PSB revision

- PSB television or radio broadcasting that has to meet requirements set by ofcom, the regulator for TV and radio

- their aim is to...
 - have distinctive, high quality programme
 - reflect the diversity of Britain
 - inform the public
 - make original programmes rather than just importing cheaper American programmes

Question 5 - Reflect and Perfect

Explain how social contexts influence television programmes. refer to Cuffs from 2015 to support your answer.

'Cuffs' is an example of a TV programme that was influenced by social contexts. For example, the main character Jake is a homosexual white British male who works in the police force. Jake challenges the stereotype of a gay male as he is represented as very masculine and a typical gay is known to be quite feminine.  and When Jake came out as being gay, Ryan had no shocked reaction. This is because it is showing the pre-watershed audience that being homosexual isn't unusual and is excepted in our society today. 'Cuffs' was made in 2015 and not long before that was when same sex marriage became legal in the Uk.

Narrative structure

What is a narrative?

- The story/plot of a film/tv show/radio show

- Does it have conventions?

- Begging, middle and end

- Characters - some good or some bad 

Types of TV crime dramas

• Single drama/ilm 
• Soap 
• Serial - The Avengers
• Anthology series
• Long form series drama
• Long form series drama with some narrative experimentation

Continuity editing

• Aims to present the the in a chronological manner o emphasise the real time movement of the narrative and create a sense of realism for the viewer by giving the impression of continuous filming. Audiences feel comfortable with a linear progression that reflects their every day experience.

Linear narrative

• Sequential narrative with a beginning, middle and end in that order. Provide a straightforward, sequential representation of events leading to a single resolution.

Cinderella

Equilibrium 

1. Cinderella is living with her dad.

Disruption to equilibrium 

2. Dad dies.

Step mum and ugly step sisters move in and they are horrible to cinderella.

Recognition 

3. She is treated like a slave, recognises her life is now awful.

Attempt to repair

4. Fairy godmother tries to help her

She meets prince charming who falls in love with her, she loses her glass slipper.

Return to equilibrium 

5. She falls in love, she leaves these who kept her captive

The Avengers

Equilibrium 

1. Everything’s balanced when theres fencing and happy

Disruption to equilibrium

2.  Find out the people have gone missing

Recognition 

3. Find out the people running the school are Russian spies

Attempt to repair

4. Try to take out the Russian spies

Return to equilibrium 

5. They get back at the spies and everything is balanced again and drove off happily.

Strauss theory 

Strauss made a theory referring to conflict between two opposites e.g black vs white.

Task

A couple wake up and go downstairs to breakfast. They do not realise that they are being watched by terrorists.

As they were eating their breakfast, a Sharp rock gets thrown at the window.

Aden searches for who was until he saw blood dripping down their window.

Mayan grabs a knife and hands it to Aden, he goes outside to find the culprit.

They find a terrorist and Aden fights him then breaks his head in half

Mayan and Aden go back inside to eat their full English breakfast.

Iconography - knife, Sharp rock, blood.

Peer assess by: Lucy

Www- used the knife as a code and convention of a crime drama. 

Ebi- used more codes and conventions of a crime drama.

Reflect and perfect winter booklet

Reflect and perfect winter booklet

Task 2
In 'Cuffs' there are characters with different sexualities. 
For example, Jake is represented as a white British gay male working in the police force. This is represented positively during the episode, when Jake reveals his sexuality to Ryan and there is no reaction. Jake also challenges the stereotype because he is not represented as feminine and weak. In 2013 same sex marriage became legal and 'Cuffs' was later made in 2015 with all different sexualities for example Jake being gay and Ryan not. This reflects the changing in society.

In The Avengers there aren't characters with different sexualities. Peel and Steed are heterosexual characters and both very dominant characters because of the role they play in defeating the spies. The audience wouldn't question their sexuality due to same sex marriage being unacceptable in the 1960s.  

Task 3
In 'Cuffs' there are a crew of police officers who are different genders. A police officer is seen as a strong, male job but by 'Cuffs' having both genders play these parts shows equality and goes against the stereotype of women being too weak to take on the role. For example, Jo Moffat is the boss and is represented a very strong, dominate character even though she's female. 

In the Avengers one of the main parts is when Emma defeats the spies and acts in a way that in that era (1960s) was unusual for a women. Emma was such an inspiration and an icon for the audience watching and especially for girls who are used to wearing floral and girly things and as Emma was dressed in an all black leather catsuit and seen as really 'sexy'. The black leather catsuit showed darkness and danger that Emma was able to defeat which in those days, wasn't excepted from girls. After world war II, gender equality was still a struggle and for Emma to be represented as this was new.

Task 4
In The Avengers all of the characters are of the same white skin colour. There were no different cultures due to the division of race in that time period.and this was a positive thing as it was the 'norm' in society in the 1960's as different cultures mixing was not accepted. 

However, in modern day, we don't live like that, we live among different cultures and that is represented through 'Cuffs' as it includes characters from different cultures. For example, Jake is a white, British male, Ryan is a Black male and there are other police officers that are asian, muslim and more. They are positively represented as they are working to help keep London safe and that also goes against any stereotypes like asians being 'weak' or 'ditzy'. 

Task 5
In 'Cuffs' all hr characters of police officers are wearing the same outfit, doing the same job. The job of police officer is usually known to be preformed by a male due to them being 'stronger' and more masculine. 'Cuffs' goes against that stereotype by having both male and female characters acting completely equal. 

However, in The Avengers Emma Peel is strong, confident girl who like to be in charge which also goes against the stereotype of the men being in charge and being the dominant feel also wears a full black, leather body suit which represented dominance and importance. In that time period women were wearing pink, girly, floral outfits so for Peel to be in that role was something unusual. Steed wore smart suit which is a very typical upper/middle class, gentlemen outfit. Him and Peel were both very big characters but did not play didn't roles, even though girls are seen as much more 'weak'. 

1960's Televison summary. pages 3-7

Background of tv

-Tv was scarce 

-Only 3 channels - BBC 1,2 & ITV

-BBC2 not available on older tv sets 

-Tv’s - Expensive ,small,unrealiable, black and white 

-No broadcasting for large parts of the day- all channels closed down at night 

-Changing channels- Difficult, done manually (audiences were more loyal to one programme) 

-No home computing or technology to watch any other sort of programmes on

-Itv started - 1955, allow advertisements online BBC, introduced game shows 

-By 1965- competition in the television market 

-Itv- was financially secure, television could be highly regulated 

Ownership,funding and regulation 

-ITV & BBC not part of internationtional media congolomorate (company that owns a lot of companies)

-BBC- governed by Royal Charter and funded by licence-fee payers.

-ITV- network of regional tv comoanies who competed with each other to provide programmes for the channel and provided regional content for transmission area.

-Production company of The Avengers - ABC- Companies not allowed to merge(until after 1990)- British ownership was controlled by their regulator (ITA) 

-ITA: Independant Television Authority 

-ITV- Highly profitable and could afford larger budgets then BBC

-Profitability of ITV let ITA insist on PSB requirements 

-Schedules includes PSB fare: single dramas, educationional programmes, children programmes, art, news and current affair documentaries etc.

-BBC- self regulating - function carried out by a board of governors appointed from ‘the great and the good’  group defined by those in power.

'Global TV'

- World television was controlled by the US

- British television production was protected by the rules pf PSB.

- E.g ABC's programming for November 1965, included an American series at 7.25pm.

- the schedule reached its climax with The Avengers at 9.05pm.

- British television did compete on the world market, with productions being sold to countries overseas. (90 countries in 1969)

- A deal with the ABC required the fourth series of The Avengers to be shot on film & allowed high production values for television.

- Previous series were studio bound.

- Editing was difficult and expensive so mistakes and fluffed lines were left uncorrected.

- (1966) The fifth series of The Avengers was filmed in colour, even though on ITV programs could only be shown in b&w.

- Production of international markets raised the prettied of television productions. 

- Productions that had been looked down on as inferior to film as an art form.

- Seen as the process that led some television dramas gaining higher critical and artistic status then some feature films.

- Budget of series 4 of The Avengers was £56,000 per show.

- A major British spy film,The Ipcress File, had a budget of £309,000

Reaching different audiences 

- Channel loyalty tended to split on class lines (ITV seen as working class).

- The rise of youth culture was suddenly 'cool' to be working class.

- The BBC was seen more as middle class.

- In mid 1960's BBC's program, The Forsyte Saga, was a set of novels. Whereas on ITV, The Avengers was seen as mush more daring, youthful, irreverent and sexy.

- BBC remind London-centric.

- ITV had production centres in the North and midlands.

- ABC studios used for the Avengers were in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire and London.

- ATV and ABC retain large production faculties in London.

- Grander television developed a distinctively northern identity in opposition to the southern establishment.

Television audiences in the mid- 60’s

-BBC1 and ITV were aimed at mass audiences, both aiming to attract viewers so that they would remain for the whole evening.

-Broadcast flow was important- audiences should be led through a series of genres and formats to provide a rounded evenings viewings

-BBC2 was an exception and was consciously niche addressing a series of different audiences across one evenings schedule

-Tent pole scheduling- putting strongest program un he middle with weaker programs either side in hope the strong program will draw in viewers

-Shows such as the ‘avengers’ allowed tent pole scheduling 

-The series format dominated 1960’s television

-Narratives that resolved every episode were well suited to a channel- loyal audience, with no recording facilities

-Audiences can miss individual episodes of a series and still follow their favourite series

-There was less need to try and win loyalty to individual programmes by deploying on going serial narratives, due to the lack of competition in this era

-Television audiences were expected to be ‘light users’ (would have tv on in the background whilst they are busy doing things around the house) before prime time.

-On ITV weekdays in 1965 they scheduled programmes at specific times depending on the target audience and viewers

-the watershed at 9pm introduced in 1964 allowed for more adult programming such as the avengers.

-ITV shut down at about midnight on weekdays as thats when it was assumed that people would be in bed, and at noon on Sundays to allow families to have time for family lunches.

-The changes in Steeds character in the avengers to fit international stereotypes about English gentlemen proved to be successful, but the use of erotic imagery for example emma peel caused several episodes to be cut in America and ‘lost’ the midwest audience.

-it was the first British tv series to be shown on primetime network television in the US and achieved 28% audience share in 1966

-The mid 1960’s saw huge debates about permissiveness in society and on television 

-This was a time of rapid social change exemplified by a generation gap between a wartime generation celebrating values of duty and perseverance, and a younger generation celebrating values of freedom and consumption.

-Permissiveness was seen as lowering moral standards and coarsening language by its critics as a freeing society.

Uses and Gratification

Personal identity-

-Tv audiences in 1960 were much more loyal to particular channels than contemporary audiences and used this loyalty in part to construct a sense of social identity.

-An ITV viewer sees themselves as more down to earth than BBC viewers. However BBC viewers see themselves as more cultured and better educated than an ITV viewer.

-These distinctions reflected a social context in which class was still important to people’s identity and brings a sense of belonging.

-Shows like The Avengers offered role models from the heroes: 

Steed= a debonair English gentleman who has the charm to enable him to team up with Peel.

Peel= the embodiment of ‘Swinging London’ in her self confident sexuality and savoir-faire.

Social interaction and integration-

-Tv was so important in 1960 because of its scarcity.

-There was normally only be (at most) one television in the household which means the whole family would come together to watch or not watch at all.

-Programmes which are unusual and interesting would generate discussion the next day amongst the audiences.

-Audiences that used television as a substitute for real life social interaction would find these needs met by the recurrence of familiar characters.

-In the case of The Avengers a familiar central pairing with a slightly enigmatic relationship to retain audiences interest aswell as being a communicating source about Britishness to countries all around the world.

Entrainment-

-Audiences were much more naive about tv in the 1960s, a naivety that offered utopian pleasures- tv could represent a magical world of plenty into which audiences could escape.

-The Avengers offered escapism through their representation of a world of competence, sophistication, humour, and heavy hint of sexual tension and eroticism

•Spy genres were a familiar dominant genre of the 1960’s

Audience response

•Response to 1960’s tv drama may be influenced by the cult status that accrued to programmes such as the avengers - technical limitations of the programme, effect of changing conventions, and elements of representation that represent it’s 1960’s context

•The way the programme represents it’s media language and representation may create an alienating effect for modern audiences.

Online reviews:

•‘An exciting, playful and thoroughly British take on the action genre’

•The Avengers was truly a classic- it defined British television, and set the trend for future relationships between main characters.

Britain in the 1960's

Compering and Contacting Title Sequences

1. How does the music style suggest what genre the show is?

The music from the opening of the Avengers is an upbeat tune which reflects the time on 1960 being the year of fun and experimental music (Beatles etc.). it also suggests a crime drama by the slow yet enticing beat that can be heard while 'sexy' pictures of Diana Riggs can be shown thus attracting the mass male audience. 

2. What does the typography of the graphics suggest about the show's era?

The typography graphics are big bold letters which makes them stand out to the audience. The bold letters reflect on the bold atmosphere in 1960s. However the graphics aren't too clear and thats due to the lack of technology in that era.

3. Explain how Patrick Macnee's character is represented via costume, props and facial expression.

Patrick Macnee is represented as very smart and well dressed. The connotations of suits shows importance and dominance. Probably in the upper class.

4. How is the flower prop used to link the two characters together?

The flower is known as a feminine object and we first see Patrick holding the flower and then see Diana holding the flower. This may represent shivalry behaviour of Patrick and that was more around in that time era then now.

5. Explain how Diana Rigg's character is represented via costume, props and facial expression.

Diana Rigg is wearing a leather shiny catsuit and looks very sophisticated. In the 1960's women were seen as very feminine and girly, but Diana wearing the catsuit and showing off her 'sexy' body really changed girls views and made them stand out and be themselves.

6. What does the term 'teleplay' mean or what is the modern terminology? Why do you think The Avengers is called this?

The term, 'Teleplay' is a script used within the making of a T.V show for example and is mostly seen in stand alone production.

7. How is editing linked to the music?

The music is in time with whats happening and really suits the theme as the video is in black and white so the music allows us to understand the characters and their costumes and body language.

8. How are the use of props and body language used to present the characters towards the end and what are the audience expectations of the show as a result?

Towards the end of the opening, we see Peel and Steed start to use props as weapons as we see Steed use an umbrella in a violent way (as gun and to hit someone/something like its a bat). from this, we may get the impression that the show will be violent and physical.

Extension: Compare this opening sequence with the one below by picking out the similarities and differences and explaining what they suggest about how television technology has developed and how audience expectations have changed

The Avengers opening scene and The cuffs opening scenes are different and similar. The Avengers is in black and white where as Cuffs is in colour, However the music is quite similar as they are both quite fast paced and fit well but Cuffs is from rock where as The Avengers more fit that time period. The editing was quite fast pace in both, even though the Avengers only has two characters to show and Cuffs has multiple.