WACE Stimulus Study Guide Top of the Lake Written by Celena Mecham

1 WACE Stimulus Study Guide Top of the Lake Written by Celena Mecham

MPA CONTENT IN THIS GUIDE

System of communication

• publicity and avenues for exhibition • intended audiences

Narrative, codes and conventions

• techniques, codes and conventions used to challenge audience expectations

Representation

• how media aesthetics construct representations • media as a vehicle to challenge representations

Audiences

• how values and ideology influence the interpretation of media work, applying specific media theories to understand audience responses

Subcultures

• auteur figures and personal expression

Media Trends

• changing audiences, expectations and values

THE MEDIA WORK

ABOUT THE MEDIA WORK Top of the Lake (NZ, 2013, Campion & Lee) was the first mini-series to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It garnered lots of critical acclaim and attention eventually playing on the Sundance Channel and the BBC UK a few months later.

AVENUES FOR EXHIBITION Media screened at film festivals ‘in a global context…tend to be non-Hollywood, artistic, serious and edgy.’ (Wong, 2011)

Exhibition Following the screening at Sundance Film Festival, TOTL created a cultural context where series are made for immediate ‘binge-watching’. The exhibition format marked a paradigm shift in how audiences access Television content as a ‘cinema-TV hybrid format’. (Bullock, 2015, p. 117)

Avenuesfor INTENDED AUDIENCES The extended narrative of TOTL permits greater story complexity, character psychology, social comment which are conventions applied in art films. The high production values created by decision on cast, crew and narrative and aesthetic choices engage with values and interests of niche and/or subcultural audiences.

3 MEDIA TRENDS

The duration of the initial screening of the TOTL series has been praised as ‘ground-breaking’ for kicking off a TV-industry trend, the concept of binge model of viewing. Binge watching is a mode of audience consumption in which audiences view several episodes over a long period of time. The term binge watching carries connotations of viewing behaviour that is excessive from the norm. Binge-watching has been enabled by technological trends such as the DVD box set and VOD platforms e.g. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime.

When audiences ‘binge-watch’ there is an expectation that the media work will be ‘worthy’ of the binge. This means that the work will have a certain cultural value that cannot be gained through viewing in regularly scheduled instalments. Binge-watching is associated with quality or ‘cult’ media work and are often constructed to align with middle class tastes.

FEATURES THAT MAKE A MEDIA WORK “BINGE-WORTHY”

• convoluted narrative structures with enigmas • subverting or challenging stereotypes ChangingAudiences, expectations andvalues • complex character psychology • rich cinematic language

USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY The cultural trend towards binge-watching can be best understood through application of the Uses and Gratification theory. This theory argues that audiences seek out media for to satisfy psychological needs; diversion and escape, companionship, personal identity and surveillance. It can be argued that binge-watching indulges psychological needs associated with diversion and escape and personal identity.

RECEPTION THEORY This theory argues that audiences take on one of three possible meanings (or positions) when viewing a media work; dominant, negotiated and resistant. Some examples of dominant readings can be found in the media producer’s official audienceresponses commentary about the media work, whilst negotiated and resistant readings can be found in fan ‘word-of-mouth’ commentaries or film reviews.

Applying theoriesmedia to understand

- Television is the new frontier. Film is conservative - Jane Campion

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE EXTRACT TO THE MEDIA WORK AS A WHOLE

A crime drama, the over-arching narrative concerns the disappearance of 12 year old Tui Mitcham. Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss), who is visiting her dying mother in the wilderness town of Lake Top, becomes drawn into the mystery after meeting Tui in episode 1.

Episode 2 “Searchers search” main plotline follows Robin’s search for Tui. There is a sub-plot exploring the women’s camp Paradise on the Top of the Lake run by the mysterious, spiritual guider GJ. The extract focuses representations of gender, and psychology of the characters against the backdrop of snowy peaks, flickering grasslands and small-town locales.

ABOUT THE MEDIA PRODUCER - JANE CAMPION -

Jane Campion is regarded as one of Australasia’s leading auteur directors. Campion’s work has received critical acclaim for its cross-over possibilities, she is adept at identifying trends within the media industry and creating work that taps into the direction media is taking. Examples of this is The Piano (1993, NZ) an

art film that entered into mainstream awareness and became a commercial success.

Although Campion does not see herself as a feminist director, many critics have identified her thematic concerns as feminist. Gender politics and the disempowerment of women at the heart of Campion’s narratives. The women of Campion’s work are resilient female characters rebelling against a system of patriarchy that attempts to defines their roles. Her female protagonists are characterised by their refusal to conform which leads them into direct conflict with husbands, fathers, brothers, and other women complicit with the patriarchal order.

Top of the Lake has been labelled as “ground-breaking” and one of the most compelling series in the history of Television drama. A feminist drama that

Auteur Figuresand Personal Expression subverts conventions of the crime genre, female characters are bold or assertive while male characters are aggressive and violent. In constructing her work, Campion invites viewers to see the world through a female perspective, immersed in the everyday experience of women, giving a voice to female characters.

FROM FILM TO TELEVISION Campion’s move to writing and directing for the small screen (television) was born from a position that “movies have become conservative cash cows…and that [making] money from entertainment doesn’t inspire me”.

TOTL was an eighteen week shoot which featured a mix of cast of British, New Zealand, Australian and American actors. The shoot took place in Queenstown and Glenrochy with the latter posing as the fictional town Lake Top.

TOTL received several Emmy nominations including Best Mini-Series, Best Direction and Best Writing.

ORGANISATION OF THE STIMULUS EXTRACT

Detective Robin Griffin

meets DCI Al Parker, head of the Queenstown police, in his coffee shop to request extra resources in the search for missing girl Tui.

STRUCTURE • Main Plot A furious Jock (Bunny’s ex- Sub-plots husband) arrives by • Helicopter at Paradise with Melissa to tackle Bunny, over Explain how the main plot her abandonment of their connects to the sub-plots. daughter.

audienceexpectations

Jock confronts GJ in the shipping container at Paradise. The conversation STYLE takes a startling turn when Jock appears to request GJ’s • Aesthetic help and she refuses. • Subject-Matter Techniques,codes and conventions used to challenge Describe the look and

feel. Robin is leading an air and ground search for missing Tui. She flies over and around Paradise. Volunteers and police are shown below looking for Tui below. POINT OF VIEW • Characters

• Camera Robin sees Jonno at the pub and demands to interview him Whose perspective is about Tui’s disappearance. the story told from? Matt Mitcham (Tui’s father) arrives and addresses the townsfolk, fiercely critical of police handling of the situation.

ANALYSING SCENES IN THE EXTRACT

Use observations to make notes about meaning created in the extract.

MISE-EN-SCENE Actor’s performance Props Costumes Lighting What does the scene Composition reveal about characters and their relationships with

each other?

CAMERA WORK Shot Types Angles Movement Focus Exposure Describe the setting in this scene. How does it

contribute to the development of narrative? EDITING

POV media How aesthetics construct representations Montage Space Time

Explain how visual and audio techniques construct a point of view in the SOUND scene. Diegetic sound Non-diegetic sound SFX Music

Explain how aesthetics AESTHETIC construct representations Light Motion of people, places and Colour Sound ideas. Space Rhythm Time Pace

AUTEUR AND AESTHETIC

Summary of Jane Campion’s personal style in stimulus extract

1. Female protagonists that challenge stereotypes of gender 2. Female and male characterisation to comment on gender politics 3. Sparing use of non-diegetic sound 4. Landscape is wild, desolate and untamed, dangerous 5. Low-key and natural lighting to match tone change in narrative 6. Subjective camera work to convey point of view

How media How aesthetics construct representations

11 CHARACTERS, SETTING AND POINT OF VIEW FOCUS QUESTIONS

SCENE: COFFEE SHOP The scene commences inside Al Parker’s coffee shop. DCI Al Parker runs the coffee shop as a scheme to help disadvantage youth, training them up as a baristas. Robin Griffin works mainly with children, in her role as a Detective in Australia. The conversation between Robin and Al is primarily concerned with finding Tui.

• Compare Robin and Al’s reactions and attitude to Tui’s disappearance. used to challenge What does this suggest about their values towards policing and protection of young people? • Examine the techniques used to film and edit the dialogue scene. What does this foreshadow about the future working relationship between the two characters?

SCENE: JOCK’S ARRIVAL AT PARADISE audienceexpectations Jock arrives at Paradise by private helicopter, antagonistic over Bunny’s apparent abandonment Melissa, their daughter. The scene is an ugly confrontation between Bunny and her ex-husband Jock. • The aerial view from the helicopter as it comes in to land reveals shipping containers on a patch of land on the edge of the lake. What Techniques,codes and conventions does this symbolise about the location? • Describe Jock’s arrival to Paradise. How is it juxtaposed with the serenity of the environment?

• Bunny hugs Melissa, Jock berates Bunny for leaving her and claims she has disrupted his work, Melissa stalks off swearing at her father. What does this suggest about family dynamic? • Explain the stereotypes of husbands/wives, mothers/fathers that are revealed in the dialogue scene.

12 CHARACTERS, SETTING AND POINT OF VIEW

FOCUS QUESTIONS

SCENE: GJ’S SHIPPING CONTAINER Paradise is a women’s camp run by the enigmatic and spiritual leader, GJ (Holly Hunter). Most of the women who reside there, are in their 40s they seek answers and happiness from GJ. • As Jock enters the shipping container, one of the women immediately moves from her place so Jock can sit opposite GJ. Is this important? Who has power? • GJ asks Jock “what’s your problem?” He replies he doesn’t have one. What justification does he offer for not having one, and who does he believe the problem to be? • Jock asks if GJ would have a “timetable and a structure”. Why would he conventionsused to challenge have this viewpoint? • GJ makes limited eye contact with Jock, and is almost non-communicative

towards his aggressive questioning. audienceexpectations What is the purpose of this characterisation? • Jock confesses his relationship with his daughter has broken down, and asks for GJ’s help. She refuses. Why is this the case?

The scenes at Paradise challenges stereotypes of gender. Techniques,codes and • What are some stereotyped ideas about how women (wives/mothers) and men (husbands/fathers) presented in the sequence? • How are these stereotypes subverted through the characterisation of Bunny, Jock and GJ? • How does the setting of Paradise challenge notions of male power and authority?

SCENE: SEARCH FOR TUI This scene reveals the surrounding landscape of Lake Top. It is filled with snowy capped mountain peaks, the lake, and the grassy plain of Paradise. • Compare the lighting style of Paradise to the rest of Lake Top as Robin flies over the search zone.

SCENE(S): ROBIN, JONNO AND MATT MITCHAM AT THE PUB The final scenes of the sequence demonstrate the differences in representations of males. Jonno is a more sympathetic representation than Matt Mitcham, who presents as threatening and aggressive. How are the two representations juxtaposed together to comment on masculinity?

13 SUBVERTING CONVENTIONS OF THE CRIME DRAMA

- POWER AND PATRIARCHY -

The sequence provides a social comment on gender politics and power due to the “shift towards the central female protagonist and female centred narrative” (Bullock, 2015). The female detective is in part, a product of post-feminist media

products. While the other female characters serve to drive the narrative in ways not normally associated with the crime drama genre.

Multiple plot-lines explore conflict between female and male characters in the series; • The police investigation of the disappearance of pregnant teenage girl Tui from Lake Top led by detective Robin Griffins and overseen by DCI Al Parker • Paradise, a nearby settlement of women living in shipping containers led by GJ • The violence and criminal activity of Jonno and drug lord Matt Mitcham (Tui’s brother and Father).

There is a sense of deeply ingrained patriarchal power manifested in violence. • Robin and Al’s conversation about missing Tui and Bob Platt drowning in the lake

Media asMedia a vehicle to challenge representations • Jock’s aggressive arrival at Paradise, orders and demands to Bunny and GJ over the care of Melissa • Matt Mitcham’s threatening address to the townsfolk in the pub “someone here knows something”

“Setting-as-character”, the indomitable nature-filled setting serves as a site of masculine power. The lake functions as a character through the connection to Bob Platt’s death and the possibility of Tui’s. The lake is dark, brooding and violent connection to male action. Similarly, the snowy peaks of the mountains are intractable, isolated and lawless, just like Lake Top itself. In contrast, Paradise, is a women’s community in which the female occupants do as they please unbound by the “rules” of patriarchy. The remote and disconnected representation of the landscape is essential to the narrative.

• Robin is an outsider and works alone due to the gendered nature of the investigation, she is visually represented as solitary in a male-dominated workforce. • Paradise, the women’s camp is beyond the masculine domain of the pub. They are in the foreground of visual composition, the camera stay with their female perspective. GJ, the surrogate mother of the women encourages their empowerment and is the voice holding patriarchy at bay.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

SYSTEM OF COMMUNICATION • Explain how a media trends impacts production. • Discuss how intended audiences shape production.

NARRATIVE, CODES AND CONVENTIONS • Analyse how techniques challenge audience expectations.

• Analyse how conventions are manipulated.

REPRESENTATION • Discuss whether stereotypes are used. • Analyse how media is used to challenge representations.

AUDIENCES PracticeQuestions • Analyse audience responses to media work. • Discuss how values influence audience responses.

SUBCULTURES • Discuss the influence an auteur figure has on media work.

MEDIA TRENDS • Explain how changing values shapes media content.

END NOTES

• Study guide by Celena Mecham [Scotch College] for ATOM WA media teachers’ use. • Activities and questions are designed to support study of syllabus content in Unit 3.

Bibliography BBC TWO. (n.d.). Retrieved from Top of the Lake: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1MX2xrCV6pVRKlqztXM3wKm/dci-al- parker Bullock, E. (2015). Interrogating Gender in Crime TV. Screen Education, 116 - 123. Campion, J., Lee, G. (Writers), Campion, J., & Davis, G. (Directors). (2013). Searchers Search [Motion Picture]. New York: Sundance TV. Hopgood, F. (2002, October). Great Directors. Retrieved from Senses of Cinema: http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/campion/ Jenner, M. (2015). Binge-watching: Video-ondemand, quality TV and mainstreaming fandom. International Journal of Cultural Studies. Wilson, B. (2013, July 13). Culture. Retrieved from The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10105994/Jane-Campion-interview-for- Top-of-the-Lake-The-world-is-focused-on-sexiness.html Wong, C. H.-Y. (2011). Film Festivals: Culture, People and Power on the Global Screen. United States of America: Rutgers University Press.