Tuesday, 7 December 2010

How Regional Identity is represented in this clip?


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Regional Identity

The North Stereotypes

  • flap cap wearing
  • pigeon racers
  • friendly but 'bloody minoled'
  • stubborn and argumentative
  • whippet owning
  • menial manual (hard) jobs
  • little education
  • sexist
  • thick accent
  • bitter drinkers
  • not pot
  • miserable weather
  • cobbled streets
Country Stereotypes

  • west country-scrumpy-addled yokels
  • their inbred
  • stupid and happy
  • livestock bothering
  • farm hand yokel
OR
  • lord of the manor
  • hunting toff
  • slow pace of life
  • have animals
  • landrover
  • tractor

How is disablity represented in this clip - THE STREET


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Friday, 3 December 2010

Distribution

WHAT IS FILM DISTRIBUTION?

>Describes everything in between production & exhibition.
>Distribution involves all of the deals done to get films shown and promoted
>Promotion involves : Paid for 'above the line' (which will be funded as part of the project e.g. trailers, posters, billboards and various spin offs.)
>Also includes mechandising 'below the line' publicity (which is not paid for but generates mutal interest e.g. interviews.)

Tony Angellotti:
-The audience has the greatest power
-If the audience like a particular superstar, then Hollywood is forced to use the superstar

Toby Miller
-Hollywood anticipates tastes & forms them
-Distribution & promotion is key to success

IS IT ALL FAIR...?
Do distributions treat all films equally & ensure fair play in getting films to the publics attention.

Consider...
*The big companies who control much of the industry control distribution of their own products and of other (e.g. 20th Century Fox & Avater).
*Films are loaned out to cinemas for a finite period & release deals are done that secure access to a certain number of screens at a time. But in the UK film market, an increase in the quantity of screens showing films HAS NOT led to an increase in the number of films shown.

5 Major distributors dominate the UK film industry
1) United International Pictures (Universal is a part of this company)
2) Warner Brothers
3) Buena Vista
4) Twentieth Century Fox
5) Sony

KEY POINTS
*9/10 films seen in the UK are viewed as a result of these distributors
*In most cases these distributors are directly linked to Hollywood production companies who make the films AND exhibitors who prioritise Hollywood films over others for profit
*Usually Blockbuster films we are familiar which are distributed via 'blanket release' so even if a small UK independant company manages to get its product into cinemas, it is usually competiting for attention with one or more films that take on the status of an event
*One of the outcomes of the above distribution arrangement is that half of the films released in Britain do not reach the whole country.

Problems Smaller Companies Face
*Every film shown in cinema needs a seperate 'print' projected on a reel.
*Major companies can afford to produce a lot more than small companies. This is because the money they will make in box office returns.

Does Marketing A Film Really Matter?
*Pirates of the caribbean recieved many bad reviews however it still made over £50 million in the UK box office & 1.5 million copies of the DVD were purchased in the 10 days after release.

The Dark Knight
*In terms of viral promotion it broke records.
*Cost £185,000,000 to make.
*Shown on 4336 screens.
*This is England (film4) shown on 62 screens.

Piracy Problems
*Piracy is a major concern. With Hollywood investigators claiming a 10% increase each year in revenue lost to illegal distribution.

Main Problems
*UK high degree of DVD piracy.
*The UK film councils recommendations include responding to internet distribution opportunites.

Digital Distribution Advantages
*Promises to transform the film industry more than any previous technological change since sound.
*Once is becomes a norm to download a film via broadband, the potential for a new form you no longer need multiple prints. You can also bypass the cinemas (although the big screen offers a serperate experience that is likely to remain attractive)
*Control and Security.

RELEASE OF A FILM

Marketability
  • Identify target audience and the best way to approach them (devicing a strategy).
  • Decide who best to link with (radio,tv,online etc).
  • Got to decide best way you can reach your target audience using the correct marketing method.
Positioning and Audience
  • Genre, age, group, director.
  • Are the audience media consumers - know the directors and are aware of them.
Target audience
  • If 45 + it takes a week for them to decide what to see, teens are more spontaneous.
  • Where people will view the film ( which cinema ).
  • They track whose going and what decisions they make.
Marketing Plan
  • Advertising (expensive) - magazines, newspapers, internet.
  • Press (free) - stories about films in newspapers.
  • Out door advertising, buses, bill boards.
  • Screening programs (free screening) - Word of mouth (live blog fees) - CRUCIAL
Film Distribution
  • Competition

Thursday, 2 December 2010

Film4

TV Production

*A channel linked with channel 4
*On freeview
*Adverts with the film
*Tend to show older films (1-2 years old)
*Theres another area -Virgin Active, Sky movies (Show more recent films but you have to PAY), Cinema (pay)
*Themed weeks

*Successful production company
*Quite powerful financely
*Big

Film 4 Info

*Established -1st November 1998
*Film4's channel 4 budget - £15 million
*Tessa Ross (woman) is the controller of film4 & channel 4's drama
*MIKE LEIGH = A Director
*British Production Company -finances British films
*1982-1998 it was known as Channel 4 Film
*Part of channel 4's remit was to experiment and innovate and cate for audiences not addressed by other channels.
*They fund around 20 films per year
*A number of films are by first time feature screenwriters or directors
*They look for distinctive films which will make their mark in a competetive cinema market
*Television premieres on filmfou channel

DAVID ROSE, commissioning editor quotes "a preference for contempory & social political topics."

5 new features from Film4
-Submarine
-Four Lions
-End of the Year
-Nowhere Boy
-Let me in

*Partnered with filmflex
*The IPTV joint venture between Sony & Disney, to launch a new online video on-demand service for film4 which will be called Film4OD
--It will supply a selection of films to rent online - (some avaliable on the same day as DVD release)
--500 films available at launch

--Avaliable to rent from between 50p to £3.99

Working Title Case Study 1 - WILDCHILD

Case Study of a Working Title Film (2) Wildchild

Working Title

The Company

*Co-chair persons of WORKING TITLE are Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner
*Bevan founded Working Title in 1984
*BBC NEWS STORY QUOTES (2004) "They have been listed as the most powerful figures in the British Industry"

The Secret of Success

"The working title philosophy has always been to make films for an audience - by that i mean play in a multiplex. We totally believe in this because we know it is the only hope we have of sustaining the UK film industry" -Lucy Guard and Natasha Whaston*Not riche audience - selective

About Working Title

-Made more than 85 films that have grossed over $4 billion worldwide
-6 acadamy awards, 26 BAFTA awards, 4 oscars and prestigious prizes at the games and Berlin International.
-Impressive catalogue of films from a wide range of genres -Notting Hill, Bean, Billy Elliot, Bridget Jones, Nanny Mcphee
-UNDER ACHIEVERS -Wimbledon, ThunderBirds, Captain Corellism

-Blockbusters, Comedies, Punchy Period films, Political dramas, Literacy adaptions, quirky family fare.
-Work with FRESH TALENT such as:
  Directors Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice), Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot).

-In addition to which is has launched WORKING TITLE 2, a subsidiary for low budget films with an 'independant' films.

Why Link With Universal?

*Being bought by Polygram, which itself, was taken over by UNIVERSAL in 1999 - has been "Liberating" says Bevan."We were now part of a big structure, so we spent much less time on finding the money and much more on developing decent scripts."
*Universal pictures owns 67% stake in the company. Many of its recent films are co-productions with Studio Canal.
*The remaining shares are owned by the company's founders - BBC films and private investors.
*Universal's involvement will vary widely from project to project.
*BEVAN GIVES TWO CONTRASTING EXAMPLES :
  -Pride & Prejudice staring Keira Knightley with a budget over $20m.
  -The interpreter $80m

Other Info

*They are CLEVER and TACTICAL about film projects
*In 2004 you know that the film Bridget Jones 2 is going to do well, so you can take a bigger risk at the other end, which was Shaun Of The Dead. It turned out ok because ThunderBirds which was thought to do alright (but didn't work out) & the other two supported it.
Importance Of Release Dates

-Trailer matches target audience (adjusted to country)
-When will the film be released (e.g.Christmas or Valentines)
-Specific release dates to avoid competiting with big-budget, highly awaited movies in the theatres.

Monday, 29 November 2010

Memento - How the editing creates the narrative and represents the character

The editing and order of the film has a different take on it than what you see in other films and it has an open narrative. The film begins with an extreme close up of a peice of film with a bloody picture developing which is then 'rewound' and put in the camera again. We then catch a glimpse of the 'scene of the crime'. Straight away we get the impression that a main part of the film is based around photography (in which, soon after we realise it is). This links with the main character as he has to rely on photography and written notes because of his memory condition. His condition is a big part in the whole film so its vital that they portray things that link with his condition. This is to help us understand the character AND how a character, who seems to be alone mangages with noone else's help. It also makes us question the character and type of film because stereotypically we assume that someone with an ability needs help and always has a helper. Again this portrays and represents the character as a strong, independant individual.
The bloody scene that we see on the film isn't clear however we can clearly see blood. The red connatates violence, death, blood etc, which sets and creates the narrative to the film.
The shaking of the picture links with how a person's body language is when they try to remember something. When a person is confuzed or can't seem to think (remember) they tend to move/shake their hands or head slightly just as a reaction to the frustration of not being able to remember something. The picture fading links with the chracters memory and how it comes back to him very slowly.
After he puts the film back in the camera the next scene you notice that the screen flips, and we have a side view of the blood on the floor. This could link with his confused expression and his disability. It could also link with the idea of him flipping from different personalities. For example in the mornings hes completely lost and confused and this links with stereotypical representaion of disability and the person being vulnerable. However throughout the day as he's remebering things, you see a different and violent side to him. You learn this on the opening scene when you see him shoot 'Teddy'. The camera shots go onto quick short shots of a bullet, glasses, and then a man on the floor. Not only is the rewinding linking with his memory condition. But we can see how he has to put two and two together to remember. It's clearly telling us in the easiest and simplest way possible about what's just happened and it links with how the character has to look and judge what has happened so we see get to see it through his eyes. This gives us a better understanding of the character.
An unusual structure in this film is the colour narrative and the black/white narrative. The colour narrative represents the present time period and is working its way backwards which links with his personality. The black and white part is working forward. As this is fairly confusing and hard to keep up on we (audience) learn from the notes and  pictures just like the character does.
An effect that we get from the 'two films' (black and white) is that it gives the effect of 'going around in a circle' because his daily life is like a circle (same cycle everyday). He wakes up, forgets everything, and slowly uncovers things. Then he goes to sleep and wakes up and so on. So we learn alot more about the characters way of living and what he has to deal with.
The non diagetic music in the very beginning is very emotive and this makes us feel for the character. The black and white scenes also has non diagetic sounds which create emotion too. This causes us to feel sorry for him which links with the stereotypical representation of people with disabilities. The sounds in the hotel scene sounds is like a ticking sound. This could represent time ticking, or his heart beat. It could link with him trying to remember creating a tense effect as he tries to figure out about his wife's murder as quickly as possible. Also it could link with him having limited time until he forgets again...
In the colour scenes it's more action, fast paced and heroic. The same emotional music from the opening comes back in again which tells us that we're revisiting the first scene. The non diagetic music then gets more tense which links the the character Teddy and it creates the effect that we get a bad vibe from him.
From an audience's initial perspective, the opening scene of the film is giving an overview of what's already happened. However what we later realise is that it links with the characters disability. Also a line spoken during the opening scene is 'everything fades' which ties in with the beginning where the film fades. It links again with him trying to remember.
The film is in a non chronological order and uses the enigma code. The idea we get is that the two parts will meet up. It causes us to ask questions that films don't tend to usually make us ask. Because of the different structure and layout of the film we get the idea and ask if the the beginning it at the end.

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Sexuality in Skins

How is sexuality represented in the first 10 seconds of skins.

The first camera shot at the beginning of the clip is a close up of his face with his eyes closed. His groomed hair suggests he is a neat person, although it could represent that he hasn't been asleep which could link with the stereotypical representation of a teenager being 'out all night' and not sleeping. The pale/yellowy skin colour of his face could support this as it could connotate illness or hung-over etc. He then opens his eyes in sync with the church bells in the background. The close up of the opening of the eyes brings you in and makes you more involved as you get an effect as though your looking through his eyes and his daily life etc. The character also looks confused and as though he has something on his mind.

The church bells are a cultural code and we know that it represents church. As the camera slowly zooms out to reveal to us the setting you can see a non stereotypical view on this character. The idea of him being awake early on a Sunday when you usually assume teenagers to have lie ins (as Saturday is the night to go out) it doesn't suit the typical teenage representation. Again, this links with the suggestion that he could have something on his mind.
As the camera zooms out more we get a birds eye view of the character in his bed. The way he seems to have 'slept' (if he has or not) is not normally how you sleep. It could link with not haven't slept or it could link with his neat personality that you can infer from his image.
His bed covers could portray a big part of his personality. They are not your typical covers so you can infer that he is a very confident and daring character however this contrasts with what we are shown from his character so far (Him looking worried etc.). The confidence could link with his care about his image and 'looking good' for girls. However his care about his image could also suggest he's quite sensitive, and may have a low self esteem as he seems to feel like he has to make the effort.
So far we question whether he has something on his mind and is worried and whether he is either a very confident proud person, or an insecure, nervous character.
Another point we notice is that he is on his own in the centre of his bed which is a symbolism code of him being neat. From this we can infer he's single and maybe bisexual which could be what he is worried/unsure about. His neat personality and care about his image could also support this. We often stereotype gay men to care greatly about their appearance.
The church bells we hear in the background are a cultural code so we all know that they represent church. You can link this with the sexuality of the character as church oppose this. Also he could be a religious character so he could also be worried about being judged by his church. This is also a typical storyline you see in soaps.
The camera shot centres the character in the middle. Everything around the character is symmetrical which also links with what his personality may be. The sounds you hear in the background are all diegetic sounds such as the birds and bells which set the scene. We get the impression that this character is an important and main character. Also we can infer that everything evolves around him and he may be 'popular' causing him to feel a lot of pressure which may be why he cares about his image. He could be the centre of all attention which means he has no room for any faults and if people see his sexuality as being unacceptable because of the church, then he would be very worried. You can also link this with his room being neutral. Its almost as if he's 'playing it safe' so that people don't judge him. However the bed sheets and the trolley oppose this.
As the camera continues to zoom out it reveals more of his room. As we can see the room is very neutral which doesn't say much about his personality as they're not bold, personality reflecting colours. You could suggest from the neutralness that he is a boring character however the fact that we're introduced to him first and the attention is brought upon him out ways the 'boring personality' suggestion.
The trolley in his room is obviously out of place. Once again this hints personality traits. He comes across very confident as you infer that he stole this trolley. This also suggests his family don't care much so we get an incite of what his family are also like. The acting out could be caused by his worry over his sexuality.
There are also enigma codes in this. The clip questions the audience and leaves them asking questions, drawing them in more. One question may be the 'being awake before the alarm'. The sound of the alarm is an action code, as he gets out of bed as a response to the alarm going off.
Another thing we notice about his room is the open curtains. This links with the suggestion that he hasn't been asleep. The light shining in from the window causes a shadow over one side of the character and creates the illusion of the character having two personalities. This links with my two suggestions of his personality either being insecure or, the complete opposite, confident. Also it could links with light/dark - truth/lies. So we get the impression that he has two sides of him. One being his image and the other being his secretive side where he could, indeed be hiding the truth about his sexuality.

Sunday, 14 November 2010

How does Calvin Klein represent females in the advert?


From looking at this advert and how you would view it you question
How men look at women.
How women look at themselves.
How women look at other women.
The picture appeals and comes across to people in different ways depending on how they look at it. The picture isn’t giving a clear image of how women are represented because you can judge it in different ways.
The impression we get from a first glance of this advert is that it appeals to men and women and is aimed at both for different reasons. Even though the advert only has a picture of a woman on it and is selling women underwear, it also is selling the underwear to men. Men might see this woman as the ideal women and after capturing the ‘star struck’ men’s attention, the initial idea they from this is ‘I’ll buy that for my wife/partner/girlfriend’ etc.
From a women’s perspective they can look at this advert and could get two opposite impressions. One being that the advert is intimidating and no women could possibly look like that. Secondly, opposing this would be the idea that a women would aspire to look like her so they decide to buy the underwear.
The advert could be portrayed as showing that women are vulnerable OR have the more dominant role (completely opposite). The advert supports both these points. Firstly the woman is very revealing which gives a huge sense of vulnerability and also gives an effect as though she’s selling herself. Her head it turned and tilted slightly back and her eyes are closed. This can come across as sexy or as though she’s pulling back avoiding the camera and closing her eyes slightly to block it out. The advert also has a luring effect to it attracting the opposite sex which supports that women have more control. The turning away from the camera also tells us that she isn’t the focus of the advert so it brings more attention onto the actual product and not the model; which also portrays her as being a strong person and suggests that she is focused on doing her job which is to sell the underwear and does so by bringing the focus onto it. It also gives off mixed signals such as she's 'available' because there's not ring however you get the idea that she's saying 'you want but you can't have'.
The way the woman is positioned could represent how some women look at themselves. It’s a powerful stance so it could be representing that women are strong individuals. However another way to look at this is because she’s pulling away BUT she seems higher than everyone else (low angle shot) it could represent that she doesn’t like being in the lime light. This could represent how women look at themselves as many seem to feel insecure and are ALWAYS able to find a fault in the way they look.
The low angle shot could represent two things. One being that this is the perfect women and other women look up to this picture whilst the perfect woman looks down on them.  This links with the powerful stance of the women, with her legs apart and her hands on her hips. The other being the woman looking down at everyone else because she’s attractive, gets attention so this could suggest that Calvin Klein believe women should look like this. This picture could cause women to ask each other is this how they are meant to look causing women to feel insecure. Another purpose of the low angle shot adds the whole ‘luring’ effect, which sells the underwear to women who want to be/look like her.
Linking the advert with age, you can notice that the way the woman is portrayed in this is the stereotypical representation of mostly all young women. So this advert can’t be greatly criticized for objectifying women as it’s shown throughout a mass amount of media.  So Calvin Klein isn’t representing women in a completely different way at all as this kind of representation is common. 

Wednesday, 3 November 2010

Explain how Ethnicity is represented in the clip


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The clip begins with the black man serving the white man. This is an old stereotypical representation linking with different classes. The white person was once stereotyped to be the higher class and this is shown again here with the black man serving him. The lighting is dim, with a relaxed feel to it as its by the pool. The camera then goes onto the man walking along side of the pool until another black person comes out of the pool and it turns out they are 'old friends'. The sharp, edgy and quirky music adds a tense feel to the scene which is similiar to how the smart black man appears to feel. The 'old friend' comes out of the pool and rises up to the smart black man. When we see the two characters next to each other there is an obvious difference between then. You can see this through their appearance and how they speak. E.G 'Bled' and 'Partying'. Another thing you can pick out to show how their now different is how the less smart one comes out of the pool UP to the smart black man. This could be a representation in class and how their different. Its as though the less smart one looks up to the smart man, and the smart man looks down onto the less smart man. They are binary opposites.
The tense, uneven music makes a wind sound as it zooms into a close up of the mans face and gives a scary feel to it. This gives us the impression something bad will happen involving these two men. Then the music follows through onto the next scene where we see a French maid come round the corner with another French maid following her. Straight away we can notice that one maid is quite strong, whereas the other one seems more vulnerable. One says 'c'mon' whilst the other looks around helplessly and unsure. We notice further on how different they both are when one walks out whilst they start to 'dance' for the chinese guy. Stereotypically we aren't shocked with the maid's being French and it's also not shocking when we realise their willing to offer 'double' for more money. The lights and props tie in well with the scene, with the hotel lighting and the cleaning trolleys. The camera shot shows the two maid's entering the room and the shot then moves onto a Japanese  man sat on his bed looking very proud of himself and smug. Here we see a stereotypical representation of Japanese men as they seem very rich and 'pervy' making the vulnerable French maid's do 'extra'. The camera shot is off the Japanese man sat on his bed with his dressing gown on. You can notice that the room is very tidy and clean which is also a stereotypical representation of Japanese men. Once again the lighting is just the natural lighting of the room. The camera then goes to a close up of the money and then a close up of the confident maid's face where she seems more than happy to do anything for extra money. It then goes onto a close up of the French maid's face, the closing/locking of the door and then a close up of the remote and the CD player. The music stays tense like before but gradually gets louder until the CD player is turned on and plays a completely contrasting song. The atmosphere seems very edgy and anxious as the camera shots switch from the maid's and the Japanese man, until one maid walks out. The music then changes as the new scene of a member of staff opens a door and starts calling a British man's name. She's giving the man toilet role. The stereotypical representation seen here is of the British man speaking posh and being mad. This suggests that all British people speak posh. The music in this scene has a more 'bouncy' side to it. The camera shows the women entering the room and then we get a mid shot of her talking to the British man.
The next scene is of two people walking through and the camera shot is them walking towards the camera. The music is similar as before but has an electro bit to it and the camera goes onto the next scene of the kitchen. In the kitchen we see two cooks, and Italian and a British cook. The Italian cook whereas black clothes which connotates dark, bad, untrustworthy, whereas the British cook is wearing white clothes which connotates a more nicer person, honest and trustworthy. Another stereotype is that the British man is fat and angry and the Italian guy sleeps around which links with him being untrustworthy. Finally we see the maid come out of the room whilst another staff spies on her. The camera then goes onto the maid walking down the corridor.

Saturday, 23 October 2010

Jaime Murray
Jaimie Murray was one of the main characters from the TV drama ‘Hustle’ and played Stacie Monroe. As a stereotypical, young looking and attractive woman she would get a lot of attention. This is exaggerated even more as she is the only female member of the group. Also by being the only female it is highly important that her character is well presented at ALL times as this is what is expected by viewers.
Women at this age are portrayed as mature, ideal looking and perfect so that women can inspire to look like them. This is a typical media stereotype and can be seen on programs and magazines (models) alike. Her character is very glam and mature which shows she’s very successful. She is at the age where she has reached her achievements.
On the BBC website the character Stacie is described as follows...


The Lure’ 
Stacie has a cool head on her shoulders and is rarely flustered.  Sexy, smart and glamorous, she often uses her feminine charms to ensnare unsuspecting marks: playing the 'lure' while another gang member targets the male victim. Stacie also has the role of the group's 'banker', and is great at playing the inside when she needs to. Like all great con-artists, she's intuitive, versatile and can think on her feet.
                      
                   
Most women would look up to this and want to be like her. Also people younger than her might want to be like her when they reach that age. She plays a proud character and this could have been influenced by the attention she gets as it gives her the power to control.



In the trailer we can notice that she’s in the middle of the car, with the men sat around her. Not only does she stand out by being the only women but because of what she’s wearing. It appears as though she’s wearing nothing! This shows a sense of ‘showing off’ and tells us that she enjoys the attention. As a character she represents how women that age want to feel and therefore fits in as a stereotypical representation of middle aged women. 

Sunday, 17 October 2010

The Male Gaze

What is Gaze?
The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented. For Feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:
* How men look at women
* How women look at themselves
* How women look at other women

Laura Mulvey quoted that "Film audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male"
The camera lingers on the curves of the female body and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reaction to these events. Relegates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male.
You can see examples of this in films, music videos etc...
One that we looked at was a music video 'She's so lovely' by Scouting for Girls where we analysed what the women and man were wearing and the colours of their clothes. Turned out the girls in the class knew more of the answers...

Marjorie Ferguson (1980s)
Ferguson identified 4 types of facial expressions on the front cover of women magazines
Chocolate Box, Invitational, Super Smiler, Romantic or sexual


                                                      



















Trevor Millum (1990s)
Seductive, Carefree, Practical, Comic, Catalogue




 

Prezi Presentation 'How is age represented in media'


Friday, 8 October 2010

The Film Making Process

In todays lesson we learnt about understanding the film making process from:

Concept
|
Film Production -script, directors, cast, filming, editing (artistic bit)
|
Distribution -selling & marketing the film, new technology (business bit)
|
Exhibition -showing, -cinemas, film festivals, premieres

Examples of:
Small British Film Co-ordinations
*Working Title
*Film 4
*Warp Films
American Film Co-ordinations
*Paramount
*Universal
*20th Century Fox

Presentation Lesson

In today's lesson we showed our presentations to the class and made notes on each of the seven areas. These were being graded and were determining our assessment point grade.

AGE
A baby - we stereotype to be crying, cute and cuddly. Any images and adverts of babies tend to be cute pictures that will make us go 'aw'. The complete opposite to baby's is the elder people. We stereotype them to do nothing, be helpless and slow. However there are some similarities between the baby and elder person. They are binary opposites and have the symbolic code. Both are helpless and need looking after. Although in some soaps and films we can notice an opposite side to old people than the typical stereotype. Sometimes they can be the devious, sly person and can look after themselves, without the need of others.

REGIONAL IDENTITY
the north- they come across more friendlier and funny. However they can also come across more miserable and tend to enjoy moaning about how hard their life is. Also the jobs associated with them tend to be poor, with rubbish pay. They also come across as the typical working class group of people. The word 'The' tends to disappear and turns into 'tu' which comedians tend to pick out. It is also a rural area.
the south- the south is a lot more city like and we can relate programs such as 'Spooks' to it. The colours that we tend to associate the south with is grey, mono tone colours and this can reflect on people's moods and feelings of the city too. Also we associate London with the South, and relate it to business filled, fast paced lives. We can see this on programs such as hotel Babylon.
countryside- Finally we have the country side. Our initial thoughts are farmers, colourful (green etc.), relaxed way of life, 'simpler life'. We can see the contrast between countryside and city life in the film 'HotFuzz' where the policeman goes from a fast paced, busy, violent environment to a slow, relaxed, no trouble environment.


Ethnicity
clothing- The first thing we look at to make us judge a person is appearance. We associate black teens wearing hoody's as unapproachable such as Thomas from Skins. However in Hollyoaks we look at the person in a whole new way. How we see and judge people depends on their facial expression and clothing, making us decide whether they're approachable or not.
Indians- We normally picture them wearing their traditional clothing, however this varies on different TV programs. Some programs may have religious family's in it however they could be dressed casual. We also judge the marriages to be arranged by parents making us think that they are very controlling.
Setting and camera angles- Taking 'This is England' as an example, a lot of the camera shots are looking up at the characters. The common stereotype we have for people similar to the characters in the program is lower class, ignorant, white people, rough, skinheads, council estates, run down and intimidating.
Personality traits- Sometimes in programs they question our typical stereotype for different people. For example you might not expect a black man to be a policeman and helping out the community. Usually we associate them as lazy and yobs.
Plots- In Eastenders one of the story lines was an Indian man realising he's gay. As we already know, this is against their religion. It is also against the traditional beliefs and expectations so the plot really tested the viewer's judgement.

Sexuality
clothing- We stereotype gay men's clothing to be tightly fitting and female like, however with various different styles that tend to stand out. Women usually have a 'butch' image if they are gay and are stereotyped to look  manly, usually with short hair and sometimes rough looking. Their clothing never tends to be 'ladylike' or 'classy'. Its usually similar to men's clothing that adds to the creating of their male image.
settings- Some of the obvious settings that we all tend to stereotype and associate with gays are the 'gay parades and clubs'. However this is not completely true.
camera angles- In many tv programs or images that are trying to represent a gay character, you can notice that the camera angles tend to be close ups on the clothing so that we focus and notice what the character is wearing and judge the character using our initial stereotypes.
voice- The way the characters talk in programs tend to be quite high pitched and dramatic (drama queen). You rarely have gay male characters with manly, tough voices as this isn't stereotypical. Also the characters are not normally associated with sports as this co-notates manliness and sports is usually associated with the 'popular male characters' in films/programs. So if gay males are playing sports this completely reverses our idea of the typical stereotype in most films and programs!
On TV programs the plots are usually similar to each other. You start with the build up and the discovery that a person is gay...then the 'telling of people' (whether its kept a secret or if a person is honest)...then the reactions of other people...and finally the whole dealing with it all.
Heterosexual-  We don't pick up on this, nor do we have a certain typical stereotype. These characters can do anything they want with their appearance.
I think TV producers HAVE exaggerate the clothing, the camera angles and the way the character acts and portrays themselves so that the audience know exactly what they producers are trying to show them. The producers make it so obvious so that the audience is completly convinced and 'in the know'.

Ability and Disability
disabled- We judge people with a disability as vulnerable.
clothing- 'Housewear' with little effort. You can notice this in Little Britain with the disabled man in the wheelchair.
setting- untidy and dirty.
camera angles- looks down onto the disabled person with the helper always in the frame/picture with them. Characters talk to them as if they were childlike & they bend down to their level. The focus is usually exaggerated onto the disability rather than the character.
personality- stupid, evil, helpless, funny.

Gender
male- dominant character. associated with fights, strong, short hair, more money, work (traditional) - which links with the patriarchal time period. They are the supporter and the stoic.
female- housewife,  dresses, long hair, crying, over reacting, restrained by men. etc...
Representations of MEN across all media tend to focus on the following :
*Strength (physical, intellectual)
*Power
*Sexual attractiveness and physique
* Independent (through thought and action).
Representations of WOMEN across all media tend to focus on the following :
*Beauty (within narrow conventions)
*Size/physique ( "     " )
*Sexuality
*Emotional (as opposed to intellectual)
*Relationships (independence/freedom).

Status and Class
THREE MAIN CLASSES

Upper class – royalty, lords, dukes, millionaires.
Middle class – everyday people, (majority of us)
Lower class – homeless people, chavs.

We associate the upper class with things such as wealth, ‘posh’ sports e.g polo, cricket, fox hunting, mansions, expensive jewels, posh smart clothing. Afternoon tea and biscuits. Butlers, Bentley’s and so on. In the Media, the higher class are portrayed as the upper status with the dominant, controlling role.
The catorgy of people who fit in Middle class are people we associate with as ‘normal’. They live a working class life with a less standard lifestyle than the upper class. Things we associate with middle class is, semi detached houses, people who go out doing daily things e.g shopping. Have jobs such as teachers, bankers and have a typical, average sized family.
The people we associate as lower class are people who have a ‘rough’ image, e.g. chavs. They wear things like caps and live in  council houses. The way they speak is colloquialism and some could have a cockney accent. They come across in programs as ineducated, gobby, with less wealth.
Film Habits Questionnaire

Thursday, 7 October 2010

Narrative Codes

In todays lesson we learnt about the 2 types of Narrative. These are OPEN and CLOSED.
They are compared to a ball of string.


*Open meant something being unravelled in a lot of different ways. E.G. soaps
*Closed meant there's only one obvious thread to pull on. E.G. detective programs


In order to get an open/closed narrative you need a NARRATIVE CODE between it. This leads onto the 5 codes...


THE 5 CODES
->Action Code - applies to any action that implies a further narrative action.


->Enigma Code - refers to any element in a story that is not explained, therefore exists as an enigma for the audience, raising questions.


->The Semantic Code - any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connotation.


->The Cultural Code - any element in a narrative that refers "to a science or a body of knowledge". The cultural codes tend to point to our shared knowledge about the way, the world works.


->The Symbolic Code - Levi-Strauss, argued that narrative structures have binary opposites e.g. good Vs evil and the Symbolic Code creates a meaning between these two opposites that we question. 

Monday, 4 October 2010

Is Max a stereotypical teenager?

In ‘our’ eyes realistically, stereotypical teenagers are people who should be classed as mature adults, people we relate to being at school and people/students at an age where you work hard all week and go out at the weekend. Although in the American films we notice a divide in the groups of teenagers for example: the dumb pretty popular girls, the football crazed popular boys, the wannabes, the geeks, the emos, the indies etc...We see this in such films as Mean Girls where it focuses deliberately on the divide of each group. However this isn’t realistic.

From ‘some’ older people’s views, looking down at teenagers, we can sometimes be stereotyped as trouble makers and drop outs that care more about appearance and going out than important work. Although some opinions, such as ones from parents, want their children to be better than what they were and to improve socially, intellectually and be good in all areas, e.g. sport, education. However this is also not very realistic.
In the opening montage we get the impression that Max is the perfect parents child, but behind all the ‘window dressing’ he isn’t. Right at the start of the montage there is a close up on the book which has bee’s on it, linking to Max being a ‘busy bee’ and the ‘bees knees’ and the bee club shown later in the montage.
 
He then turns the page onto a picture of himself posing trying to look ‘cool’ however, the hat, glasses and smart blazer speak differently. The shot then moves onto him walking towards us, ‘leading the way’ with his followers either side of him. This gives the impression that he has a higher authority or ‘thinks’ he has. However this clashes’ with the stereotypical American teenager, as the person that everyone follows is usually dressed more casually. He also seems to be instructing them with what to do and acting a lot older than his age. This then reflects in the second shot as he’s in a French class with younger people. This also emphasizes that he wants to act older than his age to bring upon himself more importance and authority. We also get the impression that he doesn’t have many friends his own age as he’s amongst younger people in a lot of the different clubs he does.  It then moves on to the Model United Nations club where he’s sat proudly and confidently at a table with two ‘less bothered’ younger teenagers at his sides. Because the two younger ones are more slouchy and less alert it gives the impression that Max over exaggerates and takes things, like the clubs too seriously. He also uses his hands a lot when talking which also shows confidence. Then it moves onto him collecting coins and then after we have the debate team. What we can notice in the debate team is that the opposing team are two similar aged teenagers just like Max. However by Max’s side is a younger teenager. Not only does this emphasize how he doesn’t have many friends his own age, but also shows a sense of unconfidence. The younger boy is leaning over more, taking the dominant role of the ‘debate’ which is also more ‘threatening’ in a way as he’s less mature, more aggressive and argumentative.  In the next shot we see him with the lacrosse team where we see a more American stereotype. Our first clear impressions of Max is a typical ‘geek’ and after seeing him being the higher authority in the first few clips we now see him fall back. The sport teenagers are usually the more popular ones and Max leans down whilst sat next to them. This could represent him having a lower status than the sports players as his body language gives a sense of bowing down. 



The rest of his clubs give off the same impression as the first ones. Max is obviously trying to create a high status of himself to become popular, however from the eyes of everyone else he’s a typical geek. Another way to look at it, is that Max knows where he stands and may struggle with school so he uses these clubs to keep a fast paced life, keeping his mind focused on being a leader and looking after the younger children. 
Also as there’s so many clubs that he joins it’s almost as if he’s desperate for the attention and fits in as the American teenager ‘wannabe’ as he uses the clubs to get well known. So there is some links to the American stereotype. Also Max is wearing a blue blazor whereas the others are wearing brown coloured ones. This shows him trying to stand out and be different not just with profile but with appearance too.
In conclusion I think that in some ways Max is a typical teenager. For example, wanting a high status/profile, being in control and standing out. However the clubs that he does make him seem very unrealistic. Surely a person wouldn't have enough time to do ALL of those clubs and surely a teenager can't be capable of being good at ALL of those things.

 

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

Re-Presentation LESSON

Re-Presentation

The way the media present 'something' as though it were real, it is not real, merely a copy of something

Sign & Signifiers

sign - Something which communicates a piece of information
signifier - Multiple 'ideas' or 'feelings' behind a sign

All signs belong to cultures

Gatekeepers

The people in charge of what we see

Ideology

A belief system

RUSHMORE

Mise en scene
*Camera angle
*Props
*Setting
*Lighting
*Acting

Film set - school classroom, all boys private catholic school in America
Main character's personality - lonely, wealthy, quirky, smug, different from others
Excellent at - maths...
Others view him - In dreams, a hero. However different in reality
Dressed in - Blazor

Friday, 24 September 2010

Evaluation

Firstly I had two pictures on the cover, however i changed this as having one creates a greater effect and makes it a lot more catching to the eye. After cutting, resizing, brightening and changing the contrast I finally finished the picture for the front cover. I then added the masthead and some stories onto the side to encourage a person to read it. Also I added a barcode, date and the word ‘FREE’ to sway the reader into picking the magazine up. I used three colours on both the front cover and contents page, purple, white and black. I wanted a white background to start with as this brightens the front cover immediately. Also because of the grey top in the photo I couldn't use colours that would contrast it as it would make it look 'messy'. I think the purple, black and white work well and I'm happy with that choice. :)
On the contents page I used two pictures and used them as the background for the page with the writing overtop. I then made a list of what is in the magazine along with page numbers. Overall I am reasonably happy with my how my magazine turned out. I struggled with using Photoshop as I haven’t used it a lot before. If I were to redo it, I would use a different picture and different fonts.

Thursday, 23 September 2010

Print Preliminary Exercise

In this exercise we had to create a front cover and a contents page of a new magazine for the school. This could be aimed at a specific subject or group of people. I aimed mine towards a 'mass audience'. We had to have a photograph, taken by ourselves of somebody in medium close up. Also we had to include a masthead and some text. The magazine had to be appropriate for school, with school related topics and titles on the contents page.
We started off by looking at other magazines, getting an idea of the layout and how to use layers. This gave me inspiration of how the layout of my magazine could be and what kind of colours and pictures to use. Only three colours were to be used on the cover so that it still stands out but doesn't look 'messy'. The title must be bold and go straight across the top of the magazine as it has to catch the eye of the audience. Also you had to avoid having empty space on the cover.
We then made mock ups, designing our magazine and coming up with a name and what kind of picture to put on the cover. After changing it twice already, I called my magazine 'Define'. By designing it before hand you can get a clearer understanding of how you're going to set it all out, making it easier for you when you come to edit. After completing that and getting it checked, we went off in pairs to take a number of pictures for the magazine. I took pictures of people jumping to create a 'free spirited' effect and exaggerating a less 'serious' side to being at school. It also links with one of the stories 'guide to help with stress'. After this we uploaded them onto our computers and opened them up in photo shop to edit, cut, add effects and create our magazine.
                                                                                        

Sunday, 19 September 2010

Evaluation


Overall I enjoyed filming and trying out all the camera shots. Each of us had a turn taking control of the camera and it was reletively easy to use! However it took a lot of takes and we didn't get it right first time. The first camera we used had a fade in/fade out effect to it which took a while to get used to as you had to wait until the fade had gone before filming. The second time round we had a different camera which was better and didn't have the fade. The storyboard given was easy to follow so we had no problem with what we were filming.

When we uploaded the footage onto the mac we were told that the part where we filmed meg's feet walking was the wrong way. So we had to refilm that and add it on again. The editing was quite easy and it was good to see how the overall footage turned out:) i was pleased with it as it was my first go at filming and editing :)

Thursday, 16 September 2010

Film AS Preliminary Task

The task we had to complete was to create a short film out of a storyboard written by another group. We had to get a long shot of someone walking down the corridor, then a close up of their feet walking and their face. Then we had to get shots of them opening the door, walking into the room and sitting down. Two people in the group acted in the scenes whilst the others helped with filming. We also did over the shoulder shots and shot reserve shots. I helped with the filming and editing, cutting clips etc.
The skills needed are to create a good clear storyboard with a plan of what shots would be used in each scene as this is the guide for our filming. You also needed camera skills so that you include all the different shots creating good continuity. We each shot different scenes individually. Once we finished filming we had to transfer the filming to the mac and edit the shots. We also added a 'scream' as an effect. During editing we had to redo some shots and add them back in again because we did them wrong the first time.

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

The FIVE C's

*Camera angles
*Continuity
*Cutting (aka editing)
*Close ups
*Composition

When telling the audience where the film is set you use a LONG SHOT. This lets you show all the important info.
A MEDIUM SHOT is the most commonly used shot in cinema. It is used to show any character interaction.
You use a CLOSE A UP when there is something/someone important to show the audience.

Continuity - Generally refers to visual errors. In very basic terms it means having a character in a red top one second, then a blue top in the next.

Cutting/ editing - Essential otherwise films would be in real time & never end. It allows a director to change locations. Main use is to either add pace to a scene to make it exciting or to slow it down for dramatic emphasis.

Composition - The act and process of the work

Tuesday, 7 September 2010

hello

Ohhh Heyyy, My name is Emma :) I am interested in writing and song writing. I write a lot of country style songs but do a range of others too. I'm not so much good at playing instruments, so if ever somebody wants to use my lyrics, they tend to choose what genre and style it is. :)
My favourite music artist at the moment is EXAMPLE. I find his music quirky, new and a lot different from other songs. Also his lyrics stand out as he sometimes sings about a funny story/personal experience . It was over summer that I started listening to his new album 'Won't Go Quietly' which I loved and so I then started listening to his older stuff which is even better! It wasn't until he released 'Kickstarts' when his popularity rose suddenly. One weekend in the summer just gone, I went to a friend of the family's village fete. Around the village I noticed Example posters everywhere which caught my attention! I then found out that the following weekend a new festival called the 'Strawberry Fields Festival' was taking place and that EXAMPLE was playing. I couldn't believe it! As my friends were part of the organising and lived by the farm it was being held at, I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the festival and backstage passes where I was lucky to meet Example!! -Highlight of my summer.



=)