A little chat

• Just 16 school weeks until the GCSEs.• More GCSEs = better chance of a job / further study.• Hard work = good, everyone happy.• Coasting / underperforming = concern.• Concern = “systems” put in place to “help”.• Several students in Media causing concern.• SLT would like to “help” (& a number of students have been

identified who are already underperforming…)• Monday 3pm – 4pm & lunch times “drop-in” for catch-up

sessions (& some students already do this).• Poor performance in Media Mock (Tues 19th) will trigger

compulsory Monday attendance.• Missing homework & coursework will also trigger FW &

attendance.

BBC Television Comedy Case Study

Unit B322: Textual Analysis and Media Studies Topic

Why?

Aims & Objectives

• Re-cap prior learning of Section B: TV Comedy expectations.

• Introduce 1 of the 2 Case Study examples YOU MUST learn for the exam –

• Look at some of the key information YOU WILL need to know for the exam such as Institutional output, regulation and Audience reception.

• Review the learning.

Because you need to know about the inter-relationship between Institution and Audience for this popular genre.

YOU WILL also be assessed on your “knowledge and understanding of media products and the contexts of their production and consumption” (A01)

Prove what you know already – Starter3 minutes

YOU MUST write down what you think this Television Comedy will focus on based on the image you are about to be shown.

Extension:

YOU COULD refer to key concepts such as Narrative and Representation in your analysis.

FEEDBACK

Re-cap Exam expectations

• Section B is worth 30 Marks out of the 80 Marks available.

• There a 2 areas to address within the question provided – for example:

4 a) and b) - Both are worth 15 Marks EACH

• YOU WILL need to know 2 Case Studies from the Television Comedy genre in a lot of detail.

• YOU SHOULD be able to use and apply Audience theory and know both Institutions that exhibit both case study examples on their channels – for example:

Vs.

Therefore knowledge of the following is important for BOTH Case Studies:

• HOW they provide similarities and differences in terms of representation and audience pleasure(s)

• HOW both texts are successful on the channels they are exhibited on – Do they follow any trends in terms of existing programming on the channel?

• HOW they target their intended audience through their scheduling and themes and issues presented.

Re-cap Exam expectations

Prove what you know already – Activity10 minutes

YOU MUST write down what you think this TV Comedy Outnumbered shows us in terms of: 1. Representation of a British family.2. How is this similar or different to the

representation of American families in Modern Family?

3. What pleasures audiences get from watching Outnumbered?

4. How this is similar or different to the pleasures from Modern Family?

5. How does Outnumbered “fit in” with the BBC?6. How does Modern Family “work” for Sky?7. How the target audiences differ for the shows

due to scheduling differences?

Key Information!

• A “Sitcom” that focuses on the Dysfunctional, nuclear, middle class Brockman family, which is set in the familiar setting of the home in London.

• Follows a long line of successful BBC sitcoms over the past 40 years – such as Only Fools and Horses and Gavin & Stacey.

• Does NOT contain “Canned Laughter” as a lot of the comedy – an example of ‘difference’ (Steve Neale) in the genre – is improvised.

• Contains a lot of Intertextual references to other popular sitcoms – for example the 3 part narrative structure (Todorov) is present just as it is in Only Fools and Horses and has a similar narrative feel in terms of simplicity to the popular American sitcom Modern Family.

Television “Sitcom” Genre

• Has become a important component for the BBC institution over the last 40 years, as they will see this as an accessible and popular genre for audiences across a wide range of demographics.

• Safe Genre programming – It seems as though the lack of production value connotes how this genre is cheap and lucrative in terms of viewing figures.

• ‘Outnumbered’ is conventional in terms it formulaic structure – 30 minute episode; focus on the antagonism of family dynamics; presents a comic ‘disequilibrium’ (Todorov); setting is familiar and themes and issues are exaggerated to engage a predominatly passive audience.

Viewing figures (BARB)

On average around 20% of our TV Consumption EACH week came through BBC 1.

Key Information!

Key Information!

CONTINUED

• Weekday programme – Usually on a Thursday

• Exhibited at 9pm on BBC 1 (Series 4) but shown slightly later on Dave at 9:30pm –

What is significant about this time for programming & scheduling of TV shows?

Watershed

John Reith (1889 - 1971)

• Since the BBC’s launch in 1922 it’s remit was to:

“Inform, educate and entertain”

How does this ideology apply to the case study example YOU MUST refer to in the exam?

In PAIRS think of an answer, write it down and be prepared to share it.

John Reith (1889 - 1971)

“Inform, educate and entertain”

A big Media Institution like the BBC, have the power to mediate and control the messages and values presented in their programming.

For example in Outnumbered they have chosen to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) the generic themes and issues of families being dysfunctional and chaotic, yet something to laugh at and with.

We are encouraged to laugh at the liberal parenting skills of the Brockmans.

Prove what you know already – Activity3 minutes

YOU MUST write down what you think:

The impact of the Watershed is meant to have on audiences?

What impact does the BBC iPlayer have on allowing audience access to Outnumbered?

Extension:

CAN YOU write down any other mediums in which audiences could use to bypass the Watershed to access Outnumbered?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fq31t

The BBC have adapted to the current zeitgeist of multi-platform exhibition of TV programming, with VOD (Video On Demand) services such as BBC’s iPlayer providing the “catch-up” that fans of the show (and other TV Comedies) crave for.

‘Early Adopters’ in particular will appreciate the accessibility of consuming the show through an E-Media service, especially those of a younger age as their exposure to new media technologies is something the BBC have had to adapt to before being left behind.

The show is also syndicated out to a commercial TV channel in the form of Dave, a channel that specializes in exhibiting popular comedy and repeat programming to their audience.

WHY would the BBC find this option appealing?

WHY is this sequence amusing and what “pleasures” do the audience get?

Karen: Dad, what's a ?

FEEDBACK ON THE CLIP …

“Inform, educate and entertain” (John Reith)

WHAT are they informed of?

YOU MUST answer the following questions and present your answers in the following format, WRITING FORMAL ANSWERS:

WHAT are they learning about family dynamics/dilemmas of family life?

Is it entertaining and if so WHY?

For Section B of the Exam YOU WILL have to answer 2 questions – 1 of the questions WILL require you to consider how the programme (or text) offers “audience pleasures”

Based on your existing knowledge of sitcoms such as YOU MUST:

1) Establish where the comedy comes from based on the clip you have just analysed?

2) HOW does this compare to other sitcoms you have studied? e.g.

3) WHO would this sitcom appeal to and WHY? <TARGET AUDIENCE>

YOU SHOULD work in pairs to address EACH of these 3 areas and give specific examples from the text (Verbal, Non-verbal and/or Technical codes) to support your

understanding. 10 MINUTESWE WILL WATCH THE SEQUENCE AGAIN!

FEEDBACK

Prove what you know already – Audience Theories

5 minutes

YOU MUST write down what you remember about Audience Theories and how they link to this Television Comedy.How do we categorise audiences?What other theories can you remember that relate to why audiences watch comedies?

Extension:

YOU COULD refer to key concepts such as Narrative and Representation in your analysis.

BELL ACTIVITY

Audience Theories with

The characters professions reflect the BBC’s intentions of providing an accurate‘window into the World’ (Wendy Helsby) of suburban family dynamics and ‘disequilibrium’ (Todorov) –For example Pete (Hugh Dennis) is a History Teacher and his wife Sue (Claire Skinner) is a part-time personal assistant.

Audience Theories with

Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory• ‘Diversion’ away from their own live and immerse themselves into the World of the

characters.

• ‘Personal relationship’ with certain characters across a spectrum of different demographics – for example an older audience can form a relationship with Pete and Sue’s battle with their children, whereas a young audience may see similarities with the children.

• ‘Personal Identification’ with the characters and the nuclear family environment.

• ‘Caregivers’ may sympathise with the losing battle of Pete and Sue against their children – this is an example of comic ‘binary opposition’ (Levi Strauss) though.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• A sense of Belonging may develop if audience form an attachment with the characters,

or more likely, with fellow fans of the comedy.

Richard Dyer ‘Star Appeal’Hugh Dennis has appeared in other BBC Comedy programming such as the Panel Game shows Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You

Audience Theories with

Applying Audience Reception Theory – Stuart Hall

• The audience, according to Stuart Hall, take on a “Dominant position” when consuming a show like Outnumbered – for example they will fully appreciate the natural representation of the family and accept it to extent quite passively.

• The audience will NOT (likely) take an “Opposed position” when consuming a TV Comedy like Outnumbered as the characters seem realistic and provide a fair reflection of a typical nuclear family.

Audience Theories with

Humiliation and embarrassment are key ingredients for the “Sitcom” genre and are elements of ‘repetition’ (Steve Neale) often seen in other “sitcoms”.

Can you think of any other examples?

“A comedy series depicting a slightly dysfunctional middle-class London family in which the kids threaten to dominate the adults”

(Storry & Childs – 2013)

Can the audience ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with this level of dysfunctional behavior?

Audience Theories with Outnumbered

YOU MUST answer this question in relation to what you have learnt today about:

YOU MUST draw upon the areas we have covered today, in particular how the characters, narrative themes and genre codes & conventions provide “audience pleasures” through theory such as:

• Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory• Socio-economic needs• Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs• Audience Reception theory – Stuart Hall

YOU SHOULD structure your answer in a clear and logical order and draw upon other theory where relevant – for example the use of ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) and the presence of an actor/comedian synonymous to the BBC and the genre as a whole – what’s his name though and what else is he involved in with the BBC?

You have 15 minutes to answer the question and MUST be completed for Homework if incomplete!

Prove what you have learnt– Plenary3 minutes

YOU MUST write down 3 things you have learnt about

YOU SHOULD refer to theory/key terms/statistics in your answer.

YOU COULD give more than 3 examples!

For further revision on Outnumbered you should . . .

A) MAKE FLASH CARDS WHICH SUMMARISE :1. The characters in the series2. The narratives of the episodes studied3. The times Outnumbered is broadcast4. The key viewing figures5. The BBC’s ideology6. How Outnumbered reflects this7. The Pleasures different audiences get from

Outnumbered

B) WRITE PRACTICE ESSAY ANSWERS!