Representations of terrorism and ethnicity in Spooks

Series 3, episode 10

Q.1 What view of terrorism is conveyed to audiences?
-They are contrasted with the 'goodies' (the couple, Adam and Fiona) to be made to look immoral and loveless. Emotions don't cloud their judgement. The terrorists and the couple are binary opposites.
-Middle class, smart, business-like, scheming.
-1 male and 1 female, both foreign. Think they are superior to other races (when Ahmed is holding people hostage and he talks about his religion/race being superior).

Q.2 Mise-en-scene, camerawork and editing?

Representation: Lesbians

TV Dramas we looked at representing lesbians:

• Hollyoaks
• Skins
• Brookside
• Sugar Rush
• Shameless
• Smack The Pony
• Grey's Anatomy
• The L Word
• Tipping The Velvet

When looking at how lesbians are represented in TV Dramas, he found that there were three main representations: Normal lesbian relationships (Sugar Rush), Teenage experimentation (Skins) and One-night-stand mistakes (Hollyoaks). It was also interesting to see that all the TV Dramas representing this group were modern - the oldest programme in the list, Smack The Pony, is a comedy. The most recent, Skins, portrays young girls experimenting maturing into having an actual relationship and realising their sexuality, and despite there being criticism, this is made to look petty. Clearly before the 1990's lesbian, and gay, representation would be quite astonishing and considered very 'explicit'. It was interesting to see too that there is a significant amount more of gay representation than lesbian.

The representation of lesbians in the listed dramas is generally very positive. There is always a period of shock and resentment from friends and people outside the couple, but this fades to acceptance, which makes an interesting, realistic storyline (such as in Skins, with Emily and Naomi and Emily's sister, Katie, generally coming to terms with her sister's sexuality). there is also one half of the couple that cannot accept what they have done, or are hung up on their sexual confusion (like Sarah in Hollyoaks, who feels she is a lesbian and lashes out angrily at Zoe, who is straight).

Narrative Construction in TV

Start of a simple Narrative: A couple wake up, go downstairs to breakfast, and do not realise that they are being watched.

Continued...: A Muslim terrorist catches the lady of the couple and keep her in a room with one of her colleagues threatening to kill her: we assume this is the main issue. But then we realise that the male side of the couple has lead one of the terrorists straight to the prime minister, and she has a bomb. He manages to get on the good side of her and rescue his wife, but her is shot and killed.

Which 'standard narrative conventions' does this use?

1) Levi-Strauss: This narrative structure focuses on binary opposites, such as the obvious contrast between the evil act of terrorism and the loving good-nature of the couple making breakfast, going about everyday life. There is also the binary opposite of normal everyday actions and extreme, extra-ordinary action.
2) Todorov theory: We begin with equillibrium - the couple making coffee - move to disruption - the wife is captured and held ransom, and the prime minister put under threat - then end with equillibrium - the terrorists are captured, the wife returned to safety with the husband and the prime minister safe.
3) Props characters: The captured wife is the damsel in distress, the terrorists are the villains and the husband is the hero.

Why do most stories end happily?

The producers of a TV series will want its audience to go away with a positive overall feel about the programme - if this is to be acheived, the main characters that they see again and again and have grown to know and like have to survive. If it ends with distruction and death, the audience will go away feeling sad, and may not return to the programme. They must be scared/excited during, but not at the end. There must be a feeling of resolve and content.

The Beginning of a Narrative

The beginning of Spooks is classic way to begin a TV drama: 'this feels like the beginning of a narrative'. The equillibrium of the beginning scene, of making coffee in the neutral setting, gives the audience a sense of security and sets them up for what is about to come. By getting an idea of happiness and order, once it is disrupted, the audience can empathise and feel more with the characters, wanting it to get back to how it was to begin with.

Exploring Narrative Structures

Single Drama/Film: Margaret

-Todorov's narrative structure - equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium - usually with classic Levi-Strauss binary opposites such as good and evil characters.

Two-Nighter: Trial & Retribution

-Again, Todorov's equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium - but spread out over the two episodes, ending the first with the peak of the disruption to be resolved at the end of the second half. This would still, like with single dramas, include binary opposites that are established in the first half of the drama.

Soap (continuing drama): EastEnders

-As the soap is ongoing, we are constantly presented with the equillibrium, or norm, of the setting, so there is constant disruption that does not need to be solved for weeks. Not so much emphasis on binary opposites, but often stereotype/archetype character roles such as hero, wimp, damsel in distress...

Serial: Bleak House

-equillibrium, disruption, equillibrium - but within this there will be sub-disruptions culminating in the return to order at the end of the series; like a short soap.

Anthology series (based on diff. characters): Skins

-The characters each go through their own disruptions and are resolved into equillibrium at different times, ALTHOUGH as there are enough characters to do so, some characters never reach equillibrium and remain in disruption until (if at all) the last episode - can carry on to next season.

Long-form serial drama: Lost

-Usually an underlying narrative which carries on throughout the series, with different narratives in single episodes which can take about two or three episodes to resolve, much like the 'serial' (Bleak House) over a longer period of time.

Long-form serial drama with narrative experimentation: 24

-As before, with extreme binary opposites in some cases and an individul take on the normal drama - ie. a monatge of storylines coming together gradually.

TV Drama: Critical Study

Skins, S03, E02

Brief Episode Synopsis:
On Cook's 17th birthday, his mates gather at his uncle's pub for a party that turns out to be boring. They are about to leave when Freddie's sister Karen calls and tells them about her best friend Kayleigh's engagement party. They then set off to crash the party.

Cook's antics get the attention of Kayleigh's father, gangster Johnny White. The night soon degenerates into a brawl. The gang manage to escape, but split up afterward after Cook tries to come onto the girls. Freddie tells him he is tired of looking after him and leaves Cook and JJ to go to a local stripclub/prostitute agency, where JJ refuses to go further than kissing and Cook overhears Johnny White in the next room. He plans to blackmail him, and the gangster antagonizes him until JJ has to forcibly restrain Cook from beating him. Cook realises what he's done when Johhny tells him: "The next time I see you...you're dead." He leaves and ends up outside Freddie's house at six in the morning, and the two share an intense heart-to-heart about their friendship, while Freddie agrees to look after him again.

DIALOGUE:

This episode clearly gives us an insight into the character of Cook, in particular his interesting relationship with Freddie. Throughout the episode, the dialogue conveys his personality as lairy, fun and out of control....

COOK

Im 17 today so all bets are off, do what the f**k you like, flush your heads down the toilet, eat grapes off each other...if partying's a crime, who's going to get arrested first? LET'S GO F*****G MENTAL!!!

Cook's dialogue is very frequent in this episode, often without a reply. He has the air of someone who doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, with no purpose but to rebel for the sake of it. The language is laddish, working class and un-pronounced.We can see from language such as "do what the f**k you like" and "Let's go f*****g mental!", and his repeated use of swear words, that he is purposefully trying to attain attention and get a reputation as someone who is out of control. But the dialogue also gives the sense that he is hiding some other emotion, as it is so obviously attention-seeking, brutish and care-free. In contrast to this near-beginning speech, Cook's conversation with Freddie near the end of the episode reveals something about Cook and his best friend's character, too, something that we could guess was going to happen from how exaggerated and over the top Cook's dialogue is: The dialogue sets Cook up to trip over himself.

The revealing conversation with Freddie:

COOK

So what we doing today then?-

FREDDIE

Didn't you hear what I said last night?

COOK

Ah, cummon, man, you was just in a bad mood.

FREDDIE

Yeah, I was. 'Cos you almost got us killed.

COOK

(Sniggers) Yeah, sorry 'bout that.

FREDDIE

You're apologising. That's a first.

(silence)

COOK

...Somethin' happened. I wasn't me. Well, I was me...but I dunno. I did somethin' stupid-

FREDDIE

That's nothing new.

COOK

Somethin' really stupid - somethin' i wouldn't have done if you were there-

FREDDIE

Right, so you've - you've come here to ask me to look after you all the time? Make sure you don't do anything stupid ever again?

COOK

(smiles) somethin' like that.

FREDDIE

No.

COOK

What?

FREDDIE

I'm not gonna do that.

COOK

Why not?

FREDDIE

'Cos lately - it's like you go looking for trouble.

COOK

I wouldn't say no...

FREDDIE

Do you wanna die mate? Is that what you want? You're drinking yourself to death, you're fighting gangsters...I don't even wanna know what happened last night. You're killing youself to impress some pissed up old wanker in a pub.

(pause)

Why are you smiling?

COOK

Because it's us. Isn't it? Me you and JJ. Best mates for life.

FREDDIE

You're not taking me with you. Ok?

COOK

I f*****g love you, man. I f*****g love you to bits.

FREDDIE

I...I...Yeah. Ok. But you've gotta stop all this crazy shit.

COOK

(laughs) Shuttit, yer pussy.

TV Drama: Critical Study

Skins, S03, E01

Breif Episode Synopsis:
The episode is based around the first day at Roundview College for eight characters. JJ, Cook and Freddie become mesmerised by the beautiful Effy, who sets the trio a challenge: Whoever breaks all of the college rules first gets to 'know her better'. Meanwhile, dominant twin Katie arrives at college in style, and walks all over her quiet twin, Emily. Naomi faces up to some old rumours about her sexuality from Katie, who claims Naomi came onto her sister. Eccentric Pandora is dead set on losing her virginity, and has trouble settling in. Cook completes Effy's challenge by having sex with her, leaving Freddie disappointed.

COSTUME:
At 14.13 minutes, we see Effy and Pandora entering their college for the first time, and as we watch them walk in, their is a very noticeable difference in the clothing of the two best friends. This moment emphasises Effy's fashionable, cool status and Pandora's childish appearance in comparisson. She is wearing her traditional black beauty outfit for her course - but the trousers are too short for her, exposing ankles and then clumpy, childish yellow trainers. Next to Effy's sleek fishnets and black shoes, Pandora looks pathetic. She is also holding (not sshouldering like Effy) her bag, a very girly pink rucksack, and her pink vanity case, again for the beauty couse, in her left hand. the clash of pink and yellow is very little girly and makes it obvious that Pandora does not care about fashion or looking cool - she may have all her clothes bough for her by her mother. The contrast between Effy and Pandora's hair, too, shoes the naivity of Pandora's character: Effy's is sleek and loose, whilst hers is up in two bunches clasped with fruit bobbles (in manner of an eight year old). We can decipher from this scene between Effy and Pandora that Pandora has probably had these garments since she was a little girl, and is obvlivious to current fashion.

Let the analysis begin!

Over the weeks, I'll look at each episode of Skins: Series 3 and analyse small bits of it according to these headers:

Representation
Sound/Music
Camera Work - movement/ shot types
Costume
Lighting
Body Language
Location
Hair and Make-up
Degree of Realism
Narrative

Chosen TV Drama - overview

Final Chosen TV Drama....Skins

I've chosen Skins: Series 3 as my TV Drama to analyse. Although I considered House, I realised I preferred Skins more and new more about it. The fact that a lot of the producing comes from kids would be a good point of interest to talk about, too, and a good way to relate Skins to its target audience.
Skins is written by the creators, Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain. It's genre is comedic teen drama and it centres around a group of teenagers in Bristol, England, as they grow up. The first series premiered on E4 on 25th January, 2007.

Main Characters in Series 3:

'Effy Stonem', played by Kaya Scodelario.
Effy is ring leader of her group of friends - she's popular, desirable and never makes a point of trying hard at anything.



'Pandora Moon', played by Lisa Backwell
Effy's side-kick, Pandora is sweet, dim-witted and naive to the teenage world of sex and drugs.

'Thomas Tomone', played by Merveille Lukeba
Thomas is a morally good-hearted, upbeat boy recently emigrated from Congo.



'James Cook', played by Jack O'Connell
Cook is a typical larry, boisterous lad, who doesn't care about anything.


'Freddie Mclair', played by Luke Pasqualino
Freddie is easy going and moody, but often gets caught up in trouble. He tries to be sensible and level headed.




'JJ Jones', played by Ollie Barbeiri
JJ is shy and socially unaware - he relies on his interllect and magic tricks, and follows his friends around.




'Emily Fitch' played by Kathryn Prescott
Emily is the cripplingly shy twin, faded into the background and much more down-to-earth than her sister. She is coming to terms with being a lesbian.





'Katie Fitch' played by Megan Prescott
She is the popular, domineering, attention-seeking twin with homephobic views.




'Naomi Campbell' played by Lily Loveless
Is a fiery, passionate woman with feminist ambitions, but an outsider and confused about her sexuality.