Representations in TV drama - Hollyoaks

Representations in TV drama - Hollyoaks

• Hollyoaks
• Season 22
• Channel 4
• Duration 23:03
• Method of watching: Online
• Genre: Soap

Closed Narrative - A narrative that features a clear beginning, middle and end (equilibrium, disruption and new equilibrium). The narrative is linear and runs in a smooth straight line with no interruptions. For example this type of narrative structure can be found more in film

Open Narrative - A narrative which does not feature a clear cut  beginning, middle and end narrative structure and may feature ongoing cliffhangers to drive the Narrative further. As a result of this, these stories can go on for years for example this type of narrative structure can be seen in soap operas and comic books.


Summary
The episode of Hollyoaks that aired on the 15th of march followed the return of a character named Walker who seeked to gain revenge on other characters of the cast. As the episode progressed we the audience witnessed smaller storylines play out for example the escape of a woman named Max from the apartment of a character named kevin, the search for another character named Steve who was attacked by character Brendan Brody whos is also the one looking for him and finally a  more lighthearted story of character Will deciding to socialise more. The episode end on a cliffhanger with Walker catchng up with one of the characters who he seeks revenge on, Brendan and is holding a hostage at gunpoint; Brendan's father.

From what I've seen in some ways this episode follows soap genre conventions as it features dramatic conflicts which involve a lot of the cast, not only this but the episode features multiple narratives which is conventional to the soap opera genre.


Was the episode an open or closed narrative?
The episode was an open narrative as evidenced by its multi narrative features which in turn presented a more open story rather than a linear one of begining middle and end. The episode focused on mainly the conflict between Walker and Brendan but also focused on smaller storylines as well none of which were resolved in the episode.

Representation of Characters

Max - Female; presented as victim type role in the opening sequence of the episode as she relies on the other members of the cast to help her in her situation

Costume/appearance  - Purple track suit bottoms, pale skin, Messy Hair; This emphasises Max's victim role as her overall appearance connotes that perhaps she hasn't been able to take care of herself as evidenced by the dirty track suit and pale skin which may suggest that she is ill. This appearance has been devised to allow audiences to empathise with the character.One may say that as a result of Max's representation in the media text, the female gender has been represented as dependent.


Walker - Male; Presented as tough, intimidating and as the villain role

Costume/appearance/Props - Large Black coat, green scarf which obscures his face, Black gloves and Gun; The green scarf which covers Walkers face presents him as less human. In addition the use of the large black coat and black gloves present Walker as an intimidating figure as his form is exaggerated by these clothing choices which presents him as dangerous and tough. Furthermore Walker is the only character throughout the episode to feature a firearm as a result of this Walkers intimidating status is emphasised. One may say that as a result of Walkers representation in the media text, the male gender has been represented as tough.

Will - Male

Throughtout the media text we the audience see Will in a wheelchair. As a result of this being the only member of the cast in a Wheelchair, Will serves as Hollyoaks representation of the disabled. Will is represented as someone who is finding it hard to fit in as when we are introduced to him we find him in his house rejecting a text to attend a party. From this we the audience can establish the problems this character is facing quite possible the character is afraid of social interaction.  The character is alone in someways only interacting with this one person initially. This character who he interacts with is someone who Will depends on as evidenced by the parental/friend like tone of the conversation. This in turn may present those with disability as dependent on others and in someways social recluses 

•  The older cast of the episode are presented as friendly, welcoming and helpful one such example is Will's career who encourages him to attend a party.  

Representations of age in television

Representations of age in television

Youth

 On the right hand side is a promotional image for the E4 youth drama Misfits; during the course of this analysis I will be breaking down how said image represents the youth demographic.

Mis en scene
In terms of Mis en scene i.e costume,props and the setting this photo was taken in, these features connote youths to be dangerous and reckless ; a common stereotypical portrayal of youths in the media. One example of this can be seen in the costume the characters are wearing; there all wearing bright orange community service jumpsuits, not only this but these jumpsuits are scruffy, dirty and the character on the far right hand side isn't wearing his jumpsuit as it has been intended to worn. The scruffiness of these jump suits connote how they don't care and may have little regard for how others see them. Furthermore the fact the character on the far right has is wearing his jumpsuit around his waist further emphases this reckless attitude. In addition the bright orange colour of these jumpsuits bear connotations of the orange prison jump suits seen in American media texts; this as an effect may connote how dangerous these characters are, associating them with the dangerous prisoners that can be seen in other media texts. Moreover the character on the far right has a tribal tattoo which because of other tattoo stereotypes that have been established in the media this presents the character as some sort of dangerous gang type.  In addition the characters are situated against a gritty and damaged locker room which further emphasises how these people may not be so pleasant.

Composition
All the characters in the promotion are situated near each other and are each posed in an intimidating way looking directly at the audience and laying back. Said pose and the close placement of these characters further emphasise the reckless attitude and also conveys a kind of gang like collective as evidenced by how close they are; they look intimidating individually but together they look dangerous. Additionally the photo uses a high contrast filter which exaggerates the darker areas of the environment and convey a gritty and more hazardous environment.  As an effect this emphasises how threatening these characters are placing them in an unwelcoming environment with the characters reacting with little to no concern.

Camera angles
The camera angle used in this promotion is a long shot and allows audiences to see the characters and the surrounding  environment they are interacting with.  This camera angle places the teen characters together in close proximity with each other similar to those of a group photo of family or friends. This presents these teens as a family or group like collective. One may argue that the way these teens are posed conveys an aggressive tone and represents youths as gang type youths.

Case study 5.1

Case study 5.1

According to Hollyoaks writer Ian Pike what makes Hollyoaks completely different is the humour. "we often cut from something very heavy and thought-provoking to something utterly silly and light hearted in a way no one else does"

This cut from a serious storyline to a more lighthearted story can be evidence in the episode of Hollyoaks whihc aired on the 13th of march.

Around 3:53 into the opening we the audience see a conversation between two characters; one of which is being held captive by the other character. This storyline is then overlapped by a more lighthearted story of someone at work facing delivery problems. Below is a storyboard I have produced detailing how these two stories are bridged together.

The storyboard






Camera
Many camera angles and movements have been used during production which help to show a contrast between the two mood from watching said sequence. As the sequence opens we the audience a high angle shot of a woman lying on a wall. The use of said shot emphasises how weak said character is; it is apparent that she has some sort of loss of control as we the audience are almost looking down at her from this angle. Furthermore In this shot the camera starts to pan downwards so that we the audience get closer look at said character; we are put on the same level as her by the end of the camera movement allowing audiences to relate to the characters situation and empathise with them. Additionally most of the shots throughout the "serious" storyline feature mid - medium close up shots with the camera zooming in on the characters faces. These shots and movements focus on the characters emotions and further allow audiences to empathise with the characters.
 Whereas the more lighthearted scene at 4:54 uses camera movements such as tracking to follow the characters movements and allow the audience to invest in the characters story. The use of the Medium long shot in the scene allows audiences to clearly identify a shift in environment and story.

Editting
In the sequence all shots have been link via a simple cut to convey a sense of continuity between actions and the conversations between the characters in the serious story. However the use of a cut from the serious story to the lighthearted story may connote a transition of time as the setting of the house/apartment environment is traded for a more workplace environment.

Sound
Throughout the "serious scenes" we the audience can only hear the conversation between the two characters interacting with each other. As the scene opens we hear the diagetic sound of dialogue uttered by the man who is keeping the woman captive, "you've got to believe me I am only trying to protect you from walker". Said line is very dramatic as evidenced by the part "protect you from walker" , this gets audiences to think how bad is this walker person if someone needs to be protected from him and suggest how scared the kidnapper is. The fact that during the course of thier conversation we hear no sounds this emphasises the seriousness of the conversation as there must be no distractions to take away from the drama of the scene. In contrast this dramatic atmosphere is quickly shifted for a more casual tone when the "serious scene" cuts to the "lighthearted" one and we the audience hear one of the characters shout out "well what do you mean you can't make the delivery ?". This piece of dialogue is much more causal compared the conversations of the last scene by focusing on a common situation audiences may have experienced. In addition during this scene we hear the diagetic sounds of the radio playing which connote a more relaxed atmosphere.

Mis en scene
In the scenes of the serious story part of the sequence we the audience can only see the characters pressed to the one door to the room which the woman is locked in; we see very little about this apartment environment except part of a frame and a bit of food and drink in the room the woman's locked in signifying how she is a prisoner of this room. These lack of objects and the closeness of the cameras onto the characters conveys a sense of isolation and depicts a depressive mood which is further emphasised by the use of a cold colour filter which gives the shots a more blue tint to them. This depressive mood is contrasted in the "lighthearted scene" for a more livelier environment as evidenced by the warmer colours that can be seen in the shot. Additionally in the "lighthearted" scene, we the audience can see more than one character in a shot in contrast to the one character per shot feature of the "serious" scene. This connotes a more busy and livelier environment in contrast to the isolated and depressive environment of the serious scene. In terms of props and set the more in the "lighthearted scene" one can see a fire extinguisher implying that this environment is a public place thus once again evidencing a shift of an isolated and sad mood to a more open and happier mood.

Representation

Representation in the media and the Male gaze

Representation

Representation refers to the construction of aspects of 'reality' in any medium. These elements of reality include people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be depicted in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.

The gaze
The concept of the gaze refers to the ways in which the audience view the people presented.
 The male gaze can be traced back to the essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" which was produced by  film theorist Laura Mulvey in 1975.

Mulvey states that women in film are seen as objects of desire.
Mulvey believes that film audience view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male and thus women are seen more as objects.


Three parts of to the Male Gaze

• Men looking at women
• According to Mulvey's theory men are more inclined to look at the 'curvy parts' of the female body. One feature of the male gaze is that cameras tend to be more focused on these 'curvy parts' thus objectifying women on film
•  Women looking at themselves
• Women are made to look at themselves in a negative way, comparing their appearance against the women depicted in the media and finding faults with their appearance. This make women aspire to be like the 'ideal woman' depicted in these texts.
• Women looking at women
• Women are forced to look at other women through the perspective of a 'heterosexual male viewer' therefore women can see the women on screen in a sexual way. However according to the theory they judge and compare themselves to the other women on screen.

Cutting it analysis

 Cutting it analysis

Cutting It is a tv drama series set in Manchester, England, following on the lives of a group of people running a hairdressing salon. It ran for four series between 2002 and 2005. 

Editting

Prezi from wolfgang1

Visual effects

• ring recolouring - the ring has been recoloured with a blue tint furthermore the ring is very bright; foreshadows a bad event that may tear apart his relationship.
• slow motion- in the running to shows the mans futile efforts  to save the woman and to enhance the drama.

Mis en scene
Location

• The interior of the consultants office and taxi are both studio builds
• The cafe and hospital were shot on location
• The cafe connotes a calm environment in contrast to the office which conveys a sense of worry.
• The scenes set in the taxi allows viewers to gain an insight into the relationship between the two characters.  

Objects and Props

• Scattered flowers- symbolise death; flowers reminiscent of flower reaths at funerals 
• Her floral dress also emphasises this link

• Wedding ring -shown  in several symbolic shots, during times of uncertainty, man's ring is the main focus. showing its importance in the show.

 Lighting

•  Light placed away from the taxi - if light is used as a symbol for life it could be suggested they are moving away from life and or leaving it behind.
• The woman's face is slightly shadowed before the doctors appointment - foreshadowing her death.
• Doctors place, unnatural light - emphasise the cruelty of her death

  
Camera shots and movement 

• Two shot in the taxi -frames conveys couples intimacy and allows audiences to make a connection between the two characters.  
• Ariel shot - contrasts with the taxi shot as audiences are distanced from the couple and also conveys the woman's vulnerability.
• Extreme close up of the ring - the man is fiddling with the ring; he is holding onto their marriage. 
• POV shot - creates tension; puts the audience in the drivers seat, we get to feel the shock he is feeling.
• Crane shot of the doctors office - we do not hear any speech nor do we see the full interior, this could interpreted as the woman having an outer body experience because of how surreal her news is.
• Close up shot of the woman crying - the emotion on her face is mixed and conveys neither happiness or sadness; from this we don't know if its good or bad news this as an effect creates tension.
• Establishing shot of the exterior of hospital - establishes location and gives us and idea of where they are going as previously mentioned in the taxi shots.
• Alternating shots of the couple - allows audience to see both characters interacting with each other. In the shots that centre on the man we can see the woman, however in the shots that centre on the woman we cant see the man. Perhaps this relates to her feelings towards the man; shes just not interested in him nor is he even part of her world.
• Close up of them holding hands - reinforces their intimacy.

Sounds 

Verbal Soundtrack

• Dialogue,voiceover,narrations
• The dialogue between the characters shows the viewer the characters thoughts and emotions. This also mixes with background noises.

Soundtrack  

•  Natural Sounds, pauses and silence
  
• Natural sounds -The car skidding shows something bad has happened even though audiences cant see what has happened.

Music Score

•  Stings - an extract of a song
•  Stings - a slow and sombre song played during the cafe and office scenes. This blocks out the dialogue so the audience can't hear whats being said.
• The last line of the song before it fades is "remember what you see"this may hold some relevance talking to the audience to prepare themselves for the "big shock".
• The sound of the heart beat - blocks out his surroundings emphasises his fear.
• When audiences see the man holding the woman body we hear dramatic music which builds the tension.

Ambient Sound

• General background noise
• Dialogue louder than the diagetic sound of moving traffic -sets the scene

What are the key features of certain sub genre dramas ?

What are the key features of certain sub genre dramas ?

Crime Drama

Location

Crime drama' are often set in an urban setting within these settings scene can generally take place within police stations, law courts and crime scenes.

General Plots

Often plots revolve around a crime or a mystery the protagonist has to revolve these crimes tend to differ depending on the type of crime drama for instance a one off crime drama normally focuses on crimes that would create the most anxiety among a viewing audience for example serial killings or murder. Whereas a long running tv drama will have various sub plots over time that builds on character development for example the crime drama "The Bill featured many subplots that focused on the private lives on the police officers.

Key elements and themes

• A mystery that creates tension throughout the viewing type and hooks viewers in ( the mystery is generally established in the first opening scenes i.e  a person covered completely by the darkness murders someone).
• A resolution to said mystery.
• Questions of morality.
• The binary opposition of Good vs evil.
• Struggle in the police department.
• Corruption and betrayal.

Character stock types  

• The troubled detective- this character tends to be a brilliant mind however suffers from a flaw that is sometimes the centre of a plot and the growth of their character e.g the character Monk and his OCD or the character Sherlock and his arrogance and anti- social traits.
• The sidekick - this tends to fill the role of the detectives short comings and serves as a sort of child to the detective e.g. Watson's relationship with Sherlock Holmes in the crime drama Sherlock.
• The crooked cop - this  character tends to be a policeman who uses more unconventional ways of dealing with crime - Detective Gene Hunt in life on mars.
•  The victim -the person who is affected by the crime; these characters serve as a mechanism for the plot to continue and may have a small role in the interaction of characters.
• The criminal -the person who has committed the crime and serves as the main antagonist for the narrative.

Medical Drama

General plots 

Plots based around staff who work in a medical institution and their personal life and relationships. However many character who don't work in the medical field can also be the subject of a plot for example the medical drama causality features many plots that revolve around patients dealing with life threatening disease and implications this may have on their loved ones around them.(This saturday's synopsis of causality is a good example of themes that are conventional to medical drama's)


Themes

• Plots that centre around the medical staff's interaction with each other - two doctors struggling as a couple is very common.
•  Loss - the implications of losing a loved one in the hospital
• Pregnancy - this tends to be a theme revolving around a woman on the verge of giving birth in an awkward location and tension is created here as we see the character hurry her to the hospital
• Terminal illness' or operations- this refers to illness' such as cancer or organ transplant which if not treated right could lead to death. The drama is created here as we see characters worry about losing their loved ones or the implications of living with cancer.
• Drug addiction - the effects it has on family, friends and on us.
• Plots that revolve around the emergency department (Casualty, ER, Holby city, Casualty 1900's) 

 

Fantasy

General plots 
Fantasy drama revolve around characters dealing with supernatural situations. This dramas tend to be set in different time periods such as the medieval like world of game of thrones or depict the present day with some supernatural differences for example the drama being human is set in the modern day however in the being human mythos werewolves, vampires and ghosts are real.

 Conventions

• Mythical creatures that capture the audiences imagination- These creatures tend to be creature from well known texts such as unicorns and dragons and thus allow audiences to easily recognise and identify them.
•  Superhumans or super powers - This theme tends to feature in more modern dramas due to the sudden rise of popularity of comic book figures and themes. An example of shows that feature these themes are the us drama heroes and the UK drama misfits. This serves as escapism for viewers; giving them hope that they can one day achieve said powers featured in these shows and once they do thay can sort out their problems using these powers.
• Magic - This feature is generally used to immerse viewers in the setting and shares a similar purpose with the theme of super powers.
• Good vs evil - a key concept that allows the narritve to continue and engages viewers to see how good will ultimately triumph over evil.

  

Soap

General plots
 Soap opera narratives tend to be open ended and can cross over each other and lead into further developments. An  episode of a soap opera will generally switch between several different story lines that can occur within the same time frame these stories can link and affect one another or may run entirely independent of each other. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines but not always all of them. Generally around the Christmas season the years plotlines resolve with new one being conceived as an aftermath of what took place place earlier for example someone dying on Christmas day and in the new year the shows cast must deal with the fallout.

Conventions 

•  Open endings- also known as cliff hangers; aimed at retaining audiences
•  Multiple Plots and Characters - Storyline which are usually interwoven. Scenes and events move
  continuously between different characters and plots.
• Simplified and stereotypical characters - audiences can easliy identify who is who and their role.
• Domestic and social locations - House, pubs, shops and motels can offer a wide variety of situations in which character can interact in. 
•  Stories which allow moral judgement - This allows the viewer to comment on whether what the characters themselves do is right i.e. teen pregnancy and is it right to abort an unplanned child.
•  Strong Female Characters - women shown as relatively powerful either in domestic or
  professional settings e.g. Peggy Mitchel in the soap Eastenders.
• The constant illusion of real time.
• The dominance of digetic sounds .
• Stories that focus on current socail issues e.g coronation streets current storyline on the domestic abuse of men.
• The dominance of two shots and over - the shoulder shots of conversations.
• Highly symbolic costumes and set designs i.e audiences can identify peoples social status can class via the costume they wear - a man wear a suit could connote he is of wealth.    

Youth

General plot 
Youth drama often focus on problems and situations that revolve around teenagers and the youth. This range from dealing with school to gangs, sex, drug addiction and domestic issues.

Conventions

• Social issues of concern - these tend to be issues that generally affect teenagers and allow character to be much more relatable  to their viewing audience. Some social issues include teen pregnancy, crime, relationships and fitting in school.
• Domestic issues and their impact on the youth - This refers to issues such as domestic violence or divorce in the family and how they can impact teenagers. These stories can also serve as aid for teens; showing them that these situations are not uncommon.
• School setting - the school tends to serve as a setting for teen characters to interact, this is also where most of the drama is created.
• Stereotypes of teenagers - These make the character to be easily identified and allow audiences to relate to them easier.

 

Issue Based
General plot
Issue based dramas cover a wide range of topics and contraversial issues that may affect its viewership.

Themes and conventions 

• Debates on ethics and morality
• Political issues - these explore current politcal issues and sometimes political issues of the past.
• Youth issues -these tend to crossover with issues seen in youth dramas. These issues include drug addiction, relationships and teen pregnancy. However in issue based dramas these issues are treated with more care and can sometimes be less sensationalised.
•  Gender representation - the role of men and women in relationships and society. These generally depict inequality and male dominance.
• Social class divisions
• Stereotypes - this helps depict a general idea of certain demographics; these stereotypes can depict certain social groups well but others not so great.