Christmas Task 1 - textual analysis

DONE ON PAPER - NEEDS TO BE TYPED UP

First draft of critical investigation (in the process..)

“I’ve been diagnosed with being bipolar. It’s an affective disorder in which the individual alternates between states of deep depression and extreme elation. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Despite what some people might think” Karen Maguire (Shameless) [1]

To what extent and why is the depiction of mental illness less truthful in contemporary British teen drama, such as ‘Skins’, in comparison to mainstream soap operas, such as ‘Eastenders’?

The Media landscape is often criticized "for promoting stigma and discrimination towards people with a mental illness[2]^” through unrealistic and exaggerated representations of those with mental health issues. This is apparent through a number of texts such as British Teen Drama, Skins and E4 Drama Shameless, whilst some texts such as Soap Opera - Eastenders shows a truer to life representation of such issues, claiming to challenge television’s “dressed up[3] ” representations. However a lack of realism is still evident.

Over the years soap operas have shaped themselves to “follow the day-to-day lives”[4] of ‘everyday’ characters, similar to in the genre of Drama. However, within Drama the representations of individuals are typically exaggerated. Television however now uses these conventions in an up-to-the-minute and contemporary manner reflecting the zeitgeist of today, viewers no longer want the “cliché plots, themes, and situations”[5] of the cheating husbands, arguing families which would have previously been shocking and emotionally gratifying , viewers have now become desensitised to these expecting to see something ground-breaking on television. With “ 'how mental are you' questionnaires on the net that tell you which disorders you’ve got”[6] plaguing the youths computer screens it has become apparent that “some people want to be mental”[7] and they want to see the new phenomenon unfold on their screens in front of them. Such enthusiasm towards the area can be interlinked with the Cultivation theory. Children are being cultivated to accept mental illness and to show interest in the topic unlike in the past fuelling the desire to see the issue in the media.

The BBC Soap opera Eastenders "Signs itself as being 'as it really was' [8]“ working alongside a number of charities in the making of their mental health story lines. The story of Stacey Slater’s bi-polar disease won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2009[9] for its realistic and positive representations of the disease. Unlike many texts from other genres and in the past, Eastenders has worked alongside a number of charities in order to appropriately reflect the image that the mentally ill are perfectly normal and safe, unlike the common representation that they are “unpredictable, unproductive, asocial, vulnerable and dangerous to themselves or others[10]”. Soap Operas have the perfect reputation in order to successfully represent such an issue, using characters and stories which to a certain extent present the everyday human.

Like Eastenders, Soap opera Coronation Street also claims to create a real-to-life representation. Their 2006 story line surrounding the character of Claire Peacock suffering from Post Natal Depression[11] received a number of complaints for poorly representing the illness. The soap opera uses typical conventions of this genre such as the “everyday person” characters, a middle class/working class setting and understated elements of the drama genre such as quick camera shots to emphasize on the events in the program. Like in most Soap operas “mental illness’ are presented as a character’s main personality trait, to the exclusion of any other characteristics, the illness or behavior becomes the only way of defining that person and the main point of the story.[12]” This is most definitely reinforced through Claire Peacock’s character as before the character was diagnosed, she had very little significance to the plot line in Coronation Street. Similar to this is 1970’s text Family Life (Ken Loach, 1971,UK), a British based film, with “social realist”[13] director prided the film on being a breakthrough in the criticized area of sufficiently representing mental health issues. however in today’s day and age the film can be classed in a similar category to many others – over exaggerating and to a certain extent glamorizing poor mental health through typical stereotypes of Schizophrenia with the ‘split personalities’ , lack of morals and irrationality which are in fact generally misconceptions. The film does not take on the same format as Eastenders and Coronation Street, however characteristics shown in today’s portrayals of mental health can be seen to be coherent with those of the 1970’s. For example in a number of scenes within the film the ideology of poor mental health is shown to be unpredictable and irrational through the character of Janice Baidon’s Schizophrenia in a stereotypical manner through the use of her juxtaposing personalities represented. This is a common stereotype shown within texts, which is in fact a false representation as the closest form to a second personality is hallucinations , including hearing voices[14] etc.

Drama, “The term itself means 'action' or 'enactment' and the notion of 'performance' is a key element.[15]" but to a certain extent when reaching out to such a mass audience , surely a sense of reality should be brought into the shaping of storylines , especially when regarding such an important issue. Teen Drama Skins is in effect the perceived diary of the masses of the youth today, teens want to mimic what they see within the iconic drama, thus taking on the values the series puts forth. Series four touches upon the mental health disorder of Schizophrenia with character ‘Effy’. Like all other drama’s and Soap Operas the show claims to “incorporate elements of documentary[16]” however the level of realism apparent in the text is minimal. Typical conventions are used to place emphasis and a sense of the all important drama onto the story of Effy such as low-key lighting in a number of shots, slow and still shots and non-diegetic sound to evoke an emotional gratification for the audience.

While “madness has multiple meanings on television, [...] at the same time violence is commonly included[17]”, character Effy’s psychiatrist is also represented as mentally ill, although the audience is never made clear of what mental health disorder he obtains. The psychiatrist often acts verbally abusive towards character ‘Freddie’ and in the end brutally murders him after. This story received a number of complaints surrounding the reinforcing of the unjust ideology that those who are mentally ill should be perceived as a risk. Specifically, when regarding the influence such stereotypes have on the youth based audience; the theory of the hypodermic needle can be closely linked. Through Skins presenting such extreme representations of mental illness, the teens within the audience are inevitably having these representations injected into their minds as being “true-to-life”[18] as the ideology put forth in effect " denies itself as an ideology; In other words, it does not express itself as an ideology but as reality.[19]" due to the loyal following by the Skins audience.

However "Skins is not alone in presenting these negative stereotypes; rarely are we shown positive or accurate depictions of mental health practitioners on screen."[20]Other Drama’s such as Shameless can similarly be seen to use exaggerated depictions of the mentally ill, in particular surrounding the story line centred around character Karen’s post-natal depression. The show itself quite realistically shows the unpredictable nature of the disorder however uses distinctive iconographies of the Drama genre such as extreme top lighting, secluded settings to place emphasis on the segregation of the characters and amplified story lines. At one stage in series 7 Karen is shown barking at a dog in the street, portraying her as animalistic and vicious, which although post-natal depression can lead to some forms of aggression is a large misconception of the disorder.

Stacey Slater’s ‘sectioning’ scene in Eastenders  is a perfect example of a soap opera’s attempt at portraying mental health realistically. A series of typical conventions are used in order to do so such as; Stacey herself being dressed in white to connote her innocence and vulnerability within the situation as well as a number or cuts and changes from close-up shots to medium shots to place emphasis on the fear and uncertainty she feels in the situation. This specific episode approached the matter in a sensitive manner, looking at the struggle patients actually face with coming forward with their illness through Stacey’s disregard that she may actually be worthy of diagnosis, rather then simply using mental illness as a means of gaining entertainment gratifications. The storyline was “recognised as an accurate and powerful portrayal of mental distress”[21] and received a number of awards to honour this. However in a scene where Stacey is shown to breakdown at a funeral resulting in her falling into a grave after trying to free who she believed was a woman being buried alive , Although to a certain extent the scene does express some realistic issues associated with the disorder such as the extreme emotional lows and the seclusion the individual feels through the enclosed nature of the grave , thee scene itself can be seen to amplify symptoms generally associated with her Bipolar disorder in order to add an element of theatre to the episode.

Unlike Eastenders , Skins uses more elements of drama to create a highly dramatised representation , however unlike typical drama’s due to  the directors being aware of the loyal following of the show they take on the approach which “conspires to convince us that we are not viewing something that has been constructed”[22]  and instead are viewing a realistic portrayal of mental illness. A scene in series 4 where Effy is shown standing in the middle of a busy dual carriage way is a perfect example of the over exaggeration skins uses. Mise-en-scene is key  in the emphasising the element of drama within the scene such as the scene is filmed during the night , therefore the darkness acts as a means of making the shot seem empty connoting the extreme loneliness of Effy. As well as this the fact the scene is set on a busy road could be seen as presenting the anarchy surrounding Effy in her life whilst she remains still. The scene can be seen to reinforce typical misconceptions of mental illness such as being seen as a threat to their surroundings, which is more rare than common.

Although to a certain extent the British soap opera can be seen to reflect a higher lever of realism than Drama in truthfully represented mental illness ,both drama and soap operas as genres "do not simply offer 'neutral' descriptions of social reality - they actively work to constitute it." Thus leading away from the idea that what is being presented to an audience on television is actually of much truth. The media landscape aims to almost inject ideologies into the audiences mind in order to create social norms and values which may not be completely centered around truth in order to benefit the dominant groups with in the society such as those who are able-minded/bodied and those of a high demographic background. Both Skins and Eastenders can be seen to amplify realistic characteristics of mental illness in order to create a sense of drama in order to present entertainment gratifications for the typical thrill-seeker attracted to such genres of television today.

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[1] Shameless (Series 7 , 2010) Broadcast on E4

[2] Stuart,H. (2006)

[3] Bennet,P. Slater,J. Wall,P. (2006) pg.79

[4] http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Soap_opera

[5] http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-soap-opera.htm

[6] http://www.socialphobiaworld.com/twisted-logic-is-mental-illness-glamorised-960/

[7] Ibid

[8] Lacey,N. (1998) pg.120

[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EastEnders

[10] Wilson,C. Raymond.N Coverdale.J Panapa.A  (1999)

[11] http://coronationstreet.wikia.com/wiki/Claire_Peacock

[12] http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/about_mental_health.asp?cID=7601

[13] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1055857-family_life/

[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

[15]  Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J.(2002) pg.71

[16] Ibid.

[17] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1298(199805/06)8:3%3C213::AID-CASP449%3E3.0.CO;2-C/abstract

[18] Creeber,G. (2003) pg.50

[19] Lacey,N.(1998) pg.101

[20] http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/skins-take-on-mental-health-is-on-the-skids/

[21] http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a289419/eastenders-wins-mental-health-gong.html?rss

[22] Abercrombie 1996 

Christmas Task 3 - Historical text research

 

"An unintended pregnancy leads to horrific psychological consequences for a teenage girl whose parents force her to get an abortion. When her family seeks counseling for her, she is directed through a mental health institution that exacerbates her problems with harsh, controversial "therapies" in this harrowing film directed by social realist filmmaker Ken Loach. 'FAMILY LIFE' was originally produced for BBC television." -rotten tomatoes

To a certain extent this clip from 'Family Life' reinforces negative stereotypes typically seen in the past , however it can be seen that unlike most moving image recolections of mental illness , we see it from the individuals outlook which makes the audience feel as though what they are viewing is genuine. The main protagonist within the film (Janice Baidon) suffers from schizophrenia. In the 3 minute clip we see both the rational and "normal" Janice , however in the last scene we see of her we see an irational and scared individual, who often refers to herself as "she" regarding what is represented as a second personality.

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/Rep_Mentill.html
Entertaining madness – representations of mental illness on screen

4. Schizophrenics are people with split personalitiesNorman Bates in Psycho dressing up as his mother to commit murder while his gentler self lives on in ignorance of his crimes is probably the most famous cinema serving of this age-old mental health cliché. The fact that the phenomenon largely derives from a literary source, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) should raise suspicions. It was a 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve, starring Joanne Woodward, that promoted belief in multiple personality disorder (MPD) and a further boost came with the 1973 film Sybil – the tale of a woman with supposedly 16 distinct personalities. When the same story transferred to TV, Sally Field won an Emmy for her portrayal. It has subsequently emerged that many of the so-called ‘personalities’ may have been created by the psychiatrist who took to naming different moods that Sybil manifested during her treatment. Such conditions essentially developed through the interaction between patient and therapist are called ‘iatrogenic’. In the 1990s there was a huge explosion in ‘multiple personality’ (MPD) cases in the USA and to a lesser extent in this country. These were paralleled by an upsurge in cases of forgotten sexual abuse revealed through therapy and belief in widespread satanic cult activities. By 1998 there were over two dozen clinics in America specialising in the treatment of MPD cases. Now the bubble has burst and these clinics have disappeared, revealing the phenomenon essentially to be a fad.

http://www.seemescotland.org.uk/findoutmore/aboutmentalhealthproblemsandstigma/schizophrenia
"The person may experience hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling or tasting something that does not exist, as if it were real). Hearing voices is the most common hallucination experienced with schizophrenia."

Individuals in fact do not have split personalities as such , it is more of a case of having something telling them in there mind to do things they may usually stay clear of.

The protagonist also appears to be irrational and unpredictable - a representation commonly used. However i do not feel that it is over exagerated by any means, it is a fair portrayal if this without being completely unfair and negative. In some cases due to such hallucinations the predictability of the individuals thoughts and behaviours can become increasingly unpredictable.#

The film in general claimed to be "breaking edge" , as it was at the time , however tp the normal visual eye of the average person today the film is not out of the ordinary in its representations. However in the eyes of a media student i feel that the film was infact realtively ground breaking , unlike simply reinforcing the typical stereotypical views of mental illness , the film allows the viewer to get a close to life account of what it is and shows that mental illness is not as scary as it may be presented as. The film uses some refference to stereotypical ideologies but does not do so in an offensive mannor and is relatively positive unlike a number of other texts.

Christmas Task 6 - Introduction and first paragraph

"Ideology denies itself as an ideology; In other words, it does not express itself as an ideology but as reality" -Nick Lacey.[1]

To what extent and why is the depiction of mental illness less truthful in contemporary British teen drama , such as 'Skins' , in comparison to mainstream soap operas , such as 'Eastenders' ?

The Media landscape is often criticized "for promoting stigma and discrimination towards people with a mental illness"[2] through unrealistic and exaggerated representations of those with mental health issues. This is apparent through a number of texts such as British Teen Drama, Skins and E4 Drama Shameless. Whilst some texts such as Soap Opera - Eastenders shows a truer to life representation of such issues, claiming to challenge television’s “dressed up”[3] representations, however a lack of realism is still evident.

BBC Soap opera Eastenders "Signs itself a being 'as it really was' “[4] working alongside a number of charities in the making of their mental health story lines. The story of ‘Stacey Slater’s’ bi-polar disease won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2009[5] for its realistic and positive representations of the disease. Unlike many texts from other genres and in the past, Eastenders has worked alongside a number of charities in order to appropriately reflect the image that the mentally ill are perfectly normal and safe, unlike the common representation that they are “unpredictable, unproductive, asocial, vulnerable and dangerous to themselves or others”[6]. Soap Opera’s have the perfect reputation in order to successfully represent such an issue, using characters and stories which to a certain extent present the everyday human.

Like Eastenders , Soap opera Corronation Street also claims to create a real-to-life representation. Their 20

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[1] Lacey,N. "Image and representation: Key concepts in media studies" (Basningstoke: Palgrave,1998)

[2] Author: Stuart, Heather “CNS drugs Volume 20” (Adis international 2006)

[3] Bennett,P. Slater,J. Wall,P. "A2 media studies: The essential introduction" (Oxon : Routeledge , 2006)

[4] Lacey,N. "Image and representation: Key concepts in media studies" (Basningstoke: Palgrave,1998)

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EastEnders

[6] Wilson,C. Raymond.N Coverdale.J Panapa.A “Mental illness depictions in prime-time drama: Identifying the discursive resources” (The university of Auckland,1999)

Christmas TASK 5 - Essay plan

References :


1)
'Out of the box' Alexander topping (Guardian article)
In fact, as a writer revealed, the character had been "fleshed out" on the basis of a single article published in Vanity Fair.


2)
Media Portrayal of Mental Illness and its Treatments: What Effect Does it Have on People with Mental Illness?
"Mental health advocates blame the media for promoting stigma anddiscrimination toward people with a mental illness. However, the media may also be an important ally in challenging public prejudices, initiating public debate, and projecting positive, human interest stories about people who live with mental illness"


3)
Skins take on mental health is on the skids
"Skins is not alone in presenting these negative stereotypes; rarely are we shown positive or accurate depictions of mental health practitioners on screen."


4)
(Diefenbach, 1997 [citing Berlin & Malin, 1991; Gerbner, 1980; Nunnally, 1957; Wahl & Harman, 1989]).
research indicates that media portrayals of mental illness are often both false and negative.


5)
Television, madness and community care (Diana Rose - Article first published online: 4 DEC 1998)
madness has multiple meanings on television, while at the same time violence is commonly included. 


6)
Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J. "Televisiom studies:Key concepts" (London :Routeledge,2002)
"The term itself means 'action' or 'enactment' and the notion of 'performance' is a key element"


7)
Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J. "Televisiom studies:Key concepts" (London :Routeledge,2002)
"drama began to incorporate elements of documentary on the one hand and to play with a range of non-realistic devices on the other"


8)
Lacey,N. "Image and representation: Key concepts in media studies" (Basningstoke: Palgrave,1998)
(Referring to BBC) "Signs itself a being 'as it really was' This is , of course , an illusion"


9)
Creeber,G. "The television genre book" (London : British Film Institute, 2003)
"There is no straight forward or singular relationship between realism and politics in soap opera. Rather , realist conventions and sensibilities are formed"


10)
Bennett,P. Slater,J. Wall,P. "A2 media studies: The essential introduction" (Oxon : Routeledge , 2006)
" 'reality' is dressed up , manufactured out of local colour and half-truths."


11) 
Abercrombie,N. "Television and society" (Polity press)
"The form conspires to convince us that we are not viewing something that has been constructed"


12)
Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J. "Televisiom studies:Key concepts" (London :Routeledge,2002)
"Language is a mode of action that is both socially and historically shaped and shaping"


13)
Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J. "Televisiom studies:Key concepts" (London :Routeledge,2002)
"Do not simply offer 'neutral' descriptions of social reality - they actively work to constitute it."


14)
Lacey,N. "Image and representation: Key concepts in media studies" (Basningstoke: Palgrave,1998)
"Ideology denies itself as an ideology; In other words , it does not express itself as an ideology but as reality"


15)
Mental illness depictions in prime-time drama: Identifying the discursive resources
depicted negatively as simple or lacking in comprehension and appearing lost, unpredictable, unproductive, asocial, vulnerable, dangerous to self or others because of incompetent behaviours, untrustworthy, and social outcasts, and positively as caring or empathic.


16)
Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J. "Televisiom studies:Key concepts" (London :Routeledge,2002)
"While stereotypes may be partial , they are not false:they generally contain a grain of truth"


17)
Entertaining madness – representations of mental illness on screen
Love is better than tablets .In film after film love between patient and therapist is seen to bring about a cure. 


18) 
media blamed for stirring fear of mental illness (The independent)
"attacked the media for its portrayal of the mentally ill as causing "irrational and inaccurate alarm"


19)
Mass Media and Mental Illness: A Literature Review
When mental illness or behaviours commonly associated with mental illness are presented as a character’s main personality traits, to the exclusion of any other characteristics, the illness or behaviour becomes the only way of defining that person and the main point of the story.


Key issues and debates i will comment on:


Moral panics:
This is a key issue to bring into my critical investigation referring to the media's portrayals of the mentally ill being "dangerous" thus leading to a fear of those who are diagnosed with a mental illness. 
(Reference to be used linked to this: Media Portrayal of Mental Illness and its Treatments: What Effect Does it Have on People with Mental Illness?

"Mental health advocates blame the media for promoting stigma anddiscrimination toward people with a mental illness. )

Representations and stereotypes:
This is probably the most important issue of my critical investigation as the idea of reality in comparison to artificial representations is reflected through both representations and stereotypes. I will focus on the stereotypes of the "dangerous" "insane" when regarding the mentally ill in both Eastenders and Skins , however, such stereotypes are stronger in skins as Eastenders to a certain extent shows more realism in their representations.
(Reference to be used linked to this: Casey,B. Casey,N. Calvert,B. French,L. Lewis,J. "Televisiom studies:Key concepts" (London :Routeledge,2002)

"While stereotypes may be partial , they are not false:they generally contain a grain of truth")

Theories i will comment on:

Gender & Ethnicity:

In both of my key texts the mentally ill characters are female. This can also be seen in a number of other texts such as in Shameless and Corrination street as well as in films such as Psycho. Link in the idea that woman generally represented as passive,vulnerable - Exaggerates the signs of mental illness? People would sympathise with a woman more than a man , so therefor deem mental health as more of a threat?

Audience theories:

Hypodermic Needle - This theory can clearly be linked into my question debating reality over the artificial. Television can be seen to add to misconceptions and stereotypes making them appear as though they are reality because they are being seen directly through the television when in fact they are often entirely false. 

(Referrence to be used linked to this: Lacey,N. "Image and representation: Key concepts in media studies" (Basningstoke: Palgrave,1998)

"Ideology denies itself as an ideology; In other words , it does not express itself as an ideology but as reality" )

Cultivation theory - This theory can also be linked into my question , much like the hypodermic needle theory i will focus on how attitudes of viewers are change to view mental health as a threat and something to be feared challenged by texts such as Eastenders which can be seen to quite realisticly represent such issues.

PARAGRAPH-BY-PARAGRAPH:

Introduction :

• Outline my line of arguement - In favour of the view that Dramas do present a less truthful image of mental illness , however although Soap opera's present a more real-to-life image , they too tend to over exagerate and "bulk up" symptoms to create a sense of entertainment and action.

Paragraph 1:

• Present the initial idea that Soap Opera 'Eastenders' puts forth a genuine and realistic image of mental health , using the story line of Stacey Slaters Bipolar disease for support. Also refer to awards for the show by mental health charities and the relationship such charities have with creating realistic stories.

Paragraph 2 :

• Explore further into ideologies and stereotypes of mental illness within the soap , making reference to other British soap operas in comparison such as in Corrination Street. Also bring in historical research of 'Family Life' to act as a comparison over the years.

Paragraph 3 :

• Now constrast with Teen Drama 'Skins' with majority focus on Skins representations exagerating symptoms and stereotypes regarding Effy's schizophrenia. Looking at setting in specific, placing emphasis on the segregation of the mentally ill and the danger of them due to the fact she is in an institution.

Paragraph 4 :

• Make reference to other Dramas such as Shameless aired on E4 (The story line of Karens post-natal depression. Exploring  the genre's codes and conventions and how this inevitably influences the representations created and how they are present accross such texts. Place emphasis on the exagerated and negative nature.

Paragraph 5 :