Annya's A-Level Media Blog // Mr Halsey

1) Re-read the  Mail Online review of  Capital . Why does it suggest that  Capital  features a left-wing ideology? Capital shows immigrants, illegal immigrants, and working class families/young people without 'real jobs' in a positive light. The higher powers are suggested to be greedy, unintelligent and out of touch with reality and their surroundings- for example, when the banker didn't know what any of the terminology his lower colleague was using, or when the bankers wife had never been in their local shop. They are positioned to be laughed at by the viewers while the other characters are meant to be sympathised with. 2) Choose  three  quotes from the review that are particularly critical of  Capital  and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why? ' With a fizzle like a firework on a wet night, Capital (BBC1) dribbled to a soggy ending.' - while this is arguably true, the ending I believe suggests more th...

Capital episode 1: key scenes Scene 1: opening sequence 00:30 – 4.49 Place: Flashbacks of old London, property price, diversity change Family/Gender: Albert and Petunia vs Pakistani family Ethnicity: She can't tell the difference in the Asian diversity Issues(immigration,asylum,inequality,wealth,ageing): Indirect prejudice/racism  Scene 2: work in the City 6.28 – 8.10 Place: Crowded train, construction sites Family/Gender: All males in the office Ethnicity: All white males in charge Issues(immigration,asylum,inequality,wealth,ageing): 'Bonus season', young man knows more than the bosses but has less control Scene 3: “Which of those isn’t absolutely essential?” 14.00 – 15.35 Place: Newly decorated bedroom Family/Gender: They have different priorities, we are positioned not to like them Ethnicity: Stereotyping Germans, they are traditional Britons, they don't appear to be very in touch with the modern world Issues(immigration,asylum,inequality,wealth,agei...

1) Summarise the article in 50 words. Arthouse focuses on the value of the production rather than trying to sell sequel after squel to a mindless audience, purely to make profit. They are made purely for artistic value rather than to make profit- therefore the people that watch them are a select few that enjoy the cultural gain and eduaton they can get from and arthouse film. 2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film? Arthouse tends to have more of a meaningful narrative than production and edits- this might be due to the low budget, or might be the reason they don't need a huge budget. An audience can gain an emotional experience from these narratives. 3) Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media  theory  here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself). Most audiences value the diversion they can gain from a production- if a story is hard to understand or grasp they might not enjoy it ...

1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society? The Marxism theory suggests that   the mass media in maintaining the status quo, suggesting power is concentrated in the hands of a narrow elite . The larger companies make lower classes rely on them to regulate the power consistently. 2) Why is  The Apprentice  a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies? Every week the people with less power than the bosses are sent out with the objective of making as much money as possible in order to please the people in charge. Alan Sugar, a white male that dresses in suits on every occasion we see him, holds all the power over the 20 regular people. This is a micro representation of society according to Marxists- A few people hold all the power over a mass of people. 3) Come up with  three  examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that  either  fetishise working class life (e.g.  EastEnde...