1 = A discussion or journal of your research methods:

• What you decided to research – what fields of study or areas of film/women did you consider?
• How did you find out about the early(ier) days of film and women’s place within it?
• What theories applied to the earlier days? Mulvey and the male gaze for example.
• How did you think your director/star/genre fit in withiin these parameters?
• How did you start to formaulate your research? Where there any theorists, feminist, star theorists you found interesting to provide you with a framework?
• List all the research sources you used, and categorise them – primary – what they say about themselves – secondary – what is said about them – on their own website, fansites, in magazines, in academic writing, at awards ceremonies -, and I would advise if you are studying one star in tems of the headings used by Richard Dyer, and Christine Geraghty in their writng about stars.

• Watch the films and make notes about key features you think are important/revealing/representative/unusual…

• Do your own personal research create a survey and ask people’s opinions about your star

• Go to the BFI – get on the site, access the catalogue and note the books which look as if they will be helpful – visit the library, use your handout to find out times. Photocopy anything of interest.

• Use the web links on this blog – to find out about feminist theory – read a bit more about Mulvey’s male gaze

• The big names in writing about film stars are Gledhill, Geraghty, Dyer, all linked here – look and see what you find interesting

• You should try to asess which of the types of research you have done was useful, which told you little of interest

Essay = the star/director/genre

• You should by now have some idea or theory about how your topic fits in the wide world of women and film.

• Is your director an auteur, a totally indie film maker, or a Hollywood director?

• Does your star fit into the Hollywood mainstream, or is she different — in what ways?

• Is your star a professional rebel?

• What style of acting does your star employ – what is her range – has she been hampered by type casting, how has she evaded it, how has her representation changed over time?

• Decide what your pitch is – how you feel and what you want to say

Write the first paragraph of both essays – thenyou will know what you want to ‘prove’.

Move on through the research essay telling the story of WHY you did your research, WHAT research tools you used , and HOW they were helpful

Assess each one as you go – it’s perfectly ok to say that some were less useful than others, or no use at all -  but give reasons

Start to plan you star essay – think about ares you wnat to discuss – and start putting this material together – don’t worry too much about ordering your work – that can be done later.

PAUSE<CONGRATULATE YOURSELF AND RE-READ YOUR WORK!

Revise your knowledge of technical terms – use Daniel Chandler’s Guide available on the following web site – and in the pool file under Film Studies.

There will be a test on terminology soon…

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html

Life on Mars – the handout is particlarly helpful on issues, and how issues of how class, race and gender are highlighted by the retrospective nature of the concept.

• Read your handout – take particular note of references to race and sexuality
• Watch an extractor a complet episode of Life on Mars
• Write a textaul analysis of the extract – showing how issues of race &/or gender are presented

Bleak House

Read your article on Bleak House -  it gives you a great deal of insight into how the series was filmed, lit, the use of mise-en-scene and the casting.

We are going to look at the extracts referred to in the article.

Look at other period dramas on TV at the moment, how they are filmed, how the  modern sensibility is applied- Darcy with the wet shirt for example.

Think about how this segues into other forms of TV Drama – Sci Fi for example – Dr Who would be a good example. 

http://www.e4.com/skins/

Look at the marketing materials for Skins – all available on YouTube

Task one

How effective are the marketing materials for Skins?

Who are the target audience for Skins? How does the marketing material embody the target audeince? Does it give a glamourised image of young peopel?

A personal response – did they press your buttons? Would you ha ve been drawn to watch the series? If not why not?

Task two

Watch and anlyse the opening episode of Skins. Comment on how the episode hits its target audience?

Task 3

Skins – Bill Bailey and the dancing dog

Write a detailed textual analysis, focus on the representaton of ‘difference’, and homosexuality.

Look at the range of responses to Maxxie  – his father’s, the young girls, and the teenagers.

Look as well at his father and the similarities between the two characters

Archive work: Ashes to Ashes – view the opening of Episode One on You Tube – go through your worksheet – seeing how the writer has referred to each frame and testing her analysis against your own.

Torchwood: teaser and trailer. Look at the episode focusing on representation of masculinity.

Levi 501 the 1980s campaign -  how do Levis sell their USP?

How do they use a range of representations of masculinity to sell their jeans?

• music
• iconography
• text – slogans/tag lines
• representation of men
• representation of women

 Select 2 of the links below and do some research  be ready to report back with 3 interesting facts about the shows you research. Focus on representation  - look at the slide show which follows and select 2 areas of representation.
www.bbc.co.uk/drama
www.bbc.co.uk/casualty
www.bbc.co.uk/holbycity
www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho
www.bbc.co.uk/spooks
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
www.channel4.com/entertainment/drama
www.channel4.com/4od
www.itv.com/drama
www.dubplatedrama.tv

Article on Interactive TV drama from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2005/sep/26/media.broadcasting

Follow this link to see a presentation on TV Drama

TBSHS pool file