Oliver, M. B. (1994). Portrayals of crime, race, and aggression in “reality‐based” police shows: A content analysis. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media,38(2), 179-192. doi:10.1080/08838159409364255
Media magazine:
Steph, H. (2010) Dexter, 21st Century hero for a 21st Century audience. Media Magazine, 31, 58-60, ISSN: 1478--8616
Working title- Do TV crime dramas like ‘Breaking Bad’ generate moral panics and negatively contribute to social issues through the impact they have on audiences?
This clip shows the first 'cook' session that Walt and Jesse do together. Firstly, I chose this clip because it's showing something highly illegal, but we the audience are not made to see it that way, we are led to believe that this is art just like the way the characters describe the cooking in the clip. The clip also shows us how showing something explicit like this in an almost comedic way takes the edge off the whole scene and makes it enjoyable and not in a burden in the back of our mind that makes us think that this is illegal and wrong.
In the clip the sound is used in different ways to provide a differentiated and enjoyable scene, for example from around 20 seconds on wards we have a non-diegetic song playing whilst they were making the meth. Without the music we would be able to focus on the diegetic sounds that were going on in the clip and if that were the case we wouldn't be distracted about what's happening. The music used in the clip was very upbeat which did go with the pace of the scene and the type of shots that went with it, however it was contrapuntal because the mood the song gave off was more like the one you see at a concert and you don't tend to associate sort of electro-rock music with something as 'street' as this. A more parallel song which would have related to the clip may of been something more explicit like trap music or songs from the Rap genre, however the contrapuntal song worked well with drawing the audiences attention away from the true meaning of the scene and offered a distraction from reality. The song does make the scene more enjoyable and much more of a pleasure to watch as it turns the cooking scene into a performance more than anything else. This is one of the reasons why audiences can relate to TV crime dramas such as Breaking Bad much more easier as it takes away the censorship that regular TV has and it exaggerates it in either a negative or positive way.
Also in the clip, the cinematography used can make the scene appear more relate able and because of this the audience may see this is as something real. For example at the start of the clip we see a shot filmed entirely on a camcorder, which is recognisably different from the professional cameras which are used later in the scene. By using an ordinary camcorder the audience may be able to relate as you could associate this prop with something you would use to film family moments or special occasions and not to cook meth with. This then lightens and removes any tense moments from the scene as the camcorder shot can make the audience think of nostalgic moments. The type of shots used after the first part all mainly medium shots of the cooking apparatus. This gives the audience enough view to see what is going on and it removes a lot of human element from the shop and only focuses on the cooking process which helps in differentiating what is real and what isn't as if an audience were to see another person doing something, they may be more likely to do something, this can be linked to the media effects theory and in particular we can link this to the Bobo Doll experiment as it looked at how violence can effect a child's behaviour. This can be linked here as if the audience saw a person preforming an act like cooking meth, they may be more prone to go out and try it as they have been exposed to it. However, audiences aren't always passive in the way they take in media, the hypodermic needle theory suggests otherwise and states that audiences are injected with the content that the media product they are viewing is showing, this is of course not applicable for everyone but it does raise the concern that some people do see TV crime dramas as real life and relate-able and this is a bad thing because TV crime dramas include behaviours that shouldn't be copied. Jump cuts are also used in the clip to show the making of the meth. This was a good decision to add this in as watching liquid poor in to beakers maybe quite boring so the jump cuts sped up the process, making it more enjoyable to watch and less like a meth cooking show. Which could mean audiences don't see the line between right and wrong which causes them to react upon things in different ways.
The Genre of Breaking Bad is a TV crime drama and the clip here displays some similar characteristics but also goes against some of the key codes and characteristics. The iconography in crime dramas comes from the mise-en-scene and in this case the props used were typical of the genre as drugs were shown. This is typical of the genre as it shows the aspect of crime, but in this clip Breaking Bad doesn't put much emphasis on the iconic props as it is quite negative. Breaking sort of goes against the general codes and conventions that TV crime dramas have as even though we see there is clear binary oppositions; (first proposed by theorist Levi Strauss) of Good vs Bad and the Police vs Crime. Usually we are on the good side and follow the story of the detectives and not the criminals. However in Breaking Bad we follow the story on the wrong side of the binary opposition. We know it's the wrong side because we can identify this by the iconography as we can identify the side we are following with the costumes and environment they're in. In the clip we can identify this as we can see no person working for the law and a 'good' person wouldn't be in a shady RV in the middle of the desert cooking drugs. The fact that it portrays the opposite side of the two variables doesn't make it any less of a crime drama as to have a binary opposite would mean you would need to compare it to another thing. Breaking Bad does this with the incorporation of the DEA, however just like in the clip we are only shown the recreational part of the wrong side. We know it's the wrong side because of the binary opposite and that the police force is the good but we are not made or forced to choose what to believe in.
2nd Clip
This clip first looks at an advert for the fictional company Los Pollos Hermanos (The chicken brothers), this is the company which was the cover for a much larger drug smuggling business. The advert then switches off and it transitions into the process in which the drugs are packaged and sent off using the business as a cover.
The scene from Breaking Bad is edited in a way which removes any safeguards from the clip making it seem for the audience as though they are watching a harmless advertisement. The clip makes an almost seem-less transition between the advert and drugs scene that it doesn't really give the audience time to prepare. We are being shown something that is vert likeable, fried chicken in slow motion which is another editing effect, this has slowed the whole pace of the clip down. By first showing us something we can relate to then something quite shocking afterwards, it dampens the effect it would have had and makes it seem rather ordinary. The transitions also continue throughout the shots where we see the drugs being packages. The transitions happen in such a way that the last shot fades into the next the one which gives the effect of a smooth transitions just like you may see in a food advert. That's what the editing tried to make it look like so it takes the severity away from the fact that they are packaging drugs and not food.
The sound in the clip is also used to make it seem as though the clip is just one big advertisement. There is a sound bridge from the original authentic advert into the sequences of shots which show the drugs so by doing this is still manages to keep the same mood as to what the advert was as there is no sudden change. Also the non-diegetuc song which was playing also worked in parallel with the advert however not so well with the second half of the clip, this is why the sound bridge worked so well in transitioning from one scene to another extreme. The song may have been parallel in the beginning whilst the advert was playing, however when it transitioned into the next part of the clip the song was then contrapuntal, because a summer time melody doesn't bode well with the packaging of drugs. Breaking Bad do this throughout the series and use songs that contradict whats going on in the actual scene, this could be quite a negative thing because it desensitises the clip for an audience which could make them think that drugs and violence isn't as bad as they same. Sound in the media really can have quite an adverse effect on and audiences reaction, as playing a song that doesn't really fit in with the mood of the scene can make an audience remember the scene much more easily and this could be bad if the scene is a violent one, it may inspire people, however this has never been proven and only theorised that the way media texts portray certain issues can influence someone behaviour.
The mise-en-scene in the first part of the clip is typical of that which is similar to an advert (for food more specifically) as, for example the advert at the start is very well lit (high key lighting) which is a general code and convention of a regular advert. The director here may have wanted the audience to relate to what they think an advert is by using familiar tactics. This was used so that the audiences could be guided into the next part of the scene which is a lot harder to take in as many kilo grams of drugs are being packaged and this is not something you see all the time, therefore it may have caused shock to the audience but it did no such thing in this clip.
In the second part of the clip the mise-en-scene was used in a different way which followed some of the aspects of what a typical TV crime drama is. We can look at the props and costumes used here, for example the people shown we're wearing face masks and white overalls, we usually see this in some shows where people are packaging substances, therefore we can make the link to whats happening, also we actually see the drugs and the cooking equipment used and this identifies the moral issue in the scene as you are shown the whole operation, however the like whats been mentioned above with the sound and editing (what the mise-en-scene doesn't show you) it's that even thought its made to look like a 'bad and unethical' scene we aren't made to see it that way and we see it as an advert because of the various other factors in the scene.
·The article looks at a story that came
about in 2015 which saw a former TV reporter gun down innocent people and it
was captured all on camera. The controversy here is that the media outlet that
published this story in the newspaper had come across some images of what had
happened and published the gruesome pictures, this caused outrage among the victims’
families
·“But what theDaily Newseditors didn't realize was that this sensational
approach can possibly do more than perturb or offend. Such images provide the
notoriety mass killers crave and can even be a jolt of inspiration for the next
shooter”- Suggests that the media and the way news
stories represent the killers instead of the victims almost glorifies them and
provides inspiration for new killers.
·Thesavvy of these individuals to capitalize
on visual exposure should not be underestimated.
· This article from the BBC is a report from an Oregon town sheriff about a mass shooting which took place.
· It's true that rampage shooters show a pattern of being "obsessed with the previous murders and obsessed with the tally," sociology professor Zeynep Tufekci told BBC World Have Your Say on Friday.
· Research shows that, in fact, mass shooters may be more likely to act when there has recently been a high-profile mass killing, a model more attune to viral infection than pure copycat. – Shows how the media could be to blame by reporting the story it also acts as a way to some as ‘promoting a killing
· Towers heard about three other school shootings that same week and wondered if her work with models of contagion - "how people are infected with ideas" - would apply – Can be linked with the media theory about audiences, The Hypodermic needle model which suggests audiences can be injected with views and values about what they see on TV/ in the media.
·This article gives more information
about media audiences and the effect It has on them. It gives more insight into
how influential media texts are at empowering audiences. It looks at theories
like the hypodermic needle model and other media theories.
·At
its most basic, this theory suggests the media transmit ‘messages’(ideas,
information, beliefs and so forth) that are then picked up and acted upon by
the audience (receivers).
· Here is an example of someone actually saying that they have copied someone they’ve seen on TV because they felt them and the character were the same. This killing was supposedly inspired by hit American TV show Dexter, a gruesome, crime/thriller about a socio-path serial killer.
· ‘Dexter made me do it’ – These are the words from a psychotic killer who killed his younger brother because he felt like his TV show idol Dexter, he says it as he is almost forced to commit murder when the show says nothing like it.
Hall won a Golden Globe for his portrayal but the show was criticised in the U.S. for its violent theme by the Parents Television Council
·This article looks at why people commit
copycat killings; it gives examples of films that are accused of inspiring
these people and looks for a link between them. It looks at the psychology
behind it and it looks at the sort of people that actually commit the crimes
and leaves the question open about whether the media is to blame or not.
·But is the media to blame for copycat murders? Well, partly –
but not totally. –This
raises the main argument that is the media to blame for peoples actions?
·most people convicted of copycat murders admit to being
motivated by something they had seen on the news or in a film - The keyword Is motivation, they are not forced into anything but
instead choose to take what they see on TV as real life and acceptable, this
tends to happen in a case where the people are younger than the specified age
restrictions.
·they already had a criminal record (often violent crime)
and/or were mentally ill before they began killing - This does partially prove that the acts committed by people who claim
to be motivated by the TV shows/ movies aren’t always your ordinary everyday
person and that there is almost always a catch.
·Copycat killers are more likely to suffer from personality
(and other mental health) disorders, come from socially dysfunctional and
alienating family backgrounds, be emotionally vulnerable, be trusting of the
media, and – as noted above – a previous criminal history (as well as
self-identifying with criminals they have watched or seen in fact and/or
fiction). - This
somewhat backs up that the media content does not influence the general
audience in a vindictive way and that a small proportion of people take it In the wrong way. People look at the media
in different ways, just because some psychotic people view and act on the media
in negative ways it doesn’t mean, for example news channels can influence the
general audience and create moral panics.
·
6.How Breaking Bad has shaped the meth
industry-http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11206140/Breaking-Bad-blamed-for-shocking-rise-in-crystal-meth-usage.html
·Although the show does not
go out to glamorise the drug, its very inclusion promotes interest in that
substance.
·The fact this character who
we grow to love is taking crystal meth instantly makes people curious
·We live in a hedonistic
generation where people are seeking pleasure from various sources, and
increasingly these are be found in the most illicit forms - Hedonistic=
engaged in the pursuit
of pleasure; sensually self-indulgent
·Showing the horrendous
impact of crystal meth can have a boomerang effect and cause curiosity among
some viewers who might think 'that must be good – Another way the media can influence audiences is through
glamorising certain things in such a way that it makes the audience curious and
want to actually go out and do it.
·The fact
millions of people have watched the show and been entertained by it almost
instantly glamorises its subject matter, whether deliberate or not. - The fact that so many people have had access to
it means it may have reached groups of viewers whom the show wasn’t targeted
at, the type of genre may be new to them and they may see it as something
intriguing
·The Bobo doll was an experiment devised
back in the 60/70’s to see how young children reacted to violence
·Children
learn social behaviour such as aggression through the process of observation
learning – through watching the behaviour of another person, this study has
important implications for the effects of media violence on children
·Cumberbatch
(1990) found that children who had not played with a Bobo Doll before were five
time as likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour than those who were familiar
with it; he claims that the novelty value of the doll makes it more likely that
children will Imitate the behaviour –This says that what your exposed to effects how you deal with the
situation, the kids exposed to the violence on the Bobo doll may only feel
aggression towards that and may not wish to re-create this on other people,whilst the kids who weren’t exposed to
the Bobo doll violence can’t see the novelty behind it.
·This article about Moral Panics look at
how the media can help create them and at the same time make it exaggerated
enough that riots and outbreaks can occur
·The
term moral panic has been widley adopted both by the mass media and in everyday
usage to refer to the exaggerated social reaction caused by the activities of
particular groups and/or individual
·Such
activities are invariably seen (at the time) as major social concerns and the
media led reaction magnifies and widens the ‘panic’ surrounding them
·Moral
panics ‘translate fantasy into reality’ – Actual
real life moral panics that have occurred because of vast media coverage
include people in hoodies are dangerous and the paedophilia problem in the UK
·Essentially
a moral panic refers to an exaggerated reaction, from the media, the police or
wider public, to the activities of particular social groups.These activities may well be relitivley
trivial but have been reported in a somewhat sensationalised from the media;
such reporting and publicity has then led to an increase in general anxiety and
concern about those activities
·This article looks at both sides of the
argument, the argument being does the media have a direct impact on the
audiences behaviour, whether this be the news or in this case a crime drama,
for example the Bill and Breaking Bad
·They
depend upon media to gather information and then form opinions about crime.
·was
found that fear of crime seemed to increase when people watched crime-related
programs on television
·The
details of violence and dramatization of a crime story may be responsible for
the increased fear
·Watching
a culprit being caught by the law and sentenced might reduce the fear.
·Crime dramas are just that, dramas – Looking at the
context of the article we can say that dramas are different from reality of
course but because reality is so mediated and controlled (Jean Baudrillard
simulation) how do we as an audience know what reality is when watching the
news, crime dramas.
·One,
the Jamie Bulger story, was utterly unique, yet triggered off an immediate and
ferocious moral panic;- Look
at why this happened and the coverage it had on the news and if it was an
inspired attack
·But
during moral panics and media frenzies the atypical case is compressed into
general categories of crime control (such as ‘juvenile violence’)
·The
crude model of ‘media effects’ has hardly been modifi ed: exposure to violence
on this or that medium causes, stimulates or triggers off violent behaviour
Media magazine
1.This
is a link to media magazine number 49, it looks at aspects of Breaking
Bad-https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0i5diL3vrEiSGxRNHIyZmM4Ums - Pg24 MM49
·The article mainly looks at how key
media concepts and the relationships between media texts, producers and
audiences will take you a long way in media studies.
·Heroes
are central to conventional narrative and the focus of a story – In
this article from media magazine we can start to apply more media theory as we
can link Propps character theory here an infer what audiences see in the
characters and how this differs In TV crime dramas like Breaking Bad
·Audiences
tend to sympathise with the hero – In
this case of Breaking Bad which is my main case study we sympathise with a
character who isn’t our ‘hero’ as such but more of a false hero and deffinitley
a villain but we are made to sympathise for this character even though as an
audience we can see a line between right and wrong and binary oppositions in
the show are prominent, for example the DEA (government body vs The war on
drugs (Good vs Bad) however we are not forced to choose a side of what we
believe is right
·‘everyman
hero’
This
is a link to the media magazine number 42, the title is “who decides what’s a
media issue’? https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0i5diL3vrEiSGxRNHIyZmM4Ums
-MM42
·The article looks at how some events,
ideas or behaviours come to be regarded as social issues, or indeed as social
problems? Professor David Buckingham raises some big questions about the ways
public debates about social problems are constructed.
·‘issues’
aren’t just out there in the world they are not natural events, like the
weather –Issues are not just there they must first
be created and this is where the media comes in, although they may not be the
ones who start the issue they are certainly involved with spreading; no matter
what intentions they had on the issue its up to the audience decided how to
take it in and react to it
·This article in the media magazine
unpick definitions and theories about fantasy from an examiners perspective
4.Media
Magazine 33 Pg 52- Creativity and Genre
in TV Crime Drama
·-
5.Media
Magazine 31 - Dexter
·This article in media magazine looks at
the serial killer Dexter being a 21st century hero for a 21st
century audience
·Heroes
traditionally embody fulfilment as they strive to reach goals that are often
shared by the audience (to save the day, to get the girl etc) and are all in
some way fantasy figures- We
see the opposite occur with Dexter and in Breaking Bad as the hero in this case
is not the clearly distinguished ‘good’ characters but we are left to
sympathise with the one who has a moral excuse for his criminal actions, but at
the end of the day the audience is still made to see them as a hero (Propp’s
character theory).
·Heroes
tell us a lot about the culture that created them- Could lead us to suggest that
people aren’t seeing how the media can create a difference between right and
wrong and what is accepted in reality, can be linked to Baudrillard’s theory of
simulation.
·In
modern media drama texts (TV crime drama) it is often difficult to identify who the heroes and villains. What
used to be thought of as “simple binary opposites”, the idea of Good vs Evil
and Right vs Wrong has been complicated in many television and film narratives.-
Here we can link it to the theory on ideology
from Levi Strauss who talked about there being binary opposites, for example
good vs bad and that the audience is always made to choose one side from being
influenced by the media and the way it is shot etc.…
·Heroes
for example takes good characters , turns them bad and then brings them back to
the side of ‘good’-This
can be linked to Todorov’s narrative theory of equilibrium, because the
character itself goes through phases of good and bad going from equilibrium to
disequilibrium.
·Serial
killers have often been received as twisted heroes by audiences, perhaps best
exemplified by Hannibal Lecter in the silence of the Lambs, a psychotic monster
who became a hero of sorts when he helped the FBI catch a killer- Relatively new term of ‘twisted
heroes’ whom the audience can’t help but sympathise or relate with.
·Dexters
apparent normality and the fact that he is so average is simply a reflection of
the audience itself
·In
a world where one man’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter- This notorious religious quote is
used here to show that people have different perspectives and these vary and
differ depending on what views and values that person has been taught; either
though the media or family.
More textual analysis of one or two more key scenes in Breaking Bad (media languages/forms)
Apply representation theory
more on TV crime dramas, look at the genre an its consumption and Iconography
find other media texts relating to TV crime dramas
research more on moral panics
use media magazine to look at audience effect and theory
Working title- Do TV crime dramas like ‘Breaking Bad’ generate moral panics and negatively contribute to social issues through the impact they have on audiences?
To what extent do TV shows like Breaking Bad influence audiences?
How to TV shows like Breaking Bad glamorise "the drug lifestyle"?
Do TV shows like Breaking Bad contribute to social issues and moral panics and to what extent do they influence audiences?
Drug abuse/Audience effects
Angle
Breaking Bad causes audiences to commit copy cat crimes
Glamorises the Drug lifestyle
Media effects theory
Hypothesis
TV shows are not all to blame for peoples actions and that the audiences themselves act up on what they see.
Linked production piece
A linked pridctuon peice similar to that from a scene from Breaking Bad
MIGRAIN
Representations
Different ethnic groups are being represented in the show, this includes Whites, Latinos and Black people.
Representations of families, shows dominant and alternative representations. In a usual family setting with a husband, wife and children. Alternative representations being a family with no father around or the kids being in foster care
Different representations of Drugs, it shows it being relaxing and popular, but it also shows the negative side of taking drugs
Drug abuse and what it connotes, for example in the episode peek-a-boo we see the hardships that taking drugs causes when we look in on a family whose parents neglect their kid in favor for meth
Media Languages and forms
In the last season of Breaking Bad an episode titled Ozymandias (titled after the famous poem by Shelley) closely relates to the deeper meanings of the poem and is done through the media language and forms
One of the songs used titled " A horse with no name" is cleverly used in sync(parallel) with the scenery at the time as Walter was driving through a desert, Breaking Bad did this a lot as they tried matching the mood and the scenery with music
A lot of creative shots are used in Breaking Bad and it has one of the highest rated cinematography in the TV industry
The first episode of the show (the pilot) goes into exceptional detail on very minute things, for example we get a medium shot of only Walt's feet on an exercise machine and we are also led to focus on the sound that it makes as the camera then switches to a medium shot of Walt's face.
Narrative
Drug abuse and what it connotes, for example in the episode peek-a-boo we see the hardships that taking drugs causes when we look in on a family whose parents neglect their kid in favor for meth
Unusually in films and TV shows you wouldn't necessarily have the main characters as the villains but in Breaking Bad they flipped the roles. Although Walt and Jesse are the villains the audience don't see them as the bad guys because we've seen their characters grow and have an insight into their personal lives
Genre
Breaking Bad is a crime drama/ thriller
The characters also help reinforce the genre, for example the character Gus Fring (Albuquerque's drug king pin) shows why Breaking Bad is a crime-drama because his criminal empire runs along side his personal life
TV crime drama genre-
conventions:
set in known places with recognizable land marks (relate-able/higher crime rates)
the title of the show gives clues about the plot
the title sequences are an important aspect, shows a lot off about the plot
there are always the solvers, criminals, victims and there families (Propp)
complex narrative structure - different for a show like Breaking Bad where the lead characters is a criminal- goes against general convention
puzzles (flash forwards)
ends on a cliffhanger
clear binary oppositions good vs evil Poilce vs Criminals
camera usually follows the lead/detective
guns, knives, drugs
stereotypical clothing
change in tone as pace intensifies
some contrapuntal music
Todorovs Equilibrium theory- Ordinary life, disrurption, police find out, attempt to repair (this case by the criminal), crime is solved.
Institutions
Breaking Bad was originally aired on AMC but is now shown on many channels including streaming service Netflix which it promotes the show through
Breaking Bad has gone global and has even been adapted with Spanish voice overs
Values and Ideologies
At the start of the show it does try to promote good family values by showing Walt in his family environment, in particular in an episode where he defends is handicapped son in front of some bullies
We are immediately introduced that there is a line between right and wrong but we are not forced as the audiences to choose a side
Audiences
Breaking Bad was originally designed for people in the 18-30 age demographic but now because of the popularity it has reached many other age demographics which go below and above the original targeted ages
From looking at the show you may expect people who like drugs, not necessarily Methamphetamine to follow the show as they may want to connect with it and experiment with new things
In my personal opinion I watched Breaking Bad for the entertainment, however some people, for example in the age demographic of 40-50 may watch it for surveillance so they can keep up to date with what people around them are doing, especially the younger people
Breaking Bad has also been said to have normalised crystal meth and people aren't classing it as a drug
The number of meth dealers in America has reportedly fallen as enforcement of drug dealers post Breaking Bad has increased as it is not being tolerated
Films like Reefer Madness and Midnight Cowboy highlight drug addiction and shows that it's not only just the poor that take drugs
Economic
Breaking Bad reportedly cost $3million to produce
It's viewing and ad revenues weren't as steep as AMC's other hit show the walking dead
Political
Breaking Bad features many racial stereotypes that upset some viewers. In the final season a group of neo-Nazies were introduced into the show
Blue meth is being sold in real life, costing governments a lot more to clean it up off the streets
Issues/Debates
Representations and stereotypes
Breaking Bad was not a show short on controversial stereotypes and included many different representations of ethnic groups including whites, Latinos and Black people
It represents the Latinos in the show negatively and there's only one positive representation as one is shown to be in the police force
Media effects
How powerful Breaking Bad's characters and the artistic nature of the show is at influencing its audience
audiences effects and theories can be applied to suggest and argue whether people are to blame for their actions or the TV show is
Moral Panics
Whether Breaking Bad is responsible for creating Moral Panics, for example is it responsible for the wide-spread use of crystal meth
Narrative and Structure of TV shows
Most TV shows don't compare to Breaking Bad in terms narrative and structure
Breaking Bad uses character theory and forces the audience to feel sympathy for unusual character types
Uses and Gratifications theory- This is looking at why people would view Breaking Bad, this could include Surveillance and Entertainment
Prop's character theory- This is used to show how the characters are used and which ones the audience can relate to, in this case they relate more towards the villains/anti-hero then the actual hero
Equilibrium- Scenes in particular where the characters take the drug is a narrative sequence as we see the character go through the high
Stuart Hall dominant and alternative stereotypes- There are both dominant and oppositional readings to various issues in the show such as Drug abuse, races, family values and gender roles
Two step flow model- This theory suggests people follow these figures (opinion leaders) and act upon or follow them, this could be applied to Breaking Bad as the main characters Walter and Jesse could be said to be opinion leaders.
Medhurts shorthand stereotypes- Race and Gender roles are put into perspective like this, for example the stereotypes we get of Mexicans in the show is very negative.
Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)
The Wolf of Wall Street 2013, and Limitless 2011, both in which display different male protagonist’s engagement with drugs with mild inferences towards the damaging effect
Good use of media terminology, (dominance,alternative,representations)
Some theory used- Perkins stereotypes
Some institutional Information
IMDb reviews
EBI:
typing errors
needed to include awards,ratings and audience figures
Needed to include wider context
explain audience psycho graphics better
How influential TV is in comparison to films are at addressing issues in society and how it causes them. This is the question i touched on in the presentation. At the end of presentation i raised another question linking to the media effects theory and whether the media was to blame for peoples actions or if people were. This topic maybe a bit vague and hard to write lots about. Therefore i think it would be sensible to change my topic slightly as the media product i have chosen to study is Breaking Bad and many issues are raised in Breaking Bad for example glamorising drug lifestyles/gang culture and it has excellent Artistic values and detailed narrative structures.
