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 2 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 4 - Television is the new frontier. Film is conservative - Jane Campion 5 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. 6 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. 7 8 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. 9 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 mediaHow 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 10 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 mediaHow 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