1. MEDIATION THEORY
Mediation Theory is what the producer wants us to see and not reality. So the media
would take something in reality and produces a different perspective to it, which
creates entertainment for the audience. Examples such as;
- When recording a show (such as comedy) the director may get the
actors/comedians as well as the audience to re-record scenes/jokes until they
believe that it is good enough for broadcasting. So filming the show could take
up a whole day. But when it is being edited, the whole show may last up to
half an hour only.
- When producing a song in studio, the producer may take hours and hours
editing a song track before it is released.
There are 3 main points in mediation that producers/directors focus on.
1) Selection (for example a news report) specific sections of video footage
may be chosen to be broadcasted to the public because its more
interesting/informative/engaging to the audience (as the producer/editor may
believe).
2) Organisation (for example in movies) specific video footage will be chosen
to be used in the movie. For example when recording for a comedy show
(how they would record over and over again until they believe that they have a
good footage to be broadcasted).
3) Focusing (for example in movies/TV shows and magazines) when we are
watching or reading something, we are ‘encouraged’ to focus on something
that the movie/magazine is telling us. In a way, the editor will make us focus
on specific thing. For example in movies, the camera may zoom into
something and make us focus on that specific thing that they are zooming in
on. In magazines, the editor may choose to write specific things in their
magazines – for us to be informed on things that the editor believes to be
informing/interesting/engaging.
So if we were to watch something such as Doctor Who, we are engaged into ‘their
world’. So mediation is basically an escape from reality in which we are engaged into
another world.

2. Representations of London
Love Actually (2003) –
Richard Curtis
Green Street (2005) –
Lexi Alexander
The Bank Job (2008) –
Roger Donaldson
Love Actually represents
London to be modern. We
see the setting to be
‘normal’ to us because
they have used typical
scenes/settings that we are
used to (homes, primary
school, church, Downing
Street etc). However, the
story line is different and is
not really like reality. For
example, the Prime
Minister falls in love with
his assistant. This movie is
plausible to an extent of
which they use ordinary
daily life surroundings, but
the non-plausible side of
this movie is that things
such as the Prime Minister
falling in love with his
assistant and appearing
back stage at a primary
school stage is highly nonplausible because it’s not
bound to happen in reality.
However, the audience is
engaged in this movie and
is in a different world
because everything is
different – for example,
they don’t have an actor to
play the part of a real
Prime Minister and instead
they make up their own
Prime Minister, so it is like
their own world.
Green Street represents
London to be modern.
They use different London
settings, such as; train
stations/underground,
West Ham and Mill Wall
football stadium/club. We
see the typical settings of
London. However, the
storyline of this movie is
very violent and it
represents the violent side
of London and football.
This movie ends with death
and has violent scenes of
fighting in. The plausible
side of this movie is that
London has a lot of
gangs/hooligans that get
involved with fighting a lot,
but the non-plausible side
of the movie is that it takes
violence to the extreme.
The Bank Job represents
London to be modern. The
setting is the usual London
setting (use of the London
underground and frequent
sights of London buses).
However, the story of this
movie is about a bunch of
people trying to rob a bank
(peoples safe box) and is
twisted with death due to
the victims of the safe
boxes have lost something
important/classified
information that they don’t
want the public to know
about (pictures). This then
involves blackmail and
eventually death of some
of the men who robbed the
bank. This movie is
plausible to an extent of
which they use modern
technology and settings.
However, their evil scheme
in breaking into the bank
was to dig a hole
underground to the bank
floor. This may be realistic
but it’s something that
happens often in London.

3. Mediation Theory essay
In Love Actually, Richard Curtis represented London to be a modern surrounding.
For example, some of the settings that we see are homes, primary school, church,
Downing Street etc. This is very typical of London and in our daily lives. This may be
because Curtis is trying to portray reality but has mediated it by including comedy.
However, in Love Actually, Curtis changes reality to portray a more ‘exciting
plot/story’ to entertain and engage the audience into feeling that they’re experiencing
it too. This mediation is done by the characters. For example, there is an actor that
plays the part of a Prime Minister. This already tells us that it’s a ‘different world’
compared to reality, because otherwise they might have had an actor that plays the
role of the Prime Minister at that present time. This may also be because Love
Actually is a Rom-Com and it is supposed to portray the comedy lifestyle that the
audience will be absorbed/engaged into.
Also, Love Actually is focussed on Christmas time. So many of the scenes include
bright festive lights which makes the movie seem happy, which sets the audiences
mood to be relaxed and enjoyable.
In Green Street, Lexi Alexander portrays London to be completely different to Love
Actually. The difference can be seen by the actors (personalities and backgrounds)
and the surrounding settings. We are able to tell that Green Street was set/filmed in
London because they set the storyline around 2 football teams/stadiums – Mill Wall
and West Ham which both are in London.
The actors in Green Street portray a completely different personality than Love
Actually. They are seen as violent and hooligans that are involved with gangs (we
see this in many scenes of the movie). This crime fiction portrays London to be
violent (on the football and gang life). This takes the audience away from reality to
experience something they might not be used to and they might find it interesting to
watch.
Also, Green Street is filmed sometimes in the day and some at night. But when
filmed in the daylight, the director/producer doesn’t really focus on the lighting which
makes the movie seem gloomy and not cheerful in any way. This is probably
deliberate to set the mood/emotion of the movie.
In The Bank Job, Roger Donaldson portrays the crime side of London. This is
focussed on by the actors as the robbers, surrounding settings and also the lighting.
We are able to tell that it was filmed in London because we are able to see the red
London buses and a scene from the London underground.
The actors involved in this movie portrays how they have evil schemes/minds to get
what they want when they need something. This mediation escapes reality, because
it’s not often when people would dig underground to a bank and steal peoples
possessions (from their safe box).
This action film lets the audience escape reality by mediating reality to a different
perspective. This may be because the storyline is interesting to the audience

4. because they’re not used to that perspective of life. The Bank Job also includes
scenes such as violence where people are beaten and shot to their death. This is
mediated to an extent of which people can escape reality from.
To conclude how different producers/directors portray London, depending on what
genre or storyline the movie is about, the actors, settings and even lighting will be
affected. This is because they mediate their movie to fit around their target audience
so that they are able to set the mood and allow the audience to participate by being
engaged to the movie.
VERISIMILITUDE
Definition: The construction in a text of a plausible (believable) world.
Internal Logic – we believe/accept what isn’t real to be real
Reality Logic – we believe/accept what we see to be based around reality
Authentic Reality to Hyper Reality – to understand how film directors manipulate
what we see
When watching a movie/episode, we are aware of what we are watching, but we
choose to believe/accept the untrue to be true. Examples:
Doctor Who
Plausible: Earth/London setting
English characters
Relationship between different characters
Non-plausible: Time/space travel (Tardis)
Sonic screwdriver
Monsters/aliens
Darlics
‘Mr Smith’
Soap Operas: Eastenders/Coronation Street
Plausible: Storylines reflect everyday life
Stereotypical characters
Scene settings (set)
Non-plausible: Exaggerated storylines
Exaggerated emotions
Everyone has different names – its deliberate to avoid any
confusion in different characters