Working title

"What are the underlying values and ideologies in drug related texts such as "Channel 4's Run" and how does this compare to American texts on the same subject?"

- "The differing representations of drugs and those associated with them, depending on the text's genre"

- "How the social realistic production 'Run: Richard' highlights the constantly changing representation of drugs"

- "The revolutionary change in representation of drugs and those associated with them"

Angle

How are ethnic minorities/working class drug addicts/consumers represented and why?
Why are the elite social groups - white males, more empowered by drugs?
Why do British institutions represent drugs differently to American institutions? (through films - e.g. 'Limitless' 2011 v.s. 'Shifty' 2008)
What additional cultural corruptions are associated with how those in power deal with drug addicts? ('Jeremy Kyle Show' vs. 'Requiem for a Dream' 2001)

Hypothesis

The associations with drugs differ, in terms of bad or good, depending on the gender, ethnicity/social class and genre.

Linked production piece

Social realistic mockumentry/doccumentary revolving around a drug addict, group of drug consumers.
Opposing types of people who take drugs living completely separate lives, but find themselves connected.

MIGRAIN (When analysing text/topic)

Media Language

(what techniques are being used to make meaning in the text?)

Semiotics: non-verbal codes, denotation/connotaton

In 'Run - Richard', the non verbal codes include the conceptual addiction, parallel to the characters heroin dependency, of his desperation to regain a healthy relationship with his daughter. This is a theme that engages an audience to then empathise with the character.
In 'Requiem for a dream' 2001, issues regarding corruption with the medical care - the scenes capturing the leading female 'Sara' illustrated by Ellen Burstyn, seeking desperate help from the doctors about the dieting pills she was taking and instead of listening they prescribed her with further medication. Additionally, the addiction associated with weight is conveyed non-verbally, through the religious imagery portrayed on the American talk show.

Cinematography, camerawork: (composition, framing, BCU, CU, MS, LS, pan, tilt, tracking shot, zoom.) + Editing: continuity editing, jump cut, dissolve, wipe, fade in/out, cross-cutting, paralleling, cutaways, montage, canned laughter, subliminal shots

Extreme close ups, within a montage style edit, capturing the repeated cycle embarked by drug addicts - 'Requiem for a Dream'
Explicit medium long shots of the male protagonist in 'Wolf of Wall Street', involving in a sexual act, which objectifies women (Male Gaze - Mulvey), while taking drugs - conveying his confident persona to an audience
High angle crane shots, capturing 'Richard' isolated from the rest of society - blending in with the pavements - full grey colour scheme (further detail on research project) (Run)
Close up, personal confrontations with the teens who are enraptured into a false sense of euphoria through drugs in 'Skins'
Canned laughter added to the horrific scene in which 'Sara', attempts to escape the thoughts in her head, by taking pill after pill, which then enhances her mental trip. This element of sound initially is non-diagetic, however, becomes diagetic, as the scene reverts a close up of the TV's studio audience to the laughing at her. An audience embark this delusional and terrifying 'trip' with her, as each time she intakes a tablet, a short montage of the drug filling her system is displayed, reinforcing the repetitive and dangerous cycle which grounds the consumption of drugs.

Mise-en-scene: clothing, props, gestures, facial expressions, sets, setting

'Scarface' - the aesthetic of 'Tony Montana's' personal suit, reflects the rich idealistic lifestyle of the 80's - where he consumes large amounts of cocaine - line after line. Additionally, scenes featuring his partner 'Elvira', consuming drugs are in very customary locations - e.g. the bathroom, featuring a T.V. reiterating their wealth, displays the female too, to be sniffing excessive amounts as if it was conventional.
The teens in 'Skins' are displayed to be taking drugs in a forest, which is stereotypical towards the younger 15-20 year old generation - rebellious, not wanting to be at home or thinking about danger or consequences - 'Effy' on mushrooms in the forest and getting attacked by friend.

Lighting: key light, back light, filler light; underlighting, top lighting, back lighting; low-key/high-key lighting

Low lit, mundane portrayal of 'Richard' being confronted with the chance to take an intake of heroin after weeks of staying clean. (Run)
Natural light from the TV, executed in a dark room, accentuates 'Sara's' mental state of seclusion and neglect towards the rest of the world - her family and friends. Her main interest lies towards the religious, cult-like imagery exhibited through the talk show host's manor towards the excitement of dieting and "becoming an new you!".

Sound: diegetic/non-diegetic; sound bridge; parallel/contrapuntal sound, voiceover narration

Contrapuntal classical music during 'Tony Montana's' intake of cocaine, in his moments of mourning and preparing for the fight before his death.
Similarly, in 'Requiem for a Dream', the sound accompanying the presentation of 'Sara', is dramatic and parallel to the sudden change in her appearance - gaunt, unhealthy and broken.
Lack of sound throughout 'Run:Richard', apart from diagetic background noise in relation to cars beeping or birds tweeting, indicates the absence of life within 'Richard's' state of being.

Institutions - who produces, distributes, regulates the text?

Production Companies

'Richard' - Channel 4 - commercial broadcaster, enshrined with this unique remit of three core values - creativity, innovation and diversity.
'Wolf of Wall Street' - Paramount pictures - ranked as one of the "Big Six" on Hollywood film studios.
'Limitless' - Relativity Media - known for 'Fast and Furious' franchise, global media company based in Beverly Hills.
'Requiem for a Dream' - Lions gate Entertainment, a Canadian-American production company.
'Scarface' - Universal Studios - another "Big Six" in Hollywood.

Scheduling: prime-time; the ‘watershed’, ‘inheritance’, ‘water-cooler TV’, landmark series

'Run' was scheduled on Channel 4, after the watershed.

Genre - what type of text is it?

'Run' is a social realistic production.

'Wolf of Wall Street' is a drama comedy.

'Limitless' is a science fiction thriller.

'Skins' is a teen drama.

'Requiem for a Dream' is a drama.

'Trainspotting' is a black comedy.

Representation - who and what is being reflected?

'Run' - A black Caribbean D demographic male; a recovering heroin addict.

'Limitless' - B to A demographic white male; a writer, handsome, prestige American actor.

'Requiem for a Dream' - a young black male; crack addict, a white pensioner, 'Sara'; addicted to dieting.

'Scarface' - a Cuban drug dealer.

'Trainspotting' - white heroin addict; young male

Ideologies and Values - what are the belief systems/messages/values underpinning the text?

America productions are presented to be more liberal, in relation to drugs, than the UK. The social realistic productions/documentary's show the harsh reality that drug addicts face. Whereas, American production company's almost dismiss the fatality they can cause - this is evident in their more recent productions, e.g. 'Wolf of Wall Street'. 'Scarface' could however, dispute this - but maybe, 'Tony Montanna' would have come out alive, if he was in fact a white male - since, in both 'Limitless' and 'WOWS', they both ended up sane.

'Requiem for a dream' establishes the corruption within the American health care system - the fish eye lens used to accentuate her isolation from others, when pleading for help from the doctor, yet he persisted to dismiss her. This correlates greatly with the social realistic production 'Run: Richard', where the government bodies are accommodating free housing the the lower social groups and recovering addicts.

Narrative - how is the narrative in the text organized and structured?

Binary opposition ( Levi Strauss) - drug dealers and government bodies (Scarface)

Linear Narrative - chronologically outlines the life and struggles that 'Richard' faces (Run)

Todorov - disequilibrium in (Limitless) and (WOWs), when they are introduced to drugs - their start to intensify and change.

Social Context:

Illegal drugs became cheaper and purer (2013 - BBC News)
Drug use at lowest level in 2013 in the the UK
Ethnic minorities/Lower social groups - most represented with drugs

Economical Context:

Money spent on enforcement policies is substituting from education, public infrastructure etc.
Another economic effect from drug abuse is the lost human productivity, such as lost wages and decreased production that results from illnesses and premature deaths related to drug abuse.

Political Content:

America are legalising drugs increasingly upon different states
The UK haven't liberalised the association with 'drugs' in society and excessively highlight the negatives in association

Historical Context:

Drugs have had a huge impact on American History since 1607.
Britain has strict views towards drugs - no legalisation or liberalisation, as in America

Issues/Debates

Representation and stereotyping

- The altering representations associated with drugs, depending on the age/demographic/ethnicity of the consumer

Moral Panics

- Moral panic associated with drugs, through 20th century productions like 'Scarface' and 'Trainspotting', where audiences would be embody a fear associated with specific ethnic groups and the danger of drugs.

The effect of globalisation on the media

- The globalisation of drugs in the world and the effects of this within the media, the political avenues alongside the cultural norms.

Theories

Structuralism and post-structuralism

(Structuralism is primarily concerned with how meaning is produced through structure of texts e.g. films. Structuralists believe that underlying codes and conventions make meaning possible. Whereas, post-structuralism argues against this and believes that not everything has a deeper inference.)

- Barthes: narrative codes (1974) ; action codes and enigmatic code

- Levi-Strauss: binary opposites (men vs. women, doctors vs. patients)

- Psychoanalytical themes: Sigmund Freud - actions are due to repressed sexual fears and desire (Requiem for a Dream - black single parent male)

- Propp: 7 spheres of action/character roles

Gender and ethnicity

- Lisa Mulvey: the male gaze, women are passive object for the desire of men. (female leads in both 'WOWs' and 'Scarface')

- John Berger: "men act, women appear" 1974

- Bell Hooks: "lighter skinned women are more desirable and fit better into the western ideology of beauty"

- Stuart Hall: "western cultures continue to misinterpret ethnic minorities in the media, due to underlying racist tendencies. Ethnic minorities are often represented as 'the other'".

Marxism and hegemony

- Marxist: The media is a major tool in this constant power contest. The media is more than a channel of communication, it is a way to maintain class domination. The media reiterates dominant social norms and values. Proletariats vs. Bourgeois.

- Hegemony: The way in which those in power, maintain their control. Dominant ideologies are seen as hegemonic.

Liberal Pluralism

- Pluralists: Liberal pluralists see the mass media as having a generally positive and beneficial role in contemporary society and they defence the Marxist critics. take a more flexible view arguing that the media is merely responding to the demands of the audience. Pluralists argue that the media is the forth estate in order to keep the public informed (alongside, the church, the government and legal system).

Colonialism and Post-colonialism

- Michel Foucault - 'Archaeology' examines the discursive traces of orders left from the past, in order to write a 'history of the present'. Looking at the process of history to understand where/why we are here now.

Audience theories

- Audience Reception Theory: preferred, negotiable, oppositional, aberrant.
- Hypodermic Needle Model: injected through linear communication into a passive audience.

- Cohen: Moral Panic

- Uses and Gratifications: Blumbler and Katz - audience pleasures

Genre theories

- Richard Dyer: (1973) argued that "genres are pleasurable becasue they offer escapist fantasies into fictional worlds that remove the boredom of reality.
- Hodge and Kress: "genres are typical forms of text which links producers, consumers, topic,medium, manner and occasion".
- Gledhill: "genre is a shorthand, increasing the significance of communication".

Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)

Main Media Text

'Run: Richard' - British Social realistic, 2013

Other media texts

'Skins' - British Teen Drama, 2007-13

'Wolf of Wall Street' - American Comedy/Drama, 2014

'Requiem for a dream' - American Drama, 2000

'Scarface' - American Drama,1983

BBC3's Mockumentary 'People just do nothing', 2014
'Trainspotting' - Black Comedy, 1996

TV documentaries

BBC3's Mockumentary 'People just do nothing', 2014

Channel 4's "The Big Drugs Debate"

Channel 4's "Drugs Live"

Opinion leader Jon Snow, A demographic, white male, British journalist and presenter, investigates into drugs.

Channel 4's "Giving up the Weed"

Channel 4's "Drugs: The Lowdown on Getting High"

BBC3's "How Safe are My Drugs?"

Presenter goes to European countries where partying with drugs is the norm, and establishes what dealers are actually putting into drugs.
Additionally, visits drug dealers and makers - she finds out what they put in them (sometimes rat poison) - white, working class male, face covered, young 18-25.

BBC3's "Russell Brand: End the Drugs War"

Academic texts/books

'Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice' by Craig Reinaram, 1997

The novel focuses on crack cocaine. It offers new understandings of both drug addiction and drug prohibition. It shows have crack use arose in the face of growing unemployment, poverty, racism and shrinking social services.
It places crack in a historical context and then examines the crack scare as a phenomenon and uses this 'scare' as a gateway towards America's larger drug and drug policy problems.
Written by a team of veteran drug researchers in medicine, law and social sciences, the text provides comprehensive, original analysis of the crack problem.
It explores crack's different impacts on whites, blacks, the middle class, and the poor, and explains why crack was always much less of a problem in other countries such as Canada, Australia, and The Netherlands.
Crack in America helps readers understand why the United States has the most repressive, expensive, and yet least effective drug policy in the Western world.
It discusses the ways politicians and the media generated the crack scare as the centrepiece of the War on Drugs: Moral Panic.
It explains why the failures of drug prohibition have led to the emergence of the harm reduction movement and other opposition forces that are changing the face of U.S. drug policy.

Psychopharmacology, 1996,

Extract from the novel^.

Internet Links

Study into 'Race' and 'Drugs' - the effects/recurring signs

Article from 'The Washington Post' - Ethnic group and drugs

The chart shows the decrease in black arrests for violent and property crimes, but it has soared in relation to drug crimes.

Website: Race vs. Drugs

According to a study conduced by the National Survey on drug use and health, drug use amongst black and whites are very similar. For instance, 46% of whites compared to 40% of blacks have ever used marijuana. However, the American Civil liberties union, found that blacks are four times more likely than Whites to be arrested for marijuana.