Media Mnemonics

In order to help us, we are often given catchy little mnemonics by our teachers to help us remember the key features of media. Here are just a couple that I have learnt already:

Describe
In detail
Setting
Themes
Icons- Significant Props
Narrative
Characters
Textual Analysis- Camera, Editing, Mise en Scene and Sound.

Mise en Scene

Costume
Lighting
Actors
Make-Up
Props
Setting

Institution

The majority of the films that are hugely successful are made by one of these six companies; Sony, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Disney and Universal. From this picture below you can see clearly how these big six have the rights to several, huge movie franchises as well as the highest grossing films of the last few years. Below these major companies are what are referred to as Mini Majors. These are companies that will never be a major institution but are still big in their own right and make hugely grossing films such as the Hunger Games.

To make a film 'low-budget' it usually has a budget of up to $2 million where as a 'high-budget' film usually has a budget of around $250 million. Whether these films make a profit or not depends highly on what time of the year the film is released in.

 

October to February is the season for Academy Award Nominated films. These types of films are hard hitting and moving and will eventually receive nominations for award shows such as the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.

 

Half-Term to Christmas is the time for Christmas films and popular children animations. This time of the year brings in lots of revenue for film company's because it's a children's holiday and a popular day out for parents and children is to visit the cinema and watch a movie.

 

Easter to Summer is the season for big blockbuster movies. Films that require minimal thinking from their audience which is what makes them so entertaining for so many people. These films provide an escape from the boring reality of everyday life and attract large audiences.

 

Film Logo

 

This is the film logo that I was tasked with creating. I struggled to come up with an original idea for a production company logo so after researching images of many film companies I finally came up with this logo.

I created this logo using Adobe Fireworks and will apply the knowledge I learnt from using this technology to my first film opening task.

 

 

 



Film Pitch - White River

This is my first attempt at a film pitch. We were given the genre of Action with the audience of teenage boys between 13 and 17 years old. After much difficulty we finally decided on a plot for our film.

I found this task quite difficult because there are so many different routes that a classic action films take, so coming up with a plot was very challenging. However, when we finally decided on our plot we were really pleased with the uniqueness of our narrative.

This task has taught me a lot about creativity and working in a pair. Jack and I often had different ideas and opinions for the plot and direction of our film pitch but in the end we came to an agreement and were really pleased with it. I am very used to working on my own so working with someone else was a change for me, but I enjoyed brainstorming ideas and working in a team.

I will apply my new found knowledge of the film industry and film pitches to my first film opening task.

Peer Evaluation

We received a generally positive response from our peers in relation to our film pitch because many liked the unique narrative and how it challenged stereotypical action genre conventions. Many responded that they particularly liked:
-How the narrative was different to other action films
-The brother and sister dynamic
-Our choice of cast and the thought we put into our casting
-How we described our film's appeal and suitability to the target audience
-Our choice of marketing strategies and use of social media

However we did also receive some criticisms from our peers, these included that:
-We did not include our film's BBFC rating during our film pitch presentation. It was because of this that our peers were confused as to the level of violence that would be included
-We did not go into enough depth when explaining our narrative and our media company's involvement
-We could have included location shots to show where our film would be set
-Some of our statements contradicted each other, for example: we explained that we would use 20th Century Fox to distribute and fund our film but we also said that we would use a small trailer campaign. These two statements are in contradiction of each other because if we were to be funded by 20th Century Fox we would release a huge, worldwide trailer campaign as well as street marketing and internet campaigns.

These were the main positives and criticisms that we received from our peers after having presented our film pitch to the class.

Film Language

Boyz in the Hood Film Opening

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=boyz+n+the+hood+dutch+subtitles&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=BCA98CE309ED50662AF4BCA98CE309ED50662AF4

In terms of the camera shots one significant shot is the opening image of the Stop sign. The camera zooms in on the 'stop sign' making it more prominent to the audience. This prominence shows the importance and relevance of it to both the story and in the context of the film.

The editing in the beginning of this clip is crucial as it lets you know the kind of world these children live in. One important editing transition in this opening is the shot that blends the children looking at the blood to them learning in the classroom. This is really clever because the shot blends the colour of the red blood to the red pencil drawn on the picture of the coffin. These images of death in both shots tell us a lot about the world these children live in and what they consider to be 'normal'. Another seamless shot and set transition is from the boys fighting in the classroom to the young boy walking home from school. This shot is done so effortlessly because the voiceover of the teacher links them together so smoothly. Not only that but the voiceover is parallel to what is happening in the scene because the teacher is discussing the boy's anger issues whilst there is a fight happening on the street behind him. This is an incredibly effective use of symbolism because it makes you think about the life he must have living in this rough neighbourhood.

Not only is editing key but so is the sound featured in this early movie clip. The voiceover in the beginning sets the pace for the entire opening of the film. From the speech, we get a feel for the context of the film and the lives of the people in their neighbourhood. Along with that, there are several instances of seamless sound transitions between different character dialogues. One very clear example of this is when the young boy is teaching the children about the blood. His voice is carried over and blended in with the voice of the teacher in the classroom. This is particularly effective because it shows the child's intelligence and it symbolises the grown up world the children live in. The transition makes the audience think of the child as mature which in turn upsets the viewer as it is sad that a 9/10 year old child is growing up in a world where they are subjected to violent images on a daily basis; they have lost their childhood and innocence.

In terms of Mise en Scene one important prop is the Stop sign in the first shot. This is particularly important because it has several connotations that come along with it, in reference to the context of the film. The Stop sign could symbolise the need for government intervention in such a crime filled neighbourhood. It could symbolise and reference the drive-by shooting that we heard through the voiceover in the beginning. Or it could also symbolise the need for the violence and the shootings to 'Stop'. All of these connotations are derived from the one image of the Stop sign in the beginning. This is why the one prop is so effective because it instantly makes the audience think of all of these different situations associated with the sign.

Film Language Analysing Sound and Editing

Camera
Frame
Angle
Movement

Editing
Transitions
Order of Narrative
Pace
Sfx- special effects

Sound
Dialogue- what is said, how it is said
Music- Parallel/Contrapuntal
Parallel: when the sound we hear matches what we see - cheerful love song in a romantic comedy.
Contrapuntal: when the sound we hear does not accompany the images and events we see - a nursery rhyme in a horror film.
Diegetic Sound/Non-diegetic Sound

Representation

A representation is a way in which people, events and ideas are presented to an audience. These representations are created by the producers of the media we see.

What we see however, is decided by the media 'gatekeepers' of the world. The media 'gatekeeper' decides what is seen, how it is viewed on the page and what is written with it. For example, a media 'gatekeeper' can be a newspaper editor as they have the power to decide what is printed, how it's presented on the page and the style in which it is written etc.

In this situation we are what is known as the 'media consumers'. We are the everyday people that read the newspaper and watch the films. The 'gatekeepers' decisions are largely unknown to us but largely influence our perception of the world presented to us in the media.

Stereotypes, Archetypes and Countertypes...

 Media institutions use stereotypes because of their familiarity to the audience. They think of stereotypes as a 'visual shortcut' to what they are trying to get across. They are repeated so often throughout media that we come to know them as normal or 'true'.
An Archetype is what is known as the 'ultimate' stereotype. For example, the brainless blonde bimbo that wears white stilettos.
A Countertype is a representation that challenges previously established ideas about gender, groups, people or places.

The Four W's

Who, What, Why and Where?

These are the four types of questions we, as the 'media consumers', should be asking ourselves when viewing these representations.

What is being represented here?
Who is representing them?
Where is the representation seen - consider the audience?
Why are they being represented in this way?

Film Poster Representation

I chose this film poster to analyse because I think it has a very interesting representation of female sexuality.
On this film poster the first thing the audience sees is a strong, bold, powerful women standing in the foreground of the image. This is a very interesting representation of female sexuality because she is minimally sexualised but represented as a self-sufficient and brave women which is very empowering to women everywhere. Not only this but from the film poster we can tell that she is going to be the main character which is once again very empowering and interesting compared to popular representations of women on film.
Predominately, women are sexualised on film. This sexualisation supports the theory developed by Laura Mulvey known as The Male Gaze. The theory states that cinema is angled towards men thus sexualising women as an object of male desire. She goes on to state that there are two distinct ideas used to sexualise women:
Voyeuristic- women depicted as whores
Fetishistic- women depicted as unreachable madonnas.
This theory is true in the majority of cases but is not displayed in the film poster for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. This is why I chose this poster because it contradicts this popular and well documented theory.

                                                                              







                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Audience, Uses and Gratifications

 

Narrative

Claude Levi-Strauss

Claude was the founder of the theory of binary oppositions. After studying hundreds of myths and legends he decided that we all see the world in binary opposites.

Definition: a binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.

For example:

• Man vs. Woman
• Man vs. Machine
• Good vs. Evil
• Wealthy vs. Poor

Enigmas Codes

The theory of enigma codes was created by Roland Barthes. He devised the idea that by giving the viewer questions from the offset and throughout they are more likely to continue and watch it all the way through. This theory has now been picked up and used effectively in movie trailers because you are more likely to watch a movie that is going to excite you with questions rather than one which gives you the answer to the storyline in the first ten minutes.

Application of Barthes Theory: Goodfellas Opening Scene



Enigma Codes created by this opening:

Where is the noise coming from?
Why are they travelling at night?
Why is there so much emphasis on the car as it drives?
Are these three men gangsters?
Why is there a half-dead man in their boot?
What did this man do to deserve his brutal murder?
Did they do this out of revenge?
Why do they clearly show no remorse?
Are they driving to dispose of his body? If so, where are they going?
"As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster." Why? Has he been brought up around gangsters or has the media influenced him etc?

Action Codes:

Opening of the boot-what's in there?
Pulling something out of his jacket-what is it?

Symbolic/Semiotic Codes:

Suits- wealthy, extravagant
Accents- New York/Brooklyn- gangsters
Gun and Knife- carry weapons shows power and ruthlessness

Tzvetan Todorov

Todorov devised the theory of Narrative being in five stages:

Stage 1: Equilibrium - the setting is established.
Stage 2: Disruption -  the story takes a particular direction with the character or setting being disrupted.
Stage 3: Recognition of disruption -  the main protagonist recognises the disruption and characters and events are interwoven.
Stage 4: Attempt to repair disruption- characters try to solve the issue.
Stage 5: Reinstatement of equilibrium - matters are sorted out, problems are solved and questions are answered. The equilibrium is re-established or a new one devised in replacement of the previous.

Narrative Example



From the point of view of the shop.

Stage 1: Open on a snowy day in a small town, the shop sees the young girl on the street.
Stage 2: They see the young girl writing her name on the wall.
Stage 3: Using an identical doll to the young girl they attempt to lure her in.
Stage 4: Successfully luring the girl into the shop by opening the door and cleverly moving around the doll, the girl is now trapped in the shop.
Stage 5: The young girl becomes trapped in her lookalike doll and order is once again restored for the shop. Until another child comes along, writes their name on the wall to which they reply by creating another lookalike doll. At this stage the story repeats itself.

Premiere Editing Practise

This is my first attempt at editing using Adobe Premiere Pro. To begin with, I found the application very intimidating because editing was all new to me and I had never attempted anything like it before. However, after getting a feel for it and seeking some advice I am now much more confident when using this software. This is a really good thing because I will have to use this software constantly throughout the next two years. I am not saying I am a professional because I have ages to go before I can even attempt to create a flawless piece of work but this practise, and this attempt, have made me feel much more comfortable about this software.

Throughout this video I used several different effects to ease the transitions between the different clips. Some of these effects being a film dissolve and colour map.

Genre Analysis

Clueless Opening:

The setting of this opening changes with every shot. In the beginning couple of scenes the settings appear to be Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive as well as several shots dedicated to a pool party and a nightclub. When Cher becomes the voiceover the setting changes to her bedroom.
All of these setting changes and scenes are all filmed in the daytime which shows that the film is going to be light hearted and play into its genre of a classic teen comedy.
The themes of this film are slightly difficult to grasp just from this opening two and half minutes but one of the themes clear is friendship. This is clear from the relationship between Cher and Dion when they are in the car and when Cher is seen laughing with her friends at the pool party, in the car and around the table.
The significant props and icons in these opening scenes include the car which is seen the first shot and several shots throughout. This white jeep shows Cher's wealth and portrays her as an a typical teenager but when we get a feel of her and her friends we see that what is normally perceived as abnormal for a teenager, such as having an expensive car without a driver's license, is very common amongst her and her friends.
The narrative we see in this film opening is from Cher who narrates over several scenes, explaining a little about herself and her lifestyle. She narrates her getting ready process for school and tells the audience about her father which gives us, as the audience, a sense of the life of her and her family.
There are only a few key characters in this film opening which are Cher, her father, the maid and Dion. None of the other characters shown speak or make an impact on the opening. However, I feel like one of the important characters who may get overlooked is the maid, who appears physically terrified of Cher's father. This fear gives us a sense of the power her father has and the odd relationship between Cher and her father.
In terms of textual analysis the sound is quite important. There are three different songs playing throughout which give us a feel for the context of this film. The film was released in 1995 so all of the songs are from that generation giving the viewer a sense of pop culture during that time.



Harry Brown Opening:

The setting of the first opening shot appears to be filmed at night in a city underpass. As the opening develops, the setting quickly changes to a dull, melancholy day in a run down area of London. The scene on the bike is shot in a city park in broad daylight which is why the shooting scene is even more shocking, as an incident like that is usually associated with nighttime rather than the middle of the day.
I can determine a couple of themes of the film from its opening such as crime. You can tell by the shooting at the end and the consumption of illegal drugs that this film is going to develop into a crime film at some point.
One of the significant props presented in this opening scene is the gun which is pictured twice; once in the opening shot and at the end as the weapon used in the shooting. This repeat use of the gun tells us that it is a key prop and that it is important to the storyline. Other significant props and icons include: the pram, the bike, the camera used to film the shooting and the dark, hooded clothing the boys are wearing. The use of costume tell us a lot about the characters and their social status which is useful to the direction and context of the film.
The narrative we see in the opening is unclear as we can not tell the outcome of the film from the beginning two minutes. However, we can see the equilibrium set which is a group of outcast, delinquent boys in a gang in South London, the gang being involved in criminal and anti-social behaviour. 
There are several characters seen in this opening scene however the one character worth focusing on is the young man being initiated into the gang in the opening shot. I believe he will be important because he appears to be hesitant about holding the gun which shows innocence and we get the feeling that he is being forced into the gang rather than choosing the path on his own.
The textual analysis we see here is important in terms of the camera shots. This is because the camera shots are very quick and cut together in sharp motions. But when we see the bike I get the feeling that the camera being used is on a phone or a hand held device. This kind of camera shot immerses the viewer into the storyline and makes them feel a part of the action and one of the gang members.

What Lies Beneath Opening:

The setting of this opening is clear as being the home of the woman shown. The specific rooms of her house change as the clip develops. We start out in the living room of the house but are lured in by the steam that appears to be coming out of the bathroom.
The themes of this film appear to be mystery, thriller and retribution. I believe mystery to be a theme because straight from the offset you get the feel that this entity has contacted this woman on a previous occasion which makes the viewer ask the question of 'Why?' and 'What does it want?' Both of these questions accumulate to the theme of mystery as it is a mystery to the audience as to why she is being haunted.
The significant props in this opening are limited as we don't see much but one of the icons featured is the mirror which is used to display the message 'You Know'. Other significant props include the bath and the computer. These three props are all used by the entity in the film as a means of displaying a message. The computer spells out the initials 'MEF' which have a clear relevance to the character and the water in the bath reflects the image of the woman who is haunting her.
The narrative we begin to see is a supernatural one. One that I can see involving several more telling encounters with the entity communicating with her. The equilibrium is established as being a terrified woman being haunted by an entity. However, there are still several enigma codes established in these two minutes such as: Why is this thing haunting her? What does it want? When has this happened before? Is it a frequent occurrence or was it sudden? All of these questions force the viewer to want to watch the whole film.
The only character we see her is the woman. We know nothing about her other than that she is being haunted by an entity.
Textual analysis is key here as the movement of the camera in the beginning draws the audience into the bathroom along with the main character.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Opening:

The first shot in this opening is of a street in New York City. We can tell that it is the early hours of the morning because there is not a single person on the street, until we see Holly Golightly walk out of a yellow taxi that pulls up outside of Tiffany's. The introduction to this film is crucial because it instantly tells you the reason for the film title and a little about Holly Golightly herself.
The themes of this film are vague but from the way Holly runs into the house and away from the man in the car, we can tell that the film is going to be centered around her and her quest, not only for love but also for herself.

Icons are key in this opening because the shot of her eating her breakfast at Tiffany's is the reason for the title. This shows the importance of both Tiffany's and the relation Holly has to the shop. Other significant props include the taxi which gives you a typical view of New York City and a feel for the context of the film. The costume here I believe to be important because Holly is dressed very formally and appears to have just finished a date or an outing. We can tell this from the pearls, the sunglasses and the dress, all of which you would not be wearing in the early hours of the morning without a good reason.

The narrative here is difficult to decipher because there is not much of one in these first 3 minutes but we have some what established an equilibrium. This being that Holly is going to be the main character with the plot revolving around her and the struggles she is to face whilst living in New York City.
From this opening we can clearly see that the only character is Holly Golightly. She is going to be the main character in this film as she is featured solely throughout the opening. All of the other characters who are going to be in it are purely there to fulfil her personal development storyline rather than make their own impression. I can tell she is going to be important because she is the only character featured in the opening which is aimed at drawing the audience in and introducing the equilibrium.
In terms of textual analysis, the background audio in this opening is crucial. As well as with Clueless, the song in the background "Moon River" is the famous soundtrack to the film so by introducing this song in the beginning the audience gets a feel for the film and the context in which both the novel and the film are set.

Semiotics

All media promotions, whether it be for film or television, tell you what you need to know before watching the film or show. The creators of these media promotions do this through denotations and connotations.
Here is the promotional poster for one of the biggest action/superhero films of this year and here are the denotations and connotations of the Avengers: Age of Ultron poster.

Denotations: you can see the Avengers all standing together in the foreground of the poster, clearly displaying their individual talents. In the background you can see flying robot like creatures, trying to kill the Avengers.

Connotations: The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor are clearly portrayed larger than the other Avengers which tells me that they are the more important characters in this film. As well as that they are going to be crucial to the film's storyline. Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch are pictured in the far right corner which tells the viewer that they are a recent addition to the Avengers team. This means that they are not a fully-fledged member of the team which could lead to the isolation and separation of Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver from the rest of the Avengers team throughout the film.

A further connotation of this film is that you can see a blurry figure hovering above the Avengers in the distance. The outline of him shadowed by the sun gives him a godlike presence which suggests he is important and powerful. Also, the fact that he is above the Avengers tells me that he is both more important and more powerful than the Avengers.
In the background you can clearly see robot like figures flying towards the Avengers which tells me that they are trying to defeat the Avengers. However, the godlike figure that is seen hovering in the air appears to have none around him which tells me that he is ruthless and an ally of the Avengers team.

Genre Posters

Today we had to take pictures of one another in order to re create iconic film genre posters.

The genres we were given were: superhero, comedy, romantic comedy and science fiction. Here are a couple of images we ended up with. 

Comedy

Romantic Comedy

Superhero





Comedy

Opening Credits

Today we were asked to find and analyse the opening credits to a few movies. I have chosen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as my first film opening to analyse.

This opening credit has no clear setting other than a darkened background which implies mystery and impending danger.
It is also apparent that the only colours used for effect are black and red which, on their own are both menacing colours, as they are associated with fire and death. The themes of the film shown in the credits are slightly elusive but I can decipher the themes of the film from the images shown.

One of the recurring images shown is the black, viscous liquid which is seen flowing over the keyboard and the struggling woman who is tied down. These images suggest that the liquid is un pure and deathly which sets the tone for the entire film. It makes me think that the film is going to be dark, menacing, deathly and at it's core, a thriller. This thought is backed up by the images shown as well as the lighting used. 

In the beginning we see flashes of images which are set in time to the beat of the music in the background. These opening flashes set the pace for the entire opening credits by showing images of the single drop of the liquid which then, as the credits continue, manifests itself into a flowing mass of deathly liquid.
Hidden within the sea of darkened images such as the black tyre and the keyboard is a small glance into the heart of the film. You can only see it once but there is a small glimpse of the dragon tattoo that is mentioned in the title. This implies that the dragon tattoo has both importance and relevance to the overall direction of the film.
One of the significant props/images shown in the credits is the woman appearing to be struggling as she is tied down. This tells me that the 'girl with the dragon tattoo' gets tortured or held captive at some point throughout the film which in turn suggests that the film is a thriller. The woman shown in the credits is also the only character and person viewed here which suggests that she feels alone and isolated which sets the tone for the film as the journey of one woman.