Representation

Representation

Today we learnt about the different types of representation, meaning the way people and events are shown in media.

Stereotypes, are a type of shortcut meaning instead of describing in full detail a persons description, they round it up and do an average stereotypical description. We learnt that there is a difference between stereotypes and archetypes. Archetypes being an ultimate version of a sterotype (e.g an Essex girl is a dumb blonde female with large breasts wearing little clothes and massive stilettos). Another type of representation is a countertype, this is a more accurate type of description meaning they challenge stereotypes. For example if a girl from Essex didn't have any of the above descriptions, she would be a countertype.

We also learnt the abbreviation CAGES this applies to the way people are represented in the media. CAGES stands for

• Class
• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Sexuality

This film poster shows that the man is looking directly at the camera to get the audiences attention focussed on him rather than the lady. Both their heads take up equal amounts of the film posters space which shows equality but the fact the male is the one with his full face showing shows inequality and more importance.

Institution

                                            Institution

The definition of an institution is the people that make media for example Pixar, Paramount and MGM. Their main audience is ages 15-25 which is who most of their films are aimed at.

The definition of a distributer is the people that get the films to the audience to be seen in cinemas etc.

Big Six
-Warner Bros
-Sony
-Paramount
-Disney
-Newscorp (often known as 20th Century Fox)
-Universal

The 'Big Six' are the six most famous/popular types of Institutions. To this day, they own 90% of the media.

Independent films

• They are cheaper to make
• They have an older target audience
• Subsequently, they aren't shown in many popular cinemas.

Mainstream films

 

Mainstream films generally have got a larger budget of 25 million plus. These tend to be films made in America.

 

Logo

We had to design a logo for our institution, it needed to have catchy writing (not too much) and usually using the primary or basic colours.

This is my logo.

Cape Fear

                                          Cape Fear

In todays lesson we watched the opening of Cape Fear. One of the most important parts that we noticed of this opening is that the camera was tracking rather than cutting, it went around the entire room then focussed on him. The first part of the main character that we see is his back rather than his face and on his back is a tattoo covering the entirety of his back, of a cross with religious scales of justice. The first ever part of the film shown is of books plotted around his cell, they have used props to show that he is very educated which makes you question why he may be in a prison. As soon as the tracking stops, the camera is locked into the prison by a warden, they use a graphic match of the gate to the outside of the prison opening to continue the filming of the next scene. The audio effects were used with no diegetic sound to begin with however instrumental music was used to build tension and continue to add effect to the scene.

Past student video evaluations

Very bold titles, starts off with a shaky camera which takes away professionalism, however it could be done purposely to show that someone is watching the runner as though they are filming. No script.
Good transition between titles and shots, nice tracking shots. A bit samey, good lighting. Titles on for the right amount of time with nice technique of making it separate rather than showing over a shot. Tension building music throughout, leading to the end and showing that the run is going to build up to something. Good foley used for crunching leaves. Props and costume used to show stereotype of character. Angles of shots to show that she is being followed. Not much storyline. Good enigma and use of foley at the end where a deep breath in showing that the character is shocked. Level 3.




Foley is used when the phone rings in the beginning scene, upbeat ringtone dictates the mood of the rest of the opening. Tripod used sometimes but in some shots generally shaky. Good transition of shot from close up to long shot of fast paced running. Person on the phone acts as narrator to make storyline clear, however the genre remains unclear. Foley used for a gunshot sound. Level 3.





Starts off with a very good close up of a man tied to a chair with blood-soaked rope. This initiates that the mood of the audience is to be quite nervous. Titles match theme and genre, the font and effect used on titles to flicker on and off adds a sinister effect to it. Makeup is used very well to give the illusion that this man is hurt, bleeding and has been tied somewhere in a vulnerable state.
Many close ups are used to not give too much away leaving the audience intrigued which adds enigma. After effects have been used to create the look of a 4 part CCTV screen, also blurring of shot has been used with blinking effects to add to the vulnerability of the character. Good camera quality on all the shots, especially on close ups the focus is particularly noticeable. Foley is used to make spitting sounds and the music is tension building to create an atmosphere for the scenes. High Level 4

The Prestige

Today we watched the opening scene of The Prestige. To apply the rule of Roland Barthes, his theory of 5 narrative codes can be seen. Symbolic code is applied with the dark colours at the beginning to show mysterious unclear surroundings. Also the birds are used as a prop to usually symbolise peace and an animal of freedom but in this scene they are trapped in a cage which juxtapositions. The rest of the room around is pretty dull and dark however the birds are bright yellow this is attracting the most of your attention. There is also Enigma code clearly shown at the end when the man has fallen into the water chamber and is clearly locked and struggling to get out. This makes the audience question why he is in the chamber and whether he will ever get out.

Roland Barthes, Todorov, Vladimir Propp and Levi-Strauss

In todays lesson we studied a multiple of different theorists' theories and discussed each of them.

Roland Barthes
Roland Barthes' theory was that there were 5 narrative codes. Also that a text can either be closed or open, closed meaning there is only one way to see a storyline however open means that there are multiple ways to think about a thread indicating lots of symbolism.

• Hermeneutic, commonly known as the Enigma code, is applied anywhere that there is unanswered or elements of mystery.
• Proairetic, also known as the Action code, meaning lots of action is used to draw the viewers attention and leave them hooked.
• Semantic code is anything that has more than one layer of meaning and has connotations.
• Symbolic code uses props to symbolise also applying the semiotics often used with colours.
• Referential code refers to some basic knowledge on the topic of film or place in which it is set etc.

Todorov
Todorov had a theory that every different story consisted of the same 5 stages.

• Happy
• Disruption of equilibrium
• Protagonist notices the disruption
• Restoration of equilibrium or attempted restoration
• New equilibrium

Vladimir Propp 
Propps theory was that in every storyline there are always 8 different character types.

1. Hero
2. Villain
3. Donor (helps hero)
4. Dispatcher
5. False Hero
6. Helper
7. Princess
8. Princess' Father

Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss' theory was that there are binary oppositions.

DISTINCT Harry Brown

 

In todays class we watched a few film openings and used two different acronyms DISTINCT and CLAMPS to analyse it. DISTINCT stands for Describe In detail Setting Theme Icons Narrative Characters and Text analysis. CLAMPS stands for Costume Light Actors Makeup Props and Setting.

The first film opening we watched was Harry Brown which was immediately shown to be associated with crime as the first scene was in a dark alley or confined area where a teenage boy in a hoodie was being peer pressured into taking drugs and holding a gun. The scene being set in darkness surrounded with intimidating people and filmed with a phone camera makes you feel like you're in the movie watching it first hand.

Semiotics

Semiotics

 

In todays lesson we learnt about semiotics. Semiotics is basically a study of signs. It can be anything that stands for or represents something else. 

 

• Denotation - what we see when we look at an image.
• Connotation - what we understand from a image.
• Polysemy - different ways of reading text.
• Preferred reading - how the writer/person wants the audience to view the media text.
• Oppositional reading - when the intended meaning of the text is totally opposed by the reader.

 

                                           

The eye on the top left is the thing that stands out the most as it has the darkest colours and covers quite a large area. The fact the eye is staring directly at the camera gives a feeling as though this actor is actually focussed at staring at you which makes the viewer feel uncomfortable.
The close up image with the staring eye has not got very sharp features as the image seems blurry and lacking detail, this makes the skin seem unblemished. This suggests that society doesn't realise that there is anything wrong with anyone because there is no visible evidence to things like mental health issues.
The logo/title 'Girl, Interrupted' is written in a fairly scruffy font and also is black on a white background which draws attention to the film poster questioning why it is like that and not in a generic tidy font. The colour white is seen to be a positive colour representing angelicness, innocence and purity. In my opinion this contrasts with the majority of the film as its all about women in a mental hospital, but the ending is positive. Also the title of the film looks like it's been torn from the above image. This makes the audience think that the character could have some sort of problem, possibly psychological as her face looks distorted by the tear.
By having the words 'sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy' on the movie poster allows the audience to have an insight into the film. They can then decide for themselves whether they are the target audience and whether they want to watch it or not. It can also be seen as a referral to people with mental health issues as they are commonly referred to as 'crazy'. So the poster could be seen as offensive to those with mental health issues, because they wont want to be labelled as 'crazy'. By having 'based on a true story' in the corner of the film poster and in small it shows the lack of importance the information provides for the viewers, however this can influence some people to view it because they prefer to watch more realistic films.
 

Audience

Audience

Question 1: 

• What do we mean when we use the word 'film'?

 A film can be related to a long video with a story line.

• Do you think its the same word as 'movie'?

 They both have similar meanings.

• And what about the word 'cinema'?

 A cinema is the place you go to in order to watch a film or movie.

Question 2:

Top 10 films:

1. Girl, Interrupted
2. What Happens In Vegas
3. She's The Man
4. Clueless
5. Monsters Inc
6. Valentine's Day
7. Mean Girls
8. Insidious
9. The Skeleton Key
10. The Notebook

The thing that links most of these films is that they all come under the chick flick genre. This is why they are my favourite movies.

Question 3

• What film has stuck with you since you were a child?

 The Skeleton Key because it frightened me.

Question 4

• How do you find out about a film?

 Family and friends

• What makes you want to see a film?

A good trailer

• How do you know what to expect from a film?

Judging by the trailer, reviews and recommendations

• What are you paying for when you buy a ticket or a dvd?

The right to watch a copy of the film.

• Where do you watch films?

In my bedroom. I feel more comfortable in the comfort of my own home rather than having to be quiet at the cinema.

• Are there any differences in watching a film in the cinema to at home?

Cinema is related to new films however at home you don't really watch new films

• Are there some films you HAVE to see in the cinema?

Scary films, Being in the cinema is an unusual surrounding (not your own home) makes you slightly more vulnerable to begin with, therefore you feel more prone to being a victim similar to that in the horror or thriller film.

Genre Task

Genre Task

This photo was intended to be "Biopic".
A "Biopic" is a picture used for the front of someone's biography or documentary. The reason we chose this photo was because Luke was striking the original Arnold Schwarzenegger pose. We thought this would be a good picture to describe a Biopic. This did take a little bit of editing on Adobe Fireworks, but didn't take too long.


This photo intended to be the genre "romantic Comedy"
The reason I chose this picture was because I wanted the picture to show the boy and the girl together. So by doing this I took a picture of the boy and the girl bonding and looking like they are having fun. Then I wanted the audience to be able to see that Luke is left out and wishing he had a relationship like the boy and the girl shown in the picture do. I managed to per tray this to the audience by making Luke stand couple of feet away from me and Lollie. This made it seem like he is lonely. We then made Luke look sad at me and Lollie to make him look jealous.



This photo was intended to be the genre "Super Hero".
The reason I chose this photo is because I wanted it to show that supper girl was better than the villain MDV. By showing super girl higher up than the villain, it shows she is more superior than the villain. Also we got JK to linger in the background with his hood up and frowning. This would let the audience know he is a bad guy. Also by JK wearing the colour black, it gives the audience the feeling that JK is sinister and evil.


This photo was intended to be the genre "Adventure".
The reason I chose this photo to present adventure was because we wanted to make it look like we were in the wilderness exploring the environment. We were trying to get to high ground so we could have the height advantage for searching for food and water. We also used the trees to evade the predators that lingered below.

Film Opening

I really enjoyed watching this film as it grasps your attention however doesn't give away the whole film and shows everything that is important but only some parts. The music overlapping at the beginning confuses the audience making us weary and stuck on watching on to find out why it was playing at the same time. It is quite a dark scene to begin with to show an area of unknowingness yet again to make us want to see more. We can all relate to wanting to watch this as it is a subject that we are all involved in in some way and as we don't see the solar system every day.