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.