Level 2 Media Studies 91249 | 2.2 Narrative Demonstrate understanding of narrative in media texts Case Study: “Being Human”

Approach to assessment When considering how to teach this standard, what you want to students to produce by the end of it, which texts to use, what skills you want students to develop and what concepts they need to learn, there are some key things to look at.

The Media Studies curriculum Yes, there actually is one. Media Studies falls under the Social Sciences umbrella of the NZ Curriculum. However, there is little clarification of what is exactly expected. In place of this official learning objectives have been developed and are available at: http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences/Media-studies/Learning-objectives It’s important to note that Level 2 NCEA is equivalent to Level 7 of the New Zealand curriculum. This is outlined as such: Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to: 7.1 Media in society o Examine media contexts. 7.2 Reading media texts o Examine meaning in media texts. 7.3 Media production o Apply knowledge of media conventions and technology to create media. With regard to 91249 and Narrative, the most applicable is the second point (7.2) of reading media texts where students examine meaning – in this case how narrative conventions are used in media texts and how the usage of these conventions contribute to the texts’ narrative(s). The meaning with regard to narrative is the development of story or character, specifically within the chosen medium and how this is achieved through the use of narrative conventions. This could include ideas such as: • • •

how the inverted pyramid structure contributes to the engagement and development of the narrative of a news story how indirect and direct quotes alter the position of an interview subject within the narrative of a magazine feature article how a flashback breaking away from the main narrative contributes to development of the overall narrative

It is also important to apply the first point (7.1) regarding media in society where students examine media contexts. Here it is important to consider the media text in relationship to other media texts, its audience, its medium and its genre. At the same time also considering the use of narrative conventions with where these may have been used elsewhere in other media texts, genres and how the audience understand the conventions and its use.

The Standard itself – AS 91249 It is often easy to lose sight of the standard and mark assessments against the resource. This is not to say that the resource is wrong, yet there are occasions where students misinterpret questions or take a different approach to the assessment task. In this instance, it’s good to know the standard in order to gauge those situations. This is also relevant for writing assessments, and it’s in this area where teachers have the greatest amount of control within assessment. By looking at Explanatory Note 2 (EN2) of the standard, there is a phrase at each grade boundary which is pretty much the NCEA equivalent of Greyskull. o o o

Demonstrate understanding involves describing how selected narrative features contribute to narrative in media texts. Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves explaining how selected narrative features contribute to narrative in media texts. Demonstrate critical understanding involves examining the implications of the contribution of selected narrative features to narrative in media texts.

Selected narrative features allow teachers to craft assessment questions around chosen texts. While the available resources are great starting points for assessment with an awareness of the standard they are designed to be generic and usable with any medium and/or context. However, the intention of them is to be a starting point for teachers to develop their own assessments which best suit their practice, interests and students. Moderation will provide guidance as to whether the assessment meets the national standard, yet when writing a task it’s good to have the standard on hand. Using selected narrative features provides students with a scaffolded focus when approaching the assessment and the task. It helps them know what to look out for and invest more time and effort in the discussion. Some students find that having a specific convention in the question can allow them to far better grasp the wider impact or effect of the convention on the narrative. Example | Voiceover The generic option: •

Identify a narrative convention used in the second to last episode (Grey’s Anatomy S01 E08) and discuss the purpose of it and impact on the narrative. Use specific examples to support your answer.

The scaffolded option: •

Grey’s Anatomy constantly uses voice-over at the opening and closing of every episode. “See, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you. Once in a while people may even take your breath away. That's what you have to believe.” Discuss the significance you think this has for the narrative, how it relates often to what is being said and what occurs in the episode. Use specific examples to support your answer.

While the scaffolded option does provide a quote, this is not the focus of the question. Rather students would link the narrative thread in the episode which relates to the quote – and being Grey’s it’s not going to be that hard to find – and discuss that scene as the evidence. The response should consider how the voiceover sums up the episode, link it to the opening voiceover, unpack the quote with regard to the specific narrative thread and consider the conversational tone as an in-point and out-point for the audience.

Sufficiency Due to the pluralisation of the words convention and text in the standard, there is a requirement for multiple responses in order to meet the standard. According to the clarifications document, the grade boundaries are met as follows: • • •

Achieved = describes how two narrative features contribute to narrative in two media texts Merit = explains how two narrative features contribute to narrative in two media texts Excellence = examines the implications of the contribution of two narrative features to narrative in two media texts

How this is handled depends on the assessment being written. For example, one way would be to write a comparison of the use of voiceover in Grey’s Anatomy and Felicity, then write a comparison of external conflict in Grey’s Anatomy and Felicity. This works out as two responses across two texts covering two conventions. This could be broken up into individual responses pre convention and per text which would end up being four response, though obviously shorter than the first option. This second option would also work with different conventions which would not necessarily need to crossover between texts. For example, discussing flashbacks and narrative enigma in Lost and then discussing external conflict and rites of passage in Freaks and Geeks. The Grade Boundaries Achieved •

Demonstrate understanding involves describing how selected narrative features contribute to narrative in media texts.

A description at Level 7 of the curriculum goes beyond identifying the convention and an example of its use from a text. This would possibly be an achieved at Level 1 (if narrative was a factor of close reading) as it identifies the convention, defines it and provides a description of scenes where it is used. The level of detail in the example is sufficient using correct character names, placing the scene in context (without re-hashing the entire plot) and most importantly using relevant quotes. Where it does not meet Level 7 of the curriculum is that it does not describe the contribution to the narrative in detail. The effect/contribution statement is tagged on at the end and does not add much to the discussion. An important narrative convention in serial dramas is external conflict. This is conflict which happens between two or more people and creates interest in the story. In episode 5 of the TV series ‘Being Human’, there is external conflict between Annie and Owen, he has found himself a new girlfriend and Annie has found out that Owen killed her. Annie then seeks revenge on Owen and she does this by standing up to him in hope that threatening him will resolve their conflict. Annie threatens Owen by saying, “I am diamonds and bones, sapphire and….steel.” This was how Annie attempted to threaten Owen, as you can see she stutters and it wasn’t threatening at all. “Even death couldn’t stop one of your sulks.” Owen simply stands up to Annie and bristly walks off without any worries. This conflict is important as the audience has wanted to see Annie get back at Owen, and are frustrated that he wasn’t scared. Below is an example of the same response which would meet Level 7 of the curriculum. While there is an attempt at explanation of the use of the convention, the explanation is generic and does not explain the use of the convention within this media text.

An important narrative convention in serial dramas is external conflict. This is conflict which happens between two or more people and creates tension in the story for the audience. Tension is important in any story as it gives the narrative momentum. In episode 5 of the TV series ‘Being Human’, there is external conflict between Annie and Owen, he has found himself a new girlfriend and Annie has found out that Owen killed her. Annie then seeks revenge on Owen and she does this by standing up to him in hope that threatening him will resolve their conflict. Annie threatens Owen by saying, “I am diamonds and bones, sapphire and….steel.” This was how Annie attempted to threaten Owen, as you can see she stutters and it wasn’t threatening at all. “Even death couldn’t stop one of your sulks.” Owen simply stands up to Annie and bristly walks off without any worries. This conflict is important as the audience likes Annie and has wanted her to find a way of betting back at Owen, when this confrontation fizzles out it means Owen has won the conflict and the audience are eager to see if anything happens next. •

Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves explaining how selected narrative features contribute to narrative in media texts.

In-depth or explanation is not unpacked within the standard of 91249, yet looking at its neighbour standard 91250, it states in-depth understanding involves providing reasoned explanations. 91250 also states ‘a reasoned explanation involves a logical argument supported by specific evidence’. This suggests what was said earlier about why that second response is only descriptive. A reasoned explanation should not just simply explain why the convention is used but rather how and the convention was used in this text and for what purpose. Below is the same example from before however using a reasoned explanation. An important narrative convention in serial dramas is external conflict. This is conflict which happens between two or more people and creates tension in the story for the audience. Tension is important in any story as it gives the narrative momentum. In episode 5 of the TV series ‘Being Human’, there is external conflict between Annie and Owen, he has found himself a new girlfriend and Annie has found out that Owen killed her. Annie then seeks revenge on Owen and she does this by standing up to him in hope that threatening him will resolve their conflict. Annie threatens Owen by saying, “I am diamonds and bones, sapphire and….steel.” This was how Annie attempted to threaten Owen, as you can see she stutters and it wasn’t threatening at all. “Even death couldn’t stop one of your sulks.” Owen simply stands up to Annie and bristly walks off without any worries. This conflict is important because Annie is a ghost, having died ‘falling down the stairs’ and she has not crossed over to the afterlife yet. In episode 3 she discovered that Owen had actually killed her and that in order to cross over she needs to resolve her death which she thinks is confronting Owen. The conflict has been simmering for two episodes and finally Annie has the courage to confront Owen, however she loses her nerve part way through and he accuses her of sulking. While the result comes out in Owen’s favour of frightening Annie, it proves to the audience how much of a ‘monster’ Owen really is. •

Demonstrate critical understanding involves examining the implications of the contribution of selected narrative features to narrative in media texts.

As for the merit criteria, critical understanding or examining are not unpacked within the standard of 91249, however the word implications signals that a discussion would cover the effect or impact of this convention and its use on the overall narrative. Implications, effects or impacts within narrative could include how a character develops, how a narrative arc is resolved, how the audience relates to the story or use of the convention in that scene and whether it affects their understanding or engagement with the rest of the narrative. Examine and critical also implies the discussion considering the effectiveness of the convention’s usage within the narrative. Students should support this kind of discussion with further evidence such as examples of where the convention was used differently within the text or linking to other texts. Below is the same example from before however using a reasoned explanation and examining the implications of contribution of the conventions to the narrative.

An important narrative convention in serial dramas is external conflict. This is conflict which happens between two or more people and creates tension in the story for the audience. Tension is important in any story as it gives the narrative momentum. In episode 5 of the TV series ‘Being Human’, there is external conflict between Annie and Owen, he has found himself a new girlfriend and Annie has found out that Owen killed her. Annie then seeks revenge on Owen and she does this by standing up to him in hope that threatening him will resolve their conflict. Annie threatens Owen by saying, “I am diamonds and bones, sapphire and….steel.” This was how Annie attempted to threaten Owen, as you can see she stutters and it wasn’t threatening at all. “Even death couldn’t stop one of your sulks.” Owen simply stands up to Annie and bristly walks off without any worries. This conflict is important because Annie is a ghost, having died ‘falling down the stairs’ and she has not crossed over to the afterlife yet. In episode 3 she discovered that Owen had actually killed her and that in order to cross over she needs to resolve her death which she thinks is confronting Owen. The conflict has been simmering for two episodes and finally Annie has the courage to confront Owen, however she loses her nerve part way through and he accuses her of sulking. While the result comes out in Owen’s favour of frightening Annie, it proves to the audience how much of a ‘monster’ Owen really is. The implications of this conflict are significant. With Owen winning, the audience are unsatisfied as Annie is an audience favourite and therefore the tension is unresolved and has only been increased by this confrontation. This would be what would be considered a low-point in Annie’s narrative which happens toward the end of a character’s journey. As this is episode 5 of a 6 episode season, the audience would expect Annie to make a final push to triumph in the conflict over Owen thus satisfactorily resolving her narrative and the conflict for the audience. This occurs toward the end of the episode when Owen arrogantly walks into the flat and sees Annie, George and Owen. “Look at you, so pleased with your grubby little murder, fact is when it comes to pure naked evil, you're an amateur.” It took the failed confrontation with Owen to allow Annie to find her own strength, and the support of her friends, to properly resolve the conflict and become a stronger more confident character moving into the season finale.

Choosing a text Serial dramas have a strong sense of both character and narrative. These shows have always been on TV but have had a tremendous resurgence since around 2005 when the episodic nature of police procedurals failed to attract female audiences. The serial drama is often a more acceptable form of the soap opera with definitive end points at mid-season and season finales. There is a fundamental understanding of not just character and story but the many narrative conventions which help shape stories and engage audiences. Particularly with audiences today being media savvy, having numerous and varied media choices, the serial drama has to be constructed well. The problem for this assessment is that most serial dramas have long seasons of approximately 22 episodes. Midseason shows may work better with 10-13 episodes yet timing-wise can be tricky within a school environment. Options regarding this would be to look for shows that started with shorter seasons and build from there. Shows that fit this format of teaching narrative through the early episodes and assessing on the last two, include: • • • • •

Grey’s Anatomy Season 1 – (9 episodes) Being Human Season 1 – (6 episodes) Breaking Bad Season 1 – (7 episodes) Scandal Season 1 – (7 episodes) The Walking Dead Season 1 – (6 episodes)

If these shows do not suit, then other options would be to select key episodes from a larger season, focus on those and then provide episode synopses for the unseen episodes. Students will often go away and seek out the episodes they don’t view in class if they have become engaged with the show.

Programme of study | Being Human Being Human is a British serial drama about a ghost (Annie), a werewolf (George) and a vampire (Mitchell) who share a flat in a quest to re-connect humanity. The NZ DVD rating is M and the content, for the most part, is reasonable. There are some the occasional sex-scene, some swearing, some scenes involving blood, yet no nudity. The tone of the show swings between light and dark with a sense of humour running throughout. The first season is 6 episodes, the pilot is an introductory episode, then the next three are character specific (respectively George, Annie and Mitchell) before the two episode season finale. The show ran for 5 seasons in the UK, developed a huge fan following and spawned a webisode series and a US remake on the SyFy channel.

LESSON TOPIC Intro to Narrative 1-3

4-6

7-9

10-12

13-20

Narrative Structure  The Set-up  Parts of structure Fundamental factors  Binaries  Conflict

 

 

Audience and narrative Manipulation of time

Maintaining momentum Other devices

Assessment

TEACHING ACTIVITY  What is narrative?  Why is it important?  The premise – influences,

                   



adaptations, reinventions  Is there anything original anymore? Binaries/Oppositions Internal conflict External conflict Momentum Verisimilitude Retardation Expectation Satisfaction Montage Flashback/Flashforward Makeover Rites of passage Foreshadowing Plot twist/red herring Voice Over Cliffhanger Setting as metaphor MacGuffin Quest Deus ex Machina

Being Human exam

TEXT Being Human S01E01 “Flotsam and Jetsam” Play over two periods

Being Human S01E02 “Tully” Play over two periods

Being Human S01E03 “Ghost Town” Play over two periods

Being Human S01E04 “Another Fine Mess” Play over two periods

Being Human S01E05 “Where the Wild Things Are” Play over two periods Being Human S01E06 “Bad Moon Rising” Play over two periods

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season 2) – Unit plan An example where choosing a longer season has worked in the past was with Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 2. All up the season was 22 episodes, yet only key episodes were shown. Below is an example of how the unit was successfully structured for Buffy S2.

LESSON 1

2-3

4-5

TOPIC Intro to Narrative Narrative Structure 1  The Set-up

Narrative Structure 2  Parts of structure

Fundamental factors 1  Binaries  Balance

6-7

Fundamental factors 2  Characters

8-9

Fundamental factors 3  Conflict

10-11

12-13

14-15

16

17-23

Narrative Conventions 1  Maintaining momentum Narrative Conventions 2  Manipulation of time Narrative Conventions 3  Other devices

Audience and narrative

Assessment

TEACHING ACTIVITY                                  

TEXT

What is narrative? Why is it important? The premise – influences, adaptations, reinventions Is there anything original anymore? Introduction Buffy S02E01 Catalyst “When she was bad” Exposition Homework: Climax Read Episode 2 Denouement Buffy S02E03 Binaries/Oppostions “School hard” Homework: Balance Read Episodes 4-8 Protagonist Buffy S02E09 Nemesis/Antagonist “What’s my line part 1” Stock characters Buffy S02E10 Internal conflict “What’s my line part 2” External conflict Homework: Momentum Read Episodes 11-12 Foreshadowing Plot twist/red herring Buffy S02E13 “Surprise” Voice Over Cliffhanger Montage Buffy S02E14 “Innocence” Flashback/Flashforward Homework: Makeover Read Episodes 15-16 Rites of passage Setting as metaphor MacGuffin Quest Deus ex Machina

Buffy S02E17 “Passion”

Verisimilitude Retardation Expectation Satisfaction

Homework: Read Episodes 18-20

Buffy exam

Buffy S02E21 “Becoming part 1” Buffy S02E22 “Becoming part 2”

Media 2.2 / (YEAR)

Achievement Standard 91249 / 2.2 v.1 Demonstrate understanding of narrative in media texts Credits: 4

“Being Human Season 1”

Student Instructions Sheet In this activity, you will show that you understand narrative conventions in visual media, and explain and examine the links between narrative conventions and audience and purpose. You will have made notes in the course of viewing four television episodes, and two unseen episodes. You will have six periods of class time to use these notes to view and write your final responses to the questions as well as time outside class to complete this assessment. Note: You will need to provide evidence from each of the assessed episodes 1.05 and 1.06 as the standard calls for an understanding of narrative in media texts. Careful selection in Conventions and Conflict section will help. For achievement, you will need to describe (give a detailed account) how the filmmaker’s use of narrative conventions contributes to the narrative, and make links to audience and purpose. You will need to do this successfully for at least one question from each section (four essay length responses in total). For merit, you will need to explain how the filmmaker’s use of narrative conventions contributes to the narrative. An explanation involves you supporting your comments with reasons and/or justification, and make links to audience and purpose. You will need to do this successfully for at least one question from each section (four essay length responses in total). For excellence, you will need to examine how the filmmaker’s use of narrative conventions contributes to the narrative. Examining the text involves you analysing the broader implications of conventions usage within the media texts, and make sophisticated links to audience and purpose. You will need to do this successfully for at least one question from each section (four essay length responses in total). Opportunity will be given to you to view selected scenes again. Achievement

Achievement with Merit

Achievement with Excellence

•

• Demonstrate in-depth understanding of narrative in media texts.

• Demonstrate critical understanding of narrative in media texts.

Demonstrate understanding of narrative in media texts.

CONVENTIONS

CHARACTER

CONFLICT

STRUCTURE

I state here that ALL work presented for this assessment is my own work; Signed:

Date

CONVENTIONS

2.2 | Narrative exam Being Human – S01E05 and S01E06

1. Explain/examine the purpose of the cliffhanger at the end of Episode 5 and consider its impact and effectiveness on the broader narrative and the audience. Use specific examples to support your answer. 2.

Explain/examine the purpose of the flashback at the start of Episode 6 between George and Mitchell and consider its impact and effectiveness on the broader narrative and the audience. Use specific examples to support your answer.

3. Select a narrative convention used in these final two episodes from the list below and explain/examine the purpose of it and impact on the narrative. Use specific examples to support your answer. • Voice over • Plot voucher • Plot twist/red herring • Deus ex machina CONFLICT 4.

Focusing on the Annie vs. Owen external conflict which culminates in the confrontation scene at the end of Episode 5, explain/examine the importance of this conflict and the effectiveness of the resolution is for the audience. Use supporting evidence from the episodes in your answer.

5. Focusing on Mitchell’s internal conflict between being human and his vampire nature, explain/examine how this has been inevitable because of events that have previously taken place. Use supporting evidence from the episodes in your answer. CHARACTER 6. The 3 main characters are very different at the end of the season than they are when we first meet them. Choosing either Mitchell, George or Annie explain/examine how narrative and technical conventions (listed below) have been used to develop or change your chosen character throughout the season as revealed in the final episode (1.06). Use supporting evidence from the episodes of Being Human in your answer. 7. The focus of the show is the struggle these three main characters have with wanting to be human despite their supernatural affliction. Explain/examine which of the three characters is ‘more’ human by the end of the season. Use conventions and supporting evidence from the episodes of Being Human in your answer. • •

Costume Performance

• •

Lighting/Colour Composition/Framing

STRUCTURE 8. Explain/examine how the rising tension throughout the whole season culminates in the final episode. Consider its overall impact and effectiveness at maintaining audience interest. Use supporting evidence from the episodes in your answer. 9. Narrative resolution is supposed to leave the audience satisfied – especially at the end of a season. Explain/examine the effectiveness of the season resolution and denouement for the audience at the end of the final episode. Use supporting evidence from the episodes in your answer.

How this assessment meets the standard link back to previous episodes so can Discuss might be better, though pushing students to the top band is an option.

As per the note on the front page, students would need to actively consider their choices so that they can demonstrate understanding across two texts. This choice would be clear in the first two sections, however in the latter sections, they would able to apply knowledge and show evidence from multiple episodes.

Selected features is part of the standard and helps get more directed responses.

These are somewhat single text specific yet they work as warm-up responses. And often students link back to previous episodes so can meet the criteria.

Same here. If you provide some aspect of the text – however broad – they can elaborate on it. Student-choice responses work well as often they spot something in the text you didn’t see.

These questions are episode specific yet require a discussion and understanding of the conflict occurring across the previous episodes. This allows the students to understand that conflict in narratives is not just one-off events.

#7 is a somewhat more directed version of #6 as it gives students something more concrete to build towards. It’s almost more comfortable in that sense.

Interestingly students do massive compare/ contrast responses about all three and almost cover the whole assessment in one question. Which is not advisable.

These questions have technical close-reading components yet are narratively-driven in that the focus is regarding the character developing.

Again these two questions guide them to specific conventions while allowing them the freedom to answer on multiple episodes. Hopefully, it’s apparent that the components of this assessment move from a narrow convention/text focus up to a much broader/multiple text view.

Exemplar A – Low Achieved Convention (A3)

OVERALL STATEMENT: This student has made a poor choice by answering on Episode 1.05 for the first two sections yet uses 1.06 for a later response. Overall the responses are merely descriptive and just sufficiently show an understanding of narrative features in media texts.

In the closing moments of Episode 5 we see a narrative convention presented in the form of a cliffhanger to attract the audience to watch the next episode. In this episode, the cliffhanger involves Mitchell being stabbed by Herrick in an attempt to remove him as a threat and Annie being offered her closure in the form of the door to go to her death, having completed her confrontation with Owen, whilst Mitchell is dying. The purpose of the cliffhanger is to offer the highest level of tension as well as building audience intrigue leading up to the final episode; this ties in with the rising tension that is present within a generic narrative structure. As the second to last episode of the first season, the cliffhanger ensures that the audience will return for the finale in order to see the outcome of Herrick stabbing Mitchell and Annie’s ‘door’ appearing. The effect of the cliffhanger used in the episode is to provide a temporary break in the normal pace of the narrative. Conflict (A3)

An important narrative convention in serial dramas is external conflict. This is conflict which happens between two or more people and creates tension in the story for the audience. Tension is important in any story as it gives the narrative momentum. In episode 5 of the TV series ‘Being Human’, there is external conflict between Annie and Owen, he has found himself a new girlfriend and Annie has found out that Owen killed her. Annie then seeks revenge on Owen and she does this by standing up to him in hope that threatening him will resolve their conflict. Annie threatens Owen by saying, “I am diamonds and bones, sapphire and….steel.” This was how Annie attempted to threaten Owen, as you can see she stutters and it wasn’t threatening at all. “Even death couldn’t stop one of your sulks.” Owen simply stands up to Annie and briskly walks off without any worries. This conflict is important as the audience likes Annie and has wanted her to find a way of getting back at Owen, when this confrontation fizzles out it means Owen has won the conflict and the audience are eager to see if anything happens next. Character (A3)

A character that has developed throughout the episodes is George. During the end of the season we see that George has finally accepted his being of a Werewolf. This is important to the plot because it shows that George is finally accepting himself in the world for what he is. A main example of this narrative character development is shown through George’s statement to Herrick, who claims that George embracing the beast in order to defeat him

The student has identified and defined the narrative feature of the cliffhanger. This is a description of the example. To achieve more securely the student should have used a relevant quote. This statement describes the purpose of the convention and links to the context of the episode.

The student has identified and defined the narrative feature of the external conflict. The example is more detailed with a quote and does establish context yet is very plot heavy.

This statement describes the purpose of the convention and links to the audience.

The student has loosely covered the importance of character development to the overall narrative. The example is more detailed with a quote and does establish context yet is very plot heavy.

will show him losing the last bit of humanity he has, to which George replies, “Haven’t you worked it out yet? Humanity is about love, and sacrifice. This doesn't rob me of my humanity. It proves it.” George is presented as being unstable due to Mitchell’s self-inflicted sacrifice that he intends to achieve by going up against Herrick, whilst Annie is saying that she has to move on and this leaves him in an emotional state, and through this performance we can see that he develops his independence and understanding of self and goes against Mitchell whom he often treated as his superior, and instead organizes to face Herrick himself. The use of costuming is recognized when the showdown with George and Herrick arises, George abandoned his clothes which is normal for him before transforming, this is important to the plot as it shows that he has accepted who is naturally is. Structure (A3)

A technique that was used throughout the season of Being Human was rising tension. Rising tension is the gradual rise of suspense, this tension is a result of the basic conflict that exists and makes the story interesting. In this case, we see rising tension in the disequilibrium of their own existence. When George, Anne and Mitchell all first meet, everything is fine, but that is thrown away by the actions and personal connections of the three of them. All of them clash together with conflict and binary; Annie being her conflict with Owen. Mitchell being his conflict with the vampires and Lauren, and finally, George with accepting of himself, acceptance of his curse. These conflicts result in a rise of tension which helps to maintain audience interest. Herrick says, “So, a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire decide to live like humans do. They get jobs, a house and a TV license. They make friends they will lie to, take lovers they will infect; In fact, the only part of humanity they successfully adopt is its ability to deceive and destroy.” This shows us that no matter what George, Mitchell and Anne do, they will always infect or harm the civilians around them despite their attempts. Rising tension is seen during the vampire plot, which threatens the group. Each character learns something about themselves which aids the defeat of Herrick. This rising tension comes to a halt as Herrick has died and it has left the audience with satisfaction of the completion.

The student weakly describes the use of performance in relation to character development. This doesn’t really add anything to the discussion and follows a shot-gun approach.

The student has defined the narrative feature of rising tension. The student tries to apply the feature to the text, but is very general. This gets muddled when they mention conflict and binary without clarity. However, the quote is well-chosen and brings the discussion back into line. The student links the quote to the contribution to the narrative in a good description yet lacks any substantive attempt to explain the contribution.

Exemplar B - Merit

CONVENTIONS RESPONSE (M6)

OVERALL STATEMENT: This student shows potential for Excellence yet does not support the implications with wider evidence which undermines the impact of their discussion. Brings in narrative theory yet the discussion is superficial and lacks conviction to demonstrate critical understanding.

A narrative convention used in the 5th episode of ‘Being Human’ was a cliffhanger, which was used to end the episode. A cliffhanger is a plot device where a movie/show suddenly ends, often leaving the main character(s) in a precarious situation. An ideal cliffhanger should leave the audience in suspense and anxious to see the next episode to see how things turn out. Episode 5 ends with a very effective cliffhanger. The tension throughout the whole episode is slowly building up to this moment. Just as Annie is about to enter a mysterious door symbolizing death, there is a knock at the main door of the flat; Mitchell answers it, only to be suddenly stabbed by Herrick. The episode then ends with George holding Mitchell on the floor and Annie contemplating whether she should take her opportunity and leave or whether to stay and try to help save Mitchells life. The writer’s purpose with this cliffhanger is to leave the audience in suspense, to leave them wanting to know what is going to happen next. This means that the audience will be forced to watch the next and final episode in the season. The cliffhanger is always either at the end of an episode, or just before an ad break, making sure the audience will always return to see how things pan out. The purpose of the cliffhanger is to end a scene without actually resolving the tension. The natural narrative course is broken and the story cuts. At the end of episode 5, the tension is its very highest. After being assisted by the sudden plot twist of Mitchell spontaneously being stabbed, the tension jumps up once again. This puts the audience on the edge of their seat even more only to be left there when the episode ends. The audience will then return to watch the 6th episode to see how things are resolved. At the start of the 6th episode, the tension is not immediately resolved, a flashback is shown at the start, showing the audience as to how this all started; how Mitchell and George met. This makes the audience wait even longer to find out what happened after the last episode ended. Cliffhangers are a convention that have been around for years, and are used in nearly every television show to date. Therefore, us as an audience are very used to the concept of having to wait for the next episode in a series to answer our long awaited questions and concepts of what exactly is going to happen. Even though sometimes cliffhangers can often frustrate the audience, it will always serve its purpose and we will always come back to watch the next installment. Often shows will have a cliffhanger at the end of every single episode, trying to get people to keep coming back. Then we go back to find out how they get out of the mess, we end up watching the whole episode and it happens again, we are left with another cliffhanger and we just keep falling into this trap that modern day narratives repetitively use. It’s like it’s feeding our addiction. Although there are not always cliffhangers at the end of the episodes, there are commonly little mini ones just before the ad breaks, helping the tension to rise throughout the episodes. During the 6 episodes,

The student has identified and defined the narrative feature of the cliffhanger.

A quote would have been to round off this example yet is still detailed and is discussed in reference to the structure and tension.

The student explains the contribution of the cliffhanger with evidence to the narrative of the episode making a link between episodes.

The student touches on the implications of cliffhangers in general for audiences which shows wider knowledge yet is not supported with evidence either from Being Human or another serial drama.

every episode ends with the tension being resolved just before the show ends, apart from episode 5, which is the only one that ends with a cliffhanger. This cliffhanger in particular is placed strategically and is very effective for the audience. At episode 5 in a 6 episode series, it is arguably the highest point of tension in the whole season, which forces us to come back and watch the season finale.

The student explains the contribution of the cliffhanger to the tension and structure of the whole season.

CONFLICT RESPONSE (M6)

In the series ‘Being Human’ the convention of internal conflict can be seen through the character Mitchell as he decides whether to be a vampire or a human. Internal conflict involves the internal decisions, problems or challenges a character must overcome in order for the story to advance. The internal conflict that Mitchell finds himself in was due to the events leading up to it meaning that he must inevitable face the decision of whether to stay in Human form and continue to try lead a normal life, or let the vampire inside of him shine through. One of the first events that lead to him facing this decision can be seen in one of the first episodes when Mitchell is seen speaking to a lady that fancies him and is trying to ask him back to her place whilst they are at a pub together. The difficulty Mitchell is having deciding whether he wants to or not can be seen in his dialogue, he responds to her request to go back to her apartment; “I want to, I really do, it’s just well, I can’t, it’s not me it’s you”. Despite Mitchell wanting to go out with his fellow work colleague Becca, he knows that if he lets his vampire side take over; things will go bad, like it did with his last date Lauren, who he turns into a vampire. Later in the series, in episode 4, Mitchell’s indecision of whether he wants to be human or vampire (his internal conflict) results in his identity as a vampire being uprooted by the human world when a DVD of some of his ‘vampire porn’ falls into the hands of a young boy, resulting in an uproar from his local community. Lauren reacts; “ But everything you said about moving on from that vampire life, it was all a lie” The indecision that Mitchell experiences is the main cause of this incident as his refusal to dispose of this DVD causes it to fall into the wrong hands. This internal conflict can be heard by the audience in Mitchell’s voice over “Where do I belong? Where do I fit? Who are MY people? Where do my loyalties lie?” According to theorist Levi Strauss conflict is the binary of all narratives, this can be seen in the series being human as it is the external and internal conflicts shared between characters that creates the story line. The purpose of internal conflict in the narrative is that it gives the viewer a deeper understanding of the character as it portrays their view points that they may not express externally. It also gives the narrative momentum as all conflict must be resolved. These small examples of internal conflict build up to a greater internal conflict in Mitchell, whether he helps the vampires, or completely go against them to continue to pursue a normal human life. Without these small internal conflicts the greater decision would not be as important and may not

The student has identified the narrative feature of internal conflict. The student takes a big picture look at the internal conflict the character is facing.

The quote is a good choice to support the idea of internal conflict as it features stammering, incomplete thoughts.

Here the student explains the context of the internal conflict and contribution to the narrative, linking to narrative theory. Evidence is cited which supports this , however, the discussion is not sustained throughout. The student touches on examining the implications of the contribution to the narrative.

even eventuate as in the context of the story would not be effective. The internal conflict of Mitchell gives the audience a deeper understanding of the character as it gives them a dimension of understanding that they may not observe without it. It also makes the character more relatable as everyone has internal conflicts and by giving a character the same characteristics of the audience makes the audience connect deeper with them.

Here the audience is considered which can further support the explanation and lend itself to discussing implications.

CHARACTER RESPONSE (E7)

In ‘Being Human’ there are numerous narrative conventions throughout the season. Two main conventions were Internal Conflict and Rite of Passage. Internal conflict involves the internal decisions or problems a character must overcome within their own mentality to advance in the narrative. A rite of passage is a turning point in a narrative where a character must overcome a challenge or complete a task to prove themselves. This is often used in male characters to show them proving themselves as men, in female characters a makeover is often used similarly. In ‘Being Human’ George is continuously in denial about being a werewolf. He tries to separate this secret life from his normal day to day life because he can’t bear to see them mix together as he fears that they will eventually become one. As the season goes on however, George finally starts to realize that it is part of him and there is nothing he can do about it apart from trying to accept it. His internal conflict is trying to keep this big secret from his girlfriend Nina, as he doesn’t want to hurt her – emotionally or physically. The purpose of the rite of passage in ‘Being Human’ is to indicate to the audience that George is beginning to move further away from denial of his secret life while the purpose of the internal conflict is to show the inner battles he must go through to finally get to the stage of full acceptance. The effect of having this internal conflict is to see George’s more personal, affectionate side and creating a closer connection between him and the audience. George is trying to decide whether he should stay with Nina and be happy even though she’s at risk of being hurt, or whether he should end it now before something bad happens later on. We see this play out in the 5th episode when George: says to Nina, “You think I'm having a down day, I'm not. Trust me. There is stuff you don't know about me. Really dark, dangerous, nasty stuff and when you do know it, you'll walk. So I’m only cutting to the chase.“ This quote demonstrates the conflict he is battling with, although he wants to be with Nina, he knows something bad will happen if he doesn’t stop it immediately. George’s rite of passage of accepting he is a werewolf is easily understood by the audience as everyone has had to accept something and move on before. George’s werewolf occurrence can be linked to real life issues like deaths of loved ones or being in a serious injury and getting paralyzed etc. Although it is very sad, nothing can be done and the only thing to do is accept it, move on and just try to live with it. His internal conflict he faces obviously comes under the same umbrella as most people can relate to the inner battles

Two narrative features are identified, defined and clearly linked to character development within the narrative.

Here, the example is descriptive and details the character throughout the season.

This statement explains the purpose of the convention and links to the context of the episode.

At this point the evidence is more detailed and supported by a good quote which supports the discussion.

Here, the student links the narrative feature to the audience, and places the usage into context.

that he faces on his way to acceptance. The internal conflict also helps develop a character and lets the audience watch how they grow and change over time, making it a more personal experience for the audience. As they change over time, the audience will start to feel a connection with each character as they feel like they personally know them.

Here the implications of the contribution are considered in detail with supporting evidence. This lifts this response to a solid Excellence

In the series ‘Being Human’ the rising tension throughout the series culminates up to the final episode is caused by events such as external conflict between characters. The convention of rising tension is caused by different turning points in the narrative as well as conflict between characters it builds up the storyline towards the climax. One of the first instances of this conflict can be seen between Mitchell and Lauren. It arises over Lauren ‘egging’ Mitchell on to kill his date for the night, Becca. Mitchell refuses to kill her and attempts to convince Lauren to leave the vampires and try to live and normal life like he is trying to do himself. After a small row, Lauren ignores Mitchell’s advice and kills Becca, Mitchell in his anger asks why she did it, she responds, “You did this! You made me this, Mitchell! This is all your fault” according to Todorov’s theory, this can be seen as the disequilibrium as the presence of Lauren has caused the equilibrium to be disturbed as conflict has arisen from a disagreement over what’s right. It can also be more commonly observed in the more known structure of narratives as the first crossing or passing through an obstacle as Lauren offers resistance to Mitchell journey. Later in the series external conflict can be seen again when Mitchell’s DVD containing vampire porn accidently slips into a young boys hands and his mother finds out. The boy’s mother then makes it her mission to ensure that the 3 are labeled as freaks and conflict is inevitably created between them. “Why would you keep the DVD?” “I didn’t keep it, just didn’t throw it out” “but what about all those things you said about moving on, putting that vampire lifestyle behind you was all a lie” Mitchell feels that the rising tension is mainly attributed to his foolish actions, he knows that his fight with the Head Vampire Herrick will lead to the death of him or his one of his friends, he then sets the date of the fight with Herrick to ensure that George doesn’t get hurt “Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? That's when I transform; I won't be able to be there” “BECAUSE it's when you transform and you won't be able to be there.” External conflict was used throughout the narrative as the individual instances of conflict can be seen as turning points. These turning points are what create this rising tension as without these things that need to overcome the narrative would not be able to keep audiences watching. These acts of external conflict were effective in foreshadowing a much greater act of conflict to come in the narrative. They are effective as rising tension is created and developed as more instances of conflict occur throughout the story line. Without these acts of conflict the story would not gain momentum and therefore audience interest would be non-

The structural device of rising tension is placed within the context of the series and linked to other narrative features.

STRUCTURE RESPONSE (M6)

An early example is used and linked to narrative theory signaling the start of rising tension.

Rising tension is linked to The Hero’s Journey just not explicitly.

Rising tension is progressed through examples across the season and linked to the high stakes of the season.

Rising tension is explained using the external conflict as a contributing narrative feature, with some attempt at evaluation. This is insufficient for Excellence as it is discussed in broad, general terms.

existent. Rising tension is essential in the narrative mainly for the purpose of keeping the audience hooked. Rising tension makes the narrative interesting but most of all gripping, ensuring that viewers will remain hooked to the series so they can see how characters are affected when this rising tension finally over boils to the climax and then to the Denouement

Here, the student links the narrative feature to the audience, and places the usage into context.

Exemplar C – Excellence

CONVENTIONS (E8)

OVERALL STATEMENT: This student weaves evidence throughout explanation and examination and considers the implications on the narrative as well as audience and the broader serial drama genre. Student has a thorough understanding of narrative theory, applying it well.

Flashbacks are a narrative convention used to give the audience insight into a characters past at essential moments in the text. Where information may not have been so relevant if done in chronological order, a flashback allows the director to feed the audience information where it is necessary and most effective. Flashbacks can also bring context or meaning to the narrative where it would have otherwise seemed shallow. A flashback is usually indicated by either a change in lighting, style of cinematography, voice overs, on screen text or a combination of these.

The use of a flashback is seen at the start of episode six when George and Mitchell meet for the first time. A group of vampires have come to the café George is working at and after discovering his supernatural abilities, proceed to physically abuse him. The vampires are intent on killing him, and it is only because of Mitchell that George escapes with his life. Mitchell then tells him, “You’re going to have to leave. They’ll come back, they always do. I’m sorry.” It is at this next point that we gain more insight into George’s character when he replies, “And then what?! I can’t keep… I’ve lost everything. I’ve had this for six months, and now there are vampires? And they want to kill me, so I have to leave… again. And then what?!” This scene provides vital information into the history of George and Mitchell’s relationship and allows the audience to relate and feel more invested into George’s situation. The purpose of a flashback is predominantly to provide extra information to a text where it is most vital. Also, by changing the time periods within a narrative and avoiding straight line, chronologically ordered events, audience interest can be heightened. A flashback can change the way a story is told by using post-structuralism. This can add depth to the story and so improve the complexity of the narrative. As outline by Shklovsky, a narrative construction can be referred to in two ways, the fabula and syuzhet. The fabula is the raw material of a story, and syuzhet, the way a story is organized. This means that while the fabula is always in chronological order as it refers to what actually happened, the syuzet can be in mixed time frames as it refers to the way in which the story is told. This includes the use of flashbacks and flashforwards. The effect Mitchell and George’s flashback has on the episode is to create a sense of understanding for the audience about Mitchell and George’s relationship. This jump backwards in time gives the audience insight into a small but vital fragment of the bond between these ‘two souls, united by fear and solitude’. In an episode that will test their friendship and commitment to each other, the flashback served as a great basis on which to start. It also brought in a reference point to which George reminded Mitchell of, “Do you

The student has identified and defined the narrative feature of the flashback. There is a sophisticated understanding of the purpose and construction of a flashback.

This is a detailed example which combines action and quote to provide context without retelling the whole plot.

A brief explanation of the example in context with the rest of the narrative.

The explanation is developed here with a link to narrative theory. It would have been good for the student to link back to the example yet holistically this is covered in the response.

The student examines the implications of the flashback’s contribution to the narrative within the context of the example and the episode, with supporting evidence.

remember when we met? I was being attacked but you saved me and you told me I had to get away and then I said, and then what? I have this thing hanging about me that I can’t leave behind so my life will always be, and then what?” This is the moment at which we think their friendship is coming to an end, and so having it link to the start of the episode so strongly gives the audience a feeling of sad, yet complete fulfillment. In terms of the broader narrative, this use conventions makes the next plot twist and in turn the final resolution so much more enjoyable.

Manipulation of time, such as the use of flashbacks, is an effective way of holding audience attention, if done well. Today’s audiences have come to expect complex media texts and are much better at comprehending narrative structures than audiences of the past. Due to this many narratives are played out in post-structuralist formats. By manipulating time and avoiding linear narratives, the director is able to create clever links between past and present, convincing the audience to feel as though the entire story was predetermined and fits perfectly in place. As in episode six of Being Human, the flashback serves as a reminder of how strong the bond between Mitchell and George has become and how important the root of their coming together is. And so when in the final scene George proves his love and ‘humanity’ towards Mitchell by fighting Heric himself, it is received by the audience with far greater warmth and meaning than if the flashback had not preceded it. The flashback also provides contrast and gives the audience a feeling of contentment and resolution as we can see where George once was, compared to where he is in the final scene – at home with his family.

The student examines the implications of the flashback on the audience.

The student examines the implications of the feature’s contribution to the narrative within the context of the example.

CONFLICT (E8)

Conflict is a convention used in almost all media texts. It provides interest, tension and usually the base of a text’s plot. Binary oppositions are how most conflicts arise and it is the quest of one side of the binary that forces the other to respond. Conflict can be either external or internal, in the case of Annie and Owen it is an external conflict with a good vs. evil / male vs. female / victim vs. victimiser binary. An example of this conflict can be seen in episode 5 when the tension culminates in a confrontation scene at the house. Owen walks in and begins saying, “to kill someone and get away with it… Your bullet proof, you’re a god.” Annie then replies, “You think you’re the big bad wolf… Look at you, so pleased with your grubby little murder. The fact is, when it comes to pure naked evil you’re an amateur… This is where the wild things are and we’ve got your scent now. We can find you at the edge of the earth and create unimaginable tortures.” It is here that she finally dominates, pushing Owen into a state of paranoid schizophrenia so that he admits to her murder in the

The student has identified and defined the narrative feature of external conflict, and made a link to the concept of binary opposition.

While this paragraph is basically the whole quote, it is a good choice that resolves the conflict and develops the character.

hope of being protected by the police. This twist in the narrative allows some level of resolution for Annie as her murder has finally been accounted for.

The purpose of this external conflict between Annie and Owen is to help Annie develop as a character. At the start of the series Annie is still in love with Owen. She grieves for the life with him that she has lost and tries to be his ‘guardian angel’. In episode three Annie finds out that Owen pushed her down the stairs and is therefore her murderer. This initiates their conflict as Annie seeks revenge and some sort of closure to her death. From here on the conflict is a source of rising tension and is used to create drama in the text. The final confrontation brings about an ending to the conflict and allows Annie to move on in her (after) life. She has changed and developed as a character and is strengthened by her newly acquired knowledge and confidence.

The effect this conflict, and finally its resolution, has on the audience is to create interest and drama around Annie’s character. It is the main theme of her ‘story’ and while the series develops, extracts of her life and movement with Owen are included and advanced. As the tension builds and the audience realises just how evil and sadistic Owen is, we come to fear that she may never find a resolution to her death. The audience is able to become involved with Annie and her predicament through the power shifts between her and Owen. Finally, in the confrontation scene, they come face to face for the last time. Annie is able to attain a rare confidence and fight back. This binary opposition of male vs. female and victim vs. victimiser reaches a peak. While there is a sense that Annie is the underdog, historically the weaker binary as the female victim, she is still able to dominate. Levi-Strauss theorised that one binary cannot exist without the other, as they are opposites and the meaning of one becomes irrelevant if the other does not exist. He says that conflict arises when these two binaries meet and society will usually favour one over the other, depending on the culture. In our culture, the most common assumption is that females are as victimised by males. Therefore it feels natural for the audience to invest themselves in the wellbeing of Annie. So when she finally beats Owen, despite having put him in a terrible state, the audience feels relieved and pleased by this new resolution, making it an effective way of deepening the bond between character and audience.

Conflict is extremely unsettling for the audience if no resolution is reached or can be anticipated in the future. This means that the resolution is just as important as the conflict itself, as it brings closure and finality for both the characters within the narrative and the audience. In Being Human, Annie and Owen’s conflict is a major theme and plot devise. Not only does it provide a narrative arc for Annie’s story, from which she can prove herself and overcome narrative trials, it also creates situations where her character is

The explanation is simplistic yet considers the purpose of the external conflict with regard to character development and discusses it in relation to other conventions.

The student examines the implications of the conflict’s contribution to the narrative and character within the context of the example. There is a substantial link to the theory of binary opposition. There is critical understanding of the audience within the use and execution of the convention in this narrative.

The student examines the implications of the conflict on the audience and the audience’s engagement with the character.

able progress and open up to the audience. Without some sort of trial or challenge her character would seem weak and there would be no sense of a growing relationship between Annie and the audience. This is needed if her resolution is to have the desired impact. Because we become so involved with Annie and almost live through her struggles, when she finally overcomes the main source of conflict and unhappiness in her life there is a great sense of relief and resolve attached to her triumph. The effectiveness of this resolution is only so, due to the prior build of conflict, tension and drama before the final confrontation. Because we become so involved with Annie, her triumph almost feels like a personal victory, and so we know that the audience has become truly invested in her character.

The student continues to examine the implications of the conflict’s contribution to the narrative and character development within the context of the example.

CHARACTER (E7)

A huge development is seen throughout the series with George’s character. This is achieved through both a change in Russell Tovey’s performance and the use of technical conventions such as lighting/colour. The way a set is lit, or the tint that is used, helps to create the mise en scène of a shot and so can be used to symbolize developments within a character. An example of this is seen in episode six. The opening scene, where George is working in a café, is shot with a definite blue tint and in partial darkness. This indicates to the audience that George is going through a dark, miserable time in his life. These conventions are used to create a mood with which the audience can relate to, as we have been conditioned to associate certain colours with different moods. This contrasts with a scene further on in the episode when George is regaining a connection with his religious side and it is shot in a warm soft light. The continuous use of colour and lighting helps aid the audience in recognizing George’s progression throughout the episode.

The purpose of these conventions is to create moods and vibes with which the audience can relate. By changing the lighting or colour of a scene the director can easily set the tone and give hints to the audience about the nature of the scene. This can be very useful in building tension and giving away information without using dialogue. As seen in the flashback at the beginning of episode six, the use of a blue tint immediately forewarns us that something grave is going to take place. Not only does this enhance the scene itself as the mise en scène is improved, it also creates tension because danger is being foreshadowed. The effect this has on the scene is to also manipulate the audience’s view of a character’s performance. Because the lighting and colour has forewarned us of the intention of the scene, it is much easier to imagine that the character is acting to fit this roll. It changes the way we interpret the character’s actions and so can be used to maximize their development. As with George, there is a noticeable shift away from dark, shadowy and sketchy lighting into stronger,

The student has identified two technical features as being significant to the narrative development of the character George.

This is a detailed example which combines technical close reading with character discussion to support the rest of the response.

The explanation of the purpose of the lighting and colour is direct and makes a link to example.

The student examines the implications of the performance and lighting/ colour to the character development and makes links to media theory.

brighter and warmer lighting systems as his character develops into a strong, secure, trustworthy friend and lover. As discussed by Andre Bazin, the mise en scène of a visual text is extremely important in creating aesthetics and emphasizing movement within the scene. This includes colour and lighting which have a huge effect in determining how the audience will decipher a scene. For the audience to enjoy a character and feel that the levels of verisimilitude are high enough to create a believable persona, characters must develop and change throughout a narrative. It is extremely boring and unsatisfying for a character to begin the narrative a certain way and then after completing many tasks and trials end the story as much the same person. Development and change is key to a successful and audience enthralling character. This is most often seen through a change in performance but can also be capitalized on by the use of appropriate colour and lighting. George’s character changes in many ways from the beginning to the end of the series. Where at first he could barely acknowledge his condition without becoming defensive, by the end of the season he has learnt to control his werewolf and use it as a positive side of his identity. These changes are fully revealed in the final episode and it is through the director’s careful use of colour and lighting that we can fully understand what George is going through and the emotions related to his changes. Audiences of western culture have learnt to associate certain connotations with different colours and lights, this can and is used to the advantage of the film maker to help transfer information to the audience. Because of this the director must be very aware of their choices in colour and lighting when filming a scene. This was seen all through season one of Being Human, where colour and lighting continually helped to build our understanding of George and progress his development until in the last scene he is shot under a clear bright light within the warm colored walls of his home. Both representative of his happiness and security.

The student examines the implications of the character development to the narrative within the context of the text.

The student examines the implications on the audience and their engagement with the character.

STRUCTURE (E7)

Rising tension is a narrative convention used with great care and importance in all episodes of Being Human. While each episode individually has a sense of rising tension before a climax and then the final denouement/resolution, overall the entire season also follows this pattern. This is seen in culmination of tension and apprehension in the final episode. Without continually rising levels of tension a narrative would seem dull and boring, the audience must feel like the story is heading towards a final climatic moment for the narrative to hook and hold their attention, as was seen throughout Being Human.

An example of this rising tension throughout the season and its culmination in the final episode is that of the inevitable conflict between Mitchell and

The student identifies rising tension within the seasonal narrative, and discusses its significance within general terms.

Heric, a good vs. evil binary. Every episode plays a vital part in building the tension, background and storyline to the final climatic moment in episode six. But the culmination and height of this tension is seen throughout the final episode. For example, the use of quick cut editing between Mitchell and Heric as they prepare for the battle on the rooftop, has the effect of a clock counting down the seconds. This builds tension and increases audience interest.

Rising tension builds momentum throughout a narrative and is the most useful and used tool in enhancing audience interest. Without a sense of heightening tension and pressure most narrative twists or turning points lack believability and affect. Conflict, whether internal or external, need some level of rising tension to precede it as a way to involve the audience and create a feeling that the hero is risking themselves or something they love. There must be a sense of personal loss or risk attached to the conflict for it to have the desired effect on the audience; this is most easily achieved by increasing tension. Again this can apply to each episode individually and/or the entire season as a whole. As Gustav Freytag outlined, a narrative must have a series of turning points all with increasing levels of importance and fatal consequence. The tension of the narrative must also rise until the final push, which then results in the climax. After this final conflict the tension will drop and the new equilibrium will be found, it is this resolution that allows the audience some reward for their involvement within the text and their rising levels of anxiety. The effect rising tension has on the audience is to build a sense of unease and insecurity about the characters fate. As seen in the final episode, the audience is lead to believe that Mitchell is extremely unlikely to win his fight against Heric and is therefore making the ultimate sacrifice so as to save his friends. While the scene cuts between Heric preparing, and Mitchell waiting on the roof top, the levels of tension rise and the reality of Mitchell’s situation sink in. It is this anxiety and apprehension that makes the next plot twist so much more satisfying for the audience. When we find out George has sabotaged fight and is taking on Heric himself the audience involvement is much greater and so the text is improved as a whole. The overall effectiveness of rising tension on increasing audience interest is dependent upon its structure. While a text will be dull and boring if there is no sense of increased tension, it can also have negative effects on the audience if tension rises too quickly or seems to be ever increasing without pause. For the audience to be most involved they must feel as though the hero/heroine accomplishes task and is then rewarded for them before moving onto the next challenge, in other words tension must drop slightly after each turning point before peaking at an even higher point for the next plot twist. Today’s audience have come to expect complex narrative structures and clever plot twists, so, as seen in Being Human, a text is most

This is simply a described example which combines technical close reading with narrative tension. Thankfully the example is discussed further in the rest of the response.

Here the student explains rising tension in a very general sense and links easily to other conventions considering the purpose overall, though without a direct link to the studied text.

The student examines the implications of the narrative structure and rising tension with strong links to the text and narrative theory.

The student evaluates the implications of the structure of the episode and overall season’s narrative on the audience and their engagement with the show.

relevant and fulfilling when multiple storylines overlap and intertwine. In Being Human each episode has a narrative arc which could stand alone by itself but also plays a role in the arc of the entire season. The levels of tension rise with each episode, until finally tension is culminated in episode six where consequences are most fatal and all characters risk great personal loss. It is because of this continuity between episodes and links between characters that the rising tension is so effective and so successfully enthrals the audience. Conflict between both Heric and Mitchell and Heric and George is foreshadowed continuously throughout the series and so the levels of rising tension very effectively insure audience interest. The overall impact of rising tension in the narrative is to create a link between characters and audience, while the character must go through stressful and high tension situations, so must the watcher. This creates a link between audience and character, which is the basis on which a good narrative stands.

The student examines the implications of the feature’s contribution to the narrative within the context of the example. It’s the second half of this paragraph which pushes it comfortably to Excellence.