MEDIA LANGUAGE

- Media language - the way meaning is made
- How media texts communicate

SAUSSURE'S SEMIOTICS (The Study of Signs)

"...nothing is more appropriate than the study of languages to bring out the nature of semioligical problem." (Saussure)

Signifier - the form in which a sign takes
Signified - the concept it represents

Saussure focussed on the relationship between the signifier and signified - this is called signification

Iconic sign - a mode in which the signifier resembles or imitates the signified

Indexical sign - the signifier is directly connected in some way to the signified

Modern semiotic theory is also sometimes allied with a Marxist (e.g. Stuart Hall) approach that stresses the role of ideology.

NARRATIVE

Narrative - the way in which events are put together
Story - a sequence of events known as a plot

Includes:
- who is telling the story and how reliable they are
- in what form the story is told e.g. video diary, flashback, series of images, voiceover
- how events are missed out/ selected to create a particular story
- how and in what order the events are imparted to the audience
- with which character (if any) the audience is encouraged to identify
- how much knowledge the audience is allowed to have in relation the the characters

Open narrative - a text which is open to a number of possible interpretations
Closed narrative - a text which provides its audience with only one possible story

TODOROV'S THEORY OF EQUILIBRIUM

Believed there are 5 stages to narrative theory:
1) A state of equilibrium
2) A disruption to that order
3) Recognition disruption has occurred
4) An attempt to repair the damage
5) A return to restoration/ new equilibrium

e.g. Thriller subverts as the B & W flashback suggests discord rather than an equilibrium

BARTHES' ENIGMA CODE

An enigma - a mystery to draw the audience in and encourage questions.

- The narrative will establish enigmas or mysteries as it goes along.
- Essentinally, the narrative functions to establish and then solve these mysteries.

e.g. protagonist covered by a mask that resembles that of 'V' from V for Vendetta

PROPP'S THEORY ON CHARACTER AND ACTION

- Formed in early 20th century.
- Studied Russian fairytales - there were always 8 types of character evident - not always separate people
- Characters and events can be seen as constructs, which exist in order to drive the narrative -> each character has a sphere of action

e.g. goes against the interchangable character types as a hit man could be viewed as a villain, yet his ambiguous personality suggests a byronic hero

LEVI-STRAUSS & BINARY OPPOSITIONS

- Symbols and ideas exist in relation to their opposites, with which they are in conflict -> panders to a viewers needs as to whether to side with 'good' or 'bad'
- Draws attention to the fact the world of a text is a constructed fiction, where simplified moral systems can operate.

e.g. known vs. unknown
good vs. evil
young vs. old

GENRE

A way of categorising compositions/ texts based on a certain criteria - a check-list of expectations and conventions.

"Are genres really 'out there' in the world, or are they merely constructs of analysts?" (Stam, 2000)

STEPHEN NEALE

Genre is... "repetition with and underlying pattern of variations."
- Mere repetition would not attract the audience

Genre is used...
i) to guarantee meaning s and pleasures for audiences
ii) to offset the considerable economic risks by providing cognitive collateral against innovation and difference

How is genre important?

- Organising huge amounts of texts that are available - set of expectations for the audience
- Creates a relationship between audience and producers
- A structural framework that can be adhered to or played with

JANET STAIGER - HOW TO IDENTIFY GENRE

Genre can be identified using the following methods:

Idealist: judging texts py predetermined standards
Empirical: comparing texts ot texts that are already assumed to be part of a certain genre
Social conventions: using an accepted cultural consensus
A priori: using common generic elements that are identified in advance

e.g. a priori applies most strongly to my work as I have taken conventions applied to crime thrillers, such as Layer Cake and The Usual Suspects

JANE FEUER - HOW GENRES ARE CREATED

"A genre is ultimately an abstract conception rather than something that exists empirically in the world." (Feuer, 1992)

Feuer's article, 'Genre study and Television' states that "genres are no organic in their conception - they are synthetic: artificial creations by intellectuals."

A retrospective way of categorising texts by identifying trends and patterns in media.

Established by creators repeating what is successful or by the expression of shared experiences (social factors)

e.g. flashbacks, shown by the black and white colouring, were successful when looking at Flight Plan adding to the convention of an uneasy atmosphere.

HOW GENRES EVOLVE

- Ensure they give the audience 'what they want'
- Refresh and ensure the audiences are not continually being part of the same experience
- 'Repetition and variation' - repeating what is successful but adding enough variation from preventing it seeming stale (done through creating hybrids)
- "...filmmakes working within a genre need to walk a line: expand, develop, elaborate of the specific genre umbrella." - Charley McLean paraphrasing Thomas Schatz

LIMITATIONS OF GENRE

- Very subjective
- Some texts are too sophisticated to fit into a specific category
- Seen as a tool rather than an absolute
- Constantly evolving so there is no such thing as 'typical'

REPRESENTATION

- The presentation of a form od reality in a media text

- A re-presentation, in which elements of reality are selected, organised and narrated.



What is being represented in a music video?

- A form of reality (e.g. verisimilitude -'the media makes use of various scripts like stereotypes for events rather than for people')
- The lyrics of a song
- The music
- The artist
- A theme within the narrative
- A movement (e.g. feminism)


DAVID GAUNTLETT - COLLECTIVE IDENTITY


- We reconfirm or challenge our identity through watching media texts
- We use texts as a toolbox to check our own identity
- Your identity is not fixed: you will be shaped by what you watch


e.g. stereotype of an indie-rock genre fan, like One Night Only, skinny jeans, scraggy hair, quirky top. Cliché outfit.


LAURA MULVEY - THE MALE GAZE


The camera 'sees' images through male eyes


Objectification of female characters
Identification with an 'ideal ego'


"Pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female." (Mulvey, 1992)


Voyeuristic - controlling gaze, associations with sadism
Fetishistic - overvaluation of the female image


Others argue the gaze could be adopted by both genders.


e.g. applied by tilt upwards in hard lighting, as if scanning female. However, arguably subverted as it is at a high angle, so female appears dominant.


JUDITH BUTLER - GENDER PERFORMANCE


Feminism made a mistake by trying to assert that 'women' were in a group with common characteristics and interests --> reinforced a binary view of gender relations

Gender is seen as a performance: it's what you do at particular times, rahter than a universal who you are.


e.g. the protagonist's flamboyent persona is overwhelming and contradicts 'masculine' characteristics

AUDIENCE

TWO STEP FLOW LINEAR THEORY (Lazarsfeld)

First used in the 1940s for a Presidential election.

Messages flow:

mass media --> opinion leaders --> individuals

Linear theories are arguably outdated as they present the individuals as a passive audience, rather than an active audience who make their own interpretations from media texts.

E.g. ambiguous character suggesting a hit man isn't necessarily always a bad person --> subverted as an active audience will make their own interpretation rather than a forced one.

HYPODERMIC SYRINGE LINEAR THEORY

A passive audience accepts the messages that are 'injected' into them by the media they create.

"...composed of fragmented individuals who were subject to powerful and effective propaganda messages which they received and then reproduced." - Greg Philo

Arguably outdated as audiences are no longer passive but an active audience who enjoy being challenged by the media they consume rather than feebly 'injected' with the dominant reading.

e.g. the red herring - the closing shot where the camera pans left to reveal someone about to murder the hit man presenting a form of irony but also, like Layer Cake, proves you cannot escape the inevitable.

USES & GRATIFICATIONS THEORY

Contrasts Hypodermic Syringe Theory. Suggests audiences actively use advertisements and magazines to meet some of the needs highlighted by Maslow.

"Personal and social cirmcumstances and psychological dispositions together influence both... beliefs and expectations about the benefits offered by the media..." - McQuail

McQuail, Blumler and Brown (1972) defined four major areas of need which the media in general seek to gratify:

Diversion: an escape from our routine and problems, an emotional release.
Personal relationships: exploring or reinforcing our vlaues, through comparison with others' values.
Surveillance: need for a constant supply of information about what is happening in the world

e.g. the mid-shot presents the hit man as an ordinary person.
Diversion - applies surreal in the real
Personal identity - reinforces moral values of an active audience

STUART HALL'S PREFERRED READINGS (1981)

Media texts are constructed so that they have an intended or preferred reading, which will come from the producers' own ideas or values.

Dominant: accept the fully preferred reading
Negotiated: agreeing with some, not all, of the preferred reading
Oppositional: understand the preferred reading but use alternative values to construct our own interpretations
Aberrant: audience does not understand the preferred reading.

e.g. dominant reading being one of karma, presented by the red herring at the end, inspired by Layer Cake

MODERN THEORY - CULTURAL POSITIONING

Can an audience be fored to decode a text in a specific way or does an individuals cultural positioning determine the reading?

How does the media help us to create identities for ourselves?
> as individuals
> as a society
> as members of specific groups

Media Theorists 1(b)

Audience:

- Two Step Linear Theory

message flows from mass media --> opinion leaders --> individuals

mass media --> opinion leaders (stage 1)

opinion leaders --> individuals (stage 2)

- Uses and Gratifications Theory

"What people do with media" rather than "what media does for people".

Presents an active audience rather than a passive audience.

- Hypodermic Syringe

Media injects ideas in a passive audience who are influenced by what they see.

- Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs

Fulfil basic needs before moving onto next level.

Ranges from survival --> self-esteem

- Louis Althusser 'Interpellation'

Cultural ideas have such a hold on us we believe they are our own.

Representation:

- The 'Male Gaze' Theory

Audience put into perspective of heterosexual male.

Typically dominant over female gaze.

Notion of looking - eyes, mirrors, looking glass, voyeurism

- John Fiske 'Open/ Closed Texts'

How much text is left to our interpretation?

- Verisimilitude: the Representation of Reality

Verisimilutude is 'having the appearance of truth'

Anti-realist - opposite to verisimilitude

Social-realist - present everyday events with a camera, sound, editing that draw attention to specific moments

Stuart Hall, 'ideological work in an increasingly fragmented society.'

Narrative:

- Vladimir Propp (Russian folktales)

Analysed many of his country's folktales and identified common themes within them.

He identified that "Five categories of elements define not only the construction of a tale, but the tale as a whole."

1) Functions of dramatis personae

2) Conjunctive elements

3) Motivations

4) Forms of appearance of dramatis personae

5) Attributive elements or accessories

There are 31 narrative conventions in his theory ranging from a member of the family leaves to the hero marries and ascends the throne.

- Roland Barthes

All narrative share structural features that each narrative weaves together in different ways.

1) The Hermenutic Code: any element not fully explained.

2) The Proairetic Code: builds up tension. Any action that implies a further narrative action.

3) The Semantic Code: refers to connotation.

4) The Symbolic Code: wider level of the semantic code in use of antithesis.

5) The Cultural Code: anything found in canonical works.

- Todorov's Narrative Theory

Believed there are five stages to narrative theory.

1) A state of equilibrium - this is where everything is as it should be

2) A disruption to that order - often through a key event

3) A recognition the disorder has occurred - normally recognised by the protagonist

4) An attempt to repair the damage - often done by the protagonist

5) A return to restoration to start a new equilibrium - not identical to initial equilibrium

- Levi-Strauss and Binary Oppositions

Symbols and ideas exist in relation to their opposites, with which they are in conflict.

Panders to the audience's need to side with a character which is 'good' or 'evil'

Binary Opposite Examples:

Good + Evil

Male + Female

Us + Them

Draws attention to the fact that the world of the text is constructed fiction, where simplified moral systems can operate.

Language:

- Stuart Hall

Encoding (by the source), decoding (by the reader) and preferred readers.

Language as communications.

Dominant, opposite, negotiated and aberrant readings.

- Ferdinand de Saussure

Linguistics can be broken into 3 categories:

1) Semantics - the relationship of signs to what they stand for

2) Syntactics - the formal of structural relationships between signs

3) Pragmatics - the relation of signs to interpreters

Genre:

- A Set of Relationships Between Institution, Text and Audience

Redefines genre as 'a category which mediates between industry and audience'.

Semiotically, a genre can be seen as a shared code between the producers and interpreters of texts included within it.

Within genres, texts embody authorial attempts to 'position' readers using particular 'modes of address'.

Embedded within texts are assumptions about the 'ideal reader', including their attitudes towards the subject matter and often their class, age, gender and ethnicity.

- Ed Buscombe – Iconography

Concentrates on iconography of the western in drawing a distinction between a film's inner and outer forms.

Inner form refers to a film's themes, while outer form refers to the various objects that are to be found repeatedly in genre movies.

Can work symbolically (e.g. traditional values that are embodied in Christianity)

- Tom Ryall

Believed genre is a framework of structuring rules.

Acts as a form of 'supervision' over production and the work of reading by the audience.

- Stephen Neale

Genres are instances of repetition and difference. Difference is essential to the economy of genre.

Evaluating Post-Production Skills Development

Research & Planning

Sue Thornham & Tony Purvis

Their Views on Postmodern

- Borrow images or figures from other medias

- Represent reality as multiple and fragmentary

- Undermine or threaten thematic and narrative coherence (the story doesn't always make sense)

- Emphasise the signifier (sign) over the signified (meaning)

- Blur the boundaries of genre (hybrid?)

- Confuse the sense of time and space - hyperreality

- Threaten notion of the fully formed/ whole character

- Resist the viewer's attempts to impose one interpretation of text

- Seem inconclusive/ open ended

Conventions Timed Essay

"Sometimes, working within constraints produces the most interesting work." (Branston & Strafford) How have you used real media conventions to produce interesting or effective coursework productions?

Branston and Strafford’s quote, “Sometimes, working within constraints produces the most interesting work” I feel suggests working within the limits that are suited to that genre means you can produce more interesting work that fits perfectly to what you are trying to produce. This, in my opinion, suits my media productions but more closely in AS than A2.
When looking at my AS Production, named ‘XYZ’, a convention I seemed to carry through was the dark, shadowy atmosphere. By the titles fading out on to a black and white film clip, it evokes connotations of dark and dangerous. The use of black and white suggests a flash back. I used this, as McQuail would say, because, “Conventions give the producers a framework to work with – a set of guidelines.” I felt to produce this dark, shadowy atmosphere it was important for the colourisation to be dark. The atmosphere was enhanced by delaying the face of the protagonist, also another convention (it appears I used one to enhance the other). This was done by in the black and white footage, making the protagonist wear a mask, very similar to the one the character ‘V’ from ‘V for Vendetta’ wears. By incorporating both of these conventions, I am ensuring the traits of a thriller film are clear – the audience are immediately absorbed into the genre, making it interesting and effective. The use of colourisation in my AS production was to be safe in applying the conventions, whereas in A2 I used colourisation to apply to the genre indie-rock, but also challenged it by changing the colourisation of the fire on each beat in stop frame animation. This shows progression as instead of doing it simply because it is a convention, I am doing it to challenge and make the piece of media more interesting.
Saul Bass’s interpretation of a Thriller Production suits me well, “Settle them down and create a sense of anticipation… hit the ground running.” I interpret this as taking a complex idea and showing it simply; by setting the audience up for a red herring, similar to how Alfred Hitchcock would have used in his renowned thrillers, I am putting them on the edge of their seats and aiming towards something the audience do not expect. This applies to the convention of an unsettled audience due to the paradox of a hit man being assassinated, producing an interesting piece of coursework. However; in my A2 production I wanted the audience to feel relaxed. To apply Goodwin’s principles the music video is to be narrative, performance or concept based. I challenged this by combining two – narrative and performance. This shows progression because instead of simply taking one suggestion, I am creating my own blend in my music video, whereas in AS I was using ideas from famous thriller producers in order to ensure my piece of work was effective: in A2 I wanted to experiment.
My AS Production immediately transported the audience into a sense of unease by applying the convention the unusual within the usual. This was done by having the protagonist talk about his career as a hit man in a very realistic setting of a crowded, bustling street meaning this person could be anyone you pass on a normal, daily basis. This juxtaposes the setting of my A2 Production, in a remote and natural area which goes against the genre, which is often in crowded areas such as concerts. In AS this would have created an uneasy atmosphere whereas in A2 it would have been interesting to see something unusual within the indie-rock genre that is so highly viewed.
In conclusion, I do agree “sometimes working within constraints produces the most interesting work” as it gives you a structure to work from and sprout ideas out of and this fell strongly into my AS Production, however in A2 I took these conventions and subverted them to create a more interesting, effective piece that went against the norm.

Essay Plan

"Sometimes, working within constraints produces the most interesting work" (Branston & Strafford) How have you used real media conventions to produce interesting coursework productions?

Intro -

This quote means working within the limits that are of a normal production, in my case a music video and a thriller production, I have the ability to produce more interesting work.

I agree - my work was based on the conventions of both, more closely so in AS than A2.

For main of essay, see previous post.

Conventions Foundation - Advanced

The dark, shadowy atmosphere of my Thriller Production is clear from the opening. The black background for the titles fading out onto a black and white film clip evokes connotations of dark and dangerous. It suggests a flashback, also adding to the danger as it is something that is essential to remember. The atmosphere was enhanced by delaying the face of the protagonist by wearing a mask based on the character 'V' from 'V for Vendetta'. By incorporating both of these conventions, I am ensuring the traits of a thriller film are clear - the audience immediately are absorbed into the genre. I followed these two particular conventions to be safe in establishing the genre: when the viewer sees the black and white film and the hidden face of the protagonist, it creates a feeling of unease; the unknown would fear them. It was effective as the mask is unexpected, as is the appearance of the man in the mask.

I challenged the hidden protagonist by revealing his identity in the next scene. By doing this, it adds apprehension to the concept of a hit man - the audience are now aware he appears as an ordinary citizen, in a realistic setting (another convention of thriller films). The crowded, bustling streets add to this image of the unusual situated in the norm. Reflecting on this, I did not challenge the convention and simply followed it creating a very ordinary look - I would like, now, to have experimented with different settings, like I did in my A2 Music Video.

Being a fan of Alfred Hitchcock's films helped when creating a red herring - by the hit man being assassinated, it created a rift, almost a paradox in the idea of how someone could decieve a man who makes a career out of killing others. This was effective as it was unexpected - the audience were kept on the edge of their seats to a complete twist in events. Arguably, I was doing this to conform to Saul Bass, "Settle them down and create a sense of anticipation... hit the ground running." In my opinion, this is taking a complex idea and showing it in a simple way. This, again, shows I was playing it safe by following geniuses of the thriller genre.

This changed in my Advanced Portfolio. I wanted to challenge the conventions and make my music video unique. One of the most used conventions in Goodwin's Principles would be the 'notion of looking'. This was challenged by the eyes often looking away from the camera lense, creating a seperation between the audience and the music video: they are aware of what they see. After following conventions in AS down to the letter, this shows development in confidence.

In my AS Media Production, I could have used fast paced close ups to create a disjunctive feel. Instead, I was determined for the story to be clear - in my A2 Media Production, this was not the case. I used the fast paced cuts to fit the music to visuals principle as well, developing a link between what the audience heard and what they saw on screen. This fast cut montage also developed the idea of a narrative and performance based music video - this is common within the genre of music. This shows progression between the two as I was not afraid to try more difficult conventions.

The star image motif that linked to both my ancillary tasks was the lyrics to visuals. The protagonist and supposed lead singer holding signs with the lyrics on was used for the album cover and created a subconscious link for the audience between all products. This shows a development in my intention for the products - everything was done for a reason.

Conventions

David Fincher's Seven

Conventions met...

- Eerie tension filled music
- Fast cut montage
- Extreme close ups
- Hidden identity
- Dark lighting
- Dark shadowy atmosphere
- Creation of fear/ apprehension
- Flashbacks

Conventions subverted...

- Realistic setting not used
- Red herrings

The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way

Conventions met...

- Music to visuals
- Lip syncing
- Lyrics to videos
- Performance based
- Genre characteristics
- Close-ups
- Images of instruments
- 'Notion of looking'

Conventions subverted...

- Intertextual references
- Star image motifs
- Voyeurism
- Tempo changed to match

Essay Structure

Point - What editing tool/ technique did you use? What did it suggest/ connote/ represent?

Evidence - Specific evidence from your film (AS/A2)

Explain - Have you progressed from AS to A2? How does this example show this progression? What did you experiement with/ take risks with? Were you more confident/ adventurous?

Conventions of Thrillers and Music Videos

Thrillers

• A build up of action
• Unsettling feeling
• Dark, shadowy atmosphere
• Soundtrack
• Morally ambiguous character
• Creating moral panic
• The unusual within the usual

Music Videos

• Intertextuality
• Genre characteristics
• Notion of looking
• Music to visuals
• Lyrics to visuals
• Star image motif
• Performance/ narrative/ concept based

Timed Essay

“The post-production process can be the most important part of the filming process.”

How important has the post-production stage been in your foundation and advanced portfolios and how have your skills developed over the two years?

Over my Media Studies A-Level I have developed and broadened my editing skills from my Thriller Production at AS to my Music Video at A2, both using the computer programme iMovie on the Apple Macs. Arguably, the post-production process is the “foundation of film art” (described by Eisenstein). I believe this means it is so building block for the production you are creating, and so is vital to the filming process. This is extremely relevant to the skills I have developed over the past two years.

In my Thriller Production at AS I used black and white colourisation to suggest a flash back, acting as a meaningful and relevant piece of footage to the plot: it filled the audience in on past information of the protagonist. By using this, it represented a different time scale, which was useful when describing the persona of the protagonist through the footage. I used this by editing the entire clip of footage on iMovie where I could also adjust the lighting to make the atmosphere more dark and sinister, capturing the essence of a Thriller Production. In my A2 Music Video I used colourisation in more of an experimental way – it matched the genre of music. Within the music video, when the lyrics were ‘this party’s heating up’ there was stop frame animation of fire matching lyrics to visuals. On each beat, the colour of the fire changed meaning I was using my editing skills to apply Goodwin’s principles and by it being more to do with colour; my range of usage had changed from just black and white at AS to the whole spectrum of colours at A2.

Another frequently used editing tool during AS was the slow motion tool available on the Apple Macs through the turtle versus hare image. The slow motion used on the dropping of the protagonist’s mask (key to the concept of hidden identity) was used to dramatise and grasp the audience into this feeling of insecurity of the protagonist. It also partially had to be slowed down due to an error when filming – the worm view shot and the angle the mask was being dropped at meant the shot needed to be slowed in order to fully see it. In A2 I used the same tool; however it was used to make the beat of the bass drum match the music and thus applying Goodwin’s theory of music to visuals. As this was intended, and I had captured enough footage for this shot, it showed development from AS to A2 where I had learnt from previous mistakes.

Editing being the “foundation of film art” applies most strongly when talking of my AS coursework: there were, at times, around 20 seconds of the protagonist talking directly into the lens of the camera which became a tad monotonous. Had it not been for the editing stage, I would have had to re-film this footage, which would have challenged my time management skills. Using the ‘effects’ tools on iMovie meant I could trim the image and piece it together but changing each clip by flipping, reversing, reverse zooming, cropping and panning a different clip, giving it a fragmented, disjunctive feel relevant to the genre, but also keeping the audience at the edge of their seats in an uncomfortable state, again: the aim of the genre and accordingly, it applied Bentley’s theory of production, ‘The making of the new and rearranging of the old.’

At A2, I used fast zooming in and out effects on the ‘effects’ tool available on iMovie. Had I not discovered this tool last year, the guitar solo within my Music Video would have appeared quite bland and as if I was merely repeating the footage I had used previously. This proves the importance of editing and how vital it is in keeping the audience entertained, part of the ‘Uses and Gratifications’ theory – without the post-production, the product could be a failure as it enables the audience to keep intact and wanting to view more of the finished piece. Through development from AS to A2, I was able to create a more strongly edited piece.

In conclusion, I agree ‘the post-production process can be the most important part of the filming process’ as it has saved the other areas of my filming process from having to be repeated. It also enhanced, elaborated and extended my productions into pieces of work I am proud of.

Digital Technology Essay Plan

Audience Theory

Stuart Hall

Dominant view - Agree with the message the piece of media is trying to put across

Negotiated view - Agree with some elements but not others

Opposite view - Found the media piece not enjoyable

Aberrant view - Did not understand the piece of media at all

Uses & Gratifications Theory

The audience look to the media for one of the following:

Entertainment

Education

Information

Self-esteem

Supports moral values

Hegemonic Theory

"The ruling classes are able to rule by ideas and cultural influence rather than force."

- You are ruled by the influences you have.

Convention, Cliché or Challenge?

One of the ways we feel we can identify media texts as 'belonging' to a particular group or category, is to identify common features that both film-makers and audiences recognise.

Convention - a 'rule', usually determining the 'ways that things are done'. These are frequently generic - in other words they signify established practices associated with specific genres.

Cliché - a term used to describe a conventional feature of a text that has become over-familiar usually through either repeated use, or because it is a fairly obvious method of conveying some piece of story information.

Challenges - occur when film-makers are working in clear relation to a specific genre, but are consciously (or subconsciously) attempting to do something different.

Source: Teen Movies and Genre

Debates on Positive and Negative Images

• History suggests that once an oppressed group perceives it's political and social oppression, it begins to try to change that oppression.
• Normally ask for an increase in images of a particular group in order to gain a voice as previously they would of been portrayed as villainous or untrustworthy.
• Once visibility is achieved, it is often argued that more positive portrayals are needed.

Issues Surrounding Changing a Stereotype

• how to define the community
• 'positive' representations
• the effect of employment practices and discrimination in media production processes on such images

If someone is stereotyped as problematic, they are less likely to have access to influential positions in the media or to other kinds of power.

The Burden of Representation

• Most groups large enough to make such demands are homogeneous
• They are read as 'representing' the whole community
• They were often felt to need to 'stand in for' or represent the whole of their particular community
• Being represented in various and ordinary, even 'negative' ways might be a positive step

Source: The Media Student's Book

Creativity and Digital Technology Essay

“Digital technology turns media consumers into producers”. In your experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions?

“Digital technology turns media consumers into producers” to an extent is relevant to my productions as software which I was able to gain on my home laptop was used to create my Foundation and Advanced Portfolios. This meant I was able to widen my range of skills and apply them to my work, turning me into a producer.

The editing software used in my Foundation Portfolio was iMovie, where I used an Apple Mac. As I had access to two Apple Macs for 10 hours each week, it meant I could transfer and use this digital technology in my free time as well as during designated editing times. For the thriller production in my Foundation Portfolio it was a fantastic piece of software to use, allowing me to trim film clips as well as adjust the lighting through the colour correction tool to ensure an on edge, eerie atmosphere could be created. However, the film clips timeline is automatically sized to what suits the programme, meaning when it came to trimming the clips to milliseconds, it was becoming an inconvenience as the accuracy took time and patience to gain the needed precision. After using it in my Foundation Portfolio, I knew full well it did not have the effects I wanted for my Advanced Portfolio’s music video. This meant I had to search for a piece of software that did: Cyberlink Power Director – only compatible with PCs rather than Apple Macs. By downloading the programme at home, it meant I could use my laptop in the free time during the days as well as at home, giving me continuous access to it; I could put the time and effort I needed to into my music video. It was particularly effective in the video editing effect zoom, which allowed a fast paced zoom in and out on a film clip when the protagonist is dancing with a stranger, exactly to the beat, applying music to visuals. This was the kind of precision I gained from Cyberlink Power Director that I felt was not possible on iMovie showing my creativity had developed as I was very specific on the image I wanted to create. The only disadvantage to Cyberlink was the effects on film clips were not always available on still image editing, creating a slight issue for the stop frame animation images.

MP3 and file sharing was simplistic in my Foundation Portfolio as I used an online website www.freeplay.com which allowed you to refine your search to a specific track initially designed for home movies. By filtering the searches, I was able to gain the electronic sound I wanted for my modern thriller production. However, the music was not technologically advanced; not something you would imagine could make it into a blockbuster production, but as it was legal and the music suited the atmosphere it was not a hugely important issue. In my Advanced Portfolio music video, I brought the track of iTunes which was a benefit to the artist as well as me as they gained another vote in their rank in the charts and I gained a reasonably priced song. The only disadvantage was the track’s format was not tailored for Cyberlink and so I had to spend time editing the tracks format. However, as I only had to ask the artist’s permission to use their song I realised I could have done the same for my Foundation Portfolio – this shows my creativity and knowledge have developed as it means I can now broaden my research.

In my Foundation Portfolio, I did not only use the web as a means of finding a track for my thriller production but also as I research base. Through the web, I was able to research my target audience and narrow it down to a specific demographic - the broadest one possible. I placed the information found on my blog where I stored all my ideas; however in my Advanced Portfolio the way I presented the information changed showing my creativity and use of the web advanced by using websites such as Flickr and SlideShare to present my information in a unique way rather than plain blocks of texts.

In my Advanced Portfolio I used my mobile phone to play the track whilst gaining the lip syncing images meaning that when it came to the editing later on, it would be a lot easier to apply this one of Goodwin’s principles. This is a strong example of convergence. The issue that arose was the noise of the wind that day drowned the limited volume on my mobile phone. Sometimes, the protagonist had to hold the phone in order to ensure the lip syncing could be gained which limited the angles that I could film as I did not want to capture the mobile in the image.

My ancillary tasks for my Advanced Portfolio showed most development as the programmes I used were new to me:
Serif Photoplus and Pageplus allowed me to use image manipulation, particularly noticeable on the inside of my digipack where there are three images of eyes gradually opening. I used the crop tool on the image and then adjusted the quality of the eyes by using the sharpen tool and the lighting effects, creating a poignant theme in the main and ancillary tasks: the notion of looking. However; never using this programme before meant the layering of the images became quite complicated. This gave me the motivation to download the programme at home, meaning I could transfer my work between two places giving me more time on it. The desktop publishing software on the free version I downloaded at home was not as technologically advanced as the full version available on the school computers meaning some effects did not show up at home, limiting the amount of things I could do in one evening. But, before I created these ideas, I had to voice them to the target audience to ensure they would surpass to buying my product. This involved a pitch using a projector and an iBoard allowing them to view the flat plans of my ideas. The feedback was strong and informative meaning I could adjust my products to suit their needs. Despite this, the pitch did not go completely according to the plan as the images were faded on the projection in comparison to the neon colours I wished to show them. My creativity developed through my ancillary tasks as I was able to explore new programmes and new ideas but also having an official pitch giving me more information on what I could improve on.

In conclusion, “digital technology turns media consumers into media producers” applies strongly to my productions as in my experience I have been able to create ideas and place them in the world using the digital technology that was fortunately available to me. Through the advance in this technology I was able to develop my creativity; broadening my horizons.

Media and Collective Identity

"Identity is complicated. Everyone thinks they've got one." - Gauntlett

"We see characters 'as is' - they are 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' and we are forced to wonder what we would do in their situation. The drama comes from the situation and the way the characters struggle to respond to it. This is the classic neorealist approach - the opposite of a story 'imposed' on the real world." - Stafford

Identity

"A focus on identity requires us to pay close attention to the diverse ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life, and their consequences both for individuals and for social groups." - Buckingham

• We can construct an alternative identity for ourselves online if we want to.
• We also employ identity into our everyday life (e.g. semiotic ideas like the clothes we wear, the media we consume, the people we like etc.)
• Combination of these amounts to "the presentation of the self" - Goffman
• Accents take us into the realm of collective identity.

Newspapers

• The target audience relates to how editors, writers, photographers and publishers combine to create a sense of belonging.
• The Marxist idea developed by Althusser's (1971) notion of interpellation.
• Interpellation - taken from Lacan's 'mirror phase' where an externalised image is perceived as both a self and an 'other'; your true self is defined by the 'other' and thus are trapped in it's ideology. The flaw of this is the 'other ' is supposedly created out of no where.
• Cause anxiety and intend to (also known as moral panic).
• 'False consciousness' - we are distracted from the inequality in society, ignore the good and focus purely on the bad.
• "In post-traditional cultures, where identities are not 'given' but need to be constructed and negotiated..." - Gauntlett

British Cinema

• Britain's representation on screen is hugely influenced by economic and political contexts, such as funding, the relationship of British film to the USA and the rest of Europe, dilemmas for producers, audience shifts, government agendas and the relationship of culture to commerce.
• British films are cultural products and look at a range of commercially successful and critically acclaimed films on release, with regard to directors, styles and audience responses.
• British cinema has always suffered, and still does, from a 'burden of representation.'

Film Categories

• Category A - an entirely British film, funded by UK finance, and staffed by a majority of British personnel.
• Category B - majority UK funded
• Category C - more common co-funded scenario
• Category D - US films with some UK creative input

"Every memorable achievement to come out of UK cinema since the war has come out of someone's desire to say something, not to sell it." -Roddick

The Burden of Representation

• Describes the way that the history of social realist British film can weigh on the shoulders of new film-makers and producers.
• The UK has a strong legacy of fiction that attempts to portray issues facing ordinary people in their social situations (social realist films).
• Social realist film should not be thought of as a genre or as a type of film, but as an approach.
• Distinguish between films that lead to serious debate about the 'real world' and real current social issues that affect people at the margins of society, and films that do not make this attempt.
• Social realism seeks to make explicit connections to matters of public debate - the economic system, social relations, relationships between ethnic groups, various forms of exploitation.
• "The work of film-makers today who may be creative, but are always grounded in the actuality of the events within their social contexts... Our experience as audiences is a constant frisson of recognition." - Murray
• Frisson - social realism is often uncomfortable when set against 'escapist' cinema.
• "Their Britishness is in their culturally specific address to audiences at home." - Murray

Source: OCR Media Studies for A2

Representation and Ideology

The conceptual area of representation and ideology considers the relationships between people, places, events, ideas, values and beliefs and how these are represented in the media; and the issues and debates arising from their representations.

Key Questions

1. Whose interests does the text serve? (Written by someone to someone)
2. Who is presented in this text? Who is absent from this text? (Viewpoint? Bias?)
3. What does the text tell us about who made it and when and where they made it? (Detached?)
4. Has its meaning changed over the years and in what ways?
5. What judgements do you make about the truth, accuracy or effect of this text?
6. What judgements might other people or groups make about it? (Their background?)
7. What values are offered, either directly or indirectly by the text?
8. What conclusions can we draw from it, what issues does it raise?
9. What do we need to consider when making a media ext?
10. What messages and values are we using in our decision-making?

Planning (Questions A - E)

The Organisation of Time & Equipment

My time in Foundation Portfolio was organised in a strong, structured manner. To ensure my Foundation Portfolio reached the conventions of thrillers, I had to plan effectively – my equipment was prepared as I used my own Sony video camera and my own lightweight tripod meaning when I was ready to film, I could reach for them and go. However; what needed most planning was ensuring my actors were all available on the same date. Fortunately, have free periods at the same time as the two actors in the opening of the thriller production meant I could plan that quite easily. With the rest of the production it was imperative the meeting for the filming was done as soon as possible so I could begin the editing stage. I organised the filming times by creating a shooting schedule, which had the dates and times agreed with actors to film. Before this could be done, I had to gain all my knowledge possible of what I was producing and so on my media blog I created a poll for my followers to respond to – it was the title of my film. The feedback being in quantitative data gave a clearer view as to what the target audience would like as the title, and by it being complete the planning was. This was effective as it meant I could move swiftly on to the creation of my Foundation Portfolio knowing my planning and equipment worked and were going to achieve the effect I wished to create: suspension, fear and apprehension.
In my Advanced Portfolio my equipment was the same as my Foundation Portfolio meaning I could again grab my equipment (and also a still frame camera) and film. This year I was launched into doing a music video – something I had never attempted before; therefore my planning and organisation had to be rigorous. My approach in my Foundation Portfolio seemed to work however my music video was split into narrative (stop frame animation) and performance (video) – this involved two settings and so took four meetings by splitting the stop frame and performance in to two meant I could re-record any weak parts to the footage. This was effective as it meant all the footage I gained was strong enough, clear enough and well suited to my music video.

The Efficient Choice and Organisation of Actors, Settings & Props

The actors chosen in my film were all selected from the BTEC Performing Arts actors in my sixth form and so I knew they were all highly talented. I chose my protagonist, the unnamed hit man, because his blond hair connotes innocence and purity and yet he is a paid murderer creating juxtaposition. The nervous man at the start of the production portrayed an unsteady and unstable person very well giving the persona of the hit man as a fearful character before the audience are even aware of what has occurred. By having a stranger running into the hit man emphasises the image and he was chosen because he looks normal, and so would act normal, not like someone you would expect to hire a hit man. The central prop being the mask was chosen so I had the option to challenge the convention of hidden identity. By the character being hidden when the clip begins, it conforms to the convention whereas when it is taken off and discarded it challenges this concept of a thriller film as well as challenge the career of the protagonist. In some ways this is reflected in the setting – a public place is the last place you would expect a hit man; he should be lurking in the shadows as an outsider of benign humanity. This was effective as it may have confused the audience, putting them on the edge of their seat: what you expect to happen in a thriller film. The problems encountered would be the public in the background – the noise was disruptive to the sensitivity of the microphone in the camera meaning the protagonist had to speak louder and each clip involved sound editing after. To improve it, I could change the setting to a more remote yet public area, where it is respectful to be private, i.e. by the public river.
In my Advanced Portfolio I chose my actor because I had used him in my Foundation Portfolio and knew he would be well suited as a flexible actor. My female character was chosen because the general closeness of the characters in reality could be portrayed effectively in my music video. The setting of a house for the stop frame animation suited the lyrics as it was about a meeting of a boy and girl at a house party. The nature of the performance based part of my music video was chosen to add a relaxing element to it – also the autumn colours had to be absorbed in some way, and the brightness of the day added to the protagonist’s persona. The props used acted as symbolism, being signs and banners. Having a purpose behind each prop to convey a message shows improvement as it meant the audience had to watch the music video all the way through to ensure the message was clear – there was no need to switch it off.

Scripting and/or Storyboarding

The storyboard in my Foundation Portfolio was a rough idea – with hindsight, I regret not doing a second draft as I feel on the day of filming it would have gone more fluently if the planning was more precise. The scripting however I was proud of for being quite complex and therefore lulling the audience to know more for the rest of the film. This was the effect I hoped to achieve; despite how strong the script was I felt it would have been highly improved by a more focussed storyboard. A problem encountered would be the noise of the setting which again could have been avoided had I looked for a more peaceful, yet eerie, setting.
There were two drafts for my storyboard: the first was doing before my pitch presentation, the final after. The pitch presentation gave me qualitative feedback meaning I could incorporate my target audience’s view into my final storyboard and so I felt it was stronger than last year due to more precise preparation. The script itself was the lyrics; however I annotated the lyrics to apply Goodwin’s principles meaning I was applying the conventions of a typical music video. This ensured I was achieving what was expecting and left me with a reassured feeling. By doing two storyboards in my Advanced Portfolio shows improvement as I learnt the importance of preparation.

Initial Target Audience Research

To research for my Foundation Portfolio, I vigilantly looked into the typical viewer of a thriller film and managed to retrieve quantitative information in the form of pie charts and bar diagrams. Through this I was able to ensure my thriller film was aimed at the correct demographic – those who love being put on the edge of their seat. Relooking at my Foundation Portfolio it was extremely limited to its gender orientation: being an all male class about a stereotypically male profession screams it was targeted at the male audience. Reflectively, I would edit it so it could reach a female audience somehow, perhaps by adding in a love story concept somehow; layering the narrative.
The target audience for my Advanced Portfolio was slightly easier as I knew the artist, I listened to their music and went to their performances and so I knew the demographic they reached out to. By doing my own independent research by going to a live performance, it meant I had gained first-hand experience into the atmosphere and what I need to recreate in my own music video. This shows improvement as it adds a more personal element to the production.

Existing Media Practice/ Products

I researched into my Foundation Portfolio task by watching numerous amounts of thriller openings. The influence of my product was Layer Cake shown strongly by the unnamed protagonist who does an illegal activity and calls it a career. I also researched into the typical conventions of thrillers and how each film I had looked at applied these conventions: some did it how it was expected, others challenged. This research spurred the creativity in my mind to mould an entirely new product – a topic that had not been challenged in any of the films I had seen: the paradox of a hit man being murdered. The key problem encountered was to maintain this idea knowing there was nothing like it. I feel it was a success overall, despite this.
The song and artist chosen for my Advanced Portfolio was clearly under the indie-rock genre and so my research mainly comprised of looking into music videos under this genre. Again I noted the conventions they contained but mostly I took on board this idea of a narrative and performance based music video, advancing in my mind to the product I created. Instead of challenging the conventions as such, I merely elaborated them. Improvement was shown in emphasising a distinction between the narrative and performance: stop frame animation versus visual video footage.

Applying Theorists

My Thriller Production

Many would immediately distance themselves from a hit man, but in my thriller production XYZ he is put forward and placed in front of them as the supposedly trusting character instead of the antagonist of which he should typically be placed as, making 'novel associations which are useful' (Isaksen and Treffinger, 1993). This juxtaposes the audience's original thoughts and takes them out of their comfort zone, whilst 'rule breaking'. Also, the opening scene being a black and white meeting with a character with hidden identity acts as a form of film-noir where shadows often hide a characters face. The idea of film-noir, and yet a quirky and unusual mask suggests, 'The making of the new and the rearranging of the old' (Bentley, 1997).

My Music Video

'The ability to bring something new into existence' (Anthony Starr) could be seen in the lyrics to visuals in my music video as it is in the form of stop frame animation with something different happening each time the lyrics 'just say you will' are sung. Then again, this could be suggested as 'the making of the new and the rearranging of the old' (Bentley, 1997) as it conforms to Goodwin's principles in new, experimental ways. Also, 'new associations which are useful' (Isaksen and Treffinger, 1993) could apply to my music video as the indie-rock genre has only been prominent in the charts in the last 10 years, meaning the genre's conventions in music videos need to be reinforced, e.g. colourisation, close ups of instruments etcetera.

Postmodern Quotes

'The mass media... were once thought of as holding up a mirror to, and thereby reflecting, a wider social reality. Now that reality is only definable in terms of the surface reflections of that mirror. It is no longer a question of distortion since the term implies that there is a reality, outside the surface simulations of media, which can be distorted, and this is precisely what is the issue.' - Strinati

'Truth is what we should rid ourselves of as fast as possible and pass it on to somebody else. As with illnesses it's the only way to be cured of it. He who hangs on to truth has lost.' - Baudrillard

'The media do not reflect and represent the reality of the public but instead produce it, employing this simulation to justify their own continuing existence. Thus news feedback functions to confirm to itself, and to convince us, that someone is watching, that the news is important, and that the public are politically interested and mobilised. Desperately needing this confirmation, news programmes tailor questions, debates and features to provoke it, encouraging views to follow and contribute towards the arguments or the fluctuating percentage results of the selected vote of the day.' - Baudrillard

'The term postmodern is often used to describe the work of the Coen Brothers. This is a term which has no easy definition. Their telling of stories which comment on the nature of stories and of storytelling, their reaction against classic genres, their turning over and examination of genre stereotypes and conventions from within their films, are all part of what is being referred to when they are said to be postmodern.' - Levan

Blade Runner Critic Quotations

'Blade Runner hold[s] up to us, a mirror, many of the essential features of the condition of postmodernity.' - Harvey

Blade Runner is a 'vision of the future that extrapolates contemporary trends to envision their possible consequences.' - Byer

'As a consequence, the film falls in with the doom-and-gloom-bell-ringers of the early 1980's who were... reacting to the excessive optimism of 'deterministic futurology.' - McGuigan

'The superficial does not necessarily represent a decline into meaninglessness or valueless in culture.' - McRobbie

'retreat[ing] from the implications of its radical critique into filmic clichés and individualist solutions' - Instrell

'a radical structural analysis of the city can only acquire social force if it is embodied in an alternative experiential vision - in this case, of the huge Los Angeles Third World whose children will be the Los Angeles of the next millennium.' - Davis

Coen Brothers' Presentation

The Coen Brothers

View more presentations from Lorna Wooldridge.

Blade Runner OCR Textbook

• A classic piece of dystopian science fiction
• Often discussed as a postmodern film

Style

• A postmodern aesthetic, mixing textual references and images.
• Film-noir juxtaposed the futuristic, dystopian images (time is manipulated).
• L.A in the future is in itself a pastiche of our ideas of the East, the West and the future.
• Mise-en-scene of decay and decline.
• An end for humanity as we know it.
• The replicants striving for an extension to their lifespan.

Reception

• The meaning of humanity in the postmodern age.
• The distinction between the human and the machine is unclear.
• L.A seen - the postmodern city. (Huge advertising images promoting an off-world colony, the idea that anyone who can has 'fled' the real world for a more virtual experience).

Subject Matter

• Unsure as to whether the protagonist, Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is human or not, remaining an enigma.
• 'All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.' - Roy Batty, the lead replicant's line when dying.
• Blurring of opposites: reality/fiction, human/machine, life/death and good/bad.
• Deals with racism (the extermination of replicants) and so replaces real world concerns in a fantasy setting.
• The classic oppositions that have defined our philosophy are undermined, or at least exposed as vulnerable.

Source: OCR Media Studies for A2 Textbook

Hyperreality

• Introduced by Baudrillard.
• Disneyland is the best example for understand how our reality works in the postmodern world - a place which is a real, physical space, but also clearly a fictional, representational world.
• Semiotic ideas - signs represent ideas, people or places.
• For Baudrillard there is only surface meaning - nothing is semiotic as there is not anything 'original' for there to be a semiotic of.
• The sign is now the meaning - we inhabit a society built up wholly of simulacra (simulations of reality which replace 'pure' reality).
• Therefore, any boundary between the real and imaginary is eroded.

Postmodernism

Basic Postmodern Ideas

• Postmodern media rejects the idea that any media product or text is of any greater value than another. All judgements of value are merely taste. Anything can be art, anything can deserve to reach an audience, and culture 'eats itself' as there is no longer anything new to produce or distribute.
• The distinction between media and reality has collapsed, and we now live in a 'reality' defined by images and representations - a state of simulacrum. Images refer to each other and represent each other as reality rather than some 'pure' reality that exists before the image represents it - this is the state of hyperreality.
• All ideas of 'the truth' are just competing claims - or discourses - and what we believe to be the truth at any point is merely the 'winning' discourse.

Source: OCR Media Studies for A2 Textbook

Film-Noir

• Voice over is a typical feature of film noir.
• The story involved a crime and an investigating hero.
• Themes include fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia.
• Story lines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically told with foreboding background music.
• Jarring editing or juxtaposition elements, ominous shadows, skewed camera angles.
• Dramatic patterns of light and shade created by light filtering through a blind or latticed windows.
• Film noir is associated with an urban context, cities and low life areas.
• Women in this genre were either dutiful, reliable, trustworthy, loving or femme fatales.

Science Fiction

• Science fiction is often based on scientific principles and technology.
• Science fiction may make predictions about life in the future.
• Often deals with non-human life forms.
• Can comment on important issues in society.

10 Essentials for Reflective Writing

1) Focus on creative decisions informed by institutional knowledge

You did what you did partly because of what you had learned about how the media produce, distribute and share material.

2) Focus on creative decisions informed by theoretical understanding

You know that you did what you did because of having a point of view in relation to media and meaning, and you can describe that in relation to cultural media theories.

3) Evaluate the process - don't just describe it

Why some things worked well and others not so well.

4) Relate your media to 'real media' at the micro level

Give clear, specific examples of how you used techniques and strategies to create intertextual references to media you have been influenced by.

5) Try to deconstruct yourself

Don't ever think of your own tastes, decisions, preferences, behaviour as just being 'the ways things are'; instead, try to analyse the reasons for these things - it is tough to do this, but worth the effort.

6) Choose clearly relevant micro examples to relate to macro reflective themes

You can't write about everything you did, so be prepared with a 'menu' of examples to adapt to the needs of the reflective task.

7) Avoid binary oppositions

Your media products will not either follow or challenge existing conventions; they will probably do a bit of both.

8) Try to write about your broader media culture

Don't just limit your writing to your OCR production pieces, but try to extend your response to include other creative work or other media-related activities you have been engaged in.

9) Adopt a metadiscourse

Step outside of just describing your activities as a media studies student to reflect, if possible, on the 'conditions of possibility' for the subject and your role within it - what kind of an activity is making a video for media studies, compared to making a video as a self-employed media producer.

10) Quote, paraphrase, reference

Reflective writing about production is still academic writing, so remain within the mode of address.

Source: OCR Media Studies for A2 textbook

Personal Audit

Useful Websites

http://www.alevelmedia.co.uk

http://media.edusites.co.uk

http://longroadmedia.com

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre1.html

G325 Exam - Critical Perspectives in Media

The Exam

- Two hours

- Two compulsory questions

- Total marks available: 100 (1 (a) = 25, 1 (b) = 25, 2 = 50)

Question 1 (a) will ask one of the following:

- Digital technology

- Creativity (tends to be asked with one other)

- Research and planning

- Post - production

- Using conventions from real media texts

Question 1 (b) will ask one of the following:

- Genre

- Narrative

- Representation

- Audience

- Media Language