House of Cards 2

House of Cards 2

How Long form dramas came into being.

Terrestial TV

Schedule content was fixed (reliant on analogue (radio wave technology as pre the internet)

Viewing experience was communal (families watched the same/similar content) as content was transmitted via Radio waves.

Dramas developed to encourage regular viewing

Program content with high audience numbers secured revenue via advertising.

Advertising revenue or PSB income (TV license) pays for drama for e.g. a typical Eastenders episode costs £141,000

Historical cultural and economic contexts.

•HOC belongs to a genre called Long form television drama. (LFTVD)

•LFTVD (Game of Thrones, HOC, etc.)  are characterised by high production values.

•Series one and 2 of the HOC costs an estimated  $100 Million for the first two series (26 episodes) to produce.

•By comparison Eastender’s costs  £29.9 million a year for 212 episodes. (source:)

•Referring to the revision notes page 146, the cost of production of this High end Drama (HOC) is linked to

–Sourcing highly skilled actors

Kevin Spacey

–Cinematic styling camera work

Wide shot

-Lighting and editing

Low-key

Stop motion

Time lapse

-Complex narratives (multi-stranded) (Barthes)

Many subplots

-Composed music

Task spend some time in reflecting on the drama and identify examples of the above linked to the HOC.

The prime contexts influencing medium language in television dram may be ideologies such as:

•

•Individualism: e.g. focusing a drama on an individual protagonist

•Consumerism: e.g. judging characters on their possessions or desirability of their lifestyles

•Patriarchal: power and the challenge to this by feminism e.g. using or refusing to use women’s bodies as objects, or narratives that present a male, female or gender neutral perspective

•Racism and ethnocentrism and the challenge to those from multiculturalism and internationalism, e.g. narratives that present a mono cultural, multicultural or minority perspective

(page 156 OCR revision notes)

Task Identify the ideologies underpinning the media language in the house of cards.

Create an essay Analysing the main characters

•

•Frank Underwood

•Clare Underwood

•Peter Russo

•Zoe Barnes

•

Apply theory/academic arguments showing how the characters are represented.

Discuss the underlying ideologies which apply to the House of cards and the characters

Identify specific examples (of media language) which support your arguments

Use appropriate terminologies in discussing the media language 

House of card's is a political drama set in modern day Washington. The main characters Frank, Clare, Peter, Zoe all are represented in various different ways using media language and different theories relating to the plot.

Frank Underwood, is an cold and calculated upper class politician fighting his way to clime up the ranks to gain more power. from the first scene we see him in he is presented as someone of concern but ruthless nature. He uses a car crash on a dog as a metaphor for his views and idealisms, stating that 'there no point for useless pain', this already shows he's willing to do what it takes if he thinks its the right thing to do. Frank sees himself a the 'plumber' of congress, we know this through his own personal monologue through out the episode, his aim is to progress In power. There is a juxtapositional, scene goes from Frank at a opera theatre then cuts straight to him playing shooting game, goes from elegance to abrupt violence shows contrast in Franks mixed personalities.

Claire Underwood is Franks wife. I believe she is used in this episode to subvert expectations of female stereotypes which is that females are usually emotionally weak and are only used for sex appeal and interest. She is seen to have a lot of mental power over her husband as she is the catalysis for Franks greatness, there a team. Claire is also seen to have a ruthless nature as she unapologetically decides to cut off half her staff for the grater good, willing to do what it takes just like her husband.

Zoe Barns is represented in her first scenes as a reporter that desires to be taken more seriously as a female reporter and set on more serous assignments, this is a similar mindset to Frank as they both wish to progress in there respective fields. She also uses Van Zoonen's theory ,that women's body's are looked at as sexual objects in western culture, to her advantage by trying to control Frank by wearing revealing clothing when she meets him. Eventually her and Frank decide to work together to better both there careers

Peter Russo is presented already as someone who is irresponsible and shows a lot of unprofessionalism as he is in a meeting but is flirting on the phone to his partner. Throughout the episode he is seen getting drunk and having sexual affairs and getting into legal problem with the law due to drunk driving despite his high valued job. Due to his mistakes he gets blackmailed by Frank forcing him to become a pawn in his plan, in the scene the camera pans up wards to show Frank standing over Peter which visually displays his vulnerability in this situation showing Frank to have power over him as he demands for his 'unquestioning loyalty'.