Conventions Paper

Date Due: Wednesday, the 13^th of November, at the beginning of lecture. As always, we encourage you to meet with us and to bring drafts.

Purpose: Our goal in this assignment is to get you to 1) demonstrate an understanding of key concepts from the lectures and readings on representation and 2) show how media texts are fabricated.

Product: A typed paper of 3-4 pages. Typeface should be Times or Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1” margins, double spaced. Pages should be numbered, and your name, day and time of recitation, your TA’s name, and your social security number should be in the upper right hand corner. You do not need a separate title page. The paper should meet the standards of academic style. Keep a backup copy of your paper for your records. As with paper #1, we will use a grid to grade your paper. A sample is available on the course website.

Collaboration: you may choose to collaborate with one other person currently enrolled in MassComm. If you do so, make sure both your names and recitation times/days appear on the first page of the paper. A collaborative paper is subject to the same requirements as a paper you write by yourself, but you get to work with one other person and you will both receive the same grade.

Option #1: FICTIONAL REPRESENTATION

Pick a single scene from a film, television show, or other audiovisual text that you recently enjoyed or didn’t enjoy. Tell us the source and any other relevant information we need to know. For the purposes of this assignment, the text and scene you choose should make use of the kinds of conventions discussed in lectures and readings. You need only describe the scene in enough detail for us to understand what you’re saying in your paper – no more than a paragraph (or so) of description. By making direct and developed reference to at least two concepts from lectures and readings, answer the following questions:

1. Narrative: Pick at least one of the narrative theorists discussed in lecture and in Branston & Stafford and use that person’s approach to explain how the narrative organizes your media text and why it is significant.

2. Signifying Systems: Explain how the camera, lighting, sound, mise-en-scene, and editing each use conventions to help us to suspend disbelief. At the same time, explain how each convention conveys information about the scene and what information it conveys. One way to accomplish this is to think about how the meaning would be different if the convention were altered. You do not need to discuss all the conventions, but if you choose some over others, tell us why the ones you chose are particularly important. See Turner for a discussion of each convention, and terms to describe them.

3. Ideology: Based on your analysis of narrative and conventions, explain how your chosen text implies or makes use of deeper ideological meanings. What does it presuppose (or suggest) about how the world works, how the world should work, or why things happen?

Pick a recent story from print or television news (NOT the Internet). Tell us the source and any relevant background we need to know. If it is a television news story, you need only describe the story enough so that we understand what you are trying to say – no more than a paragraph (or so) of description.. If it is a print news story, please include a copy with your paper. By making direct and developed reference to at least two concepts from lectures and readings, answer the following questions:

2. Conventions of News: How do conventions of news presentation affect the way in which your story is depicted? If you are examining a television news segment, you may want to analyze the segment in terms of Turner’s conventions or Elayne Rapping’s piece. If you are using a print segment, you will want to consider the conventions discussed in S. Elizabeth Bird’s piece. You’re also encouraged to use ideas from our lectures on news conventions and any other pieces as they are relevant.

3. Ideology: Based on your analysis of narrative and conventions, explain how your chosen text implies (or makes use of) deeper ideological meanings. What does it presuppose (or suggest) about how the world works, how the world should work, or why things happen?