TV Crime Drama Revision Booklet

Media Language

Representation

Industry – BBC/ ITVAudience

Context – Historical, Social, Cultural,

Economic

The Exam – Component Two Section A

Date of exam_____________________________________________________________________

In the exam you will be shown a 3 – 5 minute clip of Luther (Series 1, Episode 1). You can re-watch the episode on BBC iPlayer - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sbjbv/luther-series-1-episode-1 )You will also need to discuss the opening ten minutes of The Sweeney which you can re-watch via Google Classroom

Media LanguageAreas to look at:

Camera work (framing and composition – shot types, angle, position, movement etc.) Lighting and colour Editing – pace, type of edits, continuity Mise-en-scene – setting and location, props, costume/dress, hair/make-up as appropriate Sound – including dialogue, music, diegetic and non-diegetic Narrative structure, including the ideas of Todorov and what it typical of a TV Crime Drama Character Types, including the ideas of Propp and what it typical of a TV Crime Drama.

Some possible ideas to consider:

Media Language Activities

Describe how aspects of media language have been used in these images:

LOCATIONS – Some locations are commonly found in TV Crime Dramas such as the interview room, the court room, the autopsy room or the police squad meeting room. Both texts use: cities, streets, alleyways, houses, car parks etc.

PROPS / COSTUMES – Guns, torches, notepads, uniforms, suits, smart office wear, cars of the period

LIGHTING – Often quite dark and dingy lighting to create a grimy dangerous feel. Occasional uses of warm/bright lighting to show contrast.

CAMERA WORK – Occasional handheld shots that are quite shaky, lots of moving tracking shots so we can follow car chases and characters etc. Especially in Luther, slow panning shots to allow us to see the city landscape. Close up shots of important clues to help solve the crimes. Low angles are often used to make the hero and villains look powerful. Mid shots are common to show relationships.

EDITING – Fast paced editing so that the show is fast paced and creates a feeling of adrenalin for the audience. Some scenes are edited more slowly to allow the audience to absorb crucial information.

SOUND – Tense, fast and dramatic music is often used. And the dialogue (words spoken) is often quick, and filled with police / crime jargon (technical language) as well as working class slang. Dialogue is very important as it provides clues to help solve the crime.In Luther, office based scenes, dialogue is often polite and formal to show the middle class characters. Tone of voice is also very important to help communicate personalities and feelings of characters. The way the criminals speak in The Sweeney is very different to the police’ highlighting different social classes.

SPECIAL EFFECTS & STUNTS - There are normally lots of special effects such as impressive graphics, fight sequences, car chases, gun fights and gory make up that create an adrenalin rush in the audience

REALISM – A style of filming and editing that is very “realistic”. This might involve using hand held camera shots, characters based on real people, cases based on real cases, real locations (as opposed to sets), realistic dialogue etc. It makes the drama more “real”.

NARRATIVE – A typical crime drama will include the discovery of a body/ crime, car chases, witnesses and suspects being interviewed, arrests, fights, procedural scenes (examining crime scene, forensics), action sequences, enigma, suspense, disruptions to normal life, binary oppositions. All of these work to make the narrative exciting, fast paced, engaging and fill of conflict.

CHARACTERS – Heroes and villain are most common. Something the detective is a maverick and does not follow the rules. There are always authority figures, victims who need to be protected. The main detective normally has a side kick and they will get help from experts and witnesses.

Remember when answering a media language question you should use a PEE paragraph• Point - name the technique and brief outline the meaning (In the extract costumes have been used to

help us identify characters)• Example – accurately describe what we see in the extract (Luther is wearing a smart suit with a tie,

collared shirt and jacket. Alice is wearing a casual blue top and trousers. The top is covered in blood)• Explanation - go into detail about the meaning created and say why it is important (Because of the

costumes it is easy for us to see that Luther is the hero. He is professional dressed which tells us that he is serious and intelligent. This is contrasted with Alice who is seen as a victim because she is covered in blood. It is important for the audience to quickly be able to understand characters so we can engage with the narrative

Media Language – Genre

Genre: is important for both consumers and media producers. Consumers can make choices about media texts they wish to consume and media producers can create a media text for a specific audience. If a media producer wants to gain an audience for a particular genre, then they have to understand the genre codes and conventions - and include them in the media text they are creating.

You need to understand:• Products from the same genre will have similarities and differences, offering audiences

familiar elements along with new or unexpected elements. This pattern of repetition and variation offers appeals to audiences and helps to guarantee the success of a product for media producers.

• Genres change and develop over time (in relation to social and cultural contexts for example, and in response to technological developments). This is why we can see differences between Luther and The Sweeney.

• Genres are fluid and do not have clear boundaries – producers combine elements of different genres to form hybrids – both products have a “love interest” for example.

Repetition of expected features of genre:

The Sweeney and Luther - repetition of male detective constructed as flawed/maverick character who uses questionable methods to get results.

Variation of expected conventions of genre:

Variation of conventions – in order to offer new or different elements to differentiate a product from other genre products:

e.g. Luther features different representations of females – senior police officer (Luther’s boss), successful lawyer (Luther’s wife), murderer (Alice).

The dynamic nature of genre – it changes over time:

Luther and The Sweeney share many common features – for example the model of the detective and their side kick. There are differences too – for example, Luther is able to draw on an understanding of the psychology of the murderer – this is not in evidence in The Sweeney. Genre changes over time due to contextual factors e.g. social/cultural, technological developments, industry etc.

Representations as part of genre:

The difference between The Sweeney and Luther in terms of strong female representations reflects the change in social context as there is now more equality between the sexes (compared to the 1970s

when The Sweeney is set – a much more patriarchal society is evident).

Hybrids – or mixing of genres:

Hybridity – merging of genres conventions to offer wider appeal and develop a genre: e.g. Luther hybridises elements of psychological drama and the thriller genre to reflect developing trends in the crime genre. The move away from pure police crime drama towards more complex psychological crime dramas can be traced back to series from the 1990s such as Cracker, and this is reflected across wider recent examples of the genre.

EXTENSION

Key theory to consider when talking about genreGenre (Neale):Genre is comprised of conventions that are repeated consistently in order to signpost the category of text. These conventions are repeated, but also there must be some element of difference in order to appeal to audiences. Thus we have hybrid genres and sub-genres that use some consistent elements, but will often vary themselves as wellKey Conventions of TV Crime Drama

● ENIGMA AND SUSPENSE – Enigma means “mystery” and is a phrase used by a man called Roland

Barthes. He thinks that a good story should involve a lot of “enigma” and suspense to keep the audience guessing about what happened and who did it.

● RED HERRINGS – Red Herring is a phrase used to describe a clue that leads the hero to temporarily

make the wrong conclusion about who is guilty. For example, a fingerprint might make the police think a particular person committed the crime for a while but actually it was someone else and this becomes clear later on.

Media Language Genre Activities

What can you see in the first 10 minutes that identifies the programme Luther as belonging to the Crime Drama genre? Try to write about 2 – 3 paragraphs.

You could consider:

What can you see in the first 10 minutes that identifies the programme The Sweeney as belonging to the Crime Drama genre? Try to write about 2 – 3 paragraphs.

You could consider:

What evidence is there in The Sweeney that crime drama elements have been combined with action elements? (Hybridisation – where two genres are combined together) Try to write one paragraph.

You could consider:

When comparing Luther and The Sweeney how has the crime drama genre changed but also stayed the same? Try to write 2 – 3 paragraphs.

You could consider:

Choose another sequence from Luther discuss what evidence there is that it is a crime drama

Media Language Narrative

TV drama series generally focus on one crime that will be resolved in each episode. Some storylines, however will continue throughout the series (Story Arc). This means that audiences can watch one episode and understand the narrative, but there are added pleasures in watching the whole series and seeing these stories develop. There are certain narrative events that usually occur in crime dramas:

Crime, for example a theft, murder or assault Investigation, which might cover many stages, such as planning the investigation, surveillance,

looking for clues at the scene of the crime, interviewing witnesses, discussion developments, forensic investigation, chases, arrests and interrogating suspects.

Trail, which might include presenting evidence in court, questioning suspects and witnesses, verdicts and sentencing.

There is always a crime that needs to be solved at the centre of the narrative. Crime dramas usually reflect elements of Todorov’s narrative theory, where the crime is the disruption and solving the crime is the resolution. Nonetheless there are different ways in which the narrative may be structured around the crime and investigation, and you will need to consider:

When does the crime happen?o Has it already happened at the start of the narrative, in which case is it shown in a flashback.o Does it occur at the beginning of the narrative?o Does it happen during the narrative after a period of equilibrium?

How is the crime investigated?o How much information is revealed and when? o What clues are given to the possible solution?

Is the crime resolved? o Is the criminal caught? Is there a trail? Is the criminal brought to justice?o Are any elements of the narrative left open, possibly to be solved in a later episode?

There might be a restricted narrative in a crime drama, where the audience is given limited information about the crime or the characters. Crime dramas usually feature multiple enigmas to keep the audience guessing.

A different approach is the inverted narrative. This is where the criminal is identified very early, so there is no enigma surrounding the solving of the crime. The narrative centres instead on how the detective is going to catch the criminal and bring them to justice.

Crime dramas also tend to include many binary oppositions in the narrative such as Crime vs Justice, Police vs Criminals, Good vs Evil, Work vs Relationships/ Family.

The narrative of the crime drama provides particular pleasure for the audience. The investigation elements enable the audience to actively engage by picking up clues to try and solve the crime. The audience is normally positioned with the detective, or hero, one the side of what is ‘right’ or good. The messages within a crime drama usually reinforce the idea that crime is bad and does not pay, that criminals will be catch and punished, equilibrium will return and society will be safe.

(Text taken from page 124 of the textbook produced by Illuminate Publishing) Media Language Narrative Activities

How does Luther use the following narrative element in Series 1 Episode 1? You can refer to any scene from that episode. Remember to give specific examples and details from the episode, use terms and discuss the effect and why those techniques were used.

Enigma

Linear Narrative Structure

Conflict

Resolution/ New Equilibrium

Episodic Structure

Story Arc

Action Codes

What other narrative techniques are used in Luther? Try to write 2 – 3 paragraphs. Remember to give specific examples and details from the episode, use terms and discuss the effect and why those techniques were used.

Did you consider:

Enigma – constant references to the dog from the crime scene, what happened to the murder weapon, what happened to Madsen, why Alice killed her parents?Linear Narrative structure – not always followed (e.g. the start is the ‘end’ of the previous investigation which we never see), Alice is not punished at the end of the episode even though we know she did it, overall the story of Alice does mostly follow a linear structure (starts with her discovering the murder, studying the crime scene, Alice interviewed as a witness etc.) but open ended.Conflict – mostly centred around Luther (fights with Madsen, fights with Mark - very physical), non-physical conflict with his boss (Rose Teller) over getting evidence and protecting Zoe, inner conflict about what he did to Madsen and relationship with Zoe, ‘intellectual’ conflict with Alice etc.Resolution/ New Equilibrium - no traditional resolution, Alice is not punished, Madsen wakes up but we don’t see his next actions, cliff-hangers used instead.Episodic Structure – while there are a number of different plots and subplots the episode does feature one main crime investigation that is focused on (the murder of Alice’s parents) which is somewhat resolved by the end (we know she did it) and can assume that there will be a different crime to solve next episode, tension increases the further we got into the storyline. It did feature a climax (Alice and Luther on the bridge) where the tension was very high and a resolution at the end (phone call between Luther and Alice). Story Arc - many storylines that introduced in the first episode and we want to see how they end (e.g. will Alice get caught, what will happen to Madsen, will Luther and Zoe get back together). The episode also ends with snippets of the next episode.Action Codes - full of action codes so we can predict what will happen next. For example: Alice threatens Zoe - we know this will make Luther mad, Zoe had met someone new - we know that this will upset Luther, Madsen reveals where the girl is - she is saved, Luther lets Madsen fall - he will get in trouble for this.

Other narrative techniques you could talk about:

Inverted Narrative - we learn early on the Alice is the murdererRestricted Narrative – we don’t know much about Madsen and his crimesCliff hangers – what happens next between Alice and Luther, what will Madsen do now he is awakeBinary Opposition – Luther vs Alice

Media Language Character Type

You need to be able to discuss the characters in detail. You will need to discuss elements such as their behaviour, their interaction with other characters and what their costumes might suggest about them.

● You should understand and be able to apply Propp’s character types – is Luther a hero? Is Alice a villain?

Who is the dispatcher?

Don’t forget that TV Crime Dramas also feature typical stock characters: Detective – usually the ‘good guy’ but can be a bit of an anti-hero (rule breaker, maverick) and have

character flaws. They are committed to the job but this does have emotional cost that affects their personal relationships.

The Rookie – a younger less experienced police officer or detective who looks up to the senior detective Buddy Partners – two detectives who are of a similar age and level of experience who will work together to

solve crime. They often complement each other skill set. Grumpy, world weary superior officer Forensic/ Pathologist – a lab geek, or individual who is an expert in a scientific or technical field. They are

often quite quirky. Psychology Expert – highly educated character who will profile criminals

Media Language Character Type Activities

Who are these character types and how do we know? You need to give specific evidence from the episode we watched. Some have been done for you but see if you can add in more information. Think about why these character types are used, what effect they have on the narrative, how the audience might feel about them etc.

Character type How do we knowLuther the show is named after him, he does things like chase after a criminal at the

start to find out where he has hidden a kidnapped girl, he works hard to find out who killed Alice’s parents. But at times he also does things that are not very good like e.g…..

Madsen

Ripley Helper/ Side kick

Princess Luther thinks that if he is good he will get her back in the end and that his life will be complete. She is also threated by the villain and goes to Luther for help (typical of a damsel in distress character).

Ian Reed

Donor

She accepts Luther back into the police force after the incident with Madsen, she assigns him the case involving the murder of Alice’s parents, and while she believes Luther about Alice being the killer she tells him to get evidence to prove it. She is also a wiser and older character that Luther looks up to which is typical of this character type.

Alice Villain

Try writing paragraphs about how characters and narrative techniques are used.

In what ways does Luther conform to and challenge some of the ideas about narrative and character?

One way in which Luther follows Propps’ ideas about character types is by having a:That character is: . I know they are this type of characterbecause:

It is important to have this sort of character because:

One way in which Luther challenges Propp is in the way it uses the character type ofPrincess/ Villain (select one).While it would appear that: is the Princess/Villain the use of this character type is different because:

It is good to challenge character type because:

One narrative technique used in Luther is: You see this when:

The effect this has is:

One way that Luther challenges typical narrative techniques is by:You see this when:

It is good to challenges typical narrative techniques because:

Representation in TV Crime Dramas

Representation in General

Stereotype – An overly exaggerated representation of a type of person that is normally negative. For example, a teenage stereotype would be a hoodie wearing, knife carrying, criminal.

Patriarchy – A type of society where men are dominant over women. Many feminists believe that we live in a patriarchal society where women are forced to be weaker and subservient.

Unconventional – Something which is seen to not be “normal.” For example, an unconventional female character might be powerful, the boss of a company, and very dominant over other characters.

Racism – Actions, behaviour, feelings or words which seem to discriminate against people because of their skin colour. This is normally because the person who is racist believes that there is a difference between people who have different skin colours and they believe one skin colour to be better than another.

Sexism – Actions, behaviours, feelings or words which seem to discriminate against people because of their gender. This is normally because the person who is being sexist believes there is a difference between the two genders and that one gender is better than the other.

Male Gaze – A theory by a lady called Laura Mulvey which suggests that all media products encourage the characters and audience to “leer” at and “look” at women. For example, “the camera angle looking down Sarah’s cleavage encourages the audience to take a ‘male gaze’ over the female character”

Dominant Ideology – A set of beliefs that are widely accepted as being the most normal, or the most accurate. For example, the dominant ideology of men is that they are strong, brave and work to provide money for their families.

There are several gender stereotypes widely seen on television:Male Stereotypes

Traditional masculine man – often shown as being muscly, strong, brave, heterosexual, working in manual jobs such as building, plumbing etc. They are often aggressive, tall, and dominant over women, works to provide for family, does no cleaning, cooking or childcare

New Man – Often shown as being less masculine but still heterosexual, very peaceful, looks after the family, stays at home to look after family, does cleaning and cooking etc, shown as equal to women

Gay Man – Often shown as being very feminine, weak, working in jobs such as fashion or hairdressing, bitchy, etc

Female stereotypes Traditional feminine woman – often shown as being girly, likes pink, wears dresses, does feminine

jobs such as working in fashion, hairdressing or stays at home to look after the children, needs a man to cope, weak, scared of things, needs rescuing, pure and innocent

Sexy woman – very flirty, dresses in a revealing way, more powerful than traditional women, uses men to get what she wants, no loyalty to other women, bitchy

Lesbian Woman – Often shown as dressing in a masculine fashion, doing masculine roles, hating men, looking masculine

The representation of people from different ethnicities has changed massively over the years. This is probably because the population in Britain has become much more diverse recently and current society is much more used to mixing with people from all different cultures and backgrounds. Here are some examples of very negative generic stereotypes that used to be seen (and in some case still are) in film and tv:

White people – often shown as good, pure, heroes, strong, or sometimes racist Black people – often shown as exotic, strange, tribal, criminal, poor Asian people (Chinese, Korean etc) – often shown mainly as intelligent, submissive (quiet and shy),

nerdy, interested in technology Indian people – often shown as being poor, living in large families, very traditional, working in

corner shops Middle Eastern people (Arabs etc) – often shown as being terrorists, violent, aggressive, rich Immigrants – often shown as being a drain on society, criminals, illegal, bad for Britain, taking

British job.

People often note that in TV drama, people from particular ethnicities have storylines that all centre around their culture. For example, Indian characters often battle with the clash between British culture and their traditional culture eg: arranged marriages etc. They rarely have storylines that don’t have something to do with their ethnicity.

It is important to remember that not all characters will fit into these categories and you may have characters that are mixtures.

Representation and Crime Dramas

MEN Men are often represented in TV Crime Dramas in a mixture of STEREOTYPICAL and NON STEREOTYPICAL WAYS. They are sometimes shown as aggressive, antisocial, and angry which is stereotypical of men. As well as this, they are often shown as being quite weak, quite geeky, and often fail to get the girl because they know nothing about the opposite sex which is non-stereotypical of men.

WOMEN Women are often represented in TV Crime Dramas in a NON-STEREOTYPICAL WAY. They are shown as powerful, dominant, strong, clever, and easily able to do just as well as men, if not better. Consider the difference between Luther and The Sweeney. Think about the three key female characters in Luther (Alice, Rose and Zoe)

ETHNIC MINORITIES

People from ethnic minorities (e.g. black, Asian, Muslim people) are often represented in TV crime Dramas in a STEREOTYPICAL WAY. They are shown in a negative way as bad, aggressive, involved in crime, terrorism.Consider Idris Elba being cast in a leading role. There are a FEW lead detectives or heroes who are from ethnic minorities and at times he does behave in a stereotypical way.Some people argue that some ethnic minorities are NOT REPRESENTED AT ALL in TV Crime Dramas. For example, there are virtually NO Asian, Indian or Chinese characters in TV Crime Dramas. If they ARE in a show, they are often shown as being computer experts. There is limited diversity in The Sweeney which is representative of the context and the prevailing attitude of the time.

Representation in TV Crime Dramas Activities

Try to write an answer focusing on Alice

The female in the extract, Alice, represents gender

Her behaviour is

The fact that she subverts gender representation as

When she say “ “ it suggests

She reinforces femininity due to the fact

At the same time she is non stereotypical as

How are the police represented in the first ten minutes of The Sweeney?

You could consider:

How are the criminals represented in the first ten minutes of The Sweeney?

You could consider:

Industries – The Television Industry (BBC and ITV)

Industries – The Television Industry Activities

BBC One and Luther

BBC one is the corporation’s primary channel. it offers a range of programme types and genres of programmes and aims to appeal to a very wide audience. BBC is the public service broadcaster and receives funding from the government and via the TV licence. As a result of this BBC has set goals that it must achieve. These come from the BBC Trust service licence, OFCOM and the Royal Charter. BBC One has a remit to create a high proportion of original programs and to reflect the diversity of the UK. Luther helps BBC and BBC One in particular to achieves it aims and goals.

BBC One Goal How Luther helps to achieve goal

Appeal to a mass audience

Think about the shows genre, storylines and stars

Reflect the diversity of Britain culture

Think about the character - what do they do, what ethnicity are they

Nurture UK talent How do we know this is a British programme? Who are some of key people involved?

Original and Innovative

Think about how the characters and narrative are different to other crime dramas.

Challenging Think about how the narrative and representations (gender and ethnicity) might challenge the audience.

Engaging Think about how the narrative and characters would keep the audience interested

Exam style Question and marks scheme

Write your response to the question using Luther as your example. Be aware of what grade you are targeting!

You could consider:• Luther is broadcast on the BBC, a Public Service Broadcaster with a remit to provide audiences with

a diverse mix of content the educates, entertains and informs.• Designed to fulfil the remit to entertain. • Luther has been made available on DVD, BBC iPlayer and Netflix. Also, profit made from being on

BBC America – which raises revenue through advertising. • Synergies with books based on the series. Some merchandise available (although not all official).

The soundtrack is commercially available. • Has a 15 rating. Shown after the 9pm watershed. Content can therefore be aimed at a more adult

audience.

Write your response to the question using The Sweeney as your example. Be aware of what grade you are targeting!

You could consider:• The Sweeney was broadcast on ITV, which relies on advertising to fund its programming.• The Sweeney is available on DVD to buy – but not available via any online streaming service. Not

even on You Tube! Relies on traditional methods of viewing. • The Sweeney’s violence and use of guns/car chases meant that it was broadcast after 9pm. The

DVD box sets have a 15 rating. Compared to modern crime dramas not particularly shocking. • Synergies – there are books of the series. Reimagined as a modern version in 2012 film.

Audiences

Who is the Luther target audience?

The target demographic are male crime fiction fans, ‘explorers’ in terms of psychographics, and those subscribed to the A-C1 socio-economic demographic scale given the narrative twists require close attention to comprehend. Given that the show airs at 9PM (the watershed hour), it is unsuitable for children and thus targets people aged from 18-90, further supported by its execution of graphic imagery and serious subject matter, such as murders and serial killers. British people are also targeted, due to the setting of London.

The Sweeney

The Sweeney was broadcast on ITV at 9pm on a Monday evening. This was a key time to appeal to an adult audience. 9pm is the watershed in the UK so some violence is allowed. The Sweeney has a predominantly male cast and covers stories about crime in London. The target audience is likely to be men. When the programme was reimaged and released on Blu-ray the producers were hoping to appeal to the audience who watched it originally as well as introducing it to a new audience who are fans of crime drama and would see the historical significances of the show. What is the appeal to the audience of a TVCD?

Consider the way in which The Sweeney and Luther have different appeals.

REASON AUDIENCES LIKE CRIME DRAMASEnigma – Audiences watch for the mystery of trying to work out why committed the crime, why they did it, how they did it etc.

More Entertaining than real life – the crimes are more exciting than real crimes, the makers are able to edit out the boring bits, the paperwork etc.

Thrilling action sequences with adrenalin pumping stunts and chase sequences

Special effects such as gory bodies and wounds which will shock and excite audiences

Audiences are sadistic – We often enjoy watching bad things happen to other people because it makes us feel better that our own lives aren’t as bad as theirs and some say we enjoy watching other people suffer!

Allows us to see things we wouldn’t normally see! – In crime dramas the audience is able to see people they would never normally get to see eg criminals and police. We get to see their hidden lives.

Crime Dramas allow us to live vicariously – Audiences watch the shows and are able to experience emotions and feelings like fear, danger, dread, that they wouldn’t normally be able to or want to experience in real life. The shows also allow us to watch things we couldn’t normally do, like shootings, chases etc. It allows audiences experience all these things from the comfort and safety of their own sofas

We like justice! – Audiences enjoy seeing that crime doesn’t pay and that justice is always done. We like the happy endings where the bad guys get caught and are punished.

Identity – Often audiences enjoy being able to put themselves into the shoes of the main characters and imagine “what would I do in that situation”

Information – We can learn a lot from Crime Dramas about science, forensics, laws etc. It is important to note that not all the information given out in Crime Dramas is accurate and a lot is made up for the show.

Relationships / Social Interaction – Often we feel like we have personal relationships with the main characters as they re-appear every week, and we get to know them. We find out about their personal lives, their relationships, their weaknesses. We start to care about them and if our friends enjoy the same shows we can discuss the show with them and feel like part of a community of fans

Uses and Gratification Theory

Extension: Stuart Hall and Reception Theory.

Stuart Hall believes that an audience will read/respond to any media text in three main ways

Preferred Reading – the audiences’ reaction to the text is the one that the producers hoped for (e.g. exciting, dramatic, scary). They will enjoy the text and agree with the messages and values it has.Negotiated Reading – the audience will accept some of the ideas of the text but may reject others. For example, a person who has watched a lot of horror films might not get that scared by a horror film but they still like the special effects, a police officer might enjoy the story but find the crime investigation aspect unrealistic.Oppositional Reading – the audience will have understood the messages and values of the text but will not agree with or reject them.

Audiences Activities

Industry and Audience Connection - Fill in the gaps!

When a channel such as the BBC Broadcast television programmes they should be aware of their ____________________ so that they can schedule it at the right time. With the BBC being a public service broadcaster they have a responsibility to provide products for both ____________________ and ____________________ audiences. By choosing to broadcast on their main Channel BBC One it is clear that ____________________ has a ____________________ of adults aged 25–40. Since its critical success and latest streaming on Netflix it has picked up a large ____________________ of 16–25-year-olds. Much of this audience would have developed through the growing number of ____________________ for the lead actor Idris Elba. ____________________ is an example another product that had a very large ____________________ following in 1975. The content was appealing to the ____________________ of adults 25+ who would watch ITV for its drama content. Over time The Sweeney may have picked up a ____________________ of viewers that were not alive in 1975 and may seek out the programmes to watch. They could be ____________________ of the____________________ John Thaw or recognise its status as an influential and critically acclaimed crime drama from its time.

Possible Exam style question

How does Uses and Gratifications theory explain why audience watch crime dramas? [10]

Luther Fans Secondary Audience Secondary Audience Target Audience Star Primary Audience Mainstream The Sweeney

Mainstream Primary Audience Niche Fans

Use the information above to try and write an answer. You should write about 2 – 3 paragraphs using the PEEL structure (Point, Example, Explain, Link to theory and/or audience)

Possible Exam style question.

Why do audiences like crime dramas? Given specific details from Luther and The Sweeney to support your answer. [10]You should write about 2 – 3 paragraphs using the PEEL structure (Point, Example, Explain, Link to theory and/or audience)

Social, Cultural and Historical Context

The Sweeney

The genders were less equal in the society of the 1970s than today, and this was reflected in the structure of the police force. According to the Metropolitan Women Police Association, in 1980 there were 90 female detective constable in the Metropolitan Police Force and over 1400 males. There were very few high-ranking female officers. This is clearly reflected in The Sweeney, where the police force is extremely male dominated. A female police officer is featured in the set episode (but not in the first ten mins that we studied), but she is not involved in the investigation: she is sent to look after Regan’s girlfriend Jenny, who has been threatened by Kemble’s men. Britain was becoming more racially diverse and multicultural in the 1970s, especially in cities such as London, but along with this was racial discrimination. The media did not fully reflect the multicultural nature of Britain, and minority ethnic groups were under-represented and, at the time, misrepresented. In the set episode, for example, there are no characters from minority ethnic groups.The Sweeney was based on the real ‘Flying Squad’, a division of the Metropolitan Police that dealt with serious and violent crime. The Flying Squad (cockney rhyming slang ‘Sweeney Todd’) achieved many successes but was involved in a corruption case in the 1970s and some high-ranking officers were jailed for taking bribes. There are hints in the set episode that officers might be open to corruption: Prosser, for example, suggests that Kemble could ‘buy the police off’ and Regan’s boss expresses concerns about some methods he uses.Socially and politically, the 1970s was a period of upheaval. Economic problems from the decline of manufacturing in Britain led to increased imports. The international oil crisis in 1973 (think about to Man with the Golden Gun), coupled with miners’ strikes resulted in electricity shortages during which television broadcasting ended at 10:30 every night. There were also strikes by, for example, refuse collectors, ambulance personnel and postal workers. Simon Heffer commented in the Daily Telegraph in 2015 that The Sweeney ‘reflected the more turbulent, less ordered world of urban Britain in the Seventies’.The Sweeney can be seen to have influenced many other police dramas, including The Professional and Minder. In 2006 the BBC created a new drama called Life on Mars, which intertextually referenced The Sweeney in many ways. The Sweeney was an important programme in the development of the genre.It broadcast until 1978 and had two feature film spins offs including one made in 2012. It also changed the way in which crime drama was produced. It was filmed on location in and around London. This was helped by the fact the it was recorded on film and the cameras were more lightweight and mobile. This meant that location filming was easier, the producers could introduce ‘cinematic production values’ including lots of action including car chases and stunts. They also used multi camera set ups where action was filmed from a range of camera placed in different positions so that action could be shown from different viewpoints. Location filming also added to the sense of realism. This along with rapid turnaround times, and no rehearsals was innovative and has become the standard method of how TV dramas are now made.

Luther

The female representation in Luther reflects the fact that women now have more equality of opportunity and have gained power in the workplace, Zoe, Rose and Alice are all professional women in senior positions.Rose, Luther’s boss is a detective superintendent. The programme shows that the police force now has a higher proportion of female officers in comparison with the 1970s when The Sweeney was made. According to a 2017 Home Office report, nearly 30% of all police officers in England and Wales are now female and over 20% of the more senior roles are occupied by women. In 2017 Cressida Dick was appointed as the first female Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head and highest ranking officer of London's Metropolitan Police Service.John Luther is a senior officer, a detective chief inspector, who is also black. His ethnicity is not a major focus of the programme which in itself shows that there is now greater social equality in society. The same

can be said for Zoe. While black and minority ethnic groups only account for around 6% of police officers in England and Wales, this percentage has been rising in recent years. The name ‘Luther’, however, is likely to have significance in relation to Martin Luther King, the American civil right leader.There are many shots of central London in the episode, including establishing shots of modern buildings and skyscraper, suggesting that it is a successful city. This reflects the contemporary context as London is a major financial centre for international business. It also implies that the series would attract a global audience that would recognise the city and its iconic landmarks. The selection of Idris Elba also reflects the contemporary context as he is a well-known, easily recognisable actor. He was casted following his success in the US Crime Drama The Wire (lead), The Office (US Sitcom - he was in 7 episodes) and as Heimdall in the Marvel Universe franchise. This would again help to attract a global audience which in turn would increase the profitability of the show.

(Much of this text has been taken from pages 129- 130 and 137 – 138 of the text book produced by Illuminate Publishing)

Social, Cultural and Historical Context

1. What messages might The Sweeney be giving about gender roles? Why were these message included at the time? How might a modern audience interpret/feel about these messages?

2. In the 1970s Britain was becoming more racially diverse. Why did the media not reflect this?

3. Why does The Sweeney reference the Flying Squad? How is the representation of the police different in Luther?

4. What were some key events in the 1970s that showed the social and political upheaval of the time?

5. Why would a programme make reference to events going on at the time in which it was made?

6. In what ways does Luther show how society has changed from the 1970s when The Sweeney was made?

Command words that may appear in examination questions

Command Words Definition

Identify (AO1) Describe/State. This word is looking for knowledge.

e.g. Identify one audience for The Archers. (SAMs Comp1 Q4b)

Explore (AO2) Analyse; consider the ways in which…. give examples

e.g. Explore how the advertisement for Quality Street uses the following elements of media language to create meanings

Briefly explain (AO1) Give key reasons to demonstrate understanding of a media product or process

e.g. Briefly explain the difference between the 12 and 12A age certificates.

No requirements for detailed explanation, reasons, examples.

Explain (AO1) Give information and reasons to demonstrate understanding of a media product or process. This word is encouraging a more developed answer.

e.g. Explain why audiences listen to The Archers. Refer to the Uses and Gratifications theory in your response.

Compare (AO2) Consider the similarities and differences between products; make judgements and draw conclusions

e.g. Compare the representation of women in the Pride front cover and the Glamour front cover.

How far

(AO2 – ‘make judgements and draw conclusions’)

Consider to what degree a statement or idea is true for particular media products or processes; make judgements and draw conclusions e.g. 'Music videos reinforce stereotypes of ethnicity.' How far is this true of the two music videos you have studied?

Good tools for Revision

Seneca (sign up using your school email) - https://www.senecalearning.com/BBC Bitesize - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/ztnygk7Eduqas Official site - https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/media-studies/gcse/Mrs Fisher’s YouTube channel