The Hurt Locker.

Question 1: Explain two ways the characters and/or events fit the action adventure genre. Use examples form the extract. (10 marks)


The main character, William James, fits the conventions of an action adventure hero. He is portrayed as the protagonist in the extract as he walks up to the person claiming he has a bomb attached to him and starts to give orders about what equipment he needs to disarm the bomb. The action that defines James as the protagonist is his willingness to put himself at risk to save others. As the countdown continues and the soldiers run out of time to save the area, James instructs his comrades to get the right amount of distance away from the bomb while he still attempts to disarm it. This shows his bravery because he and a fellow soldier had already established that they would need equipment that isn't available to them in order to get the bomb of the man.

The events of the extract fit the action adventure genre very well. The main characters are American soldiers fighting in the East, the unfamiliar surroundings giving an adventurous feeling. The theme of danger attached to having a job as a soldier already adds to the action genre of the extract. The life or death situation faced by the soldiers adds immediate tension to the extract and the timed conditions of the bomb counting down only adds to this further. The fact that the main character displays extreme bravery and has to disarm a bomb under a certain amount of time to save everyone is a classic aspect of the action adventure genre as it appears that the protagonist has all the odds stacked against him, and when he survives he proves himself not only to other characters but to the audience.



Question 2: Explain how each of the following is used to create effects that fit the action adventure genre- soundtrack- camera- editing- Mise-en-scene.(20 marks)

Q2. Explain how each of the following is used to create effects: Sound, Editing, Camera and Mise-En-Scene. Use examples from the extract (20 marks).

At the beginning of the extract an establishing shot is used. This type of shot is used to set the scene, add tension and give context to the audience. A point-of-view shot is used twice in this extract, first to show the complicated, futuristic equipment that is being used as Cage leaves the ship, and then to show what Cage sees as he runs towards Rita before he saves her life. As both point-of-view shots are through Cages eyes it makes the audience connect more with the protagonist. A hand-held camera is used throughout this extract, foe example on the battlefield and also on the ship when it explodes. This means that the final image that the audience see is distorted and shaky, solidifying the chaotic feel that should come form an action filled battle scene. Shallow focus is used each time Cage lands on the beach after falling from the ship. As Cage lands he is put more into focus than the rest of the events in the scene, drawing the audiences attention fully to the protagonist and his dramatic entrance. A tracking shot is used as Cage runs across the battlefield, to save Rita. The use of the tracking shot makes the audience feel more involved in the action of the scene and also the story line of the protagonist, as he is the one that the shot follows.

4.a. Compare how and why two programmes were scheduled on different channels.

Bad Education is a BBC TV comedy produced by Tiger Aspect Productions. The target audience is aged 16 to 20. I think this because the show is about a school and contains characters that are around that age. Also Jack Whitehall (the main character of the program) is a comedian that is particularly popular with people in this age bracket, his comedy style would appeal to the younger generation and the viewers of this program. Bad Education's scheduled time is 10:00pm because the comedy style is too inappropriate to be shown before the watershed as it includes sexual references and the use of inappropriate language. It is shown on the BBC because it attracts a younger audience and the program itself is British in origin and represents a comedic version of a typical British school. Because Bad Education is shown on the BBC, which is a public service broadcaster, there are no advertisements and the show itself is paid for by the BBC and Tiger Aspect Productions. This means that the show can take more risks with its comedy style because programmes on the BBC are not bound by funding from advertising or commercial demands that channels like Channel 4 are bound by, meaning that the BBC can cater for a niche audience and make there comedy style more unpredictable.

Friday Night Dinner is a channel 4 TV comedy produced by Popper Pictures and Big Talk Productions. The target audience is aged 18 to 25. I think this because the characters are quite old and the two brothers seem around this age. However the viewer could be around the age of the parents, 45 to 50, because they may watch it because they relate to the parents rather than the children. I think the main target audience would be male because the story is about the family dynamic with two brothers and it is easier to relate to for males in this age range. I also think this age range would watch it because they may have been fans of The Imbetweeners when that was popular, and one of the main characters (Adam) was played by Simon Bird who was also a main character in The Imbetweeners. Additionally, because the family that the show is about are Jewish the Jewish community would be another key demographic. Friday Night Dinner is shown on Channel 4 which is a commercial channel, meaning that most of the funding comes from selling time slots for advertisements. Because this program is shown on Channel 4 the comedy style cannot be as risky or controversial as Bad Education or other sitcoms on channels like the BBC because viewership is important and funding may be cut if viewing and advertisements were cut. The type of comedy, therefore, is very safe and would appeal to a wide range of people.

Because these two programmes are commissioned by different companies they use slightly different humor styles to accommodate to their individual target audiences. Bad Education is made by the BBC and therefore can take more risks with it's comedy style, being more taboo in it's style of jokes. Friday Night Dinner is made by Channel 4 which means that they have to make there comedy style "safer" for a wider range of audiences. However, both programmes are shown after the watershed meaning that, although one make include more risky references and jokes, they both include content that is deemed inappropriate for younger viewers. This includes inappropriate language, e.i. swearing, sexual references ect. The audience demographic for Bad Education is students and unemployed young people. This is because the story is based around a school environment which would resonate with slightly younger viewers. However, it would also appeal to those of a higher education and with jobs in areas such as teaching. The writer, Jack Whitehall, would also appeal to this demographic as he is a young comedian that is very popular with the younger generation. Although the audience for Friday Night Dinner is similar to that of Bad Education, there are differences. The audience demographics would be the same, students and also some in jobs such as office managers and teachers, their education meaning that they can fully understand all of the jokes in the programme. However, the audience would be older because the characters are slightly older in Friday Night Dinner. Also, the people who were students when they watched Simon Bird (the main character) in Imbetweeners would now be older with jobs and watch Friday Night Dinner for the familiarity of him and his character.  

4. (b) Discuss in detail how one programme (Bad Education) offers audience pleasures.

"Bad Education" is a British comedy sitcom shown on the BBC. The programme is always set in the same location and all of the characters are the same in each episode, this allows the audience to build a relationship and sense of familiarity with the characters and the programme. Each character, especially the main students in the programme, is an exaggerated stereotype. For example, Mitchell and Rem Dogg are the "bully" characters, Jing is "The Smart One" and Joe is "The Dumb One". I know that Joe is "The Dumb One" because he is gullible, naive and friendly, he is also the one who helps out Mr Wickers when he get's into trouble. For example, in the second episode when Mr Wickers lies about his knowledge of a disease that his love interest (Ms Gulliver) is talking about, Joe goes along with the lie that his mum has the disease and even hides in a cupboard to help his teacher. Mitchell and Rem Dogg are the classic bullies of the class, however in Bad Education it is Mr Wickers that is bullied by them , rather than other students.

Transgressive pleasures are used very often in Bad Education.

Research For Scheduling Question (4a)

                                                                  Bad Education.

 Time: 10:00pm
 Day: Tuesday
 Channel: BBC3- public service broadcaster- terrestrial channel.
 Commissioned by: The BBC
 Produced by: Tiger Aspect Productions.

 Target Audience: The target audience is aged 16 to 20. I think this because the show is about a school and contains characters that are around that age. The programs scheduled time is 10:00pm which is not too late for a person of this age to be watching television and they are old enough to watch things past the watershed. Also Jack Whitehall (the main character of the program) is a comedian that is particularly popular with people in this age bracket, his comedy style would appeal to the younger generation and the viewers of this program.

 Bad Education's scheduled time is 10:00pm because the comedy style is too inappropriate to be shown before the watershed as it includes sexual references and the use of inappropriate language. It is shown on the BBC because it attracts a younger audience and the program itself is British in origin and represents a comedic version of a typical British school. Because Bad Education is shown on the BBC, which is a public service broadcaster, there are no advertisements and the show itself is paid for by the BBC and Tiger Aspect Productions. This means that the show can take more risks with its comedy style, explaining why its shown after the watershed.

                                                             Friday Night Dinner.


 Time: Unknown
 Day: Sunday
 Channel: Channel 4- commercial channel- terrestrial
 Commissioned by: Channel 4
 Produced by: Popper Pictures, Big Talk Productions

 Target Audience: The target audience is aged 18 to 25. I think this because the characters are quite old and the two brothers seem around this age. However the viewer could be around the age of the parents, 45 to 50, because they may watch it because t hey relate to the parents rather than the children. I think the main target audience would be male because the story is about the family dynamic with two brothers and it is easier to relate to for males in this age range. I also think this age range would watch it because they may have been fans of The Inbetweeners when that was popular, and one of the main characters (Adam) was played by Simon Bird who was also a main character in The Inbetweeners. Additionally, because the family that the show is about are Jewish the Jewish community would be another key demographic.

 Friday Night Dinner is shown on Channel 4 which is a commercial channel, meaning that most of the funding comes from selling time slots for advertisements. Because this program is shown on Channel 4 the comedy style cannot be as risky or controversial as Bad Education or other sitcoms on channels like the BBC because viewership is important and funding may be cut if viewing and advertisements were cut. The type of comedy, therefore, is very safe and would appeal to a wide range of people.

Sitcom Study:

Friends is an American made sitcom but it is broadcast on British TV also.
Friends.

Friends is an American Situation Comedy from the mid 1990's. It follows the lives of six friends living in New York. The main characters are Rachel, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey.

British channel: Comedy Central- satellite channel.

Scheduled time-slot: Originally Thursdays at 8:30pm, however after the show ran it’s final episode its popularity remained so now the re-runs are shown back to back almost all day on the weekends. The series started in 1994 and the last episode aired in March 2004 so they were making new episodes for 10 years, however it has been being shown on British TV for over 20 years now.

Target audience: The target audience is both men and women, typically aged between 20-30. However comedy shows usually appeal to more people than originally intended. 

The Inbetweeners.

The Inbetweeners is a British situation comedy from 2008 that follows the lives of four students and their school, home and social lives. The main characters are Will, Simon, Neil and Jay. 

British channel: Channel 4 and E4- terrestrial channel.

Scheduled time-slot: Originally The Inbetweeners was shown on Thursdays at 10:00 pm. However after the series finished re-runs were shown at around 12;00 pm on Sunday nights. The program aired in 2008 and the final series aired in 2010.

Target Audience: The target audience is 16 to 25 because of the school theme and also the theme of growing up. The audience would be mostly male because of the male main characters and the focus on the life of male teenagers. Also the comedy of the show seems to appeal to males because of the nature of the jokes. The timing of the show also supports the age bracket.

Miranda.

Miranda is a British situation comedy following life of Miranda and all of the socially awkward situations she gets into. The main characters include Miranda, Stevie, Gary, Penny, Tilly and Clive.

British channel: BBC ONE/ BBC TWO- terrestrial channel,

Magazine Evaluation.

Magazine Evaluation.