Working title
Why is the representation of the Police on television programmes such as 'Road Wars' and 'Police, Camera, Action!' over sensationalised?
Angle
The police are often seen by the public as over exercising their powers. However this is not the way that they are represented through the majority of media focusing mainly on moving image but also looking at e-media and referring to books.
Hypothesis
The Police shown by the media is very different to how they are in reality.
Linked
production piece
Documentary about a school community police officer that aims to give a realist, non-sensationalist representation.
MIGRAIN
Who is being represented?
· Police/Criminals
In what way?
· Police
being represented naturally e.g behind the scenes
Criminals represented as scum
By whom?
· Sky,
BBC, ITV other digital/satellite programs
Why is the subject being
represented in this way? (U+G)
· To
make viewers feels safe
· To
show police as strong and accurate
· To
make criminals fear the law by watching examples
· To
show taxpayers money is not being wasted.
Is the representation fair and
accurate?
· No
such thing as fair representation.
·
Not all criminals are scum. Does not
include white collar crime.
· Not
all police are fair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HECMVdl-9SQ
What opportunities exist
for self-representation by the subject?
·
As a young black male, perhaps I could challenge the
stereotypes associated with that group. (Perkins)
Audience
15-45 Both Genders Strugglers,
Explorers, Aspirers and Reformers A, B, C1, C2, D E Mainly last 3
Narrative/Genre
Documentary style program? News
broadcast? Opening to film? Trailer?
SHEP
Society:
- Are police doing their jobs?
- Are police working hard
enough?
- Are young people victims of
the system
- Computers and handheld
devices allow police injustices to be filmed
Historical
- Policing has changed since
the 50's and 60's in terms of approach to crime
- As early as 1962, police
have been shown in the media for entertainment purposes in the program
'Police 5' and also 'JP5'
- Metropolitan police formed
in 1829. Largest police force in Britain
Economic
- Marxists argue that the
police are the 'armed bodies of men' protecting the capitalist system and
therefore the economy.
- These programs are used to
control the working class into being subordinate to the system using and
therefore protecting the economy. e.g subliminal messaging.
Political
- These programs
sensationalise the police and their work making them look like they are
hard-working.
- Police support the government
in law making by ensuring that these laws are followed.
- Criminals and threats to the
government are taken care of the by the police.
Reality TV
The programs that I am
researching are all non-fiction and therefore could come under the Reality TV
Genre. This is sometimes also known as "infotainment" as it combines
entertainment and useful information. These police programs follow officers
during their ‘day to day’ life and therefore could arguably be an expository
documentary due to the shared codes and conventions.
Moral Panics
Programs like Crime Watch could
arguably be attempting to incite a moral panic by showing reconstructions of
criminals in actions, this could lead the Media to sensationalise the situation
and blow it out of proportion following the steps of the Modz vs Rockers in the
50’s as found by Cohen in his book, Folk Devils and Moral Panics. The
question could be raised regarding why exactly these programs are broadcast in
the first place?
Representations and Stereotyping
In all factual entertainment
programs based on police, the representations throughout are the same. Firstly,
The Police an institution are made to look indestructible, powerful and strong
connoting a threat to criminals. This could be a complete contradiction of how
they are in real life as my proposed production piece will hope to find.
Criminals are demonised by these programs. For example, in crime watch, the
crimes shown are often of murders and robberies, however these crimes make up a
small proportion of actual crimes reported to the police in the first place.
Also, criminals are made to look derogatory in comparison to the police.
Theories
· Uses
and Gratifications audiences’ theory can be easily linked to this program as
these programs hope to inform and educate the audience who can then interact
with others and do the same.
· Perkins
theory of Stereotypes can be linked due to the portrayal of social actors
within these programs and how they are portrayed in comparison to their true counterparts.
· Binary
opposition by Levi Strauss can be linked as the program is based around two
opposites of the social spectrum, the police vs the criminals.
Analysis of 'Road Wars' and 'Traffic, Camera, Action!'
- The
use of the non-diegetic sound such as sirens and action style music
connotes entertainment and creates Engima codes within the text.
- The significance of this connotation is that it keeps that audience attracted to the program because they are interested in finding out what is going to happen.
- There are a range of non verbal symbols in the text. The main symbol is the police uniform that is worn by the Police. This uniform symbolises strength, power, safety and unity and is easily recognisable.
- The significance of this connotation is that it keeps that audience attracted to the program because they are interested in finding out what is going to happen.
- There are a range of non verbal symbols in the text. The main symbol is the police uniform that is worn by the Police. This uniform symbolises strength, power, safety and unity and is easily recognisable.
- The
facial expressions used within this text mainly smiles and showing a different
(real/unreal) representation that we as the public are not used to
seeing.- The
soundtrack of this text is important and is usually the same between other
police factual programs. The soundtrack is often high tempo and is composed
around a siren which is symbiotically a symbol representing the police on an
international scale.- These
programs also have a running commentary throughout the program which is used to
explain situations from the point of view of the
police.- This text
is reminiscent of the expository documentary style due to the styles and
conventions shared. Also the use of the hand held camera is used to add a sense
of realism to the text which therefore adds a thrill unattainable whilst
watching fiction
programs.- The main
colours associated with this text are blue red yellow and black, all colours
that are easily relatable to the police. These colours often connote danger and
emergency which makes this text more action
packed. - The
narrative is structured very easily and is almost identical to the theory of
narrative by the theorist
Todorov.- First
there is an equilibrium which is maintained by the patrol of the police. There
is then a disturbance often associated with a criminal which throws the
narrative into disequilibrium and the criminal is then dealt with swiftly by the
police restoring
equilibrium.- The
audience is positioned behind the police. This could be a subliminal message
reminding the audience that they are being protected by the police and that
they are on the front line of
crime.- The way that
heroes and villains are created can be linked back to Propps theory of
characters. The heroes are created by Analysis of ‘Road
Wars’- The use of
the non-diegetic sound such as sirens and action style music connotes
entertainment and creates Engima codes within the text.
- The significance of this connotation is that it keeps that audience attracted to the program because they are interested in finding out what is going to happen.
- There are a range of non verbal symbols in the text. The main symbol is the police uniform that is worn by the Police. This uniform symbolises strength, power, safety and unity and is easily recognisable.
- The facial expressions used within this text mainly smiles and showing a different (real/unreal) representation that we as the public are not used to seeing.
- The soundtrack of this text is important and is usually the same between other police factual programs. The soundtrack is often high tempo and is composed around a siren which is symbiotically a symbol representing the police on an international scale.
- These programs also have a running commentary throughout the program which is used to explain situations from the point of view of the police.
- This text is reminiscent of the expository documentary style due to the styles and conventions shared. Also the use of the hand held camera is used to add a sense of realism to the text which therefore adds a thrill unattainable whilst watching fiction programs.
- The main colours associated with this text are blue red yellow and black, all colours that are easily relatable to the police. These colours often connote danger and emergency which makes this text more action packed.]
- The narrative is structured very easily and is almost identical to the theory of narrative by the theorist Todorov.
- First there is an equilibrium which is maintained by the patrol of the police. There is then a disturbance often associated with a criminal which throws the narrative into disequilibrium and the criminal is then dealt with swiftly by the police restoring equilibrium.
- The audience is positioned behind the police. This could be a subliminal message reminding the audience that they are being protected by the police and that they are on the front line of crime.
- The way that heroes and villains are created can be linked back to Propps theory of characters. The heroes are created by allowing them to have personality and speak there side of the story whilst the villans are created by labelling theory and sterotypes as suggested by Perkins
- Identication is employed via the use of jokes and ideologies that are portrayed by the police (real/unreal)
- This program belongs to the documentary/reality tv genre. It is a hybrid genre because the codes and conventions of both can be found easily within this text.
- The significance of this connotation is that it keeps that audience attracted to the program because they are interested in finding out what is going to happen.
- There are a range of non verbal symbols in the text. The main symbol is the police uniform that is worn by the Police. This uniform symbolises strength, power, safety and unity and is easily recognisable.
- The facial expressions used within this text mainly smiles and showing a different (real/unreal) representation that we as the public are not used to seeing.
- The soundtrack of this text is important and is usually the same between other police factual programs. The soundtrack is often high tempo and is composed around a siren which is symbiotically a symbol representing the police on an international scale.
- These programs also have a running commentary throughout the program which is used to explain situations from the point of view of the police.
- This text is reminiscent of the expository documentary style due to the styles and conventions shared. Also the use of the hand held camera is used to add a sense of realism to the text which therefore adds a thrill unattainable whilst watching fiction programs.
- The main colours associated with this text are blue red yellow and black, all colours that are easily relatable to the police. These colours often connote danger and emergency which makes this text more action packed.]
- The narrative is structured very easily and is almost identical to the theory of narrative by the theorist Todorov.
- First there is an equilibrium which is maintained by the patrol of the police. There is then a disturbance often associated with a criminal which throws the narrative into disequilibrium and the criminal is then dealt with swiftly by the police restoring equilibrium.
- The audience is positioned behind the police. This could be a subliminal message reminding the audience that they are being protected by the police and that they are on the front line of crime.
- The way that heroes and villains are created can be linked back to Propps theory of characters. The heroes are created by allowing them to have personality and speak there side of the story whilst the villans are created by labelling theory and sterotypes as suggested by Perkins
- Identication is employed via the use of jokes and ideologies that are portrayed by the police (real/unreal)
- This program belongs to the documentary/reality tv genre. It is a hybrid genre because the codes and conventions of both can be found easily within this text.
Links
http://www.police.uk/
http://content.met.police.uk/Home
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/22/police-chief-quits-apply-job
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPx12IwglA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPx12IwglA
Books
