reliability as a woman, portraying women negatively even if they're good at their job. This links to Van Zoonens theory of the concept of patriarchy, even though we're in the 21st Century and women are no longer governed by men, it's still being represented to that ideology in television (Homeland). Carrie being represented as strong (masculine role), she's still a women therefore she must have "flaws" considered by the socialisation of the patriarchy society.
Being a woman, Carrie is able to use her sexuality as a tool, which suggests that women can't get what they want unless it involves sex, shows that society will never have equality when it comes down to both race and gender of a patriarchal society, which links to Bell Hooks theory of intersectionality of gender, and that women will never be able to be seen equal to men, which is clearly shown by Carrie's character in Homeland.
Nicholas Brody: War Hero
- The "hero"
Scene 15
How is Brody represented?
- Negatively (Carrie), suspects him
- Positively (family and friends), shown as a war hero, respected
How does he react to family?
- They don't know how to approach/talk to him at first, wife is excited, and the children barely recognise him so they act cautiously (particularly the son)
- He doesn't respond to them until they make the first move, showing he's taken aback about the situation
Representation Theory: Gauntlett and Identity
- Media has a complex relationship with identities.
- Diverse and contradictory messages in individuals thought their identity.
- Homeland has representations to America.
- International representation as the CIA is heard as important.
- Middle Eastern representation (9/11)
- Shows a diversity of representations in Homeland(Baghdad v America)
Representation Theory: Hall and Homeland
- Creates dominant meaning through the ideology of East v West to support those in power (US/West).
- carrie = lack of elements in her character, closeness, compassion and success outside her job.
- Carrie and the Middle East = Carrie is in respected clothing, only female being shown, Carrie is shown to be in power (even though she failed).
Carrie Meets Brody: 31.08 - 35.04
Mise-en-scene
- Dark lighting background (but their faces are lit, showing importance), creating tension
- Non-diegetic sound = white noise
- Diegetic sound = Interview conversation
- All wearing suits (formal)
Shot Types
- Over-the-shoulder hot (Carrie and Brody)
- close-ups (Brody), shown as importance
- Long/mid shot (Carrie), shown as not important
- High angle of everyone at the table
- Jump-cuts between Carrie and Brody's conversation
Flashbacks
- Brody hanging by his hands, man in Carrie's photo shows up
Carrie's Representation
- Pushy, undermined by David, curious about Brody
Brody's Representation
- Lying, suspicious, traumatised(PTSD)
Brody Analysis: How is Brody represented in Homeland?
Brody is represented both negatively and positively in Homeland. He's shown positively when he returns home, being reunited with his family which suggests that Brody feels uneasy being back home. But when Brody is being interrogated by Carrie he's portrayed negatively shown through the rapid jump cuts which creates a sense of uneven balance between the characters. The fact that the background lighting is dark creates tension as suggests importance and the conversation of Carrie and Brody their faces are highlighted, but Carrie being slightly darker which is suggesting that Brody holds more power over Carrie which links with Hall's representation theory that even though Carrie is suppose to hold more power, her being female makes her less valued in the conversation, meaning men are constructed as being more superior than women, showing masculine ideology in men.
Wednesday 31st March 2021
Homeland: Representation
L/O: TO explore the representations in set products.
Postmodernism: Baudrillard
- Modernism in art culture in the 20th Century (modernism)
- Postmodernism are things that don't really exist (E.G. Disneyland), also social media as it's not the real "world", it's a simulation.
- Homeland doesn't fit with this theory(9/11).
Baudrillard doesn't fit to Homeland as it has real world events such as 9/11, mental health (bipolar and PTSD) and the CIA.
Audience Theory: Hall
Dominant reading - Accepts the preferred meaning.
Negotiated meaning - Some of the meaning is accepted but the audience can disagree with parts of it.
Oppositional meaning - The audience rejects ideological assumptions, I.E, West is superior.
Carrie's Mental Health
Camera - Close up (conversation)
Editing - Jump cut to Carrie alone in the room to her panicking to get drugs, then to her lying on her bed.
Sound - Diegetic sound (conversation)
Mise-en-scene - Awkward, Carrie put of revealing clothes to show off her body, extremely wide open eyes, facial features.
- Carrie has bipolar which makes her a good investigation (obsessive to detail).
Using mental health is a trend in dramas
- Her bipolar disorder makes her seen to be struggling (pulling hair)
- Carrie doesn't plan things out humanly (negative representations of a woman).
How is mental illness presented in Homeland?
Mental illness is presented in Homeland through Carrie's bipolar disorder. She's shown to be struggling through her facial expressions and the lack of care in herself. It suggests that America thinks that mental health is a negative thing to have due to the way they're represented Carrie as an individual.
In the scene where Carrie is talking to Saul as he figures out that she had put CCTV in his house. We're shown that Carrie feels incredibly stressed as her career is on the line, so bad she tries to pursue Saul not to press charges, but ultimately fails as he asks her, "what are you doing?". Due to her bipolar disorder she's able to change her personality quickly which is shown with her facial expression from scrunching up her face to her eyes wide open making her a stereotypical woman as they're stereotyped as more emotional than men. The use of the jump cuts in between from when Saul left Carrie alone, to her then immediately taking her medication suggests she's a highly flawed character and woman as she is seen to not be in control of he emotions.
This makes the audience think that she isn't a suitable character as she's weak, making her not suitable for her job. Due to the fact that she's a woman working in a highly masculine field makes her stand out, but also more vulnerable due to emotions than the men. This presents mental illness negatively in Homeland, implying Carrie shouldn't take the job.
As women are traditionally represented negatively, there's no doubt about it that Carrie is as well. From being and woman having mental health issues in America is looked down on, , making it more difficult for her in a workplace, showing that despite these features, Carrie is a strong individual in the eyes of the audience who may be suffering mental illness themselves, which links to Gauntlett's theory.
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1. point
2. scene description (sound, editing, mise-en-scene, camera).
3. textual detail (audience, representation, theory).
4. explain how 3 reinforces 1
5. link to context.(representation of women, America deal with backlash of 9/11 and mental illness.)
6. Theory reference.(Gauntlett= strong woman, audience will identify with mental illness.)
Audience theory: Bandura; media effects
- The media influence people directly.
- Media can influence directly or indirectly through platforms (social media), and we become influenced by the media.
- Audience need the media to be regulated to prevent public harm.
Long term effects on people who consumer LFTV Drama.
Curran and Seaton: Power and media industries.
1. Patterns in ownership and control are important in how the media functions.
2. Media industries are capitalist and aim to increase concentration of ownership (narrowing of opinions).
3. Owners pursue profit at the expense of quality or creativity.
- Issues = Creators and the risk and profit vs critical appeal in TV drama depending funding
- International dominance of American Streaming services.,
Hesmondhalgh: Cultural industries and Homeland
- Draw attention to ownership and control
- High budget of Homeland = low risk
Livingstone and Lunt: Regulation
1. Consumers seek benefits from media for public interest.
- American cable is highly regulated to avoid harm for their audiences.
- UK has OFCOM to send complaints to(not international streaming services).
Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Brody in Episode 1 of Homeland
How is gender represented in Homeland and how does this reflect social and cultural context.
Brody and Carrie is represented as complex.
Gender is represented in Homeland both positively and negatively shown through Brody as he's a man who is stereotypically suppose to be strong despite any circumstances. Despite this Brody is shown to be a strong individual around people, but when he's alone he is shown to be weak(in a corner in his bedroom), suggesting he doesn't want to cause issue because of his gender and what he has went through.
In the scene when Carrie meets Brody; Brody is represented as a strong man and answers all the questions without hesitation. But when Carrie asks him specific questions about an individual in the photo he has flashback to getting tortured, showing that Brody is internally hiding all his emotions in front of people as he can't be seen as weak because of his gender as a man. The close-up shot of Brody tries to focus of his facial features to see if he shows a reaction to the photo, but he remains calm and collected (unlike Carrie), suggesting as a man he has better control over his emotions. The dark lighting in the background creates tension towards Carrie and Brody's conversation, trying to make Brody tense and hopefully reveals his emotions, but being a strong, white man who is stereotypically meant to be superior, he succeeds.
This reflects social context as Brody is shown to clearly having PTSD, a mental health issue
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Wednesday 21st April 2021
L/O: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in set episode.
The Killing
The Killing: Narrative
MAIN NARRATIVE:
Lund is shown at the start of the episode being called to a crime scene after just waking up from a distressed sleep.
At the crime scene, she realizes it was a prank made by her co-workers in celebrating her moving to Sweden with her fiancé and son.
Nanna borrows her dads (Theis) rental car.
She's then called to a crime scene in a field as she packs up her stuff in the office. With a possibility of a death of a teenage girl.
ENIGMA CODES:
- We want to know where Nanna is at first.
- After they found the body the audience might want to know how she died.
- Why her friends are acting suspicious, if they’re hiding anything.
- Why Larsen has someone who died, and political party (center), who is going to win? Snitch in the party.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER NARRATIVES:
Inspector Sarah Lund - Main protagonist introduced as intelligent and determined to solve the case. She’s preparing to leave for Stockholm. Acts un-motherly towards her son as she doesn’t listen to him
Their Birk Larsen – Building worker. Nanna's dad, which is shown being determined to find his daughter.
Prenille Birk Larsen - Nanna's mum, cries a lot.
Inspector Jan Meyer - New recruit as Lund is supposed to be leaving, show as not being as intelligent as Lund and thinks he's right and tries to act cocky over Nanna’s case.
Troels Hartmann - Politician and candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen, Center political party.
Mark – Sarah’s son. Doesn’t seem to want to move and lives with a mother who barely acknowledges him.
Genre
Nordic Noir – Term to describe Scandinavian crime fiction.
Genre Theory: Neale
- Draws attention to the process of difference within repetition and hybridity (mixing of genres).
- Audience expectations are that of twisting and enigmatic narratives that have been developed.
- GENRES AREN’T FIXED
How is genre introduced in the opening episode?
Genres are introduced in a complex way, shown by the Nordic Noir show of The Killing, showing men and women are introduced as both negatively and positively which shows the hybridity of the show itself.
At the show starts off with a girl running away show in a dark and eerie atmosphere, in which later on become the missing girl in the episode, which suggests women are weak and unable to protect themselves. But as the main character is shown a strong independent woman with a successful career as detective (Lund), that shows women can be just as powerful and men in the patriarchy society. Women are shown being weak as Meyer’s tries to be the traditionally masculine and whom interrupts Lund, but that backfires on him as Lund takes charge of him, belittling him as a man.
Due to Meyer and Lund’s introductory rivalry, it’s makes the audience question if they’ll get along and solve the case together, which links with Neale’s genre theory as it shows a mixing of genres in gender, creating a complex narrative.
(I just realised I misread the question, sorry!)
1. Sarah and Jan investigate (introduction)
2. Enigma codes (will Sarah and Jan get along, individual character narratives).
3. Theory of Neale (drama, family drama and crime.)
4. Back to Q
Generic corpus – The body of products in a genre
- The Killing interweaves three generically different narrative strands and then combines into fourth “whodunit”.
Wednesday 28th April 2020
The Killing: Industry and Context
L/O: To explore the production, social and political context of set products.
Industry Context
- The Killing is a good example of a European LFTVD.
- Each 50-minute episode covers 24 hours of investigation.
- - 1st series 20 episodes.
- Economic context: publicly-owned national broadcaster that can only finance one drama per season, this only co-operation with other European TV producers.
The Killing: Context
- Set in Danish capital (Copenhagen)
- Danish society are civilised (when Nana is murdered is strange in Danish society).
- Comparison with Homeland: Two different social and cultural context
- Denmark: Civilised
- America: Terrorism, international attacks
Contexts
Historical: LFTVD events.
Economic: LFTVD production, financial and technological opportunities.
Political: LFTVD political developments through media (messages and issues) national identity.
Social: How the audience consumes LFTVD.
Cultural: How LFTVD affects audience consumption of cultural values.
Social Context
- Crime is an indicated of social decline.
- Killing: Denmark’s financial crisis (writer/director) scripted into programme.
- Sarah feels like she can’t leave to Sweden.
- Larsen family: shows economic struggle (no money to fix dishwasher)
- Shows society is changing
- Political: Mayor (Troels Hartmann)
-
The Killing: Characters
Bauldrillard: Postmodernism
- Society is postmodernism, we live in a simulation (social media).
- Hyper reality: Media simulations (not real).
- LFTVD: Influence representations
Van Zoonen: Feminist theory
- How feminine and masculine roles are constructed.
- Gender in the concept of patriarchy (shown in TV).
Butler: Gender
- How gender is represented in women(negatively), and males = masculinity.
The Crime Scene
What happens in scene:
- Lund arrives at scene in the rain (storage area), follows “blood” trail in the dark to doll (prank as she’s leaving).
- On phone to fiancé: talking about leaving to Stockholm, meets Meyer (new position)
- Real scene: Meyer dominating conversation
How Sarah is represented:
- Positively: She’s serious at her job, good at looking for clues (woods) E.g. fearless
- Negatively: Not handling conversations well with men (with Meyer)
How the scene is effected/significant:
- Introduces Lunds as a character, ready to leave for Sweden, good at her job.
- Start of the search for Nanna
Theories:
- Van Zoonen: Sarah is shown not having the traditional feminine tropes.
-
Reflecting Social Attitudes
- Denmark has always been seen as internationally in gender equality.
- 2007: 8th in world (Sweden 1st)
- 2020: 14th in world (Sweden 4th)
- US in 2020: 53rd
-
Is the way that Sarah Lund is treated in the workplace different to the way Carrie Mathison is treated in the workplace in Homeland?
Sarah and Carrie and both shown to be treated differently within their workplace. Sarah is treated positively in her workplace, whereas Carrie is treated negatively in her workplace. Sarah is shown being good at her job, having authority over Meyer as she knows she’s right (crime scene). Similarly, to Sarah, Carrie is good at her job, but she’s shown to be having mental health issues (bipolar), which is implied to have a negative effect on her work, meaning she’s not equal in her workplace (like Sarah).
How does this link to the different countries stance on gender equality?
Denmark is shown to have better gender equality than the US as it’s ranked 14th in the world in 2020, whereas the US is ranked 53rd.
How does this link with Van Zoonen and Butler?
This links with Van Zoonen as Sarah is shown not having traditional feminine tropes, and she’s more marked as stereotypically masculine. Carrie links with Butler’s theory as women are portrayed negatively and so is she in Homeland, meaning US is shown having masculinity over femininity.
Gender Issues: Sarah is shown having both feminine and masculine traits (work + mother)
Bell Hooks: Feminist
- Coming together of gender, race, class, etc
Gauntlett: Identity
- Intersectionality: Complex relationships with identities (Sarah)
Hall: Representation
- Stereotyping and ideology of those inn power (preferred reading).
- What is present vs what is absent.
- How stereotypes are constructed.
How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect societal issues?
The Killings main character is Sarah Lund who is portrayed being a strong woman which is shown in the first scene of the fake crime scene; she enters the room in a hand-held panorama with shows she’s unafraid to investigated, and when the lights turn out she shows no hesitation, and switches on a torch which suggests that even in a vulnerable position, Sarah is not afraid. The use of the non-diegetic spooky sound creates tension to the audience, but not to Sarah as she’s a professional in her line of profession (detective), in which Denmark purposely portrays women as strong which suggests that women can be just as strong as men, if not strong. This links in with Van Zoonen’s theory of femininity; in which Sarah is constructed not having the traditionally stereotypical feminine tropes, and is stereotypes in a more masculine manner in a Western society. But due to Denmark gender ranking being 14th (2020), shows that gender equality is more considered compared to the US.
However, in Homeland, the main protagonist, Carrie Mathison is portrayed being strong, yet also weak due to the fact she has a mental illness. She is shown being strong by first scene we’re introduced to Carrie of her being in Baghdad; which is traditionally portrayed with the negative stereotype, but despite this, Carrie is there. She is shown to be intelligent and a hard worker shown by a close up of her interrogating the prisoner trying to get information out of him, showing that she’s determined to do what’s right. But she’s also shown negatively when we’re first introduced to Carrie’s mental health as we’re instantly cut off from a close up of her alone in her room, then with a jump-cut to her panicking to searching for pills, then instantly another jump cut to her lying on her bed looking exhausted. This shows that despite being a CIA agent, she has weaknesses that need to be controlled in the form of medication or else she has no control of herself. This shows that despite the US being technologically advanced in terms of production, gender equality is shown to be a flaw especially in America as gender equality is ranked 53rd (2020), which links with Hall’s theory of stereotypes, and the absence of Carrie trying her hardest despite everything she’s going through.
Wednesday 5th May 2021
The Killing: Analysis
L/O: To analyse a variety of scenes using accurate terminology
Semiology: Barthes
- Study of signs. Consists of a signifier (image, etc.) and its meaning – the signified.
- Denotation = literal
- Connotation = hidden
Scene 3: Intro to the Larsen Family
Theis gender stereotypes = strong, respected, supports his family, physical labour, denotes to a stereotypical masculine man.
Family representation= Nice house but can’t afford to fix washing machine a struggle (economic issues), broken items at shop (economic issues), close to his wife, traditional (working man and wife stays at home)and loving family, zoom of family photographs.
Home representation = Economic crisis in Denmark = struggling home, photographs of family,
Mise-en-scene = Clothing of builder bulky clothing=connotes to hard working, non-diegetic sound of sad music, close-up with him and his wife connotes to their loving relationship they have, lighting is warm toned connotes to happiness.
Comparison to Homeland = Denmark vs American society, rich vs poor, Carrie (CIA) vs mother (stay at home, Brody family(struggling and sad) vs Theis family(struggling but happy)
How it links with theory - Barthes
Broken washing machine denotes to poor (sign)
Connotes Theis is in debt (signified)
Signified = wife buckling Theis (affectionate)
Viewpoints and Ideologies
Individualism = relying on yourself
Consumerism = What you buy reflects who you are
Patriarchy = Men dominating society
Ethnocentrism = Belief that your own culture is normal and natural and that other cultures are inferior and strange
The Killing
Individualism = Lund relies on herself as she is shown to be a strong individual as she solves the murder by investigating critical clues, Lunds family breaks down due to her own quest (motive to solve the case)
Consumerism = Theis buys a house suggesting he wants his family to have a nice life, Denmark is a socialist country (compared to Homeland)
Patriarchy = Meyer tries to dominate Lund, Theis works whilst his wife stays at home with the children, Hartman wanting to become mayor
Ethnocentrism = The Pakistani man is deemed inferior but Theis respects him as an individual(racism), Sarah talks about he move to Sweden her work mates joke about to and Meyer insults her.
Stereotypes
Victim = Nanna (murdered) young female, assumption of a prostitute
Politicians = Troels Hartman (Green party) wants to become mayor, male dominated society, corrupted politicians/society (trying to ruin Troels)
Police = Lund and Meyer trying to find Nanna, Meyer = negatively(smokes, gun photo), Boss (old, close, male),
Swedish Nationality = Portrayed negatively in Denmark’s society (insulted and joked about), viking hat, blow up-doll viking, flags, sword, blond plaits.
Family Unit = Theis’ wife(stay at home mother) with her two son and daughter (Nanna)
Racism = Pakistani man is insulted(Theis defended man only because of a fight)
Audience Theory: Jenkins Fandom
Strengths:
1. Diversity by LFTV to use products to create their own culture in fan site.
2. Many LFTV achieve cult status adding to their values for fans.
Limitations:
1. Optimistic view of power of audiences, underestimates power of media conglomerates in shaping how media is produced.
Textual poaching = Audiences taking a media product and remaking or reworking it to create their own meaning.
Sarah Lund's jumpers = popular fashion piece in Denmark.
Homeland
Evaluate the relevance of Todorov’s theory of narratology to long form TV drama.
PLAN
The Killing
Equilibrium – Nanna running away from someone in the woods/ Lund celebrating her leaving to Sweden
Disruption – Lund is called back in a case (missing girl = Nanna)
Recognition – Lund uses her detective skills, finds Theis family and figure out that Nanna is missing
Repair – Lund uses her detective skills and finds clues linking to Nanna
New Equilibrium – Lund finds Nanna’s dead body in a water barrel in a car
Homeland
Equilibrium – Carrie is in Baghdad finds out by a prisoner of war has been turned
Disruption – Brody has been found
Recognition – Carrie thinks that Brody has been turned
Repair – Carrie tries to get evidence over Brody
New Equilibrium – Brody glaring at the white house (terrorism)
Great notes for TVD1 & 2 Kylie. Well done. If you can, I would recommend watching all of season 1 - it will help you understand the context and characters.
ReplyDeleteTVD3: great notes on context but the final analysis question is far too short. I think you need to add in more about how the attitudes and opinions of this 'war on terror' and fear of terrorism and protecting ourselves was very strong, not just in America, but worldwide. The threat of hidden threats, threats from within etc. and the paranoia and surveillance culture that was created from 9/11.
ReplyDeleteTVD4&5 (Characters): again, great notes and use of screen shots. You obviously understand the characterisation but your answers in general are far too short and lack detail - no reference to specific parts of the episode/character/context etc.
TVD6 (Representation): It would be good to see this completed and your notes for your chosen area - detailed!
ReplyDeleteTVD6 (Rep): Great notes on your area, thank you!
ReplyDeleteTVD7 (DIRT): I can see some evidence of this (in pink) but if you read my feedback above, you should be adding more to some of your analysis.
TVD8 (Killing): Needs completing.
TVD8 (Killing Narrative): good notes. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteTVD9 (Killing Industry): good notes. The Title sequence analysis is supposed to focus on just the TITLE SEQUENCE, not the whole episode - this needs doing properly. Link it to the genre.
TVD10 (Killing Characters): Title sequence analysis is much better but you need to make sure your terminology is accurate (what's a mid angle? Cross/parallel cutting). Do you think a low angle of the plane shows it is superior? Low angles can show other things too - distance, size etc. The rest is incomplete - if you need help please feel free to email me.
TVD11 (Killing Context): Not complete
TVD 11 (Killing Context): Not Complete - good notes but you haven't attempted any of the analysis questions. Do you understand what to do and what you could say?
ReplyDeleteTVD 12 (Killing Scene Analysis): Great ideas about the first scene - the other scenes need doing in the same detail.
TVD 13 (Killing Context Analysis): Not complete
Kylie, are you struggling to keep up with all the work? Please let me know (email or SMHW) if you are. It isn't a problem and the others might be too.
3/3/21- Good notes from watching here, well done.
ReplyDelete24/3/21- Good notes and good use of analysis in full sentences. Try to use other words than negative stereotype, try to use counter stereotype or subverts traditional stereotypes.
ReplyDelete31/3/21- Very good analysis of the scene and representations of mental illness linked to gender. You need to drop into these parts the terms social context and cultural context as this is what you are discussing but you just need to make it explicit. In terms of theory you just need to explain how the theory fits to your example from the extract, then also how this links to your initial point about mental illness being shown in a negative way. Finally when you bring this back to gender and women as weak you can mention how this reinforces stereotypes that the industry repeat for women as the dominant group producing these in the industry are men.
ReplyDelete28/4/21- Excellent analysis here, well done. You have covered all elements of the analysis and have ensured that your response flows. If this were an extended mark question you would take this further by choosing more examples from the texts to explore the same question with.
ReplyDelete