Revising for the mock examinations The examination Tuesday 10 th December AM 1 hour 30 minutes What do you think sitcoms should include Write down at least FIVE codes and conventions a sitcom should include ID: 403086
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Slide1
GCSE Media StudiesRevising for the mock examinations
The examination: Tuesday 10th December AM 1 hour 30 minutes
What do you think sitcoms should include?Write down at least FIVE codes and conventions a sitcom should include
StarterSlide2
The ‘sit’ and the ‘com
’ of sitcomMost sitcoms feature a group of characters trapped in a particular situation or in a dysfunctional relationship. The situation could include being part of a family; being married to a grumpy old man; or working with annoying people. This is the
situation.Sitcoms are also supposed to be funny. We laugh at, or along with the characters,
recognising and understanding their situation. This is the comedy.Slide3
Gavin and Stacey
Task OneWatch the following extract and complete a RAIL analysis of the extract:
RA
ILepresentation – what kind of characters are there?u
dience – who is this aimed at?nstitution –
what company made the programme?anguage – what kinds of scenes, shots, sounds, dialogue and script are used?Slide4
Representation
What kind of stereotypical characters do British sitcoms have? How are British people normally represented?
Del Boy from
Only Fools & Horses
David Brent from
The Office
Blackadder from
Blackadder II
Moss from the
IT CrowdSlide5
Audience
What kind audience watches sitcom?Why do they watch it?
So why do audiences watch sitcoms? What needs are they fulfilling?Slide6
Audience
Maslow’s Theory of Needs –
Which needs do sitcoms fill?Slide7
Audiences love sitcoms because…
They provide light relief and humour.They reflect problems many of us have to deal with in everyday life.They have likable characters we enjoy relating to – perhaps they feel like our friends.They are safe – we know what sort of things will happen, we know how episodes will end.Slide8
Institutions
Which institutions make British sitcoms?
Producers love sitcoms because…..
Limited sets and few outside locations mean they are cheap to make.
A limited number of characters keeps costs down too.
They are popular with audiences.
They are endlessly variable, and can be made to appeal to any age range or type of person.
Series can be sold around the world and shown as re-runs for years, generating more profit.
Scheduling is easy for re-runs as episodes don’t need to viewed as a series or in order.Slide9
Language
Remember to consider:The setting
The camera shotsPlots
The actors’ make-up and costumeThe actors’ positionsLightingAll the elements of mise-en-scene including, colours, facial expressions, props, layout, dialogue, non-digetic
and digetic sounds…Slide10
Location
Sitcoms are usually based in a limited location. This makes it cheap for producers. They can use the same main set for most of the episodes.The sets usually reflect either the domestic setting - the home (My Family, Malcolm In the Middle), or the
workplace (The Office, Red Dwarf, The IT Crowd).Slide11
The locationLink these sitcoms to their main locations.
The Mighty Boosh
Fawlty TowersFriendsPorridgeRed DwarfOnly Fools and Horses
The OfficeThe Royle FamilyMy Family A family homeAn officeA spaceship
A hotelA zooA flat in PeckhamA front roomA prisonA New York apartmentSlide12
The Comedy
Sitcoms can use a range of different types of comedy:Physical comedy – falls, fights, or exaggerated physical comedy like slapstick.
Black humour – jokes around dark or taboo subjects such as death and diseaseComedy of manners – focussing on a particular social group and mocking or satirising their behaviour
Romantic comedy – focussing on the pitfalls and difficulties of falling in or out of loveSocial or political satire – jokes or observations related to the political or social issues of the time.Parody or pastiche – where the humour arises from the use and mockery of conventions from another media genre
Types of characters
Sitcoms usually focus on a small group of
main
characters,
eg
Ross, Rachel, Joey in Friends
There are also usually some
supporting
characters who have regular minor parts, e.g. Gunter, Ross’s wife.
There can also be
transient
characters, who have small or very occasional roles, including guest stars, and walk on parts ( e.g. George Clooney playing a doctor in one or two episodes, the newspaper seller).Slide13
The plot
Sitcoms usually have fairly simple narratives, which revolve around small issues and everyday crises. They rarely involve life and death situations or saving the world. They focus on the common everyday occurrences that most of the audience can relate to: covering up mistakes, hiding the truth from someone, misunderstandings, trying to make yourself look better and being found out, and so on.
Part of the situation in sitcom is that the characters never really escape their situation – the family stays together in My Family,
Delboy
and Rodney never get rich in Only Fools and Horses, The workers stay in their dull jobs in The Office.
Occasionally, in long running series or to end a series, things will change – Nana dies in The
Royle
Family, Chandler and Monica get married, Dawn and Tim get together in The Office.
But, on the whole, characters end each episode in more or less the same place or situation they started in.
These circular narratives keep characters in their amusing situation; this helps producers sell series for repeats as they can be watched in almost any order; it also helps the audience know what to expect each time they watch.Slide14
Crossing over
Sitcoms are endlessly variable. From the classic sitcoms like Fawlty Towers and My Family, sitcoms can be set anywhere (on an island, Father Ted, in a zoo, The Mighty
Boosh) and in any time in the past (Blackadder; Allo, Allo), or in the future (Red Dwarf).
They can cross-over with sci-fi (Red Dwarf, Astronauts, Third Rock From The Sun) and reality TV (The Office). They can be ironic (Spaced), surreal (The Mighty Boosh) or even disturbing (The League of Gentlemen).Slide15
Language
Remember to consider:
The
settingThe camera shotsPlotsThe actors’ make-up and costume
The actors’ positionsLighting
All the elements of mise-en-scene including, colours, facial expressions, props, layout, dialogue, non-digetic and digetic sounds…TaskComplete
a radial analysis of the following
image taken from Channel 4’s sitcom,
Father Ted
Now, consider how this image works according to the rule of thirds theory…Slide16
GCSE Media StudiesThe Mock Examinations
The examination is 1 hour 30 minutesThere are TWO tasks to complete. Each TASK has TWO questions to complete.Each question is worth 15 marks. In TASK 2, you must complete the first question and choose a second question to answer.
Task One:This is the analytical and critical aspect of the examination which will test your knowledge of British sitcoms.
The questions will ask you about your knowledge of the genre and how they are made or received. For example:Sitcoms are usually made to appeal to audiences through several key features:The locations
The castThe unusual or ridiculous plot linesThrough your research of sitcoms, explain how British sitcoms have used these aspects to appeal to different target audiences.
(15 marks A01)Slide17
GCSE Media StudiesThe Mock Examinations
Task Two
With your ideas for a new British sitcom and create a print advertisement for which will be seen in the Radio Times magazine.
(15 marks AO4)This is the creative part for which you can prepare for this week.Use the brief to think about possibilities for what the examination could ask. What could they ask?
BRITISH SITCOMSlide18
The Exam Mark SchemeSlide19Slide20
Sitcoms have a restricted locationCharacters tend to stay in same situation, episode after episode.
There is a limited number of main characters.Plots are based around everyday events.Humour is based around personalities and the smaller problems in life.The characters usually reflect the target audience.Sitcoms are relatively cheap and easy to make.
They can appeal to a wide range of different audiences.
GCSE Media StudiesSummary of SitcomsGet revising… You need to learn the ideas from this slide show as well as designing as much as you can to prepare for the examination.Do not forget to learn your technical terms…