Class: Co-owner of a Lonely Heart

Class: Co-owner of a Lonely Heart

Language and close-textual analysis

1) Write and NCIS analysis for the episode - using notes from the screening in class . Make specific,detailed references to moments in the text using media terminology(e.g.media language- camera shots and movement , diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

Narrative:Shadow heart , Relationships (Ram and April) , Parent's evening , April's Dad , little flower petals. April gets into a fight with her dad , April goes to fight Corakinus.

Character: Corakinus , April , Ram , Ensemble cast - 'previously on' , New Headteacher , April's Mum - ' don't let the chair fool you'

Iconography: Costume - Corakinus / shadow kin , Prop; sword , CGI effect - blue healing, cabinet of souls, little flower petals , dead squirrel

Setting: Shadow world , April's bedroom , classroom, on the streets , Domestic ( Kitchen,Bedroom)

2)How does Todorov's theory of equilibrium apply to Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Try and use the expanded version of Todorov's theory : Equilibrium  - Disruption - Recognition - Reparation - New Equilibrium

It is arguable that there is no equilibrium at the start due to April and Corakinus sharing a heart , therefore if one dies , they both die.

The Disruption is possibly when April's Dad hides and listens to Ram while he is on the phone to Tanya.

The Recognition is when April sees her dad when trying to leave which then makes April extremely angry

The Reparation could have been when April almost killed her dad using the sword she gets from sharing Corakinus's heart.

You could argue that there is no dis equilibrium is this episode but instead the next episode because right after the problem with her father , April decided to make a tear in time and go and fight Corakinus , where it ends with Ram following her.

3)Applying Propp's character theory , what character roles do each of the main characters in class fit into ? Alternatively , you may wish to discuss how characters do not fit Propp's character types.

The role of Hero could either go to Charlie because he is the lone survivor of the  Rhodians and wishes to restore his people, although you could say that Ram is the hero as he is attempting to help save April through the crisis she is going through.However you could argue that April is some what the hero also as at the end of episode 4  , she bravely rushes to Corakinus in attempt to stop everything.

Princess is probably April as she is the victim who needs help from the hero to overcome her difficulties ( Ram).

Helper is either Tanya because she is really smart therefore she can back up their little team with good ideas and information or its either April's mother because she is trying to support April by trying to make her cheer up.

The Villan is clearly presented as Corkinus ,king of the shadow kin.]

4)What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Make specific , detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language   - camera shots,deigetic/ non-deigetic sound , mise- en -scence etc.)

Costume : The teenagers are all wearing typical 21st century High school clothes.

Makeup : The actor of Corakinus has a heavy use of makeup on himself which is really detailed to try and look realistic.

Props: Both Corakinus and April have a 2 swords and Charlie has the cabinet of souls which could be used as a weapon .

5)What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?How do these create a narrative or drama for the audience

Human V Alien

Old V Young

Light V Dark

Representations

1) How is gender represented in Class -  Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

Ram reinforces masculine stereotypes as he represented as aggressive , a footballer and also has a girlfriend.However Charlie subverts male stereotypes as he is represented as timid and gay.Although it is arguable that Charlie actually reinforces male stereotypes as he is a prince that bosses around his people ( Miss Quill). April subverts femininity as she is arguably the hero ( Propp).Tanya also subverts femininity as she is academically advanced.Miss Quill both subverts and reinforces femininity as she needs a chip in her brain to stop her from killing people and she is being  controlled by Charlie , a man.

2) How is age ( e.g teenagers; older people like teachers or parents) represented in Class - Co- owner of a Lonely Heart? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people? 

Most of the characters in Class are 16-18 and with the exceptional few like the teachers  and parents.
The teenagers are represented as typical teens who hang  out and have relationships with each other. The teachers subvert typical teachers as Miss Quill is an alien , therefore her behaviour is a lot different , more aggressive .

3)How is race and ethnicity represented in Class - Co - owner of a Lonely Heart? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

Race and Ethnicity is more diverse which reflects modern Britain.

4)How is sexuality represented in Class - Co - owner of a Lonely Heart? How does this reflect the BBC's remit to represent modern Britain ? 

There is a modern representation of sexuality which reflects the current culture LGBTQ+

5)How is disability represented in Class - Co - Owner of a Lonely Heart? Why are disabled people generally under-represented in the media and how does Class try to address this.

April's mum represents disabilities as just another obstacle and that people shouldn't treat her differently just because of it .

Audience

1) What were the viewing figures for Class and why do you think it did so badly?

After the first episode the views kept decreasing , In my opinion I think it is because most of the people that watched it are Doctor Who fans which suggests that they are mainly children and Class contains a lot of graphic scenes and sexual scenes therefore it was probably disliked a lot by the majority of viewers.

2)What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy class?

I think possibly mainstream and also explorers.

3)What audience pleasures are offered by Class  - Co - owner of a Lonely Heart? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode .Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: Some people might relate with April because she is going through a lot of trouble with family.

Personal Relationships:  Members of the LGBTQ+ community might have a personal relation with Charlie .

Diversion ( Escapism): The use of space and time travel is extremely entertaining as it lets them explore life away from their own and time.

Surveillance(Information/Facts) :The use of time travel and planets lets you learn stuff that you didn't know about some planets.

4)Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures ( Visceral , Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures),which of these can be applied to Class - Co owner of a Lonely Heart?

You can a get a sense of Voyeuristic pleasure by being able to see April and Corakinus' personal lives close up.

5)How did the fans in the 'Whoniverse' ( also know as 'Whosvians') react to Class?Watch the fan reaction video( and read the YouTube comments ) on the class notes blog post or check the comments in the extension articles below to help with this.

The person said that it was a very good episode but he preferred the last episode.Also there are things that he doesn't personally approve of such as April and Ram being a "couple".This is because he thinks that they should actually spend more time together and talk instead of just kissing and having sex with her after just really getting to know who she is.His favourite character was Matteusz. He was really intrigued by the addition of the Head teacher because it gave him questions to think about like 'Who is she?' , 'Where is she from?' , 'What connections does she have with the government?' and ext.

Industries

1) What was the objective of BBC3 when it was launched?
The main objective was to entertain..

2)Why did BBC3 go online in February 2013?

3)How does Class- co owner of a Lonely Heart meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain'?
The episode entertain the audience through the use of Sci-Fy and unrealistic creatures.

4)How did the distribution of Class contribute to the failure of the show with audience?
Class was aired after the watershed and was distributed on BBC iPlayer , iPlayer wasn't as active as there were a lot more other channels that could entertain the audience


5)What advertising and marketing was used to try and promote Class to an audience ? Why do you think this wasn't very successful?

The episode tried to use the doctor to draw in audience but then started loosing viewers as he only appeared in the first episode.

Comparison: An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart.
1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2016 Class ( e.g. camerawork , editing ,sound and mise-en-scene?)

Class has everything better due to being a modern era whereas Doctor Who was created a very long time ago therefore the technology wasn't very advanced.

2)What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of the science fiction genre?
Class has more science fiction features such as a the shadow king.


3)What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of how they meet the BBC's remit to inform , educate and entertain?
Class was more diverse than Doctor Who and also Class only entertained whereas Doctor Who did all three , inform , educate and entertain.
4) How are representation of people ,places and groups similar or different in the two shows?
The characters are all from Britain .
5) What similarities and differences can you find in terms of the audience pleasures for An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
Doctor Who is for diversion and information whereas Class is for personal identity and relationships