Censorship

Censorship refers to the extent of which certain material such as cultural, social, sexual and violent is exposed. Censorship is installed in order to determine the influence such matters have on mass audiences, interlinking with the effects model and selective exposure.

Selective exposure is a theory that suggests media recipients consume texts based on preconceived ideologies and beliefs, meaning individuals are more compelled to indulge in sources that agree with their interests and beliefs. As a result of this theory, media recipients are unlikely to consume materials contradictory to their beliefs/ideologies.

Censorship concerns the suppression of media platforms/sources conveying messages that may be considered rude or inappropriate due to moral, ethical, harmful or politically incorrect issues. Censorship is implemented to prevent more vulnerable, receptive minds such as those of children absorbing explicit information before they are even able to comprehend the meaning of these views. It is also important that explicit content is monitored, as children/adolescents are likely to imitate unfavorable behaviour if it represented through humor. One very notable example of censorship is 'The Hays Code': this was a principle that established a set of rules in 1930 that governed what was eligible for inclusion in the film industry. For example, film producers where not permitted to show women's legs any where above the knee, as it was believed that this could evoke sexual thoughts and therefore by adhering to the Hays Code it was possible to control audiences.

The Effects Model

The three components of the effects model are as follows:

a) Imitation
b) Desensitisation
c) Catharsis

Imitation

The primary stage of the effects model suggests that if an audience passively participates in a media text, it is likely that they will imitate this behaviour as it has been presented as acceptable. The media has often criticised games in the mould of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) because it provides the consumer with a virtual world in which they can cause mass destruction, it is debated that some gamers can still be influenced by these games - despite the age restrictions, which are often ignored.

Desensitisation

Throughout the world, images and videos are displayed in the media that thirty years ago would have been seen as socially unacceptable. Desensitiation is the process by which we have become acclimatised to more explicit content due to the exessive but gradual leniency on factors such as swearing, sexual content and violence. Fundamentally, if an explicit threat was to be made on television past the hour of nine o'clock, how many recipients of the text would actually be gobsmacked? This has transmitted through to the real world, it is not uncommon for people to swear on a regular places in working environments or educational institutions, because we have become desensitised to this content.

Catharsis

When watching, reading or listening to a media source that represents a poor living standard or life struggle, it often renders the consumer reassured safe in the knowledge that their life could be worse. When indulging in these texts, it provokes a sense of happiness as we realise that our lives are not as bad as we assume, because we are watching a ficticious world in which life is less favorable. Subconciously, we become much more satisfied with the things around us due to the information processed.

The Ideology Behind Classroom Posters

After observing an eclectic range of posters from around the school classrooms, it is evident that they all convey a common message concerning success, the attitudes that mould a successful human being and the importance of organisation. Whilst also emphasizing the importance of life skills (organisation etc.) they also promote the importance of the corresponding subject i.e. English posters stress the key components required to succeed in that subject.

Quotes from famous people that students can take inspiration from are a technique that has been deployed in numerous classrooms, statements that will evoke a sense of introspection within pupils and relate their thoughts to the individual that made the comment: an inspiring Michael Jordan quote reads "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying". When the quote is read and processed, it seems logical - if you do not fear failure then there is no reason why you cannot succeed in your chosen field, however, when placed in the context of an athlete who has won numerous awards and titles it can only be perceived as breath taking. It appeals not only to a basketball orientated demographic, but to millions - who hasn't heard of Michael Jordan? And that's what makes the quote fantastic, the fact that a man who possesses such an illustrious career has refused the notion of failure can only induce a positive energy within the psyche of a young human being, when the mind is still so delicately receptive.

The colours utilised in the posters clearly target the younger generation: bright colours and graphic texts that draw in the attention of young individuals. Patterns such as flow charts are focused on heavily, probably due to the theory that the human brain thrives upon patterns and sequences, therefore engaging with the subconscious mind of young students.

Discussion: How far do you agree with the comment that mass audiences are still passive recipients of media texts?

Throughout the media, whether it be newspapers, magazines, advertisment and social networking it is said that discrete, subliminal  messages are deployed to engage with the subconcious mind in order to influence the recipient of a media text.

Conjecturally, these messages are represented through personal beliefs and manifested through fashion and even personas. For example, are 'regional identities' really perceived stereotypes, or merely vague representations of how we should behave as, for instance, residents of East London. Women are often exploited solely on their asthetic qualities in 'lads mags' - which suggests that it is acceptable for women to strut around half naked, refusing self-respect to attract the attention of testoserone fueled men, degrading women and showcasing them as objects rather than human beings.

During a lesson, we discussed how things the public (passive recipient) are fed in the media are expressed through their actions. We analysed an image depicting Jim Royle from "The Royle Family" engulfed in an armchair, with a cup of tea. The text connoted he was watching television - he seemed immersed, slumped lethargically whilst holding a cup of tea adjacent to the remote control. This can be interpreted through two ideologies:

a) Jim is represented as a passive recipient of media text, there is ambiguity as to what he is watching it could be anything from the news to Top of the Pops. The picture elicits a valid argument - is the photo a metaphor for passive recipients of media texts? The lazy manner in which Jim is sat whilst indulging in the television represents a 'passive recipient', susceptible to the subliminal messages the media transmits in order to interact with the psyche.

b) Is the depiction of Jim Royle a 're-presentation' of the way we behave, tinkering with the concept of regional identity (tea, armchair etc.) or is it a representation of how we should behave, suggesting that we should indulge and soak up the media's ideas.

Obviously, The Royle Family was first broadcast in 1998, when there was less access to the sophisticated technology such as smart phones that are available now. Therein, it is becoming apparent that we are even more vulnerable to the media due to how accessible the these materials are - most teenagers are able to surf twitter at the touch of the button, absorbing the ideology 'tweeted' by journalists and newspapers second by second. Is this to suggest that in the formative years of the media had a rather more mild effect on it's recipients? Quite possibly, yes. The contemporary human can be influenced, some would say controlled by the new wave of technology exploited by the media in order to reach vulnerable minds.

Programmes such as "The Only Way Is Essex" (TOWIE) have in some senses evolved youth culture in their fashion and terminology, because young demographics believe that if something is televised and accessible, then it must be socially acceptable. Some argue it also represented Essex as unsophisticated, adding to the 'Essex' stereotype.

To emboss the importance of the media's affect on it's audience, it must be established exactly what a 'passive recipient' is:

A passive audience is a recipient which the media are able to inject messages into without the individual being completely aware of this. For example, children are a passive recipient of media texts, as they do not interact with the media but are receptive to it's content. They have no control over the media influence that affects them.

Analysis of Regional Identity

Britain broadcasts many soap operas that act as a microcosm for reality, bearing resemblance to the real world targeting a certain demographic - which is why 'Eastenders' and 'Corination Street' attract different viewers - they cater for different audiences (the North and South of England). In the lesson, we discussed the ways in which an extract from Eastenders constructs the representation of a regional identity. It centres on the modern archetypes/stereotypes of South England, East London to be precise. Most obviously, accents and slang where  most noticable, however, it was also costume that played a part in the building of the stereotypical 'eastender'; excesivelly large hoop earings and an abundance of make-up that make the charaters all the more conspicuous. One specific juncture of the scene gave reference to the streets of East London providing a detailed, visual insight of the streets that manifested architecture heavily associated with London, plenty of pubs and scafolding were shown whilst the key components that make up the city's infrastructure where also alluded to: London buses and mini cabs where also alluded to.

It became clear that soap operas (and the majority of television) are built on the ideology of versismilitude - the appearance of being true or real. To put this into perspective, if an individual who is of a completely different origin to the stereotype presented in Eastenders where to watch the programme (regardless of the political, economic and social principles) it would be of such little relevance. A few things that could be identified in the clip were: 

Semic Code - Recognised through connotation

Cultural Code - The social expressions, fashion and generic terms used to encapsulate a certain culture

These are some of the basic elements which help construct (although it is arguable that these archetypes/stereotypes have already been created) regional identity.

Termonology: Sign, Signifier, Signified etc.

Everyday we associate different symbols with certain meanings e.g. road signs and even numbers. This is true in a media sense as well, we can interprete the content of scenes as signs which are given specific terms.

Sign - A symbol that conveys a message

Signifier - The object itself, literally

Signified - What the object represents, the indication of what the object transmits

Polysemic - A sign that conveys numerous messages, offering alternative interpretations - more than one meaning

Connote - Interpreted meaning of the sign, what it may imply judging my it's denotation

Denote - An indictation of something, what it implies/suggests: "The use of a high angled shot denotes the individual is inferior."

A sign is essentially the smallest element of meaning, which can be subdivided into many different contexts.

Symbolic - Those which are learnt e.g. a red circle bearing a white oblong in the centre has been established as 'No Entry', because it has been learnt. Signs in certain languages are also significant, fundamentally, a sign in one language would make little sense in another.

Iconic - Those which work through resemblance

Indexical - Those which work through a casual link e.g. smoke as an index of fire

Structuralism - The notion that everything is defined by opposites e.g. there would be no black without white and vice versa. Meanings are determined by binary opposites - Jacques Derrida was a strong proponent of structuralism.

Sounds: Diegetic and Non-Diegetic

Sounds, from narratives to music, often correspond to a films genre, characters and era. In todays lesson we studied and discussed the concept of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds and how they influence the audience's perception of the scene/film.

Similar to 'Mise En Scene' (although not necessarily focusing directly on what was presented on screen) we observed how the music and scene progressed together. We analysed an extract from ' The Notebook ' in which two lovers enjoy a romantic boat trip down a river, not long before a storm breaks. As the first wave of thunder stuck, it generated a sense of forboding which elicited the more negative characteristics between the two lovers, resulting in an argument. However, in the formative stages of the scene, both characters interacted romantically in a rather more tranquil environment. Therein, the first strike of thunder signified to the audiences subconcious that something more destuctive was imminent - this is due to the fact that we associate thunder with more unwanted emotions. Midway through the argument, some romantic music eased its way into the scene and the lovers subsequently indulged in a passionate kiss. Fundamentally, it was the music that faded into the scene/argument that hinted the lovers possessed mutual feelings for one another.

We then established the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. In essence, the word diegetic refers to the ficticious world in which the characters of a film/tv series reside. This made the concept of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds easier to comprehend when applied to an example. We watched a clip from the acclaimed 'Inbetweeners', in which one of the main characters, Will, gives a comical narrative whilst the camera pans over the scene. The fact that the character addresses the audience directly denotes that it is a non-diegetic sound, as in the ficticious world, a narrative is not a sound heard by everyone in the realm of reality. Essentially, that is the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds: diegetic sounds are sounds that would be expected to be heard e.g. footsteps, a glass smashing etc., whereas non-diegetic sounds are sounds used to supplement the atmosphere of the scene e.g. music, narratives - sounds that would not be expected to be heard in the realm of reality.

How Directors Can Influence Representation

Film directors have a huge influence on our perception of characters, forever meticulously storyboarding the inaugural scenes of heroes and villains to ensure the audience understand a characters stature. In todays lesson, we analysed the introduction of Darth Vader in "Star Wars: A New Hope" and discussed the features that distinguished him from the other characters. Director George Lucas employs a number of techniques in the scene, most notably using the characters around Darth Vader to convey his concepts. An important factor in introducing Darth Vader as a villain was the state of the surroundings and environment in which he entered - a series of corpses piled beneath him, emphasizing his superiority. To add ambiguity, Vader enters into a realm of silence which makes for a mysterious and compelling entrance. If the scene where to be analysed in accordance with Levi Strauss' theory, some established binary opposites can be identified: the dead clone troopers lay in white armor whilst Darth Vader is dressed in a jet black set of armor and draped in a cloak - also black. The idea of 'Clone Troopers' denotes they do not possess an identity, which makes Darth Vader all the more conspicuous. Probably one of the most obvious binary opposites, the dead and alive contrast: Darth Vader looks upon the corpses contemptuously, before vacating the area emotionless. Strauss theory thrives on the notion of binary opposites, e.g. dead and alive, black and white, and we realised that the scene acts in correspondence with Strauss' theory. Another significant feature that embossed Darth Vader's authority was the reaction of the clone troopers upon his entrance: as Darth Vader entered, the troops readjusted their posture into a more respectful stance before following him - the fact that they followed him reinforces his authority.

After a dramatic succession of music, it becomes quiter to draw attention to the sound of his footsteps. Only Darth Vader's footsteps are heard, which reitterates his superiority and further outlines the troopers' inferiority. The entire scene/set is white, meaning the clone troopers blend into the environment seemingly peripheral, however, Darth Vader becomes all the more the more embossed and appears as more of a silhoutte.

There are a number of strategies deployed by directors to build the persona of a character.

Todorov's Theory of Narrative Structure

Each to their own, structuralists adhere to their devised theories of narrative structure. Izetan Todorov, a Bulgarian structuralist, is no different - his theory thrives on a specific notion.

Todorov beleives all narrative structures begin with an equilibrium, a conventional mores or scenario that everyone abides by, until something or someone disconerts/disrupts the equilibrium and forces a reaction in order to restore justice/a new equilibrium in the ficticious world.

Todorov's theory comprises of five stages:

1) An established equilibrium is demonstrated
2) Something/someone disrupts the composition of the equilibrium
3) The disruption provokes a reaction
4) An attempt to suppress and repair the disruption is made
5) Justice is restored and the equilibrium is reinstated

There are a flurry of films that abide by this principle, for example, films in which aliens attempt to take over the world etc.

Camera Angles

Today we explored how camera angles can influence our interpretation of characters in different scenes. We analysed a number of scenes from an array of different films to investigate the different angles used and how they impact upon the characters, and therefore how the audience perceive that character.

First of all, we established the different camera angles and what they denote:

High Angled Shots - Implies the character is inferior or vulnerable, connoting the character is weak and subordinate.

Low Angled Shots -Suggests that the subject is superior or more powerful, it can make the character appear intimidating.

Two Shots - Portrays two characters in the same shot to convey the nature of a relationship between two people, normally employed to represent a conversation.

Long Shots - Denotes that a character is isolated and alone. When a long shot conveys a scene it is referred to as an establishing shot.

Close Up Shot - Allows the audience to evaluate a characters emotions, the audience are able to view the character intimately through a period of introspection.

Extreme Close Up Shots - Usually increases the tension of a scene, when characters are focused or angry.

Mid-Shots - Captures the majority of the character, can be used for conversations or action scenes to enhance the effects of conflict.

First to be analysed was an extract from 'Kidulthood' - a film based on the struggles of 16-20 year olds in rather more deprived environments, acclaimed heavily due to its appeal to a young demographic.

The scene comprised of a young man and woman, shown seperately although in the same scene, encountering troubles in their relationship after it is unearthed the young woman (approximately 16-17) is pregnant and the biological father is uncertain, which evokes negativity in both characters.

The scene shows both young man and woman roaming the streets aimlessly, and both are reduced to tears. The camera conveys the young mans point of view, a blurry and ambiguous vision that represents his disorientation. Subsequently, he is presented through the process of introspection on a hill through the use of a close up shot, however, the director has intentionally included the surroundings of the character - the city. He is on the outside looking in at the city, connoting that he is isolated and surplus to London. Similarly, the young girl is presented in a blurry environment that is the city in which everyone around her is moving swiftly, whilst she remains roaming aimlessly. This suggested that she too was isolated, and confused as to her destination, seemingy hopeless. Also noticeable was the inclusion of a long/establishing shot, utilised to express the isolation suffered by both parties who, as previously mentioned, where shown seperately. Close up shots where also used to capture the emotions of the two characters, who were both clearly distraught. The combination of all these techniques make the scene very incisive, and ensure the audience fully comprehend the atmosphere of the scene and characters.