Tutorial Notes

Question – Excellent. Do you have a snappy quote that can go above your essay question and sum up the overall essay? Not essential but can work very well.

Opening paragraph – The opening definition works well but the rest of your intro lacks clarity. It feels like a very general essay on censorship and the media – in fact, it needs to be a focused analysis of your primary text and a related media issue. Have you got enough words in a 2,000 word essay to discuss bias as well as censorship? I’m not convinced. You also need to introduce your primary and secondary/historical texts in your introduction and link them clearly to your issue (censorship).

Section 1 – Primary text: Famous music video. Make sure you’re addressing media key concepts, film language etc. Very detailed deconstruction please! Possible impact on audience can work here too (and allow you to weave in some quotes from your research). 600 words.

Section 2 – Secondary texts. More textual analysis of music videos. Make sure you’re discussing the issue rather than describing videos/narratives. Don’t take on too much in terms of textual analysis – ‘a lot about a little’ is the rule of thumb. 400 words.

Section 3 – Historical context: perhaps add a historical text (as in a music video from 20/30/40 years ago). Madonna would be a potential example of a controversial artist who produced music videos in the late 80s and early 90s that were subject to censorship. You’ve already mentioned the Queen video from 1982 so why not add that to this section. 300 words.

Section 4 – Academic research into censorship: the arguments for and against censorship in the media (with relation to music videos where possible – but can go wider). I would use all your planning on audience and institution here. This will also bring in wider context, more examples, social impact, audience effects theory etc. Loads of potential here to discuss research, Guardian/MM articles. This is where you need to bring in your academic research from the BFI and the PDFs in your notes and quotes etc. Try and link your research and discussion of this issue back to the texts you’ve discussed throughout the essay – but some discussion of film censorship should be OK. 600 words.

Section 5 – How will this debate look in future? Is censorship even possible in the digital age? How does new technology change the media landscape? 400 words.

Conclusion – sum up your argument, snappy ending please! 150 words.

Next steps… update/finish your plan based on this tutorial. You don’t need to stick to the above by any means but hopefully it has at least clarified your thinking and provided a potential structure that will be easy to follow.

This essay has great potential – the key is making sure you are specific in your analysis and don’t try and take on too much. The research section is also going to be vital – you may need to do some additional research to have enough to write about here.

Publish this tutorial to your blog with your next steps as usual.

Notes & Quotes

“First thing is I’m an artist and as an artist I will express how I feel with no censorship” – Kanye West on Twitter

“Kanye did not call for approval, but did ask Taylor to release his single Famous on her Twitter account,” said the spokesperson.

“She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that b---h famous.’”

I think that these quotes could tie into my investigation because they offer differing statements regarding the crudeness of Kanye’s lyrics whilst also highlighting and debating on the idea of freedom of self-expression. Kanye is clearly a believer in freedom of speech which comes across both in the music video and in his later statements regarding it. This would allow me to use these quotes to construct a back-and-forth argument for/against censorship using the very person it involves and I could then apply this to the wider range of similar music videos.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/taylor-swift-does-not-approve-of-misogynistic-kanye-west-lyrics/

She wrote on social media: 'Where in the video of Kanye telling me he was going to call me 'that b***h' in his song? It doesn't exist because it never happened. You don't get to control someone's emotional response to being called 'that b***h' in front of the entire world. Of course I wanted to like the song. I wanted to believe Kanye when he told me that I would love the song. – Taylor Swift - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3827274/Kanye-West-s-original-version-controversial-track-Famous-leaked-Taylor-Swift-going-like-one-less.html#ixzz4NiziG900 – This quote provides evidence of the backlash that a lack of censorship or even consideration of others can cause when artists decide to name and shame others in their songs. This could provide evidence for a debate regarding censorship of opinions regarding others and whether or not misogyny towards other artists should be allowed when it is masked as “freedom of expression” by the artist who wrote or produced the piece.

“The first music video ever banned by MTV was in 1982 when Queen released their homoerotic video for "Body Language.” -http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/no_offense_music_videos_are_still_prone_to_censorship_but_does_it_matt

This is interesting as it shows that censorship is nothing new and has been an ongoing phenomenon for years, now. I could therefore explore the concepts of longevity in this field because it shows that censorship seems to be a process that is “here to stay”, thus far. This being the first music video banned by a now main music corporation could have caused an uproar by audiences which would be interesting to research further as it shows the social impacts of this process from the audiences’ perspective and thus provides us with the other side of the argument – that censorship is NOT okay.

“Lady Gaga, artists have seen that videos with too much sex, too much violence or too many drugs (but usually too much sex) pushed off the air.” – This piece of text is also very relevant as it explores the common practice of particularly sexual videos being censored. It also suggests that, again, this has been happening for years yet artists are still producing this type of attitude. This shows that they are “standing their ground” and showing that they will still produce their content, regardless of others’ opinions or the possibility of their work being taken down. However, it could be argued that controversiality could be the actual reason for why certain artists will still broadcast their work. It could be the case that they’re wanting a reaction, in order to stay relevant in the media. It could all be a façade for publicity reasons and they therefore may not care or may be glad that their work has been taken down or censored because they are aware of the impacts of this (that they would, as a result, get media coverage from their piece which indirectly promotes their work and their brand as an artist). It’s interesting that Lady Gaga is mentioned, particularly, in this quote because this ties in very well with the idea of being extravagant and crossing boundaries in order to gain fame. An example of this is when she showed up to an event in a meat dress.

 “According to the powers that be, music videos are now so subversive that they require film-style age certificates. - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/23/will-age-rating-classifications-music-video-work -This is an interesting comment since music videos are now being compared to films. This means that people are looking beyond the artist who may have written or sung the lyrics and looking more at the institutions behind the piece of production (referred to, here, as the “powers that be”) at being held responsible for the decisions of broadcast of media texts. This article is also questioning the validity of the process of age certificates and whether or not it would work for music video content which provides text to analyse regarding the necessity of such processes being conducted.

“Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines gets banned at another university” - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/12/robin-thicke-blurred-lines-banned-another-university - With this being the title of the article, this attracts audiences who have already been exposed to a similar article because it says ”another”. I find it particularly interesting that this idea of being too sexual has seemingly become a topic of news, as big firms such as the Guardian are even concerning themselves with the matter. This makes me wonder whether the case could be that the only reason this controversy is relevant is because so many large firms are pushing for censorship. This could explore the ideas of 50 Cent who states that “It's not really a tragedy to me that that's happening," 50 Cent said. "I think for a moment a lot of people forgot that our country's at war. They'll point to usage of content in music like hip-hop and say it maybe influences violence on some levels and not point to actual films that are released and have similar content. I personally believe on every level that it's easier to attack an individual than it is to go after a corporation. They'll go after a specific hip-hop artist as opposed to a Paramount or a Columbia Pictures.” (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1052066/50-cent-ti-speak-their-minds-on-lyric-censorship) – The reason I think these two quotations link is because on the one hand, you have large institutions (universities) banning the work, blaming the individual and then there we have an individual speaking out on matters of what he seemingly believes to be social injustice about the masses who blame individuals rather than a corporation. These two contrasting views could help me during my discussion about the true intetions of censorship[and whether these intentions come across as well as how they are perceived by audiences and how it develops either the presence or absence of censorship in the future.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/robin-thicke-blurred-lines-rapey_n_3461215.html - Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ Dubbed ‘Rapey,’ Hit Song Under Fire From Critics - Yet again, here, we have another eye catching title which in itself could cause controversy within the comments of the article from those who criticse or agree with the views of whoever wrote the article. The artist in question himself, here is also fighting back the critics by defending his work: We tried to do everything that was taboo. Bestiality, drug injections, and everything that is completely derogatory towards women. Because all three of us are happily married with children, we were like, “We’re the perfect guys to make fun of this.”

People say, “Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?” I’m like, “Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before. I’ve always respected women.” So we just wanted to turn it over on its head and make people go, “Women and their bodies are beautiful. Men are always gonna want to follow them around.” – This is from the article and I think it may be of particular use in my investigation because it could contribute to discussions regarding whether or not lack of censorship in a video or production of such an obscene video could be justified by the artist’s intentions and views of their own work and perhaps of others who may produce similar kinds of work.

 

How did it become such a lightning rod for moral outrage and censorship? - This one directly mentions the topic at hand which is help as the article is focusing on the ideas of censorship. This could benefit me greatly in terms of being able to explore the opinions of whoever wrote this article in relation to the topic of interest. It also explains the story behind how this text became such a “cause for concern” and engaged a “moral panic” as it seems it has, by audiences.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/13/blurred-lines-most-controversial-song-decade

https://www.emaze.com/@ALQIZFIR/Music-video-censorship-and-regulationship

Word Count: 1435, at present.

Critical Investigation Tutorial

• ·         Text and topic – potentially very good but currently the proposal doesn’t seem to have any clarity regarding the project and very few obvious links between the primary text and chosen media debate. My advice is to go over the proposal once more and draw much stronger links between the text and topic.
• ·         Part of this will involve changing the working title/question on your proposal – it needs to be less general and also include the primary text. Based on our discussion it is clear you DO know what you want to investigate but currently your proposal does not reflect this. What about explicitly addressing the question as we’ve just discussed it: What impact do explicit music videos such as ‘Famous’ by Kanye West have on audiences and should they be subject to media censorship or regulation?   
• ·         Angle/Hypothesis: currently these contradict one another. Angle is your perspective on this issue – I get the impression this is in favour of some kind of censorship or regulation. But your hypothesis seems to suggest censorship is a bad thing. Reflect on this and update!
• ·         Research: have a look at our new books and also the shelves in DF07 (Music Video and Politics of Representation for example). There should be lots online and also look at the collection of PDFs on the M: drive to do with film regulation and censorship (some should be relevant).
• ·         Linked production – this obviously needs more thought. A music video would be fine but make sure you want to do it! Alternatively, a Newsnight-style documentary report on censorship or regulating the internet could work. Watch this video both for the investigation side of things but also the documentary-style filmmaking – if you made a Newsnight-style report it would need to follow some of these conventions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USN0308Cu60&feature=youtu.be
• ·         Next steps: finish project proposal and start building a comprehensive notes and quotes document.
• ·         Post this to your blog with a brief plan for what you will work on in the next 10 days.

Critical Investigation: Project proposal

Working title

Include specific texts in the title and either 'how or 'why' or both, e.g.: To what extent and why are video games such as 'Call of Duty' and 'Grand Theft Auto’ becoming more violent?

To what extent is Censorship a good process to have during media production and how does it impact both audiences and institutions?

Angle

E.g.: What impact are these increasingly violent games having on their audience? Is this simply a moral panic of the 21st century or is further regulation required?

Does censorship aid or hinder audiences from receiving information and how does it (or lack of it) influence individuals in their everyday situations?

Hypothesis

E.g.: Video games are psychologically damaging for young people, and audiences have become increasingly desensitised to screen violence.

Censorship hinders free speech and attempts to silence audiences in order to appeal to a hidden agenda by those in power.

Linked production piece

E.g.: Newsnight-style documentary video report looking at the impact of violent videogames on young people.
-Article on censorship
-News broadcast on censorship
-

MIGRAIN

Apply the Key Concepts to your texts/topic by using the questions from the Summer Research Project to help you. (Include at least five bullet point/key concept). Include as many media keywords as you can.

• 
  

SHEP

Apply the Wider Contexts (Social, Historical, Economic, Political) to your text/topic, including at least three bullet points on each one.

Social impacts of the topic/text

• Affects womens' views of themselves - It feels informed and inspired by the aspects of our culture that make women feel unsafe even in their own beds, in their own bodies - Lena Dunham
• Audiences have been misguided and manipulated to believe anything that the Media institutions produce. It is almost as if they are gullible, heavily rely on these sources and don't think for themselves and use their own intellect
• School censorship prevents learning - blocking too much content

Historical

• Elvis Presley's gyrating
• Censorship has decreased over the years and more is available, particularly on the internet but it is still widely practised, currently
• Particularly in music culture, censorship ha decreased over time

Economic

• Institutions with Monopoly power can control smaller business' rules eg YouTubers (Google) monetisation.
• Censorship companies earn more money as a result of providing their services to firms.
• Lack of censorship means that people who appreciate more raw media would be more inclined to purchase the music due to appreciation of freedom of speech, making individuals such as Kanye West more successful.

Political

• The way that information regarding political issues is processed could hinder the audiences from gaining knowledge of the true motives of politicians and media reporters alike. This could affect their views and deceive them into believing something that isn't true due to censorship.
• Campaigns and petitions have been made to stop censorship for example in universities.

Issues/Debates

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using theMedia A-Z to help you think about this:

• Representation and stereotyping - All of the people represented within the music video- whether through the tune or the video itself have been controversial topics within the media at some point thus either reinforcing or challenging stereotypes regarding these characters. Particularly is the case for Kanye, himself and his wife, too since this is the primary source of opinion within the song as the video was produced by his own label. 
• Media effects
• Reality TV - Since his wife is a reality TV star, it could affect her reputation or her family's in the process of the promotion of this tune and video.
• News Values
• Moral Panics - Creating a panic about whether or not people, particularly celebrities should be entitled to disclose these types of opinions/information.
• Post 9/11 and the media - The topic of censorship could really relate to 9/11 due to manipulation of footage and stories written about the incident in order to promote a hidden agenda, creating deception.
• Ownership and control - This can create an in-depth analysis of whether ownership and control has an affect on the effectiveness and/or willingness to censor content. This factor can also affect the reception of the content as well as the aftermath of whether it may or may not trigger discussions regarding the censorship (or lack thereof) of the content produced.
• Regulation and censorship - This, of course, links to my topic as it directly addresses the issues at hand which are going to be explored throughout my Critical Investigation.
• Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century
• The effect of globalisation on the media

Theories

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using keywords/specific theorists' names from the Media A-Z:

• Semiotics
• Structuralism and post-structuralism
• Postmodernism and its critiques
• Gender and ethnicity- presenting both males and females as sexual objects - connotations by viewers of the text. There's two key ethncities in the video. - Male/female gaze - Mulvey - voyeurism
• Marxism and hegemony
• Liberal Pluralism - freedom of speech - diverse opinions and beliefs presented through various media texts causing an outburst of external views and opinions by onlookers/audiences
• Colonialism and Post-colonialism
• Audience theories - Hypodermic Needle, Two-step flow & Dependency could all apply in the case of this particular text, and in the wider context of the topic itself.
• Genre theories - 
• Contemporary Media Landscape

Explain how your study fits into this.

Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)

Media text
Kanye West -'Famous' music video

Other media texts
                                                                                                                                     
Charlie Hebdo
BBC News
Elvis Presley
Napalm Girl



TV documentaries
Research videos online, e.g.:

Living with Michael Jackson - Martin Bashir (deception due to censorship or hiding certain scenes in order to manipulate the intentions of the main topic - Michael Jackson)




Internet Links
1) Newspapers:

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10854915/BBC-in-censorship-row-after-the-word-girl-is-cut-from-documentary.html.
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3827274/Kanye-West-s-original-version-controversial-track-Famous-leaked-Taylor-Swift-going-like-one-less.html
• https://www.thebalance.com/how-media-censorship-affects-the-news-you-see-2315162
• http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/facebook-is-censoring-our-views-and-this-is-feeding-extremism-a7029251.html
• http://metro.co.uk/2015/05/14/five-times-censorship-the-out-of-for-no-reason-5196830/

2) At least FIVE from university websites/academic papers online. UseGoogle Scholar as a starting point.

• http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/nus-votes-to-help-support-student-newspapers-amid-ongoing-campus-censorship-debate-a6993926.html
• http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/censorship-of-digital-resources-worldwide/112628
• http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/campus-censorship-an-epidemic-at-uk-universities-as-aberystwyth-edinburgh-and-leeds-named-among-most-a6818896.html
• https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/how-censorship-in-china-allows-government-criticism-but-silences-collective-expression/C7EF4A9C9D59425C2D09D83742C1FE00
• https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/censorship-versus-freedom-of-expression
• http://mobblog.cs.ucl.ac.uk/2011/01/05/the-war-of-words/

Ignite Presentation Learner Response

Good, clear opening - defining censorship is a sensible opening and shows thought about audience.

Delivery is quite quick but slides are well put together together and show a good selection of images.

Structure is good - censorship discussed then moves on to primary text. However, not entirely clear from the presentation what the link between censorship and the music video is (this will be vital for critical investigation).

Media concepts are addressed - issues of representation are raised but I'd like more here... Is Kanye West the producer of this text? Did it come from him? Or director/institution etc.

Analysis of the video brings in excellent issues of gender and culture - definite potential for further research and investigation here.

Good to see personal opinion - and this is thoughtful, considered and focused on the media issues/debates.

Final slide on censorship raises a few fascinating issues - I'd have liked to see a bit more on this in the main presentation. You'll need to think about which direction you want to take the investigation in.

Coped with technical issues impressively.

Q&A - first question on freedom of speech + age rating immediately raises interesting issues in terms of censorship. Answer is confident, thoughtful and comprehensive.

Censorship in digital age - is it possible? Good response and idea that censorship is easier with big corporations is fascinating.

Content 4/5

Clarity 4/5

Presentation 4/5

Total 12/15

WWW:  I think it was well presented in terms of the information being concise and I was clear in what I was saying

EBI:

3) The final aspect is a paragraph discussing how your presentation will lead into your critical investigation. Some of this may refer to your feedback (a greater focus on media debates, for example) or in rare cases you may want to change the focus of your investigation entirely.