G322 Tv Drama

Section A: Improvement on Essay

2011-12-14T05:02:00.000-08:00

Mise-en-scene
The costumes that the characters wear help to represent their ethnicity and where they stand in terms of hierachy within the hotel. The immigrant staff are wearing uniforms where as the white staff are wearing smart suits. This gives the audience the impression that the white staff are more important and successful than the immigrants as its clear that by their uniforms they are cleaners.

Sound
Dialogue is used to suggest power and imprtance of a character. Throughout the sequence the audience have viewed Jackie to be of a high status within the hotel, maybe some sort of manager position. However this is tested when her and a large group of the immigrant staff are hiding in the cupboard from the immigration officers. One of the staff passes out and Jackie has no idea what to do so another worker steps in and saves her. He said 'he wasnt always a cleaner', hinting that once he was a doctor but by moving to the UK has left him to resort a much lower job. This re-inforecs status and power as now the audience sees Adam (the immigrant worker) to be in a situaion in which he has more power than Jackie, this is empahasized again through the use of a high angle shot looking down on her from his point of view.

Editing
The use of cut-away shots are used (form of parallel editing) which shows the audience the vulnerable position Ibraham is in. This technique helps the audience understand who Jackie is talking about and we can link the two shots together and identify that he is in a dangerous situtation. The headphones are a prop used in this seqeuence to show why Ibraham cannot hear the alarm, putting him in a weak and defenseless position.

Camera angles/movements/compositions
A Pull focus is used when the immigrant officers walk out of the elevator and are directly infront of Ibraham. This again creates realsim for the audience as they know that he is danger and we link the immigrant officers to the situation. Reinforcing the fact that he is an immigrant and doesnt have any power when up against the officers.

Alexa's Web Traffic Stats

2011-12-12T06:06:00.000-08:00

NME

Who is there core buyer?

18-24 year old males who do not have children, mainly college educated and main browsing location is from work. (Alexas web traffic)

Has circulation dropped?

Sales of IPC Media’s music title NME fell 14.3 per cent to 29,020 in the first half of 2011 (http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=47732&c=1)

Traffic on website?

Yesterday	0.03	-35%
7 day	0.045	+1%
1 month	0.0449	-12%
3 month	0.0468	+0.3%

Traffic rank for nme.com: (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/nme.com#)

	Traffic Rank	Change
Yesterday	5,258	+1,560
7 day	3,574	-211
1 month	3,697	+562
3 month	3,483	-132

Web traffic has risen by 107 per cent year-on-year according to the latest round of ABCe figures. The official measure of website traffic was published yesterday (August 5), revealing the big growth: 1.8 million more of you are now looking at NME.COM's news, listening posts, video interviews, blogs and more. Average load time: (2.55 Seconds), 80% of sites are faster.

Examples of convergence, synergy, prosuming opportunties?

Just three titles in the top 10 managed to increase readers this year – Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and BBC Music managed increases of 4.5%, 0.1% and 0.1%, respectively.

Metal Hammer

Who is there core buyer?

Very similar to NME.com. is visited more frequently by males who are in the age range 18-24, have no children, are college educated and browse this site from work.

Has circulation dropped?

Traffic on website?

Traffic rank for metalhammer.co.uk:

Traffic Rank

Change
7 day
72,159
-23,957
1 month
82,079
+12,572
3 month
71,604
+3,544

Examples of convergence, synergy, prosuming opportunties?

Section B: Common Errors

2011-12-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

Feedback on Section B Mock Exam:

Lack of terminology (up tp 10 marks)
Using exampls that are from OLD exemplar responses- this is very lazy amd these stats are now out-dated
Referencing examples
Focus on both- AUDIENCE and INSTITUTION
Hardware and CONTENT
Own opinion
By far the biggest error was the lack of specific case study examples; evidence to support claims/ arugements!!! These need specific examples about content, statistics, figures (audience circulation)

What is the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences within the media area in which you have studied?
Points that should have been covered:

positive and negative
advances in technology-can do more, smartphones, iphones, tablets, technology is more accessible/easily available (audiences can access it on the move 24/7), Web 2.0, synergies and convergence
Software: Apps-specific examples from each institution
Fanzines: exist now due to proliferation in hardware and software and their accessibilty- examples: Audience: more demanding; they can prosume through sites such as youtube so they expect more from institutions, impatient
how have institutions responded to these constant changing consumer/consumption habits?
Rise in competition due to proliferation of hardware (Twitter, fanzines etc) and how institutions have overcome this?
Production & distribution; advancements in printing process- has the internet meant a decrease in sale of institutions print products?

Use WIRED and ADOBE as an example
Refer to Alexa's web traffic

Revision on TV DRAMA

2011-12-07T04:25:00.000-08:00

Section A:
30 minutes to watch a clip (4 times) and make notes.
40-45 minutes to write your response.

Construct representations:

camera shots, angles, movements and compositions
sound
mise-en-scene
editing

Possible Approach to exam response:

strucuture your notes around the micro concepts (camera,editing, mise-en-scene,sound) to ensure you cover lots of detailed examples
pick 3/4 key points in the clip and structure detailed analysis around how the micro features are used in those sections of dramas

Note taking technique:

micro	technique	example	Meaning/impact
camera
mise-en-scene
editing
sound

Todorov Narrative theory
Disequilibrium- the period of instability and insecurity in a films narrative.
Equilibrium- a state of peace and calm, which often exists at the beginning of a films narrative.
Enigma- the question or mystery that is posed within a films narrative.
Iconography- the objects within a film that are used to evoke particular meanings.

Keywords:
Realism- do the different techniques used work to make the piece realistic?
Verisimiltude- the construction of a believable world
stereotypes- how we expect people and places to be
Protagonist- is the main character (central/primary personal figure), around whome the events of the narratives plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to identify most with. Alos know as the hero.
Antagonist- opponent, competitor, enemy, rival; is a character/ group of characters, that represents the opposition against which the protagonsit must contend. In other words, ' A person, or a group of people who oppose the main character, or the main characters. Also know as the villain.

'The iconography of the set design such as the space-ships helps to create verisimilitude within the diegesis, this also reflects the genre'

Connotations fit well with mise-en-scene!

Audience Targetting for NME

2011-11-28T06:01:00.001-08:00

1) Core buyer of NME; mainly 25 year old men (73%)

2) Are they targeting niche/small or mass market? Mass market

3) How do they target different audiences?

· NME classified: 26% full time students

· 72% have broadband

· 59% want to keep up with the latest technologies

· 79% want to listen to new bands

· 52% are interested in a musical course/ qualification

· NME live: 77% have been to at least 1 rock concert in 2007

· 67% will be attending a festival this year

· 70% of gig goers went for the atmosphere as well as the music

· NME.com: 93% own a computer

· 56% visit NME.com everyday

· 96% can easily access the internet

4) What do they offer them in terms of the products they offer/produce? Magazines, NME TV, radio station, award ceremony, night club, merchandise, festivals.

5) What opportunities do the audience have and how might this satisfy mainstreamers/succeeders etc? Can buy merchandise straight from the store, to follow the popular/ in music.

6) What is the mode of address? (‘The way a media text speaks to the audience to identify with it?’- the manner, tone and attitude of the magazine) and how does this appeal to the target audience? Straight to the point, informal so feels like they are trying to be our friend, informative, plain and simply put.

7) How is the brand being positioned? Quite high up and main stream within their genre of magazine. The leaders of music magazines.

8) What are their brand values? (If it were a person describe its character) mainstream in the crowd, friendly, keeps up with market trends, informative.

ABCDE statuses

2011-11-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

What products / brands would each category buy?

A. Chanel / Dior

B. Hugo Boss / Waitrose / M&S

C1. French Connection / High Street stores

C2. Benefit / Topshop

D. Topshop / New Look / Asda

E. Primark / Pound Land / Iceland

What magazines do you think they would consume?

A. Vogue / Forbes / Collector’s magazines

B. Grazia / Cosmopolitan / Guardian

C1. Marie Claire / Sun / Sunday Times

C2. Hello / Heat / Sun

D. OK / Closer

E. TV Guides

exam questions

2011-11-25T01:34:00.000-08:00

'What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for the media institutions and audiences?'

What impact are technological developments having on music magazines and their audiences?
How are these developments changing the way music magazines are produced/printed/exhibited and how does this change the way audiences consume them?

Responses:

convergence has lowered the consuming rate of printed magazines
audiences are getting younger as new market trends are more online products/information
costs for printing have risen so they feel they need to move the the changes
the new market trends have forced the industries to develop new media technolgy
sales and producing magazines may decline as by the time the consumer has brought the magazine, the information will already be online in half the time and half the price -WEB 2.0(massive impact)
some small/niche magazines may go corrupt as they only target a specific audience-not a wide maret segment-less consumers
accessibility: wherever and whenever we like and portability: phones, tablets etc - Convergence
convergence: NME- radio & website (form of synergy if they were seperate) - MULTI-PLATFORM
SYNERGY- award shows, NME tour,
UGC (user generated content)- podcasts, forums, upload your own pictures (nme), upload videos of your band (metal hammer)- PROSUMERS
prosumers- far more likely to be loyal if you give them the oppotunity to be a prosumer
NME and Metal Hammer have both won awards
FANZINES-websites made by consumers/fans becuase they have bias views on how others proudce theirs/ content so they have in effect became competition
nme and metal hammer HAVE to produce both online website and print magazine: financial burden is greater but online may give them more advertising
social networks- facebook- can converge with nme and metal hammer- like pages, fan groups
Twitter can be a threat, as you can directly follow the celebs and get the information staright from their page rather than wait for it to be distributed (loyalty if they have perks that twitter dont give)
PROLIFERATION- so much choice
future of magazines- my opinion, statistics etc....
rupert murdoch quote
music creates a community, can interact with other consumers with similar likes

Opening Paragraph

2011-11-23T04:57:00.000-08:00

Begin with clear argument about new challenges facing the magazine industry, incoporating how much audience consumption has changed due to digital technology/new media technologies/ the development of the internet (web 2.0)
you MUST state what area of the media industry you have studied- this can be embeded within your paragraph or state obviously
"Technoogy is shifting power away from editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite, now its the people who are taking control." (Murdoch 2006)

my opening paragraph: (advancements of media technology and the effects)
Over the recent years, media technology has rapidly evolved with advancements within the way a consumer can access their information, this has had major effects on media industries especially magazines . The magazine industries are finding that in order to keep up with latest in new media technology they need to converge, they have to respond as best as possible to their customers and give them what they want in order to survive. For example NME have mixed the old with the new to stay on top of the changing trends, they have websites and radio stations in which the audience can get involved with. Today the internet is a two way communication where we can give and recieve information from where ever we are. Technology will carry on evolving and becoming more advance ,"Technoogy is shifting power away from editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite, now its the people who are taking control." (Murdoch 2006).

closing paragraph: (draw essay together in one sentence, refer back to opening paragraph. what is the future of magazines?)
All in all, technological convergence is essential in the survuval of magazine industries. With continuos development of ways to access information, the extent and potential of Web 2.0 is unknown, so will magazines be able to keep up to date with latest technologies and survive? In my opinion online magazines will be more likely to survive as the average British teenager spends arounds 31 hours online per week and access to the internet is easier than ever. The launch of online magazines was after sales dropped 60% in 2002, they realised they needed to respond to the latest craze and adapt their product to make it more appealing and saleable. However, i dont think the taditional glossy front covered magazines will never die out completely, to me there will always be something that makes people go back to them and like Jason Docj said, new technology will never replace old technology, we generally find a purpose for 'old tech'.

Exam question example :
'Discuss the issie raised by an institutions need to target specific audiences within a media industry which you have studied.'
Reworded- What issues are raised within the magazine industry when trying to target a specific audience?

new market trends
stereotypes
way in which audience consumes - accessing the product
new media technology (nmt)
niche (Metal Mammer- bespoke, cant synergies but can create huge loyalties with their customers, ONLY heavy metal-small audience) VS mainstream/mass (NME-appeal to wider audience - can synergies - Reading Festival-versatile, helps create awareness of their brand, potential to meet them-customer loyalty-)
Loyal customer- mode of address, their language, meet their needs-current- 'front runners' (print/online)
online can be up to date faster than print as doesnt go through the whole publishing and distributing proccess
social network- facebook likes/friends, twitter (convergence & loyalty)
website- buy tickets, clothes, merchandise, UGC- loyalty.
UGC- NME-upload pictures of yourself at gigs or festivals and Metal Hammer- can upload videos of yourself.
advertisement!!! (1/3 of profits come from advertisements)
design and layout of magazine, navigation of website-time it takes page to load (loyalty)

Essay Strucuture (example):
introduction
prosumers, UGC, uses and gratifications theory

FUTURE PLC

2011-11-18T01:50:00.001-08:00

FUTURE PLC

Who are they? Future PLC. is an international special-interest media group that is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR). Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK, US and Australia creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events for people who are passionate about their interests. We hold market-leading positions in games, film, music, technology, cycling, automotive and crafts.

Are they British/European/American? Future todays employs 1200 people in offices in London, Bath, San Francisco, New York and Sydney. Future was founded as a UK company in 1985.

What other magazines do they produce? They produce T3, Total Film, Classic Rock, Guitar World, and Official Xbox Magazine (Metal Hammer). Future is the biggest music-making publisher in both the US and the UK (Future PLC, 2011). Metal Hammer on Planet Rock and Metal Hammer 25th Anniversary show (

Why is it important for the institution to evolve and follow market trends? To keep on top of what their audiences want, they need to be able to offer exactly what there after thus resulting in no loss of customers/viewers. The more magazines evolve and offer more products, the more things their customers can get involved with and may appeal to a wider range of people. (Same as IPC Media)

Do they produce products other than media texts? They organise events, (sporting events), music and film industry and have websites for gaming and technology.

How do they target their audience? Do they offer a variety of magazines for different nationalities and ethnicities? Our online advertising growth in the UK – some 44% - more than compensated for the continued decline in demand for print advertising. Overall advertising revenues grew year-on-year, with online proportions up from 22% to 31% (Steve Spring, May 2011).

‘Advertising patterns continue to change and in the UK, the internet advertising now accounts for a greater share of advertising expenditure than is allocated to television, radio, billboards, magazines or newspapers’ (Interim Report, May 2011).

Consider the use of NMT (New Media technology); how does the institution communicate with their audiences’ through the use of the internet/mobile phone applications. . Mobile phone apps and Metal Hammer has more than 100,000 Facebook followers. They allow you to sign up to receive frequent newsletters, podcasts, forums (fans can communicate and share with each other). Most magazines allow the audience to write and contribute/ leave a comment(s). They allow you to sign up to receive frequent newsletters, podcasts, forums (fans can communicate and share with each other). Through the Future PLC website, you can register to get email alerts/ updates and twitter updates

IPC MEDIA

2011-11-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

IPC MEDIA MAGAZINE:

Who are they? IPC Media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men – almost 26 million UK adults – while our websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month

Our mass market women's division (IPC Connect) comprises famous women's weeklies including Look, Now, Chat and Woman; TV entertainment brands including What's on TV, TVTimes and TV & Satellite Week and, online, the goodtoknow network.

Are they British/European/American? British

What other magazines do they produce? Our men's portfolio (IPC Inspire) comprises a wealth of leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter, as well as lifestyle brands including Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME. NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, nme.com, NMETV, NME Radio and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over one million music fans every week. NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. Every week it gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music, including award winning features, the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 58 year heritage.

Do they produce products other than media texts? They only produce a wide variety of magazines, some websites but always media texts.

How important is convergence for your institution? Convergence is what gives these two magazine institutions unique selling points which attract more customers. By mixing the old with new, more customers are able to get involved with the product.

Consider the use of NMT (New Media technology); how does the institution communicate with their audiences’ through the use of the internet/mobile phone application. They allow you to subscribe to their magazines so; ‘it’s the perfect way to guarantee receiving your favourite magazine regularly’. They have the option to email them on feedback you have, creating a sense that the consumer can contribute in making their website as good as it can be, and they’re interacting. NME let you have an account on their website in which you can get regular newsletters (email). You can now get super-fast music news wherever you are, with the all-new NME.COM smartphone site; fully optimized for: IPhone/iPod, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, Nokia N900, Nintendo Wii, and PSP. Access to their website/ information seems to be easier than ever as the portability of ways to access it is at the end of our fingertips.

Exemplar response to Section B: Magazine Industry

2011-11-14T06:13:00.001-08:00

In recent times the media industry has witnessed meteoric rise in new technologies. The advancement of the internet, for example, as it entered its second phase enables consumers to access media in new and unparalleled ways. For the magazine industry, this has presented both challenges and opportunities.

Print media is mostly in decline, a worry of course for producers of magazines. Therefore they must assess just how important technological convergence is for helping their magazine to survive in the long run.

The Future Plc title Metal Hammer is a monthly rock and metal magazine, that has existed since 1994. In that time, Metal Hammer has built a reputation as a bible of both modern and traditional metal music. It’s publisher, Future, is an independent company with a portfolio of magazines aimed at niche market sectors. As a whole, Future, has performed well in a declining market, with Metal Hammer and Classic Rock reporting increases in circulation, with Metal Hammer reaching a circulation of 50,269 and classic rock 70, 188 (ABC, Dec 08). Perhaps Futures strategies involving technological convergence have something to do with this success. One of their ‘pillars’ of business strategies is to implore upon their existing convergences in order to further appeal to prosumers. This is important; Future defines ‘prosumers’ as “young men or young-at-heart men (Future licensing.com). In general this demographic will be one of the most technologically involved, in the know about the latest technologies. They are also, incidentally the most valuable demographics for advertisers. In this respect, convergence is extremely important for Future and indeed Metal Hammer in retaining advertising revenue. Advertising revenue has already fallen for Future, as they already saw a 15% drop in advertising from December 08-March 09 (futurelicensing.com, 2009). It is therefore, vital that they use technological convergences to remain advanced enough to attract advertisers.

Metal Hammer’s target audience is a young audience, interested in music, “converging adults”, according to futurelicensing.com The National Readership survey 08, the latest available, shows Metal Hammer readers to be 64% male, average age 22. Again, this is an audience that will be interested in many forms of media. So for Metal Hammer to maintain their loyalty they must fulfil their newly evolving needs (Uses and Gratifications, McQuail).

The Metal Hammer website is a demonstration of convergence, and has proved popular with nearly 60,000 individual visitors since starting (futurelicensing.com). Alex’s web traffic analysis suggests that visitors are mostly male, aged between 18 and 24 and spend around 2.7 minutes on Metal Hammer.co.uk. Therefore the website has apparently targeted the right audience for Metal Hammer. Users can interact, voting in polls such as “who has the best slipknot mask?”, giving users the sense that they are contributing to a community. They are also educated and entertained with video exclusives, Metallica Live, and Opeth on tour. In this way convergence maintains interest in the Metal Hammer brand. Web 2.0 allows users to submit and generate a content, so Metal Hammer has competition in that users can go elsewhere for such videos . It is up to Convergence in order to provide the best service for users.

Metal Hammer has also had successful synergies created as a result of convergence. In 2008, Metal hammer.co.uk encourages users to send in photos taken on their mobiles of them playing “Guitar Heroes”, combining the internet with mobile technology. The guitar hero synergy combined with a party sponsored by Metal Hammer at the O2 (Metal Hammer.co.uk), Podcasts have allowed content to be sent faster than ever to multi-media formats.

Indeed, distribution is an interesting issue to consider for the magazines industry. The internet, podcasts and video channels allow readers to access their wanted content within seconds. Where as hard copies of a magazine must be ordered or brought from a shop. Indeed it could be suggested that the gathering of content from the internet or mobile has replaced the need for buying the magazine itself, as subscriptions for Metal Hammer rose 8% from Dec-march 09 (futurelicensing.co.uk) suggesting there is not the same novelty when buying a magazine.

However, whilst technological convergence is important for the magazine industry, publishers must consider that the extra content offered to consumers via convergences in technology, could replace the magazine itself. IPC’s NME is an example of this as circulation dropped 24.1%, whilst its website has been praised for the amount of content on offer. Metal Hammer has a unique community created by the interacting mode of address; ‘Join the Crusade’ and writing style filled with expletives ‘F*** You!’, readers of Metal Hammer feel a string sense of unrivalled community within the magazine. The magazine sticks close to its ideologies of anti-establishment , avant-garde by featuring adverts appropriate to his such as Attitude Clothing and HMV Metal, whilst the website has adverts by O2, Orange and T-mobile.

Overall techno convergence is important as consumers needs alter and change but for the magazine industry to survive they must make any technological advancements not a replacement for the hard copy of the magazine as Future have so far successfully done. As online advertising reached 18% for future it is important.

Analysis, Argument

Example

Terminology

Terminology in Advertising

2011-11-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

Web 1.0 was the first of the internet - a one way communication, from the sender to the receiver.

Web 2.0 is what we know the internet to be from, sender to receiver and return. (allowed magazines to expand)

A 'Prosumer' is a combination of the words:

- Producer

- Consumer

With advances in technology it is possible for us to be film producers and distributors. We are able to be all the media that wasn’t able to be successful to us.

NME and WARHAMMER give the receiver an opportunity to give feedback.

MULTIPLATFORM approach

Each media has its own platform – radio, internet, music, magazines.

Magazines based around radio stations have merged to mix radio with the internet; it multitasks on the web page to give you both the Medias.

Media Convergence

Mixing the old and new for media changes:
Can also be on magazines distributors, 'communities'; on the internet they now allow you to upload photos, reviews, music and even share it for your own web pages. It gives you the option to advertise.

Synergy

The interaction of two or more forces where there combined effect is greater than their original effect: Magazine example: NME radio station/sponsorship of festivals and events = synergised marketing.
The advances in technology mean tweets, Facebook, RSS feed are able to connect with the Medias to give a stronger experience.
Some Medias connect with physical promotions like toys and so on to give a synergised effect.

Viral Marketing

A marketing technique aiming at reproducing 'word of mouth', usually on the internet and through existing social networks; Word of mouth is still the strongest advertising, is a trust technique. (signs, texting and driving)

Guerrilla Marketing

The use of unconvemtional and low cost marketing strategies to raise awareness of a product.

EG. putting up the old 'WANTED' signs from the Wild West.

Poster/commissioning works of graffiti

Advertising needs to be unique, marketing is getting harder to be the best at distributing their products, experimenting is now more than ever the most important part; name just doesn’t cut it anymore.

UGC (user generated content)
Content that has been generated by the consumer/user.

Magazine example: music reviews, forums, blogging, podcasting

USP (unique selling point)

Making a product different from competitors:
USP of NME is the radio station behind the magazine

POD

Point of Difference:
Differentiating a product from another; making it unique; the actual way in which a product is different from another in the same market

Example sentence: The USP and perhaps the pod of NME compared to metal hammer is that the offer a multiplatform website.

UPB

Unique perceived benefit:

How a product can benefit you, magazines, the fact you are talking to fans of the same magazine. But also that it may benefit some niche magazines more as it’s based around one particular area.

Loyal consumers/brand loyalty (very important in todays society, need us to keep going back)

Consumer community which means they will never leave their side, always go back and be truthful to their brand. Similar to fans of music which means part of the band always stays as a favourite.

Proliferation: A rapid increase in the number of a certain type of product.
•Multi-platform: a multi-platform series is a form of entertainment where the story is told over a range of media platforms; such as magazines, radio station, videos, podcasts.

Vertical integration

Adsorption of several firms into a single firm involved in all aspects of a products manufacture from raw materials to distribution; For example, Rockstar games have become vertically integrated by buying developers they have previously worked with, such as DMA design who became Rockstar north and angel studios who became Rockstar north San Diego. By doing this Rockstar have control over development, funding and marketing of their products.

Section B: Magazine Institution

2011-11-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

Key Media Concepts Exam:
Develop a case study on two music magazines published by tow institutions within in the contemporary magazine industry and distributed in the UK.
Focus on will be how magazine is produced, distributed, exhibited and consumed. The importance of advertising will be a major feature.

Two music magazines: (allows us to compare between the two.)

Mainstream- IPC Media- NME
Niche- Future PLC- METAL HAMMER

Examples of possible questions:

How importnant is technological convergence for institutions and audiences?
With reference toy your chosen case study consider how important interactivity is to media institutions?
What has the impact of increased connectivity been on the media production, distribution and exhibition process?

Future of magazines:
Understand the impact of the changing media landscape, and the impact this is having on the magazine industry.

Representation of Ethnicity

2011-11-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Definition:
1) ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association
2) an ethnic group: representatives of several ethnicities were present

Stereotypes:
Asian People- rich, business people, religious, have been portrayed as terrorists, good at making curry. own cornershops. big families and all live in one house with all relatives.

Travellers- AKA gypsies, usually irish/foreign (bulgarian/romanian). fun fairs, live in caravans, take over peoples land and destroy it. make mess and steal. lack in education. wear vests and jeans and slobber everywhere sometimes long haired. women wear big dresses and gold hooped earrings. british/irish travellers prefer being called 'travellers'.

Polish People- cheap labour, poor, young families, own kebab/chicken/pizza shops. take all of our jobs, eg builders.

Examples of Stereotypes:
GYPSIES- only represent a small number but paints a very negative picture when really we know they are not all bad.
Waterloo Road- moved caravans onto school grounds and caused conflict and upset alot of people so police got involved.
Simpsons- house got ake over by gypsies and had to fight theyre way back in and drove them out.

POLISH- shows that stereptypical views can be changed.
Corontaion Street- two polish girls who Carla employed (immigrants)

ASIAN-
Eastenders- the Masoods, they run their own business, and a curry place and have a typical indian accent.
Masood have recently been praised as being one of the most realisitc 'ethnic' families in the soap land. Stereotypical-owning a corner shop, subject to racially motivated attacks.
Syed is gay which goes against the stereotypical religions of muslims.

The Brown Race

'Brown' often the genreal term used to describe the category of South Asian races.
alothough there are several countries who make up part of this geographcial area, mostly indians are stereotyped.
hollywood films stereotyping: Bend it like Beckham, Tessa Perkins

Common representations of Race

Asian women- doctors or accountants, not artists
Black men- lazy, promiscuous, bad fathers, obsessed with rap music
Black women- were obsessed with how much money a man earned and were 'strait laced'
Asian people- invaders, karate experts
Hispanic people- comics, banditos, gang members
Native Americans- savages, victims, cowards, medicine men
Middle Eastern people- terrorists, oil sheiks
'On TV, black people are depicted as poor nearly twice as often as their true incidence'
Black people stereotyped as criminals and late arrivers
White people cant dance
Asians own corner shops in England

Black People:

mainly black men
crime
living in slums
on welfare
need help from community
less intelligent
over sexual

White People:

dumb blondes
greedy
materialistic
businessmen
middle/upperclass
posh/well spoken

Asian People:

doctors
engineers
mathematics
newsagents- small businesses-entrepreneurs
ignorant
intelligent
extremely smart
men are threats to women
insensitive
disrespectful towards women

Representation of Reginal Identity

2011-11-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Regional Identity:
identifying a persons identity which is rooted not only in the setting of a film but also in the speech, costumes etc and the region they live.

Identifying Regional Identity:

setting
accents
dialogue
props
make up
class of characters

P.E.E
Shameless: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwaxunnAvdo&NR=1
In this clip of Shameless, the audience can probably gather the regional identity of the characters through their accents. Its clear that they are from Manchester, and the setting reveals that its a run down council estate. This helps the audience in indentifying with the characters more as they know where they come from and what to 'expect' in the programme being on a council estate.

The Only Way Is Essex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX7eENeraGc
From this trailer of The Only Way is Essex, through the makeup,costumes and props used in it the audience would assume that the regional identity of the characters is quite upper class and posh, until later when we hear their accents when they start shouting. Most assets of the mise-en-scene help to protray the class of the characters; the females are wearing long, elegant dresses with pristene makeup and the males are in smart suits. The idea of being upper class may come from the expensive, stylish spprts car one character is driving.

Made in Chelsea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnG0Bkzxg6Q
The regional identity of this programme is very clear through accents and setting. Their accents are very pronounced and posh and it being set in the wealthy area of Chelsea helps show that. Even though this clip involves different scenes of the programme the dialogue is related to each other making it easy to see that the characters involved all know eachother, which maybe shows that its a small area as they all know each others business.

P.E.E

2011-11-02T10:58:00.001-07:00

P.E.E - Example

Point - Your comment about the area of representatione.g. Youth is represented through diegetic sound.

Evidence - Your micro element that tells us this
e.g. The dialogue is colloquial

Explanation - link the two
e.g. This conforms to a stereotypical view of young teenagers, that they are rebellious in speaking their own language.

Representation of SEXUALITY

2011-11-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

Homosexual Male	Overly Feminine Camp characteristic’s Androgynous Well dressed, Image Eccentric colours Drink wine/ cocktails Hairdresser/ make up/ designer Bitchy/gossip Mummys boy No kids
Heterosexual Male	Strong Masculine Hands on business Sporty Soldier Suits/ Lad(rigid, rough) Gym Office Home with family (ideology)

Homosexual Female	Short hair Baggy clothes No makeup or lots of it Butch P.E teacher Military Bus Driver Security Masculine
Heterosexual Female	Make up and Perfume Flirtatious Long flowing hair High Heels Secretary Caring jobs Home with kids

Representation of AGE

2011-11-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

Positives and Negatives of youth and old age:

	YOUTH	OLD
Positive	Healthy Fit Active Not wrinkled Outgoing Lack of responsibility Sociable Start of lives- long future ahead Innocent Fun	Experienced Wise Achievements Well Respected Educated Responsible Wealth Freedom Trusting
Negative	Naïve Influenced Vulnerable Immature Rebellious Lazy and Moody Mischievous Restricted (rules/conform/school) Hormonal Stereotyped(hoodies, alcohol, drugs) Rude	Health: mentally and physical Weak Lonely Vulnerable Victims Boring Rude (gossipy/grumpy) Dependant Seen as a burden Unproductive Go to bed early

MISE-EN-SCENE Youth- hoodies, high key lighting, gangs, park, shopping centres, pubs, Old- walking stick, trolley, mobility scooter, grey hair, wrinkled faces, low key lighting, old peoples home,	CINEMATOGRAPHY Youth- high angle shot looking down on the youth, panning can show short attention span (for both; forgetful), moving camera as young people are energetic Old- looking down on showing vulnerability, use of tripod as older people generally static
SOUND Youth- music, noisy, shouting, dialogue would be loud, Old- quiet, silences, peaceful, foley sounds of birds, classic music,	EDITING Youth- faster pace, short snappy sequences, quick straight cuts, montage editing, Old- longer shot for slow time, jump cuts to show time going slowly

Skins clip:

gang of teens
in a pub
rebellious
loud
upbeat music-youthful,fun
stereotypical teenager- drinking, loud, sex, fighting
causing trouble
hoodies
camera follows them walking in the pub
reaction shot of the people in the pub when the youths walk in
slow motion in comparison to them being youths- fun, fast, energetic
when fights start, the sound comes in of shouting, smashing glass,
slow motion when they all run away from the troube they caused and jumping off the roof - cross disolve

Example of P.E.E (not finished)

Stereotypical: In the clip of Skins the stereotypical view of youth is represented very clearly through what we see them doing and where they are. The gang of youths have been presented as being loud and disruptive when they walk into the pub. There is a reaction shot of other people showing that it’s not a good thing that they are there. We see that the ‘gang’ of youths are drinking alcohol, being loud and smoking. These are stereotypical views on what youths today are like.

Sound: Sound used in the clip also helps to represent age. Throughout the scene an upbeat song is played with a gradually increasing pace. The soundtrack used portrays the youth of the teenagers; being energetic and lively. it gradually gets faster in pace when the fight breaks out, helping to create atmosphere and moods. Digetic sounds are used during the fight to make it seem more realisitc, for example shouting and smshing of glasses.

Cast Offs essay start

2011-11-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

Represenations of disablilities.
Cast Offs:
Stereotypically people would see a person with a disability as being dependant on another person and needing to be cared for. However in this scene in 'Cast Offs', we see a boy who is in a wheelchair that has been left on a lonely and desolate island in the middle of nowhere. As he gets out off the boat, we see that he is dependant on the man that was with him to get him safely ashore and bring him his wheelchair but would not let him aid him in getting into the chair.This could show that he is determined to over come his new disability and that he can do it by himself without needing anyone. Once he manages to get himself into his wheechair, he gets stuck in the sand when trying to wheel towards the beach. Even though he worked around it and got himself out of the situation, the audience still sympathises for him and has an urge to want to help him out and we realise that there is actually no-one there to help if he did get really stuck.

The name in itself could be a harsh way in representing people with a disablilty within society; put aside, isolated from the rest of society that are handi capable. As in some people may not know how to deal with someone with a disability or being in a situation in which they have to care for someone with a disability. An example of this would be when the boy in the wheelchairs dad tried and failed at having a go at being in his wheelchair. Showing that its not an easy thing and that he is trying to make the best out of a situation which is new to them both. This again can create a certain emotion for the audience to be feeling; symapthetic and maybe trying to relate themselves to a 'what if' situation for them to have to deal with. The relationship between the two is kind of revealed when the dad tries to manouver the wheelchair, they may used to joke around, have a laugh together and had a good relationship prior to the accident.

When the camera pans around the island revealing to the audience where he has to get to its from his point of view. This way, we can see it from his perspective and what he is up against and it also establishes the setting. The distance in which he has to get to looks very long and tiring and the fact that he is in a wheelchair enhances that even more. Jump cuts are used to show how far he has wheeled whilst time has lapsed and gone past quickly as he's struggling. The use of the jump cut makes it seem to the audience that it is taking him forever and is very tiring, again making it obvious how hard it must be for him.

Verisimilitude is created subtly in the noises that would be expected to be heard when on an island, it makes it seem normal and realisitc. Digetic sounds also help to create a sense of realism, for example when on the boat we could hear crashing of waves and when there is a flashback to when the boy used to play basketball we could hear the cheers of crowds and the bouncing of the basketball. The flashback also helps the audience identify with the boy as it reveals a little bit more about him and gives a better understanding of what happened to him.

Disability in TV Drama: Disable the label

2011-10-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

The Inbetweeners: Larks at the Park

hits disabled girl (wheelchair) in the head with a frisbee, audience feels bad where as someone without disablility we wouldnt feel as bad. feel we shouldnt laugh because she has a disability. (not as funny)
gender: boys objectify the girls - jugasorousrex L. MULVEY
language 'gay' even though we know they arent, seeming as if its a negative thing- derroagatry use of the word. (sexuality)
gender: stereotypes of boys with tops of playing football whilst will and co. are playing frisbee...
mise-en-scene, in a park verisimiltude as weve all been there before, audeince can identify with it as its a real place. (can relate to it)
dialogue: 'doent wanna play football because your scared he will break your leg' foreshadowing of disablilty
camera angle- looking down on girl in wheelchair maybe trying to say that shes less able than him, lower
binary oppositions- active able bodied people (riding bikes, frisbee, football) and static girl in wheelchair, cant join in.
when will trys to get frisbee back off the disabled girl, tough guys playing football try to stop him thinking he is victimising the girl.
frisbee in air- eye line shot of them all looking at frisbee and where its going
camera pans from girls walking to girl in wheelchair once frisbee is in air
shot reverse shot when forgein woman is having a go at will
the fact that the disabled girl has a carer, what might be 'expected'. stereotypically female.
carer being foreign, british people 'too proud' wont do that. british complain about foreign people coming over stealing our jobs.
couldnt communicate with the foreign woman- obstructing communication-disability.

Paul Hunt
in his life 1991 study, Paul Hunt identified 10 stereotypes that the media use to portray disabled people:

the disabled person as pitable or pathetic
an object of curiosity or violence
sinister or evil
the super cripple
to create an atmosphere
laughable
his/her own worst enemy
as a burden
as non-sexual
being unable to participate in daily life

Cast Offs: ( h/w essay notes)

boy in wheelchairs dad tryed out the wheelchair and couldnt do it-joke-not easy. relationship with father, joking about, trying to make the best of the bad situation they are in (audience may not see it that way?)
got off the boat was dependant on the other man to get him ashore but didnt want help in getting himself into his wheelchair-determination/dignity/can do it
wheelchair stuck in sand (audience sympathises for him, wanting to help) but he coped and managed to get around it
on an island by himself no one to help him if he gets stuck- how hard it may be
pan of the island (establishes the setting: big, isloated, besolate), view from his point of view to feel his emotions too
wasnt always diasbled, still trying to come to terms with it, trying to manage and find himself with his new disablilty
basketball, symbolic code of his past life (father gave him a basketball-giving him hope, motivating him to push towards becoming his old self again but under new circumstances)
narrative device-flashbacks of present day to 4 months earlier-revealing the story, help understand and identify with his character more
graphic discontinuity- basketball game-loud crowd with lots of people to a lonely desolate island just him alone
jump cuts from how far he has wheeled in distance showing how time has lapsed, taking him forever to get off the beach, helps audience identify with the situation, how hard it is
isolated, lonely ,harsh environment could reflect having a disablilty and sea represents society, being unpredictable, maybe dangerous and surrounding
name- cast offs-put away, away from society
verisimilitude- normal everyday sounds or sounds youd hear on the island
diegetic- basketball bouncing, on the boat, the waves crashing

Codes & Conventions

2011-10-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

Codes
A code for that particular genre that youd expect to see.Example: knife,blood and a mask; icons of the horror genre

Conventions
Unwritten rules of audience expectations
example: chase scenes, good vs evil; within horror films
parallel narratives, realistic loactions, shot-reverse-shot, realsitic narratvives

(conventions) TV dramas all have the following ingredients;

characters- even particualr kinds. (eg. good and bad)
stories- they all tell stories, whether they involve adventure/crime/romance, they often do but not always end happily
the stories are told against familiar backdrops:- eg. homes/police stations/offices (for crime dramas) however most dramas often use outside locations to create particular effects
camerawork- paricualr kinds of shots - establishing shots, mid-shots, shot/reverse shot, close ups(emotions)
stories use dialogue to tell the story. monologues are built in. (voiceover of character telling the story)
music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense/tension) and underline emotional moments
subgenres tend to have items that make them immediately identifiable: police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, symbolise the (sub) genre.

Exemplar Paragraph:arguing for representation

2011-10-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

This however portrays the different roles and characteristics of women which may have changed in contemporary times. The props such as the heavy machinery emit connotations such as manual masculine feelings. However the female is in charge of the stereotypical male vehicle. Therefore this suggests equality and an improvement of women within jobs and status compared to the traditional domestic duties. Even though the women within the extract portray dominance through props, the male characters continually illustrate dominance. For example the male’s usage of the guns for example, the shot gun in the barn and the hand gun involving the key protagonists. This contrasts to how the brunette women display authority by attempting blackmail. Overall this could suggest males and women are equally dominant although just portray it through different criteria.

Highlighted Exemplar Essay on Gender Representation

2011-10-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

G322 Candidate Exemplar Response

Date: June 2010

Representation: Gender

Throughout the extract representations of gender are illustrated through various elements such as editing and sound. A mix of dominance and equality is produced through the extract however overall it is conveyed that women are physically subordinate compared to physically strong and stereotypically hegemonic male.

Representations of gender have been clearly illustrated throughout editing. For example mixes of pivot/panorama shots as well as fast tracking shots have been incorporated when the girl is trying to save and protect the male character. This illustrates the fast movement and action of the cut however it may also signify a chaotic environment where women struggle to take and maintain power. Another example of a tracking shot is portrayed when the male character is travelling down the rope. This editing however demonstrates to the audience the thought and power the character has from making a quick rational decision which is a stereotype of male behaviour. A long establishing shot is used which clearly signifies the three male characters in an equal line. The equal line personally connotes equality however as the majority of characters were male this illustrates women inferiorly in serious situations. Near the end of the extract one male in the process of saving a women from another dangerous man however the framing of the cut demonstrates representations of gender. For example the female protagonist was placed significantly behind the male which illustrates the girl’s subordination compared to the male.

The next element which produces representations of gender is through sound.

In one cut once the female had saved the male from the life threatening situation from the dialogue such as “Come on” with a high intensity, provoking the animal, suggests bravery and a strong masculinity. This dialogue may have been said as an attempt to regain status as he’s just been saved by a girl. At the start of the first cut a synchronisation from the strings is displayed when the music matches to the sombre or negative topic. “Let her go” by a different male suggest he may think of the male as being superior therefore shouldn’t have to run after her. In this scene within the barn one female protagonist was trying to bribe the male character through dialogue. Therefore this could represent woman being manipulative to convey power in antithesis to males who assert their power in a physical manner. “My best coat!” also creates representation of women such as an obsession of appearance and vanity. However positive representations towards woman are also portrayed. For example once one woman has undertaken the stressful experience the other female protagonist says “you okay” which suggests women to be expressive and caring in contrast to males who are minimal with their dialogue. The diegetic sound the dogs barking emphasise the bad situation of the woman conveying the woman’s vulnerability further. This is also emphasised by the harsh sound effects which build and sustain tension creating a climax.

The next factor which displays representations is through mise en scene. Expressions play a key role, for example when the blonde male is approached by the sabre toothed tiger his expression coveys fear leading to a sympathetic response from the audience however this contrasts greatly to the calm and collective expression of the girl, which suggests a swap in roles involving dominance. At the start of the scene the colour intensity is high on the male compared to the grainy background. This demonstrates the natural setting however focuses the attention on the male protagonist which could suggest male superiority. The females clothing (blonde) presents a male style which is in contrast to the stereotypes of a feminine woman, however another female character in the film is represented with a high pride in her appearance which conforms to the stereotype.

A final way in which representations of gender have been displayed is through camera work. For example the low angle looking down on the male in the whole illustrates his vulnerability and helpless position which displays him as subordinate. However a different low angle in conveying the tiger illustrating dominance of man and a hierarchy with the animal being lower. Establishing shots such as before the male jumps looking on in the long distant horizontal plane suggests his thoughts which leads to the male’s hasty decision. An extreme close up on the woman’s face when she’s been knocked down demonstrates her fear and panic further suggesting the women’s weak position compared to the male. A pivot shot is used which creates the effect as the camera is on a fixed position that someone or something would be looking at them for example the dangerous tiger which overall represents vulnerability to the male and the woman.

Overall the particular extract conveys elements of representation through various ways of media aspects. In conclusion a mix of equality is suggested overall, however the traditions where the male characters save the day are clearly presented. Although a mix of response from empathy juxtaposed to spite is displayed from the audience involving both genders.

Explanation/Analysis/Argument: /20 (19/20)

Use of Example: /20 (19/20)

Terminology: /10 (9/10)

Improved paragraph for Editing: Merlin

2011-10-09T09:07:00.001-07:00

There's a lot of intercutting throughout the whole sequence, especially in the fight scene between Merlin and the Prince - a lot of close up, slow motion shots of the weapon hitting the fruit give impact and show the strength of the Prince compared to Merlin.
At the beginning of the sequence there is a pan shot of Merlin's perspective entering the bedroom to show his curiosity of a place unknown to him, it is then a straight cut to the lady walking along so you know he's going to get caught by her (juxtapositioning helps the audience to gather that these two shots in this sequence are immediately sequential) - you can see by her clothing that she is of higher status. Also in this scene, when the lady is looking at herself in the mirror you see from her perspective, an old lady in the mirror - the facial expressions and movement have been swiftly edited as if it's her moving as the old woman. This gives the audience a use of dramatic irony because they know something that the other characters don't - this also intrigues the audience to the lady's character.

When the scene changed to the market, you can see that Merlin fits right in with this class, the panning shot lets you see that he is on the same level as the stool runners. A shallow depth of field is used with Merlin's confrontation to the Prince, so the audience will focus on Merlin's facial expressions and what he's saying. There is also an over shoulder- shot reverse shot between merlin and the Prince to show that the Prince always has someone watching his back and Merlin just has someone watching him. Shot/reverse shot is an example of Spatial Relations,in which it relates points in space in order to achieve narrative continuity. Half way through the fight scene it cuts to the old wizard in the tower looking down on his apprentice (like father to son) this also shows his significance and that he'll be of importance later on in the sequence.
In the final scene there is a two shot of the old wizard and Merlin having an argument, the camera tracks whilst they walk in and discuss what just happened, the camera keeps on the old man's eye level to show that he's in power at this moment in time.

improved sound paragraph for Merlin

2011-10-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

A lot of non-diegetic and diegetic sounds are used to show the difference in social classes within different parts of the sequence. For example at the beginning of the sequence when Merlin is looking through the woman’s room, the music that is playing is eerie and sinister which connotes that as a lower class citizen, he shouldn’t be in there. Music/ soundtrack being played is an example of a non-diegetic sound and gives the audience an idea of what kind of emotions we should be feeling in order to relate to whats going on.In this case, the audince should be feeling a bit on edge and should have some anticipation for what wil happen to Merlin when he gets caught by the lady walking towards the room in which he should not be in. The music could also be seen as being a parallel sound as it fits and compliments whats happening on screen with the emotions/feelings of the audience. This music would have been added in the later part of the production process.
Foley Sound is the reproduction of everyday sounds, they are sounds that arent supposed to be noticed as the audience probably comes across them on a day to day basis. An Example of this could be the unlocking of the door (resulting in Merlin suddenly jolting back, reinforcing the idea that he knows he should be/ isnt worthy of being in there).

The use of diegetic sounds is part of the diegesis and helps to give the scene a more life like a realistic effect, the sounds are more natural. In the sequence where we are placed in the town; the goats/sheep “bah”ing suggests that peasants are mainly farmers and need to work hard. The sound of the animal is also an example of an ambient sound, adding a sense of verisimilitude to the scene.
The Diegetic sounds also suggests a difference in wealth and class. The echoes of the woman’s footsteps on the floor as she walks to her room shows the wealth because firstly, the echoes would only come from a stone floor something the peasants wouldn’t have been able to afford. Secondly, the echoes themselves show the vastness of the castle. In contrast, the footsteps in the town make dull thuds, maybe squelches, showing that the ground the people are walking on is mainly mud and/or dirt showing they live in poor conditions.

Dialogue used by some of the characters helps to portray their higher status over others; the prince for example will say what he wants, what he thinks, showing he doesn’t need to worry about consequences. The shouting at of the end of the sequence again shows authority; the old man shouting at Merlin explains that he shouldn’t have done what he did, suggesting that he is more important and is above him in terms of hierachy. To enhance that idea, in the end after snapping back and responding to the old man (perhaps giving off the idea that he feels he should be seen just as equally as important and has the right to speaking his mind) Merlin goes silent, in effect backing down and willing to accept what the old man is saying.

extra merlin notes

2011-10-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

(creating social status and class!) Merlin is not supposed to be in the room, social class.

Merlin
SOUND
music is mysterious, suggesting he is not supposed to be in there
sheeps in market(foly sounds, fits with what were seeing, dont pay attention as it sounds like it natural to be there)
when merlin insults the king, crown sound shcoked(silence) as its unusual that someone of lower class would insult someone of higher class like that. 'My Lord' being cheeky, but sarcastically still addresses him as 'my lord'.
when fighting, upbeat fast music, not a serious fight, just 2 boys fighting.
clanking of metal hooks/weapons- danger merlins in
poinging of spikes- non diagetic-not serious/ a bit of fun
sting to show power as arthur/prince finishes the fight and basically wins.

CAMERA ANGLES
pans
see it from mainly merlins point of view, audience relates to/ identify with him
when running down the stairs(big,expensive stone walls and ground), theres a high angle shot, exhibiting that he is lower than the people that are in the castle.

in the market-eye level shot, now audience is at his level.
when fighting, eye line is level with both merlin and prince, suggests merlin doesnt care that he is lower down in class than him.
prince is standing up tall and whipping weapon around whilst merlin is fumbling around truying to get hold and control of weapon.
merlin looking into crowd- eye line shot of merlin and old man from castle the a reaction shot of merlin to show that he knows he has diasppointed the man.

MISE-EN-SCENE
props: mirrors, flowers, beads
running out of the castle, everyone else is wearing capes and fancy clothes where as merlin is the only one in poorer clothing
when in market, setting in market looks less rich, poorer clothes, wicker baskets and many more people of his kind(more poor people)

when talking to the blonde guy, shows he is wearing leather and armour, inforcing he is rich.
when about to fight prince, Merlon does not have his own weapon, not privileged, cant afford to and cant cacth, not his type of thing)
old man in castle, glasses & cape- he is higher in social class and may have power over the other characters(merlin)

EDITING
pace
cut away to man in castle looking down on the fight, has importance to latter part of scene.
extreme close up of merlins eye- audience at advantage as we are the only ones that know aswel as merlin that he is using his magic to get one over on the prince and is his way of showing power.

(lady in castle)
MISE-EN-SCENE
clothing- purple conotes royalty
shes well kept

SOUND
music, choir like, reflecting her status (church/religious)
'What are you doing here?' reinforcing that he is not supposed to be in there, merlin has to justify and explain himself to her (below her in socal hierachy)
Sting- footsteps (folysounds)

CAMERA ANGLES
zooms in on her, showing her importance.

EDITING
length of shot, pace. always has more time on screen than merlin.

Co-ordinating the shots: Film Editing

2011-10-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

whats the idea of editing?
The general idea behind editing in narrative films is the coordintation of one shot with another in order to create a coherent whole.
The system of editing employed in narrative film is called continuity editing- its purpose is to create and provide efficient and artful transitions.

Editing film
1. in film making, the task of selecting and joining camera takes.
2. in the finished film, the set of techniques that governs the relation among shots.

Editing is the process of preparing language, images or sound through correction, condensation, organization, and toher modifications in various media...Editing is, therefore, also a practice that includes creative skills, human, relations, and a precise set of methods

Juxtaposition and meaning
Edwin S. Porter, The Great Train Robbery, 1903. Shots in sequence create meaning for the audiences.
From exterior shots to set, the audience is encouraged to believe the events they see are immediately sequential.

The Kuleshov effect
Lev Kuleshov,circa 1920; intercut an actors face with unrelated footage taken later.
Audiences interpreted emotional responses on the actors face based on the juxtaposition of images.
Whilst much of the moving image we see used this effect, it does not usuall;y draw attention to it.

Contrast 'four main functions' of film editing

make sure that the production is the required length of time
to remove unwanted material or mistakes
to alter, if necessary, the way or the sequence in which the events will be portrayed
to establish the particular style and character of a production (O'Sullivan, Dutton and Rayner)

Releations in editing (5)
Graphic relations
a graphic match is achieved by joining two shots that have similarity in terms of light/dark, line or shape, volume or depth, movement or stasis.
A graphically discontinuous edit creates a clash of visual content by joining two shots that are dissimilar int erms of one more of the above visual principles.

Rhythmic Relations
film is not only a visual art, but also an auditory and even tactile art. Editors also remain aware of the effects achieved by manipulating rhythms ecpercienced by percievers through thoughtful juxtapositions of longer and shorter shots as wekk as through transitional devices that affect the percievers sense of beat or tempo.
rhythmic transitions:
straight cut
fade-out
fade-in
dissolve
wipe
flip-frame
jump cut

Temporal Relations
editing is the process by which the difference between temporal duration and screen duration is reconciled. Sounds simple, but most feature films present in roughly 2 hours sufficient interection of story and plot to provide percievers with everything they need in order to understand days, weeks, months or even years in characters lives.
temporal relations: chronology
most narrative films are presented in roughly chronological order, with notable exceptions.
the two most common disruptions to chronological rpder are fhalshbacks and flashforwards (the former being much more typical than the latter)

Spatial Relations
Perhaps the most important, as well as the most overlooked, principle of editing is its function in providing percievers a reliable sense of physical space that constitutes the world of film. Editors are responsible for relating points in space in order to achieve narrative continuity.
Spatial Continuity
The standard pattern for editing a scene in a narratvie film includes the following:
Establishing shot
Shot/Reverse shot
Eye-line match (POV shot)
Re-establishing shot
(cheat-cuts)

Thematic Relations
Editiors have at their disposal two very powerful techniques for manipulating the percievers place in the hierachy of knowlegde, and therefore affecting our thematic understanding film:
Montage sequences
Crosscut editing

Sound: Micro Elements

2011-10-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

Sound in Tv Drama

has the power to create certain moods
create character
signal events that are about to happen
the power of music is to manipulates audiences emotions.

The entire soundtrack is comprised of three essential ingredients:

the human voice/dialogue
sound effects
music

Types of sound:
the world of the TV programme we see on screen is called the DIEGESIS(basically the tv world)

Two main types of sound in TV Dramas- Diegetic and Non-Diegetic

Diegetic- the sound is part of the programmes world (diagesis) and can be dialogue/speech, footsteps and effects with a source. (slightly more natural sounds)

Non-Diegetic- takes place outside of the diagesis/world of the story. Usually placed on later in the post-production process, eg-music and sountrack. Such sounds are included as to provide an appropraite emotion or mood. Foley Sound is the reproduction of everyday sounds for use of film making, eg- swishing of clothing or footsteps or breaking glass. Not supposed to be noticiable, goes as being a natural sound.

Dialogue-modes of address-
Voice Over- in TV dramas usually used as a narrative device. First person narration. The voice over can also allow us information about the central character and build his/her representation. They can also allow us privileged information- so sometimes we will know more than other characters on screen, creating drama.

Direct Address- when the characters on screen directly address the audience. Its an alternative to voice over. Rarely used in TV dramas, but when it is, its mainly for humour.

Importance of music in TV Dramas-
The soundtrack/store in tv drama is ofen used to tell the audience how we should be feeling, whether this is sad, happy, scared or amused. The use of music is a convention of TV Drama.

Incidental music-
This incidental music is used to add emotion and rhythm to a drama. Usually not meant to be noticeable. Often provides a tone or and emotional attitude toward the story and/or the characters depicited. In addition background music often foreshadows a change in mood. Incidental music may aid viewer in understanding the link between certain scenes. A sound motif (particualr music theme) assoctiaed with a film, eg- jaws, dun dun dun dun dun music.

Parallel and Contrapuntal sounds-
sounds can be used in one of two ways
1) Parallel sound- when we watch a TV drama the sound we hear usually compliments and follows what we see on screen. Eg- fast paced, loud music in a chase/action scene.
2) Contrapuntal sound- is sound that does not fit the images we see on screen. usually to create an effect.

Stings-
Either a brief crescendo stab of music used to enhance the drama or current situation just before a change of scene. ('dramatic sting' in this case)
A brief comical stab on music to enhance a punch line at the end of a scene.

Ambient sound-
also known as natural sound- the sound occuring in the area where they shoot the drama. it is often used or created in dramas to create verisimilitude.

Merlin Extract Group Essay

2011-10-05T04:31:00.000-07:00

sounds:

Alot non-digetic music and sound effects are used to show the difference in class in the sequence. For example at the beginning of the sequence when Merlin is looking through the woman’s room, the music playing is eerie and sinister which connotes that as a lower class citizen, he shouldn’t be there, looking there. The unlocking of the door, and the resulting jolt Merlin does again suggests he shouldn’t have been there. Non digetic sounds are also used when the sequence moves to the town; the goats/sheep “bah”ing suggest the peasants are mainly farmers and need to work hard. This also adds verisimilitude to the scene.

Digetic sounds suggest the different in wealth and class as well, of course. The echoes of the woman’s footsteps on the floor as she walks to her room shows the wealth because firstly, the echoes would only come from a stone floor something the peasants wouldn’t have been able to afford. Secondly, the echoes themselves show the vastness of the castle. In contrast, the footsteps in the town make dull thuds, maybe squelches, showing that the ground the people are walking on is mainly mud and/or dirt showing they live in poor conditions.

Speech used by some the characters show their higher status over overs; the prince for example will say what he wants, what he thinks, showing he doesn’t need to worry about consequences. The shouting at of the end of the sequence again shows authority; the old man shouting at Merlin is shouting, telling that he shouldn’t have done what he did, showing that he is more important, this is confirmed when the Merlin answers quietly. However, when Merlin shout back which suggests that he feels he should be as important as the other man.

Camera

The sequence starts with a establishing panning shot of Merlin walking down the corridor which establishes him in a high class environment. Eye line shot is used from marlins point of view because he is the only one in the room however when the lady’s enters it switches to her level indicating she is of a higher level in society. The use of the point of view shot when the lady looks into the mirror intrigues the audience to her character and status compared to Merlin. A reaction shot from Merlin as to when the lady enters the room indicates to the audience that he is doing something that he shouldn’t be therefore the audience may believe him to have a lower social class. From the reaction shot we can tell that it’s the woman’s bedroom from the props and her questioning of his actions as to being in the room. When the scene changes to the market, you can see that merlin fits right in with this class, the panning shot lets you see that he is on the same level as the stool runners. The camera is often positioned behind Merlin so it’s as if the prince is attacking the audience which shows his dominance in the scene. When Merlin and the prince are having the conversation in the market a response shot is used this helps the audience see both points of view. There are also alot over the shoulder of the prince shots which indicates to the audience that someone has always got the princes back whereas with Merlin he is left to fight his own battles indicating he is of less importance in society. A high angle shot is used when the prince falls down showing that he loses some of his power to merlin, this contradicts the rest of the camera angles which are used to show that the prince has the dominance of the power throughout the scene.

editing

There's a lot of intercutting throughout the whole sequence, especially in the fight scene between Merlin and the Prince - a lot of close up, slow motion shots of the weapon hitting the fruit give impact and show the strength of the Prince compared to Merlin. At the beginning of the sequence there is a pan shot of Merlin's perspective entering the bedroom to show his curiosity of a place unknown to him, it is then a straight cut to the lady walking along so you know he's going to get caught by her - you can see by her clothing that she is of higher status. Also in this scene, when the lady is looking at herself in the mirror you see from her perspective, an old lady in the mirror - the facial expressions and movement have been swiftly edited as if it's her moving as the old woman. This gives the audience a use of dramatic irony because they know something that the other characters don't - this also intrigues the audience to the lady's character.

When the scene changed to the market, you can see that Merlin fits right in with this class, the panning shot lets you see that he is on the same level as the stool runners. A shallow depth of field is used with Merlin's confrontation to the Prince, so the audience will focus on Merlin's facial expressions and what he's saying. There is also an over shoulder- shot reverse shot between merlin and the Prince to show that the Prince always has someone watching his back and Merlin just has someone watching him. Half way through the fight scene it cuts to the old wizard in the tower looking down on his apprentice (like father to son) this also shows his significance and that he'll be of importance later on in the sequence.
In the final scene there is a two man shot of the old wizard and Merlin having an argument, the camera track shots whilst they walk in and discuss what just happened, the camera shot keeps on the old man's eye level to show that he's in power at this moment in time.

mise-en-scene

The Mise en scene throughout the sequence is mainly dark, gloomy and eerie reflecting the time era of the medieval period. The extract that represents the difference in class of society by using mise en scene consists a variety of different elements. The setting in the first scene shown in the sequence is of high class as the architecture is grand, consisting pain glass windows which indicates the idea that the house is of a high social status. The colours of the clothing used throughout the scene helps give understanding of the characters class. The royal purple of the female characters dress represents a high social status whereas Merlin’s clothing consists of brown and green which connotes a poor, lower level of class. The dialect of the characters also plays a big role in the idea of class throughout the sequence as the female character and Arthur’s accents indicate that they are of a higher status. On the other hand Merlin’s dialect reflects a lower class of society.

During the fight scene the audience can notice that Arthur supplies them both with a metal, heavy weapon whereas later on in this particular scene Merlin uses less expensive objects such as the rope and stool dividing there social class. Also at which the skill that Arthur uses his weapon shows that he has a higher class. Arthur’s costume consists of metal plating and armour, and he also has guards at his side this immediately signals that he is of a higher status. The lighting aspects at the end of the fight scene show Merlin silhouetted so that he is hidden whereas Arthur has all lighting on him to represent a higher class and status. The older character shown in the tower is seen as more superior as he looks down onto the courtyard where the two men fight. The mise en scene in the tower is dark and mysterious which could reflect the idea of magic and that his class may be higher compared to Merlin as he has mastered the idea of magic.

Extract- The Hustle (essay)

2011-09-30T02:08:00.000-07:00

As soon as the audience are introduced to the scene, the representations of genders are very apparent. The roles of the males and females within the scene are shown through stereotypes, such as traditionally placing power in the man’s hands and objectifying the females as sexual objects (L.Mulvey, The Male Gaze). Throughout the scene, the use of various camera angles and movement, sounds, editing and mise-en-scene help to reveal each characters role and relevance to the scene as well as their representation.

The first characters in this scence that we see are the shop assistant and an older lady. The position of the camera is level with the shop assistant, in effect looking down on the older lady, this could show that the shop assistant thinks or is higher up in status/social class than the older lady. To help emphasise this point, the older lady is dressed in not so expensive or stylish clothes looking at highly priced designer wear. The camera reveals the way in which the shop assistant deals with the older lady; not interested as he believes she has no money or is not worthy to be in his shop. In this section of the extract, the audience can get a clear understanding of what kind of person the shop assistant is, even more so when we see a blonde, smartly dressed and well presented woman enter the shop. All the attention turns to her and we see the shop assistant looking more interested and willing to help because she looks like she has alot of money. We know she has money when the camera zooms to a close up of her hand in which shes wearing a huge diamond ring(proposing it could have some importance later on in the scene) and her well pronounced english could suggest a wealthy upbringing .The camera follows the blonde womans body up from toe to head revealing the stereotypical woman; perfect figure, beautiful and intelligent. Throughout the scene, the blonde woman brings the stereotypes upon herself. She becomes flirtacious in her tone of voice when trying on a sleek and sexy, long black dress that the shop assistant recommended to her, perhaps showing his feminime side (testing the male stereotype). She's shown to be rather ditzy when she looses her wedding ring in the shop and reveals that her husband will go crazy if she cant find it (stereotyping thr dominant male figure), but for who-ever does find it will get a reward of £5000. Immediately after she says that, the camera zooms up into the shop assistants face to see his reaction which makes him seem very keen on finding the ring and that he's probably only wanting to help find it on the fact of the generous reward.

Other camera angles and shots also help to reveal reactions and relationships between different characters.
A two-shot is used in the shop revealing the relationship and whats going on between the shop assistant and a blonde male that is testing his character and potentially setting him up in relation with the misplaced diamond ring. Another way in which the camera helps to show the roles of these two characters is the fact that the camera moves down onto the level of the blonde male rather than the level of the shop assistant, this could show that the blonde male is indeed more important and powerful. As the blonde male goes to walk out of the shop, there is a shallow depth of field where the blonde male is fully in focus but the shop assistant is blurred in the background and a direct mode of address in used when the blonde male looks straight into the camera and talks directly to the audience. Showing importance and hierachy of characters is also present in another scene, in which we get a two-shot of two men drinking and talking together in some sort of bar. We understand that one of these two characters is the more important character in perhaps the whole of the sequence because the upbeat and franctic music thats played throughtout the majority of the extract stops, exhibiting that maybe he's the boss and theres a more seriousness about him than any other.

Talking about different scenes, the use of screen wipes/inter-cutting helps to connect them together and makes the audeince believe that they are all happening relativley at the same time. Also sound is a connection between scenes and helps the audience remember whats happening in which because the upbeat, frantic music is only played in the scene with the shop assistant and blonde woman.

Pulling in everything together, editing, sound, camera use and different aspects of the mise-en-scene help give a representation of genders. Some stereotypes have been tested and some have shown the traditional and idealised roles of men and women.

Media Terminology

2011-09-28T05:10:00.000-07:00

Semiotics- the science of signs (Roland Barthes, 1964)

Denotation- example- Rose = flower/garden plant. What the thing actually is. (Roland Barthes, 1964)

Connotation- example- Rose = love, romance, desire, passion. Meaning that you associate with that sign. (Roland Barthes, 1964)

MICRO	MACRO (all impact on one another)
Mise-en-scene: clothing, props, hair + make-up, lighting and location	Narrative
Sound: accounts/dialect, music, sound effects…	Representation
Editing	Audience
Camera angles, movements & positions	Genre

Verisimilitude- creates realism (can relate with editing)

Proximity- where the characters are postitioned on screen. where they are in relation to the camera and other characters.

diagetic sounds- sounds that are natural (make it seem more real, e.g-gun shot) sound effects.
non-diagetic sounds- sounds that have been put on during the editing process (soundtrack)

mode of address- the way in which we talk to each other : tone of voice, whats being said...
direct mode of address- audience being spoken to directly

Example sequence-desperate housewives

Micro-analysis:

Sounds- mode of address is much accentuated & flirtatious (blondie). Unsure of what to say-continuity of editing when seeing facial reactions to what blondie is saying-ginger.

Music reflects the atmosphere (instrumental) seductive, fun and flirty with a slight awkwardness

Editing- shot reverse shot, reaction shot & continuous editing, length of shot taken, establishing shot, 180 degree rule, eye- line shot

Mise-en-scene- silk dressing gown un done with silk matching lingerie (blondie), social class-kitchen, dress, necklace (ginger), one is in the kitchen-house wife, cooking fancy food(stereotypical), whilst blonde is beautiful and being catered to (another stereotype but takes on more of the man role, get up late and have breakfast cooked for you)

Camera angles- (work with editing) close up to show reactions, mid-shots-naked lady, over the shoulder.

Sexual innuendos? (seductive)

Extract: The Hustle

CAMERA

· £5000 reward, close up of shop keeper’s face- reaction

· Over the shoulder shots

· Two shot of two men in the shop- shows their relationship

· Second scene=men drinking and talking, two shot

· Third shot- close up of a man talking on phone sorting something out (all related in some way in setting up the hustle?) man=powerful

· Close up of ring (eye-line shot) of the ring, brings importance to the later part of the scene

· Shop keeper, camera angle looking down onto old poorer women from his height-show shes below him.

· Blonde man goes into shop, camera moves down more onto his level.

EDITING

· Screen wipes from one scene to the next-editing (Inter-cutting/wipe transition) parallel scene. Made to believe it’s all related, happening at the same time

· Shallow depth of field- man found the ring ‘…3, 2, 1’ and shop owner blurred in the background

SOUNDS

· Upbeat, fast, frantic music whilst looking for ring

· Music stops when men are talking in the bar, seriousness, he’s the boss. Proposing that he’s the more important one.

MISE-EN-SCENE

· Big, diamond ring

· Sexy, black dress

· Posh boutique/shop

· Blonde wig

· old lady in normal, poorer clothes

· blonde lady smartly dresses-money

OTHER

· Old women, doesn’t look like she has a lot of money so shop keepers not interested. Shop owner- shallow person

· Pretty, blonde women with big ring dressed nicely looks like she has money so shop keeper attends to her. Close up of her ring, camera follows her up from toe to head. BINARY OPPOSITIONS.

· Representation- shop owner challenges stereotypes of male (camp, in a woman’s shop, bitchy)

· Direct mode of address a couple times- talking directly to the audience

· ‘Blonde’ wig- ditzy-lost her ring

· Buys a black dress- dark, sinister, up to something

· Ring lost, another man walks into a shop and “finds it”, but won’t hand it over to shop keeper. Over the shoulder whilst two men are talking, then two/mid shot to reveal their relationship

· Another scene, women in café with other man in shop again maybe all related? (Talking to someone on the phone about the man she’s with that just walked into the café. Still being used within the group- woman

· Shop keeper- feminine, camp

· Blonde woman had very pronounced English, could say that she’s been brought up well, has a lot of money

· Blonde woman draws stereotypes upon herself (ditzy, bimbo, flirty)

· When she’s talking about the dress she tries on, her voice is very sexual and connotes the flirty side of her

· “My husband is going to kill me”, males are the dominant figure

· Late for her hair appointment- well kept, money, keeps her self-looking nice

Homework on TV Dramas

2011-09-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

The female character i chose to test the stereotypes of a female role in tv dramas is 'Alex Drake' (played by Keeley Hawes) in Ashes to Ashes. The series tells the fictional story of Alex Drake, a policewoman in service with the London Metropolitan Police, who is shot in 2008, and inexplicably regains consciousness in 1981. Even though this chracter falls into some aspects of the stereotypical female, at the same time this role goes against them.
The ways in which she portrays the stereotypical female is that her physical attractions such as her figure and the fact that she is a beautiful woman overpowers the male. This pictures shows her in tight clothing, (which shows off her figure) sitting on car posing towards the camera. This would probably attract the attention of male viewers.

The ways in which it goes against the stereotypes of a females role, is that she has a job that is probably seen to be more of a 'mans' job rather than a womens. The main roles of a women are traditionally sidelined and scarce. Men are seen to have the more active and dominant roles, where as women are seen to play the more passive roles. Also in the role that she plays, she is intelligent, independant, confident and not in constant need of direction and protection from a male.

The character i think maybe fits generally more into the stereotyped female, is Effy (played by Kaya Scodelario) in the teenage programme Skins. Skins is a teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness (eating disorders for example), adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death. Effy fits into most of the stereotypes because she has the the physical attractions(looks and figure) a male would 'want' and her role makes her seem easy and vunerable. The importance of her role is shown as needing attention and protection from another male character, frightened and not very independant.

The picture of her portrays her character and puts the stereotypes into perspective, as she is dressed in very little and shes looking directly into the camera with a cheeky smile on her face (addressing the viewer).

The character in a tv drama that i think has similaritys in character traits to me is Peyton Sawyer, (played by Hilarie Burton) in One Tree Hill. The reasons being our love for music, quiet but confident with a big group of friends, loyal and not afraid to try new things.

Gender Representation Cont. (female)

2011-09-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

Laura Mulvey- Feminism & The Male Gaze
Influenced by Freud & Jacques Lucan, Mulvey sees that the representation of woman in film & literature (and therefore in soceity in general) as being dominated by a male point of view. Her belief is that the world is a patriarchy and that men have the 'active' roles and women 'passive'

Traditionally:

men play active roles which drive the narrative
women play passive roles and are seen as erotic objects which slow the narrative
men far outumber women
female roles are sidelined
lead roles for women - scarce.

Stereotypes:

bimbo
females physical attractions such as figure and breasts to overpower the male
easy
house wife
mother
intelligent, yet willing to settle down

Male Gaze:

two distinct modes of the male gaze of this era: voyeuritsic and fetishistic.
Mulvey argued that women where given two character types- sexually active female and powerless female
films presented images of women that were produced simply for the gratification of the male viewers
various studies in the 1970's found men to be the dominant characters and decision makers in film and tv production.

Importance:
where women had important roles they were far more likely to be shown as:

frightened
in need of protection and direction
offering support to the male lead character(s)
not independent or self driven
generally weaker
still objectified sexually

"women, in any fully human form, have almost been left out of film..." L Mulvey

Changes in society:
as womens roles change, so does media representation. Still objectified but also likely to be...

career driven
intelligent
confident
empowered
able (violent)

remember changes may be made cynically and in order to make money rather than change ideologies.

Misogyny:

Describes the fear or hatred of women leading to the discrimination, oppression, and devaluing of women in systematic, institutional, and individual ways. (feminists)

G322 TV Drama Exam January 2012

2011-09-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

Overview of exam
section A- (first unit) to assess your media textual analysis and your understanding of the concept of representation using a short unseen moving image extract. (textual analysis and representations)

section B- assess your knowledge and understanding of media institutions and their production processeses, distribution strategies, use of technologies and related issues concerning audiences reception and consumption of media texts. (institutions and audiences)

EXAMINATION: 2 hours (including 30 minutes for viewing and making notes on the moving image extract, which you will watch 4 times)
QUESTIONS: candidates are required to answer two compulsory questions. The unit is marked out of 100, with each question marked out of 50.

Section A, area of focus:

camera angles, shot, movement and composition
mise-en-scene (clothing, light, props,setting/location, make-up, hair)
editing
sound

areas of representation (only one representation will be covered in the exam) :

gender
age
ethnicity
sexuality
class and status
physical ability,disability
regional identity

Marking criteria:
explanation/analysis/argument (20 marks)
use of examples (20 marks)
use of terminology (10 marks)

Representation in media

2011-09-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

By definition, all media texts are re-presentations of reality. This means that they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us. When studying the media it is vital to remember this - every media form, from a home video to a glossy magazine, is a representation of someone's concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols which can be read by an audience. However, it is important to note that without the media, our perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. Therefore representation is a fluid, two-way process: producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

> Hypodermic needle theory (very contraversial) = the idea that the media can ‘inject’ ideas and messages straight into the passive audience. This passive audience is immediately affected by these messages.

> Stuart Hall (1950) created this audience thoery- encode and decode.want us to read media text in their 'preferred' way. If we Decode their encoded TV texts, it will make us more likely to agree with what were being shown or being told.
example:
Yorkie chocolate bar, advertised it was a chocolate bar not for girls. this caused controversay and made women want to go and buy a yorkie bar even more just because its a chocloate bar for 'men'.

In order to fully appreciate the part representation plays in the media text, you must consider:

Who produced it?
What/who represented the text?
How is that thing being represented?
Why was this partticualr representation(this shot, framed from this angle, this story phrased in these terms etc..) selected and what might the alternatives have been?
What frame of reference does the audeince need to use when understanding the representation?

Representations of women across all media tend to highlight the following:

beauty (within narrow conventions)
size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)
sexuality (as expressed by above)
emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings
relationships (as opposed to independence/freedom)

Representations of masculinity:
'masculinity' is a concept thats is made up of more rigid stereotypes than 'feminimity'. Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:

strength- physical and intellectual
power
sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)
physique
independence (of thought, action)

Gender Representation

2011-09-23T01:39:00.000-07:00

Personal Traits:

Masculine	Feminine
Arrogance Strong Brave/courageous Work Vain Protective Paternal(fatherly) Sporty Proud Tall Brash Think they know everything	Petite(figure than of that to men) Fragrant Vain Head strong maternal(motherly) jealousy organised stubborn influential Bitchy Wanting to impress concious of how we look

Objects:

Masculine	Feminine
Football rugby Beer Builder Gym Cars/mechanics Hammer Lawnmower Paparazzi Sofa DIY Boobs	Shoes Bags Make up Mirror Accessories Clothes Fragrance Health Journalism Hoover(cleaning) Kitchen (cooking) Creative

(STEREOTYPICAL)

NATURE VS NUTURE

CHICKEN OR THE EGG

actors and actresses brainstorm

MILA KUNIS,ASHTON KUTCHER,JOHNNY DEPP,ORLANDO BLOOM,EMMA ROBERTS,JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE,ADAM SANDLER,JULIA ROBERTS,GEORGRE CLOONEY,BEN STILLER,ROBERT DE NIRO,MORGAN FREEMAN,DENZEL WASHINGTON,ELLEN PAIGE,ROBERT SHEEHAN,MEGAN FOX,SHIA LABOEUF,CAMRON DIAZ,DREW BARRYMORE,JENIFER ANISTON,MATT LE BLANC,DAVID SHWIMMER,MILEY CYRUS

Production Rules

2011-09-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

180 degree rule

orienting the audience.
The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.

Match on Action:
Connects two shots cut together by having a character finish an action in the second shot that begun in the first shot (making sequence flow, action is fluid). For instance, if a character lights a match in the first shot, the same character will draw it up to a cigarette in the second.

A process of cutting a sequence of the same action together to make it appear seamless. A technique used in continuity editing.

Continuity Editing:

An editing style that aims to present the text in a linear and chronological manner to emphasize the real-time movement of the narrative and to create a sense of realism for the viewer by giving the impression of continuous filming.

Referred to as invisible editing, so that the whole sequence looks natural.

Shot reverse shot:
Shot reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.
(not necessrily dialogue)

Eye-line match:

cut to an object, then to a person. This technique shows what a person seems to be looking at and can reveal a character’s thoughts.

shots are matched by the linkage from the gaze of one character towards another character. If character A looks down to see character B, character B will look up to see character A.

A cut between a character looking at something and the something at which the character gazes. For instance, a telephone rings and we see a character glance off screen. The next shot is of the telephone.

Tv drama examples

2011-09-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

TV Dramas	Genre	Narrative(storyline)	Channel	Time
Eastenders	soap	Relationships (neighbourhood)	BBC 1	7:30/ 8:00 pm
Desperate housewives	Adults/ family	Relationships	Channel 4	10.00 pm
Fringe	Sci-fi	Parallel universe	Sky 1	10.00 pm
One tree hill	Family	Relationships	E4	9:00 pm
Hollyoaks	Soap	Relationships	Channel 4
Shameless	Soap (teen)	Drugs and sex	Channel 4	10/11:00 pm
Skins	Soap (teen drama)	Adolescence	E4	10:00 pm
Misfits	Soap (teen) sci-fi	Rebellious	E4	11:00 pm
C.S.I	Medical	Murder	Channel 5	Varies
Downtown Abbey	Period	War/drama	ITV 1	9:00 pm
90210	Teen	Relationships	E4	9:00 pm
The Bill	Soap (crime)	Police/ casualties	ITV 1	9:00 pm

Tv Drama Defintion

2011-09-19T05:35:00.000-07:00

Tv Drama
Tv dramas are based on perhaps daily events that refletct reality and they portray and give an insight into some scenarios that effect people. The characters in the programme have an on going role which the audience can maybe relate to or empathise with. The situations the characters are put in are normally very over the top and left on a cliff hanger until the next episode. the storylines are also continuous.

Purpose of a Storyboard

2011-09-16T02:08:00.000-07:00

The purpose of storyboarding:
Storyboarding is the graphic organization of every scene or sequence in a film that will be created by animators — a storyboard is, in effect, a giant comic. The main purpose of storyboarding is to previsualize what will ultimately appear onscreen, kind of like a sketched rough draft of the final product which uses minimal dialogue and is usually done in black and white. And storyboarding isn’t limited to animation: video game and website designers also use the process to map their layouts, as do live action filmmakers and television directors employing heavy sequences of computer graphics. Films like Gone with the Wind, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings all utilized storyboarding during the filming process. The process has also gained popularity in advertising for the purpose of finalizing the concepts of commercials.

examples of storyboards: