The portrayal of film characters' inner experience ensures a level of audience engagement often precluded in primarily plot-driven narratives. Yet, there is a prevailing notion that interiority is the exclusive domain of literature. To counter this pedagogy, the thesis explores how filmmakers can externalise dream; the unconscious; emotional journeys, and the realm of the imagination through cinematic language. The study draws on a theoretical framework that incorporates psychoanalytic film theory, neo-formalism and literary theory, and which engages to some extent with authorship. The compatibilist methodological approach draws on these modes of analysis, while systematically bridging theory and practice. The thesis dovetails with a creative component - the screenplay of Zinzi and the Boondogle, a children's feature film. Through this case study, the thesis examines the largely undocumented relationship between film theory and analysis on the one hand, and screenwriting and film production on the other. The research explores a number of areas germane to the screenplay, starting by uncovering innovative ways in which dreams can illuminate character interiority. It finds that animation, in its ability to render visible the metaphysical, is a compelling means of screening inner processes. Jan Svankmajer blends live action filmmaking with animation to bespeak the interpenetration of the conscious and unconscious realms. Hayao Miyazaki uses anime to construct otherworldly realms that reflect adolescent girls' rites of passage. In films that draw on African storytelling, animation is shown to make manifest the imaginative realm. Finally, the adaptation of the screenplay Zinzi and the Boondogle into a novel tests ways in which cinema and literature can divergently - but equally - evoke characters' interior lives. The thesis counters the pedagogy which insists that film is suited only to external action. Rather, the research reveals potent cinematic means of evoking oneiric and fantasy lives - bridging the traditional chasm between film theory and praxis and inviting further meetings between these discourses.

In this mini-dissertation, I investigate the manifestation of the political is personal, or rather the structural as personal, by examining what women's experiences within the city of Cape Town reveals about structural, social, and political structures as they relate to safety. This is done through critically reflecting upon both the participatory creation process and conducting a qualitative content analysis of each episode of the web series Thinking Safety that I produced as the creative research component of this masters dissertation. The creation of this series used an interdisciplinary design-based ethnographic research methodology to prompt actionable discussions around the physical manifestations of the lack of structural safety. This paper explores the ways in which this methodology renders women's experiences more perceptible in its exploration of the tangible aspects of how safety and unsafety is experienced. The creative research explores the space between participants' realities and an imagined space of absolute safety and deliberates upon their responses that frame their experiences in relation to social, structural constructs, and spaces. Participants answer specific pre-researched questions that inquire upon safety, spatial navigation, responsibility and design and these responses are creatively compiled in the experimental web-series Thinking Safety which is reflected upon in this paper. This research reveals how the lack of structural safety has led to a distortion of the notion of responsibility as both patriarchal culture and state neglect has exacerbated the unsafety of women in Cape Town. Structural constructs are also viewed as being deliberately created, through the existence of harmful social-cultural norms and this neglect of structural responsibility. Safety mechanisms are then derived from the participant's responses, which deliberate upon imagination, responsibility, visibility, and ethical interdependency as mechanisms for safety creation. This conceptual imagination of safety co-creation is then presented as a purposeful idealisation of democratised and co-developed futures. This paper therefore explores the democratic potential of participatory design-based ethnographic filmmaking, in its expressions of the supressed aspects of our experiences and the potentials for their transformation.

The following paper aims to explore and analyse the consequential impact of how interracial and cross-cultural relationships are portrayed in film. It highlights the perspectives of those who have subjective lived experience within interracial relationships through first-hand research. Further explanation is provided towards how these findings have shaped the approach to developing Diverse Love, a point-of-view style autobiographical documentary depicting my own experience in an interracial relationship. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach has been employed; combining primary academic research through small-sample questionnaires, reviews of relevant literature or media and a reflective writing journal, as a supplementary narrative to the ideas and topics presented in Diverse Love. Throughout both the creative and written aspects of this project, the core motivation has been to accurately and authentically represent my own lived experience as a white English woman in an interracial marriage with a black South African man. To ensure I was creating a piece of work which addresses a socio-political need and to recognize the context in which it will be placed, I start by briefly outlining South Africa's more recent history, with a specific focus on race politics. Delving into the process behind creating the film, whilst understanding the key themes of interracial love, we both learn about the challenges that can be experienced, as well as celebrate the positive interactions. This is further complimented by interviews with other interracial couples who share their experiences with stereotypes, and how they feel this is represented in visual media. As there is limited research previously undertaken on this topic, it was important to not only include my perspective, but also the opinions of others, to address commonly occurring prejudices. To create a well-rounded piece of writing, I also explored through academic research the themes of documentary and the topics of race. The key conclusions drawn from this research indicate a significant lack of representation of interracial couples in film and that the majority of portrayals follow stereotypes and are not accurate to the lived experiences. There is also a lack of academic analysis on films which exhibit themes of interracial relationships, with the majority of papers focused on discussing Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (Kramer, 1967). Not only that, many of the studies are situated within the context of American film or political context and neglect to represent a global audience, as well as being outdated and in need of a more current lens. This study adds value to the field asit blends elements of personal experience with academic research, within a niche and under-represented topic. This gives an in-depth and emotive result, with an overarching recommendation that the film industry can look to evolve, ensuring a more diverse and accurate representation of in the interracial relationships portrayed.

This study has attempted to explore the myriad ways talk radio is tied to everyday life in Mauritius. As a point of departure, this study has considered the success of Mauritian private radio stations as a social phenomenon that deserves attention. It has delved into the ways talk radio, especially their morning talk radio programmes, are tied to notions of citizenship, democracy and development. Anchoring popular talk radio as practice, the study has used a multilevel approach to find out what do people do to talk radio, what kinds of engagement are pursued, which ethical considerations are valued and the implications for citizenship and democracy in a Mauritian context of power differentials and social inequalities. Following a three tier approach implying discourse analysis of morning talk radio, focus group discussions with listeners as well as in-depth interviews of journalists, this study has underlined the importance and significance of the new political that has emerged, highlighting the fact that the democratisation of the radio airwaves in 2002 has allowed political engagements and participation of ordinary people hitherto excluded from the Mauritian public sphere. Against the perspective that views the public sphere as constituted unequivocally in rationality and consensus, this study contends that talk on morning talk radio is inherently conflictual and is performed in reason and affects. Anger, fear, anxiety, hope and solidarity are discursive resources that define the life trajectories of ordinary people but are also ways for listeners to “feel their way” into the stories and to bond together to create a sense of engaged community however fleeting these communities may be. The ethics of care and solidarity afforded by talk radio journalists to these communities shift understandings of the liberal democratic norms of journalism from professionalism to “interpretive communities” that are characterized by social reciprocity. Adopting a decolonial approach that foregrounds the importance of listening to the lived experiences of people, this study finally makes the case for an ethics of listening that is based on re-imagining the conditions for talk radio journalists to listen deeply to people, especially to marginalized communities as a way for journalism to stay relevant while improving the capabilities of people and consolidating the conditions of living together well.

This study critically analyses the coverage of the three main political parties (ANC, DA and EFF) in the 2019 elections by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The SABC has been one of the main sources of information for millions of citizens across the country and many South Africans rely on the SABC for news concerning election proceedings. Therefore, the study aims to observe the role of the SABC in society, and politics during the 2019 elections in South Africa. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate whether the SABC‘s coverage was fair on the three main political parties or not. This research chose to use framing and social responsibility theory as guidelines to reliable and convincing information. Data for this research was obtained through secondary data from the SABC online channel; the study used election reports and its visuals such as pictures, videos for analysis. The study further used videos from the beginning of 2019 election campaigns, until the last day of elections which was scheduled on the 10th of May 2019. According to the research findings, the SABC did not represent the real image of the political parties which may be regarded as unprofessional and may taint the quality of their work. The research shows that in the media there are deep-rooted social and cultural issues that need transformation. The studies notes that media reforms can be the solution to some of the issues discussed in this dissertation. During election period the media was seen as bias, giving more coverage to the ruling party and this conduct led many to conclude that the SABC was used as a mouthpiece of certain political parties. However, the study also observed that there are traditional news factors that influenced the news selection.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / This paper explores the mobile social networking patterns of a sample of Black, White and Coloured adolescents attending three different schools in Cape Town, South Africa. The researcher utilises the Uses and Gratifications theory and qualitative research methodology in the form of focus groups and one-on-one semi-structured interviews to explore what gratifications this sample of students, aged 14-7 years, derive from three mobile social networking brands - MXit, Facebook and Twitter.

Background: As more people are using mobile phones to receive and read news, Twitter has become a popular communication tool, particularly for commercial brands in South Africa. This thesis investigates twelve South African organisations’ use of Twitter. It portrays Twitter as an informational network that allows conversational communication. It seeks to identify how commercial brands in South Africa use Twitter as a public relations/communication tool. Aim and Objective: In attempt to learn whether current South African tweets among certain organisations follow Western practices of public relations, the study aims to understand and identify how commercial brands in South Africa communicate with their publics through Twitter. Revealing the content of these organisations’ tweets facilitated the fulfilment of this objective.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-75). / Much of the developed world operates under what is referred to as liberal democratic capitalism. This implies government by the people, operating in a free and profit driven market, which in theory suggests an equality of voice and access to markets for personal profit. However the 'powerful movements of acceleration and excess' which Auge refers to above are less to do with the intentions of a liberal democratic capita list system and more accidental effects of it. This dissertation explores the constant push of commerce and the digital communication revolution as contributory factors to this hypermodern or globalised state.

Globally mental health is widely regarded by scholars as a neglected public health issue. Documentary film is recognised as an appropriate medium for addressing social and political issues, and mental health is both of these. Country comparative documentary films on mental health, set in low and middle-income countries, appear to be lacking. Prorgramme for Improving Mental health carE (PRIME) works in five low and middle income countries, two of which were selected for the film (Nepal and South Africa). This was motivated by across continent comparisons, financial and logistical viability within a one year timeframe, global interest and appeal and the support of PRIME colleagues and local country partners. Based on qualitative research including a literature review and 40 indepth interviews with stakeholders, this essay reports on, and critically assesses the ethical and production processes involved in making the documentary film. The essay includes several elements. Firstly, it considers the power relationship between the filmmaker and the subject. Whilst Nichols, Aufderheide and colleagues present useful ethical considerations for making a documentary film, both from the subject and audience perspectives, more care is required when making a film with persons living with mental illness. This is particularly because the subject may not have the mental capacity to consent, and if they do, participating in the media production process could potentially exacerbate their condition. Having weighed these risks up with the benefits of representing persons living with mental illness, and giving them a voice, the decision was made to give persons living with mental illness the opportunity to represent themselves. Secondly, and having made the decision to allow for representation, the various documentary modes (expository, performative, poetic, observational, reflexive, participatory) conceived by Nichols were explored, in an attempt to identify a conceptual framework for the film. The performative mode was most appropriate for telling deeply personal stories, and providing patients with an opportunity to be represented. However, this mode was ideally complemented with elements of the expository (verbal commentary of experts), poetic (use of rhythm, emotion and music), observational (footage of patients in their daily routines, and of their environment for cutaways) and participatory (through direct engagement between filmmaker and subject) modes. 2 Having identified a conceptual framework, the third element involved the institutional research ethics processes. These processes contributed to a more ethically sensitive film production. This included a check for mental health service users to ensure that they do have the capacity to consent. The process of developing a research protocol highlighted the synergistic benefits of integrating a qualitative research method in the form of in-depth interviews into the film production process (and vice versa), whilst remaining cognisant of not compromising research findings for more visually appealing footage. Following a research process for the production also contributed to a more robust discussion guide after translating communication objectives into research objectives. Finally, the process of implementing the film's production, and post-production, was assessed. A host of steps were identified, which included securing the funding for the filmmaking, establishing stakeholders support, briefing the crew on the vision and purpose of the documentary and having access to equipment and translators. During the post production process, a systematic approach to editing using a script outline was helpful in identifying main themes, and to ensure the narrative flow. Despite its typical use in fictional filmmaking, the three-act structure was fitting as a framework for the narrative. Timecoding during translation and transcription was found to be particularly expedient for inserting English sub-titles. The country comparative approach revealed similaries and differences, and developing and implementing stakeholder specific distribution strategies (including conferences, symposia, film festivals and broadcasters) was identified as critical to the public dissemination and reach of the film. Documentary film, and the performative mode complemented by other modes, has shown to be an advantageous means of representing persons living with mental illness, and their families. However, the paper calls for more evaluation research regarding the impact of the film on the main patient characters, amongst other stakeholders such as health workers and policy makers. The paper also proposes the integration of media production into a research process for researchers interested in using this medium to visually communicate their research findings, emphasising the value of systematically using the research findings to develop a narrative script in the context of a typical three act structure. A distribution strategy was also identified as necessary to maximise the research and stakeholder impact of the film.

Includes bibliographical references. / This study is located between the contradiction that youth is politically disinterested and that youth is very much politically engaged. Some scholars have argued that youth political disinterest is a threat to the life of the traditional public sphere and democracy. Against the notion of the youth's disinterest and disaffection from politics, this study points out the deficit in exploratory studies that examine and explore the relationship between young people and their political participation both in the on/offline context. In light of the contradiction as well, this current study asked the following question: how does a group of South African youth use social media to participate in the virtual public sphere? Also, what are the views of a group of South African youth about political participation (via their use of traditional and new/social media)?