Y13 Media Studies Monday 14th January WALT: to

1 (a) To what extent can the set episode of Humans be seen as postmodern? [15] In applying their understanding of postmodernism to Humans, responses may, for example, refer to some of the following:
the way in which the programme explores postmodern themes such as the relationship between identity and technology in a postmodern world/consumer society.
the way in which the ‘synths’ can be seen to embody Baudrillard’s notion of simulacra and the hyperreal.
the use of intertextuality (e.g. the ‘Asimov Blocks’ that are built into the ‘synths’ as an intertextual reference to Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics)
the way in which the programme ‘borrows’ and reworks material from existing media sources (e.g. the that it is a remake of the Swedish science-fiction series, Real Humans). Component 2 Section A – Television in the Global Age<br>

1 (b) Television production takes place within an economic context. Discuss the influence of economic factors on The Returned. [15] In discussing the influence of economic factors on The Returned, responses may explore some of the following:
the need for Canal Plus, as a premium pay channel, to provide high quality original programming to attract and satisfy subscribers and the way in which The Returned can be seen to address this need  the importance of securing international distribution for the series due to its €11 million budget, and the extent to which this can be seen to have influenced the programme’s production.
how the grant received from Creative Europe MEDIA can be seen to have a positive impact on the programme’s production values (as demonstrated in the bus crash sequence for example), thereby improving its capacity for export, which is one of Creative Europe’s key aims.
the significance of the locations used for filming (e.g. in terms of enabling the producers to secure funding through the Ile-de-France Regional Fund and the Rhône-Alpes Regional Fund). Component 2 Section A – Television in the Global Age<br>

Television in the Global Age: An Introduction Television has changed considerably since the advent of digital technology in terms of its production, distribution and consumption. It has become a global, rather than a national industry and has become increasingly commercial, with public service broadcasting forced to adapt its structure, role and function. International co-production is growing and broadcasters such as HBO have achieved global success.
Broadcasters are now ‘narrowcasters’, with multiple channels targeting different (sometimes more niche) audiences.
Audiences consume television texts in a variety of ways as the industry has increased portability via new platforms (tablet, mobile phone) and patterns of consumption have changed alongside this (the box-set and binge-watching, on-demand and catch-up, Netflix, Amazon, etc.).
Interactive social media channels such as YouTube have increased accessibility for the ‘prosumer’ audience, and social media and viral promotion have become a crucial part of marketing television texts.<br>

French release - 26 November 2012 on Canal+
UK release - 9 June 2013 on Channel 4
Length of show - 2 series, 8 episodes each (1 hour episodes)
Based on - French film They Came Back (Les Revenants) (dir. Robin Campillo 2004)
Created by - Fabrice Gobert.
Synopsis - The Returned opens in a small mountain community which is rocked to its core when several local people who are presumed dead suddenly re-appear at their homes. Despite having passed away some years earlier, these ghostly characters appear in human form, they have not aged, and they are completely unaware of their own fatality. Determined to reclaim their lives and start over, they slowly come to realize that they are not the only ones to have been brought back from the dead. Their return augers torment for their community when a gruesome murder attempt bears a chilling resemblance to the work of a serial killer from the past. This is a homecoming like no other. The Returned (Les Revenants) 5 minute Season 1 Summary:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AadvodsivY8<br>

TV Genre The Returned is difficult to categorise by genre.
It won an International Emmy for best Drama Series in 2013.
It has elements of a supernatural horror text.
Wikipedia classifies it as a ‘supernatural drama’, whilst IMDb classifies it as ‘drama, fantasy, horror.’
Rotten Tomatoes classifies it as ‘Mystery/Suspense’.

It is possibly closest to a zombie text because of its focus on the ‘undead’.
Gabriel Tate in The Guardian calls it ‘A zombie series like no other’.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/oct/03/series-two-french-tv-show-the-returned<br>

Genre What are the codes and conventions of a zombie text? RESISTS
• Recurring situations
• Elements of narrative
• Style
• Iconography
• Settings
• Themes
• Stock characters Ryan Hollinger: The Accidental History of the Zombie Genre (10 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWaRhTUmkZE<br>

[THE RETURNED] - ZOMBIE GENRE?<br>

[INFLUENCES]<br>

• Recurring situations
• Elements of narrative
• Style
• Iconography
• Settings
• Themes
• Stock characters<br>

New EquilibriumExposition Time Tension DisruptionInciting Incident RepairClimax RecognitionProgressive Complication New EquilibriumResolution Act One Act Two Act Three Act Four Act Five Narrative Structure Task: Identify key plot point progressions in each Act<br>

Application of Theory – [The Returned]<br>

Application of Theory – [The Returned]<br>

INDUSTRY CRITERIA<br>

AUDIENCE CRITERIA<br>

Release Date: Series 1, Episode 1 (2015)
Original Broadcaster: C4/aMC (UK/US)
Production Companies: Co-production between C4- commissioned Kudos Film & TV, distributors Shine Ltd and aMC in the US
Adaptation: Based on the Swedish series “Real Humans” which ran for 20 episodes across 2 seasons
Reception: C4’s highest-rated drama since 1992. 2 series of 8 episodes each.
Synopsis - A suburban family buys the latest tech gadget--a robot servant--in this remake of a Swedish series. In Season 1 of HUMANS, when Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) brings Anita -- later known as Mia (Gemma Chan) -- a robotic assistant known as a "Synth" into the family home, the repercussions change their lives forever. As Toby (Theo Stevenson), Sophie (Pixie Davies) and Joe become enamored with Anita, Mattie (Lucy Careless) and Laura (Katherine Parkinson) realize something is amiss. Meanwhile, Niska (Emily Berrington), a conscious synth, seeks help from her human brother Leo (Colin Morgan) after an incident places their unusual family in danger; and Pete (Neil Maskell), a police officer investigating Niska's actions, is shocked when his partner Karen (Ruth Bradley) reveals her secret past. Elsewhere, retired scientist George struggles to keep his aging synth Odi from being decommissioned; and Laura and Mattie assist Leo as he tries to uncover the truth behind his father's work.
Key themes - The series explores a number of science fiction themes, including artificial intelligence, consciousness, human-robot interaction, superintelligence, mind uploading and laws of robotics. Humans Season 1 & 2 Recaphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDbtXl8NWWs<br>

Channel 4 is:
a public service broadcaster
a non-profit-making organisation
commercially funded through advertising
regulated by Ofcom Channel 4’s key public service elements 1. Be innovative and distinctive. 2. Stimulate public debate on contemporary issues.3. Reflect cultural diversity of the UK. 4. Champion alternative points of view. 5. Inspire change in people’s lives. 6. Nurture new and existing talent.<br>

[HUMANS]<br>

[Humans]Application of Theory<br>

[Humans]Application of Theory<br>

[Humans]Application of Theory<br>

[POSTMODERNISM] Baudrillard argues that the media create hyperrealities based on a continuous process of mediation. What is encoded as ‘real’ (and what we decode through media products) is not ‘real’ but instead a ‘simulacrum’ which offers us a hyperreality (“A real without origin or reality” – Jean Baudrillard) that we accept as real because we are so consistently exposed to it.
Thus media images have come to seem more “real” than the reality they supposedly represent.
‘Our mental pictures of the perfect body, house, meal and sexual relationship have been created through exposure to constantly recycled media depictions that have no basis in fact – but it is these images that create our expectations’ (Em Griffen (2012) A First Look at Communication Theory, p319).
Lévi-Strauss suggested that media texts are now made up of “debris” that we recognise from other texts and these are combined – “bricolage”. This may be heard in e.g. a musical “mash-up” or remix.<br>

What is post-modernism? Simulacra and Simulation (Baudrillard)
Blurred boundary between the real and imagined
Distinction between media and reality has collapsed
Reality defined by images and representations
This meta-conceptual realm is a form of hyper-reality
Deals with the ambiguity of polar opposites – artifice and authenticity Modernism – philosophical movement – transformations of 20th century Western society – rejected certainty of Enlightenment thinking and religious belief – “make it new” – stream-of-consciousness novel, abstract art, self-conscious style, experimental form, rejection of realism – creative revolution (science, art, technology) – power of human beings to create, improve and reshape environment – progress and growth emphasised.
Post-modernism – as cultural production peaked, post-modernism became a new movement that critiqued the modernist era with scepticism, deconstruction and a post-structuralist mode of analysis – it is marked by a cyclical return to previous styles but adding new contextual meaning through bricolage. Hall-of-mirrors/ paradoxical – from Escher’s drawn architectural illusions, to story-in-a-story-in-a-story narratives – to oxymoronic notions such as ‘loving hate’ – ambiguity and illusion reigns in the post-modern world
Hierarchies of taste - - Blurring of high and low culture to create new meaningSelf-conscious – one could argue that post-modern thinking is very narcissistic – looking in on oneself, taking one out of an experience and into the theoretical – conceptual art for conceptual art’s sake (the Emperor’s New Clothes effect) ‘Truth’ is merely a concept – there is no right or wrong, merely interpretations
– propaganda or ‘taste’ are the deciding factors regarding which ‘truth’ prevails at any given time
Sense of reality dominated by media images
Cultural forms can no longer hold up a mirror to reality because reality itself is saturated by advertising, films, TV, video games and print media
Truth claims via images are more problematic thanks to Photoshop technology – reality is distorted to either beautify or implicate, sometimes unrealistically
Mediation – media reality is the new reality – society must mediate between cultural forms in order to decide on the prevailing ‘truth’ The zenith of cultural production – culture ‘eats itself’ – everything has been made – therefore, culture must remake itself in abstract and cyclical forms of self-reference- Many artistic products are areinfluenced by its predecessors to the point of parody, homage and intertextuality
anything can be art
Reflection of an ‘alienated’ society – personas and characters are reinvented (ie. Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie) as the pursuit for identity subverts conventions Music video and postmodernism- the ‘three minute culture’ – the MTV generation length of peoples’ attention spans – fast editing, intense imagery
- Relevant theory: Lyotard/Baudrillard/Jameson – ‘structures of feeling’ and ‘cultural logic’
- Guy Debord - Society of the spectacle – overly visual culture that pursues high levels of stimulation Deconstructing – picking apart media to find out the motive and purpose of a product, to the point of abstraction
Subversive – challenging the conventions of previous media – anti-conformist in nature
Hybridity – the blurred boundary between high culture and popular culture – genres blend, sources of influence vary – media forms are juxtaposed Bricolage- fusing two cultures can change its meaning – punk socialists (particularly bands like The Clash) would have a very different ethos to swastika sporting neo-Nazi punks
- Iconography can be adapted when combined with icons from another cultural expression, and therefore create a very new meaning Causality – many stories no longer follow a structured cause-and-effect pattern but mess with linearity and consequence – some stories decide to subvert the notion of ‘meaning’
Meta-narratives – disjointed narrative structures that play with casuality and linearity – usually associated itself with avant-garde movements JEAN BAUDRILLARD<br>

[GENRE]<br>

Genre (Neale) “Genre is a repetition with an underlying pattern of variations.”
“Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre.” 5 types of film- Form finding itself- Classic- Stretching Boundaries- Parody- Homage Films previously made, within a certain genre, establish certain expectations regarding what key features will appear in the film. Robert Stan (Stereotypical Minefield) – believes genres are made up by critics and regularly compartmentalise and label products rather than letting it transcend. Rick Altman- Semantic Elements – example: thriller genre – guns, urban landscapes, victims, stalkers… A collection of features and props create an umbrella term of a genre.- Syntactic Elements – themes, plots – more ambiguous and harder to identify within a genre, but crucial all the same. Daniel Chandler- definitions of genres tend to be based on particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings) and/or form (including structure and style) shared by the texts belonging to its grouping. Steve Neale declares that ‘genres are instances of repetition and difference’ (1980) adding that ‘difference is absolutely essential to the economy of the genre’ and that we derived pleasure in how the genre is manipulated. Altman thinks that genre classification:- bridges multiple concerns.- defined by industry, recognised by audience.- clear, stable identities and borders- gives individual films belonging to a group.- is transhistorical.- undergoes predictable development.- located in particular topics and structures.- have fundamental characteristics.- have a ritual or ideological function.<br>

‘Humans’ contains many intertextual elements with which audiences may be familiar. These include:
Black Mirror – Nosedive: life mediated through technological advances.
Elster – Hitchcockian reference to Vertigo in which Gavin Elster “creates” the perfect woman to serve his own ends – voyeurism.
The Stepford Wives– domestic, beautiful, subservient female robots replace real women (male conspiracy) – misogyny.
“AI” – Odi is treated like a son by George Millican. Odi (ODI) references the Open Data Institute founded by Tim Berners-Lee.
Blade Runner – synths becoming sentient – conscious. Niska is reminiscent of Pris – the “basic pleasure model”.
‘Asimov blocks’ in their programs (Laws of Robotics outlined e.g. in I, Robot).
Remake of Real Humans.
Hawkins family – close to Stephen Hawking. [INTERTEXTUALITY]<br>

LIBERALISM PROGRESSIVISM AUTHORIT-ARIANISM CONSERVATISM ACTIVISM LIBERTARIANISM SOCIAL DEMOCRACY LIBERTARIANSOCIALISM STATISM TOTALITARIANISM SYNDICALISM MUTUALISM NATIONALISM TRADITIONALISM FASCISM NEOLIBERALISM LIBERTARIANCAPITALISM ANARCHISM INDIVIDUALISM ANARCHO-SOCIALISM DEMOCRATICSOCIALISM SOCIALISM ANARCHO-COLLECTIVISM NATIONALISTICSOCIALISM NATIONALCOMMUNISM COMMUNISM ANARCHO-COMMUNISM FUNDAMENTALISM ANARCHO-CAPITALISM AUTHORITARIANanti-freedom ECONOMY TARIANwelfare of the economy Right CHAOISManti state CONNECT relate CONTROL dictate COMMUNITARIANwelfare of the people LIBERTARIANfreedom of the individual LEFt NATIONALISMstate focused REPRESENTATIONIdeology [Source: David McCandless ‘Knowledge is Beautiful’]<br>

PRODUCERS AND AUDIENCESUses & Gratifications Theory Katz, Gurevitch and Haas (1973) saw mass media as a means by which individuals connect or disconnect themselves with others. They developed 35 needs taken from the largely speculative literature on the social and psychological functions of the mass media and put them into five categories:
Cognitive Needs: Acquiring information, knowledge and understanding
Media Examples: Television (news), video (how-to), movies (documentaries or based on history)
Affective Needs: Emotion, pleasure, feelings
Media Examples: Movies, television (soap operas, sitcoms)
Personal Integrative Needs: Credibility, stability, status
Media Examples: Video
Social Integrative Needs: Family and friends
Media Examples: Internet (e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, social media)
Tension Release Needs: Escape and diversion
Media Examples: Television, movies, video, radio, internet<br>