TV Drama

Friday 17th April
LO: To explore the content of the unit

What's it all about?

Section B of evolving media looks at long form TV Drama
It is worth 60% of the paper so is worth more than the media and rep unit
We have to compare two TV Dramas, one US Drama and one European Drama

What will I need to know?

Media language: How TV Drama communicates meaning through codes and conventions and technical and narrative techniques
Representations: How events, issues, individuals and social groups are represented in TV Drama
Industry: The TV industries processes of production, distribution and and circulation work
Audiences: How TV Dramas target, reach and address audiences and how audiences interpret and respond to them
Context: The economic, social and cultural contexts surrounding specific TV Dramas

There will be two exam questions:

A longer comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies
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 Drama is normally characterized by in depth, lengthy narratives
The story unfolds over roughly 10 episodes, allowing for plot and character development
The inception of this form has emphasized cinematic qualities and complex fkexi narratives

What are flexi-narratives?

Flexi-narratives represent a complex story telling form with the following features:

Central characters who motives develop with them
A main storyline with interwoven subplots
A combination of complex characters that are ambiguous or enigmatic, creating tension and questions for the audience

Flexi-Narrative example: Peaky Blinders Series 1

There are many central characters who develop different motives through the season. For example Tommy wants to expand the business, to help make profits however Arthur wants to leave the business and set up a casino abroad. Polly and Ava want Ava to escape Birmingham for Cardiff due to her having a child.
The main storyline follows how the family business expands to national level and how they have to fight off other bookies to expand the business. There are several interwoven subplots throughout, for example Tommy and Arthur find where their dad is and meet him for the first time in years and Ava discovers she is pregnant and tries to escape to Cardiff.
There are several example of complex characters throughout the first series, for example Tommy who has tense interactions with other characters, he does not want Ava to move away or Arthur to leave the business. The father of Tommy and Arthur her tense interactions with the family as he does not agree with the business and wants to move abroad.

Homelands Research Task

Fox 21 TV Studios produced the show, the company is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Television Studios
The first season won both the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
The killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden happened in 2011, raising tension between the US and Middle East
Episode 1 of series 1 became Showtime's highest rated drama when it premiered, receiving 2.78 million views. It also performed well in the UK on Channel 4, where the episode received 3.1 million views
There are four genres Homelands comes under, serial drama, espionage thriller, psychological thriller and Political thriller
It was also distributed in Canada, Ireland, India and Pakistan

Season 1 Summary:

Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer, conducts and unauthorized operation in Iraq and is reassigned to the CIA's Counter terrorism Center in Langley, Virginia. Nicholas Brody, a US Marine Sergeant who has been reported missing in actions since 2003, is rescued from a compound belonging to terrorist Abu Nazir. Brody is heralded a war hero, but Carrie comes to suspect that he is planning a terrorist attack against the US.

Carrie Mathison:

Mathison was an arabic language student at Princetown University, where she was recruited by the CIA. In college, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, for which she began secretly taking clozapine supplied by her older sister.

Nicholas Brody:

Brody was an American Scout Sniper deployed during the Iraq War. In 2003, Brody was captured by forces loyal to Suddam Hussein near the Syrian border. He and another prisoner were sold to Al Qaeda commander Abu Nazir, who treated Brody with kindness to gain his trust although his guards tortured him. Brody was invited into his home and grew close to his son Issa, who was killed in a drone strike where the US vice president swore no children were killed. Brody swore to kill the vice president in a suicide attack and at the start of series 1 he was rescued by American forces and returned to the US>

Saul Berenson

Berenson is believed to have majored in political science, then started work for the CIA and has worked there for 35 years. He recruited and trained Mathison and continues to have a close working relationship with her, despite not being her boss.

Tuesday 21st April
LO: To explore the narrative, theme, and characters in set episode

Long form TV dramas often have a complex narrative structure: a main narrative arc that spans the whole series (continues from episode to episode) 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.

Main narrative quest/conflict set up

The main narrative is centered around Carrie's ongoing investigation into whether Brody is a 'turned' prisoner of war. She believes that he is planning a terrorist attack on US soil, and she is trying her best to gather evidence into this. The narrative is set up at the beginning of the episode, when Carrie sneaks into an Iraqi prison to gather information from one of the prisoners. He says that an American prisoner of war has been turned, leading Carrie to begin her investigations when Brody is recaptured and returns home.

Enigma Codes

The main question the audience will be asking, is whether or not Brody is terrorist planning an attacks or not. However there are several others including:

Whether or not Carrie will get caught in her investigation and what would happen to her
How will Brody cope when he finds out his wife had an affair with one of his best friends
What would happen to Saul if Carrie is caught
What would happen to Brody is he is deemed to be a terrorist

Individual character narratives

There are several individual character narratives including:

How Carrie copes with her bipolar disorder
Jessica's affair with Mike, Brody's best mate
Brody suffering with guilt from Walker's death and his post traumatic stress disorder
The relationship between Jessica and her daughter
Saul dealing with the troubles Carrie gets herself into

Friday 24th April

LO: To explore the production, social and political context of set products

Industry Context

TV Video on demand systems can either stream content through a set top box, allowing viewing in real time, 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 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: 9/11

September 11th 2001 still stands as one of the most shocking, dramatic and traumatic days of recent history.
Attacks were targeting symbolic locations in America (Twin Towers, Pentagon and The White House). They were all symbols of political power.
The loss of life, the physical scaring of the city and the fact that the US was not invincible has a devastating effect on Western culture.

What was the impact of 9/11?

There was the impact on individual lives, loss of family members, friends and loved ones
Internal and international security legislation
Declaration by America of a 'war on terror'
Subsequent conflicts in the Middle East
Feeling of fear and unease caused by the attacks
Religious/cultural disregard through racism and xenophobia
Noah Chomsky, an American philosopher, said that "The world enters into a new frightening age of terror". This is what as known as the post 9/11 period, and we are still in it.

Post 9/11 era: The Media

At first, with exception to the news, the American tended to ignore the event and several mainstream media texts set in New York show this.
The producers of Spiderman (2002) withdrew a promotional feature as it featured the Twin Towers.
The biggest sitcom of the day, FRIENDS, made an active decision not to reference the event.
I think these are both respectable decisions, as due to the extreme amount of people affected by the event, any references could cause controversy within the population even considering these are both extremely mainstream media products. These must have been difficult decisions to make however, especially for the producers of Spiderman due to such a big promotional method having to be withdrew
It also made its impact in other way. In the show 'Sex in the City', no repercussions were being shown towards four women who lived wild and crazy lives in New York. However, in the show after 2001, Samantha dealt with breast cancer, Charlotte found out should couldn't have a baby and Miranda had a baby which destroyed her career. Basically, nothing bad happened to them before 2001.
The show '24' was an American thriller released in 2001 dealing with internal threats to America as well as global political issues . It reinforced the values of war on terror, justifying torture as a way of fighting a war and putting human rights on hold.

Post 9/11 the city of New York was usually represented positively, the big budget film 'The Day after Tomorrow' showed New York with its culture and its history under attack but the film's use of The Statue of Liberty in the promotional material shows the city representing hope.

There are several other examples of the post 9/11 era affecting media, for example in the animated film 'Lilo and Stitch' there is a scene where Stitch was flying a Boeing 747 through an urban area. This was removed and replaced by a spaceship and mountains. Another example is the film 'Men in Black II' where the final scene features the WTCs heavily, this was replaced by the Statue of LIberty.

Analysing the Context

This may be in several different ways:

The way the text is produced, its media language choices, the construction and representations.
The way it challenges or supports dominant ideologies at the time of production.
The way audiences interpret and react to the media text

Midway through the decade, there were attempts to to deal with the events of 9/11 itself in films such as United 93 (2006) and World Trade Center (2006) where 9/11 drove the narrative of the films. Then I am Legend (2007) and Cloverfield (2008) showed the New York as a post apocalyptic location.

A Decade on In Homelands

Homelands was based off of 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 has Homeland tapped into post 9/11 themes and anxieties 10 years on?

The post 9/11 era is based around the effects that the attack on the World Trade Center has in American Society. Many themes include, changing of media products and changes of how certain places in the world are viewed. Anxieties include for example, the fear/unacceptance of people outside of Western culture, and war in the Middle East/war on terror.

The first example of Homeland tapping into this is the anxiety surrounding the war on terror/Middle East. When Nicholas Brody is first discovered in Iraq, Carrie's first assumption is that war between the US and terror has caused for Brody to have been turned by terrorist in Iraq. Although she has a good reason to believe that this is true, she has received information regarding that a US prisoner of war has been turned, it still shows the anxiety surrounding war in the Middle East. She does not celebrate that a US pow has been found alive, her instant reaction is to set up an investigation into Brody and his life in Iraq, to prevent Brody causing a possible attack on the US and gain an advantage against terrorism.

The second example is the anxiety surrounding people not of Western origin. During a debrief with Nicholas Brody, she gives a folder of images to look through of possible people who interrogated him. All of the people shown are of Middle Eastern background, making the assumption that because he was captured by terrorist forces, the terrorist must be Middle Eastern or Islamic because of the anxiety surrounding people not of Western culture. It is also reinforced by the opening scene, where Carrie buys her way into an Iraqi prison. All of the people causing trouble in the scene are Middle Eastern, giving that she is in Iraq this makes sense, however not one person is making Carrie's job easy.

The last example is an example of theme running through the post 9/11 era, that throughout American media 9/11 is rarely mentioned or talked about. Throughout the episode 'Pilot' 9/11 is not even mentioned, all the anxieties shown have been caused by the attacks, yet the attacks aren't mentioned themselves. The only reference to them slightly is throughout the episode where Carrie deems Brody to be making contact with terrorist forces by the use of a code, as an audience we do not understand what this code is saying however it is assumed it based around an attacks he is going to cause.

In conclusion, Homelands taps in 9/11 anxieties and themes in several different ways including anxieties surrounding the Middle East and its people and the lack of 9/11 being referenced in American media.

How important is 9/11 context to Homeland as a media text?

The context surrounding 9/11 is very important to Homeland as a media text. It is a big influence into what happens throughout the episode 'Pilot' and series 1 as a whole. The effects 9/11 has on American culture can be seen at several points throughout the episode.

Firstly, we can see how the effects of 9/11 influences Homeland at the start of the episode. A big effect is the xenophobia and disregard surrounding people of a Middle Eastern culture. Carrie is on a task to buy her way into an Iraqi prison, to gain information surrounding an American Prisoner of war. On her way to the prison, not one person is making her job easy suggesting that people of Iraq simply cause trouble and are portrayed negatively. Another example of this is the debrief scene involving Carrie and Nicholas Brody, where Carrie provides Brody with a folder containing possible interrogaters. All of these people are of Middle Eastern descent, suggesting that terrorist can only be Middle Eastern and can't be of Western culture.

Another example is the effect of 9/11 on American media. The media has usually left out references to help deal with the attacks, and Homelands is no different. 9/11 is not mentioned throughout the show, in fact it is only slightly referenced in the fact Brody could be plotting an attack on the US, influenced by Middle Eastern forces, in a similar way 9/11 was under the planning and carried out by Al Qaeda forces. This is again also suggested by the fact Carrie believes at two different points in the episode, that Brody is making contact with his influences in the Middle East.

The last example of how 9/11 is important to Homeland, is that it has changed the way Americans view other places in the world, especially the Middle East, which can be seen in Homeland in particular the episode 'Pilot'. All way ever see of Iraq in the episode, is a busy and run down street, a prison with executions taking place, and interrogation chambers where Brody was kept. The leads to suggest that American people and the characters of Homelands see the Middle East as a broken, terrorist ridden place. Although in real life, the Middle East does have some major conflicts happening in, most of these have been influenced by Western countries including the US and the UK, the countries in which Homelands is most popular.

In conclusion, the main historical context to Homeland in 9/11, is very important in the way it influences what happens in the episode and the character's opinions as well.

Tuesday 28th April

LO: To explore the narrative and characterization in set products

Firstly, the photo represents Carrie as a conflicted person, it is a clear reference to her bipolar disorder which we discover in episode 1. It suggests she in is two minds when making decisions about her job, which leads her to get herself into trouble. The photo represents Brody as a shell of his former self, the fact that all of his body is faded into the background suggests he has is nothing like his former self before he left for Iraq and that he is now a different person.

Scene 1

In the opening scene, Carrie is represented as determined, she wants to be sure of her success to gain information from the Iraqi prisoner. She is also shown to be brave, standing up to the prison guards and aggressively questioning the prisoner. Post 9/11 fear is also shown here, as the first information we receive about Carrie's mission is to gain information about an attack on the US. The CIA want to be sure that any other attack is prevented again that does not have a lasting effect on the US.

Discuss the representation of Carrie and the Middle East in the opening scene of Homeland S1 E1

The opening scene starts with Carrie in a car rushing to an Iraqi prison, whilst on the phone to her boss. She then gets into a traffic jam which causes her to travel on foot to the prison. She buys her way into the prison to talk to a prisoner, who says he has vital information about a terrorist attacks on US soil. She attempts to get him to tell her, but due to her not being able to defer his sentence, he does not. When Carrie gets caught, the promise of his family being safe makes him give in, he whispers a few words into Carrie's ear. Later in the episode we discover that he said an American prisoner of war has been turned.

Carrie is represented in several different ways throughout the scene. She represented as a countertype throughout the scene due to the narrative, she a strong woman working for the CIA, standing up to prison guards and being aggressive towards a prisoner. She is also represented as a determined character due to the camerawork, the use of handheld camera when she is rushing to the prison suggests that what she is doing is difficult and requires determination. Also, she is shown to be quite fearless due to the diegetic dialogue, she is standing up to her boss over, in attempts to get the agency to intervene, she also stands up to the Iraqi prison guard, questioning his guarantee of having 2 minutes to talk to the prisoner. On the other hand, she is also shown to be quite anxious over her mission which can be easily interpreted from the narrative, she needs to have this discussion with the due to post 9/11 fears, all attacks need to be prevented else it may have another long lasting effect on the US like 9/11 did.

The Middle East and Middle Eastern people are also represented in several different ways as well. Firstly, the use of a handheld camera suggests living in the Middle East can be quite chaotic at times. The mise en scene also adds to this, with their being traffic jams, crowded people everywhere and run down building and shops. The diegetic dialogue also suggests that Middle Eastern people are rather untrustworthy, the guard guarantee Carrie two minutes with the prisoner, however in a matter of seconds he says that they have to leave. There is also the use of a shot reverse shot from Carrie to the prisoner into the prison cell. We see Carrie looking through the prison door, and then the prisoner through the prison door. This represents Middle Eastern people as troubled, it is following the xenophobia caused by post 9/11 anxieties. Middle Eastern people are all stereotyped as 'terrorists' because of Al Qaeda, and Middle Eastern based terrorist group carrying out 9/11.

In conclusion, both Carrie and Middle Eastern people/the Middle East are represented in several different ways in the episode through media language.

Scene 2

In this scene, Carrie subverts conventional gender roles. She lives alone, with no family and takes the role of a man throughout the episode. She is always determined to succeed in her job which requires skill and hardwork. We can see she is determined through her actions, she spends very little time getting ready to go to work, she is always in the mindset of completing tasks. We can also tell she is hardworking by the fast paced editing, there is not time for her to rest or relax, she is spends little time at home to herself and when she does it isn't for long either.

Summary of Carrie's characteristics:

Carrie represents a non conventional and highly flawed hero. This can be seen in the opening scene where Carrie is not 100% successful in her task.
She subverts gender roles by taking tasks usually completed by males. This can be also scene in the first scene when she confronts the Iraqi prison guards over his guarantee of two minutes.
This alienates her from authority figures within the CIA. We see this as the episode develops as her friendship with Saul begins to deteriorate.
Carrie alienates herself further by lying to her mentor. This is again clear when later in the episode, Saul discovers that Carrie has set up cameras in Brody's house.
She has obsessive attention to detail which can be seen at the very end of the episode when she observes Brody possibly making contact through a coded message.
In addition she is psychologically damaged which is clear due to the fact she is taking medicine to help her cope with her bipolar disorder.
Carrie makes several decisions within the narrative that cause the audience to question her judgement. An example of this is when she decides to aggressively question Brody in his debrief.
As a woman she is represented as highly emotional, an example of this is when she gets into an argument with Virgil over her medication, and struggles to keep herself calm.
She uses her sexuality as a tool, she attempts to seduce Saul into not exposing her to the agency about her investigation into Brody.

Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Carrie Mathison in Episode 1 of Homeland

Carrie Mathison is represented in several different ways through the episode of 'Pilot' through the use of media language, narrative and stereotypes. In the episode she returns back from Iraq, with information surrounding a prisoner of war in Iraq, and when Nicholas Brody is recaptured and returns home she begins her investigation into the legitimacy of the information.

Firstly, throughout the episode she is represented as very anxious within her job and any uncertainties in it. In the opening episode there is the use of a handheld camera, suggesting Carrie is in a rush to find the information from the prisoner to try and prevent another terrorist attack on US soil, this anxiety is most likely influenced by post 9/11 fears surrounding the effects of another attacks. We can also these anxieties through the narrative of the episode, throughout the episode she always observing Brody in nearly his every move, in attempts to prevent a possible attack from happening. She also subverts stereotypes all the way through being represented as an anti hero, she is not always 100% successful in her job leading onto more possible anxieties. For example not gathering all the information from the prisoner at the start of the episode led onto her being more anxious about Brody's recapture.

Furthermore, Carrie is represented as subverting typical gender roles within TV Drama. Firstly this can be seen in the narrative of the episode, she takes on the role of a male throughout the episode, she leads investigations and stands up to males with authority essentially swapping the gender roles. This can also be seen through the use of media language, the use of aggressive diegetic dialogue towards different males throughout the episode suggests that she is gaining authority over them. An example of this is when she argues with Virgil over her medication and makes him stand down. As a whole she subverts stereotypes surrounding gender. This links to the genre conventions of long form TV drama. The lengthy series and episode allow for a lot of character development, Carrie being represented in this way reveals one of her key features developing Carrie and allowing the audience to learn more about her.

Lastly, Carrie is also represented to be determined and focused. The first example of this is through the use of the media language, when the setting of the episode returns back the Washington, we see Carrie return home. These clips use fast paced editing to suggest that she does not spend much time at home, she is always focused on her job and the tasks at hand. The subversion of gender stereotypes also supports this, rather than backing down in situations when she is in arguments with males, Carrie takes control always takes control over them. An example of this is she argues with Saul about letting her into the debrief with Brody and is successful in doing so. The narrative also supports this, she is determined to be successful in any task. At the start of the episode she is still determined to gather information from the prisoner all the agency could not defer his sentence.

In conclusion, the character of Carrie is represented in several different ways throughout the episode through the use of media language, narrative and stereotypes.

Friday 1st May

LO: To explore the narrative and characterization in set products

The difference between an antagonist and an anti hero is that the antagonist always has opposing views compared to the protagonist, compared to the anti hero who is always the protagonist in the story but does not have stereotypical heroic qualities and the audience may not agree with their actions. In Homelands, I think that Carrie is the anti hero, she is the protagonist yet members of the audience may not believe Brody is a terrorist. I think that Carrie's boss is the antagonist, as he shares completely opposite views compared to Carrie. We cannot guarantee that Brody is the antagonist as we do not know for certain whether he is a terrorist, we can just believe he is.

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 settling back into his normal family life. We first see Brody at 5.22 mins being rescued by armed forces from captivity for the previous 8 years.

In this scene, certain mise en scene choices help to make him look like a prisoner of war. He has long and untidy hair, and a dirty face to make it seem like he has been mistreated. The lighting is extremely dark to suggest that Brody has been kept in shocking conditions in captivity. There is also the use of explosions and a run down building to recreate the fact that the American soldiers are in a warzone, rather than just Brody being kept in a prison.

Nicholas Brody: A reunion

The scene begins with Jessica receiving a phone call from Brody saying that he is coming home. She then returns home to tell her children. We see Brody on the plane, being debriefed on what will happen and then the next morning where we see his family getting ready for the reunion. Next we see Carrie and her clients break into Brody's house to plant camera and monitors in their house. After a discussion between Carrie's boss and the people on the plane. We then see Brody reunified with his family and his meeting with the vice president.

In this scene Brody's family is represented as very shocked and surprised, the character's actions suggest that they do not know how to react to the news especially after him being lost for so long. The vice president is also represented as very polite and proud of Brody. His actions suggest that he is honoured to meet Brody and he is very polite towards him.

How is Brody represented as a hero and villain in S1 E1? Compare this conflicting representation to Carrie's representation in the first episode.

Throughout S1 E1 Brody is represented as both a hero and a villain in different ways through the use of media language and his actions. This representation is a contrast compared to the way that Carrie is represented in S1 E1.

Firstly, Brody is represented as a hero at the start of the episode when he is first discovered, and the use of the mise en scene helps suggest this. He has long hair and an untidy beard along with a dirty face to suggest he has been mistreated, and that he is a hero to have come out of this alive. There is also the use of extremely dark lighting to suggest that his captivity has been extremely difficult and awful and his mistreatment has been awful, helping to suggest he is a hero for surviving this mistreatment. This scene happens at the very beginning of the series, where the audience being to learn about all of the individual characters. This links to typical long form TV drama genre conventions, the lengthy series and episodes allow for character development, and Brody's character development begins here.

He is also represented as a villain in S1 E1 as well. This is through the use of the narrative, and what happens throughout the episode. After his debrief back in the US, he clearly lies to his wife stating that he is still at the debrief, whereas he is going somewhere else to talk to Walker's wife. This does not state he is a terrorist, but it raises suspicions about Brody's authenticity. Also, right at the end of episode, there is a close up shot of Brody's hand repeating a code by tapping his finger, which is a clear suggestion that he is making contact with someone not at the reunion suggesting he is not exactly a hero. This assumption could possibly be influenced by modern day anxieties surrounding 9/11, in the US there is xenophobia towards people of Middle Eastern culture and Muslims due to the attacks on the WTC, so the assumption that Brody is terrorist could be influenced by the fact he spent several years in the Middle East.

Compared to Carrie's representation, Brody's representation is misunderstood, at one point in the episode his shown to be a hero and someone who the US should be proud is returning home and at different points he is shown to be a villain possibly contacting someone from outside the US. Carrie's representation is very definitive, it is clear she is a hardworking person, who has psychological problems undertaking a male dominant role.

Nicholas Brody: A war hero

Brody does fit the traditional conventions of a war hero. Carrie rejects this view of Brody and whilst the audiences see him as heroic character in E1, they do see enough of his behaviour to start acting suspicious. So the audiences 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 perspective. Sergeant Brody's Islamic turn is represented as a precursor to becoming a terrorist. While Islam may provide Brody with a therapeutic comfort, he is a Stockholm, syndrome convert coerced into his Islamic faith and its associated terrorist politics. Homeland exploits the viewers initial surprise associated with seeing a white US Marine worshiping Allah in his garage by anticipating and refuting the stereotypical assumption that Brody's faith is evident that he is a terrorist. Of course we learn he is in fact a terrorist.

How does the Youtube extended trailer create two different representations of Brody as both a hero and a villain? Also how does the trailer create doubt in Carrie's heroic nature?

The Youtube trailer creates two seperare representations of Brody, he is seen as either a hero or a villain. It also puts doubts in the minds of the audience over Carrie's heroic abilities.

He is represented as a hero through the use of mise en scene and narrative. When he is discovered, he long dirty hair and a untidy beard along with an dirty face suggesting he has been mistreated in Iraq and is hero to survive such treatment. Also the lighting in the room he was kept in is very dark, suggesting the conditions of his captivity were extremely awful, again representing him as a hero for surviving them. He is also shown to be a hero through the narrative. Carrie's use of dialogue states to Saul that the Iraqi prisoner said to her that an American prisoner of war has been turned, leading to suggest that this is Brody which starts to convey him as a villain. Also the another use of dialogue is that she states that a surveillance package needs to be set up, conveying him as a villain as it shows he needs to be monitored due the possibility of being a terrorist.

There is also doubts put in the audience's mind over the nature of Carrie's heroic abilities. She is seen to be incompetent in her work through her dialogue. She cannot provide enough evidence to prove that a surveillance package needs to set up, she is embarrassed by her boss in the debrief and Saul is not convinced enough by Carrie that Brody is indeed in fact a terrorist. These question the authenticity of Carrie's heroic abilities as she does not appear to be fit for the job. This incompetence surrounding Carrie's work could possibly be down to the panic by Carrie due to Brody's return, caused by post 9/11 anxieties. She wants to prevent and future attacks on the US, and Brody is an obvious threat to this task due to him possibly being the turned US prisoner of war.

Nicholas Brody: Analysis

1a) After Carrie sets up her own illegal surveillance package over Brody, the audience can start to sympathize with Brody due to extreme measures in place. The use of close up shots on the cameras being placed into the walls of the houseand the monitors back in Carrie's house and the use of mise en scene, cameras, monitors and microphones make the audience sympathize with Brody as him and his family and essentially being treated horribly. We feel more sorry for Brody as in the end of the day, he is human and had recently returned from 8 years of torture.

b) This positions the audience in a space of conflict between the representations. It reflects the viewpoints caused by post 9/11 anxieties, most specifically xenophobia towards people of middle eastern culture. Some of the audiences may follow this viewpoint due to 9/11, they would never want a similar attacks again and preventing one like Carrie is attempting to do in the show. However there is the ideology simply surrounding human rights and that they should be followed which some members of the audience may follow. In the end of the day, Brody is human and has returned back from 8 years of torture, he should not be monitored and left to feel more anxious as he deserves privacy.

2) The character Nicholas Brody is a difficult character to like due to his conflicting representations and the ideologies surrounding his character. At different points in the episode he is represented as villain and a hero. At the start of the episode he shown to a be a hero, he has been rescued from captivity which it is clear he was treated awfully in leading on to suggest he is a hero for surviving it. Yet later in the episode, he lies to wife and Carrie is suspicious over possible contact he is making with someone from Iraq, with a 'code' by the move of his finger portraying him as a villain. He also shows viewpoints caused by 9/11 anxieties, he shows the xenophobia caused by 9/11 and the stereotype that all middle eastern people are terrorists, Carrie's instant belief that he is the prisoner war that has been turned just because of his possible meeting with Abu Nazir shows this. He also shows the simple ideology surrounding human rights and that everyone should be entitled to them, he does not deserve to be treated as a terrorist and constantly monitored as he has survived eight years of torture and deserves some privacy.

3) Flashbacks are used in episode 1 to help represent Brody as a hero. The aggressive and constant torture he receives in these flashbacks leads to suggest that he is a hero for surviving this torture he received. They especially help to manipulate the audience into thinking a certain way about Brody, as it adds to conflict between whether he is a villain or a hero and could help sway the audience into thinking he is a hero.

Carrie meets Brody

There is the use of dark lighting throughout the scene to create a more tense atmosphere. Everyone is in formal clothing and sat around a table in the meeting room.
There is the use of close ups heavily, especially on Brody and Carrie
The use of flashbacks help explain what Brody is actually thinking, as he gives several untruthful answers. For example he has met Abu Nazir, when in fact he said he hadn't.
Carrie is represented as an anti hero throughout this scene. The use of close ups to help emphasize her facial expressions and understand what she is asking leads to suggest she is not doing her job correctly. She is essentially interrogating Brody, arguing with her boss over the questions she is asking leads to the audience to question her heroic abilities.
Brody is represented as both a villain and hero through the use of dialogue and editing. The constant interrogation from Carrie is a bit extreme due to what he experienced and his explanations behind his interrogations and flashbacks shows he is a hero for surviving them. He is shown to be a villain however due through dialogue due to lying about his meetings with Abu Nazir.

Compare and contrast the techniques used to represent Brody in Episode 1 of Homeland

The character of Nicholas Brody is represented in several different ways through the first episode of Homeland, he is represented as a hero and villain at different points in the episode along with being represented a psychologically damaged due to his experiences as a prisoner of war.

Firstly, he is represented as a hero as different points in the play through the use of editing and mise en scene. When he is discovered, he has extremely long hair, an untidy beard and a dirty face leading. The lighting in the room of the war torn room he is discovered in is extremely dark. These both represent him as a hero as his is shown to have been kept in awful conditions by the terrorist group, without basic hygiene or rights which suggests he is a hero for surviving it. The use of flashbacks during his debrief in the US also helps to represent him as a hero. After being asked a question, we see several flashbacks to the horrific torture he received whilst being kept as a prisoner of war, which help represent him as a hero as is one for surviving that torture.

On the other hand, Brody is also represented as a villain as different points in the episode through the use of narrative and stereotypes. The instant assumption by Carrie that Brody is a threat to the US is caused by post 9/11 fears and the xenophobia towards middle eastern people caused by 9/11. This represents Brody as a villain as it assumed he has given into possible extremist views just because he was held captive in the Middle East. Also the use of editing in the flashbacks portrays him as a villain as well, as he lies about not meeting Abu Nazir whereas in fact we see he met Abu Nazir, leading to suggest he is lying as a cover up of his extremist views.

Lastly, Brody is also represented as psychologically damaged through editing and dialogue. When he gives his first big speech when he returns back to the US, he struggles to talk possibly due to his experiences when he was held captive. The use of flashbacks also helps to add to this representation as is suggests he has PTSD over these moments he keep experiencing in his head. Also, the use of mise en scene helps to suggest this. When he has an intimate scene with Jessica, we see awful scars on his body leading to suggest he received awful torture which surely would have caused some psychological damage.

In conclusion, the character of Nicholas Brody is represented in several different ways throughout the episode. He is at first represented as a hero, then later in the episode more as a villain however all the way throughout the episode he is represented as psychologically damaged.

Tuesday 5th May
LO: To explore the representation in set products

Carrie's mental health in this clip is represented as a negative nuisance that influences her actions. We can see this through the way she interacts with other characters and how she attempts to cope with it. Firstly, when Virgil mentions to her about the medication she has been taking, she instantly lashes out at him, accusing him of making false assumptions about him and making him feel guilty. She copes with this by leaving the van and removing herself from the situation. When she returns home to find Saul having found out about her actions, she manages to keep her cool with Saul, but as soon as he leaves she rushes to the bathroom to take medication and she panics severely around her house.

Also, I agree with articles analysis of Carrie's mental health, they depict having bipolar disorder in a realistic way. Rather than having a 'genius-mad binary', it can simply be you struggle cope with work, interacting with people and coping with the disorder in general.

Representation: Mental Illness:

Carrie's mental illness - her bi polar makes her amazing at investigating. She obsesses over detail so much that she gets ti the heart of the matter every time. She knows before everyone else does.
This was/is a growing trend in dramas - using mental health as a link to investigative brilliance
Carrie's illness manifests itself in obsessive attention to detail, inappropriate sexual relationships and frequent hysterical outbursts.
Mise en scene - Extremely wide open eyes, quivering lips, screwed up face and raking her hand through her hair to express her frustration with her inability to fully protect the US Homeland.
Carrie represents a familiar construction of a professional woman whose trauma underpins her role as a truth seeker and law enforcer.
The audience understand relatively early that Carrie is right to be suspicious of Brody, but the show withholds diegetic recognition, indeed, her interest in pursuit of Brody, which merges personal obsession and professional 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 of being certain and then being proven wrong is what drives Carrie to seek electroshock therapy, as the closing sequence of season 1 ends. The audience know she is not wrong.

I believe it is not right to frame mental illness as an asset. Homelands have represented Carrie's bi polar in the correct way, however it almost appears she cannot complete her job without it due to having such a obsession with detail.

Representation

Area 1:

Deception, Relationships and Fidelity in Homelands are represented negatively in episode 1. Brody's possible relations with the Middle East and possible deception of the US government are shown to be trouble causing, as it could lead to possible terrorist attacks. Values it conveys are xenophobia towards Middle Eastern people, as it suggests that having relations with people in the Middle East could influence extremist.

Area 2:

Americas relation with terrorism is represented as a under control. The agency itself in Homelands are not panicked about Brody's return, they believe it is a win for the agency and he does not present a threat to the US. It conveys patriotism throughout America, the US government strongly believe in their ability to deal with terrorism.

Area 3:
Violence in Homeland is represented negatively throughout the first episode. Violence mainly occurs in Brody's flashbacks, which are always represented negatively throughout the video as they cause him to be upset. It positively represents values such as peace and anti war, the agency want little to do with dealing with Middle Eastern affairs anymore.

Area 5:
American family ideology and the American dream are represented positively throughout the episode. Brody's return to his family's home is celebrated nationally with journalists and news channels surrounding his estate when he returned home. This represents the American dream as well positively, as it suggests that America is a prosperous country, celebrating their countries wins against terrorism by re capturing a prisoner of war.

Area 6:
Gender's are represented as equal throughout Homelands, Carrie subverts typical genre conventions by taking on the role of a male. Working on the frontline against terrorism, leading investigations and asserting power against male characters. This represents the value behind feminism positively, the show empowers a female to subvert conventions and take a male role.

Area 7:
Muslims and the post 9/11 climate are represented negatively throughout the episode. Firstly, there is xenophobia against Muslims. Carrie has good reason to assume that Brody is a terrorist, however Muslims make the investigation as hard as possible. She didn't receive sufficient information and Islamic people get in her way on the way to the Prison. This is due to post 9/11 traumas, which are represented negatively as well as this xenophobia is caused by the anxiety surrounding 9/11.

In Depth Representation Task: CIA and Contemporary International Politics (surveillance) in Homelands

As a generalization, throughout Episode 1 the CIA is represented as confident and powerful, especially over Carrie:

Firstly, we can see the CIA is confident when it is announced at a briefing that Brody has been recaptured, this is through the narrative and editing. David claims that this is a "Massive win" for the agency, and portrays the mission as quick, easy and simple. He suggests they hit the building with explosives, simply killing 13 trained fighters and stumbling across Brody locked away. The use of jump cuts to footage of the mission, and close ups on Brody's is possibly used to suggest that this is a confidence boost for the agency and a massive loss for extremist forces in Iraq.
Another example of CIA's confidence is when we first meet Saul having a conversation with Carrie over Brody's recapture. We can see the confidence through diegetic dialogue. Carrie insists that a surveillance package needs to be applied to Brody, to monitor his actions in case he is a terrorist. Saul insists this is not necessary, especially due to Carrie providing insufficient evidence showing the CIA's confidence as they are certain Brody is not a terrorist.
In comparison to real life, this representation is complete opposite to the reality of the CIA. 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 organizations that would later participate in the killings 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.

Firslty, the narrative throughout episode 1 helps to show this. America 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 an Iraqi city at the start of the episode. Also, there is the instant assumption made that Brody is a terrorist just because he was a prisoner of war to extremist forces.
Compared to this however, the relationship between Germany and America is represented as a strong and prosperous relationship. Germany has allowed America to set up air force 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 on 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 terrorism.

Tuesday 12th May

LO: To reflect on and improve analysis

Terrorism in Homelands

There is a fear of terrorism throughout Homelands, Agent Carrie made a mistake in the past that she does not want to make again.
Carrie obsesses over the fact that Sargent Brody is a terrorist, which we get hinted at throughout this episode, such as Brody looking up at 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 Homelands to create suspense, these have been represented by Carrie saying she has made a mistake in the past.
Mise en scene has also been used to represent what terrorism is 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 show this, the country is also shown as 'the prisoner of war' as the people who live there have to deal with this situation everyday. It is almost a second meaning for the phrase.

America in Homelands

America is shown to be all powerful, a strong independent country who will do anything for their own. This is shown regularly, such as a low angle shot of the Capitol building or a lower angle shot of the Vice President. Having a low camera angle shows the person has power in the drama. If the people of America or iconic American locations are portrayed in this way it represents America as all powerful.
Brody is shown to be a hero, for simply surviving, however American leaders and investigators will not question their own, so much so that this could lead to them trusting a terrorist, due to him simply being American.
On the other hand, an argument could be made for America being represented as weak and gullible due to trusting Brody simply because he is American. There is the suggestion that America just wants to assert dominance over other countries showing what they can achieve without even considering the possibility of Brody being the 'turned' prisoner of war. There are several reasons behind how Brody could have been found: Was is simply luck? Was he deliberately planted in that room by Abu Nazir and extremist forces in an attempt to attack the US? Or perhaps the US genuinely planned the recapture of Brody. There are several question raised by the US in Homelands, should they trust Brody or suspect him to be a terrorist?

Friday 15th May

LO: To explore the narrative, theme and characters in set episode

Research Task: The Killing

The series was created by Soren Sveistrup
It was produced by DR in co production with ZDF enterprises
The show won the Best International TV Series Award at the BAFTA Television Awards
The show was first aired on Danish TV Channel DR1, this channel is similar to BBC 1 as it is the flagship television channel of Danish broadcasting company DR. The company is a public service radio and television broadcasting company, funded by a media licence which is charged to all Danish households with TV access in the same way the BBC is funded by the TV licence.
When it was first aired in Denmark on DR1 it was viewed by 1.5 million people. When it was first aired in the UK on BBC 4 it was viewed with 472,000 people.
After the American adaption of the series was cancelled in 2013, Netflix announced it had ordered a fourth series to be made consisting of 6 episodes to conclude the series

Series 1 synopsis

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lund is on her last day with the Copenhagen police force; about to move to Sweden to join her fiance and transfer to the Swedish police. Everything changes when 19 year old Nanna Birk Larsen is found raped and brutally murdered. Sarah heads the investigation and is teamed up with her replacement, Detective Inspector Jan Meyer. Troels Hartmann, a politician, is in the midst of a hard fought mayoral campaign when evidence links him to the murder. Nanna's family and friends struggle to cope with their loss. Over a span of 20 days suspect upon suspect is sought out as violence and political pressures cast their shadows over the hunt for the killer.

Sarah Lund

Sarah Lund has been in the Danish police force for 25 years and is an experienced detective although her career has sometimes been marked by controversy. As season 3 opens, Lund is in the process of applying for a less demanding job in the force and is attempting to settle down and reconnect with 20 year old son Mark.

Jan Meyer

Jan Meyer is a Detective Chief Inspector in the Copenhagen Police Department Homicide Division. He is new to his post and is working in partnership with his predecessor Detective Inspector Sarah Lund in investigating the murder of Nanna Birk Larsen.

Troels Hartmann

Troels Hartmann is a politician and a candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen. He is in a relationship with his advisor Rie Skovgaard. His campaign is tied to the murder of Nanna Birk Larsen when her body is discovered in a car belonging to his organization.

LF TV Dramas often have a complex narrative structure: a main narrative arc that spans the whole series (continues from episode to episode) 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 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.

Main narrative quest/conflict set up

The main narrative is set up all the way throughout the episode. We follow the police force and Nanna's family through the discovery of her body up until when it is discovered at the end of the episode. This discovery then sets up the narrative about the investigation into who killed Nanna.

Enigma Codes

There are several questions in this particular episode and the episode as a whole that have been created. For example:

Who killed Nanna?
Where is Nanna's body? (Episode 1)
How will Nanna's friends and family deal with her death?
What will happen to Sarah's plans for her family?
What will happen to Jan's position in the police force?
How will Troels' campaign be affected by the relation of his company to the murder?

Individual character narratives

Sarah - Her narrative is set up when we first meet her at the very beginning of the episode. She plans to move to Sweden with her boyfriend and join the police force there. Her plans are interrupted by Nanna's murder and involvement with the investigation.
Jan - We first meet Jan when he moves his stuff into Sarah's old office. He is Sarah's replacement for when she leaves and he is one of the leading investigators into Nanna's murder.
Troels - We first meet Troels when we see him mourning at what appears to be his ex partner's grave. Troels is one of the leading candidates in upcoming mayoral elections, and his campaign is affected when his company is associated with Nanna's murder.

Tuesday 19th May

LO: To explore the production, social and political context of set products

What did you think?

I think the episode was very interesting to watch, it involves both interesting individual narratives and main narrative. The episode as a whole sets up the narratives for the rest of the series very well.

Industry Context

The Killing (Forbrydelsen) is a great example of European LFTVD produced under and grown out of a strong public service remit. It shares the conventions of the commercial form (Homeland etc) but is also concerned with the 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 only finance one LFTVD per season, and this only in co-operation with other European TV Drama producers. (Only 5% of Danish drama is financed by the Danish licence fee).
DVD box set sales and a number of international co producers (the BBC being one) and distribution agreements 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 it's quality and 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 melodrama. This mix was intended to attract both male and female audiences.
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 TV dramas include Finnish TV Dramas Deadwind and Bordertown and Icelandic TV drama series Trapped. Others include Danish/Swedish drama The Bridge and Norwegian drama Wisting.

Nordic Noir: Conventions

Partly because of its PSB remit, Danish TV Drama consciously incorporates into its storytelling a cause and effective narrative, covering crime and broader socio-political contexts in this case.
Part of the conventions is to weave intricate characters and plots that converge and diversify to encourage audience interpretation and reading of 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 circles of the murder and police investigation

Analyse how media language is used to create suspense and signify the genre in the title sequence

Throughout he title sequence, several different forms of media language has been used to create suspense and signify the genre of this drama is Nordic Noir. A similar style has in the title sequence has been maintained throughout the episode.

Firstly, there is the use of Mise en Scene to create suspense through the title sequence and signify that this is a Nordic Noir TV Drama. Firstly, the lighting of the scene is very, dark and it is set during the night time in a forest whilst raining. This already suggests that this a Nordic Noir TV Drama as typical genre conventions of this genre include dark lighting and open forlorn spaces with typically bad weather. This also helps to create suspense as we also see Nanna running through the woods covered in blood, with someone chasing her. The combination of being set in and open, dark abandoned forest along with Nanna being chased suggests she is about to be killed creating suspense for the audience as something awful is about to happen. Again this also helps suggest this is Nordic Noir TV drama as a convention of this drama is to involve crime, and Nanna is about to be murdered.

Next, the use sound helps to create suspense and signify the genre of the show. Through the whole title sequence we hear diegetic sounds including Nanna and her murderer stepping on sticks and running on leaves and Nanna running through water. This already signifies that this is a Nordic Noir TV drama as we can tell parts of the series will be set in open, rural areas exactly like typical genre conventions. Suspense is also created by non diegetic music that runs through the entire title sequence. It is slow paced with a regular beat, which helps to build up tension towards the end of the sequence. We also sometimes hear the diegetic sound of Nanna breathing, creating even more suspense as it is suggested that she is about to be killed.

Lastly, the use of editing helps to create suspense and signify the genre of the show. The whole title sequence uses slow paced editing, and jump cuts between shots to help extend the scene, creating more suspense as length of the scene is being dragged out. Suspense is also created through the use of jump cuts between shots of Nanna and her murderer, we see her attempt to run away whilst her murderer aggressively walks after her creating suspense as it is suggested she is about to be murdered. Editing also helps to signify the genre of the show. The slow paced editing allows for the audience to understand the location of the scene and what is happening in it, allowing for them to understand the location signifies that this is a Nordic Noir TV Drama.

In conclusion, the use of Mise en Scene, sound and camerawork helps to create suspense for the audience in the title sequence along with signifying the genre of the show.

The Killing: Context

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.
Similarly to The Killing, Homelands is mainly set in Washington DC and the CIA's HQ in Langley, Virginia. The capital of the US and a building with significant power and importance.
Danish society is renowned for being a rational and civilized society. The murder of Nanna Birk Larsen is framed as a shocking anomaly to this.
In comparison however, in Homelands, American society is represented to be very patriotic, they are proud to live in America and of the soldiers fighting in places like the Middle East.

Social Context

'Crime' is one number of indicators of social decay, or at best, decline.
In The Killing, the impact on Denmark of the recent financial crisis was raging as the writer/director scripted the programme; a stressed social context in which, as he perceived it, people reacted by looking after number one.
"When it opens", as Sveistrup put it, "Sarah Lund is actually doing pretty well ... not caring about the crisis" and instead "trying to make a life for herself".
However, we see how this causes conflict between her public and private life.
Even though she begins as a woman who plans to move to Sweden with her fiance and son, she is emotionally and professionally committed to this case, she cannot abandon it to her colleague Jan Meyer, and this brings personal sacrifice, which we see when her fiance leaves without her.
We also see the economic struggle of the Larsen family which reminds us of the broader social context. Theis runs a successful business which employs a number of workers but the Larsens 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 The Killing, we see familial represented across the different narrative strands, specifically by the Larsens, by Lund and the reconstituted family that she is neglecting.
The tight political circle around Troels Hartmann (candidate for mayor) acts as an aspiration for 'Uncle' Vagn, who clearly wants to belong to the Larson family, yet whose racist outrage at Nanna's secret love affair with an Asian Boy is so intense that it causes Vahn to rape and kill Nanna.

Forbrydelsen: An Introduction

Forbrydelsen (The Killing) is a Danish TV Drama written by Soren Sveistrup and produced by DR in co-operation with ZDF enterprises. The show was first aired on Danish TV Channel DR1 and E1 S1 received 1.5 million views in Denmark and when it was first aired in the UK on BBC 4 it received 472,000 views. It acclaimed global recognition and in 2013 was remade in the US by Netflix.

The series is set in Copenhagen and revolves around Detective Inspector Sarah Lund. Each series follows a case day by day and each 50 minute episodes covers 24 hours of the investigation. The series is noted for its plot twists, season long storylines, dark tone and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the murdered victim's family and the effect in political circles alongside the police investigations.

The series comes under the genre of 'Nordic Noir', Scandinavian crime drama written from the point of view of the police. The genre has a visual style that relies on open, forlorn spaces where it is often cloud or raining. Interior shots usually have muted lighting with a monochrome colour design, creating a distinctive look. It is a hybrid police drama as it also includes elements of family drama with the intention to attract a wide audience.

For series 1 of Forbrydelsen, there is a wide range of political and social context. The first series was written in parallel to The Global Great Recession during the late 2000s, the accompanying Euro area debt crisis. The Global Great Recession had a major effect in Europe causing GDPs to plummet, leaving the major effects on the Danish Economy. We see these effects in E1 S1, when the Larsen family struggle to find the money to fix their dishwasher. Lund appears to be relatively unaffected by the crisis, however the subsequent murder in series 1 leads to her putting her personal life on hold to investigate.

Friday 22nd May

LO: To explore the narrative and characterization in set products

Starter Task

The angle of the shot is at eye level and at medium range. This suggests that Lund is down to earth and humble about her work, she does not exert extreme power over the rest of her team. The shot is set in a rural, rainy location and Lund is wearing outdoor clothing suggesting she is very dedicated to her job, she will go to any lengths to uncover what happened in the case she is dealing with.

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' chasing after a young partially dressed girl

How has media language been used to represent this crime to the audience? What are the first impressions about the content of the programme?

The media language has been selected specifically so that it represents the crime in two ways. It conveys that this crime is brutal and saddening, especially saddening for the audience to see.

Firstly, media language is used to represent it as brutal. The use sound helps this, throughout the whole title sequence there is a non diegetic, low pitched, regular beat to help build tension suggesting something awful is about to happen. Also the use of diegetic sounds for example Nanna and her murderer stepping on sticks and Nanna running through to show the murder happens in a rural area. Combined with the mise en scene of it being set a night, in a forest, and Nanna being covered in blood suggests that this murder is brutal and happens in an awful area. Another way is the use of camerawork, there is a close up on Nanna hiding towards the end of the scene, expressing the fear in her face showing that this crime is brutal due to the fear Nanna experiences.

The media language also represents the crime as extremely saddening. This mainly due to the mise en scene used and the narrative. The narrative of course involves Nanna dying, so instantly that is saddening and upsetting for the audience to watch. The mise en scene is also used to show the crime is saddening. The scene is set at night, in a rural location with very little lighting on Nanna's face. Nanna is also covered in blood, and the murderer is wearing what appears to be dark clothing, holding a torch and is also chasing after Nanna representing him as threatening. This is very saddening for the audience as Nanna dies alone, in a rural area with no one to help.

The first impressions this gives the audience about the content of the programme is that it is very dark content, the show contains an investigation into a brutal murder case which is an upsetting topic. I think in this whole title sequence the element of media language that has the most effective for the audience's understanding of what is happening is the mise en scene. It is most effective in expressing that this a brutal murder that is saddening for the audience due to the rural location and Costumes of the two characters. It helps to create a saddening and tense atmosphere, it also fits the conventions of the Nordic Noir genre.

Sarah Lund

Quote from John Alberti (2017):

'After the frightening and chilling chase through the woods, we meet our brunette female good cop protagonist. The first shot of her is a medium close up shot and eye level waking up from a disturbed sleep. Tired and worn out, we see of medium shot using a handhled camera following her staggering around the house in her pyjamas, checking on her teenage son who is sleeping in front of a static filled television screen with the diegetic sound of the TV playing white noise. A single mum, we soon meet her Swedish partner with a medium close up shot using a handheld camera of him in his pyjamas and waking up tired and worn out, stumbling through the dark amidst the boxes of her and her son's belongings, all packed and ready to move to Sweden for a new life. Our protagonist, Sarah Lund smiles warmly as seen in the close up shot when reassured that everything about the move will be okay, but we can see in her relief the fear and vulnerability that she carries with her through the mise en scene of her facial expression. Also with this 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 life'.

Scene 2 Analysis

How is she first represented to us?
Is she sexualised in any way?
What do we think of her?

We first see Lund in the second scene, she is waking up from a disturbed from a sleep and proceeds to stumble around her house tired and checks up on her teenage son as well as talking to her partner. In this first scene she is represented simply as a normal person who has the same everyday struggles as everyone else. Firstly, the close up shot of her at eye level waking up shows that like everyone else she has a normal daily routine waking up around a similar time. We also see a medium shot using a handheld camera of her going to check on her son, a low angle tilted shot panning up to her face and a close up of her smiling whilst looking at her. These show that just like everyone else, family means a lot to her and she cares a lot about her son. There is also the use of sound, there is diegetic dialogue between Lund and her partner discussing there move to Sweden and him reassuring her representing Lund as a normal person as she experiences fears and anxieties just like everyone else.

Lund is also slightly sexualised in this scene as well. There is a long shot of her and her partner hugging and we see Lund partly undressed showing skin. This could be interpreted as sexualising Lund, as the camera is placed so that we see her partly undressed rather than anywhere else in the room.

For the whole scene, Lund is a very relatable character, she goes through a typical morning routine and cares about her family. She also experiences anxieties and fears just like anybody else would.

The Crime Scene

What happens in the scene?
How is Sarah represented?
Why this scene is significant and effective for the plot in Episode 1?

At the beginning of the scene, we see Sarah walking up to the crime scene to explore what has happened discussing the scene with a police officer. She takes a lift underground to explore the crime scene. The lights are switched out and she is forced to use a torch. As she carefully makes her way through the large room, she discovers a bloody axe on the floor. As she explores even more she stumbles across what appears to be a body covered by some blood stained material. Lund removes the material and underneath is a sex doll which has a note on it saying "Thanks for 7 great years". It then cuts to the next scene.

In this scene Sarah is represented as very brave and and determined. This is through the use of media language. Firstly, mise en scene has been used: the shots filmed underground are mostly in pitch black lit by torch light already representing Lund as brave as she ventures onto a scene of murder which is in pitch black. The discovery of the prop of a bloody axe represents Lund as Brave as it does not deter her from carrying on further into the scene. There is also the use of camerawork to represent her as brave, the first shot of the underground scene is a long range establishing shot in which the lights are turned off. This represents Lund as brave as it shows the vast murder scene she entering. Sound and editing has also been used to represent Lund as brave, the use of slow paced editing with extremely long shots and a non diegetic ambient eerie sounds build tension within the scene, suggesting something bad is about to happen. In reality nothing has actually happened as her team have pulled a prank on her.

This scene is significant for the plot of Episode 1 as it establishes Lund's mainly qualities as an inspector, she is brave and determined and very experienced in her job allowing the audience to gain foreshadowing into the episode, as these qualities would need to be put to use in an actual murder scene.

Compare and contrast the way that Sarah Lund is first represented to the audience to the way Carrie Mathison is first represented to the audience in Homeland and The Killing

In both TV Drama's there is a lead female protagonist that drives the narrative of the drama. In Homeland, this is Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent who suffers from bipolar disorder leading to her having extreme attention to detail making her excellent at her job. In The Killing this is Sarah Lund, a Detective Inspector that is extremely clever yet puts her personal life on hold to investigate crimes, leading to dismantled relationships with her family. We first meet Carrie when she bribes her way into an Iraqi prison to gather information about an attack on US soil and we first meet Sarah in her house in Copenhagen, about to move to Sweden with her partner.

When we first meet Carrie, she is represented as an independent female who stands up to all males, in contrast, Lund is represented as very down to earth. This is through the use of diegetic dialogue in both scenes. Mathison argues with David over the CIA intervening with the prisoners sentence, so much so he hangs the phone up and she also argues with her contact about the fact she could not get the agency to intervene. However, the dialogue between Lund and her partner involves her partner reassuring her about their move to Sweden. Also, there is the use of camerawork to help represent them in this way. Throughout Mathison's walk up to prison there is the use of a slightly low angle shot to show she has power in this scene. However all of the shots of Lund in her first scene are at eye level suggesting she is down to earth, and more relatable than Mathison who is rushing through a city in Iraq.

There is a similarity between the two however, they are both anxious about the topic of the scene they are involved in. Mathison is anxious surrounding her mission to gather information and Lund is anxious about her move to Sweden. We can tell Carrie is anxious through the editing and camerawork in her walk up to the prison. There is the use of a handheld camera and extremely fast paced editing with jump cuts to close up shots of David in the US to suggest that she is in a rush and cannot miss this opportunity. She is also anxious about whether or not the agency will intervene, which can be gathered from the diegetic dialogue she exchanges with David. This could possibly be influenced by post 9/11 anxieties, Mathison does not want to miss any information about any possible terrorist attacks on the US. Similarly, Lund is represented an anxious but about her move to Sweden. This is through the use of mise en scene, camerawork and sound. She wakes with a distressed facial expression, with a close up shot of her face at eye level. She then exchanges diegetic dialogue with her partner where she says she isn't anxious, however her partner reassures her anyway. In contrast to Mathison however, this anxiety isn't influenced by context. Rather than it being influenced by Denmark's economical struggles in the late 2000's it is to do with her move to Sweden, leaving behind her previous life.

Another way these two characters are represented is whether they are relatable or not. Mathison is represented to be very un-relatable whereas Lund is represented to be a very relatable character. Firstly, this is through the narrative of both scenes. Mathison is rushing through a busy city in Iraq to gain illegal access into a prison for information about a possible terrorist attack, whereas Lund is waking up after a distressed sleep. Mathison's task is something the audience cannot relate to as it is extremely out of the ordinary, whereas the audience can easily relate to Lund due it being a common occurrence. Also the use of dialogue helps to add to this, Mathison is arguing with the leader of the CIA and Iraqi prisoners, whereas Lund is holding conversation with her partner.

In conclusion, both Mathison and Lund are represented similarly and differently in their first appearances.

Tuesday 2nd June

LO: To explore the social issues represented, specifically gender

Starter Task

Firstly, the costume of the two characters have contrasting connotations. Mathison's costume is more formal and professional suggesting her job is of higher importance than Lund's, who is dressed for bad weather and to explore rural areas. This is similar with the two's hairstyles, Mathison's hair is more tidy and formal whereas Lund's is more untidy and informal suggesting that Mathison's job is one of more formality.

Politics: Sweden and Denmark

There is a big misconception behind the politics surrounding migration in Denmark and Sweden.
Rather than being welcoming and progressive towards immigrants, there are reports of Denmark seizing asylum seekers cash and belongings and Sweden preparing a mass deportation.
Throughout the 50s and 60s, Sweden took in large numbers of Finnish immigrants looking for industrial work and in the 70s it began to take in political refugees, at first Kurds and Latin Americans.
The Swedes then began to look down on their neighbours, people wanted to migrate to Sweden and it became of massive part of their image towards the rest of the world. This never caught on in Denmark, and in fact this image was never 100% accurate.
It seemed as if Denmark and Sweden were both blessed with wealth to welcome any migrants, however in the 80s the strains on both of their economies began to show.
This economic struggle was worsened by refugees from the Balkan War. There were riots in some provincial towns and deranged man started sniping people of colour in the city of Stockholm. This crisis passed but tensions only went under the surface.

How does the dialogue and mise en scene choices in Scene 4 of The Killing reflect the relationship between Sweden and Denmark?

The dialogue and mise en scene choices in Scene 4 of the Killing reflect the relationship between Sweden and Denmark as a tense relationship. There appears to be a grudge towards Sweden throughout the scene shown with the dialogue and media language.

Firstly, the dialogue is used to represent this. The Chief Inspector when giving a speech to Lund says: "Sarah, the Stockholm force will really benefit from you. Good luck in the lap of the enemy". This conveys that the relationship between the two is quite tense in two ways. The suggestion that the Stockholm force will benefit from Lund being there possibly conveys that the Danish police force are worse than Swedish police force are much worse than Danish forces suggesting they do not like Swedes. The Chief Inspector also says "Good luck in the lap of the enemy" suggesting that Swedes are seen as enemies to Danish people, they do not like each other and see each other in a negative light. These viewpoints could be influenced by the context of the show. In the late 1900s, Sweden began to open up to immigrants, and began a popular location for industrial workers to migrate to for work. This lead to them looking down on their Nordic neighbours, leading to tense political relationships.

Also, the mise en scene is used to represent this negative relationship. Firstly, there is the use of a sex doll as one of the props in the scene and the Chief Inspector towards the end of the scene hugs it whilst saying "All of us". This could possibly show the tense relationship as they are making fun out of Lund's move to Sweden, the team are making jokes about her move whilst being serious. There is also the use of costume to show this grudge. Lund is wearing a viking hat with the colours of the Swedish flag on it, which is funny for the rest of her team. This suggests that Danish people do not view Swedes seriously, and laugh at the their confidence. In the late 1900s, Sweden as a country gained extreme confidence as people would migrate to the country for work.

In conclusion, throughout Scene 4 of The Killing, Mise en Scene and dialogue has been used to show that there is a negative relationship between the two countries of Denmark and Sweden.

Reflecting Social Attitudes

Denmark has always been seen as internationally progressive in terms of gender equality.
In 2007, (date of first series) they ranked 7th in the world for this. Sweden was 1st
In 2020, they rank 14th in the world with Sweden in 4th
In 2011, the US ranked in 17th place
In 2020, the US ranked in 53rd place

Sarah Lund and Carrie Mathison are both treated differently in the workplace. Lund is treated as more intelligent and an asset to the team. Her colleagues are upset about her migration to Sweden. This is in contrast to Homeland, where Mathison's colleagues tend to put her down. Saul does not originally listen to her cautions surrounding Brody, David does not accept her request for agency interventions at the beginning of the episode and Virgil queries Mathison about the legitimacy of her work. This could be down to each country's attitudes towards gender equality. In 2007, Denmark ranked 7th in the world and in 2011 the US ranked 17th.

Gender Issues

Lund's professionalism and reflects societal issues surrounding the sexes.
Nadia Reich, head of fiction at 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".
Lund's professionalism comes at a cost and the relentless demands of her job, as well as her patriotic duty, means that she lack the ability to commit fully to relationships - both professionally and personally in a similar way Carrie Mathison.
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. Character's, like Lund, become more layered and complex and they resist any attempts to shoe box their roles.
Forbrydelsen challenges traditional gender roles by depicting the parenting skills of a woman driven by her professional code. Sarah Lund is motivated by a juxtapostion of male and female traits.

What social issues does Homeland reflect in relation to its lead protagonist?

Internalized sexism is explored through the character of Mathison. There are a few examples of her peers putting her theories and ideas down. Saul at first does not even consider helping her when she first believes Brody is a terrorist, David Estes does not allow agency intervention requested by Carrie at the beginning of the episode and Virg questions the legitimacy of her work throughout the episode. This may be genuinely down to the fact the work of Carrie is illegitimate, or due to internalized sexism throughout the CIA.
Mental Health is also explored throughout the episode. We see a few examples of how Carrie is affected by her bipolar disorder throughout the episode. She frequently rushes to change clothes and had raging outbursts at her colleagues. Her ableism is also questioned by Virgil and Saul throughout the episode when her theory surrounding Brody begins to disprove itself.

Exam Style Question: How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect societal issues?

Both Sarah Lund of The Killing and Carrie Mathison of Homeland are used to reflect societal issues at the time of their respective show's release. This is through the use of media language: camerawork, editing, mise en scene and sound. The three issues these characters explore are gender equality, xenophobia/immigration and societal issues in Denmark and the US at the time of release.

Firstly, both characters are used to explore the issues of gender inequality. In Homelands, there are various forms of internal sexism in the CIA. An example of this is when Mathison discusses with Saul her thoughts about Brody's recapture, she believes he is a terrorist. There is the use of diegetic dialogue throughout the whole scene to suggest which reveals that Saul completely disagrees with Carrie, he does not even take into consideration her ideas surrounding Brody. There is also the use a repeated eye level close up shot of Carrie and a low angle close of Saul using shot reverse shot. This suggests that Saul has control over Carrie and her ideas, leading to her setting up an illegitimate investigation. This could be down to Saul's position in the CIA or internal sexism. In contrast there is little to no sexism throughout The Killing. An example of female being empowered is in Lund's leaving party at the Police Station. There is the use of diegetic dialogue which empowers Lund, it is suggested that the Stockholm police force will benefit from her arrival. There is also never the use of close up shots throughout the whole scene, only eye level medium to long shots of Lund, the Chief Inspector and the first establishing shot of the building. This helps to suggest that all of the characters in the scene are of same equality and not empower characters over other characters. This difference in gender inequality can be seen in the real world. In 2007 when The Killing was released, Denmark ranked 7th in the world for gender equality whereas in 2011 when Homeland was released the US ranked 17th.

There is also a contrasting approaches towards xenophobia and immigration in both programmes. Firstly, Homeland expresses xenophobia towards people of Middle Eastern culture. At the beginning of the episode we can see this through the narrative, Carrie is rushing through an Iraqi city trying to reach a prison. The Middle Eastern public are represented as a nuisance, the guard does not allow her enough time with the prisoner and the contact cannot do his job properly without agency intervention. There is also the use of a handheld camera to suggest that Carrie is having to rush due to the traffic jam representing Iraqi cities in a negative light. Washington is represented as a more prosperous city compared to the Iraqi city, American landmarks are filmed with a low camera angle empowering them. This xenophobia could possibly be influenced by 9/11 anxieties and the worry that another attacks may happen. There is little xenophobia in The Killing compared to Homeland. We can see this when we first meet Lund through the narrative and diegetic dialogue. She has a warming conversation with her Swede partner about moving to Sweden, and hugs him tightly. There is also the use of eye level medium close up shots of them both, not empowering either character over each other, suggesting citizens of both countries are equal. The narrative for the whole episode also involves Lund moving to Sweden, which is postponed but it shows that the countries are still accepting of immigrants even though the economical effects Sweden suffered in the 1980s.

Lastly, there is a difference in the two characters explore societal issues happening in their country at the time of release, in Homeland, Mathison helps to express post 9/11 anxieties which influence the show heavily. We can see this in the diegetic dialogue she shares with Brody in his debrief. She bombards him with questions surrounding his interrogations and who he talked with. Her aim is to prove that Brody is a terrorist and stop any attack similar to 9/11 happening again on US soil. There is also the use of quick jump cuts between the two characters to build a tense relationship between the two characters, and Carrie is even more frustrated when she gets little information out Brody. In contrast Lund remains unaffected by Denmark's economic crash in the late 2000's which we can again see in the narrative. She is moving to Sweden at a time of economic depression, leading to suggest she is unaffected. We can also see she is content with life, although she appears anxious she seems content with in the diegetic dialogue she shares with her partner.

In conclusion, both protagonists in The Killing and Homeland help to explore societal issues at the time of their show's release. Homeland tends to show them in affect whereas The Killing does not tend to explore them in a negative light.

Friday 5th June

LO: To analyse a variety of scenes using accurate terminology

Scene 1 (7.20 - 9.34): Sarah meets Jan Meyer

At the start of the scene, Sarah is represented as quite caring and hard working. We can see this as there is the use of diegetic dialogue between her and her partner where she asking if he is ready to move to Sweden, she is interested in what he is doing. We can see she is hard working with the use of mise en scene, she had her own individual office space suggesting she is a high ranking member of the force. She is packing all of her stuff away quickly for her move to Sweden.
When we first meet Jan, he is represented as rather inconsiderate. We can see this through the mise en scene and narrative. He carelessly enters the office with his hands full of stuff and has a cigarette in his mouth. However later in the scene we can see he is little considerate through diegetic dialogue, he asks Sarah is it's alright for him to smoke.
Gender roles in this scene are also represented as quite equal. Both characters are shot with an eye level camera angle, and when there is a lower camera angle both of them are in the shot. The boss also addresses both character similarly, through the use of diegetic dialogue. The narrative also helps to show this, simply because they both had/have the same job role.
Sarah's demeanour does change when Jan arrives. She is more formal when Jan arrives, and hangs up the phone on her partner.

Scene 2 (9.35 - 11.58): First time we see Sarah out investigating

There are multiple uses of camerawork to help represent Sarah's instinct as a detective. An example of this is the use of a close up shot on the evidence found, suggesting it is important to solving out what happened. We also see a long shot of the forest over Sarah's shoulder, which is out of focus. This helps to suggest that she instinctively thinks to look into the forest for more clues and possible evidence.
Sound is also used to represent her instinct as a detective. Firstly, there is the use of diegetic dialogue between her a what appears to be another member of the police force. She asks many questions about the scene, for example about the evidence and who it belongs to. These questions almost appear as instinctive for her to ask. There is also the use of saddening no diegetic music when she looks into the forest, suggesting that the murder happened in that area and Sarah is correct to look in that area.
The way she directs the team shows that Denmark's stance on gender equality is very firm, which can be seen through the diegetic dialogue. She demands that a male member of the force investigates into the evidence and searches the area more and she also stands up to Jan when he suggests that they should visit Theis although she eventually agrees with him.
This is similar to the scene in Homeland when Carrie is listening into Brody's conversation with Tom Walker's wife. Carrie demands Virgil to keep on listening into the conversation even though it appears useless to her cause.

Scene 3 (11.59 - 15.45): Introduction to the Larsen family

As a family, the Larsen family are represented as a happy family. We can see this through the camerawork and sound. We see a close up shot of a photo of the three children having fun and smiling and we also so a long shot of Theis and his wife kissing and hugging. There is also the use of diegetic dialogue between Theis and his wife making jokes and mocking each other suggesting there is a close relationship between the two.
We can see the negative effect of economical issues on the Larsen family in this scene. We can see this through the narrative and sound. There is the use of diegetic dialogue between Theis and his wife discussing fixing the dishwasher, but how it is a struggle as they last time they had to fix it with duct tape rather than call an actual plumber. The dishwasher then breaks even further spraying out water everywhere.
Theis fits typical gender stereotypes as is the man of the house, a strong male character. He demands he can fix the dishwasher through the diegetic dialogue although he isn't successful. We see him go out to work in charge of his own business.
The family's home is represented to be very welcoming. We see a close up shot of a photo of the kids having fun, suggesting the household is full of positivity. There is also the use of mise en scene, the house is very modern and well lit, and although the dishwasher is broken, the rest of the house is in order and Theis' business is also based in the house.
This is in contrast to the Brody family in Homeland. Although their house in a similar manner, the family is more unstable, with the kids, Dana and Chris not getting along and Dana not getting along with her mum, Jessica. Also the house is sent into more upset with the recapture of Brody, as Mike was about the move in with Jessica.

Scene 4 (15.47 - 21.20): Troells Hartmann gains ground

Local politics is represented as something that is taken very seriously. Firstly, there is a conversation between Troels and the current mayor through diegetic dialogue, taking running for Mayor very seriously. There is also the use of shot reverse shot between the two with quick jump cuts conveying that this conversation is quite heated.
Troels is represented as a character who is very friendly. There is the use of a tracking shot of him and a member of his team walking to the office, whilst Troels is eating bread. There is the use of diegetic dialogue discussing the bread. This suggests he is down to earth, can have some fun and discusses things just as anyone else would. At first, he is also polite towards his other candidate, the current Mayor. At the beginning of the scene where we first meet Troels, we see a close up shot of him laying a flower at what appears to be the grave of someone who is close to him with teared eyes, suggesting he is caring and loving. His team is also represented as hard working, there are low angle medium close up shots of the team working at the main desk in the room, looking over different papers.
Politics as a whole is represented as a game of tripping up the opposition. We can see this through diegetic dialogue between Troels and his team. They are devising things for Troels to say to help trip up his opposition at the conference that is about to happen.
Politics in Homeland is of contrast to politics in The Killing. Politics in Homeland is of the extreme compared to The Killing, it looks at tense relations between countries and possible terrorist attacks whereas in The Killing all of it's political themes are centred around the election of the Mayor. Also, in The Killing, the Danish police system also appears to outrank the political one when it comes to murder. The suggests a more socialist society than the American one where politics is something to be worked around or obeyed. Also, politics in Homeland is far more global, they are protecting the country from a foreign attack. This contrasts with the very insular feel of the Danish political system.

Scene 5 (21.11 - 23.04): Sarah and Jan meet the Larsons

This scene as a whole represents Sarah as a very experienced detective, which we can see through the use of the camerawork. Whilst Jan is talking to Theis' wife, we see various medium shots of her looking about the garage and an eyeline match shot of her looking at a picture of Nanna. Her first instinct is to tell Theis' wife to call Nanna straight away to check that she hasn't gone missing.
Sarah appears to be a more intelligent detective compared to Jan, she has good attention to detail. She focuses in on details like the picture of Nanna which we see through the eyeline match, rather than Jan who simply asks questions through the diegetic dialogue. Another difference is that Sarah is more polite rather than Jan who demands answers from Theis' wife. This can be linked to gender stereotype, as Jan takes on the role of a typical powerful male which in the end does not work out too well, as Sarah figures out what happens with her intelligence.
This is similar to Homeland, as Carrie, the lead female detective also has excellent attention to detail and is also very intelligent.

Scene 6 (35.24 - 36.26): Larsen's begin to panic

Tension is built up in this scene through the use of sound and camerawork. Firstly, there is the use of diegetic dialogue between Theis and his wife discussing the whereabouts of their daughter with his wife leading to become worried which helps build the tension as we are starting to understand what has happened to Nanna. There is also the use of shot reverse shot between the two characters to help suggest that this a quick, tense conversation between the two which leads to worrying thoughts.
Theis' wife has a facial expression of distress, suggesting she is extremely stressed over the situation. Theis has a generic facial expression, he appears to be confident that he knows where Nanna is and he can easily find her somewhere.
This scene positions the audience in a place of concern, it is not quite obvious what has happened to Nanna and whether she is alive or not, she may be okay and where Theis believes she is, she could be missing or even murdered like we find out at the end of the episode.
This scene follows typical gender stereotypes through the use of narrative and sound. We see Theis demand his wife to stay at home and wait in case Nanna arrives home through the use of diegetic dialogue whilst he goes out and searches for Nanna, following a patriarchal stereotype.
Compared to the Brody household in Homeland, this is a complete contrast. We see in The Killing a very stable and happy family, where everyone gets along very well but however in Homeland, the Brody household seems to be very torn, the siblings do not get along and Nicholas Brody, is very distraught and affected by his time as a prisoner of war.

Scene 7 (36.27 - 37.51): Sarah and her son car scene

This scene was shot in a car rather than a family home to suggest that the relationship between Sarah and Mark is not a strong one. Rather than being set in a warm, comfortable family home they are in a car in rainy weather discussing their delayed move to Sweden which Mark is not happy about.
The car represents their broken mother to son relationship, as a whole the relationship was not the closest anyway, but now they are driving away from their family home with Mark being dropped of at his grandparents instead of possibly being able to rebuild the relationship in a new and fresh start.
The dialogue again helps to represent their broken relationship, the two do not appear to get on too well, and Mark even says that Sarah's new partner is nothing like his dad even though he appears to be doing his best to build a life for the two in Sweden.
The scene helps to show the tense politics between Denmark and Sweden through the use of diegetic dialogue and mise en scene. Mark clearly appears to not want to move to Sweden even though Sarah's partner is doing his best to make a decent life for the two there which could possibly be down to the fact that Swedes and Danes are do not get along very well, especially because Mark says that Sarah's partner is nothing life his dad.
This broken relationship is very similar the broken relationship between Jessica and her daughter in Homeland, they do not get along the best especially after Jessica caught her smoking whilst she was meant to be taking care of her brother.

Scene 8 (37.52 - 39.45): Investigation and search continues

In this scene, Sarah is represented as an intelligent person through the use of sound and camerawork. Towards the end of the scene, we a medium long shot of Sarah from behind her, looking around the woods, she then turns to Jan and through diegetic dialogue tells him to search again. As he argues back there is a call to Sarah of someone saying that they have found more traces. This as a whole represents Sarah as an intelligent character as she is instinctively correct to search the area again, considering the fact that there are now more traces
The tensions between her and Jan represent the fact power struggle for Jan in this scene. Following typical gender stereotypes, Jan would be leading the investigation and deciding what to do, however Sarah proves him wrong with her intelligence as is right to continue with the investigation.
Her instincts being correct are shown right at the end of the scene through the diegetic dialogue from the walkie talkie, whoever is at the other end of the walkie talkie says that more traces of evidence have been found, leading to Sarah being right about continuing the investigation.
Sarah here is extremely similar to Carrie at the end of episode 1 of Homeland, she manages to provide sufficient evidence to Saul about her theories surrounding Brody being a terrorist for him to start the investigation.

Scene 9 (48.58 - 48.19): Sarah's instinct

Firstly, there is the use of a long tracking shot of the three kids on the bikes with fishing equipment, and then a medium shot of Sarah looking at the kids on the bikes. There is the use of an extreme close up on Sarah's eye looking beyond the camera. This shows her instinct as a detective as the shots show her attention to detail, she manages to notice that the kids have fishing equipment, leading to her demanding the search of the waterway which inevitably holds the car which the body is stored in. There is also the use of diegetic dialogue, Sarah demands that the waterway is searched and is correct that is should have been
Sarah demands that the waterway is searched, she even demands this to Jan her current male counterpart. This helps to show that Denmark has a positive stand on gender equality, they are empowering Sarah and making Jan argue back as well helping to suggest that they give the orders because of their job, not because of their gender.
This is of contrast to Homeland, throughout the episode Carrie is consistently ignored and swept away by her male counterparts. David denies agency intervention whilst Carrie is in Iraq, Saul sweeps her theory that Brody is a terrorist away and Virgil questions the legitimacy of her work throughout the whole episode.

Scene 10 (49.17 - 52.20): Discovery of a body

This scene is filmed with cross cutting with Theis' wife reacting to the discovery of Nanna's body back at home. This is to show the devastating effects that the murder of Nanna have on the family as a whole.
Tension is built up through the use of mise en scene and sound. The setting of the scene, a dark remote moorland sets an atmosphere of fear as it is very remote and vast area. The discovery of the body in the car along as well as the use of non diegetic saddening music leads to suggest that this scene will cause upset, creating tension for the audience.
The director positions the audience in a place of distress in this scene. This is because we see various cross cutting between Theis' home, the discovery of the body and Theis being restrained by police. The audience would feel distress as they watching the devastating reactions of the discovery of Nanna's body for Theis and his wife.

Friday 12th June

LO: To analyse key areas of the set products

Starter Task

Sarah - At the start of the episode, we see Sarah anxious yet prepared to move to Sweden. As the episode progresses, we start to understand more about her. She is hard working and determined and very intelligent, we can see this as she postpones her move to Sweden and everything else in her personal life to investigates Nanna's death. Her instincts as a detective to discover truths about the case show her intelligence.
Troels - When we first meet Troels, we see him grieving at someone's grave, suggesting he is caring. As the episode progresses, we see he is determined to be elected Mayor, he has a tense conversation with the current Mayor and is preparing for a conference with the school however at the end of the episode his reputation is tattered when a car that belongs to his campaigning team holds the body of Nanna.
Larsen family - The Larsen family are first shown to be a happy and stable family, with everyone getting along. However the relationship between Theis and Pernille starts to become tense when Nanna goes missing, as Pernille is extremely worried. As soon Nanna's body is discoverd, Theis goes into shock disbelief and Pernille breaks down.
These three narratives have merged by the end of the episode as Sarah is involved with investigating Nanna's death and Troels is involved as Nanna's body is discovered in a car belonging to his campaigning company.

Viewpoints and Ideologies

Individualism is represented in positive light throughout the episode, we can see this as Sarah is very independent and self reliant in her work. We can see this through camerawork and mise en scene. After we first meet Sarah, she is instantly placed into an investigation. The underground area in which she investigates is eerie, dark and vast. There is extreme long range shot of Sarah entering the area acting almost as an establishing shot of the location, as it is showcasing the setting. We can see she is independent as she has entered the area by herself and her self reliance also pays off when she begins to discover clues. Although the case turns out to be a prank, we can see how individualism is represented postively as Sarah's self reliance and independence in her work pays off with the discovery of clues and deeper knowledge of the case.
Consumerism is represented negatively throughout the episode which is shown through sound and camerawork. In the scene where we first meet Theis, he and his company are moving stuff for a high street shop when Vagn drops and smashes something. There is then the use of diegetic dialogue which involves a tense argument between Vagn and the shop owner, with the use of shot reverse shot between the two. Vagn also claims the shop owner will still have to pay for the item. This represents consumerism in a negative light as it suggests that all companies lack respect for consumers rather than caring about their items and the fact they paid for them.
Patriarchy is represented also in a negative light throughout the episode in two ways, through Sarah and Theis with the use of sound and camerawork. Firstly, Sarah is represented as a more intelligent detective over Jan, through diegetic dialogue, she says to Jan that they need to keep on searching the area and he demands not to, almost instantly after another member of the team says on the radio that more evidence has been found, proving Jan wrong. The show here is empowering Sarah over all other male characters going against a patriarchal system. In one of the scenes between Theis and Pernille, when they discuss where Nanna could be, Theis demands through diegetic dialogue that he knows where Nanna is and he will bring her home. By the end of the episode, we find out he is clearly incorrect through a close of shot of the foot of Nanna's dead body, going against a patriarchal system as the he is incorrect and proven wrong.
Ethnocentrism is represented as the norm throughout the episode, especially with the involvement of Sweden and the competitiveness between the two countries. We can see this through mise en scene and sound in the scene with Sarah's leaving party. There is the use of viking hat, with the colours of the Swedish flag mocking Swedish people, and Sarah's boss says through diegetic dialogue: "Good luck in the lap of the enemy" suggesting that Danish and Swedish people have a very competitive relationship, however the 'light-heartedness' of the jokes suggest that they are jokes are more tongue in cheek rather out of spite.

Sarah Lund

"She doesn't use her sexuality to get what she wants as she has confidence in her intuition and ability" - This statement is true for the whole episode, and we can see this through the use of camerawork and sound. In the scene where Sarah and Jan and the whole team are exploring the area of Nanna's disappearance, there is an extreme close up shot of Sarah's eye, and a long range tracking shot of a group of kids on bikes with fishing equipment. Rather than then discussing with Jan to explore the waterway nearby, she demands through diegetic dialogue to explore it due to her confidence that is could hide some clues. We find out she is correct as the waterway holds a car, which Nanna's body is stored inside of.

"Her female sexuality is not focused on" - This statement could be argued to be true and false through mise en scene, sound and camerawork. At the start of the episode, There is a medium range shot of Sarah half naked with her partner and then there is then the use of a male sex doll to prank Sarah. These could suggesting that Sarah's female sexuality is being focused on as the show slightly sexualises her. Compared to Carrie from Homeland, this is very similar. Carrie's sexuality is focused on particularly in scenes where she has outbursts from her bipolar disorder. She is the focus when she is changing clothes whilst half naked. Also, towards the end of the episode, she is appears to be flirting with a man, whilst he is trying to get her to come back to his house. On the other hand, it can be argued her female sexuality isn't focused on throughout her investigation alongside Jan. Through diegetic dialogue, Sarah always argues back at Jan over his work, and is mostly right to do so, especially when he suggests they shouldn't investigate the waterway because it holds the car which has Nanna's body in.

"She is presented to us an a maternal figure" - This statement is true even though we see very little of Sarah and Mark together. We can see the places where this is true through narrative, camerawork and sound. The first thing she does in the morning is check up on Mark, to see if he is okay which we see through a medium range tracking shot of her walking to his bedroom. There is also a scene between the two in a car, where she is dropping him off to his Grandma's and through diegetic dialogue they are discussing what life will be like in Sweden. We can see she is a maternal figure as she clearly cares for him and what his life will be like when they move.

"As Lund becomes involved in a murder investigation, her professional life takes precedence" - We can the truth in this statement when she is on the phone with her partner, yet chooses to focus on the kids with fishing equipment as a stimuli to investigate another area. There is a medium close up shot of Sarah following the kids with her eyes, whilst holding the phone away from her ear. She then says to her partner she will miss the flight through diegetic dialogue and procedes to hang up. We can see her professional life has clearly taken precedence here as her first thought is to focus on her work, rather than talk with her partner.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes in The Killing are used to define individual characters:

Victim - The victims throughout the episode are the Nanna and the rest of the Larsen family. Once Nanna's body is discovered, Theis goes into shock disbelief and Panille breaks down. Throughout the episode they are confident Nanna can be found alive.
Politicians - Troels is the main political focus throughout the episode, he is clearly determined to be elected Mayor which we can see through his tense conversations with the current Mayor, he also focuses on what to do to trip other candidates up.
Police - The two characters that fit the stereotype of police are Sarah and Jan, they are both clever, they may not be on the front line fighting crime, but they work hard, especially Sarah, when investigating a crime.
Swedish nationality - None of the characters fit the stereotype of a Swedish national as none of them are Swedish, apart from Sarah's partner who we do not know a lot about. Danish people see Swedes as an enemy however, the two countries do not get along.
Family unit - The main family unit throughout the episode is the Larsen family, who are a happy and stable family. With the death of Nanna however this starts to breakdown. The other possible family unit we see is Sarah, her partner and son however we do not see much of this family throughout the episode.

Realism

LFTVD often leans towards social realism, constructing a coherent fictional world that the audience can recognize 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?

Throughout the Killing, realism is constructed in three different ways. Through the use of the events in the episode, the ideologies throughout and the characters themselves. These are portrayed through the use of media language.

Firstly, there is portrayal of certain events throughout the episode that help construct realism. An example of this is in the scene where Theis is attempting to fix the dishwasher and it breaks even more. There is the use of medium range shot of Panille watching over Theis fix it and when it breaks even more Panille makes fun of Theis through diegetic dialogue. This helps to construct a sense of realism as it is an event that is realistic and can occur in everyday life, the audience can easily relate to it. The use of Theis being proven wrong also adds comedic value to the scene, which the audience can also relate to as it gives off the feeling of 'I told you so', which the audience could also experience in everyday life. The whole scene could be influenced by social issues at the time of release in Denmark. The country as a whole was going through a time of economical recession influenced by the 2008 market crash, leading to increased housing prices and possibly not enough money to fix basic essentials in the house.

Next, there is the use of ideologies to construct a sense of realism throughout the episode, through the representation of patriarchy in a negative light. The general consensus in Denmark and in the countries The Killing was aired in is that both genders are equal, and the representation of patriarchy fits this. We can see patriarchy represented in this way through camerawork and sound. In the scene after a mass search of the forest, Sarah notices three kids with fishing equipment, there is a medium close up shot of her tracking the kids with her eyes, she then demands to Jan that they explore the waterway through diegetic dialogue, Jan demands that they do not but Sarah does not stand down and they continue on to explore it. There is then a long range shot of car being hoisted out of the river, holding Nanna's body proving Sarah's instincts. This scene represents Sarah as intelligent and instinctive, completely against how females are scene in a patriarchy. This is influenced by the fact Denmark is very good on gender equality, at the time of release, they ranked 7th in the world, being one of the countries with highest amount of equality in the world.

Lastly, there is the use of relatable characters throughout the episode to help construct a sense of realism. We can see this when we first meet Sarah through the camerawork, narrative and sound. She is waking up early in the morning for work on her last day, there is a close up shot of her sleeping, and then a diegetic sound of the alarm going off. She then proceeds to get up, and there is a medium tracking shot of her stumbling around the house tired, about the check up on her son, Mark. This scene helps to represent Sarah as a relatable character as she is going through the everyday struggles of a typical person, having to get up for work early whilst tired. This helps to create a sense of realism as it has already created a character that the audience can relate to, due to her going through similar struggles to them.

In conclusion, realism in The Killing is created through three different ways, the events in the show, the representation of ideologies through and the representation of characters. These help to create a show that the audience can relate to making it more realistic.

Tuesday 16th June
LO: To plan and write an effective comparative essay

There will be two exam essay questions:

A longer, comparative 30 mark question where you will have to apply academic concepts to your two case studies
A shorter 10 mark question where you will have to connect your case studies to a particular theory you have studied

30 mark question:

The first question will be a complex, 30 mark, question including a number of bullet points to help guide you.
You will be expected to show your knowledge of and understanding of LFTVD concepts, analyse the two set texts and use accurate terminology.
You may have to compare the two and you will be asked to draw judgements and conclusions
This question is also usually assessed on the quality of your writing. This means how well you develop your point of reasoning, provide evidence for your points and the relevance of ideas.
This links in with making judgements, there are no right answers
You will need to clearly explain your judgements in your conclusion

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 texts.
Make judgements and reach conclusions about the reasons for the differences in representations between the episodes.

I believe that Long Form TV Dramas represent different social groups differently throughout their narratives, this is due to the context the drama is released and developed in and the country that produced the drama. For example, The Killing was produced by DR in Denmark and Homeland was prodcued by Fox 21 TV Studios in the US, they both represent different social groups differently. Three examples of these groups are females, people of power/authority and people suffering with mental health issues.

The first example I will discuss is how the two Long Form Dramas represent women throughout their episode. The two both have a lead female detective protagonist, but are represented differently. Sarah Lund of The Killing is represented to be very authoritative and intelligent, she does not stand down to people trying to disprove her, especially males. An example of this in The Killing is in second investigation scene where the team have returned to carry out a mass investigation of the area, Sarah and Jan are discussing what to do next. There is the use of mise en scene and sound to represent Sarah in this way. Through diegetic dialogue, Sarah suggests that the team should investigate further and Jan disagrees. There is also the use of mise en scene: Jan has a confused facial expression, suggesting that he believes Sarah is incorrect. Then through a walkie talkie, another member of the force says there is further traces of evidence through diegetic dialogue, disproving Jan and proving Sarah's instinct to carry on searching. This represents Sarah in this way as she has been shown to intelligent, she has shown her authority by arguing back with Jan as is later shown to be correct and Jan be disproved. On the other hand in Homeland, Carrie is represented to be less convincing and less intelligent than her male counterparts. An example of this is where we first meet Saul, and Carrie is discussing the possibility of Brody being a terrorist. Saul is not convinced by her theory. There is the use of camerawork, sound and mise en scene here to represent Carrie in this way. Whenever Carrie is the focus of the scene, there is a slightly higher angle shot compared to slighlty lower angle of Saul when he is the focus, suggesting she is inferior to Saul. There is the use of mise en scene, Saul continuously uses a confused and unconvinced facial expression. Also there is the use of sound, the diegetic dialogue between the two characters involves Saul arguing back with Carrie about her theory, and eventually believing the plan she has would never work. Unlike The Killing, Carrie is not proven to be right at that exact moment, which helps to suggest she is inferior to her male counterparts as well. The use of media language represents Carrie in this way as it is showing her to be inferior to her male counterparts, and suggesting she is unconvincing in her work. This difference in representation between the two character could be influenced by each countries approach to gender equality at the time of release. Denmark ranked 7th in the world at the time of The Killing's release in 2007, whereas the US ranked 17th in the world in 2011, when Homeland was released. Denmark clearly had a more positive approach to gender equality than the US when the respective shows were released. In conclusion, The Killing represents females in a more positive manner than the way Homeland represents females.

The second social group the two shows represent differently are their representation of people in power. The Killing's main political focus is Troels Hartmann, who is running for Mayor of Copenhagen. Homeland's main biggest political figure is the Vice President, who Brody meets upon return to the US. In The Killing, Troels is represented to be down to earth, and serious about his possible role as Mayor. Firstly, we can see this in the scene where we first meet Troels, he is mourning over what appears to be the death of a former partner. Through the use of mise en scene, he has teared eyes and an upset facial expression, there is also a medium high angle shot over Troels' shoulder of the gravestone to certify he is mourning. When he is walking with one of his assistants to a meeting about the near conference, through the use of diegetic dialogue we can tell he is down to earth, he does not act like he has more power than his assistant, they discuss topics like shoes and he listens fully to what his assistant has to say. This represents Troels in this way as the audience can easily see he is caring towards his assistants, and that he does not act like he is more powerful than them. On the other hand, in Homeland, when we first meet the Vice President he is shown to be quite cocky. This is through the use of sound and mise en scene. Firstly, through diegetic dialogue, he is cocky towards David, acting like David should be impressing him due to the fact he is the Vice President. Also, through mise en scene, he has a cocky facial expression when talking to David. This use of media language suggests the Vice President is cocky as he believes that just because of his role, David should act a certain way to impress him. This difference in representation could be influenced by America and Denmark's different approach to politics. In Danish politics, there can be up to 10 parties running in each election, meaning as a politician you would have to stand out, which Troels is doing by being down to earth and caring. However in America there are only two main parties that run in election, which means that the Vice President's job is more secured which allows him to be cocky.

The third example of different representations of social groups is how people suffering from mental health issues are represented in each TV Drama. Throughout The Killing, Sarah is shown to intelligent, due to the fact she really is extremely intelligent. However in Homeland, Carrie is shown to be intelligent due to the fact she suffers from bipolar disorder, rather than the fact she is actually intelligent. A scene in Homeland where we can see how Carrie's bipolar disorder effects her work is towards the end of the episode, where she is in a bar and watching the news report of Brody's return to the US. There is the use of camerawork, editing and mise en scene to show this. Firslty, there is the use of an eyeline match from Carrie to the TV screen, there is a medium close up of Carrie staring at the screen and then an extreme close up on the TV, signifying the possible pattern Brody is completing with his finger. She then, through the use of mise en scene, uses a concentrated facial expression. This helps to show that her mental health makes her intelligent as it causes her to have a extreme attention to detail and patterns, allowing her to recognize this pattern Brody makes with his finger, almost suggesting without her bipolar she wouldn't be able to recognize it. On the other hand, in The Killing, Sarah is represented as intelligent simply due to the fact she is actually clever and intuitive. We can see this in the scene where she insists that the waterway should be explored. There is the use of camerawork to help prove this. There is an extreme close up in Sarah's eye looking past the camera, there is the use of a long range tracking shot of kids with bikes and fishing gear insisting there is a body of water nearby and a medium shot of Sarah tracking kids on bikes with her eyes. Her intuitive action to explore the waterway is further proved through the narrative, as Nanna's body is discovered in a car dumped in the waterway. Collectively, this proves Sarah's intelligence as it leads to the discovery of Nanna's body which was the focus of the investigation, all down to her intuitive action to explore the waterway. This could be influenced by again, each country's approach to gender equality, Homeland has a reason why Carrie is so intelligent rather than her male counterparts who are just simply clever, similar Sarah. Again at the time of release for each show, the US ranked 17th in the world for gender equality whereas Denmark ranked 7th suggesting that DR deliberately made Sarah intelligent to fit Danish society.

As a counterargument, the two shows represent people of foreign origin in a negative light. The Killing has a very negative approach to the representation of Swedes. Homeland also has an extremely negative approach to the representation of people of Middle Eastern origin. In The Killing, we can see the negative representation of Swedes through the use of mise en scene and sound in the scene of Sarah's leaving party. Firstly, Sarah's boss through diegetic dialogue refers to Sweden as "the enemy", there is also the use of the colours of the Swedish flag on a viking hat which is mocking the Swedes and Sarah is gifted some skiing equipment stereotyping Swedes. This negatively represents Swedish people at they are being stereotyped, and portrayed as an enemy rather than normal people. Similarly, in Homeland, there is a negative representation of people of Middle Eastern background. We can see this at the very beginning of the episode, when Carrie is working in Iraq an is travelling to an Iraqi prison. Throughout the scene, through camerawork, sound and the narrative, Middle Eastern people are represented as a nuisance. There is the use a handheld close up of Carrie which is extremely off balance, suggesting travelling through Middle Eastern cities is havoc and chaos. The use of ambient city sounds show that the city help to show that Middle Eastern cities are chaotic. Also there is the use of the narrative, the contact Carrie has with the Middle Eastern prison did not complete his job, the prisoner causes Carrie trouble by not being responsive and the Middle Eastern public cause chaos for Carrie. Collectively, this represents Middle Eastern people negatively as they are shown to be a constant nuisance, always effecting Carrie's work. These representations could be influenced by each country's political relationships. Denmark and Sweden have a tense political relationship, throughout the 1980s Sweden believed they were superior to most Nordic countries due to their positive approach to refugees which led to tense relationships with Nordic countries. America suffers from post 9/11 anxieties, there is the fear of it happening again which can lead to extreme xenophobia towards foreign people, especially Islamic people.

As a final judgement, I believe that the two TV Dramas represent different social groups differently due to the contexts the two shows were produced and released. The Killing was released in 2007, where Denmark ranked high in the world for gender equality, leading to DR empowering Sarah showing her as intelligent. The more complex political system also leads to different representations of Troels. On the other hand, when Homeland was released, America ranked lower in the world for gender equality leading to Carrie being represented in a more negative light compared to Sarah and a less complex political system in the US leads to a more cocky representation of the Vice President.

Friday 19th June

Thinking Outside the Boxset: How technology changed the story

Episode 1:

TV can be watched wherever or whenever, streamed or downloaded on their phones, laptops or games consoles.
The story being told in each episode has to fit into the typical length of each episode, especially for streaming services like Netflix which appeal to a younger worldwide audience.
TV is a lot different compared to 40 years ago, to watch the next episode in a series you would typically have to wait a week, and to rewatch the episode wait for at least a year for it to be aired again.
Binge watching is hard to avoid, especially on Netflix where you have to opt out of watching the next episode due to a countdown rather than opt into watching the next show.
BBC dramas have been improved due to Netflix and other streaming services, they are having to 'up there game'.
In the past, there was a timidity of having complex Long Form Dramas in case it alienates the casual viewer.
American TV tends to have 10-20 episodes, whether British TV tends to have 4-6.
A fewer amount of episodes leads to more complex narratives and characters, you only have to keep an audience for 3 hours rather than any more.
British viewers have two main ways of watching TV, in short episodes which are aired alongside other shows. The other way is through streaming services.

Episode 3:

Clapping used to be the only way audiences gave feedback to theater, but through social media you can now give feedback online.
This is similar to TV Dramas. Most of the ways people give feedback nowadays is through social media.
With the TV Drama "Line of Duty", the producer was not on social media. Therefore the way of receiving feedback was through anonymous reviewing of around 1000 people.
The big problem with social media feedback is the audience will pick up on negative comments over positive ones, one negative comment will stand out more than 10 positive comments which can lead to very manipulated opinions on shows.
The is also similar to books, people will look at reviews on bookseller websites that are completely out of proportion to how the book actually is.
However direct feedback can be positive, especially for books, when you receive the feedback you are more than likely going to be writing the next one.
Social Media was massive in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. He was already massively well known from reality TV.

TV Drama Revision

Wednesday 3rd March

LO: To explore the content of the unit, and narrative, themes and characters in set episode

Section B of Paper 1.
60% of the paper.
Compare two TV dramas - US and European Drama

Knowledge needed:

Media language - How TV drama communicates meaning through codes and conventions and technical and narrative techniques.
Representations - How events, issues, individuals and social groups have been portrayed.
Industry - How the TV industry produces, distributes and circulates shows.
Audiences - How TV Dramas target, reach and address audiences. Also how they interpret them.
Context - The economic, social and cultural contexts.

Exam:

Two questions. One long 30 mark question comparing the application of concepts between the two shows

Main narrative quest/conflict set up - The main narrative is introduced when we see Carrie infiltrate the Iraqi prison, and receives information that a prisoner of war has been turned. Then later Brody is discovered in Iraq.

Enigma Codes - Whether Brody is a terrorist or not, whether Carrie will face consequences for her actions and what will happen between Brody and his wife Jessica.

Individual character narratives:

Carrie - Carrie's narrative is introduced in the first scene, when we discover she is a CIA detective.
Brody - Brody's narrative is introduced when he is discovered in Iraq.
Saul - Saul's narrative is introduced when we see him discuss Brody's return with Carrie.
Jessica - Jessica's narrative is introduced when we first see her with Mike.
Mike - Mike's narrative is set up at the same time as Jessica's.
David - David's narrative is set up in the first scene when Carrie talks on the phone with him.
Virgil - Virgil's narrative is set up when we see him infiltrate Brody's house once he leaves for the CIA building the day after he returns.

Wednesday 17th March

LO: To explore the narrative, themes and characters in set episodes in relation to the theory

Todorov - Narratology

The theory discusses how film's and long form TV dramas convey their narratives.
There are several parts to it, equilibrium, disruption of equilibrium, and then how equilibrium is restored.
In Homelands episode 1, we see equilibrium and the disruption of equilibrium. For example, there is equilibrium when we see Brody's family living life as they had since his disappearance. Equilibrium is disrupted when Brody is found alive, and his wife Jessica's affair she has been having with Mike for a while is forced to stop. Similar to Carrie, we see equilibrium for her when she is in Iraq doing her job, this is disrupted when Brody is found as she was told by an Iraqi prisoner that an American POW has been turned.

Neale - Genre theory

The theory discusses that genre is constantly evolving, and that they are mixed and several can be found in a Long Form TV Drama.
We can see several examples of this in Homelands episode 1. For example, there are several enigma codes we discover that fall under different genres. The main genre is crime, Carrie is constantly surveilling Brody incase he is the turned terrorist, she bugs Brody's home alongside Virgil. It is also a thriller, it is action packed with tense scenes like the discovery of Brody, Carrie infiltrating the Iraqi prison and Brody's flashbacks. There is also mystery, we are not sure whether Brody is a terrorist or not. Yet there are scenes fitting a family sitcom genre, like when Jessica arrives home after being with Mike and catches Dana smoking.

Analysing context

Is American seen as strong?

In the first episode of Homelands America is seen as a strong country. There is little worry from the CIA about Brody's return although Carrie has word of mouth evidence that he may be a turned terrorist. Carrie is represented as inferior to her male colleague Saul when she suggests the possibility of it. The audience would interpret America being represented as a weak in a negative manner, especially vulnerable to Middle Eastern attacks.

Is America seen as vulnerable?

In the first episode, America is represented as a vulnerable country. Within the CIA there appears to be a common belief that the possibility of another major terrorist attack is absurd. When Carrie suggests it, with evidence, she represented as inferior to male colleagues, she is not as smart or clever. This shows that the mindset of people in high powers within America makes America vulnerable, as they are not taking any possible threat seriously. The audience would react in one of two ways, either question the CIA's obnoxious manner towards Carrie's suggestion or disregard the possibility.

How is the text choosing to show the contexts of the day?

There is a lot of reference to 9/11 and the possibility of more attacks, which could be through Brody. They are in the post 9/11 era which we are still in today. At the beginning of the episode, there is reference to American involvement in Iraqi prisons, showcasing their involvement in the Middle East through the 'war on terror'. The audience could relate to stress caused by 9/11, as we are still living in the post 9/11 era today.

How is the media choosing to portray the current political, social, economic, cultural and historical contexts?

They portray these contexts all in similar manners. The American contexts are represented as superior to Middle Eastern ones. An example is the cultural contexts. At the beginning of the episode, Carrie is in a bustling Iraqi city. Iraqi people are getting in her way and causing her trouble, suggests that the culture and they way they live is an annoyance to American people. However Carrie can easily rush to work in America when she is late for a meeting at the CIA HQ. The audience would agree with the representation of contexts in the first episode, due to it being developed for an American audience.

How has Homelands represented the context of the time in their opening episode?

The main context of Homelands is 9/11 and the lasting effects it had on Western civilisation. They have represented it as an awful event. Carrie consistently worries about the possibility of 'getting hit again', as she missed the warning signs of 9/11. She is always on her toes, watching Brody's every move. They also show the awful effects it had on American society, Brody's capture was during the war on terror, which he was fighting in Iraq. This hypothetical war was started after 9/11, if 9/11 never happened, Brody's capture would be less likely and not have the devastating effect it had on his family. Again, the audience will relate to the representation of the contexts in the first episode, we are still living in the post 9/11 era where there is a constant fear of terrorist attacks caused by the event.

Barthes - Semiology

Barthes' Semiology theory says that denotations signify connotations. Connotation are organised into myths which are common ideologies within a certain society.
In Homelands episode 1, we see there throughout the whole episode. An example is when Brody is discovered. The denotations are that he is dirty, has long hair, in bad health and kept in a locked room in Iraqi desert. The audience then assume that he is a prisoner of war, which has been connotes through the denotations.
His appearance signifies that he is has been kept in awful conditions, and has been tortured or used by the terrorist organisation that captured him for advantage, like most prisoners of war.

Levi Strauss - Structuralism

Levi Strauss' structuralism theory says that we need binary oppositions to understand the world we live in. They allow us to understand what is good and bad in society, racism vs equality, we understand racism is bad because equality is good. Day vs night, we know it is day, because it is not night.
We see this throughout episode 1 of Homelands through the varying representations of West and East. The Eastern world is represented in an extremely negative manner, however the West is extremely good. We understand that that the West is good because the East are bad and are the 'villains'.
An example of this is the varying uses of mise en scene. Any time the show is located in the Middle East the buildings are run down and in dire condition, yet in America the mise en scene is very 'modernesque' and in good condition. The Middle East is shown to be a horrible place.

Gilroy - Ethnicity and Post Colonialism

This theory suggests that white and western cultures are seen as superior to any others due to colonialism and the negative representations associated with any other cultures.
Again, this is applicable throughout the whole episode. The American and Western culture is represented as superior to Middle Eastern culture.
For example, when Carrie is rushing through the Middle Eastern city, the busy and bustling culture is disrupting her journey to the prison. Yet she can easily rush to the CIA HQ when late.

Wednesday 24th March

LO: To explore the narrative and characterisation of the set products

Van Zoonen - Feminist Theory

Ideas of femininity and masculinity are constructed in our performance of these roles. Gender is what we do rather than who we are and changes meaning depending on cultural and historical contexts.
Carrie although strong and in a masculine role, when she works with a male she is represented as inferior. Her flaws are emphasised in these situations.

Bell Hooks - Feminist Theory

Intersectionality refers to the coming together of gender, race, class and sexuality to create a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy which dominates media representations.
In Homelands, how are women represented compared to men? The representations of the men in power fit with those suggested by Bell Hooks. Carrie embodies the oppositional gaze the refuses to conform to the expectations of women and provides a character to identify with that challenge the patriarchal ideologies.

How is Carrie represented?

In Carrie's second appearance in the episode, she is represented as unorganised. She has just returned from a night out, we see her house, and a set of fast editing showcasing her getting ready for work. She is also late for work. The mise en scene is used heavily to reinforce this, she is in a big house with no family and she has returned from a night out, there is the possibility that she has been out looking for male companionship. She rushes getting ready for work, connoting that she is unorganised or has bad time management. The camerawork is also used, there is a close up shot of her dropping what appears to be wedding ring into a bowl, implying that she is single. This reinforces the representation of Carrie as she is completely inferior to her past representation where she was a powerful individual. She has to rush everything she does, showing she is unorganised. Her lack of family and relationship status may contribute to this as well, the fact she does not have this makes her less of a person.

Gauntlett - Identity and Representation Theory

The media have a complex relationship with identities.
We can see this a lot in Homelands. America is represented locally and internationally, Brody is represented as heroic when around the CIA and Marines, anxious around his family and as a terrorist when investigated by Carrie.
It aided Homelands' success, the audience are agents themselves looking for clues throughout to suggests Brody's true identity.

Hall - Representation Theory

Through stereotyping and ideology those in power try to fix the meaning of a representation. This can be created through what is present and what is absent.
Homeland attempts to create a dominant meaning through the use of ideology of Easy vs West to to support the preferred reading of those in power (US).
Carrie's representation is created through a lack of elements in her characterisation, closeness, compassion and success outside of her job.

What are the representations when Carrie meets Brody?

What mise-en-scene choices are key?
Shot types?
How do they used flashbacks?
How are both Carrie and Brody represented?

Dark lighting, use of pictures, small table, extremely high quality dialogue. Extreme close ups, shot reverse shots, medium shots. over the shoulder shot. Flashbacks show that Brody is lying. Carrie is represented as a nuisance in her investigation, Brody as a hero, then after the flashback as a liar.

How is Brody represented?

In the scene when Brody meets his family, he is represented as an anxious character who is suffering from trauma. In the scene, Brody lands at the air base, meets his family and the vice president and then proceeds to give a speech to the press and Marines. There are two main examples of this representations. The first is the use of mise en scene. When Brody meets his family, the expected narrative would be that he is extremely happy to be reunited, however the reality is the opposite. He doesn't appear to be phased by seeing his family again, and only consoles them when they make conversation. The second is the use of camerawork and editing. There is an extreme close up of Brody's face as he walks to the podium to give his speech. We hear an extremely loud flash noise from a camera alongside the screen being brightened. Brody's reaction is one of distress. These examples reinforce the representations as he is anxious to meet his family, he is clearly unsure how to react and due to this anxiety needs his family to make the first move. Brody's reaction of distress to the camera flash shows that there is some form of trauma that has initialised the reaction. This representation could be influenced by the real life 'war on terror' happening when Homelands was being produced. Brody is an example of how real life soldiers would have felt from when returning from war, he shows the distress and anxiety that is felt. He also showcases the public's distress as well, as throughout the 'war on terror' there was a constant threat of another terrorist attack due to 9/11. Brody's representation also proves Gauntlett's 'Identity and relationship' theory. Gauntlett stated that the media have a complex relationship with identities and we see this in the representation of Brody. He is represented as a war hero when talking to Marines and the Vice President, yet when talking to his family as anxious.

Wednesday 31st March

LO: To explore the representation in set products

Baudrillard - Postmodernism

Postmodernism is the idea that society has moved beyond modernism - either in art and culture or progress.
Modern societies are organised around the production of goods, postmodern society is organised around a 'simulation'.
Gender, class and politics and culture dissolve in a world of simulation in which individuals construct their identities.
This theory is difficult to apply to Homelands - there is minimal intertextuality with a great focus on creating a 'real world'. For example they include reference to large events like 9/11 and societal issues like mental health, which is prominent in society today.

Hall - Audience theory

Each audience member can decode a message in one of three ways. The dominant reading mean that the audience accepts the preferred meaning, the negotiated meaning is that some of the decoded message is accepted but the audience disagrees with parts of it an changes it to fit their values and the oppositional reading is that the message is rejected and has completely opposite values.
There is attention drawn to the possible meanings of Homelands and whether the audience agrees with it. The audience can question the representation of Carrie and mental illness'. Depending on their values and ideologies they may belief Carrie is intelligent simply because she is, or it may be due to her bipolar disorder.

Carrie's Mental Health - How is mental illness presented in Homelands?

Throughout the scene, mental health issues, in particular Carrie's bipolar disorder, are represented as a serious issue. Carrie has just returned from a scout with Virgil on Brody, where she finds Saul at her house who reacts harshly to her illegal investigation. She sexually approaches Saul to "make things right" yet Saul reacts harshly to this as well. Once Saul leaves, she has a mental health outbursts leading to her going out for the evening. We can see this through the use of camerawork, mise en scene and editing.

Throughout the discussion between Carrie and Saul, there is a constant use of shot reverse shot where there is a slightly high angle shot over Carrie, suggesting she is weaker than Saul. This represents her bipolar order as a serious issues as it has such a negative effect on her life. She is shown as weaker compared to her colleague because of it, her obsession surrounding Brody and the attention to the details on his case has landed her in a position where she faces legal charges and is now weaker because of it, simply down to her bipolar disorder.

Carrie also always is scratching her head and keeping her eyes wide open, she also inappropriately approaches Saul to "make thing right" between them. The inappropriate sexual act is an attempt to coerce Saul's judgements, however he again reacts extremely harshly and leaves Carrie stranded. These inappropriate outbursts are all simply down to her bipolar disorder.

There is then a proceeding montage which is edited with extreme pace, many jump cuts and close up shots focusing on what helps keep Carrie sane. For example her music player, we also hear the diegetic music it would've been playing which was chaotic jazz music. This represents her bipolar disorder as such a serious issue as she has to have these things in her life to keep her sane. The chaotic music which moves her focus elsewhere, the close up shots on her taking medication, there is extreme focus on the negatives in her life due to her disorder.

They have also managed to fit a reference to 9/11 in the scene, again showing the great effect it had on America. In the dialogue, Carrie says to Saul that she behaves like this as she "does not want to get hit again', conveying that her rash behaviour is partly down to 9/11, showing the anxieties it still has on the world 10 years later. The representation of Carrie's bipolar order actually proves Hall's encoding and decoding model as well. There can various different reading of this representation. The audience may have a dominant reading, where they believe that Carrie's rash behaviour is due to the severity of her mental health disorder, however they may have an oppositional reading where it may be because she is genuinely worried about being effected by a terrorist attack, like 9/11, that badly again. They could have a negotiated meaning where the audience partly believe they representation. Her obsessive attention about the case to the point where she faces legal charges could be due to her bipolar disorder, or the fact she is so stressed by another serious terrorist attack. It is a combination of the both.

Bandura - Audience theory

The media influences audience directly and indirectly.
For example, Homelands can influence the audience's values through the representation of cetain social groups. If the audience gathered all their information on the Middle East from Homelands, it would be an extremely misinterpreted view.

Curran and Seaton - Power and Media Industries

Homelands is a commercial product. It was originally produced by Fox for Showtime and is also on Netflix. It is solely produced to make profit.

Hesmondhalgh - Cultural Industries

Draws attention to the ownership and control purposes. For example, Homelands could afford a high profile cast compared to the Killing's lesser known cast. Risk is not as high.

Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation

American cable TV is regulated very lightly, the extremely biased values and ideologies in Homelands, particularly towards the Middle East are accepted by the American public.

How is gender represented in Homelands and how does this reflect the social and cultural contexts?

In Brody's debrief in America, women are represented as a nuisance to males throughout the scene. This is a particular case to Carrie towards Brody. Throughout the scene, Carrie asks Brody questions about his time in captivity. She asks him so many questions it gets to the point where it is like an interrogation. We see flashbacks to Brody's time in captivity, and then Estes gets involved and Carrie discontinues the questions. We can see that women have been represented as nuisances to males through the use of camerawork and mise en scene. Firstly, the use of the camera angles reinforce this representation. There is the use of shot reverse shot between Carrie and Brody across the table, there is a slightly high angle over the shoulder shot over Carrie and a low angle over the shoulder shot of Brody. This suggests that Carrie is lacking power in the scene, which is correct. She is asking questions for her own personal benefit, she has suspicions of Brody and she does not get the answers she wants from Brody. This represents women in this manner as there is no benefit to anyone other than Carrie when she asks the questions, conveying she is being a nuisance towards Brody. As well as the use of camerawork, there is the use of dialogue and narrative. Carrie is demanding of Brody, attempting to coerce him into giving the answer she wants. As an audience we know he is lying, so from an audience standpoint we see even more how much distress she is causing Brody. She is quick with her actions, pushing him pictures and folders for him to look at again to coerce him. Overall, this represents women in this manner as it shows that Carrie is simply here at the debrief for her own sake, she is so demanding of Brody so that she gets the answer she wants representing women in this scene as nuisances to males.

This fit into the social and cultural contexts that the show has been produced in. America at the time was a country that has a rather large social injustice towards women even though they are one of the largest and most influential countries in the world. They ranked 17th in the world for gender equality in 2011, and it has dropped to 53rd in 2020. This is reflected in Homelands with this representation of women compared to men. This can have a negative effect on the audience, as Bandura stated in his audience theory. He stated that the media can influence audiences directyl and indirectly, which we can see here. This negative representation of Carrie could coerce the audience's values and opinions.

Wednesday 21st April

The Killing Revision

Narrative

Main narrative/conquest set up - The opening scene shows who we eventually find out to be Nanna being chased through the woods. The main narrative is set up once Sarah Lund is called upon to investigate a report of a missing girl, which is explored further once Nanna's body has been discovered in a waterway.

Enigma Codes

How did Nanna die, and are her friends hiding anything?
What will happen to Sarah now she involved in the case?
How will the Birk Larsens react to news of Nanna's death?
What will the result of the election be? And who is the snitch?

Individual character narratives

Sarah - Sarah has a big decision to make. Will she give the case to someone else and move to Sweden, or follow up with the case?
Birk Larsens - The family's narrative is now centred around how they will deal with the death of their daughter.
Troells Hartman - Troells' narrative considers his past and current relationships, his campaign for Mayor and connection to the murder.
Mayor - The Mayor's narrative is currently about his campaign to gain re election.
Jan - Jan's narrative is currently about his investigation in Nanna's death.

How is genre introduced in the opening episode?

Genre is set up in three individual ways, through the use of narrative, enigma codes and individual character narratives. Each of the three contribute towards a different sub genre of the drama, proving Neale's genre theory in the process.

The set up of the main narrative/conquest set up introduces the genre crime into the drama. In the opening episode, Sarah and Jan go to investigate a strange report of bloodied clothes being found in a rural marsh. At first, they believe it to be from a prostitute, but change their minds when they find the TV rental card belonging to Theis Birk Larsen. There is an extreme close up on the TV rental card, and then the use of diegetic dialogue from Jan suggesting that they should ask Theis further questions. This example introduces the crime genre into the drama as the investigation is set up from this point. It signifies that this case is more complex than first thought, there is a crime that needs to be investigated just like in every crime drama. The crime is set up in this manner due to the nature of the production of the show. DR is public service broadcaster who provide media content on behalf of the Danish government. The show cannot be politically motivated, alongside conveying any extreme values and ideologies. They are setting up a standard crime drama murder investigation without any specific motivations, due to the role that DR has to fill.

Furthermore, enigma codes are used to introduce the genre of mystery otherwise known as 'whodunnit'. Certain media language has been used to introduce this genre, with a specific example being at the end of the episode, when Sarah and Jan discover Nanna's body in the car. There is a low angle close up shot of Nanna's foot at the car boot is opened. As soon as the audience are aware of the discovery, there are questions being asked. For example: How did Nanna die? Who killed her? Are her friends hiding any information about the crime? There are multiple possibilities which the audience are considering creating a mystery around her death, introducing the genre of mystery. Similar to the previous, the nature of the production of the show has influenced. Due to DR's status as a public service broadcaster, they need to produce a show with the audience as the main priority. Enigma codes give the audience a sense of involvement, they are uncovering the mystery behind Nanna's death at the time as the characters in the show. DR are producing a show which thrilling for the audience.

Lastly, the introduction of individual character narratives contributes to the development of the family genre. We can see this at the very beginning of the episode, when wakes up for her supposed last day at work. She walks to her landing, and then there is the use of a low angle long shot of her and her boyfriend hugging. She then walks into her sons room, where there is a high angle shot of her son asleep. The use of media language her explicitly shows facts from her personal life, she has a boyfriend she is in a happy relationship with and a son. This is the introduction of her individual character narrative, as the audience are already aware of her personal background. This introduces the family genre as her family play a huge part in her individual character narrative. By the end of the episode an enigma code has been created about her narrative. Will she stay in Denmark and investigate Nanna's death or move to Sweden with her boyfriend? The context of the show at the time has influenced her narrative. Series 1 was released in 2007, at which point Denmark was one of the best countries in the world for gender equality. We see this reflected in Sarah's narrative, she is in a high commanding position in the police force, co investigator of the murder and has complete control over her own life.

The introduction of all of these individual genres already prove Neale's genre theory. Neale stated that genres are not fixed and constantly evolving. The Killing is a prime example, as it brings the individual genres of crime, mystery and family to contribute the new and evolving Nordic Noir genre.

Wednesday 28th April

LO: To explore the production, social and political context of set products

Industry Context

Great example of European LFTVD produced out of a strong public service remit.
20 episodes, each 50 minute episode covers 24hrs. Due to economic context, of a small publicly owned national broadcaster that can only finance one LFTVD a season.
Set in Danish capital of Denmark.
Produced by DR.
Danish society is renowned for being a rational and civilised society. The murder of Nanna is framed as a shocking anomaly.

Social Context

Crime is an indicator of social decay, or at best, decline.
Forbrydelsen shows the impact on Denmark of the recent financial crisis. The writer and director embeds this into the programme, society is very stressed.
Sarah plans to leave to Sweden, which she is committed to, but she is even more committed to the case which contributes to her personal sacrifice.
Another example is Theis, he runs a good business, with vans yet struggles to pay to fix or for a new dishwasher.
We find out Vagn kills Nanna, out of rage for a secret love affair with an Asian boy. His rage is so intense she rapes and kills her. Shows social decay.

Baudrillard - Postmodernism

Baudrillard suggests that society is now so focused on a hyperreality created by the media.
The media has an extreme influence on the roles of certain social groups, it can change people's perspectives on this.

Butler - Gender Performativity

Performance of gender is foregrounded. For example, men and women in certain LFTVD are expected to perform a certain role.

Van Zoonen - Feminist Theory

Ideas of feminity and masculinity are constructed in our performance of these roles.
Gender is what we do rather than who we are.

The Crime Scene

Lund is pranked using a fake crime scene. It cuts to her at her leavers party, and her meeting her replacement, Jan. After she meets Jan, they are both asked to investigate what would be the first scene of Nanna's murder.
Fearless, she walks into the dark basement by herself. Intelligent, she asks questions at the real crime scene and analyses evidence in the prank scene.
It is an effective scene as it sets up Sarah's character narrative and the main narrative for the whole season.
The scene can disprove Butler's gender performativity theory and Van Zoonen's feminist theory.

Social Attitudes

Denamrk has always been seen as progressive in terms of gender equality.
in 2007, they were ranked 8th in the world. in 2020, rank 14th.
In the US in 2011 they were ranked 11th and in 2020 ranked 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 Lund is treated extremely better in the workplace in the Killing compared to the way Carrie Mathison is treated in the workplace in Homelands. Carrie is represented as a character that always has flaws in her work. She is caught spying on Brody without permission, she has a bipolar disorder that extremely effects her relationships at work and she does not have the evidence to prove that she believes Brody is what she thinks he is. On the other hand however, Sarah is represented in the complete opposite manner. She is even represented as more intelligent than her male colleagues. When she suggested investigating the waterway, which she used her extremely strong intuition to find out about, Jan says not to. It is explored anyway, and in the waterway they discover a car that contains Nanna's body. Sarah deals with both a family and professional life, sharing traits of both males and females. She is a complete juxtaposition of a society that follows traditional male and female traits.

How does this link to the different countries stance on gender equality?

When Homelands was produced, the US ranked 17th in the world for gender equality. When the Killing was produced, Denmark ranked 8th. The large gap between the two countries is reflected in the LFTVDs, Carrie is a much more flawed character compared to Carrie.

How does this link with Van Zoonen and Butler?

Homelands provides evidence to support the two theories. The Killing also does, yet not in the traditional manner of men are stronger character than women.

Gauntlett - Identity

The media have a complex relationship with identities.
There are many diverse and contradictory messages that individuals can use to establish their identity.

Feminist Theory - Bell Hooks

There is a coming together of race, class, gender and sexuality to create a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.

Hall - Representation

Meaning is created through representation but also by what it absent. Through stereotyping those in power try to fix a representation.

How are the lead protagonists in Homeland and The Killing used to reflect social issues?

In both the Killing and Homeland, the two main protagonists are represented in two different manners. Sarah Lund, of the Killing is represented as a strong clever fearless individual, yet Carrie Mathison of Homeland is represented as flawed in her work, and her intelligence is due to her bipolar disorder.

Firstly, in the Killing, Sarah Lund is represented as a fearless, intelligent and strong individual. The media language depicts this in two scenes at the start of the episode. Lund is called to a crime scene which turns out to be a prank on Lund, yet she still responds in a professional manner. There is a long range shot of Lund and a dark basement as she enters the basement, there is then an extreme close up shot of her touching blood on a weapon with gloves on. There is then another close up shot of Lund with a determined faced about to uncover what would be a sex doll. When she attends the real crime scene, there is the use of diegetic dialogue. Lund asks clever intelligent questions in an attempt to figure out what has happened. There is also an establishing bird's eye shot of her driving the car to the crime scene. This use of media language helps represent Lund in this manner. She is entering a dark, eerie crime scene by herself, it is dangerous yet she is fearless. She then proceeds to use her intelligence looking for evidence as soon as she enters, and bravely uncovers what appears to be a body, but fortunately the prank sex doll. When she arrives at the real crime scene, she is already depicted as in control as she is driving to the scene, not Jan. Then the dialogue denotes that she is asking intelligent questions about the scene in an attempt to figure of what has happened, connoting her intelligence and professionalism when dealing with the case. Lund being represented in this manner is due Denmark's attitudes towards gender equality in the year of production, 2007. They were ranked 8th in the world for gender equality, and have always been renowned for their progressive ideologies towards gender equality. Furthermore, we even learn that Sarah has a family life earlier in the episode, with a high angle close up shot of her son sleeping and long range shot of her and her fiancee cuddling. She manages to balance her family and work life in such a professional manner, further proving her representation as a strong individual. We can use this representation to disprove Bell Hooks' feminist theory. Lund is a female in a position of power, which opposes the patriarchy section of Hooks' belief that there is a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy society.

On the other hand, in Homelands, Carrie Mathison is represented as a flawed character who is only intelligent due to her bipolar disorder. We can see this through the use of media language. Late in the episode, Saul discovers she has been spying on Brody, there is a high angle shot of her setup as she enters her house. We then see a shot reverse shot between Saul and Carrie, where there is a slight high angle of Carrie asking Saul for forgiveness. Carrie then gets close to Saul to find another way to fix it, which results in Saul storming out threatening her through the diegetic dialogue with a court trial. This suggests that Carrie is a flawed character as the high angle shots of her and her setup suggests her mistake has landed her in a position with little power. Her flaws resulted in her making these mistakes and now has no power over the situation as her mistakes are extremely illegal, which is depicted when Saul says he will take her to court. Carrie being represented in this manner is due to the US' attitude towards gender equality in the year of production, 2011. The US ranked 17th in the world, considerably lower than Denmark. This position suggests that women have much more flaws than men, rather than having little to no power in society. There difference between the two countries clearly supports the representation of both characters. Carrie's representation here proves Butler's gender performativity theory. Butler suggested that women and men are expected to perform in certain roles, which happens in Homelands. The US have a much lower rank for gender equality compared to Homelands, so naturally it is expected for Carrie to be much more flawed due to this nature that Homeland was produced in, which unfortunately is how she is represented.

In conclusions, there is a vast difference between the way the two protagonists of the shows the Killing and Homeland have been represented. Sarah Lund is represented a strong, clever and intelligent individual, however Carrie Mathison is represented as a flawed character.

Wednesday 5th May

LO: To analyse a variety of scenes using accurate terminology

Semiology - Barthes

Study of signs. Denotations and connotations are organised into myths - the ideological meaning. For example a Rose may signify love.
Denotations signify connotations.

Scene 3: Introduction to Larssen family

Represented as a traditional happy family. High angle shot of Theis and his wife kissing on the floor. Close up of family photo.
Economic issues are represented a serious. Use of dialogue, they cannot afford to fix the dishwasher. Diegetic sound of items smashing at the shop and dialogue of the shop owner becoming annoyed, the crisis means people cannot afford to lose money.
Theis compliments a standard family stereotype. Long range shot of him attempting to fix dishwasher and low angle shot reverse shot of him calming Vagn down.
Their home is represented as more of a workplace than a house. Through the dialogue of Theis and his wife discussing buying a new flat and mise en scene, they have Theis' work garage below their flat.
Their family is arguably similar to the Brody family from Homelands, at the start it is not a stereotypical family, Brody is assumed dead and Jessica is with his friend Mike. As the episode progresses it becomes more like a normal family when Brody returns. Both Brody and Theis are respected characters throughout the episode.
Barthes can be applied as the denotations quite literally signify the connotations.
We are aware that the Larsen family is struggling with the economical crisis due to the fact that they cannot afford a new dishwasher. We know they have children having not seen them due to the close up of the family photo on the wall with non diegetic saddening music.
Natural ideologies are the belief that the man of the family is out working and the woman is at home. Theis is the main source of income in the family with his business.

Viewpoints and Ideologies:

Individualism (belief that the role of the individual is better than the group) - Represented in a positive light. Sarah is constantly solving the case by herself. She notices the photo of Nanna on the wall, notices the kids going fishing and goes to investigate the prank murder by herself. Her family relationship breaks down as a result of it.
Consumerism - Represented in a positive manner, Theis owns a very successful business meaning his wife does not have to work.
Patriarchy - Represented in a negative manner. Sarah is a dominant character in the police force and almost single handedly solves the case.
Ethnocentrism (belief that your own culture is normal and natural and that others are strange) - Represented as the normal belief. The police force makes many crude jokes about Sarah's move to Sweden and Jan is not confident in what she wants to pursue over there. Also Vagn's behaviour towards the immigrants in the shop.

Stereotypes:

Victim - Nanna is represented a normal murder victim. She is chased through dark woods and tied up to be left in a car.
Politicians - Represented as corrupt. The mayor is very corrupt which is seen in his dialogue with Troells, he has no remorse for Nanna's disappearance either. Troells is represented as a breath of fresh air.
Police - Represented and important figures in society. Sarah's intelligence and intuition throughout solving the case shows that police are needed in society.
Swedish nationality - Represented in a negative manner. They are stereotyped through Sarah's colleagues gifting her skiing equipment.
Family unit - The Larsen family is represented as a stereotypical family. Theis is out working, his wife is at home and they are happily married with kids.
Racism - Shown as the norm throughout the show. Vagn is extremely racist towards the shop owner with no concern from others.

Fandom - Jenkins

Applies to the range and diversity of representations offered by LFTVD to textual poachers who wish to use these products to create their own culture in fan sites.
Many LFTVD achieve cult status adding to their value for fans
The optimistic view of the power of audiences underestimates the power of the oligarchy media.

Question 1 Plan:

Introduction - The different social groups represented and the two shows showcased.
Paragraph 1 - How women have been represented in both shows. The Killing Sarah positively and Homelands Carrie negatively. Context is each country's different approach to gender equality. Theory would be proving Van Zoonen's feminist theory. Evaluating how successful
Paragraph 2 - How people of power have been represented. The Killing represented Troells Hartmann as a down to earth politician, however Homelands represents the Vice President as a cocky politician. Context is each country's election system, 10 parties for Denmark 2 for USA. Theory would be proving Bell Hooks' feminist theory.
Paragraph 3 - How people with mental health issues are represented. The Killing represents Sarah as intelligent because she is, Carrie is intelligent because of her bipolar disorder. Context would be each country's approach to gender equality. Theory would be Barthes' semiology theory.
Paragraph 4 - How foreigners are represented. Both represented negatively across shows. Context would be each country's approach to immigrants and the theory would be Gilroy.
Conclusion - Concluding how successful this is.

Comments

Miss MacApril 23, 2020 at 2:14 AM
Excellent notes and understanding of the episode Eli. I would recommend watching the full season if you can. It will help with your understanding of the context.
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Miss MacMay 5, 2020 at 4:21 AM
TVD 3 (Context): excellent analysis and understanding of the context and the genre. Really well written and expressed.
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Miss MacMay 5, 2020 at 4:28 AM
TVD4&5 (characters): Again, fantastic analysis Eli. Really well done. The level of detail and links to the context are spot on. All I would add would be maybe linking some elements to genre conventions and include more media terminology when analysing scenes (shot types, MES choices, lighting etc.) and their connotations. Great stuff!
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Miss MacMay 11, 2020 at 2:27 AM
TVD6 (representation): excellent notes and a fantastic analysis of the representation of the CIA. Well done.
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Miss MacMay 19, 2020 at 3:04 AM
TVD7 (DIRT): Great notes and additions. To be fair, you didn't have masses to do ;-)

TVD8 (Killing Intro): Great notes. I hope you liked it.
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Miss MacJune 4, 2020 at 2:53 AM
TVD9 (Killing Industry): excellent, detailed and accurate notes.

TVD10 (Killing Characters): again, excellent analysis with detailed media language

TVD11 (Killing Context): fantastic understanding of the social aspects of the context and the comparison to Homeland. Well done Eli.
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Miss MacJune 22, 2020 at 6:38 AM
TVD12 (Killing Scene Analysis): some excellent points and supporting textual analysis. Well done. Don't be afraid to think outside the episode. For example, you comment about the difference between the representation of politics in the two texts. It could be argued that the Danish police system is seen to outrank the political one when it comes to murder - suggesting a more socialist society than the American one where politics is something to be worked around or obeyed. Also, the overall theme with politics in Homeland is that politics is far more global - they are protecting the nation from foreign attack. This contrasts with the very insular feel of the Danish political system.

TVD13 (Killing Context Analysis): again - strong, detailed analysis. Be careful with the following - the Swedish stereotypes. These are used but in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way, suggesting a more light-hearted competitiveness between the two countries. Also - with Sarah's sexuality, compare how she is represented through her clothes, hair and make up as well as her action, to Carrie in Homeland.

TVD14 Exam Practice 1: Excellent, articulate and detailed response with a clear argument throughout! Well done. I will give detailed feedback in the next lesson.

BBC Radio 4 Notes: great notes - I hope you can see the relevance.
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Bodmin College Media Mrs BusbyMarch 8, 2021 at 1:39 AM
3/3/21- good notes here from the re-watching of the episode.
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Bodmin College Media Mrs BusbyMarch 24, 2021 at 8:24 AM
24/3/21- Thorough analysis of the scene and the textual detail of the scene backing up what you stated. You now need to address the cultural context through the representations of women and expectations which you can also back up with Van Zoonen and expected performance of gender roles.
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Bodmin College Media Mrs BusbyMarch 31, 2021 at 7:16 AM
31/3/21- Good analysis on media language, try to link this to audience reading and impact, you can also bring in the theory of Hall here if it fits rather than at the end- up to you. Try to refer to context and link in how the context is revealed in her representations and behaviours, think about social understanding of Mental illness and how this reinforces cultural stereotypical expectations of women in America that they resort to sexuality to advance their role or get them out of trouble?
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Bodmin College Media Mrs BusbyApril 28, 2021 at 11:46 AM
28/4/21- Very detailed media language analysis and clear links made to the context of the Danish society. However in order to address the question for each piece of media language, or collection of media language that works together, you must explain in detail what this reflects about the protagonists and therefore the societal issues that they represent. This then will strengthen your argument and basically build up that Sarah is a strong successful female which reflects how Denmark see women. When mentioning a theorist be specific on which part of their theory it relates to and then how or why it disproves or proves something. You don't need to explain the theory but you do need to be able to discuss it when applying (I know you your theorists and can explain and apply them, you just need to demonstrate that in your response)
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