Heroes Assignment- Feedback

Recently, Mr Croft set us the task of, in pairs, watching an episode of a TV drama, and assess it on the various things we have studied in class so far. Click here to view the result.

The feedback from my classmates was:

1. More images required to break up the "huge wall of text", and more appealing than graphs, which make no sense.
2. Great terminology and detail, and did well to cover most topics.
3. Good images/diagrams but gets too text heavy at end.
4. More detail about character roles. Good work on signification and theories.
5. Good detail and explanation but could have more colour and excitement.
6. More visual and audio aids to add another dimension to it.
7. Very good explanation, good use of terminology and developed more than needed with the very in-depth graph.
8. Interesting mix of graphs, images and text.
9. Good detail and perceptive explanation of a lot of terminology

The general consensus was that we used terminology well and to good effect, and it was done in good detail. However, we could have used more images and perhaps made the post more interactive and entertaining. I think these comments are fair, but I think, with an assessment like this, it is difficult to get entertainment in there- when reading others I found it difficult to stay interested all the way through- although perhaps that was because I had read 4 or 5 similar assessments. The pair I thought did the best job was Adam and Liberty, whose assessment of Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks used amusing images to keep the reader interested and engaged throughout.

For me personally, next time we are given a task like this, I know I need to pull my weight more. My partner did a lot of the work, while I sort of sat there and offered the occasional insight. However, I think it is difficult. I dislike the idea of "working with someone you haven't worked with before". I think it holds you back, and when I am working with someone like Megan, who sat there and got on with the work, it is quite easy to slack. Say, if I was working with someone I am comfortable around, they, or I, would be quite happy to say "oi! You're not doing any work!" or to disagree with something they say or do. Whereas with someone you don't know, it is a bit awkward and there is not as much freedom and comfort. I accept that it is what happens in real life and you have to deal with it, but at this stage, when we are trying to get quality of work and the highest grades, it would be better to work with someone you know and are comfortable around.

Past Exam Question- Hotel Immigration Raid

We watched a clip from a TV show that had been shown as a part of an exam at some point in the last few years. We were asked to make notes on the mise-en-scene in the clip, and what effect it had. Then we were told to answer these four questions:

1. Why represent the police in this way?

The police are represented as they are so we immediately think that they are the antagonists- which immediately subverts the role of the police from the one we know- the protectors- the protagonists. This adds a sense of realism as the police wouldn't just let all the illegal immigrants roam free- it is their duty to get rid of them. This avoids the easy narrative resolution, and as a result, makes the programme more entertaining and interesting- which is the underlying purpose of TV and film. The police being represented in this way establishes a clear difference between the police and the immigrants. The police are portrayed as especially bad to make the immigrants seem nicer, and to make you side with the immigrants.

2. Why represent the immigrant workers in this way?

The immigrants are represented in the way they are simply to make you sympathise with them. The producers want you to side with them, and they do this by showing them being "unfairly treated". And this is another reason; to portray the message that immigrant workers are treated unfairly. The producers clearly want to get across a message, and that is why they show the immigrants as they do. The producers also want to get us involved, want to make us feel a part of it, so a lot of the time, there will be close-up shots of the immigrants, and it will make us feel like we are with them, like we are in the cramped room with them, panting and panicking. The producers do this as they want us to identify with them, to experience emotions of panic, fear, injustice and loss.

3. What stereotypes are being adhered to or subverted?

The clip does adhere to some stereotypes we have of immigrants. For example that they have poor jobs, that they are treated unfairly. But mainly it attempts to subvert the usual stereotypes. It shows that immigrants are humans, and are all individual with the scene at the end in the canteen; all of them eat their meals in different ways. It also subverts the stereotype that immigrants are unskilled, with Adam saving the diabetic woman with quick thinking and surprising knowledge.
The stereotypes we have of the police are largely subverted in this clip as well. As I said, they are normally the protectors of society, the protagonists, whereas in this clip they are shown as faceless, unthinking, inconsiderate robots. They act very nonchalant, yet they are presented to be destroying people's lives. This subverts the stereotype of them saving lives and doing what we all think police do. They show little care or emotion, as they are just "doing their job" and "it's all part of the game". Ibrahim is treated roughly without provocation, making the police out to be even more mean and nasty. The fact that they don't say anything or identify him means they have just presumed he is illegal, suggesting possible racism. This is furthered by the lack of black policemen.
The clip attempts to de-construct the stereotypes through different representations, not just giving us the one example.

4. What is the purpose behind the mediation?

The purpose is to inform, show us what it is like. I didn't know there were so many illegal immigrants working in the county. I didn't know immigrants who did these "dirty jobs" were skilled; could do other things, and as Adam suggests, that they don't do their jobs by choice. The clip is also to challenge any preconceptions we may have, and to potentially change them. It gets us thinking about how we see immigrants, and whether we see them as faceless non-humans, or whether we see them just the same as us, caring, loving and interesting, as they are portrayed in the clip.

What Is Being Clever? (Lesson 1)

Our first lesson began with the question "what does being clever mean?" We discussed this in groups, and after much deliberation, we came to the conclusion that there isn't just one definition. Being clever is having intelligence, knowing how to do things. Being clever is being able to think for yourself, and make your own choices. Being clever is being able to understand and take in new things. Being clever is being able to work on your own or in groups. Being clever is getting good grades. And others which I cannot remember.

We then progressed to what methods of learning there are, and what we want. We were introduced to two "characters"- pupils taught previously by Mr Croft. Pupil A was taught how to answer questions in the exam. How to get the best grades come the end of the year. Pupil B was taught what this knowledge meant, what it related to in the real world. He was taught how he could use his knowledge and apply it when he found himself out of education. Both pupils lost their job in the recession. Pupil A found it hard to retrain and struggled to find a new job. However Pupil B found a job easily, due to the fact he had been trained to think for himself and he was able to retrain for a new job relatively easily.

Coming to the end of this discussion, we decided we wanted a bit of both styles. We want to be able to apply what we learn and learn what it really means, but we want to do well in the exam, so any help the teacher can give us- tricks of the trade, how to make the exam easier- we want.

I enjoyed my first Media lesson. The atmosphere was relaxed, but filled with interested people. It felt different, but good, and I hope it continues. I also enjoyed the style the lesson was given in. Mr Croft talked a lot, but with us sat in groups and entering discussions every 10-15 minutes, it was enjoyable, and also helped to digest what was said in that 10 minute spell. Had he spoke for half an hour or even the full hour, I, and I'm sure many of my classmates, would have forgotten what he said, so the fact we were able to discuss it before moving on helped to absorb the knowledge and understand it better.

As an opening lesson goes, you can't get much better than that!