Britishness and the avengers

How was media language used to show britishness?

When mrs peele and mr Steele arrive to the mystery town we are immediatly opened to a low angle shot of a traditional British  building which has stone work and old cottage windows, this shows that mrs peele and mr Steele are in the countryside where things were very un-modern, this scene juxtaposes to the opening scene of the programme where we can see that mrs peele lives in an apartment which overlooks skyscrapers.
Another way britishness is seen in the scene is when we get a medium close up of the pubs name which includes a very non traditional portrait of some sort of creature as the pub is called 'the inebriated gremlin' which is different to very traditional pub signs as there are usually some sort of powerful figure on them for example a past royal reign or a powerful animal to promote British value and power as a country. When we begin to see the name of the pub we get a low angle shot of it where 'gremlin' almost looks like a play on words to 'Cremlin' which is what British people used to call the Russia due to them being communist society instead of a conservative society. Again the low angle almost mocks that due to the obscure portrait, which we can link to the Russians. As we enter the pub we are taken through a panoramic shot thats going into a close up of a male and female sitting at a bar and drinking underneath german planes, this shows again how British people still can't let the thought of war go and still have to be surrounded by things that can empower them as Britain had won. The decor around the bar is again very old and wooden with old bottles on walls and pictures of the military. One way the avengers have broke the British stereotype is that a male and female were both seen at the bar because traditionally only elderly men were seen there especially in the countryside as they are a lot more set in there olden ways compared to the industrial revolutionary environment in London where everything is moving forwards.

The sounds as we enter the mystery town is non-diegetic thats very creepy which is not very British, as we get to the shot of the sign on the pub the wind is making the sign squeeke which can show some type of britishness as we get heavy winds. It also makes  the setting very spooky but leads to conversation to occur when mrs peele and mr Steele arrive as the opening sentence that is said is diegetic dialogue from mr Steele 'Very chilly'. This shows britishness as British people always moan or have to make a comment about the weather especially when you walk in somewhere and don't feel comfortable. Another way diegetic sound has been used to show britishness is where after mr Steele has commented about the weather he then begins to greet the locals of the pub politely by saying 'Good evening' which is a very gentlemanly thing to do especially because he is wearing a waistcoat and a bowler hat which also portrays his status compared to the people in the pub who are mainly middle class. Everyone we see in the pub are all wearing traditional 60s outfits which break the stereotype of britishness as the landlord has a very long and bog moustache, and is wearing a cardigan and a neck chief and the women are seen wearing make-up with there hair done up nice.
Another way Britishness is shown is when they are all near a table where a fighter plane is hanging down, this again brings up war and we hear diegetic sounds of the landlord saying 'Those were the days' which is the idea of still glorifying war as we know now that war was a horrible thing to happen and a lot of lives were lost but they are seen talking about it as if it was glory.

Throughout the clip they use continuity editing which is very relaxed and fits with British calm values as we are seen to be very laid-bac. It also has a continuous sound bridge which is creepy which juxtaposes with traditional British music during that time as it was very pop and up-beat.

Brittishness Represented in the episode

• Costume: 

Emma Peele is very 60s with lycra and tight figure hugging clothing. Black stretch cotton catsuit with vinyl facings front and back, fastened by buttons down the front.black and white 'TV' outfit with mini skirt, stocking with a diamond pattern, and patent leather pumps.White dress with black stitching, long cuffs and padded shoulders. 


John Steede wears Prince of Wales check jacket (grey with tan and green in the check), dark waistcoat with metal buttons, white shirt, dark tie, tan trousers, chelsea boots, bowler and umbrellaThe bowler hats were exclusively made by Herbert Johnson & Sons, of 54 St. James Street - they now cost £300 each. The umbrellas (when they weren't prop substitutes to ensure a neat line) were James Smith & Sons whangee cane handle city umbrellas, now costing £165 each (you can see why they used props when necessary!). He also would wear a tan overcoat which follows a spy drama convention as sherlock holmes would wear this and james bond would also wear the posh suits.

• Setting:

It starts in London in a stereotypical posh part with expensive houses. London is the main stereotype when thinking of Britain. and when they were going to the mystery town its very stereotypical that it was in a small town where nobody really goes in the countryside as there would of been a very big social gap between the rich and poor, with the rich living in the city earning lots of money and the poor living in the country being very undeveloped.
They then go to the beach where its very natural but brings back memories of fears of the cold war between Russia and Britain.

John Peele was then seen wondering around an abandoned army base trying to find clues, as the war is again seen as being glorified and is always brought up when there is some sort of great victory and Britain is seen for having really good military.
There was also a scene in the town church where this can represent British culture as christianity was seen as very important still.

• Props

They were seen in traditional British vehicles such as the Great western railway, Vespa GS scooter and  a morris minor. Morris minor vehicles are a British manufacturer which shows Britishness stereotypes.
Tea is also used with cream on the top, which is the top of milk that isn't processed. they also do fencing which shows there social grade and reflects them living in London, this is because  British man became successful in the 1960 olympics as he got a silver, there was then a big craze over fencing.

• Character interaction

They were very over-polite which is very britishness. And there relationships with people were not as good as they weren't really social and interactive with new people they meet.

• Dialogue

Accents are both posh and well spoken. They are also very intelligent.

Case study: The town of no return

• On a beach a shifty man is attending to his lobster pots when a man emerges from the tide concealed in a water tight black covering; he walks up the beach, removes the covering, and says good morning to the man and walks off.
• After a bout of fencing at Mrs. Peel's flat, Steed and Mrs Peel leave on a train to visit Little Bazeley by the Sea, a village in Norfolk where agents have been reported to go missing.^[1] 
• On the train they share a carriage with a portly gentleman, Jimmy Smallwood (played by Patrick Newell who would later play Mother), who is going to visit his brother the local blacksmith. On arrival Steed, Peel and Smallwood are shadowed by the shifty local man from the beach. At the local inn, the Inebriated Gremlin, they are served by landlord Piggy Warren, who introduces them to Mark Brandon, the school inspector, and Jill Manson, a teacher. 
• Mrs Peel announces herself as a new teacher, assigned by the ministry to the local school. When Smallwood leaves to visit his brother the blacksmith, several strange men in boots with rifles depart through the inn and follow him. 
• Later the shifty local is seen hunting Smallwood across the landscape with bloodhounds. This is heard back at the village and dismissed by Piggy as "badger hunting".
• The following morning Steed and Mrs Peel examine strange footprints leading out of the sea and up the beach, and find Smallwood dead and buried in the sand.
• Mrs Peel visits the school and finds it and the teachers very unusual. She discovers that the school has been unused for years and a large number of adult sized Wellington boots are stored there. 
• She visits the local church where the vicar shows her the parish records, of which several decades are missing.
• Steed discovers a mention of a pilot, killed in 1942, named Piggy Warren: the name used by the pub landlord. 
• Both Mrs Peel and Steed learn that the village folk are imposters and are hiding something. 
• While Mrs Peel is investigating the school, an elderly man – the real School inspector – runs in, pursued by the phony school inspector and the shifty local, and says little but "below, below" before dying. 
• Mrs Peel revisits the church and confronts the vicar, who suddenly pulls out a gun and reveals he is also an imposter. Mrs Peel is tied up in the blacksmith's until Steed arrives, overpowers the shifty local and frees her.
• In the school, Steed and Mrs Peel discover enough food to feed an army. Mrs Peel reveals a diagram on the back of the old blackboard of Britain and a submarine in the North Sea. Wondering where have all the people gone, they surmise that this is a gradual invasion by a foreign power: small groups have been dispatched from a submarine located in the North Sea, explaining the bootprints at the beach and adult sized Wellington boots at the school, replacing the locals one by one until only the invaders remain.
• Heeding the dying man's words, they head to the old airfield's underground bunkers. There they discover a small army of enemy agents and a big supply of explosives and some high tech equipment.
•  Steed and Mrs Peel are eventually found by some of the impostors; a fight ensues before they overpower them and leave after sealing the invaders permanently underground. They depart the village on a motor scooter driven by Mrs Peel.

• More ww2 than 60s look apart from the women eye make-up
• based around the fear of ww2 other than traditional 60s crimes.

The Duopoly in the 1960s

• The era of two competing broadcasters, itv and the BBC, is referred too by many as a 'golden age' of broadcasting in the uk. the two institutions had full control over the programme as they produced them in-house.

• How might this competition and control have a positive outcome? what negative effects might this have?
• one positive  outcome would be that there would be less comparison between shows as there are only two, they also had to be very mainstream so a wide variety of people would watch it.
• negative outcome would be that it could be a bit boring and lacking of options, and if you didn't like the mainstream options they wouldn't cater for your choice.
• another positive would be that they would compete with one another this means that a lot of effort would of gone into the shows, going it a positive outcome.

ITV FACT FILE :

  Itv channels and names:

• ITV
• ITV2
• ITV3
• ITV4
• ITVBe
• CITV
• ITV Box Office
• ITV HD

ITV strategy :

Most popular ITV programmes:

• Downtown Abbey
• Midsomer's Murders
• Vera
• Agatha christies poirot
• Scott and Bailey
• Benidorm 
• Got talent
• Foyles war
• This morning 

Most expensive programme to make :

Other platforms:

• ITV player online

How does it generate income?

• by broadcasting and online
• sponsorships
• commercially funded

Advantages of being commercially owned:

• It can make more money and be more profitable 
• can be more creative 

BBC FACTFILE:

The BBC has nine national television channels. These are;

• BBC One
• BBC Two
• BBC Three
• BBC Four
• CBBC
• CBeebies
• BBC News
• BBC Parliament
• BBC Alba

The BBC's mission:

• To reach millions through creative communication and trusted media, helping people to have their say, understand their rights, responsibilities and each other, and take action to transform their own lives.

The BBC's vision:

• A world where informed and empowered people live in healthy, resilient and inclusive communities.

The BBC's Values:

• People centred - the communities they serve are at the heart of all they do
• Trustworthy- honest and open, share information and acknowledge mistakes. 
• Creative- Innovative, adaptable and creative, making lasting improvements to peoples lives.
• Respectful- respect audiences, colleagues. 
• Collaborative- Involve communities in designing and delivering work
• Effective- Have impact by combining research, expertise and innovation to find appropriate and lasting solution.

Most popular BBC1 programmes:

Most expensive programme to make :

• Rome costing £10 million an episode 

Other platforms:

•  iPlayer online 
• radio 
• magazine 

Other ways to generate income:

• Tv license 
• Government 
• selling products and services to other countries

Advantages of being publicly owned:

• serve the public better 
• unbiased 
• no adverts 

Television  industries and audiences:

crime drama:

publicity owned tv channel: funded by government and license fees for the public service for example BBC

commercial tv channel: funded through advertisement

convergence:   COMING TOGETHER-you don't just have to use a tv anymore, because of advanced technology you can take photos, socialise and watching videos all on one device

Watershed: times when adult content (15+) can be shown. Between 9pm and 5:30am

Segmented market: Audience divided into different groups depending on taste and interests

Mainstream: stuff thats popular like crime drama. thats why so many films from hollywood are similar.

Self-regulating:  not regulated about outside bodies

Franchise: License from company of a product to use format/show/ideas

Channel-surfing: Switching between channels

PSB: means 'public service broadcasting'

TV license:  When you pay for your TV its £155.50, the money pays for programmes and radio licenses

Scheduling: the time they put programmes on e.g eastenders on every night at 8:00

Conglomerate: are big companies like sky and disney that own different companies to do different things 

• When was TV introduced to the UK? 1939
• IN 1965, how many channels were there in the uk and what were they? 2 then 3
• when did itv start? why was it different? 1955 and it was commercial, not public.
• which uk channels have to follow PSB remits? channel 3, channel 4, channel 5 and the BBC
• Who regulates TV now?
• Who regulated TV channels in the 1960s?
• list the differences between tv in the 60s and now?

Media coursework plan

Red Hot Chili peppers- can't stop

pre-opening: Blurred background with words saying 
'Burlorne Tregoose Farm
Silage 2018
produced by Grace Johns'
                                                                                      
opening- moving close up, starting sat in the row of grass to then slowly going up and up 

High angle over shot. moving over the forager and trailer using drone

Can't stop, addicted to the shindig

Chop Top, he says I'm gonna win big
Choose not a life of imitation

Distant cousin to the reservation

close up of side of the tractor where it says the make e.g 'New Holland T7.185'

Defunct the pistol that you pay for
This punk, the feeling that you stay for

Zoom in on tractor driver through cab, not inside.

In time I want to be your best friend

over the shoulder angle showing both drivers of cabs
East side lovers living on the west end

sharp tilt from the camera like its fallen.
Knocked out but boy you better come to

behind shot of both the forager and trailer.
Don't die, you know the truth as some do
Go write your message on the pavement

Wide and long shot including whole field using video camera.
Burn so bright I wonder what the wave meant
White heat is screaming in the jungle

Shot of mower or rake.
Complete the motion if you stumble
Go ask the dust for any answers
Come back strong with fifty belly dancers

High shot video rotating 360 degrees using drone of whole farm and fields.
The world I love
The tears I drop
To be part of
The wave, can't stop

Jacob pointing at the camera 
Ever wonder if it's all for you?

video of tractor driver singing in the cab, gopro being placed in the corner of the cab.
The world I love
The trains I hop
To be part of
The wave, can't stop
Come and tell me when it's time to

Sweetheart is bleeding in the snow cone
So smart, she's leading me to ozone
Music the great communicator
Use two sticks to make it in the nature
I'll get you into penetration
The gender of a generation
The birth of every other nation
Worth your weight, the gold of meditation
This chapter's going to be a close one
Smoke rings, I know your going to blow one
All on a spaceship persevering
Use my hands for everything but steering
Can't stop the spirits when they need you
Mop tops are happy when they feed you
J. Butterfly is in the treetop
Birds that blow the meaning into bebop

The world I love
The tears I drop
To be part of
The wave, can't stop
Ever wonder if it's all for you?
The world I love
The trains I hop
To be part of
The wave, can't stop
Come and tell me when it's time to

Wait a minute I'm passing out
Win or lose, just like you
Far more shocking
Than anything I ever knew
How about you?
Ten more reasons
Why I need somebody new just like you
Far more shocking than anything I ever knew
Right on cue

Can't stop, addicted to the shindig
Chop Top, he says I'm gonna win big
Choose not a life of imitation
Distant cousin to the reservation
Defunct the pistol that you pay for
This punk, the feeling that you stay for
In time I want to be your best friend
East side lovers living on the west end
Knocked out but boy, you better come to
Don't die you know the truth as some do
Go write your message on the pavement
Burn so bright I wonder what the wave meant

Kick start the golden generator
Sweet talk but don't intimidate her
Can't stop the gods from engineering
Feel no need for any interfering
Your image in the dictionary
This life is more than ordinary
Can I get two, maybe even three of these?
Coming from space
To teach you of the Pleiades
Can't stop the spirits when they need you
This life is more than just a read through

teaser/theatrical posters

 

posters released: 15

 the lego movie have gained a lot of interest for the amount of posters they have published, this is because each poster they have released is a single character of the movie which will interest the audience and younger kids.

Denotation: the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests
the action or indicating or referring to something by mean of a word, symbol etc
the object or concept to which a term refers, or the set of objects of which a predicate is true.

Denotations:
Emmit is working class, he is a builder he has brown hair

connotations:
Emit is the hero as he is at the front and has a low angle camera shot to make him look big.

it is a lego game case that advertises the film as it is seen in adverts and shops, it is aimed at people who enjoy lego and kids or teenagers. this is also revealing the target audience

it shows the genre of the movie and gives away the target audience because of the colours and the title shows its going to be about lego

vertical integration benefits media

Companies often release tie in video games alongside the films because they are fun and attract the target audience. It could also be to advertise the film.

Simultaneous Release

Profit maximised- the promotion of a film will create a receptive awareness in potential consumers of the game.

Familiarity- the brand and plot and characters are already known; recognition of the fact we liked the film so may enjoy a game based on it.

Extends the pleasure of the film- a chance to continue to be part of the film that we enjoyed. Chance to play the roles we saw in the film.

The game promotes the film, the film the game. marketing of both products increases potential audience as fans crossover between the two platforms. Think of how the theme of Bond films piggy backs on the promotion of the film and vice versa.

Uses and Gratifications

ENTERTAINMENT: offers distraction from the world

PERSONAL IDENTITY: helps us consider who we are; what ideas and values we identify with

RELATIONSHIPS: we find things we can share and discuss with others.

INFORMATION: new information we want to know or take pleasure in knowing.

vertical integration benefits media

Vertical Integration is when a Media Company owns different businesses in the same chain of production and distribution. ... Vertical integration can help companies reduce costs and improve efficiency by decreasing transportation expenses and reducing turnaround time, among other advantages.

The company Lego who own a toy company and a game company released a movie partnered with Warner Bros. The tie in video game was released to advertise the film and the profit will be maximised. This means they will be earning more money. The promotion of the film will create awareness and the audience will have heard of it or they are familiar with it.

    

The characters in the games are commonly known and will be familiar to children and people interested in lego. The characters are usually the favourites meaning more people will be interested in the game. The game also gives the target audience information about the film and characters. Another reason is that it extends the pleasure of the film meaning it gives a chance for people who really enjoyed the film to enjoy it even more. It also gives them a chance to play a role in the film. E.g creating and playing characters. People who enjoy the game then want to watch the film.

  

  The games are made reasonably easy which allows anyone and everyone to play. It also suggests to people that the film is suitable for children as the target audience of the game is for young children. This makes it a good tie in for the family audience. Blumer and katz theory can be applied to the video game in many ways because its entertaining to the target audience because younger children will like the bright and fun colours and teenagers will like being able to play the role of the characters. The game is exciting which is then shared and discussed between others which could possibly advertise the film.