Media language theory
Genre theory: Neale
Genre theory is about what genres are. How they created, how they are changed, endured or declined.
Neale argues that genres aren't fixed and are instead constantly evolving with new additions to the genre. Genre codes and conventions become hybrids with other genres. generic codes and conventions are shared by producers and audiences through repetition in media
Generic codes and conventions are not just established in media products but in products that reference to these products Neale labeled this the intertextual relay.
Links to set texts
KE - hybridized genre of Spy thriller having elements of both genres. Also showing change in the genre rather than following it in a stereotypical tradition manner but changing it to further the representations they have in the show and breaking the C&C of the genre.
LP - Hybridized genre of Crime thriller having elements of both genres. Maintains the traditional elements of genre as they use it as the selling point of the show and focus on other representations in the show to further show a differentiation to other LFTVD.
News we see two different genres being tabloid and broadsheet with their own set of genre conventions we can see however we recently both have hybridized together making a mix of both genres being a mid market tabloid having elements of both.
Tabloid - Smaller, more images, bright color palette mostly red, cover soft news.
Broadsheet - Bigger, mainly one main image and if another pictures it would be in skybox, muted color palette and cover hard news.
Pros and cons
- Draws attention to the process of difference within repetition and hybridity (Mixing genres)
- audience expectations are that of twisting and enigmatic narratives that have been developed.
- Many LFTVD have the resources to real on high production values, star system, rather then genre market itself as a factor of success.
Narratology: Todorov
Todorov identifies the different stages of narrative. The key use of this theory is in identifying the values and ideology suggested by the narrative. Going other how social norms are created in the equilibrium and how they are fixed or changed in the new equilibrium.
Equilibrium - a state of balance and calmness
Disruption - An event that disrupts the equilibrium
Recognition - the realization that the equilibrium has been disrupted
Attempt to solve - The attempt to fix the disruption
New equilibrium - the restoration of balance.
Narratology is the study of narrative; in this case, of narrative structure how all the parts fit together to make a whole.
The movement from the initial equilibrium and to the new equilibrium entails transformation and change. This will show the audience what the transformation expresses what narrative values.
Links to set text
KE - Can follow this format in the first episode as we can see that Villanelle disrupts the equilibrium and how Eve try's to solve this however it doesn't end with restored balance as it is an LFTVD so the linear narrative continues. We also see that Villanelle having her own side plot which connect to the main one. So overall the application of Todorov is difficult for KE.
LP - Doesn't follow a simple linear plot as we see at the final montage where it goes over what we currently seen all was in the past and the equilibrium wasn't actually the equilibrium therefore again Todorov isn't easily applicable to this LFTVD either also it being an LFTVD makes the theory already more harder to apply.
Pros and Cons
Was not designed to explain LFTVD with serial narratives, but single narratives with resolutions, so does not explain copies narratives where the climb and resolution are delayed and last many series/seasons.
Does not explain characters who spiral out the main linear plot or create cliffhangers .
Does not explain several plots alongside the main linear narratives over the linearity of the story.
It is useful in identifying underlying values and messages in narratives equilibriums.
Semiology: Barthes
meaning is communicated through signs which are made up of the signifier (the thing itself) and the signified (The meaning). This process depends on the connotations of sign.
Barthes used the word myths to describe the way connotations suggested by the sign have come to be seen a normal and natural.
the meanings created by these myths often reflect dominant values and ideologies.
Connotations - Where the meaning is created from the sign to mean something else that isn't just the image itself
Denotations - Just the image and no hidden/alternative meaning.
Links to set text
KE - Villanelle having shopping bags and still shown to be heavily focused on fashion creates connotations that characterize her micro level of her of her maintain some form of femineity in a male dominant workspace of assassination. Even killing the Tuscany man and noting down the bed can show some denotations of liking the bed but also connotations over her remaining femineity but her lack of emotion of killing people.
LP - Connotations in LP mainly are used to show the black and white society that Assane Lupin experiences in France showing the two different lifestyles he lives and how one is drastic varying from one to another via color palette and mise-en-scene.
Pros and cons
Semiology is the study of signs and how they create meaning and are interpreted by the audience. The denotations are sign of literal meaning. This theory is very simple to understand and easy to apply to LFTVD
Useful for micro-analysis
denotations and connotations help reinforce stereotypes of male and women and many other things which eventually are normalized in media and when challenge feels very weird for the audience.
Structuralism: Levi-Strauss
the importance of binary oppositions in narratives.
Binary oppositions are pairs of opposed, conflicting forces.
identifying the pairs of binary oppositions which structure narratives can be used to determine the ideological messages within a text.
Structuralism is the study of hidden rules that govern a structure. Levi developed the idea of binary oppositions where the systems of myths and fables was ruled by the structure of opposing terms.
Many writers applied this idea of binary oppositions but saw the overall systems as 'ideology' rather than 'human conscious'.
Links To set text
KE - We see the whole binary opposition of good evil clearly in this via Eve and Villanelle being good vs evil but also we see this via the demonizing of Russia and with the MI5 being the good guys it eventually creates this idea of good and evil again but more like everyone vs Russia.
LP - main one of binary oppositions we see in LP is Poor vs wealthy as we see the affects of living life in such varying classes and how negatively treated people are in these classes.
Pros and cons
Can be used to analyze LFTVD narrative by investigating inside outside oppositions
Can be used to analyze representations and their ideological effect by seeing which side values by the narrative
does not explain anything specific to the LFTVD and does not cover the role of Ownership and control of television that leads to the messages created in LFTVD
Does not cover how audiences interpret television and give it meaning.
Postmodernism: Baudrillard
idea that society has moved beyond modernism.
modern societies were organized by the production of goods, postmodern society is organized around 'simulation' - the play of images and signs.
Hyperreality where the real that is represented is more 'real' than the real.
Postmodernism has a lot of elements into it and can be seen via irony, parody or homage, intertextuality, fragmented narrative, loss of reality and lack of verisimilitude.
Hyperreality - the idea that representations are now more powerful and 'real' than reality.
Hyperreal - Don't represent reality, instead they are representations of representations
Simulacra - Is a real depiction of reality.
Links to set text
KE - Is a hyperreality. As an audience most will not known what MI5 is like and in this show it uses representation to create a reality for the audience which is deemed as 'real' and the actual real of MI5 is unknown but depicted as shown on TV.
LP - The actual story is based of a fictional character being Assane Lupin and through the show to make it exciting it overexaggerates the story and we can see that it mainly uses representations to base its story and it seems to lean more to being a hyperreal than a hyperreality just due to a lot of it being based of exaggeration of representations and continues to add on top of it.
Pros and Cons
Doesn't consider the pleasures of a hyperreal/hyperreality media form as an escape from reality
Some of these representations become more stronger than reality and therefore influence LFTVD and there structure
can be a very helpful theory to analyses how representations are constructed and there way of meaning.
Links really well with intertextual references which LFTVD have a lot of.
