Critical Investigation Learners Response

First draft comments From Sir ....

WWW: - you start really well and set the argument out effectively however you don't maintain it.

EBI: - Theories are a problem you mention several but many are incorrectly explained.
       - Footnotes/references: only 1 quotes will limit the grade you can get and some of your quotes are not reference. Both issues need sorting.  
       - You lose focus towards the end of both the issue an question.

Level/grade that I am aiming for in my second draft is a level 3. 

5 things that will help me achieve this.....

• By adding another 15 Footnotes to my essay as this will put me into a level 3.
• Fully reference all my footnotes and checking them for spelling mistakes. 
• Towards the end of my essay I lose focus so therefore i will be making some big changes in my last paragraphs.
• correct punctuations and grammer 
• The theories I used were not fully explained so therefore i will be making sure that on my second draft I correctly use my theories and add more details like defining what the theory is in general and the names of theorist.  

Wish List for BFI library trip
In this trip one I would like to have 

1. collected 5 new footnotes for my essay and this could be covering any theories issues and debates. 
2. I Also want to take away from the BFI particular in feminism and reality TV genre 
3.  More on audience theory - Cultivation Theory 

Linked production: ideas

For my linked production I will be working with Maram. Her critical investigation was about how Muslims were portrayed negatively in the media and my one was about Women represented negatively in reality TV shows. We have linked our critical investigation through the stereotype of an individual religion and the reality behind it. We are going to create the last 3 minute of a structural reality show called 'Young, Muslim and Rick'

Critical Investigation: up to the minute web research. Task 5

Internet Links

1) "Reality TV has become an important part of celebrity culture as it creates and maintains ‘celebs’ such as Jade Goody, and reinvigorates faded personalities in reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here. " -http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/

2) “It is its own pure simulacrum in which the distinctions between ‘real life’ and its media representations have become blurred”. -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/RealityTV.html

3) “the border between popular culture and reality has vanished as both have collapsed into the universal simulacrum” -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/RealityTV.html
4) “we value a ‘simulated real’ over what is real” -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_simul.html

5) "Indeed, there appears to be a quest for self-validation in this type of programming, which in turn makes the celebrities appear somehow “ordinary.” -http://flowtv.org/2005/03/im-a-celebrity-analyse-me-the-appeal-of-celebrity-reality-tv/   

6) "while media technology challenges the distinction between the real and the simulated, the way in which these technologies are embedded in our lives reinforces traditional structures of society and culture"-http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_hyperreality.html  

7) "It is useful to explore the nature of voyeurism in relation to Reality TV and the concerns that give rise to this type of viewing experience. Some contestants manipulate the fact that they are being observed to gain prominence, or to get some sort of advantage"- http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/  

8) "There is just something fun about watching celebrities out of their usual element"-http://reality-tv.lovetoknow.com/Category:Celebrity_Reality_Shows     
9) "Reality TV is like drama in the way it is edited for interpersonal drama based on detailed exploration of character" .
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/

10) "Reality TV is like a talk show as it is a way of reflecting on social issues"-http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/  
11) "Reality TV exploits the unpredictability and excitement that other areas of television have lost".- http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/
12) "Reality is constructed within a genre that claims to give the audience the ‘truth’ as it actually happened"-http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_simul.html  
13) "The success of reality TV is partly due to the increasingly voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live, and in part due to the obsession with celebrity and everyone wanting to be one" -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/RealityTV.html 

14) "global phenomenon"- http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-the-Best-Reality-TV-Star-Endorsed-Perfume?&id=4876861 

15) "An unhealthy obsession with celebrity culture is damaging the academic success of British students"- http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/celebrity-culture-the-greatest-peril/


16) It is like a documentary as it is a factual form concerned with investigating human behaviour and relationships using ‘fly-on-the-wall’ camera techniques.http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/

1) "Reality TV has become an important part of celebrity culture as it creates and maintains ‘celebs’ such as Jade Goody, and reinvigorates faded personalities in reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here. " -http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/  

2) “It is its own pure simulacrum in which the distinctions between ‘real life’ and its media representations have become blurred”. -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/RealityTV.html

3) “the border between popular culture and reality has vanished as both have collapsed into the universal simulacrum” -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/RealityTV.html
4) “we value a ‘simulated real’ over what is real” -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_simul.html

5) "Indeed, there appears to be a quest for self-validation in this type of programming, which in turn makes the celebrities appear somehow “ordinary.” -http://flowtv.org/2005/03/im-a-celebrity-analyse-me-the-appeal-of-celebrity-reality-tv/

6) "while media technology challenges the distinction between the real and the simulated, the way in which these technologies are embedded in our lives reinforces traditional structures of society and culture"-http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_hyperreality.html

7) "It is useful to explore the nature of voyeurism in relation to Reality TV and the concerns that give rise to this type of viewing experience. Some contestants manipulate the fact that they are being observed to gain prominence, or to get some sort of advantage"- http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/

8) "There is just something fun about watching celebrities out of their usual element"-http://reality-tv.lovetoknow.com/Category:Celebrity_Reality_Shows    
9) "Reality TV is like drama in the way it is edited for interpersonal drama based on detailed exploration of character" .
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/

10) "Reality TV is like a talk show as it is a way of reflecting on social issues"-http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/
11) "Reality TV exploits the unpredictability and excitement that other areas of television have lost".- http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/
12) "Reality is constructed within a genre that claims to give the audience the ‘truth’ as it actually happened"-http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_simul.html 

13) "The success of reality TV is partly due to the increasingly voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live, and in part due to the obsession with celebrity and everyone wanting to be one" -http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/RealityTV.html

14) "global phenomenon"- http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-the-Best-Reality-TV-Star-Endorsed-Perfume?&id=4876861 

15) "An unhealthy obsession with celebrity culture is damaging the academic success of British students"- http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/celebrity-culture-the-greatest-peril/


16) It is like a documentary as it is a factual form concerned with investigating human behaviour and relationships using ‘fly-on-the-wall’ camera techniques.http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/ 

Critical investigation - Essay plan Task 4

Essay plan:

Quote : “No one wants to see a brainiac in a bikini in reality television. In this unreal world, women aren’t just stupid — they’re also catty and bitchy.”

        Question: Why are women in reality TV shows represented negatively and what effect does it have on the audience?

Introduction: layout argument and a brief reference to what the essay will explore (200)

Topic sentence: This investigation will explore why females in reality TV shows such as Geordie shore are represented negatively and the effects of these reality TV shows  may have on the audiences and the media industry in general especially for the younger female audiences and what effects it may have on them

Quotes :.  “Women in reality TV are moulded into predetermined stock characters such as “The bitch”, “The weepers” and “The Angry black women” the strong, independent women are typically excluded.


Analysis:  The typical stereotypes of each character and what are to expect in reality TV shows. Here, we will be investigating whether the female representations within this media text (Geordie Shore) are portrayed poorly and also what the stereotypes of females in reality TV shows are and the effect it have on the audience
                    
Section 1: Genre: Reality TV defined and discussed ( e.g. duming down)  (400)

Topic sentence: Reality TV has quickly arisen to be one of the most popular genres over the last decade.’

Quotes :
- Define Reality TV - ’ It’s one of the genres of television programming that is reaction and speech unscripted
- ‘“as producers create a universe where women not only don't have real choices but don’t even want any
- ‘include stereotypes that most people would assume got left behind 35 years ago’

Section 2: Primary text -Textual Analysis) (400)

Topic sentence: MTV’s reality TV show ‘Geordie shore’ which is also known for represents females in a negative aspect.

Quotes :
- ‘partying, getting thrown out of clubs and behaving in an inappropriate behaviour for TV viewing

Theory : Female gaze (Laura Mulvey)  and Hypodermic needle theory.

Analysis: Geordie shore episode ( textual analysis)

Section 3: Historical /secondary texts - (250)
     
Topic sentence: Over the years, if we observe the structured role of women within reality TV shows we will realise that it has changed immensely but in a way also stayed similar.

Quotes :. ‘Emphasis on sexism both divides men and women and distracts them from the issue of race

Analysis:   Big brother compared to Geordie shore
Section 4:  Feminism and Reality (450)

Topic sentence: Feminism over the years has focused on representation of women on reality television. However if we look back at television back in 70’s and 80’s, we can see during that time there was an improvement in women's position during that decade.

Quotes :

- ‘ moulded into predetermined stock characters such as “The bitch”, “The weepers” and “The Angry black women” the strong, independent women are typically excluded

- “In media, male characters are defined more by what they do rather than who they are. Female characters, on the other hand, are defined more by their attributes, the most primary of which is their femininity.. This quote shows women will be negatively represented if they do not fit the agenda of the “perfect” female characters. As how over the years TV Shows now have shown this broadcasted this image of the perfect woman who is highly feminine and follows the man rules. "seventeen and teen vogue reveal that they are designed primarily to tell girls that their most important function in life is

 

- "seventeen and teen vogue reveal that they are designed primarily to tell girls that their most important function in life is to get sexually attractive'

Explanation :

Section 5: New and digital media and feminism/ reality- e.g. Twitter (400)


Section 6: Impact on audience -  audience theory/ U + G, Media effect. (300)

Topic sentence: Negative representations of women in reality TV shows have created debates on how they affect audiences.

Quotes :
- “a sexualised society puts all kids at risk
- ‘constantly reminds us the audience that we’re not good enough, we need to be fixed, and that our value lies in our youth and beauty

Conclusion: Future of reality TV/ Feminism -  Summarise argument  (200)

 Topic sentence:
It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that reality TV shows like ‘Geordie shows’ continue to represent females negatively due to society’s belief and acceptance. Also due to the
 
Estimated Total word count: 2,300

Critical Investigation - Historical text analysis and research Task 3

Big Brother 2000's UK 

Big brother is a type of reality Tv programme which was broadcast on channel 4 in 2000. Its been 29 series in total of Big brother. The show was filmed at Three Mills Studio in Bow, east london.  Compared to British reality TV show Geordie shore  it has its similarities about the two and also has its major differences. Iin comparison, in the 70’s the only way a reality TV show like  big brother  could be shown on television was if was broadcasted on educational TV or PBS and if it could inform, educate and entertain it audience at the same time. Whereas Geordie shore  is broadcasted on channel 4  for all viewers to access and made for only entertainment purposes.

 

Negative representation of young females in the media girls are degraded in different ways. Nowadays females are often over-sexualised, which only encourages boys to disrespect girls, and makes young girls believe that they have to act and look this way resulting in them obsessing over their weight, make-up, clothes, which they have as friends, and how they interact with the opposite sex.

 Representation of young females which has stayed the same is the use of the colour pink. Pink is stereotypically a 'girly' colour, and research suggests that pink represents immaturity, passiveness, innocence and weakness. Media often use pink to show that a character is portraying these characteristics. This can be negative as pink is known as a 'girly' colour and in saying this people are being sexist, as they are implying that females are immature, passive, innocent and weak. This label is also putting strong connotations on a colour, resulting in judgement of people who like pink. 

The way these ladies are represented in Big Brother and other reality TV shows has changed over time. Females used to be presented as passive and have small roles, often just there to be an object of the man's desire. Nowadays girls are often the main character, and the story is often told from their point of view.

 negative portrayal of females in the media can also affect female viewers. This could be in the form of a female feeling bad about herself because she doesn't look like the people in the media and trying to change herself to live up to those impossible standards. This could include the girl obsessing over her weight, the make-up and skincare products she uses, the people she hangs out with, and the boys she dates, just to ensure she is fitting with what she sees in the media

In today’s society the media, television and especially across the three media platforms females are represented and reinforce mainstream ideologies contemporary in the western culture of patriarchy, Roles of women have changed from the past 20 years as women’s were typically seen less often than men, as men dominated the media and women were more in sexual roles

Society in the over these years has changed over the number of years, for example the structured role of the females over the years have changed and also stayed similar in today’s society in many diverse ways. In the first ever part of Big brother opening shows the distance the males and females had between each other at the start, showing them respect and allowing them to have their personal space.

Society in the 50's and 70's

1950's reaffirmed male dominance and female subservience, which women's roles were, confined to sex role stereotypes of pretty. Male dominance in movies reinforced males 1920's This period bought in change in the social reform

The representations of women in the 70’s are that the mother is seen as being preoccupied with preparing family meals and cleaning the home, also looks natural and not fussed about material things but at the same time seen as a sexual desire in the era to the male gaze. An American family does not promote in any way women being over sexualised but are shown as good women who stand by their families. Compared to Geordie shore the representation is different as the women are constantly seen as trophy women that are all single who are all about being semi naked and finding romance. It seems over the years that the representation of being a housewife who stays at home to look after their families has disappeared as female representation are more degraded year by year .

Gunter 1986 argues that televisions sex stereotyping occurs in relation to various roles in which men and women are portrayed which have a connection with the personality attributes they typically display. He divides stereotyping into sex role stereotyping and sex trait stereotyping.
Whereas, according to McNeil, about 75% of men are depicted as employed whereas less than 50% of women of the celebrities of the films. Theorist such as Banner during the 40's and 50's women stayed at home with the family while men in most cases were the wage earners. This stereotypical image was also presented by the media, limited to family role

Critical investigation- bibliography - Task 2

Books, Quotes and  Internet links

scanlon, H. (2007). Represenation and reality: portrait of womens live in the western cape . HSRC Press.

 (chelsey, 2011)

chelsey. (2011, November 21). Representaion (media). Retrieved from world press website : http://chelsssrep.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/case-study-so-far/

Hall, s. (1997). Representation: cultural represenation and signifiying practices . London: sage in association with the open University .

MissRep. (2011, November 21). The represenation project . Retrieved from Miss representaion : http://www.missrepresentation.org/reality-tv/reality-tv-the-self-esteem-of-women/

Ms.Musings. (2009). The unreal World . Retrieved from MS.magazine: http://www.msmagazine.com/fall2004/unrealworld.asp

Power, N. (2009). One Dimensional women . Zero books .

Pozner, J. (2010). Reality Bites back: the troubling truth about guilty pleasure TV. Berkeley, CA: seal press.

scanlon, H. (2007). Represenation and reality: portrait of womens live in the western cape . HSRC Press.

 (zoonen, 1994)

chelsey. (2011, November 21). Representaion (media). Retrieved from world press website : http://chelsssrep.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/case-study-so-far/

Hall, s. (1997). Representation: cultural represenation and signifiying practices . London: sage in association with the open University .

MissRep. (2011, November 21). The represenation project . Retrieved from Miss representaion : http://www.missrepresentation.org/reality-tv/reality-tv-the-self-esteem-of-women/

Ms.Musings. (2009). The unreal World . Retrieved from MS.magazine: http://www.msmagazine.com/fall2004/unrealworld.asp

Power, N. (2009). One Dimensional women . Zero books .

Pozner, J. (2010). Reality Bites back: the troubling truth about guilty pleasure TV. Berkeley, CA: seal press.

scanlon, H. (2007). Represenation and reality: portrait of womens live in the western cape . HSRC Press.

zoonen, L. V. (1994). Feminist Media Studies . city campus: SAGE Publications .

 (D, 2002)

chelsey. (2011, November 21). Representaion (media). Retrieved from world press website : http://chelsssrep.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/case-study-so-far/

D, J. (2002). Sexual Teen, Sexual Media: Investigating media influence . mahwah, N.J.

Hall, s. (1997). Representation: cultural represenation and signifiying practices . London: sage in association with the open University .

MissRep. (2011, November 21). The represenation project . Retrieved from Miss representaion : http://www.missrepresentation.org/reality-tv/reality-tv-the-self-esteem-of-women/

Ms.Musings. (2009). The unreal World . Retrieved from MS.magazine: http://www.msmagazine.com/fall2004/unrealworld.asp

Power, N. (2009). One Dimensional women . Zero books .

Pozner, J. (2010). Reality Bites back: the troubling truth about guilty pleasure TV. Berkeley, CA: seal press.

scanlon, H. (2007). Represenation and reality: portrait of womens live in the western cape . HSRC Press.

zoonen, L. V. (1994). Feminist Media Studies . city campus: SAGE Publications .

Critical Investigation- Textual Analysis Task 1

Textual analyses of chosen scenes/extracts of Geordie shore 
 

Geordie Shore Season 8 Episode 6 - Today HD - full Ep
 

I will be analysing the  first 2 minutes of this episode with deep textual analysis . Throughout the whole of this episode, they show good looking women with plenty of flesh exposed, who are all dressed inappropriately and  at the same time the women are seen as sexualised fake looking dolls showing most of their assets and full on make-up and the men also shown topless and misbehaving. Also,   In some sense it make it seem as if these women are over the top dressed at all time of day. The high key lighting and top lighting that is used throughout the advert helps to exaggerate the glamorous look that they are trying to pull off.

 

As soon as they opened their mouths and words spoke out the first word was 'fucking home” 'were going to go fucking bizurk'  for the questions that were being asked towards them the behind camera. This shows how un educated this people in Geordie shore really are. Within the first 10 seconds of the episode for The Geordie Shore , one of the male cast members is taking off his trousers with a big smile on his face, this connotes how shameless they are.  All of the characters within the Geordie shore are all represented as to be literally ‘stupid’ characters. Also the type of language that is used throughout the episode are typically Essex vocabulary words such as ‘shaatup’ and ‘reem’ to promote themselves and the city that they are from. This relates to the hypodermic needle theory which actually influences the audiences to actually think that this is how the people in the UK actually talk like. They also make the viewer’s think that they all actually lack common sense, as some can’t even seem to stay focused on the questions that their asked about and the rest don’t even understand basic vocabulary. This reinforces the stereotype of the people of british people being stupid and lacking common sense all within this 1 episode as the more the clips change to another person the more we realise how much the cast of The Geodie Shore lack common sense.

 

All of the characters that are being shown are all beautiful men and women. This relates to the theory female gaze (Laura Mulvey) .This is done so that the male viewers can admire what they see for visual pleasure and also especially so that the females can also admire their looks and appearances and admire the fact of what makes the men admire them, which relates to the hypodermic needle as viewers will be influenced by this so that this can be copied by the female viewers themselves by copying their appearances and the way they act and thinking and also actually believing  that this how women are meant to be because male viewers admire them. The more viewers choose to watch this the more it would actually influence them to believe this.

The colours of the background that are used within all of the shots constantly change as each character changes, they use bright complimentary colour which connote fun, luxury and which the background tells us and helps create a sense of fun and exotic mood. The shots that they use are all medium close up length shots which are effectively used to show the face more clearly without getting too close and also show the background as being wide space, this most probably connotes freedom. The shots that are used are constantly changing after every 1-2 seconds showing a new face every time. Also the angle that the camera is placed at is straight ahead, this makes the viewers feel as if they are actually having a one to one with the cast members as they are answering questions to us.