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The Bridge
Component 2, section A - Coggle Diagram
The Bridge
Component 2, section A
nordic noir - a hybrid of crime and film noir, satisfies many of the generic conventions of crime drama and is identified through;
- brutal crimes
- strong female leads
- dark urban settings
- a feeling of paranoia
Steve Neal - argues repetition is necessary to satisfy audience need and demand, but difference is equally crucial as genres must reflect the changing contexts of the audience so they are again satisfying audience needs and demand
in terms of nordic noir -
- a disruption of an idyllic Scandinavian society - such as the assassination of Swedish prime minister (1986)
- all conventions of nordic noir seem to stem from the disruption of a perfect society
- liberal nature of Scandinavian society - widely considered to be the most liberal in all of Europe - perhaps where we get the strong female leads from
-
representations:
Natalie Anker interview -
reps of gender -
- Hannah talking about her views on LGBTQ and gender identity in a derogatory way / dismissive of them - representing danish conservatism
- scene dominated by women, represented in an atypical way with serious tone/elevated vocals/social, political issues
- at the end however Natalia returns back to her maternal role/expectation when her son calls - interestingly its not within the nuclear family at the start (stereotypical feminine maternal roles can still exist in the same sex relationship)
reps of sexuality -
- binary between conservatism and liberalism views on sexuality - positioned by sympathetic towards liberalism and put a negative light on conservatism
reps of neuro-diversity -
- saga having less sympathy and compassion (showing pictures of crime scene) - not fitting into the expectations of femininity in terms of sensitivity + empathy
office changing scene -
reps of neuro-diversity -
- saga as neuro diverse she doesn't understand social niceties and typical interactions (a representation that goes against norms)
- Van Zoonen would argue the display of male + female bodies are different - however she is not sexualised in any way, comfortable in the position (rejects Van Zoonen's claims. moving towards an acceptance of a new gender identity)
reps of sexuality -
- discussion of the use of pronouns, of 'hen' being the gender neutral pronoun - Hannah says whats wrong with 'he' and 'she'
- conflict between the conservative + liberal representations
positioned to favour the liberal representations (Saga, moving towards an acceptance of gender neutrality)
work/dinner scene -
reps of gender/neuro-diveristy
- Diegetic asynchronous sound, others talking about Saga while shots of saga are shown - worries for her, as if something is going to happen
- golden, soft, ambient lighting throughout dinner scene, cuts to harsh, cold, fluorescent lighting in the office - atypical for women to be placed in the cold workplace, while man feeling sympathetic in the home (challenging gender roles)
- Lillian also subverting gender expectations - she is the dominant parter in the relationship with Hans
- prejudicial view to those who are neuro diverse- Lilian saying saga is not approachable, hard to say if she likes her
- encouraging to sympathise with saga through that representations and neuro-typical identities ("Saga asking if victim was referred to as heartless")
bomb scene -
- an overall transition from female strength to masculine dominance - a disruption in gender identity + the liberal view
- limb loss allows a breakdown of hannah's ability to be a strong female leader
- allowing Hans to assert his dominance as leader - "why?" "Because i'm good" - arrogant
- restoring gender expectation - orders Saga to go home, showing outdated gender hierarchies of male superiority in a patriarchal society
- shot of the bridge straight after - representing the transition
the police -
- two female protagonists being a shift in generic conventions
- female characters are also not sexualised
- Saga shown as cold and analytical - typical of neuro-diversity - however atypical for a protagonist to be like it
- expectation is restored in the final 10 minutes when male tells Saga to go home
gender expectations restored within the police when Henrick takes position
theory:
Gaunlett:
the idea that the media provides us with 'tools and resources that we use to construct our identities
the media today offers us a much more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas
set episode supports Gauntlet's claim that the modern media gives is a more diverse range of identities from whom we can construct our own
- if a viewer does not subscribe to gender norms - they get a number of identities that will legitimise + reinforce your own
- if you are not straight within your sexuality, you get a number of representations that enables you to reinforce your own identity
- a neuro-diverse viewer would identify through the character of saga and her powerful protagonist representation in terms of neuro-diversity
Bultler:
The idea that forms of identity are per-formatively socially constructed by the expressions that are said to be it's results
That per-formatively is not a singular act, but a repetition and a ritual
Butler would ask us to consider whether our perception of Saga as a strong female character is driven by the fact she dresses/behaves in a stereotypically masculine way - that in order to hold power in such a fiercely patriarchal profession, Saga must adhere to masculine conventions of the genre (trenchcoat + lack of empathy)
or on the other hand, one might suggest as a neuro-divergent character, Saga is not the least driven by social convention, and instead per-formatively constructed an identity which is androgynous rather than gendered in any way (as neuro-divergent Saga has a lack of understanding of social cues and social constructs (e.g work + home scene)
Todorov:
the idea that all narratives have the same structure - that an equilibrium disrupted then returns back to a different equilibrium with an ideological significance
representations are constructed within the equilibrium of female empowerment (Saga + Hannah as protagonists within women control)
- the disruption might therefore be seen as the explosion, where their partnership of female empowerment is disrupted and destroyed
- the new equilibrium is when Henrick is assigned to the case to replace Hannah
- with the ideological significance of a patriarchal society being not ready for a representation of female empowerment (typical, seen as a threat)
Hesmondahalgh:
the idea that cultural industry companies try to minimise risk and maximise audiences by formatting their cultural products
the idea that the largest companies/conglomerates now operate across a number of different cultural industries
minimise risk -
- broader reach for two established audiences
- reduced financial commitment - coming from two sources (horizontal integration)
- 3 seasons - a continues narrative (establishes audiences)
maximise risk -
- neurodiverse female protagonist
- representations of sexuality + gender neutrality - risk of alienating right wing audience (strong left-wing view)
- 2 female protagonists - alienating Danish's conservative views
- duel language
Curran + Seaton -
the idea that the media is controlled by a small number of companies that primarily limits variety, creativity + quality who are driven by profit and power
id we has more socially diverse patterns of ownership, it would help create variety
DR1 + STV1 - both public service broadcasters
- not for profit, no-commercial, free from conglomerate control
Livingstone + Lunt -
the rise in digitally convergent technologies has places traditional approaches to regulation at risk
argues there is a conflict between the need to protect consumers and the need to protect freedom and choice
its scheduling at 9pm (watershed) becomes obsolete (not needed) - due to its being on stream/catch up
- the burden of regulation is with online platforms 'tick box' - burden falls to parents and individual users
- damaging content for audience - come consumers might argue hat consumers need protecting from some ideologies (extreme right wing (nucleur family) and extreme views on gender neutrality and sexuality)
bell hooks -
the idea that feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal order and the ideoogy of domination
the idea that race and class as well as sex determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated or oppressed
"to what extent is the bridge a feminine text"
yes:
- examples of young girls being taught self-defence breaks down patriarchal expectation
- presenting outdated patriarchal ideals of gender normatively in the form of a crime, we are immediately positioned to reject this ideology - attempt to break down existing structures
no:
- restoration of masculine dominance at the end (struggle is ongoing)
- even when women are empowered they are still a victim of patriarchal order
- Saga's breakdown towards the end
Industry:
set episode -
- series 3, episode 1
- first screened 21st November 2015, 9pm, on BBC 4
- Originally screened in Sweden (SVT1) and Denmark (DR1)
SVT1 -
- Swedish national public service broadcaster, with TV licence fee
- perceived as being left-wing, liberal
- non-governmental organisation
- quasi-autonomous (not entirely independent)
- attracted 1.5 million views
How does SVT1 and DR1 influence representations -
- both widely regarded as having a left-wing liberal political ideology - reflected within representations
- balance of Swedish and Danish representations of both place and people - important when considering these are the two audiences these producers will be targeting
- episode seems to reinforce stereotypes of liberal swedes and and more conservative Danes through the characters of Saga and Hannah
DR1 -
- Denmark's national public service broadcaster - with TV licence fee
- perceived as left-wing liberal
- domiantes Danish culture - each week 97% of the population consumes some of its content
Challenges of a joint production -
- deal with potential conflict of ideology
- language barrier - both characters speaking their own language - having to cater for both audiences
- culture representation of both countries create conflict
- conflict of location (mainly filmed in Sweden) - having to make Swedan look like Denmark
- having to balance talent from both countries
- having to make funding equal from both
advantages of a co-production -
- a larger shared cost
- a larger reach of audience
- skills pool is larger
- wider representation of cultural education
- opportunity and promotion for both groups of actors/industries (promoting their work)
Disadvantages of a co-production -
- danger of homogenisation of the media - when everything being represented (culture / language) becomes the same
- problems with becoming increasingly commercial - influenced by the ideology of advertisers (challenges impartiality)
syndicated model -
syndicated by selling their rights to license the show in other countries - spread to 160 countries
making them instantly bound by others, and cant rely on ideological background when making other seasons
^^ an American and French version was produced for their respective audiences and, as such, the original purpose and ideological message of the bridge is lost
trailers + posters
representations in Swedish trailer -
- a multi narrative (Nordic noir) - creating enigma codes
- a sense of paranoia - always being watched
- "the victim was Danish, you will get a Danish partner" - establishes conflict between nations
- creating sense of family - universal between the world
representations within the UK trailer -
- Saga having greater strength/independence - unique to a Uk audience
- split shots - sense of drama
- more violence - traditional crime drama iconography (knives and guns)
- removal of political element
- the Danish + Swedish conflict is glossed over
representations within the UK poster -
- trench-coat worn throughout all - audience expectations all crime drama (generic convention)
- "as see on the BBC" significant / relevant to the UK
- white colour - very stereotypical representations of Europe (hyperreality/audience expectation)
- androgynous costume + facial expressions construct a non sexualised progressive movement of time
- "nordic Noir + beyond" - elevating audiences self worth - makes you feel cultured and inclusive
Representations within the Swedish poster -
- sense of unity with characters behind - unity from both countries
- characters in background - sense of paranoia (more complex narrative with more going on)
- balance of casting satisfying both audiences
- darkness colour palette - recognising enigma codes
- sense of realism (without age certificate, credits + extras on edge of poster)
audience:
-
fans of the bridge -
targeted through the character of saga and will have expectations of how her character will behave and may develop based on the other series
specialised
women -
targeted through empowerment by the construction of positive female representations in the bridge
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-
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fans of nordic noir -
conventions of the genre; chiaroscuro lighting, empowered female protagonist, troubled protagonist
BBC 4 -
an audience who is already used to foreign language content + the promotion of diverse identities (back up with poster + trailer)
context:
economic context -
in the media landscape which is becoming increasingly globalised and competitive, one of the inevitable consequences is a drive towards co-funding models
- creates a risk reduction + larger profit and power
- Hesmondalgh - reduce risk by targetting multiple audiences
- curran and seaton - diverse pattern of ownership leads to more creative productions
global context -
due to the continued rise in the globalisation of the television industry, cross country collaboration seems inevitable
Such collaborations could be said to minimise risk (hesmondhalgh), both in terms of financial commitment and in reaching a broader and more diverse audience
this is certainly the case with the bridge and its co-production between sweden's SVT1 and Denmark's DR1.
- the risk-reduction and cost-efficiency of this partnership are benefits for both broadcasters
- cross country collaborations also allow to cater for a broader reach of audience
- due to STV1 and DR1 being public service broadcasters they have an obligation to cater for the diverse communities of the respective countries that they represent
- we therefore see through season 3, episode 1the liberal left-wing ideology of Sweden represented, and through Saga's use of non gendered pronouns such as "hen"
- whilst the more conservative attitude of Denmark is represented through Hanne's sniggering and sarcasm when discussing gender-neutral schools
however some may see this diversity of representation as a wholly progressive notion - arguably globalisation actually dilutes ideological power of such productions
- with global syndication of programmes now a significant source of funding for producers - the bridge has been syndicated in 160 countries
- it is inevitable that the ideological purpose will be affected as producers and distributers have to be mindful of appealing to a global audience
- this is apparent in the Uk distribution of the bridge - the British trailer seeks to appeal t a more conservative audience by focusing on action and enigma codes (more in line with British expectations of crime dramas)
- whereas the SVT1 trailer focuses on the political turmoil within the series, appropriate for a liberal , politically engaged Swedish audience
with the increase in global syndication, the threat of homogenisation grows
- as American and other English speaking countries dominate the global television industry, the danger exists that foreign language output will be reduced as media companions focus on profit and power (Curran and Seaton), which as a result reduces audiences exposure to different cultures and more diverse representations
- whilst The Bridge largely challenges this idea , an American and French version was produced for their respective audiences and, as such, the original purpose and ideological message of the bridge is lost