MEDIA FRAME WORK INCLUDE:
Media Language> semiotics, including Barthes
> narratology, including Todorov
> genre theory, including Neale.
Semiotics definition: the study of signs and their meaning in society.
A sign is something which can stand for something else – in other words, a sign is anything that can convey meaning. So words can be signs, drawings can be signs, photographs can be signs, even street signs can be signs.
Roland Barthes
> Narratives like a ball of string
> Roland Barthes was a semiologist.
If you imagine a text is like a ball of string, can it be unravelled in one way or in many ways?
House of Cards - There are many different narratives in House of Cards and they include the story of a young journalist named Zoe Barnes, who works for the Washington Herald. She is determined to be a more well known journalist and for her stories to become a main part of the newspaper. Because of this, she approaches Frank Underwood with information about a scandal, regarding an education bill that could help both of their careers to excel. The first episode also includes the narrative of Peter Russo, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district, who is arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, solicitation and the use of controlled substances.
Why are dramas open narratives?
Dramas are usually open narratives as it keeps the audience interested in the shows content. Additionally to this, it allows the content of the show to relate to the audience in some way, as they are able to interpret it in whatever way that they want. Multiple narratives keeps the audience intrigued, and when one narrative ends, there are others to keep audience entertained.
Enigma Code
Enigma definition: a mystery or something that cannot be explained.
The Hermeneutic Code (enigma code) refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.
Action Code
The Proairetic Code also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next. The Action Code applies to any action that implies a further narrative action. For example, a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of this action will be.
Semantic Code
This code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. The semantic code is any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connotation.
Signs in House of Cards
> White house and collective shots of Washington indicates that it is a political drama as this is where the US government is based. Symbolises power and politics. Could symbolise Frank's desire to come into power.
> American flag indicates it is an American drama. Symbolises liberty, democracy and freedom. Frank subverts these ideals by portraying the possibility that US politics and government is corrupted.
> Lincoln memorial symbolises previous presidents, government, death of a leader. This could reflect when Frank did not get the position of Secretary of State, and a possibly indication that his career is over.
How does the Enigma code apply to The House of cards in the character Frank Underwood?
The enigma code applies to the character of Frank Underwood in House of Cards as his character at the start of the series is quite mysterious, and a lot of his actions and motives are not fully explained, allowing the audience to either make their own interpretation or keep them guessing about how his plot is going to develop.
Discuss why HOC uses enigma?
House of Cards uses enigma to keep the audience both interested and intrigued, as well as allowing them to make their own guesses about what is to come for the rest of the season. It is also something that is often used in long form TV drama, such as House of Cards, to keep the audience entertained and to keep them watching.
How does the enigma code apply to Telegraph Headline “Who are the Brexit Mutineers”?
The enigma code applies to this headline as it is likely a lot of people are unaware of what the headline of this newspaper means, and they may have to read about it to find out more information. Newspapers may use enigma code so that if people do not understand the headline, they will have to buy the newspaper to find out more information, which is a selling advantage.
Todorov Narrative
> Narrative = story
> The primary function of most films is to tell a story.. The mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound are entirely subservient to the narrative, creating a seamless flow that centres the viewer within the story.
Equilibrium
Disruption
Resolution of the disruption
New equilibrium
Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages:
> the equilibrium,
> disequilibrium,
> acknowledgement,
> solving
> and again equilibrium.
Narrative conventions
Film narratives share a number of features that audiences expect:
> The role of the protagonist
> The problems faced by the protagonist
> The resolution of these problems
The narratives of most films are centred on one or two main protagonists:
> Their lives are disrupted by an outside event, or presence of an unfulfilled desire.
> The plot is then about removing that disruption or fulfilling that desire.
> The rest of the events in the plot are usually initiated by the protagonist and have a clear cause and effect relationship to other events.
Captain Phillips
Role of Protagonist: Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) is the captain of a cargo ship transporting goods from one location to another.
Problems faced by the protagonist: During their trip, armed pirates board the ship and hold him and the ship in a hostage situation in hopes to take over the captain position.
Resolution of the problems: SEALs follow the lifeboat they have taken Phillips hostage in, and are able to get three clear shots, killing all 3 pirates simultaneously.
Anti-Hero - A major character, usually the protagonist, who lacks conventional nobility of mind, and who struggles for values not deemed universally admirable.
In what way does the long form drama conform to Todorov’s theory?
> genre theory, including Neale.
Semiotics definition: the study of signs and their meaning in society.
A sign is something which can stand for something else – in other words, a sign is anything that can convey meaning. So words can be signs, drawings can be signs, photographs can be signs, even street signs can be signs.
Roland Barthes
> Narratives like a ball of string
> Roland Barthes was a semiologist.
If you imagine a text is like a ball of string, can it be unravelled in one way or in many ways?
House of Cards - There are many different narratives in House of Cards and they include the story of a young journalist named Zoe Barnes, who works for the Washington Herald. She is determined to be a more well known journalist and for her stories to become a main part of the newspaper. Because of this, she approaches Frank Underwood with information about a scandal, regarding an education bill that could help both of their careers to excel. The first episode also includes the narrative of Peter Russo, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district, who is arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, solicitation and the use of controlled substances.
Why are dramas open narratives?
Dramas are usually open narratives as it keeps the audience interested in the shows content. Additionally to this, it allows the content of the show to relate to the audience in some way, as they are able to interpret it in whatever way that they want. Multiple narratives keeps the audience intrigued, and when one narrative ends, there are others to keep audience entertained.
Enigma Code
Enigma definition: a mystery or something that cannot be explained.
The Hermeneutic Code (enigma code) refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.
Action Code
The Proairetic Code also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next. The Action Code applies to any action that implies a further narrative action. For example, a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of this action will be.
Semantic Code
This code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. The semantic code is any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connotation.
Signs in House of Cards
> White house and collective shots of Washington indicates that it is a political drama as this is where the US government is based. Symbolises power and politics. Could symbolise Frank's desire to come into power.
> American flag indicates it is an American drama. Symbolises liberty, democracy and freedom. Frank subverts these ideals by portraying the possibility that US politics and government is corrupted.
> Lincoln memorial symbolises previous presidents, government, death of a leader. This could reflect when Frank did not get the position of Secretary of State, and a possibly indication that his career is over.
How does the Enigma code apply to The House of cards in the character Frank Underwood?
The enigma code applies to the character of Frank Underwood in House of Cards as his character at the start of the series is quite mysterious, and a lot of his actions and motives are not fully explained, allowing the audience to either make their own interpretation or keep them guessing about how his plot is going to develop.
Discuss why HOC uses enigma?
House of Cards uses enigma to keep the audience both interested and intrigued, as well as allowing them to make their own guesses about what is to come for the rest of the season. It is also something that is often used in long form TV drama, such as House of Cards, to keep the audience entertained and to keep them watching.
How does the enigma code apply to Telegraph Headline “Who are the Brexit Mutineers”?
The enigma code applies to this headline as it is likely a lot of people are unaware of what the headline of this newspaper means, and they may have to read about it to find out more information. Newspapers may use enigma code so that if people do not understand the headline, they will have to buy the newspaper to find out more information, which is a selling advantage.
Todorov Narrative
> Narrative = story
> The primary function of most films is to tell a story.. The mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound are entirely subservient to the narrative, creating a seamless flow that centres the viewer within the story.
Equilibrium
Disruption
Resolution of the disruption
New equilibrium
Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages:
> the equilibrium,
> disequilibrium,
> acknowledgement,
> solving
> and again equilibrium.
Film narratives share a number of features that audiences expect:
> The role of the protagonist
> The problems faced by the protagonist
> The resolution of these problems
The narratives of most films are centred on one or two main protagonists:
> Their lives are disrupted by an outside event, or presence of an unfulfilled desire.
> The plot is then about removing that disruption or fulfilling that desire.
> The rest of the events in the plot are usually initiated by the protagonist and have a clear cause and effect relationship to other events.
Captain Phillips
Role of Protagonist: Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) is the captain of a cargo ship transporting goods from one location to another.
Problems faced by the protagonist: During their trip, armed pirates board the ship and hold him and the ship in a hostage situation in hopes to take over the captain position.
Resolution of the problems: SEALs follow the lifeboat they have taken Phillips hostage in, and are able to get three clear shots, killing all 3 pirates simultaneously.
Anti-Hero - A major character, usually the protagonist, who lacks conventional nobility of mind, and who struggles for values not deemed universally admirable.
In what way does the long form drama conform to Todorov’s theory?
Long form TV drama conforms to Todorov's theory by following the basic structure of his theory, but doing so over a longer period of time and over multiple episodes.
Discuss Todorov’s theory through the central character Frank Underwood?
The equilibrium is that Frank Underwood expects that he is going to receive the position of Secretary of State at the beginning of the first episode. The disequilibrium is that he is told someone else is going to receive the position of Secretary of State. Frank acknowledges that it is unlikely he will receive the position as it is revealed Michael Kern will be nominated instead. In this acknowledgement, he consults with wife Claire and they devise a plan to get him to the top together. The solving is Frank creating links with Zoe Barnes to help take down other candidates and anyone that might get in the way of his position.
How does HOC subvert Todorov’s theory?
House of Cards subverts Todorov's theory by not having a general new equilibrium. This is because long form TV drama continues over multiple episodes and generally in long form drama, there is always a new disequilibrium at the end of the episode to make people want to watch the next episode and continue watching.
In what way does Todorov’s theory apply to the following News stories?
Equilibrium: Salisbury is a relatively quiet town and it is possibly that they do not centre around many national news stories.
Disequilibrium: Nerve poison attack on individual living in Salisbury, people living in Salisbury have their lives disrupted due to possibly being in an unsafe environment.
Acknowledgement: News coverage confirms the attack on the individual is an ex Russian spy and that it is possible that the Russian government had something to do with the poisoning used on the individual.
Solving: Daughter, who is awake and talking, when she is physically well she will be given a safe haven to live and a new identity to use so that she will be safe from further harm.
New equilibrium: Life for her will continue, but not as normal and a lot of aspects in her life are different and will never be the same.
Neale's Genre Theory
> Neale’s theory of repetition and difference in Genre.
> "Genres are instances of repetition and difference"
> "Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre"
What That Means:
> Steve Neale is saying that a film and it's genre is defined by two things:
> How much it conforms with a genre's stereotypes and conventions.
> He says that a film must conform to these conventions enough that it can still qualify and be identified as a film of that genre.
> How much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions.
> He says that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed as a unique film, not just a clone.
Neale states that:
> a film must conform to these conventions enough that it can still qualify and be identified as a film of that genre.
> How much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions?
> Neale states that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed as a unique film, not just a clone.
Star Wars conforms to genre expectations of a:
Sci – Fi film - special effects, hero and anti hero, epic struggle over good and evil
Action film – follows Stucture of Propp where the protagonist is sent on a quest
Subverts the action film genre:
> As the (main) protagonist is female.
> Plot twist focus on female empowerment.
In the newest episode of Star Wars (The Last Jedi), the roles have changed and rather than having a male protagonist throughout the film, we have now been introduced to female protagonists that lead the story. In the first episode of Star Wars and up until the most recent episode, there was a male protagonist throughout.
How does House of Cards conform to genre expectations?
House of Cards conforms to these conventions as it contains real life situations involving politics and incorporating real life scenarios and characters that relate to real life people. There is audience interaction in House of Cards when Frank turns to the camera and talks directly to the audience. Additionally, it contains drama and controversy similar to that of real life American Politics. It does exhibit real life situations, it has realistic characters, settings and stories. It is set in Washington DC, which is most famous for being where the White House is situated, where the president lives and where main politics goes ahead. Also conforms as the protagonist of the story is male.
How does House of Cards subvert to the gender expectations of a political drama/thriller?
As well as having conventions that the TV drama conforms to, there are also some conventions that the TV drama subverts to. It does not contain too much exaggerated sound or music, and mainly contains dialogue. As well as this, there is no disorientation of time and space, as House of Cards is mainly a drama constructed chronologically. Due to the fact that this is a long form TV drama, there are not many happy endings as the story continues through the series and it is always left on some type of cliffhanger to keep the audience guessing and keeping them intrigued. Frank's character could also closely mirror the American politics currently (2016 to present) with the corruption and secrecy of the government. Anti-hero.
House of Cards subverts Todorov's theory by not having a general new equilibrium. This is because long form TV drama continues over multiple episodes and generally in long form drama, there is always a new disequilibrium at the end of the episode to make people want to watch the next episode and continue watching.
In what way does Todorov’s theory apply to the following News stories?
Equilibrium: Salisbury is a relatively quiet town and it is possibly that they do not centre around many national news stories.
Disequilibrium: Nerve poison attack on individual living in Salisbury, people living in Salisbury have their lives disrupted due to possibly being in an unsafe environment.
Acknowledgement: News coverage confirms the attack on the individual is an ex Russian spy and that it is possible that the Russian government had something to do with the poisoning used on the individual.
Solving: Daughter, who is awake and talking, when she is physically well she will be given a safe haven to live and a new identity to use so that she will be safe from further harm.
New equilibrium: Life for her will continue, but not as normal and a lot of aspects in her life are different and will never be the same.
Neale's Genre Theory
> Neale’s theory of repetition and difference in Genre.
> "Genres are instances of repetition and difference"
> "Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre"
What That Means:
> Steve Neale is saying that a film and it's genre is defined by two things:
> How much it conforms with a genre's stereotypes and conventions.
> He says that a film must conform to these conventions enough that it can still qualify and be identified as a film of that genre.
> How much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions.
> He says that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed as a unique film, not just a clone.
Neale states that:
> a film must conform to these conventions enough that it can still qualify and be identified as a film of that genre.
> How much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions?
> Neale states that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed as a unique film, not just a clone.
Star Wars conforms to genre expectations of a:
Sci – Fi film - special effects, hero and anti hero, epic struggle over good and evil
Action film – follows Stucture of Propp where the protagonist is sent on a quest
Subverts the action film genre:
> As the (main) protagonist is female.
> Plot twist focus on female empowerment.
In the newest episode of Star Wars (The Last Jedi), the roles have changed and rather than having a male protagonist throughout the film, we have now been introduced to female protagonists that lead the story. In the first episode of Star Wars and up until the most recent episode, there was a male protagonist throughout.
How does House of Cards conform to genre expectations?
House of Cards conforms to these conventions as it contains real life situations involving politics and incorporating real life scenarios and characters that relate to real life people. There is audience interaction in House of Cards when Frank turns to the camera and talks directly to the audience. Additionally, it contains drama and controversy similar to that of real life American Politics. It does exhibit real life situations, it has realistic characters, settings and stories. It is set in Washington DC, which is most famous for being where the White House is situated, where the president lives and where main politics goes ahead. Also conforms as the protagonist of the story is male.
How does House of Cards subvert to the gender expectations of a political drama/thriller?
As well as having conventions that the TV drama conforms to, there are also some conventions that the TV drama subverts to. It does not contain too much exaggerated sound or music, and mainly contains dialogue. As well as this, there is no disorientation of time and space, as House of Cards is mainly a drama constructed chronologically. Due to the fact that this is a long form TV drama, there are not many happy endings as the story continues through the series and it is always left on some type of cliffhanger to keep the audience guessing and keeping them intrigued. Frank's character could also closely mirror the American politics currently (2016 to present) with the corruption and secrecy of the government. Anti-hero.
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