The Media Student's Book by Branston, Gill -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Praise for this new edition Praise for previous editions Guided tour More praise for this new edition Student feedback Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction

Modern media References and further reading

Part I Key concepts

1 Approaching media texts

Semiotic approaches Structuralism, difference(s) and oppositions Denotation and connotation The social nature of signs

Examples

Debates Content analysis Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY ANALYSING A POSTER, AND NOTES ON TWO PHOTOS VOICES AND SOUND SIGNIFIERS AUDIO-VISUAL MOVING IMAGES CONTENT ANALYSIS REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

2 Narratives

General theories of narrative Narration, story and plot Narratives in different media

Stories in words Photography Comic strips and animation Radio Cinema

Long-running ‘open’ narratives Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY THE CLASSIFICATION ‘CRIME FICTION’ PLOT/STORY

Synopsis: ‘The Golden Parachute’

APPLYING TODOROV APPLYING PROPP APPLYING BARTHES APPLYING LÉVI-STRAUSS NARRATIVES, INSTITUTIONS, IDEOLOGIES REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

3 Genres and other classifications

Classifying films: Thelma and Louise (US 1991) Repetition and difference Repertoires of elements Status and genres 1: ‘escapism’, gender and verisimilitude Status and genres 2: the cultural context Formal classifications Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY THE CHILD IN THE HORROR FILM GLOBAL AND LOCAL AUDIENCES STYLE AND THE GOTHIC: DIFFERENT REPERTOIRES AUTHORSHIP AND PROMOTION DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES CONCLUSION REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

4 Representations

‘Representation’ now Stereotyping and ‘scripts’ ‘Scripts’ and performances Stages of change, and ‘positive/negative’ debates Comedy, fantasy and questions of representation Historical and institutional processes Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY DISCOURSES AND STEREOTYPES OF ‘MIGRATION’ AND OTHER KINDS OF TRAVEL

‘People flows’ Histories

NEWS MEDIA THE ‘GRAIN OF TRUTH’ IN STEREOTYPES? VARIETIES OF MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS CONCLUSION REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

5 Globalisation

Your experiences of globalisation Global histories Approaches to globalised media Global–local flows Global futures?

The ‘Chinese domination’ future? The ‘global village’ future? The global–local future? Fortress futures? The climate changed future?

Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY THE BACKGROUND TO A GLOBAL HIT THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM DISTRIBUTION THE BOLLYWOOD CONNECTION CONTROVERSIES IN RECEPTION AFTER THE OSCAR CEREMONIES … CONCLUSION REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

6 Ideologies and discourses

‘Ideology’ and its histories: Marxist approaches Post-Marxism Identity politics and critical pluralism Discourses Lived cultures

Examples

Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY CONTEXT: IMAGES AND DISCOURSES THE TERM ‘PROPAGANDA’ TEXTUAL APPROACHES TO THE FILM ‘CINEMA’ AND ITS ‘EVERYDAY PRACTICES’ CONCLUSION REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

7 Media as business

Studying business organisations Ownership and control The experience of conglomerates New players in India and China Public or private funding Public and private in filmed entertainment The new digital environment Business models Conclusion References and further reading CASE STUDY THE CHALLENGE OF COPYING PIRACY CHANGING BUSINESS MODELS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Part II Debates

8 ‘New media’ in a ‘new world’?

‘Newness’ and histories Academic approaches Openness, collaboration and ‘users’ ‘The long tail’ Digital copies and the ‘enclosure’ of information New media, old metaphors ‘New media’, vanishing resources Conclusion References and further reading

9 The future of television?

Ownership and control in the television industry Paying for television Business models for television broadcasting

Public service broadcasting (PSB)

BBC Changes in PSB policies

Network television Subscription

Conclusion References and further reading

10 Regulation now

Politics and economics Regulation and ‘freedom’? Historical background Changes in the ‘orthodoxy’ of economic policy and new models Deregulation, liberalisation and media institutions The contemporary regulatory environment

1 Direct control by government 2 Delegation by government to an independent statutory regulator 3 Self-regulation by media producers 4 The general legal framework as a restraint 5 ‘Market forces’ regulate 6 Audience pressure regulates

A ‘free market’ for classification, censorship and sex and violence? The public gets the media it deserves? ‘Free choices’ and ‘free speech’? Conclusion References and further reading

11 Debating advertising, branding and celebrity

Advertising, marketing and branding Debates Histories Hollywood and branding Hollywood: the brand(s) Citizenship and consumption A note on ‘spin’ Conclusion References and further reading

12 News and its futures

The importance of news, and views of ‘the public’ The construction of ‘news’ ‘Impartiality’ and accuracy ‘News values’ Debates on the influence of news Futures: ‘new’ news? Conclusion References and further reading

13 Documentary and ‘reality’ debates

Recent issues in documentary Documentary and assumptions about ‘realism’ and truth Verisimilitude and ‘performance’ ‘Performance’ in documentaries Ethics and documentary Recent hybrids 1: ‘pranksters’ Recent hybrids 2: ‘reality TV’ Recent hybrids 3: forms of ‘drama-documentary’ Conclusion References and further reading

14 From ‘audience’ to ‘users’

Academic representations of audiences The effects model The uses and gratifications model From ‘effects’ to ‘influence’: factual forms ‘Cultural’ approaches Re-mediating audiences Discussion: hybrid forms and Mamma Mia! Conclusion References and further reading

Part III Research methods and references

15 Research: skills and methods

Basics Using the internet, and print forms Fear of ‘theory’ Methods Qualitative and quantitative Textual approaches Samples Focus groups ‘Ethnographic’ methods Footnote: Wikipedia References and further reading

Glossary of key terms Index

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