Media &Collective IdentityExam Topic: Question Two (Section B)

Collective IdentitiesIntroduce topic and give sample questions.

Task: Read page 47 of textbook for overview of unit.

Make note of two sample questions – these are highlighted in the SPECIMEN pack.

Area of study will be: ‘Britishness’ – this will be covered concerning two media:

Television

Film

TaskRead pages 47, 48, 49 and top of page 50.

Summarise the key points that are made about identity.

Feedback to group and make note of any areas missed. Take notes from whiteboard

Analysis: How can we analyse representations? What is the relationship between Dominant Ideology and representation?

Politics of Absence What is Politics of Absence?

Read page 58, ‘Sexuality and the politics of absence’ and discuss section.

Notting Hill: Watch opening sequence and press conference sequence from

Notting Hill. Make notes and answer the following questions:

What national groups are being represented? Compare the representations of the two groups? What groups are absent? What seem to be the intentions of the representations? What range of readings are there?

Home study: Research other representations of Britishness in film? Make reference to specific textual examples. (Next lesson)

BritishnessTask: Feedback on homework exercise.

Read 59 and 60. Make note of ‘what makes a British film’?

Complete activity (Ann Horne)

What is British Social Realism? Linda

‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’. (1960, Karel Reicz) Take notes on mise-en-scene, narrative,

cinematography, editing, use of sound, character representation. (Overview sheet)

Home studyAttempt the questions on page 65. Make

reference to specific examples of textual analysis to reinforce your points and opinions.

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning: (Karel Reicz) Starter: What makes a British film? How can this

be defined? What do you understand by Social Realism?

What are the main differences between British New Wave Cinema & Free Cinema?

What representation of Britishness were we able to identify within ‘Lambeth Boys’?Relate to examples of analysis.

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning Reaction – what is the focus of the film? Content, issues

faced? ‘Angry young men Dramas’.

Classified as ‘one of the first social-realist’ films or kitchen sink dramas’. Shows the despair of working-class life in Britain. (Nottingham – tedious factory job, industrial Britain, Arthur a rebellious factory worker).

Social realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

‘Protaganist' usually could be described as angry young men. It used a style of social realism which often depicted the domestic situations of working class Britons living in rented accommodation and spending their off-hours in grimy pubs to explore social issues and political controversies.

Tasks Review the opening sequence – representation of

younger / older generation, attitudes and values / lifestyle?

Review of Arthur meeting Doreen in the pub – representation of younger / older generation, attitudes and values / lifestyle?

Review of Arthur & Bert Go Fishing - representation of younger / older generation, attitudes and values / lifestyle?

Review of Arthur in shop and Doreen’s party - representation of younger / older generation, attitudes and values / lifestyle?

Continued . . . Arthur takes Brenda to his Aunties -

representation of younger / older generation, attitudes and values / lifestyle?

Arthur proposes - representation of younger / older generation, attitudes and values / lifestyle?

Essay Question: Consider the representation of Britishness in ‘Saturday Night, Sunday morning’. Relate your opinions to specific examples. (Key sequences / analysis).

Britishness – key pointsBritishness has changed drastically throughout

history.

Why is this? Social & Cultural attitudes within society

Quote to use: Arthur Marwick stated that a ‘cultural revolution began during the 1950s – this can be identified through a rise in the standard of living previously never experienced by working / middle class people, as well as new technologies becoming more accessible for everyone’.

Representations Changes in the media to reflect changes in society

– in 1959, the Tory prime Prime Minister suggested that the old class divisions were beginning to reduce

The nation was becoming more liberal (ideas and attitudes) – This can be seen in Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (1960) and introduced the new concept of ‘the teenager’. Contrast between the older and younger generation Values, attitudes, lifestyle Is in complete contrast to the 1940s and ‘Brief

Encounter’ (1945) (15 years between the films being made).

ComparisonWhat are the main differences between the two

films? (Attitudes, values) The media were quick to represent these changes

in society within these media productions.

Essay Question: Discuss the historical representation of Britishness using specific textual examples from at least two media to support your answer.

Identity According to the Collins English Dictionary, identity

means: ‘State of being a specific person or thing: individuality

or personality . . . . ‘ Page 47 1) Textual analysis (Contemporary representations,

Gavin & Stacey / Fish Tank) 2) Comparison of contemporary with historical (Brief

Encounter, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, Hard Day’s Night, Coronation Street (Closely compared with SNSM)

3) Audience Interpretation – Effects of repetition in the media of stereotypes on groups being stereotyped. (Read page 49).

Continued4) Forming collective identities: Actively using

the media. (Page 48 – constructing an identity.) How is this the case with Facebook?

5) Debates: Katherine Hamley Buckingham David Gauntlett

Britishness In pairs, discuss what you think Britishness

means? Relate this to identity.

‘Britishness is a term referring to a sense of national identity of the British people, and common culture of the UK’.

Critical Identity ‘Theory’Katherine Hamley – ‘media use in identity

construction’. The construction of a personal identity can be

somewhat difficult / problematic Young people are surrounded by influential

imagery – popular media (Examples?) It is no longer possible for an identity to just be

constructed in a small community and influenced by a family (Discuss)

Everything concerning our lives is ‘media saturated’ (What does this mean?)

Continued When constructing an identity, young people make

use of imagery derived from popular media.

‘It has become increasingly common for young children to have their own TV and music systems in their bedrooms whilst also having easy and frequent access to magazines especially aimed at the ‘developing’ child and/or teenager’. Such young people have a way of accessing the

internet, whether it be at school, or sometimes at home.

The freedom of exploring the web could be limited depending on the choices of their parents and teachers.

Access‘If young people have such frequent

access and an interest in the media, it is fair to say that their behaviour and their sense of ‘self’ will be influenced to some degree by what they see, read, hear or discover for themselves’. (Use) This can affect the way they behave, dress or the

kind of music they may listen to. These are aspects which go together to construct

a person’s own personal identity.

BuckinghamHe classifies identity as an ‘ambiguous and

slippery’ term; Identity is something unique to each of us, but

also implies a relationship with a broader group; Identity can change according to our

circumstances; Identity is fluid and is affected by broader

changes; How can you relate this to Britishness?

Identity becomes more important to us if we feel it is threatened;

David Gauntlett Identity is complicated, however, everybody

feels that they have one;

Religious and national identities are at the heart of major international conflicts

The average teenager can create numerous identities in a short space of time (Especially using the Internet, social networking sites, etc.)

We like to think we are unique, but Gauntlett questions whether this is an illusion, and we are all much more similar than we think.

Contemporary British Social Realism Use page 61 – 65. What do you understand by

Contemporary British social realism? Social realist films attempt to portray issues facing

ordinary people in their social situations. Social realist films try to show that society and the

capitalist system leads to the exploitation of the poor or dispossessed.

These groups are shown as victims of the system rather than being totally responsible for their own bad behaviour. ‘These places represent an everywhere of Britain, where

relationships are broken down and where people have become isolated and disconnected. Their Britishness is their culturally specific address to audiences at home’. (Murray, 2008)

AudienceSocial realist films which address social

problems in this country offer a very different version of ‘collective identity’ than British films which are also aimed at an American audience. Films like Notting Hill and Love Actually reach a much bigger audience than the lower budget social realist films. Social realist films are aimed at a predominantly

British audience. If many more people see the more commercial

films, consider which version of our collective identity is the more powerful or has the most impact.

Analysing Representation of Collective IdentityWhen comparing how Britishness and our

collective identity is represented in films consider the following questions: Who is being represented? Who is representing them? How are they represented? What seems to be the intentions of the

representations? What is the dominant discourse? (World view

offered by the film). What range of readings are there? Look for alternative discourses

Exemplar Question & Essay Plan How far does the representation of a particular

social group change over time? Refer in detail to at least two media in your answer. Introduction: Identify which social group you are analysing

and which media you are using. British / Tv/ Film What do you understand by collective identity? Explain that

different theorists have different points and refer to at least two of the following: Gauntlett Buckingham Hamley

Introduce what is meant by ‘Britishness’ Show that you are aware that both identity and Britishness

are ambiguous terms and mean different things to different people.

ContinuedExplain that the Media contributes to our sense

of ‘collective identity’ but there are many different versions that change over time. Representations can cause problems for the

groups being represented because marginalized groups have little control over their representation / stereotyping.

The social context in which the film / TV programme is made influences the messages / values/ dominant discourse of the film.

British Social RealismExplain social realism and apply to Saturday

Night, Sunday Morning and first Coronation Street episode. Relate to a contemporary example – Fish Tank.

Explore the dominant discourse of the film and possible alternative readings.

Compare to more commercial products and explain the difference. Use Love Actually and Gavin & Stacey. Consider what representation is most powerful

in constructing a collective identity for Britishness in view of audience size.