Cultural Industries



1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

 It refers to the creation,production and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature. Including television, film production and music.

 2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

 Hesmondhalgh identifies that the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money.

 3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?
This happens because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with each other to secure audience members. As such, companies outdo each other to try and satisfy audience desires
for the shocking, profane or rebellious. There are also longstanding
social expectations about what art and entertainment should do, and challenging the various institutions of society is one of those expectations.

 4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

 Risky business
• Creativity versus commerce
• High production costs and low reproduction costs
• Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?
Risk derives from the fact that audiences use cultural commodities in highly volatile and unpredictable ways – often in order to express the view that they are different from other people.

 6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I think cultural industries should focus more on creativity rather than commerce as there are many other low risk businesses to go into for commerce. But media products are at the full potential when they are creative.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Vertical integration is a way that companies minimise cost as and risk  as the distribution is the same and audiences are loyal tot the company.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I disagree as the cultural industries reflects the inequalities in society in a negative light, for example people on benefits are often attacked by newspaper headings and the media.

 10) What is commodification? 

This involves the transforming of objects and services into commodities.

 11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

 I agree that media texts do not reflect the diversity of the wider society and if they do try to reflect a minority society it is usually portrayed negatively. 

 12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

 Cultural industries are no longer seen as second to the ‘real’ economy. 
Some are actually vast global businesses. Ownership and organisation of cultural industries is now much broader
Digitalisation, the internet and mobile phones have multiplied the ways audience can gain access to cultural content.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Semiotics

Image
1) What meanings are the audience encouraged to take about the two main characters from the opening of the film?  The film teaches the audience that stereotypes are not always true and to make your own assumptions rather than believing ones that have been created by society. It teaches the audience that everything is not as it seems and to look into the deeper meaning of things. 2) How does the end of the film emphasise de Saussure’s belief that signs are polysemic – open to interpretation or more than one meaning? The film is evidence that signs are  polysemic (open to interpretation) as the audience may have thought the the two characters where going to rob or cause distress to the homeless man, however they actually helped him instead which is not what the audience would have expected. 1) What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign? Ferdinand de Saussure suggests the two parts that make up a sign the signifier and the signi...
Read more

Videogames: The Sims FreePlay part 2 - Industries

  Regulation – PEGI Research the following  using the PEGI website . 1) What is the VSC and how does it link to UK law? . VSC links to the law due to the The Video Recordings Act in 1984 where it is illegal to supply PEGI 12, 16 or 18 games to those underaged in the UK. 2) Note down the key statistics on the homepage. VSC established in 1989,used in over 30 countries across Europe,over 1000 games rated 3) What is the purpose of PEGI? PEGI informs consumers about the content of a game before they purchase it in order to protect them from unsuitable content. 4) Click on the PEGI Rating tab in the top menu. What are the age ratings and what do they include? 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18.  5) Scroll down to look at the ‘How games are examined’ infographic. What is the PEGI process for rating a game? ratings are based on expert advice and public consultation The ‘Freemium’ gaming model Read  this Lifewire feature on freemium gaming  and answer the following questions: 1) ...
Read more

Videogames: exam question

  To what extent do video game makers target audiences through changing representations? Refer to  two  of your three Videogames Close Study Products to support your answer. [25 marks]  Intro: to a certain extent, but arguably, many TRA and SFP also reinforce many stereotypical representations in the media. Plan Tomb Raider:  Changes representations  of women in video games. Female characters are rarely playable and usually reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. Women have traditionally been represented as as "damsels in distress" and objectified.In patriarchal culture, the way women’s bodies are represented as objects is different to the representation of male bodies as spectacle. In tomb raider lara croft is the hero and main character- she subverts traditional stereotypes of women as she is actively fighting, she is fast and is on a dangerous quest overcoming physical obstacles and uses gunplay. Strong, independent, playable female character lack of...
Read more