Sunday, 10 October 2010

TV Drama target audience

“Gossip Girl” TV Drama                                     Bessie Carter 

The TV Drama that I have chosen is the American teen drama “Gossip Girl”. It was based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage then created the TV series, which first aired on “The CW” on September 19, 2007.
      I watch it on Wednesdays at 8 o’ clock. The series revolves around the lives of privileged teenagers/young adults on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City. The series represents the 18/19-year-old characters to be incredibly lucky with each episode filled with party scenes, nights at bars, conversations in large apartments; making the characters seem to have very desirable lives. The target audience are teenagers aged between 15 and 19 years.
       Young people in ‘Gossip Girl’ are presented in a certain way. They all seem extremely classy. The costume design is very clever as all of the clothes worn are highly fashionable and popular, making the characters look even higher is society and in the ‘cool’ chart. Each character looks flawless as the make up artists have flattered each actor with their correct type of make up to create, again, the need to look like them. I know for a fact that when I settle down to watch an episode of ‘Gossip Girl’ I allow myself to believe that live in their high fashion and stylish life.
         The characters are extremely stereotypical- rich, young people living the supposed ‘dream life’, which is why the producers gave the series a hidden message. They make each character have something wrong with their lives, therefore creating the motto ‘money can’t buy you happiness’. The series emphasises that yes, the character’s lives look enjoyable and easy but that they each have troubled lives and pasts that provide a hidden and vulnerable side. Furthermore, social issues are brought up to do with the target audience (in this case- teenagers aged between 15 – 19 years of age). For example: drug abuse, sexuality, relationships, pregnancy, miss use of alcohol and money. Jenny Humphrey (played by actress Taylor Momsen) is the younger sister of one of the main characters, and she shows the desperation for popularity through trying so many different things to be popular. This raises a good point of the things that young teenage girls go through, just to look good and to be liked. Maybe other girls who watch “Gossip Girl” find it comforting to watch other people doing the same as them, and somehow find a way to stop being so obsessed by popularity through the programme.
         The writers did this to make the programme have more purpose than just trying to advertise fashionable looks and ways to spend your money. They did this to show that even people who have the best lifestyles can have the worst situations. However, similarly to the TV drama “Skins” some suggest that they way that young people are presented is far too transgressive and ‘out of control’ to seem realistic. But the reason I enjoy watching it is because the storylines are sometimes so unrealistic and crazy that it is sometimes amusing. Also I find that it can be comforting slipping into the mind of someone else and facing their problems instead of your own for once. I think the director and the writers created this atmosphere well through the characters and the storylines.
        I enjoy “Gossip Girl” thoroughly, but The Hartford Courant chronicled a variety of negative responses to the programme including quotes like "Every parent's nightmare", "mind-blowingly inappropriate" and "A nasty piece of work in what appears to be an effort to continue the 'rebellious teen' style of the show”. And some might agree that parents might not want their children to watch this programme as it might make the children too desperate to be like the characters. Therefore I think only if you are clever enough to work out the undercurrents in the programme, are you old enough to watch it. It mustn’t be that bad a programme as it won 14 Teen Choice Awards in the past couple of years, showing its demand and how wanted it is by teenagers. 


Yours.
Bessssssie carter

Monday, 4 October 2010

TV Drama and Me

Bess again.
   TV drama is a big part of my life, as I want to become an actress I really enjoying watching lots of different types of TV dramas: comedy, crime, romantic soap and period.

   I follow several mini series, which at the moment are; 'One Tree Hill', 'Desperate Housewives' and 'The Inbetweeners'. I enjoy getting involved with other peoples stories and lives and getting to stop thinking about your personal drama for once.
       Period dramas also entertain me, even though potentianally the audience is perhaps intented to be middle aged people, I really enjoy watching them as I see period dramas more as art. The mise en scene is always brilliant in a well done period drama, and I find it interesting watching a TV programme about times different to ours.
     If ever I am in a bad mood or I've had a long day there is never like a bit of comedy-->  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtnOYy7G_Bo
     Comedies I find are the best programmes to dip in and out of. For example: 'Friends'. I happily come home everyday and sit down to one or two episodes and even if I've seen them before it somehow doesn't matter. Lighthearted dramas like 'Friends', 'How I met your mother' and 'Simpsons' are also good as your don't have to have known what has happened previously, you can just enjoy it.
    As well as good fun dramas I do like getting properly involved in story lines. Writers are very good at making episodes end on cliffhangers, which obviously encourages the audience to want to watch next week. I fall into this category as I simply love waiting a week to see what is going to happen. 'One Tree Hill' is a perfect example of this, and all I'm going to say is this weeks episode is on in... 2 hours and 21 minutes.. not that I'm, you know, counting.

Anyway, I love TV Drama. End of story :)

Yours,

Bessie Carter

Sunday, 3 October 2010

My Media Identity

Heyaa, my name is Bessie and I am a Camden School for Girls girl! I am taking Media AS as it is a large part of my life and I want to learn more about the way it works.
    I think Media is a great way to keep in touch with the world, for example on my Mac computer I use facebook, Skype and (in the old days) msn. My Mum uses her laptop for emailing family and work colleagues and my Dad to catch up on sport highlights and News. I think I mainly use my laptop to listen to music on Youtube, and for facebook, as most young people do.
    My parents watch the news on our television but I use it to watch TV programmes such as 'Friends', 'The Inbetweeners' and 'Hollyoaks'. if I happen to miss an episode that is when I use my computer for: 4od !
   We use Sky Live to record films, but I also enjoy seeing media products in multiplexes. My mobile phone is also a large part of my life: ( http://blackberryblog.com/images/blackberry_ui_large.gif) I use it to play music, to text/call people and also to get onto the internet.
    I keep updated with the news by reading the Metro (I know maybe not the most intellectual newspaper in the world) when I travel to and from school, and my Mum is constantly listening to the Radio so I can't escape listening to that too.
    Magazines such as 'Reveal' and 'OK' amuse me, and I prefer magazines like 'Vogue' and 'Glamour' as they do actually advertise clothes and they don't just humiliate celebrities, which my family and I disagree with strongly.
I enjoy using Media and I think that it is very neccessary in everyday life, to keep us entertained, informed and in touch with everyone around us.

Anyway, enough for now. Thanks for reading my first blog.

BESSIE CARTER