blog task 26: doctor who CSP

 Language and Contexts

   

1) How can we apply narrative theories to this episode of  Doctor Who? 

Todorov's Equilibrium

Equilibrium - Starts of in a school, and everything is normal

Disequilibrium - when chaos insures in the TARDIS when the doctor starts time travelling 

New Equilibrium - when the chaos ends and everybody is asleep

Propp's character theory

Barthes's enigma and action codes

Action codes - when the TARDIS begins to power and travel

Enigma codes - The shadow figure at the end of the episode. what is it?

Levi Strauss's binary opposition

human vs inhuman

young vs old 

supernatural vs natural

2) In your opinion, what is the most important scene in the episode and why?

The most important scene in my opinion is the scene where they first see the TARDIS as it looks normal but it actually isn't.  

3) What genre is An Unearthly Child and how can you tell? Make specific reference to aspects of the episode.

An Unearthly Child is a Science fiction, this is because it uses high tech scientific mechanics as the main transport and the concept of the supernatural and time traveling is fiction.

4) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical contexts of the 1960s?

Representations

1) What stereotypes of men are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

2) What stereotypes of women/girls are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

3) How do the representations of young people and old people in An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical context of the 1960s? 

Older people are represented as firm, strict and unentertaining 

Younger people are represented as free, open, and wild  

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? Give reasons for your answer and consider historical / cultural context (the 1960s). Has this changed in more recent series of Doctor Who?

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? Think about how education and knowledge is presented in the episode.

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Do you think it has changed since 1963?

The target audience is people who enjoy science or enjoy action series.

2) What audience pleasures are offered by Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: They may relate with Susan 

Diversion (Escapism): They may watch the show to get away from reality and have a sense of entertainment

3) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020s audience?

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

5) What kind of online fan culture does Doctor Who have? Give examples.

Doctor who fans are called 'Whovians', and they have a community called 'Whoniverse', they have fanfics, fan made trailers podcasts.

Industries

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

There was two Tv channels and they were BBC and ITV

2) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the level of technology in the TV industry in 1963?

The level of technology wasn't very advanced because of the lack of colour

3) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC? 

It generates huge income and is shown internationality through BBC worldwide

4) What other programmes/spin-offs are part of the wider Doctor Who franchise?

k-9, a kid show based on a doctor who robot dog, and other shows including Sarah Jane adventures, Torchwood , class, documentaries, behind the scenes and sneak peaks 

5) Why does the Doctor Who franchise have so much merchandise available? Give examples. 

The BBC creates merchandise for fans to purchase.

Blog Task 25: Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

 Audience

1) What do we know about the Arctic Monkeys audience? Think demographics, psychographics and how they got into the band.

The audience is predominantly white, middle class and young  some psychographics may include reformers and explorers 

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor?

Diversion the song is fast and upbeat

personal relationships, this is because the members are in casual attire and you can see the lighting, cameras and wires that you may not see in a popular artists video.

personal identity, going out to the club and drinking for younger audiences and the sense of nostalgia for older audiences due to the 1980s style of the video

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to Arctic Monkeys fans. Why did you choose those moments?

4) How did fans take a leading role in making Arctic Monkeys famous back in 2005?

Fans used social media mainly MySpace to share and spread the bands music to a wider audience 

5) How are fans positioned to respond to the band? What does Arctic Monkeys want fans to think about their video?

Arctic Monkeys video is authentic and 100% performance, this could allow the fans to respond in a way to believe they are talented

Industries

1) How did the Arctic Monkeys first achieve success and build up their fanbase?

Their debut album 'Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not' hit number one, the use to social media also helped boost up their fanbase due to fans spreading their music and albums on chatrooms

2) Why was P2P file sharing and MySpace an unexpected aspect to Arctic Monkeys' early success?

P2P file sharing and MySpace were the first ever communication platforms and because of this people who enjoyed Arctic Monkeys music shared the music to people across the world, influencing them to listen to it.

3) How does the rise of Arctic Monkeys differ from how BLACKPINK were formed and became famous?

Arctic Monkeys were formed from a group of high school friends, they shared their music by performing at gigs and in clubs, all their music was created and wrote by the group, whereas BLACKPINK was created by a well known music manufacture and trained to become a band, their music is wrote and composed by people inside or outside the company, they perform at music shows and events such as well known festivals like Coachella.    

4) Who is Arctic Monkeys record label and how many copies did they sell of their debut album? Why did they choose an independent record label?

Arctic Monkeys label is Domino records, and they sold around 350,000 copies in the first week, they chose this independent label because they wanted musical and creative freedom and not be controlled like if they joined a major company.

5) Looking at the wider music industry, has the internet been a positive or negative development for record companies and artists? Why?

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read this excellent Guardian feature on the Arctic Monkeys on the 10th anniversary of I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. What key statistics can you take from the article concerning developments in the industry and the Arctic Monkeys' role in these changes?

Read this BBC News report from the time - documenting the records Arctic Monkeys broke.

Finally, read this short Guardian feature asking if Arctic Monkeys changed the music industry. What does the article suggest?

Blog 24: Introduction to Music Video and BLACKPINK HYLT

 Introduction Q's:

1) What are the key conventions of music video?

Performance narrative and concept

2) What is intertextuality?

one text references another text

3) When did music videos first become a major part of the music industry?

In the early 1980s 

4) What launched in 1981 and why were music videos an important part of the music industry in the 1980s and 1990s?

MTV, music tv launched and it allowed the audience to have 24 hour access to a variety of music videos

5) How are music videos distributed and watched in the digital age?

digital service providers (DSPs), video-sharing platforms, and social media

BLACKPINK: How You Like That Q's:

Audience

1) What are BLACKPINK fans known as - and what would the demographics / psychographics be for the BLACKPINK audience?

They are known as BLINKS 

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for How You Like That?

fashion-forward visuals, and themes of empowerment

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to BLACKPINK fans. Why did you choose those moments? 

4) How was the How You Like That music video marketed and promoted to the audience?

It was promoted by music video teasers on social media, global television appearances, and concept videos

5) Why is K-pop a global phenomenon and what has helped it to become so popular?

it grew popular because of the high-production-value music, synchronized choreography, and strategic use of social media for intense fan engagement

Industry

1) How were BLACKPINK formed and what records have they broken?

They was formed by YG entertainment through a training program, the members from multiple international backgrounds

They was the first 100 million subscribers, they have the most viewed music video in the first 24 hours, first K-pop group to reach 1 billion views, Most viewed band on YouTube

2) What other successful artists have YG Entertainment created? You may need to Google this.

YG Entertainment has created group such as BIGBANG, 2NE1, TREASURE, and their newest group as of 2023, Baby Monster.

3) How has technology and the internet (known as technological convergence) changed the way audiences consume music videos?

the use of internet, mobile, and digital media technologies

4) How do BLACKPINK and K-pop show that the media and music industries are now global?

They now blending Western-influenced pop with multinational talent

5) How are UK-based music videos regulated and what types of content require warnings? 

 British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). some types of this are bad language, dangerous behaviour, drug misuse, sexual behaviour and nudity, and threatening behaviour and violence.

Extension

Read this Guardian feature asking whether YouTube is good or bad for the music industry. What is your opinion on this crucial question?



Read this Guardian feature on how videogames are now more important than music videos for breaking new artists. Do you agree videogames are now more influential than music videos?

index: magazines

tatler magazine 

heat magazine