Life on Mars : genre and narrative

 Within the beginning of the episode modern crime genre conventions are presented as the main character Sam and officers raid a suspected murders house instantly creating a mystery as they are nowhere to be seen until a chase scene and questioning of the suspect professionally until Sam is in the past as they question another suspect which turns into more of an interrogation as DCI Gene and the other police in the past are presented as politically incorrect also Sam already having an idea about the suspect from the evidence from the present subverting modern crime conventions but still sticking to other conventions like the mystery and solving it by the end of the episode which links to Steve Neale's Genre Theory as the genre changes through time and having sci-fi conventions like the idea of him being in a coma. 

The main opposite present within the episode is the differences of the main character Sam and Gene as they battle throughout the episode on what to do about the mystery as Sam works like he did in the present which is drastically different from how Gene and the other officers work for example how Gene goes against the law for justice. Another major opposite being reality vs fantasy as its constantly questioned whether the past is actually real or just a figment of Sam's imagination these link to Levi-Strauss's theory as these opposites help continue the narrative as the confrontations between Sam and Gene usually end with more information in the case. 

An enigma is instantly created as we have a suspect in the murder case which is carried out throughout the episode but also more enigmas are created like Sam's condition after being hit by a car as some form of hallucinations throughout the episode connoting to him being in a coma however having reasonable explanations to just being hallucinations and Sam actually traveling back in time. These link to Barthes theory as Enigma codes are created throughout the series  

The narrative is restricted as we only know the same as Sam we as the audience have no further information on the narrative.      

Life On Mars: Textual analysis 1

The conventions of the crime genre are littered within the beginning as it starts with the police raiding a suspects house and the main character (Sam) chases down the suspect and catches him, they interview the suspect on a murder case having a lawyer and the detectives in the scene with him which is conventional of the crime genre however having a psychiatrist and social worker with the suspect making the scene unconventional and more realistic, also when Sam goes to the crime scene of his partners kidnapping having the area taped off and police surrounding the crime scene conventional to the crime genre however no connections to the sci-fi genre is shown until Sam is hit by a car and this begins the sci-fi elements as he is transported into the past and s the episode continues a psychological element is introduced as its implied that he is in a coma and everything he is seeing in the 70s is just his imagination. 

The enigmas created within the beginning align more with the crime genre as the suspect is let go after having an alibi and the murder case is still open ended and this enigma is reinforced when Sam's partner is following the suspect and is kidnapped, When Sam is hit by the car and wakes up in the 70s the enigma of wondering if he is in a coma and everything was fake or he really did travel back in time is created and spans along the entire series but also another enigma is created as the murders mirror each other in both the past and present  and this is solved at the end of the episode. 

Within the present the police are presented as more professional and gender is portrayed equally until we are put into the past as the police are shown as unprofessional messing up evidence and being sexist to female police officers.         

Section B Exam questions

 What is a media conglomerate? : A media institute which owns multiple other media companies  

How does ownership shape the content of  newspapers? : Ownership shapes the content within newspapers through the bias within the stories they report on like political bias for example The Times is a left wing newspaper thus having a bias towards the Conservative party and portraying them in a more positive light and The Mirror being more politically aligned to the Labour Party so the stories they report on and how they report their stories will attract the audience with the same political alignment

What has been the impact of recent technologies on all elements of the newspaper industry and how has it responded to these changes? : With the advancement of technology the news industry has grown exponentially but has needed to evolve as newspapers have moved onto the internet for example The Mirror online allows their audience to view on their website and on an app, and also doesn't have a paywall for their audience to see all of the news but having advertisements to earn their revenue which they would've got from selling newspapers which over time have been sold less and less.

The Times however has a paywall this digital descriptions has multiple variations increasing in price and as the price increases the more features audiences have like exclusive newsletters and rewards to give an incentive for their audiences to buy the more expensive subscriptions. As newspapers have moved to the internet this allows a wider range of audiences to view their content and have a much wider reach than what newspapers ever could do. 

What is the importance of fandom in media products? :  Fandoms allow media products to keep a following to a franchise and building support and helping market their product to a larger audience for example the Assassins Creed franchise has a massive fandom which discuss the game using wikis to have these discussions allowing fans to connect. 

How is the gaming industry regulated or what are the challenges in this particular industry? : In the UK video games are regulated by The Games Rating authority (GRA) using the PEGI system to rate the minimum age in which the game can be sold to using factors to help create these ratings like Fear and violence. The PEGI rating was created to stop younger audiences be exposed to mature content as games began to evolve to more mature audiences. 

How important is historical context? :  historical context is important as it can change the overall meaning of the product which contemporary audience would usually miss as their perspectives have changed for example the Tide print advertisement which was post WW2 and an economic boost and household appliances and products became highly desirable            

Newspapers section A

 Within both newspapers they discuss Brexit more specifically the vote on the UK leaving the European Union without a deal making it a lot harder for the UK to actually go through with Brexit and instantly we see that both newspapers don't support the winning vote of no deal Brexit by the headlines which attract the customers as the headlines discuss how its going to negatively impact the UK by using language like (mayhem, despair).

The articles on the front page are chosen to be on the front page due to news value as to contemporary audiences this was very relevant and drastically changes the UK as a whole in many ways also this story has a lot of news value as it effects everyone in the UK negatively making it bad news but gives it more news value.    

Television Crime Drama

 Subgenres: Within the crime drama genre their exists many subgenres for a much more niche audience for example detective fiction which are shows like Midsomer Murders or Luther to Legal Thrillers like the Law and Order series.

Hybrid Genres: These crime dramas include other themes from an entirely different genre for example Horror/Crime Drama like The X Files or Dexter and Comedy/Crime Drama like Brooklynn Nine-Nine and Sherlock 

Narrative: Within Crime Dramas they follow conventions to portray their narrative for example the crime usually committed is a murder with the drama being between the protagonist and their family and the characters which are portrayed throughout the narrative typically follow some sort of stereotypical representations to help forward the narrative for example the criminal/ detective. Usually within each episode they have their own narratives resolve at the end of each episode.

Character Codes: Within shows like Midsomer Murders The Protagonist has a sidekick being his Partner in the show being a helping hand within solving the crime. The Villain or criminal is always shown committing the crime however the audience typically doesn't see the criminals face creating an enigma for the audience giving them an incentive to fully watch the episode  

THE MIRROR Research and key questions

1. Who owns Reach Plc? :  Trinity Mirror PLC

2. What other newspapers and media products  do Reach Plc own? : Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Sunday People, Daily Record, Daily Star, OK!, Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo Birmingham Mail and Bristol Post.

3. What ways can audiences access this newspaper?  :  Using the website or app or reading the actual newspaper. 

3(a)How much content can you access for free and what type of content is available? : On The Mirror website you can access the news but also includes shop, voucher codes, offers, bingo etc. and all of it is completely free 

4. Visit the website of some of the other  newspapers Reach Plc owns and read some of their articles. What political agenda or bias do they hold? : Reach PLC is politically aligned to the left wing 

5. What evidence of this do you have? : Trinity Mirror who owns Reach PLC is a Left wing company

 6. Who is the intended readership (audience) for The Daily Mirror. You must consider the demographic profile and the psychographic profile. : The Mirror's targeted audience is younger audiences as it is a tabloid newspaper and are people who " want something to laugh about and who don't take politics seriously" 

 

THE TIMES : Research and key questions

 Who owns News Corp?: The Walt Disney Company 

What other companies belong to News Corp?: News Corp Australia, News UK, Dow Jones, Harper Collins publishers, Storyful and Move 

Do News Corp own any other newspapers? : News Corp owns several high profit US newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post Community Newspaper Group, The Times,  

What ways can audiences access this Newspaper? :  Audiences can access this Newspaper traditionally or through the internet using apps and websites. 

5. Visit the website of some of the newspapers News Corp owns ( including The Times )and read some of their articles. What political agenda do they hold? :  New Corp is politically aligned with the Conservative party after changing from Labour to Conservatives in 2005

6. Is all of the news content on The Times website freely accessible ?  Why not ? : No because newspapers are rarely being brought nowadays with the development with technology all the news is available instantly so newspaper companies had to adapt to survive offering subscriptions to their website offering special incentives the more you pay. 

7. What evidence of this do you have? : The subscription page details the prices and incentives you receive like the Digital with Print bundle for £43 giving you a 34% discount on the print version of The Times 

 8. Who is the intended readership (audience) for The Times. You must consider the demographic profile and the psychographic profile.  : The Times' intended audience is largely middle class and are classified in social codes as ABC1 which are the Upper Middle class (A) , Middle class (B) and Lower Middle Class (C1)