GCSE Media Studies Paper 2008

[Immenseman]

got my exam tomorrow, yay!!

[Xarea]

got my exam tomorrow, yay!!

Good luck - tell us how it goes! My exam is on Thursday!

[Immenseman]

Thanks. I wish i'd planned it but hey it's too late now. Hopefully i've done enough work. It's beyond me how they can tell apart a storyboard worth 10 marks and one worth 20, how can you make them different?

[Xarea]

Thanks. I wish i'd planned it but hey it's too late now. Hopefully i've done enough work. It's beyond me how they can tell apart a storyboard worth 10 marks and one worth 20, how can you make them different?

One of the key tips would be remember to make the drawings relate to the type of shot you put - putting an ECU with a full body of a guy will probably make you lose a hell of alot of marks.

[Immenseman]

I see, thanks Olleh +rep

[Xarea]

Also, this is AMAZING help - it's how to officially and properly do a storyboard - written by AQA especially for this exam:

http://www.aqa.org.uk/qual/pdf/AQA-3571-EXEMPLAR.PDF

[Immenseman]

Yeah so done all of the 3 hours today. Task 1 and Task 2 went okay like I thought and hoped they would do. I struggled with Task 3 a little bit due to insufficient planning on my behalf. The story board was okay, I was unsure what the diffence is between little things like mid and long shots. Finished in 2 hours and 50 minutes. You get a booklet with 12 pages, filled in 11 a4 pages and i'm hoping it's filled with stuff that they're looking for. Pretty nice exam really, glad it's out the way now though. R.E on wednesday, bring it on!

[needhelp]

also
wat was yur sitcom

[Throne Sofa]

Harder than it seems? I'd disagree I'd maybe accept them giving the first two questions a day in advance to get the sitcom idea thinking stage done but 3 weeks in advance and a 3 hour exam is just short of taking the piss out of the exam system

How? For each question i'm expected to write 4 pages. It takes around 20 minutes a page and to ensure the quality is there too. 20x4 = 80 minutes. 1h20 and its 1h30 each day. Hardly taking the piss. Thanks Olleh for that storyboard stuff. I've done a plan for number one but I need to do no.2 and no.3plan this week. got my exam next wed and thrus.

[The Professor]

Had the first part of the exam this afternoon, the second one on Thursday. Got really bad writer's cramp from using a biro, I usually use an ink pen which takes half as much effort to use For anyone who still hasn't done 1 & 2 for whatever reason:

Question 1:

Sitcoms

The sitcom is a popular style of television programme. It has been adopted by over 100 television in Britain alone, with further sitcoms in all countries that air television programmes. The genre has a loyal fan base,with DVD sales of sitcoms such as Hancock's Half Hour still high several decades after their original airing. Its popularity is also shown, albeit anecdotally, by its status on wikipedia. As with articles on soap operas and long running dramas, articles on sitcoms frequently have to be split into small articles because of the amount of detail fans of the programmes put into the entries, even with smaller, short lived sitcoms. In contrast, short lived programmes of other genres, such as dramas, can often have articles that are a couple of lines in length due to their relative unpopularity.

The format has been in use on British Television since 1956 when Hancock's Half Hour first aired. It ran for 7 series on television and 6 series on radio and starred Tony Hancock as Sid Hancock. It is often regarded as the original sitcom; indeed Wikipedia lists it as “groundbreaking and influential.” Originally the producers questioned its lastability and popularity, wiping several series of the radio series and destroying the original recordings of the episodes from the first, second and third seires to make room in storage and so the tapes could be re-used. However, it has proven its popularity by being released on DVD 50 years on and giving birth to a new genre of television programme.

A year after Hancock's Half Hour finished (having first been renamed to simply “Hancock” and reduced to 25 minutes and then axed altogether), the writers proceeded to write another sitcom: “Steptoe and Son.” This starred Harry Corbert and Wilfrid Brambell and ran for four series originally, then for another four from 1970. During its second run it was adapted into two feature films. Due to its popularity, the two actors found themselves typecast as their characters, preventing them from getting further acting work, confined to only guest roles in films and TV programmes.

The sitcom genre had, by this point, been established and was being used frequently as a sudden surge of sitcoms appeared during the 70s. The formula of a confined location and small cast of characters provided many opportunities for humour, often based on personal differences between the characters but the inability of them to escape the situation prevents them from running away, proved popular with audiences. The cyclical (self-contained) plot lines suited the casual viewer because they weren't required to tune in to every episode of a series to understand it, unlike soap operas or drama series which often follow on from the last episode.

Because the genre was established, the producers of sitcoms had to play around with the formula to keep their programmes unique and give the audiences a reason to watch. A good example of this is The Black Adder, known as Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third and Blackadder goes Forth in later series. It was produced from 1983 to 1989, with specials being produced up until 2002 and speculation constantly being printed in publications about a possible fifth series. Each series and special was set in a different time period, but there were recurring characters throughout each series with remarkably similar personalities and names. For example, the character of Edmund (played by Rowan Atkinson) appears as a different person but bearing the same characteristics. The series has since established itself as a classic among sitcom fans, with frequent repeats on digital channels. This can be attributed to the fact that the series is set in the past, rather than in the time it was filmed, which prevents an ageing process from taking place. However, the format wasn't originally a success, with the first series receiving less than favourable reviews and low viewing figures. It is interesting to note that the character of Edmund was quite slow and unintelligent while his servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson) was the witty character who often came up with the solution to problems. The roles were reversed from the second series onwards with a focus on Edmund's sarcasm and quick wit, which proved hugely popular.

It can be argued that the sitcom which breaks the traditional “sitcom formula” the most was Red Dwarf, which aired from 1988 – 1999. The crew were killed by a radiation leak while Lister (Craig Charles) was in suspended animation, resulting in him surviving. Rimmer (Chris Barrie) was brought back as a hologram by Holly (Norman Lovett), the ship's computer, to keep him sane. The Cat (simply known as Cat [Danny John-Jules]) was safely sealed in the ship's hold and had evolved into a humanoid creature (known as felix-sapians). Kryten (played by David Ross and later Robert Llewellyn) was discovered aboard the Nova 5 which has crashed into a moon. It is best known for being the first sci-fi/sitcom hybrid.

Originally, Red Dwarf stuck with the classic formula, having a confined location (Red Dwarf), a small cast of five and cyclical plot lines. However, in the second series the crew members gained use of the spacecraft known as Blue Midget, which allowed them to access outside locations and explore. Despite being 3 million years away from earth, the crew often met other characters via sci-fi means such as time travel and wormholes and original concepts such as interactable slides (where you can walk into the picture and all actions you do affect the current reality) and time holes, which transport you to a different location where time works differently (I.e. It runs backwards). The idea of cyclical plot lines was used more infrequently towards the end of Red Dwarf's run, with episodes in series 6, 7 and 8 following on from each other (“Back in the Red” in series 8 had 3 parts for example). Indeed, the last episode of series 6 and the first episode of series 7 directly followed on, despite there being a three year gap between airings due to the actors' other commitments.

If a sitcom starts out breaking conventions in the manner that Red Dwarf did in it's later series, it is likely to either be a small cult hit or a complete failure. A new sitcom has to establish a fan base before it can start to break rules. For example Hyperdrive, shown currently on BBC2, tried to use the same concepts as the later series of Red Dwarf by having an extensive number of main characters and frequently moving outside their locations. This was met with poor viewing figures, as could be expected.

However, sitcoms don't have to play with the conventions to have a unique selling point. Peep Show, which currently airs on Channel 4, has proved to be a hit in the five seasons it has been shown. Starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, it has self-contained episodes, a trapped location and situation (dead end jobs and a small flat), few characters (recurring characters such as girlfriends and fiancés are often used) and use of traditional laddish humour. However, the whole programme is filmed from the perspective of one of the characters. For example, Mark (David Mitchell) could be walking through his workplace, with the camera looking around as if it was Mark's eyes. This also allows the use of thought tracking with sarcastic comments often thought, audible because the camera is “inside the head” of the character.

Question 2:

Death of the sitcom

In my opinion, the sitcom genre is not 'dead', but it is evolving. The sofa-and-two-chairs style of sitcom ala The Royle Family has been used to the point that they are no longer interesting to people. Modern sitcoms often introduce other elements of other genres of television programme to keep the appealing; sitcoms such as Hyperdrive and The Mighty Boosh use surrealist and sci-fi elements to keep them new and exciting.

The view that the sitcom is “dying” was probably born from the established format that the traditional sitcom created. The first television sitcom, “Hancock's Half Hour,” was set in a normal environment with down-to-earth characters with situations that weren't too far from what the audience were likely to experience at some point in their lives. The audience could relate to the situations as well as the characters, which made the humour more effective and therefore made the programme more appealing and popular. The sitcoms that followed, such as Steptoe and Son, Are You Being Served? and Last of the Summer Wine also used believable characters in realistic situations which would appeal to casual viewers.

However, the situations were often viewed as boring and repetitave after the 1980s, leading to producers of sitcoms to come up with more inventive ways to keep sitcoms appealing. Typically, throughout the mid 70s through the 80s, this included making the characters more flamboyant and out-of-the-ordinary. Fawlty Towers (1975 & 1979) used the exaggerated characters of Basil and Manuel to give the programme an edge over other sitcoms. Basil was sarcastic and negative about all situations, which is extremely uncommon for people in real life, and Manuel often made errors that even spanish people who don't know much english are unlikely to make.

“Del Boy” (David Jason) in the popular, long running “Only Fools and Horses” is another good example of a character with an exaggerated personality. Often when presented with simple problems, he would find the most difficult solution and follow it through, with other characters' objections being a large source of material for retaliations and therefore humour. His character is emphasised further when placed next to Rodney, who was down-to-earth and logical.

Other sitcoms evolved by making their settings extravagant and unusual. Perhaps the most prominent example of this is Blackadder, which used a different time period for each series. Edmund Blackadder was (with the exception of series one), while still witty and sarcastic, more down to earth than Fawlty or Delboy, but the situation and time period made the series popular and gave it a unique selling point.

Another good example is Red Dwarf, which is set in space. While deviating greatly from the traditional sitcom formula, it gave scope for exploration and more surreal and extravagant plot lines which would grip the viewer as much as a drama series would, but still prominently features jokes as its main form of entertainment. But the later series, which were produced in 1998 and 1999 when CG technology was becoming widespread, gave so much room for a complicated plot line that the programme was referred to as a “comedy drama” rather than a sitcom, whereas there was no doubt that the earlier series were a sitcom.

Red Dwarf is the perfect encapsulation of the “death of the sitcom” theory. It started off deviating from the traditional sitcom conventions by frequently meeting other characters and allowing exploration and, as a result from the constant stretching of the definition of sitcom, was thought of as a comedy drama, thus the sitcom element had been “killed off.”

However, despite the traditional sitcom style no longer appealing to people, the newer style of sitcoms can be equally as successful. For example, the format of The Office is a mockumentory but is still considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. My Hero, starring Ardal O'Hanlon, featured a superhero as the main character but still ran for 6 series from 2000 – 2006. Peep Show takes the point of view of the characters in the programme and has become a cult success. Despite the traditional sitcom having all but “died,” the newer, more inventive sitcoms will continue to captivate audiences as much as the traditional sitcoms did decades ago.

And of course, for people who are die hard fans of traditional sitcoms, programmes such as The IT Crowd, My Family and Gavin and Stacey still remain in production, and stick to all the conventions that the early sitcoms set down, although they are fewer and far between these days.