Long Form Drama - Part 2
Ideology: “A set of beliefs values and assumptions shared by a social group and embedded in social, cultural, political and economic institutions.” - usually thought to reflect the interests of powerful groups. - consumerism, freedom, equality, and individualism are often considered dominant ideologies in free market capitalists societies as they reflect the economic basis of these societies
1.0 The Influence of Technological Change
How Long form dramas came into being
Terrestrial TV
-- Schedule content was fixed (reliant on analogue (radio wave technology as before the internet)
-- Viewing experience was communal (families watched the same/similar content) as content was transmitted via Radio waves.
-- Dramas developed to encourage regular viewing
-- Program content with high audience numbers secured revenue via advertising.
-- Advertising revenue or PSB income (TV license) pays for drama for e.g. a typical Eastenders episode costs £141,000
1.0 The Influence of Technological Change and Economic Context
-- There is a clear shift towards SOD (subscription on-demand viewing of television)
-- This has been enabled through the Technological change i.e. the provision of streaming services
-- (2017) Netflix receives an income of 2.5 $bn from UK subscribers.
-- Their income is used to fund “high end” television content such as the HOC
LFTVD (Long Form Television Drama)
Historical Cultural and Economic Contexts.
-- HOC belongs to a genre called Long-form television drama. (LFTVD)
-- LFTVD (Game of Thrones, HOC, etc.) are characterized by high production values.
-- Series one and 2 of the HOC costs an estimated $100 Million for the first two series (26 episodes) to produce.
-- By comparison, Eastender’s costs £29.9 million a year for 212 episodes. (
source)
-- Referring to the revision notes page 146, the cost of production of this High-end Drama (HOC) is linked to
-Sourcing highly skilled actors
-Cinematic styling camera work
-Lighting and editing
-Complex narratives (multi-stranded) (Barthes)
-Composed music
Kevin Spacey has been chosen to play the role of Frank Underwood for his popularity in the acting world. It may also have to do with the films he has been in - Nine Lives (in which he narrates the life of a cat that he has been turned into - similar to the fact that he is the narrator of House of Cards)
1.0 The Influence of Technological, cultural and Economic Context
How Long form dramas came into being.
Digital (streaming) -- Netflix - In just a decade, Netflix has grown from a video service with seven million U.S. subscribers to one that reaches 93 million people worldwide.
-- The company's now worth about $60 billion
-- 2016, Netflix spent $5 billion on original programming.
-- The income from subscribers has allowed them to commission highly rated long-form TV dramas such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.
-- 2017 sales rose to $2.48 billion. With a global presence in 190 countries.
1.0 the Influence of Technological Change and Economic Context-- Long-form TV is an American concept which effectively is a hybrid of a serialised drama with the high production standards of film.
Long-form TV Drama (genre) conventions -- Drama that runs in a series
-- They start with an intense beginning to grip their audience
-- They contain cliffhangers to maintain interest
-- They conclude the episode until the end where they conclude the episode.
-- Very much dialogue led.
-- Production values are higher than TV drama (funded by subscribers)
-- High budgets permit high-end actors and high-end production
Analyzing the ideological contexts
Ideology: “A set of beliefs values and assumptions shared by a social group and embedded in social, cultural, political and economic institutions.”
-- Usually thought to reflect the interests of powerful groups.
-- Consumerism, freedom, equality, and individualism are often considered dominant ideologies in free market capitalists societies as they reflect the economic basis of these societies
The prime contexts influencing medium language in television drama may be ideologies such as:
-- Individualism: e.g. focusing a drama on an individual protagonist
-- Consumerism: e.g. judging characters on their possessions or desirability of their lifestyles
-- Patriarchal: power and the challenge to this by feminism e.g. using or refusing to use women’s bodies as objects, or narratives that present a male, female or gender-neutral perspective
-- Racism and ethnocentrism and the challenge to those from multiculturalism and internationalism, e.g. narratives that present a monocultural, multicultural or minority perspective
These theories apply to the House of Cards due to there being barely any other cultures apart from Linda Vasquez (The President’s Chief of staff) and the owner of the rib shop at the end of the episode. There are some stereotypes throughout this episode - especially right at the end when it is a black many working at the rib shop. The patriarchal power of genders is quite unbalanced - with only Zoe Barnes, Clare Underwood and Linda Vasquez being the main female characters, and then having Garrik Walker, Frank Underwood, Michael Kern, Peter Russo and then Doug (Frank's sidekick). Consumerism is used when everyone is at the balls, as everyone is being judged by what they wear and whereabouts on the economic scale they lie.
3.0 The Media Form Specific Elements of Media Language used to create meaning
Claire
-- Mirrors Frank
-- Stereotypical way of acting when it comes to Zoe
-- Ruthless
-- Similar to Frank in the way of money
-- More masculine than Frank
-- Breaks the stereotype of women - not a shoulder to cry on but is the person who makes you cry
-- Subverts feminine
-- Degrades Zoe for using sexuality to create her career
-- Breaks patriarchy
-- Corrupt and corruptive
Frank
-- Ruthless
-- Kills Dog at start
-- Uses an extensive amount of blackmail
-- Stereotypical
-- monologues - individualism
-- Breaks fourth wall
-- Main protagonist
-- Cold
-- Calculated
-- Stereotypes of politics (Donald Trump)
-- Patriarchal - holds power as a middle-class white man
-- Corrupt and corruptive
Zoe
-- Uses sexuality to fraud career - low cut shirts to gain attention from men and exploit them (Van Zoonen)
-- Has a nervous tick - being in a position of weakness at the beginning
-- Objectified at Frank's home
-- Ambitious woman journalist - want to get on - her work wants her to write a column (gossip)
-- It was expected of her to sleep with someone in order for her to get the article from Frank
-- Tries to break bounds
-- Quite weak - just started working
-- Keeps getting shut down
--Wants to be fast-tracked
-- Corrupt
Russo
-- Irresponsible
-- Puts personal life over professional life
-- Dirty
-- Drug addicted
-- Does illegal things although he is part of the government
-- Acts like a child - thinks he can get away with things - when he gets pulled over he says that just because he is in the government, he should be let off
-- Corrupt
Media Theory/Academic Arguments
Todorov:
-- Stereotypes: masculinity, femininity
-- Feminist theory: van Zoonen
-- Feminist Theory: bel hooks
-- Levi Strauss:
Levi - Strauss
-- Levi Strauss’s idea of the binary opposition – that the system of myths and fables
-- (narrative) was ruled by s structure of opposing terms such as male/female, good/evil. This narrative structure can be applied to LFTVD’s such as the House of cards as follows
Narrative Theory
Todorov’s theory (Equilibrium and Dis-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.
-- The theory has its limitations when applied to LFTVD as the restoration of equilibrium may not be realised due to the serialised nature of the drama
Create an Essay Analysing the Main Characters
Claire Underwood is Frank Underwood's wife, who is in charge of an
environmental nonprofit
organization. Claire mirrors Frank when it comes to money and the way that she treats people; she isn't a shoulder to cry on, but she is the person who would make you cry (breaking the stereotype of women). However, she does follow the stereotypical way of acting when it comes to meeting Zoe and degrades Zoe for using her sexuality to create her career. Claire subverts to feminine qualities and is more masculine to Frank, breaking the patriarchy. Overall, Claire is ruthless, corrupt and is corruptive to those around her.
Frank Underwood is the wife to Claire Underwood and is running for Secretary, however, is disappointed and is told to stay in the Congress. In the beginning, Frank is shown killing off a dog so that it ends suffering, this immediately starts off the ruthless demeanour that he spreads. Throughout the first episode, Frank uses an extensive amount of blackmail in order to get what he wants and stereotypes the politics (for example relating to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson). Frank shows a lot of monologues especially when he is narrating the scenes that he is in or is explaining what is going on, evoking a sense of individualism and breaks the fourth wall. He is the main protagonist. Frank is patriarchal, holding the power as a middle-class white man. Frank relates to the consumerism when he is at the ball and is narrating what he is thinking - judging everyone for what they are wearing and whereabouts on the economic scale they lie. Alike his wife, he is both corruptive and is corrupt himself.
Zoe Banks uses her sexuality to fraud a career, wearing low cut shirts to gain attention from men and exploit them - like the Van Zoonen theory of women being objectified - when she is in Frank's house during the first episode. Zoe tends to bite her nails when she is being confronted or talked to in the workplace, this could be a nervous tick which has developed due to her being in a position of weakness since the beginning of her career. However, she is an ambitious woman journalist, who wants to get on and break the bounds that tend to restrict her, with her work at the time being only about writing a small column - what her co-workers call gossip; a lot of the time being shut down from wanting to change what she is doing and make the workspace better. When Zoe turns up with all the "research" that she has taken from Frank, she is basically questioned whether she had to sleep with someone in order to get the article from Frank. Unlike the Underwoods, she is not corruptive, however, is still corrupt.
Peter Russo is a very irresponsible man who puts his personal life over his professional life. Franks is dirty and is completely addicted to drugs and alcohol. The addictions lead him to do illegal things although being part of the government. Russo acts like a child and thinks he can get away with anything, for example when he gets pulled over by the cops for drink driving, and tells them that he is a part of the government and should be let off the hook. Similar to Zoe, Russo is not corruptive like the Underwoods, however, he is still corrupt.
2.0 How Audiences Interpret Long Form Television Dramas
