Friday 17 March 2017

Media A2 - Planning



Scene #
Shot
Type
Description
Done?
1 – intro
1
Close-up, pan down
Using a 70-300mm lens. Shot of tree branches

2 – Muslim figure walking through forest pathway
1
Medium shot, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. Shot of the Muslim figure walking

2.1 – Muslim figure walking through forest pathway
2
Medium shot, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. Shot of the Muslim figure walking, but this time with his hood on

2.2 – Muslim figure running through forest pathway
3
Medium shot, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. Shot of Muslim figure running, presumably we don’t know why, and adds action/enigma codes

3 – Muslim figure walking through the forest’s open area
1
Medium shot, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens.  Shot of Muslim figure walking through the forest’s open area where he is vulnerable

4 – Establishing shot of tunnel where the Muslim figure comes across
1
Long shot, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. A static dolly shot that establishes the tunnel where the Muslim figure is about to encounter a group of black men

4.1 – Shot where the group of black men are first introduced
2
Long shot, stationary shot
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. A stationary shot that introduces the group of black men as they’re having a conversation

4.2 – Shot of the group of black men noticing the Muslim figure walking by
3
Medium shot, tilting left and right
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. A tilting shot that presents the group of black men’s reaction to seeing the Muslim figure

4.3 – Shot of the group of black men’s hostility towards the Muslim figure
4
Medium close-up, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. A medium close-up static shot that follows the Muslim figure, as well as the black men cursing at him

5 – Muslim figure travels back home walking
1
Medium shot, stabilized and slowmotion
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. A medium shot of the Muslim figure walking, as well as posing a very monotonous body position when walking

5.1 – Muslim figure arrives home and contemplates
2
Medium close-up, stationary
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. A medium close-up of the Muslim figure’s reaction, however doesn’t still present his face to keep the enigma code and ambiguousness

5.2 – Muslim figure reaches for his drawers
3
Close-up, stationary
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens.  A close-up of the Muslim figure reaching to his drawers

5.3 – Muslim figure stops searching his drawers and looks up to his mirror
4
Close-up, panning up
Using a standard 18-55mm kit lens. Close-up of the Muslim figure’s facial expression, which then the camera slowly pans up showing his reflection on a mirror

5.4 – Muslim figure starts to hallucinate
5

Series of a montage that flickers and plays simultaneously, and reinforces his misery


Friday 3 February 2017

MEST4 Preliminary exercise: Evaluation

1) Why did you choose this particular recreation and how does it link to your main production?
We as group chose to recreate a music video of JME due to the fact that we believed it would help us in our main production. This is the case as the music video we recreated shows the representation of young black males in Britain. We felt that this would link to our investigations as we investigated the representation of different ethnic minority groups.

2) What difficulties did you face in producing this recreation?
The main difficulty we faced was most defiantly casting and finding the right people to help us shoot the recreation. This was the case as it was hard to rely on people to turn as this recreation required more than 10 people to be in the video.

3) What are the strengths of the production?
One strength was that we tried followed the same choreography that they did in the video. This is the case as the video required a lot of movement due to the intensity of the music and the artist.

4) What aspects would you look to improve?
We would look to improve some of the costume. This is the case as darnel wasn’t wearing the exact same clothing as JME in the music video.

5) What lessons will you take from this process that will help you with your main production?
Being able to work at all times and producing at a high quality because of the camera settings. Also, we need to makes sure that the people we need are reliable and will turn to the shooting sessions we do in the course of producing our main production.


6) Now that you are ready to start your actual linked production, explain clearly what you will be creating and how confident you are in delivering this.
We'll be creating a music video with three different running narratives of three protagonists from different ethnic minorities and the decisions they make that will define their character. I am quite confident of delivering this piece of work we get everything right in terms of casting. This is essential as we need these characters to come to life.

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Recreation task

Name of the text you plan to recreate:
JME- ‘Man Don’t Care’

Scene/section you will recreate:
The opening 30 seconds

Location you will use for your recreation:
Drama studio

Actors you will require for your recreation:
Around at least 10 people

Props/costumes you will require for your recreation:
Black out outfit

Equipment you plan to use:
Dolly cam, lighting, spider cam,

Linked Production brief

Your Critical Investigation topic:
‘’To what extent does Narcos reflect the representation of Latinos/Hispanics in American Television?’’

Your Linked Production brief:
Music video on representation/misrepresentation ethnic minorities 

Length/size of production (e.g. 3 minutes, 5 pages etc.):
3minutes

Give an example of an existing media text this is similar to what you plan to produce:
United 93

Give an example of an institution that would produce or distribute your planned production:
Youtube

How would your production reach its audience?
The way in which my production will reach its audience is through entertainment.

Who do you plan to work with on this project?

John, 

Friday 9 December 2016

Critical investigation tutorial 09/12/16

Question – excellent, clear question and hypothesis. This will really help the essay – make sure the argument runs clearly through each section.

Introduction – Your introduction needs to answer the question, lay out the argument and mention the primary text and any secondary/historical texts. Present your angle/hypothesis. 200 words

Section 1 – Primary text: Narcos. You’ve currently got this over three different sections – I completely agree that you’ll want multiple paragraphs here (you always will for a major section of an essay) but I think it’s easier to view it as all part of the main primary text section. This means introducing the text, textual analysis and any related research/reviews etc. Make sure you’re addressing media key concepts, film language etc. Very detailed deconstruction please! You also need to make sure you offer quotes that analyse the issues (representation; Hispanics) rather than just tell the story from the programme. 600 words.

Section 2 – Wider context regarding Hispanics and American society. Statistics, social context etc. BUT you must link this to media – so make sure you’re looking at Hispanic representation (or under-representation) and perhaps discuss the fact that the rapid rise in Hispanic population has not been reflected by mainstream media. 300 words.

Section 3 – American TV; institutional context of Hispanic audience and importance to TV Networks. This should follow well from last paragraph but make sure it still is focused on the question… will the financial pressure on networks actually lead to more positive representations of Hispanics in American TV? 300 words.

Section 4 – secondary & historical texts: Breaking Bad and Tequila Sunrise. You could look into ‘24’ as a potential secondary/historical text (pretty sure one of the villains from a season was Hispanic/Mexican). 300 words.

Section 5 – Research: representation of Hispanics in the media. Stereotypes 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. 500 words. 

Section 6 – How will Hispanic representations change in the future? How will technology change this? Are Hispanics starting to take influential jobs in the media or using technology to attract a new audience? Will Trump change things? 300 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.

I need to have a quick read of your opening paragraph when it’s written but otherwise you are good to go.

This essay has great potential – the key is making sure that the research section in the middle about Hispanic representation is really strong – that is where the marks will come from. You may need to do a lot of additional research to have enough to write about here. 



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

Friday 2 December 2016

Essay Plan

Essay Plan
1.       Introduction - A brief description of my independent study and a discussion based on representation, stereotypes and moral panics (100-150)

Essay Question: ‘’To what extent does Narcos reflect the representation of Latinos/Hispanics in American Television?’’

Hypothesis: Latinos are represented in a negative light by American Television.

Introduction
My critical investigation is going to focus on the representation of Latinos/Hispanics in American Television. I will be analysing whether or not Latinos are being presented unfairly and negatively. I also be investigating whether different media text challenge or reinforces certain stereotypes.

Introduce Primary Text (100)
The media text I have investigating throughout my critical investigation is the Netflix original series ‘Narcos’. The institution of the show ‘Narcos’ is of course the well-known online network ‘Netflix’. The series was announced in April 2014, through a partnership deal struck between Netflix and Spanish language network Telemundo. The series is primarily written by Chris Brancato and directed by Brazilian filmmaker José Padilla, who directed the critically and commercially successful Elite Squad (2007), before directing its sequel in 2010. The target audience for this particular series is 16 to 40 year olds. Netflix employed Narcos as they want to tackle a new audience. The Latin American actors in the cast relished the opportunity to tell the Medellin story through a native prism. Despite the centrality of the D.E.A. to the story, “Narcos” is “not going to be about American good guys who go to a poor culture to save these poor people.

Narcos Representation (300)
The representation of Hispanics and Latinos in ‘Narcos’ reinforces the several of different stereotypes in our society and in American Television. In the Netflix original series Wagner Moura plays and portrays the Colombian drug lord as an egotistical, intelligent, murderer and power driven. I believe that this is the exact representation to expect from a drug lord…
Theories:  Perkins,

Narcos Textual Anaylsis (350)

Narcos - Pablo Escobar’s Shootout
In this scene we can see the shootout between Los Pepes and Pablo Escobar in one shot. At the beginning of the scene there is an encounter between Escobar’s wife Tata, Escobar and his mother in where they emphasises on how Escobar’s mother going to the church has put the family in risk as they are in hideout from Escobar’s sworn enemies Los Pepes and the Medellin Police…
Season 1 Episode 3: The Men Always
In this scene we can see that Pablo is with Valeria Vélez, who is Colombian journalist who also serves as Pablo Escobar's mistress throughout all of season 1, are in bedroom about to have intercourse. We can see Escobar’s intentions to move away from his drug trafficking operation and into the political sphere.

Latinos struggles in American society (200)
There is no surprise that the Latinos have indeed struggled  in American society. Latinos have now become ’Hispanics are the nation's largest minority group and among its fastest growing populations. According to the US Census Bureau (2013), the Hispanic population in 2012 was 53 million, making up 17% of the US population.’’ (the guardian)
Economical- In the 1960’s there has been a significant increase in migration of Latinos into the United States. People in the states felt threatened.
Political-US Election 2016 (Donald Trump)- hardly any Latino political representations
Social -Socially, in America Latinos tend to stay in their cultural ethnic groups.

Latinos Importance to American Networks (100)

Key Quotes
‘’Nielsen Company found that Hispanics in the US have over $1 trillion in purchasing power and represent more than half of US population growth between 2000-2010.
‘’Latino viewers are not just critical for cable news, but for scripted programming as well. ABC’s overt attempt to target a Latino viewership with the sitcom Cristela has seen a major ratings win for the network.’’ The Guardian
Representation of Latino Men in US TV (Secondary Text Breaking Bad) (150)
There has been no shortage of Latinos playing thugs, drug dealers and gangbangers in U.S. films and television shows, especially police dramas. This is evident in American TV dramas such as critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad
Theories- Marxists view on stereotype, Perkins

Representation of Latino/Hispanic Women (250)
While Hispanic men are often reduced to Latin Lovers in television and film, Hispanic women are commonly typecast as sexpots
Theories

Historical Text- Tequila Sunrise (150-200)
In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia)

-talk about the similarities and differences in stereotypes 

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Research & Quotes -UPDATED

Research & Quotes

Online Research
To what extent does Narcos reflect the representation of Latinos/Hispanics in American media?
Narcos (Primary Text)

Hollywood fails to represent US ethnic diversity, says study
‘’New USC report finds that Latinos are most under-represented in films, despite buying 25% of all movie tickets’’
·         This showcases that Narcos perhaps as an original Netflix series challenges this statement that Latinos are ‘under-represented’.
‘’Latinos, who comprise 16.3% of the US population and are regular filmgoers – they buy 25% of all movie tickets – only made up 4.9% of characters.’’

Hispanics and Latinos become the largest minority in America's cities
‘’US census data shows that Latinos and Hispanics have overtaken African Americans as the largest urban minority.’’
·         African Americans in the United States of America are portrayed as victims of injustice in some cases. This article indicates that perhaps Hispanics and Latinos are replacing them.
‘’From now on, local, state and national politicians will need to pay attention to Hispanics rather than treating blacks as the major minority," William H Frey
Hispanics in Hollywood still struggle to overcome stereotypes in casting and to land quality roles that showcase their talents. Yet, there are signs of progress. Hollywood, for example, took a chance on creating the biopic “Cesar Chavez.”
Cesar Chavez Film
·         American biopic film produced and directed by Diego Luna 
·         The life of American labour leader César Chávez,
·         Who cofounded the United Farm Workers
·         Film stars Michael Peña as Chávez (Mexican)
Latinos may be the largest minority group in the United States, but there’s no shortage of stereotypes about the Hispanic community. In Hollywood particularly, Latinos are all too often portrayed as gang members, sexy vixens, Latin lovers, domestic workers and recent immigrants to the U.S. 

Why are Latinos viewers the most important for networks?
‘’As traditional audiences move to on-demand services, networks are attempting to appeal to one of America’s last audience of loyal, committed TV watchers: Latinos.’’
·         Nielsen Company found that Hispanics in the US have over $1 trillion in purchasing power and represent more than half of US population growth between 2000-2010.
·         Latino viewers are not just critical for cable news, but for scripted programming as well. ABC’s overt attempt to target a Latino viewership with the sitcom Cristela has seen a major ratings win for the network.
‘’Univision, launched in 1962, currently has the largest audience of any Hispanic-oriented TV news network in the U.S. While 2015 was not as bad as 2014, when all of its news programs saw audience declines, the year showed more losses than gains.’’
US television wakes up to growing Latino audience with new options
‘’Channels such as newly launched El Rey are targeting a young demographic that wants to see its bilingual and multicultural world reflected on screen’’

Could Latino new data shows one in nine potential US voters is Hispanic, meaning they could
Change America’s political map – but what would it take for them to do so? Voters decide the next American president?

Representation of Latino Women In US TV
Showcases the negative representation of Latinos particular the women as they are represented in a sexual and promiscuous for example in Narcos the journalist is uses her sexual appeal to get what she wants. Also,
’Once upon time, African Americans were the racial group most likely to portray domestic workers. Black housekeepers played key roles in television sitcoms such as 1950’s “Beulah” and films such as 1939’s “Gone With The Wind.” By the 1980s, however, Latinos increasingly replaced blacks as Hollywood’s domestics.’’
‘’The late actress Lupe Ontiveros estimated that she played a maid as many as 150 times on screen. In 2009, Ontoveros told National Public Radio, “I long to play a judge. I long to play a lesbian woman. I long to play a councilman, someone with some chutzpah.”
‘’While Hispanic men are often reduced to Latin Lovers in television and film, Hispanic women are commonly typecast as sexpots. Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch and Carmen Miranda are some of the Latinas in early Hollywood who capitalized on their sexy image. More recently, Eva Longoriaplayed a conniving Latina homemaker who used her looks to advance her agenda in “Desperate Housewives,” and Sofia Vergara continues to play the role of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on “Modern Family,” which many prominent Latinas argue not only fuels the stereotype that Hispanic women are sexy but also loud, crazy and spicy. “The problem here is that this idea of the curvy, sexy and sultry Latina denies many Latinas their cultural identification based on their physical appearances and sexual attractiveness, alone,” explained Tanisha Ramirez in the Huffington Post’’ 

Representation of Latino Men in US TV        
‘’Television programs such as “The George Lopez Show,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty” were unique in that they portrayed Latinos as Americans rather than as recent immigrants to the United States. Not only have many Hispanics lived in the United States for several generations but some Hispanics also descend from families that predate the establishment of the present day U.S.-Mexico border. For far too long Hollywood has featured Hispanics speaking heavily accented English in television and in cinema.’’
-          In Narcos most characters dream about making a better life for themselves for example one of the hit men ‘La Quica’ dreams of the ‘American dream’
There has been no shortage of Latinos playing thugs, drug dealers and gangbangers in U.S. films and television shows, especially police dramas. Popular films such as 1992’s “American Me” and 1993’s “Mi Vida Loca” chronicled the lives of fictional Hispanic drug kingpins and gangsters. Even the 1961 classic “West Side Story” centered on the rivalry between a Caucasian gang and a Puerto Rican one. The gangster stereotype aimed at Latinos is particularly harmful, as it gives the public the idea that Hispanics aren’t law-abiding citizens but cholos. Accordingly, they should be feared, shunned and certainly not treated as equals. While some Latinos, just as some whites, find themselves entangled in the criminal justice system, the majority of Hispanics aren’t criminals. They work as lawyers, teachers, pastors, police officers and in a host of other arenas.

Latino Portrayals in the Media
‘’When Latinos are actually present in different forms of media a very consistent type of Latino is portrayed. Usually it is a person who has darker features, tanner skin, and an accent. The quest for a heterogeneous type of Latino completely overlooks the diversity that is included under the umbrella term.  The lack of range in how Latinos are presented phenotypic ally also helps to polarize the community by showing usually either rich Latinos or poor Latinos. ‘’
‘’Until recently, Latino portrayals in the media has had negative affects for the Latino community.  Historically Latinos have not only been portrayed negatively through stereotypes but they have also been largely ignored and excluded from most American Media.  Support for this assumption has been provided by The Annenberg School of Cultural Communicators Project which found that between the years of 1969 to 1978 only 2.5% of primetime television characters were Hispanic. The significance of this is that this figure is still significantly behind other minorities such as the African American population who comprised 8.5% of primetime television characters.’’
‘’Another study conducted by The Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington DC has shown that Latinos have been in the 2% range of representation in Media for the past 30 years. This percentage is also following a downward trend which is especially noticeable in the Prime Time Television shows.’’

It's 2016 and Latino Representation on TV Is Finally Starting to Reflect Reality
According to Jessica Gonzalez, executive vice president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, representation of Latinos in particular is lagging. "We're way behind," Gonzalez said in a phone interview. "We're totally underrepresented, and it's a missed opportunity."
‘’But there are encouraging signs that television has begun to seize that opportunity. The CW's Jane the Virgin, a show featuring a mostly Latino cast, won a Golden Globe and has been renewed for a third season. NBC's new 2016 primetime line-up includes three shows with Latinas leading as both actresses and producers: Jennifer Lopez's Shades of Blue, America Ferreira’s Superstore and Eva Longoria's Telenovela.’’
The path to production and primetime for shows like Jane the Virgin and Superstore was paved by hits like Desperate Housewives (2004-2012), Ugly Betty (2006-2010) and Modern Family (2009-present) that featured Latinas in leading roles. These shows painted nuanced portrayals of real Latinas, not offensive or overwrought stereotypes. While Modern Family's Gloria does embody the stereotypically sexy and sassy Latina, her character is multilayered, compassionate and strong in her own way, making her relatable to audiences of all backgrounds. – Latino Women
Narcos and American Representation
But as Colombians, no matter the accolades the drama receives, we believe we are better than drug trafficking and violence, and there are better and more uplifting stories to tell about the country. “People who lived during those times don’t like watching shows like Narcos,” says Alejandra Moncaliano, senior MCC major at Steinhart. “We don’t like this kind of violence associated with our country, there are other better things to portray.”
This showcases that some Columbians themselves believe that even though the plot line is quite accurate the representation of Columbians isn’t for example the accents.
Moreover, as Sociology senior Catalina Munera points out, Narcos is “a very white-washed American version of the story”. It doesn’t capture its effects on the Colombian people, the true victims of the war on drugs.
But what truly enrages Colombians is the dual portrayal of Americans and Colombians. “I hate that Americans are represented as the heroes” says Natalia Martinez, a Metropolitan Studies sophomore at CAS, pointing to how Americans are shown as the uncorrupted good guys while our people are the criminals, dysfunctional and violent.
The show doesn’t really focus on the other side of the story, one in which American cocaine consumers fueled hatred, violence and instability in my country. After all it was US dollars that paid for the bombs, guns and ammunitions, but it was our people who paid the price for the cocaine consumed in America and elsewhere. We put up with the deaths, suffered the violence and stigmatization.

Narcos Representation

The representation of Hispanics and Latinos in ‘Narcos’ reinforces the several of different stereotypes in our society and in American Television. In the Netflix original series Wagner Moura plays and portrays the Colombian drug lord as an egotistical, intelligent, murderer and power driven. I believe that this is the exact representation to expect from a drug lord. Wagner Moura has previously worked on a successful Brazilian crime film called Elite Squad. Moura is a Portuguese speaking native and to play Pablo Escobar in Spanish was completely out of his comfort zone. This representation of the main protagonist fits the normal expectation as drug lords are typically associated with power, money and homicides. The physical appearance of Moura enhances his likeability as a protagonist appearance is indeed accurate of Pablo Escobar. There are several different representations of Latino women in the TV series. Some women in the TV series are portrayed to be sexual objects. This could be the case as the show is set in the late 80’s and early 90’s, where men at the time were still the predominate figures in the ear. Women were still recovering from a misogynistic society. Another factor that showcases women’s role in Narcos is due to the fact that TV series fits into the genre of American crime.  This emphasises that due to the genre of the show and the time the series is set, it is very unlikely to see many women in greater leading roles for example the prostitutes in show.  However, the female character Judy Moncada challenges this statement as in the show she is one of leaders of the small vigilante group Los Pepes. She is based on the real life story of Dolly Moncada. She becomes one of Pablo Escobar’s main enemies in the show. Pablo Escobar’s wife Tata Escobar reinforces the typical stereotypes of a Latino woman. This is the case as she in the show is portrayed as family oriented and loyal person in the show. This is the case as her husband did cheat but stayed with him as her love for her family clouded her judgement. Additionally, the Americans in the show are positively represented as very generous. This is the case as the do United States send aid and supplies to many countries for example Columbia in Narcos. This links to Perkins theory of stereotypes being positive and often true. Another common stereotype is that Americans want to be "the world's policemen", believing that the entire world needs their help for example in Narcos they send their Drug Enforcement Administration agents to aid the Medellin Police. This relatively recent stereotype spawned from Cold War and post-Cold War military interventions such as the Vietnam War. Interestingly, there is no main character of black ethnicity. This could perhaps reinforce the prejudice against black people in the 80s and 90s, where there was deep segregation between black and white people. However, there is one recurring black character in Narcos called ‘Blackie’ who is a hit man for Pablo Escobar.

Narcos is a hit for Netflix but iffy accents grate on Colombian ears

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/17/narcos-netflix-colombian-accents

But the reception has been much cooler in Colombia, where audiences have been bemused by the stars’ ropey accents, irritated by its portrayal of the country’s recent history, and – in some cases – simply bored by yet another narco-drama.
Much of the show’s dialogue is in Spanish, but the cast has been drawn from across North and South America, and the actors’ attempts to adopt a Colombian accent have not always been successful.
Colombian audiences have been irritated and amused by the show’s hodgepodge of accents. A character based on Escobar’s wife is played by Paulina Gaitán (Mexican) , his partner Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha by Luís Guzmán (Puerto Rican), while his rival Jorge Ochoa is played by André Mattos (Brazilian).

Does Netflix's 'Narcos' Misrepresent Colombia?


The glamorization of drug lords is something preoccupying commentators in Latin America. It is creating a narco culture, where cliched drug lord behavior is seen as “cool shit.” Every town in Colombia has a “traqueto,” or small drug baron, who will throw his weight around, drive a Hummer and act like a mini-Godfather. There have been four extremely successful telenovelas about the life and loves of Escobar. Some even portray him as a Robin Hood character, building a few homes for poor people in order to launder his money.

At its peak, the Medellín cartel employed more people than FedEx, Domino's, and Google

Arguably, though, that's an easy connection: the U.S. likes controlling drugs because the U.S. likes money because money means power. In one of the released clips, two people are speaking in a U.S. government office. One says, “Their party took money from Pablo Escobar,” to which the other replies, “Everyone took money … by the way it's all American.” Netflix calls these pithy facts, where correlation certainly does not equal causation, Cokenomics.

Latino Representation on Primetime Television (Google Scholar)
‘’The limited portrayal of Latino
Talking Back: Hispanic Media and U.S.Latinidad-(Book)

‘’Debates about the representatively of any media are not unique to Latino-oriented and Spanish-language media. Such controversy is, in fact, common to any media whose mass scope inherently excludes entire segments of its putative audience, be it on the basis of race, class, or regional background (Hammerstein 1994). In contrast to the so- called general market media, however, the Hispanic media have historically functioned and promoted themselves as the “spokespersons” for the totality of U.S. Latinos, a pre-tense that makes even more problematic the real biases of their representations.TheWashington Post’s recent exposure of the “blond, blue-eyed face of Spanish TV” and how it hinders the employment of dark-skinned Latino artists (Fletcher 2000), and the debate over the Latin Grammys and their exclusion, among other issues, of regional musical rhythms, are indicative of the contentious nature of these media. Their legitimacy and profitability depend on their advocacy and accurate representation of an audience whose diversity they can never appropriately represent.’’

The Reality of Latinos in the U.S. Criminal Justice System-(Book)

·         Hispanics have one chance in six of being confined in prison during their lifetimes.
·         Latinos are no more likely than other groups to use illegal drugs and less likely to use alcohol, yet are more likely to be arrested and charged with drug offenses and more likely to be detained before trial than other groups.
·         There is growing bipartisan and Latino community support for criminal justice system reforms.
·         Successful community-based strategies for addressing criminal justice system issues that affect Latinos provide a model for states throughout the country to replicate.
·         Substance abuse prevention and treatment are more cost-effective than incarceration.
‘’In addition, 20 years ago, the integral connection between the overall wellbeing of the Hispanic community and the nation’s social and economic prosperity was not as well-documented as it is now. Within that context, our expectations of this publication differ from its education predecessor in important ways. While we fully believe that it will generate a greatly-needed’’
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, if recent incarceration rates remain unchanged, an estimated one of every 15 persons in the United States (6.6%) will serve time in a prison during his or her lifetime.1 In 2001, nearly 6.6 million people in the United States were under some form of correctional supervision, including probation, jail, prison, and parole.2 In contrast, in 2000 only 2.1 million individuals in the United States earned postsecondary degrees at the associate, bachelor, and master degree levels combined. 3 In other words, more than three times as many people are likely to be under correctional supervision in the United States this year than will graduate from higher education programs. Page 20
Critical Investigation Task 1#

Narcos - Pablo Escobar’s Shootout

In this scene we can see the shoot out between Los Pepes and Pablo Escobar in one shot. At the beginning of the scene there is a encounter between Escobar’s wife Tata, Escobar and his mother in where they emphasises on how Escobar’s mother going to the church as put the family in risk as they are in hideout from Escobar’s sworn enemies Los Pepes and also the Medellin Police. When Pablo’s mother says ‘No one will be in danger’ and the non-diegetic sounds utilised creates a sense of pathetic fallacy as the mysterious sound  gives the audience the indication something dire is going to happen. Throughout this series there is a sense of dramatic irony as the audience already know the faith of the main protagonist due to the fact that this show is based on real life events that occurred 20 years ago. The medium shot of a Tata is employed to showcase her anger and fury towards her mother in law as she has put a dent on her feeling security for her loved ones. This shot reinforces the stereotypes of Latino women in society. Pablo Escobar’s wife Tata Escobar reinforces the typical stereotypes of a Latino woman. This is the case as she in the show is portrayed as family oriented and loyal person in this scene as she is concerned for the safety of her children. She is portrayed in this light through the series an example is that husband did cheat but stayed with him as her love for her family clouded her judgement. This links to Perkins theory of stereotypes being positive and often true. This is also evident as when shots fire her first instinct is to run towards the children’s room and get them out of bed so they can escape. The constant moving camera moment illustrates the chaotic situations in which the Escobar’s are now in. By applying Todorov’s narrative’s theory I can gather that this scene is the disequilibrium of this particular episode.
In the middle of the extract there is a cut when the camera follows a Los Pepes soldier up the basement stairs. This is perhaps employed to build suspense and tension in the scene as the Escobar’s men are defending the house as they try to retreat and defend Pablo’s family. Escobar’s men are represented to be very loyal to him. This is a dominant view on Latino men in society.
Moments before, we see Escobar’s and his wife Tata having a delicate tea moment together. This is the case as Pablo wife Tata was caught having a gun due to her fear and paranoia off her families’ safety and protection. The character of Pablo has a great devotion and care towards his family in the series. The representation of Latinos in this extract is a dominant one. The extract constantly throughout this scene utilises medium shots of the main protagonist in order to showcase the relationship between the two characters. The reason for this particular gesture from Escobar to his wife is to give his wife Tata a sense of reassurance that they are safe and that he will protect her. The fact that the two characters do not exchange any words gives this scene its supremacy.

Season 1 Episode 3: The Men Always

In this scene we can see that Pablo is with Valeria Vélez, who is Colombian journalist who also serves as Pablo Escobar's mistress throughout all of season 1, are in bedroom about to have intercourse. We can see Escobar’s intentions to move away from his drug trafficking operation and into the political sphere. He tells Valeria that he wants help getting into Congress, where he can really make his changes happen, giving his ideas a public and official forum. The framework utilised in this extract also showcases Escobar’s superiority and power. The medium shot of Pablo Escobar showcases this as he is constantly looking into Valeria’s eyes. Even though the constants eye contact from Pablo Escobar showcases some sense of attraction it also symbolises authority and confidence from Escobar as he indeed using the journalist to further his political ambitions.
Valeria Velez in this scene reinforces the stereotype of the women in media today as being sexual objects. This is evident through the long shot at the beginning of the extract where Velez is strapped on the bed with a blind fold wearing very revealing clothing. The reason why she could be portrayed in this way is because she could perhaps be afraid of Escobar’s capabilities due to his reputation. When says  ‘anything you want Pablo’ symbolises that she is willing to let Escobar do anything to in order to stay on his good side due to his power presence and intimidation.  This reinforces the stereotype that in those day men were more superior to women. This links to Perkins theory of stereotypes being often true. This is the case as the show is set in the late 80’s and early 90’s, where men at the time were still the predominate figures in the era. Women were still recovering from a misogynistic society. Another factor that showcases women’s role in Narcos is due to the fact that TV series fits into the genre of American crime.  This emphasises that due to the genre of the show and the time the series is set, it is very unlikely to see many women in greater leading roles for example the prostitutes in show. However the character of Valeria Velez could challenge this as Velez is in a respectable occupation and is a in a leading role throughout the first season.
The mise en scene of this particular scene is used to enforce the relationship between the two characters. This is evident through the props and customs. The custom for example Velez revealing night gown in this extract gives the viewers the indication that the two characters are intimate. Iconography is used throughput this scene to share light on male dominance, this is evident when Escobar walks up to the bed holding a gun in his hand. This action showcases and indicates the protagonists control and authority over the female character as when does walk up her he looks down upon her. The long/medium shot in this particular moment helps capture this moment as it helps audience identify the protagonist command.