PAPER 2

• (The Killing)

  Quick facts

  - premiered on the Danish national television channel DR1

  - first episode was on the 7th january 2007

  - set in Copenhagen, Denmark

  - each episode represnts 24 hours in a day

  - shown 9pm double prime time slot on a saturday for 10 weeks

  
• (The Killing)

  Production Context

  - First shown in double bills over 10 Saturday nights = 20 episodes at prime-time slots

  - Long-form drama = meant to signify the time scale of an actual police case of 20 days with each episode resembling a 24-hour day making it more realistic/thrilling due to suspense

  - Hybridised police procedural/thriller/noir

  - appeal of binge factor due to length and availability on streaming services
• (The Killing)

  Audience

  - 25-55-year-old audiences

  - more significant female demographic

  - Middle class ABC1 ( guardian readers)

  - Those higher educated and with a greater cultural capital (subtitles)

  - Coincides with BBC4 viewers = value information / education

  - intelligent audiences = have patience to watch a 'slow burn'

  - Enjoyment of long-form shows which unfold gradually

  - enjoy niche offerings such as this dark content
• (The Killing)

  Social/cultural context

  - A show aimed at those with a high cultural capital who can enjoy subtitles and the length of the show which within society can mostly be received with an oppositional opinion.

  - Reflects typical Danish culture through the mise-en-scene such as the clothing, weather and settings all of which can be used to make a clear decipher of the location the show is produced which is also similar to the UK which attracts audiences
• (The Killing)

  Historical/political contexts

  - Gender stereotypes are challenged through the maternal figure of Lund subverted by the fact that she has a strained relationship with her son and prioritises work over her family and personal life

  - While the victim is presented as human during the reveal she still conforms to typical female victim stereotypes of being blonde, white, and skinny with a model like look to her which is typical in majority of crime dramas shown on tv
• (The Killing)

  Industry

  - Globally distribute included Germany and holland (120 countries)

  -3 series in total 2007, 2009 and 2012

  -Synergy due to it being based on a novel published by Macmillan

  - American remake in 2012, and shown on BBC4

  - DR a Danish broadcasting corporation were the creators (PSB) and are like BBC in terms of their values and operation

  - funding from Germany and sold merchandise so ending up being a profitable venture

  - E-media aided spreading the word of The Killing with the guardian running weekly summaries with the option for commenting
• (The Killing)

  Media language

  - Opening sequence of nanna being chased in the woods = beautifully filmed symmetrical but during a gruesome moment (binary opposites of beauty vs horror), medium close up shot of victim's feet running, lowkey lighting, auditory code of nanna whimpering in fear, frantic running through water with diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in the background, dark colour palette, killer with torch almost indicating power, silhouette showing that she is isolated, pathetic fallacy of the foggy weather, sense of doom in opening scene with clock, airport setting with planes overhead show that she is totally along as she can see them but not the other way around, full of enigma codes

  - Ending sequence of car being pulled out of the water = beautiful backdrop of the pink and purple sky gives the idea that something bad is going to happen, the car being lifting high into the air gives connotations of heaven and the outcome of Nanna's future
• (The Killing)

  Representation of females

  - Female = main detective, heterosexual, mother, has a good job, liked by team so typical stereotypes of a female however subverts this by being a 'maverick' who is tough and has personal problems. Also avoids the male gaze wearing clothes that completely cover skin so is not sexualised by producers and audiences and the actual actor refused to do a romantic sub plot saying it was 'unnecessary
• (The Killing)

  Representation of family and the victim

  - Domestic settings = parents of the girl (nanna) a happy family with multiple children, cosy atmosphere, family pictures

  - Victim = presented as human rather than just an object which is compared to typical crime drama conventions where they dehumanise the victim. Very quick shot of victim, see limited scars or injury only see enough to determine the outcome but no extreme blood or gore
• (The Killing)

  Gerbner - mean world syndrome


  - argues that crime dramas confirm the view that the world is full of bad things such as murderers and attackers

  - The Killing is a crime drama that includes these negative elements so supports the idea
• (The Killing)

  Barthes - enigma codes


  - codes which make you question elements as an audience

  - the killing does this due to its long nature and various sub-plots
• (The Killing)

  Theorists

  - Todorov = narrative theory (media products follow a narrative which the killing does but with many sub plots added to add tension)

  - Blumer & Katz = uses and gratifications theory (audiences gain things from watching the killing such as surveillance and entertainment)

  - Gerbner = cultivation theory
• (The Killing)

  Key scenes

  - the opening scene with Nanna running through the woods

  - Scene with Lund having a paty with her work collegues

  - Lund and son car scene where she forgets his sports team name

  - The ending scene when Theis find outs about Nanna
• (The Killing)

  Episode 1 overview

  - A woman is chased by an unknown person in the woods. Inspector Sarah Lund's Danish colleagues throw her a surprise farewell party as she is emigrating to Sweden along with her son, to live with her boyfriend. At an isolated site, police find blood, a woman's clothes, and a video card in Theis Birk Larsen's name. Sarah and new DCI Inspector Jan Meyer are called to the scene. Theis runs a transport company and lives with his wife Pernille, daughter Nanna and two sons. Troels Hartmann, a government education minister, is standing to be Mayor of Copenhagen; the incumbent, Poul Bremer, offers him a deal to back out but he refuses. Sarah and Jan question Pernille and ask her to call her daughter Nanna, who supposedly spent the night at a girlfriend's; Nanna is unreachable. The police gather Nanna's class for questioning, cancelling the mayoral debate at the school. Meanwhile, Lisa, Nanna's best friend, leaves and searches for Nanna, presuming her to be with Oliver, her ex-boyfriend. Theis goes to Oliver's house, but Nanna is not there. Sarah leads a search party into the woods, missing her farewell reception and flight. They find Nanna's body in the boot of a car submerged in a nearby waterway. The car belongs to Troels's campaign office.
• (No Offence)

  Quick facts

  - premiered on televisions Channel 4

  - first episode was on the 5th May 2015

  - set in Manchester, Britain

  - first episode launched with 2.5 million viewers

  - show 9pm slot on a Tuesday for 8 episodes

  
• (No Offence)

  Production context

  - Produced by Abbottvision = a company owned by the writer and producer of the show, Paul Abbott.

  - Broadcasted on Channel 4 every Tuesday night after 9pm so classed as a 'watershed' programme.

  - Contains adult language and violent themes.

  - Hybrid genre of police crime and comedy.
• (No Offence)

  Industry

  - Channel 4 = public service broadcaster, but also receive some government funding alongside the public funding.

  - Channel 4 must ensure that its programming is innovative, offers alternative points of view, and reflects the cultural diversity of the country.

  - Show was a critical and commercial success in the UK, it was also a ratings success in France where it was shown on the national broadcast channel, France2.

  - Channel 4 uses series such as No Offence to add value to the channel through the availability of the 'box set' on All4.
• (No Offence)

  Audience

  - Educated and politically liberal audience fitting with those similar too Channel 4

  - Socio economic scale of ABC1

  -Female and male viewership but higher female audience

  - Average age of viewer is 18-35

  - Channel 4 as an institution have the same primary target audience

  -Ratings identify as a mainstream audience however the show was meant to be niche

  - Fans of Abbott's work such as 'shameless' with similar humor and plots

  - Secondary audience is those within Manchester due to national/regional identity
• (No Offence)

  Social/cultural context

  - Reflects typical British culture through the Mise-en-scene such as the clothing and the red brick buildings all of which can be used to make a clear decipher of the location used which is Manchester resonating with a British audience.

  - Offers a platform to explore gender, social class, ethnicity, disability, and also regional stereotyping all through the casting and settings which help appeal and attract to primary/secondary audience
• (No Offence)

  Historical/political context

  - Deals with a range of social, cultural and political issues arising from current contemporary contexts.

  - The Manchester police force is used as a microcosm of society to examine changing gender roles and the humanization of the force

  - The focus of the case which features children and adults with Down's syndrome examines the position of people with disabilities in the wider society and how they are treated
• (No Offence)

  Media language

  - Opening scene with Dinnah in the taxi and chasing the man = shot in a fast-paced manner with close-up shots and long-shots giving audiences the full picture, enigma codes due to not knowing who Dinnah is or what she is doing and the cliff hanger after the man's unfortunate end, subverts typically female conventions with her doing the chasing showing power and impulsiveness.

  - Toilet scene with Viv and the men = shot through mid-shots giving the idea of intrusiveness, challenges patriarchy with the crude humour used by Viv, shows her invading their spaces as they did with her showing power.

  - Ending scene with Dinnah offering her home to Kathy = includes low music in the background to build atmosphere, low lighting to emphasise emotions of both characters, enigma code with the ending, shows Dinnah as human and caring after episodes drama and impulsiveness.
• (No Offence)

  Representation of females

  - all three main protagonists play crucial roles within the show, each one has an individual but strong personality

  - Viv is respected as a female boss who is the source of humour but also a motherly figure and team player, challenges patriarchy using humour and voyeurism shown by them men's toiles and peep hole scenes.
• (No Offence)

  Representation of disability

  • Writers have chosen to represent people with Down's Syndrome as victims however they are portrayed as human and grown adults shown by the scenes including Mikey talking about how he is sexually active and the idea that his wife Jocely was a business leader
• (No Offence)

  Gauntlet - identity theory

  • idea that media doesn't create identities but rather just reflects them
  • British and Manchester representations so viewers might see it as a part of their own identity
• (No Offence)

  Key scenes

  • opening scene with Dinnah in the car and on the chase
  • Viv scene opening the door onto the men in the toilet and lecturing them
  • the water scene where Dinnah jumps in to save Kathy
  • the end scene where Dinnah offers her home to Kathy who is a victim
• (No Offence)

  Theorists

  • Blumer & Katz = uses and gratifications theory (audiences gain things from watching No Offence such as entertainment)
  • Todorov = narrative theory (media products follow a narrative which No Offence does but with many sub plots added to add tension and excitement)
  • Barthes = enigma code (codes which make you question shown by Dinnah background in No Offence)
• (No Offence)

  Episode 1 overview

  • Dinah catches sight of a robbery suspect on her way home from a night out, but when she chases him into the path of a double decker bus, her candidacy for promotion to sergeant is thrown into question. Meanwhile, two young girls with Down's syndrome have been murdered, and a third young girl is missing. Dinah notices a link between the cases, and it's not long before the team find themselves running out of time to find the latest victim before the killer strikes again.
• (GQ)

  Quick facts

  • full name = Gentleman's Quarterly
  • first published in 1931
  • tagline = "look sharper and live smarter"
  • host British GQ Men of Year Awards
  • owned by conglomerate Condé Nast
  • focus on March 2022 Robert Pattinson edition
• Industry

  Produced by Conde Nast
• Conde Nast is a huge conglomerate who own other names such as Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair
• GQ

  • Multi-platform including a website and mobile phone app so content can be accessed anywhere, whenever readers want
  • Claim to be the owners of the worlds most culture defining brands
  • "look sharp, live smart" is the GQ moto
• Competition of GQ

  • Men's health
  • Esquire (owned by Hearst)
• GQ

  • Company has a huge print, online and digital presence
  • Circulation of around 115,000
  • Readership of 400,000
• Conde Nast

  • 6000 individuals
  • 37 brands
  • 26 languages
  • 32 markets
• (GQ)

  Audience

  • Higher male percentage of readers with it being 62% male to 38% female.
  • Average age of readers is 38
  • Style, culture, and entertainment
  • People of action, informing and influencing others.
  • Social class AB with a higher disposable income typically £100k
  • Succeeders and aspirers
  • Typically, heterosexual but that's not exclusively.
  • Wealthy people, those with power and style and is majority people that have influence on others that purchase this magazine.
  • 58% married, 42% single
  • 64% work part/full time
  • 67% engage in exercise
• (GQ)

  Front cover language

  • Masthead = front covers are the selling tool to advertise the brand, yet GQ is partially covered by the actor giving the idea that Pattinson himself is going to sell the magazine
  • Top sub story = designer dead at 44 years old, 6 months before this edition, aspirational model, diverse.
• (GQ)

  Front cover language

  • Visual codes entice and engage potential readers so the eye contact and the tilted head for example give readers the go ahead to pick the magazine up.
  • Main feature story of "who is Robert Pattinson?" = contrasting font indicating diverse content, grunge and informal style, rhetorical question so an enigma code to make audiences question and want to read further to discover the answer, almost a question about his masculinity or identity which opens the doorway for readers to pose that question to themselves.
• (GQ)

  Representations

  • GQ can be seen as challenging stereotypes with the inclusion of gender, grooming and fashion (Zoonen-gender theory)
  • Pattison looks wild yet we know this is a different version of the known actor (butler-gender perform)
  • Reference to 'golden age' and 'holy grail' infer ideas relating to wealth reinforcing the brand values and the voice of authority on topics such as culture and fashion
  • representation of LQBTQ+ with the interview with actor Jonathan Bailey
• (GQ)

  Gauntlett - identity theory

  • the idea that we use the media to construct our identity . The media is a 'tool' to our identities
  • GQ provides readers with topics that can help provide a sense of identity but also provide them with some subversions such as the subversion of hypermasculinity.
• (The Gentlewoman)

  Quick facts

  • launched in 2010
  • tagline - "celebrates modern women of style and purpose"
  • published by Dutch duo Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom
  • own the Gentlewomen club
  • focus on Scarlett Johansson edition