G322A TV Drama

Tips on Preparation and technique

The Question• Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs

representations of X using the following: • Camera shots, angles, movement and composition• Editing • Sound • Mise-en-scene

Gender Age Ethnicity

Sexuality Class and status Physical ability/disability

Regional identity Politics Religion

How to use time in the exam• During 30mins viewing:

– 2mins read question – what can you expect from this clip? What themes/ issues are likely to be important?

– Viewing 1 – make no notes; decide on representational issues

– 30 seconds – Create noteframe– Viewing 2 – make notes– 2mins pause – make notes– Viewing 3 – make notes– 2mins pause – make notes– Viewing 4 – make notes– Complete notes. Write essay

How to discuss editing and sound well – the most difficult technical areas

• Sound– How do the sounds

emotionally/ culturally influence our understanding of the text?

– How does sound change our perception/ perspective/ focus/ view?

– How does sound position us? How does it encourage us to take a particular point of view?

– Whose sound are we hearing? (sound perspective)

– Asynchronous sound dominating other characters’ screentime

• Editing– Screentime – who dominates?– Shot/ reverse-shot creates

conflict/ opposition– Contrasts/ juxtaposition

between scenes/ characters/ representations

– How does editing position us? How does it encourage us to take a particular point of view?

– Pace and energy– Long/ short takes – Continuity– Ellipsis/ expansion of time– Fades/ cuts

How to revise• Use www.youtube.com/cnsmedia• Practice note-taking• Practice essay planning• Practice timed essay• Plan for key issues• Learn all terms

Questions to consider (conclusion)• Who is this representation for? Who is the audience, and

how does this effect how the characters are represented?– e.g. Skins = teen audience– Midsomer Murders = slightly xenophobic white middle Englanders

(!)

• How does the genre effect the representation?– Would scifi have the same representations as a a docu-drama?– Is it conventional for this genre?

• How does the setting affect the representation?– Would a drama set in the 1890s have different representations of

gender compared to a piece set today?– Is it using representations that are ‘of today’ or ‘of the time’ or is it

playing with this?

Questions to consider (conclusion)• Is the representation simplistic or complex?

• Is this representation reinforcing conventional representations?– Traditional/ Regressive– Reinforcing/ perpetuating– Progressive/ Challenging– Binary opposition– Tokenism/ Otherness/ Exoticism– Proportionally represented– Normalisation of difference– Stereotypes– Diversity vs monoculture

• How do the representations position the audience?– How are we encouraged to respond to the representations?