Summer Homework (Becky)

Homework Four- Textual Analysis 'Never Forget'(Becky)

Homework Three- Representation of age and class in 'About a Girl'. (Becky)

The film begins when our main character is showed through a low angle long shot as she stands in a destaurated field where she dances and sings to the song "I'm not that Innocent".

The character becomes a silhouette as the cloudy sky in the background is brighter and more saturated and brighter in comparison to the character creating a deeper contrast.

In the next scene, we the camera/spectator are placed alongside a canal and in the background we can see a derelict rural housing estate, which suggest that our character may come from an un- wealthy area. The grey and desaturated colour of the scenes add to the lack of wealth and increases our opinions of the girls 'working class' atmosphere.

The female character then begins to preach her life and goals to the spectator in a deep Mancunian accent. The audience is able to point out her class or status through the poor pronunciation of her words in her harsh accent. 

The character has a limited vocabulary suggesting that she has had poor education common of a working class citizen. We hear this when she shortens simple words such as 'thing' to 'thingy'.

This is me- genre- Megan

In the first couple of shots of 'this is me' we expect it to have a serious tone to it as we are shown a man in a hospital bed through the use of restricted narration to show his pump to help him breath and his foot covered by a hospital blanket.


Rick Altman's theory suggests that we can or we try to associate a particular object with a meaning and this meaning can then suggest to us a particular genre. In this case the first couple of shots may suggest to us that this some sort of drama.
However, when the voiceover begins we can automatically assume that this is a hybrid genre which is mixed with a comedy touch to it that makes his injury seem more like a joke than a serious matter.
Along with the colloquial voiceover, the woman's facial expression as she sits down next to her paralytic husband also suggests the idea of comedy. The timer in the corner suggests that she doesn't have much time for him. She seems very into her fashion and uptight which is a binary opposition to her husband- a rather large, jolly fellow- which shows comedy in their differences from each other.

Steve Neale proposed that each genre of film repeats the conventions of that particular genre of film while also making new variations to make the film individual. The conventions of a normal comedy genre film that are shown in this short film is the idea of binary oppositions, voiceovers to make it seem more funny and the accident that occurs to make him paralytic which is seen as funny because this is a thing that happens to barley anyone- rather than the usual convention of a comedy genre i.e. someone tripping over a banana as an accident.

Lovefield- Narrative- Megan

Restricted narration is used throughout the short film to keep the audience guessing about the story and the plot.

There are several action and enigma codes used throughout the film (as proposed by Roland Barthes) these are props that cause an active engagement in the audience to make them question what is happening and try and understand the plot and the genre of the film by these props and what they are being used for/in what context are they presented to us.


One of the enigma codes that appears repeatedly throughout the film in the shot of the black bird which presents the thoughts of darkness and mystery surrounding the story. An action shot that is used is the knife stabbing into the ground which could predict violence has or is about to happen which leads the audience to guess that the plot is horror/thriller as this is the sort of action code that would be used in that kind of genre. The bloody material seen on the floor as the camera pans over as well as the eerie non diegetic music makes us begin to believe this was a rape or something along those lines as we can hear a woman crying.

This film can be related to Todorov and his 5 stages of narrative:

Todorov 5 stages of narrative!

I would recognise the first stage (the equilibrium) as the first couple of pan shots across the fields where restricted narration is used to show the fields however at this point we have seen no people and no representation of anything bad happening.

The disruption of the equilibrium would be the pan over the mobile, material covered in blood and the screaming from a woman where we can only see her feet on the floor (yet again using restricted narration.) This is because the audience now know something has happened due to a tense atmosphere being created so there has now been a disruption to what was calm.

The recognition of the disruption occurs when we see a man running towards his car who we assume to be the antagonist of the film who has caused the woman to be in pain. The male character starts rummaging through the boot of the car trying to find something to aid the woman which is the recognition that this may be a protagonist of the story.

Stage 4 the attempt to repair the disruption occurs when the man passes the woman a blanket to aid her in her struggles and the problem is therefore resolved.

The new equilibrium is a new life being born and our views from the beginning of the film have completely changed. The pan over the fields show peace and security, the lighting has got brighter to show happiness and the non diegetic music has now changed from an eerie sound to a softer tone of music to show closure.

Mixtape- Audience- Megan

The short film mixtape won the best short film award at the Virgin Media awards ceremony. As well as this it won Best Film at both the Lancrab and Purbeck film festivals, and was even nominated for best short film at the BAFTA's in 2010.

 

I think the short film- Mixtape- appeals to many different audiences for different reasons. To begin with, this short film is only accessible by the use of YouTube and different websites online, which nowadays is seen as the main platform use of choice for teenagers/young adults who grow up around the technology of the internet and use it the most in this day of age.

main character and the girl next door
 

The film can be aimed mostly at the male population due to the film showing a boys love for the girl next door which is seen by the nervous way he is talking to her mum. It targets the age audience of around 20-40 year olds due to the outdated use of 'tapes' which aren't use in modern day anymore, it also targets the audience of when this music was released in 1925 as an up-beat pop music of that day in age, therefore targeting an older age population.

I wonder where my baby is tonight song

Lastly, this film could also target any teenager going through or falling in love as young love is the underlying theme of this short film.

Representation of Class and Age in 'About a Girl'

Camera Work
Mise-en-Scene
Sound

The films main character seen as a
silhouette against the bright sky
behind her.

Editing
Representation

The spectator is first introduced to the films main character through a low angle long shot of her standing in a field against a brightly lit background. The blue and white colours of the sky behind her cause her to become a silhouette in the frame, and she can be seen singing and performing a dance routine to the song 'I'm not that innocent.' The setting then cuts to a walkway alongside a canal where derelict and boarded up houses can be seen at the edge of the water. This suggests very little wealth in the area that our protagonist lives when partnered with the dull greys and browns of the buildings. She begins talking, and a harsh Manchester accent can be heard. The spectator is unable to assume her class and status simply from the way that she talks, but the harshness of her accent, the fact that she doesn't pronounce her 'T's' and 'Th's' and her limited vocabulary, substituting words she does not know for 'thingy' make is easier to guess that she is perhaps working class. However, she later on talks about how her father doesn't have time for her because he is 'looking for work' and how her mum lives off 'Dodgy burgers and knock off Larger' which suggests that actually her parents do not work at all, and could arguably be categorised as underclass as opposed to working.

Medium shot of protagonist
walking along the canal path.

During the shots by the canal path, a handheld camera is used and mostly a low angle medium shot. This gives the impression that she is talking to someone, perhaps a friend, and the position of the camera being next to her but slightly in front results in the spectator feeling as though she is directly addressing them, and therefore feel more involved in the shot. The film mainly consists of the girl talking about various events that have happened in her life involving her friends and family. When a memory is referred to, the scene cuts and a flashback of the event follows.

The spectator is first introduced to her mum and her little sister in a memory of the three out shopping on the street. She is in the foreground of the shot, while the other two are in the background in a deeper depth of field. Her mum can be seen scratching at a scratch card, which emphasises the family's lack of money and arguably their desperation. However, the little girl can be seen jumping up and trying to get her mothers attention, which paired with the fact that the main character is separated from the two could be a representation of the relationship between the three. The mum says 'hold on a minute' to the youngest daughter when she attempts to get her attention, which suggests that she perhaps doesn't have the time for her, and possibly see's her as a nuisance. The fact that the main character has distanced herself from her mum suggests that this is something she already knows, and has come to terms with. The first reference the spectator has of her father is her mum referring to him as a 'bastard,' which reinforces the idea of the protagonists unstable home life. Disputing parents is common throughout all classes, and separated families just as much, but with both sides struggling to find work and money, the main character being part of the underclass is enhanced.

 

Silent Things- Representation- Megan

Long shot of the two characters

The short film- Silent Things- begins by a black screen fading into a tranquil scene of a beach with the diegetic sound of the waves crashing. The non diegetic music which plays on and off throughout the film is also parallel to this scene by being quiet and peaceful.
The first shot we see of characters in this film is at a long shot which we assume to be the protagonists.
The males costume and hair seems to be one of simplicity, showing him to be just as an average man whilst the audience are not aware of his disability yet. However his dark clothing may be shown to be a negative representation towards his disability later on in the film. This may mean the character is more of a darker or mysterious person which is also suggested by the way his body expression is slouched over a bit. On the other hand, the woman seems to be one more of innocence with brighter coloured clothing and the way her hands go to keep stroking her hair shows purity and matched with her facial expressions it shows her to be in her own world of thoughts.

A fade is used to show the difference in time as we are then shown the same man at a long shot with his back to the camera but without the woman anymore. His loneliness is emphasised through the use of shallow depth of field as we can see him clearly in a medium close up however in the background we can see a family or a group of friends together and hear through diegetic sounds of them laughing together with each others company which emphasises that he is alone which may be shown as a negative representation of his disability.




The first proper on screen, diegetic words which are said is a girl swearing at the people in the background who are laughing calling this man her boyfriend. This is shown in a negative way as their laughter seems to be directed towards them- maybe because of his disability, however we are still unaware of what this is at this point.

There friendship seems to grow on the idea that they are both lonely and have no where else to go or anything to do. This is a positive representation of his disability as he has the capability to have or lead a normal life by making friends with someone able-bodied and enjoying their presence.
The other girl seems to suggest that she might not be the right friend for him- suggesting that she doesn't understand his disability and what comes along with it.

We can sense that the guy isn't able to understand his decisions when the girl asks him to come on the ferry with her and he agrees because he knows how ferry's work. The power in their relationship seems to be more in the girl as she is able-bodied and is able to clearly think about what she wants to do- this is also shown by her diegetic voice being much louder and in control as well as the close-ups on their faces which show the girl has a much better idea on what she is doing rather than the disabled man who looks confused.

Close ups when he is on the ferry show he is struggling to understand what is happening and is having some kind of anxiety attack. We can see his disability through the mind of him as at this point the diegetic noises are blurred out and harder to understand- showing the aspect or Asperger syndrome of finding it hard for social interaction. This is shown as a negative representation of his disability as he is struggling with a normal life aspect.




The last scene of him on the beach again where they started shows the narrative to go in a loop. The kite that has been shown in many scenes in a resemblance of his disability meaning that he is used to normal routines- which is flying his kite rather than going on the ferry and it also shows the idea that people with Asperger syndrome have a special interest to them.

Black Hole - Media Language- Megan

To begin with, the short film shows the opening title being opened into as what we expect is the 'black hole' which opens to show a man standing in the corner and a pan and zoom is used to come closer towards him until he is in the middle of the screen used as a shallow depth of field. His clothes suggest he is in a work environment; however his exaggerated sigh shows that this is a job that he doesn't enjoy and finds very boring. We can tell his lack of enthusiasm by the way his hair is messed us, his sleeves rolled up and his tie undone as if he has no pride in himself or what he does for a living.
The lighting and colour both give a dull and dingy effect, maybe representing how the protagonist is feeling about himself and his job- very bored and dis-hearted about himself.

A cut is used to show a prop- the photocopying machine that he isn't having much luck with. This makes us start to think that the photocopying machine places a vital role in this film as the dietetic and non dietetic sounds are all coming from the photocopying machine. A close up birds eye view shows the paper displaying the black circle as the 'black hole' and a medium close up shows the man's expression to be confused at this.

A cut is used to show the audience as if we are inside the black hole and looking out at a low angle medium long shot. This technique makes it seem as if the black hole is a living thing as this is a point of view shot from inside the black hole.
Sound effects are used as the man 'touches' the black hole to make is seem like something extraordinary and something that isn't from earth.

After the man has discovered the use of the black hole a lot of cut transitions are used to emphasise fast pace as excitement. A lot of close ups are used of the man's facial expressions to show excitement and wonder in what he can use this black hole for to his advantage.






After realising that he can use the black hole for his gain, his facial expression turns to one of greed.



Props such as the vending machine and a door are used to show how the black hole works before arriving at a medium shot of a metal safe.
His laugh to himself and the face pace cuts to show speed are also enough reason to suggest greed has over taken him as he grabs more and more money out of this safe.

 After the man climbs through the black hole, emphasis is placed on the strain on the tape through the use of close ups and extreme close ups of the black hole falling off the safe.

When the paper falls to the ground the shot returns to a mid angle shot, a sound bridge is used between the paper falling and the photocopying machine starting up again to make suspense. However, as the mid shot turns into a long shot to an extreme long shot we can see that there is no one around in the office to help him. The printing sheets of paper from the photocopying machine adds to the intensity of the completely otherwise, silent office.

Media Studies A2 Transition period 2014 Homework 1 (Becky)

Criticism- Recording and editing sound with images appropriately.

In our thriller opening, a variety of sound effects and foleys were used successfully to convey the thriller genre to the spectator and to increase the pace of the film creating more suspense.

 Unfortunately, where sound effects and foleys were added to our opening, we discovered sudden pauses of sound or silent periods between our effects.
This was unsuccessful as this can create confusion for the spectator as they may become aware of these sound editing issues which will cause the spectator to loose concentration and focus on our thriller opening and making them feel less engaged in the action unfolding. All our sound effects, folys and the soundtrack were put together on garage band.

 Also, when effects were used in our thriller, they were louder in volume 

in comparison to dialogue scenes or quieter settings. Having the effects louder than other sounds in our film opening was good as it allowed us to shock our audience and create more suspense in which they then become more engaged in the action.

 However this use of loud sound effects contrasting the quiet soundtracks and dialogue may not appeal to the spectator as it can create confusion at some parts during the opening,such as the math on action scenes (flashbacks) when in the investigation room.

 Another issue with the sound in our thriller opening was the use of dialogue. In the investigation scene, a conversation is generated between Mr Harvey Nd the investigator. In this scene the dialogue is quiet and at some moments hard to hear completely. There are some sound (silence) pauses between characters lines creating a disturbance in the continuity of the scene. I believe in order to counteract this unfortunate issue in our thriller, microphones attached and hidden on the character so that their voices and dialogue is picked up earlier than through the camera mic where they would have to talk louder to get a clear recording.

 To overcome these issues in sound, I believe closer investigation and research on sound techniques would be needed to develop our skills further to enable us to produce a more proficient use of sound and effects for our AS film thriller opening.

  

Moving onto the Advanced Portfolio - Beth's evaluation of our AS thriller opening.

Evaluating your own Foundation Portfolio Thriller Opening (Becky)

Evaluating your own Foundation Portfolio Thriller Opening.

Assessment Criteria	What went well	What did not go quite so well
Shooting material appropriate to the task set;	Shooting material successfully conveyed genre and presented a clear understandable narrative.	Murder scenes at the end of our short film were not presented proficiently as they were dark and unlit showing an unclear view of the setting and action tasking place in the scene.
Controlled use of the camera	Unstable camera conveyed thriller genre and created fear successfully. Controlled areas allowed for clear view of characters and no disorientation for the spectator.	Use of tracking shots would have increased the speed/pace of the film making it more exhilarating and more of a suspenseful rush. Could be used in murder scene as this would make it more suspenseful.
Attention to framing	Showed excellent knowledge of framing and applied to short film. Scenes were visually clear and conveyed the thriller genre.	Distorting the framing (such as canted angles) would have added to the thriller effect and disorientated the spectator for a more indulging viewing.
Variety of shot sizes	A variety of shot sizes were used to convey characters emotions, vulnerability and status helping to differentiate a crime thriller genre from one such as comedy.	More close ups should be included to express the characters emotions further and to create a vulnerability for victim so that the spectator and become engaged in the film and feel sympathy for the victim (Iona) / protagonist.
Close attention to mise en scene	Group members paid close attention to the use of mise en scene in their film to ensure and understandable and clear genre. Their use of mise en scene proficiently conveyed the given (Thriller) genre.	More ‘thriller’ like props can be included to excellently present the thriller genre. Make up and costume can be taken further by making the protagonist and victim (Iona) in a brighter colour, such as red or yellow, as this allows the character to stand out and suggests a more cheerful character in contrast the murderer (Mr Harvey).
Editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer	Editing was effectively used to create and understandable story expressing the continuity of time and space proficiently. Cut transition scenes create disorientation adding the thriller effect.	Disorientating transitions can create too much confusion for the spectator and cause them to lose meaning and understanding of the story and narrative.
Making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects	Appropriate shot transitions, captions and other effects were successfully parallel (matching) to the action presented in the film. The effects and transitions used were typical to and convey the thriller genre.	Title of film not effective as it is not presented clearly, the title of the film possibly unknown as it is in a hidden area of screen. Title should be placed in the middle of the screen to make it more known and apparent to the spectator. Minimal variety of transitions.
Recording and editing sound with images appropriately.	A variety of sound effects and foley’s were used in this short film to convey the genre and speed to the film. Sound matched and was parallel to the action being presented. Title sequence sound track was effective as it contrasted to the ghastly, gruesome and murderous scenes being presented giving an effective chilling effect, typical of a thriller genre.	Sudden pauses (silence) create confusion for spectator and they become aware of editing issues pulling them out of the action in the film. Dialogue quiet and not very clear, sometimes unable to hear. Dialogue could be recorded on microphones to emphasise speech and become more prominent in the investigation scenes. This could create a more chilling effect when Mr Harvey ids talking as it may then appear that he it talking more to the audience rather than the investigator opposite him.

Moving onto the advanced portfolio-Evaluation of AS thriller opening- Megan

Assessment Criteria	What went well	What did not go quite so well
Shooting material appropriate to the task set;	The film was conveyed to be a thriller opening by the use of the darker lighting, close ups and the narrative in the police interview scene. Using restricted narration makes the audience wonder what is going to happen which you would expect from a crime thriller.	The lighting in the last scene is quite a lot darker than the rest of our film and is much harder to see and understand what is happening. Due to editing our lighting to make it lighter our shots become much grainier.
Controlled use of the camera	The use of hand held camera in the last scenes conveys thriller as well as using the tripod in the interviewing scene to convey the seriousness of the situation.	Using tracking shots during the last scenes would have added to the pace and suspense, furthering the idea of the thriller genre.
Attention to framing	Framing in the interview scene is used to show the whole picture without spaces to the sides of the shot.	During the end scene our framing doesn’t capture Mr Harvey dragging his daughter as the framing is very inconsistent and darker.
Variety of shot sizes	A variety of shot sizes were used to convey the characters thoughts and expressions through their facial expression and body language.	Need more use of close ups to portray emotion even further towards the audience to convey sympathy towards our protagonist.
Close attention to mise en scene	Mis en scene was portrayed through the characters clothing (school clothing) and make-up was used to show bruising. We showed Mr Robinson to be someone of importance by having him wear a suit. The idea of the killing being in woods rather than in a home adds to the thriller genre.	Mr Harvey’s clothing wasn’t easily recognised due to the lighting and him sitting down. The lighting in the scenes made it much harder to understand what was happening and who was who which would have been improved by re-filming at an earlier time or using lights and colours to use upon the characters.
Editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer	The opening was able to flow with the use of jump cut shots to create mystery. We were able to use continuity within our shots so that our piece flowed.	Meaning wasn’t apparent at all times due to the lighting making understanding much harder to the audience.
Making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects	The use of cuts between shots rather than fades or wipes matches in more with the thriller genre. The effects and transitions were put in to the opening correctly without just being thrown in because they needed to and were used to convey the thriller genre even more.	Using small captions in the corner for our title made it harder to spot and didn’t match in quite as much with the thriller genre. The title should have been more appealing and bring it to the audience’s attention so it’s a film title they’d remember.
Recording and editing sound with images appropriately.	We used foleys to create a louder sound of footsteps as well as a variety of sound effects i.e. birds. We also made sure that it was easier to hear our narrative with no music playing over it.	There are places of silence where the camera has been cut for the use of continuity purposes. The contrapuntal music may bring confusion to the audience due to the thriller genre on screen. Dialogue can be hard to hear sometimes and could be improved with the use of microphones and voice overs.