Summer Project
The Daily Star
This article focuses on one of the female contestants called Zara Holland who was formerly crowned Miss Great Britain but after having sex on screen she is de-crowned. Another female contestant called Sophie Gradon, who was Miss GB in 2009, said: "Life shouldn’t be about judging one another. Say, for example, judging a young woman for enjoying herself. A young woman who hasn’t harmed anyone, but a woman who has faced a torrent of judgemental and closed-minded opinions since leaving Love Island. "As an ex Miss Newcastle and Miss GB, I can say that it’s time people move forward from their old fashioned thinking and accept the simple fact that... women like to have sex!"
Huffpost Entertainment
This article focuses on attitudes towards women and briefly speaks about how the girls are lined up in bikinis and are then chosen by the men. The poor representation of the men is also spoken about. The concept of being a gentleman has been lost on this show, the men spend their days cooped up in the villa either bragging about their sexual conquests or objectifying their female co-stars. One of the male contestants, Nathan Massey, even went as far as shaming fellow Islander Cara De La Hoyde when she refused to kiss him, despite it being totally her prerogative not to. “You’re the most frigid girl I’ve ever met in my life, you are frigid aren’t you?” he told her. “Do I intimidate you? I thought so.” This portrayed a disgusting display of sexism but the most worrying thing was what it is teaching young, impressionable viewers about choice and consent. By putting men like this on TV, we’re not only teaching boys it’s ok to speak to women like this, but we’re also perpetuating the idea that women should ‘put out’ or face ridicule.
This article focuses on the publicity given to smoking on the show. Many people say its a bad influence on young teens and they are promoting it despite the fact that smoking kills.
Daily Mail
This article revolves around the sex scene between Emma-Jane Woodham and Terry Walsh. ITV's Love Island is to be investigated by the television watchdog over complaints about a sex scene involving two contestants which was broadcast just 10 minutes after the watershed. Ofcom has launched an investigation after eight viewers complained that the dalliance between contestants Emma-Jane Woodham and Terry Walsh was broadcast too soon after the 9pm watershed on June 30. A spokesman said: 'This programme included sexual material shortly after the watershed. We're investigating whether the transition to more adult content was unduly abrupt.'
This article focuses on two contestants who have sex before the lights go off infront of other housemates who then applaud.Love Island viewers were horrified during Wednesday night's episode after one of the couples had sex in front of all their housemates. Malin Andersson and Terry Walsh couldn't be bothered to wait until the lights were off and decided to get intimate with an audience. Love Islanders Adam Maxted, Cara De La Hoyle and Nathan Massey were just a couple of feet away from Malin and Terry as they romped under the duvet on the ITV2 show. Viewers couldn't hide their disgust at the public sex antics on the ITV2 show, Ofcom said they had received 10 complaints during the current series of Love Island, relating to swearing, glamorisation of smoking and inappropriate sexual activity.
by Rachel E. Dubrofsky
MIGRAIN Key Concept Research
Media Representations
- Who is being represented? In what way? By whom?
Women are being represented as sex objects, they are all standing in a line wearing bikinis while single men look at them and pick one. This is objectifying them along with making the men seem superior to them since they are the ones picking and not the girls. Furthermore, throughout the show the male contestants only speak about engaging into sexual activities with the female contestants which once again portrays them as sex objects.
- Why is the subject being represented in this way?
The aim of the show is to make people couple up but the main factor they consider is their looks. Also, since its a reality TV show that is based around couples- the main aim of the show is to show the different relationships.
- Is the representation fair and accurate?
The representation is accurate in some aspects due to the fact that female celebrities usually exploit themselves in the sense that they dress quite revealingly or openly engage in sexual relationships and since its a reality TV show its expected since similar behaviour is seen on other shows, e.g. Geordie Shore, Towie, Big Brother etc. However, the female contestants are members of the public but they still visually look like celebrities. On the other hand, the representation isn't fair as its producing a wrong role model for girls to look up to. Younger females watching the show will assume that in order to gain attention they need to look/dress a certain way and be willing to engage in sexual activities to avoid being called 'frigid'.
- What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?
Some female contestants and even one male contestant said how they wouldn't wish to have sex on-screen due to personal reasons which shows the audience that they have free will and can make their own choices. Similarly, many contestants didn't pursue 'fake' relationships in order to stay in and openly expressed how they felt.
Media Languages and Forms
- What is the significance of the text’s connotations?
Denotation: girl in a bikini - Connotation: sexually exploited, showing off their body,
Denotation: boy working out - Connotation: showing off their body, getting female attention
Denotation: sex - Connotation: sexual relationship, love, boyfriend/girlfriend
Denotation: smoking - Connotation: bad health, dangerous, not classy
- What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?
You can tell from some of the female contestants body language that they are trying to gain the attention of the male contestants- they do this by standing in barely any clothes- revealing their bodies.
- What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?
-The costumes throughout the show are fairly the same, the girls wear bikinis during the day and the boys walk around topless. However, in the evening the girls wear dresses/partywear whereas the boys dress smartly.
-During the night the lights are turned off in the villa but the cameras have night vision so the audience can see what goes on while they are sleeping, e.g. sexual activities, arguments etc.
-The facial expressions are normal due to the fact that its a reality TV show we see the contestants live in the villa therefore we see their everyday facial expressions.
-The setting is in Spain in a villa where the contestants have to stay for a couple of weeks.
- What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
Throughout the episodes there is a voice-over by a Scottish comedian called Iain Sterling who narrates the show but in a humorous way. Along with that we see the conversations between the contestants.Furthermore, there are clips of each contestant in a room speaking directly to the camera about certain situations expressing their feelings/thoughts.
- What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?
The voice-over is used to explain situations and express what one of the contestants are feeling in a humorous way. Through the use or editing and visual techniques the audience is aware when the contestants are engaging in sexual activities, e.g. when two of the contestants had sex before the lights turned off and not under the sheets, the camera positioning ensured we didn't see anything however at the same time we were aware of what was going on.
Narrative
- How is the narrative organised and structured?
The shows narrative is based around single females/males who enter the villa to potentially find 'love'. They engage in some challenges and tasks but the main aspect of the show is to couple up and stay in the villa until the finals to win the prize money. The structure of the show is just seeing the contestants conversing with one another.
- How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative
The audience had the chance to participate in the show through an app through which they could vote certain contestants out or pick which new contestant they wished to send into the villa.
- How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
Heroes are creating through the way the contestants speak and engage with other contestants but the main way was to prove to the audience that their feelings towards another co-star were real therefore similarly a villain was created if the audience felt their feelings were fake and they were just in the show for the money and publicity. Another main factor in creating heroes/villains was through the voice-over and his opinions.
- What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?
Editing plays a key role within the narrative because they have to cut down 24 hours into 40 minutes therefore they have to be careful with what footage they include. The sound is also an important factor because the voice-over guides the audience through what is happening and the clips with the contestants talking to the camera directly is also essential as it helps the audience understand why they are doing certain things.
- What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?
Love- makes you value your significant other
Sex- in order to be with someone you have to be willing to engage in sexual activities, its acceptable for a man to have sex with more than one women however when a women does shes spoken about
Relationships- trust issues, boyfriend/girlfriend
Genre
- To which genre does the text belong?
Reality television
- What are the major generic conventions within the text? What are the major generic themes?
Documentary- using real footage of real people
Game show- a prize for which they compete, or stay coupled up in order to not be evicted from the house
Voting- involves the audience through an app
Potential for conflict- partner choosing someone else to couple up with or showing interest in a new contestant
Entertainment- tasks and challenges
'Real situations'- Zara being stripped of her GB title
Lots of editing- 24 hours being cut down to 40 mins
Unscripted- everyday lives in the villa, contestants don't know what to expect and are cut off from the outside world
- To what extent are the characters generically determined?
The contestants spend the day doing normal everyday things and provide the audience with entertainment.
- To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?
The generic expectations of the audience are fulfilled to a large extent since the footage is real and the episodes are live. Also, towards the end there is a prize money of £50,000. The audience is also involved through voting through a free app. The contestants take part in tasks and challenges and there is a lot of conflict when new contestants arrive or when old ones leave. There is real life situations also as trust is tested in relationships.
- Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?
The host Caroline Flack is strongly associated with the genre as she has previously worked as a TV host but also because shes the reoccurring host of the show therefore the audience strongly associate her with Love Island. The narrator Iain Stirling is also strongly associated due to the fact that he narrates the whole show.
Media Institutions
- What is the institutional source of the text?
ITV
- In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
ITV has other reality TV shows, a popular one would be Towie, Im a celebrity... get me out of here, the real housewives etc therefore its a similar target audience.
- Is the source a public service or commercial institution?
ITV is a commercial institution.
Media Values and Ideology
- What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?
The major values in this text make the audience assume that relationships are all about sex, being physically attractive and having trust issues. There is also friendship values shown which show the contestants being fake to one another and not being loyal.
Media Audiences
- To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience? (Demographics, Psychographics)
C2DE Working class
16-30+
70% Females 30% Males
-Psychographic groups: Mainstreamers, explorers, strugglers
- What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?
Due to the language used they assume that the audience would be familiar with colloquial language, e.g. swearing etc. Also, they assumed that the viewers would find it acceptable for the contestants to engage in sexual activities, smoke, lie, cheat etc.
- What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?
The show came on at 9pm after the watershed therefore they were aware that the content was only suitable to a certain audience. It also suits the average working class person who does a 9-5 shift or a housewife who may put her kids to sleep by 9pm and could then watch the show.
- What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?
The show quickly became popular mainly amongst younger teens/adults due to the physical appearances of the contestants and the nature of the show, dating etc.
- What are the audience pleasures, uses or gratifications? (Refer to theory).
Diversion- escape from everyday problems, entertainment
Personal relationships- developing a bond with contestants
Personal identity- seeing ourselves reflected in a contestant and their problems/relationships
- How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?
As a Pakistani girl I am more likely to see girls wearing a bikini as 'wrong' or 'exploitation' and viewing them as sexual objects due to engaging in sexual activities. However, being a 17 year old girl I find these things normal and I would also consider smoking as normal.
