Definition: Re – presentation
The presentation of a form of reality in a media text.
—Representation is always a re-presentation, in which elements of reality are selected, organized and narrated.
—By nature, media ‘mediates’ reality – it selects it and shows us only what the producer wants.
Media producers have no choice but to be selective in their choice of material, however naturalistic their approach
so….
texts will always represent individuals, groups and issues, whatever the intentions of the producer.
What is being represented in a music video?
-A form of reality?
-The lyrics of the song?
-The music?
-The artist?
-A theme within the narrative?
-A movement – feminism?
Stereotypes - why have they proved popular with:
—With audiences?
—With institutions (marketing and creative)?
How could stereotypical representations be seen as:
—Lazy?
—Dangerous?
—Offensive?
—Misleading?
David Gauntlett - constructing identity : Audiences and representation
Gauntlett says that we reconfirm or challenge our identity through watching media texts.
—We use texts as toolbox to check own identity
Gauntless described the Social construction of identity: how can you work out who you are through what you see in a media text? Your identity is not fixed: you will be shaped by what you watch.
--Identity as project – audience chooses the tools
-Conflicting media messages about identity
So.. When we watch a text we compare ourselves to the stereotypes presented within it.
Look at the use of stereotypes in your music video. How far could you say your music video encourages audiences to reconfirm or challenge who they are when watching your video?
Laura Mulvey - the male gaze
One theory in media studies is the idea of the ‘male gaze’. This explores the idea that the camera ‘sees’ images through male eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViwtNLUqkMY
“The message though was always the same: buy the product, get the girl; or buy the product to get to be like the girl so you can get your man” in other words, “‘Buy’ the image, ‘get’ the woman”
—What could this mean?
—Why might it be the case?
—How might this be evident in your music video?
Judith Butler - gender performance
—Butler argues that gender is a performance.
—It is what you do at particular times, rather than about who you are.
Apply this to your work….
Do the male characters behave typically masculine?
Do the female characters behave typically feminine?
Feminism / Post feminism
—Feminism = a movement (c. 1960s) promoting the rights of women to be equal to men and arguing that women should no longer dress and behave as men wish them to.
—Post-feminism = movement arguing that women have now achieved equality and should be free to dress and behave as they wish without doing so for the benefit of men.
Example: Girls Aloud.
Post-feminist icons?
Objects of male gaze?
Exploited or powerful?
Role models for women?
Verismilitude = the imitation of reality (techniques)
—Representation is always a re-presentation, in which elements of reality are selected, organized and narrated.
—By nature, media ‘mediates’ reality – it selects it and shows us only what the producer wants.
The media makes use of various ‘scripts’ – like stereotypes for events rather than people
e.g. news programmes expect certain images and events to occur in coverage of protests, war, natural disaster, murder inquiries.
Fictional narratives use certain representations of issues and events
Eg relationships and break-ups, car chases, trials, police investigations, holidays.
Consider in your work how far you have created verismilitude using:
(a) Mise-en-scene
Classic Realism? (as if the camera is not there)
(b) Editing
Are we overly conscious of the editing? Does it seem fluent – continuity editing?
or
Does the editing form part of the narrative? Is it dramatic? Does it create pace and excitement?
(c) Narrative
Does the narrative flow as a chronological sequence of events? Does it present all aspects of the action to the audience? Are events constructed from one viewpoint – is this realistic? Do we move from equilibrium to disequilibrium and back? Is this realistic?
Stuart Hall - encoding and decoding texts
—Particular representations become established through repetition in the media e.g. villain characters / antagonists
-they develop a ‘common sense’ status through their ‘per formative nature’
-Hall focuses on issues of race and culture but his theory can be applied to any representation
How to construct your answer:
Introduction: Definition. Which product will you use to discuss? What is being represented within your music video? A form of reality? The lyrics of the song? The music? The artist? A theme within the narrative? A movement – feminism?
Paragraph 1: Stereotypes
What stereotypes have you represented? How have you done this (tie in with media language) What are the risks/benefits for audiences/institutions? Are there any stereotypes that are under represented/ misrepresented?
Gauntlett’s theory of reconfirming or challenging our identity through watching media texts. Using texts as toolbox. How does this relate your own work?
Paragraph 2: The attempt to create Verisimilitude
How far have you represented reality within your text? Why did you decide to do this? Explain how media selects and mediates reality. Consider how you made use of a narrative that ‘scripts’ reality. How did you create this reality / non reality through editing, mise-en-scene and narrative?
Paragraph 3: Stuart Hall - Preferred Readings and encoding/decoding texts
How might different audience ‘readings’ of texts affect how the representation of the text is formed. Stuart Hall’s theory of representations becoming established through ‘repetition’ and a ‘common sense status’ through the ‘performative nature’ of texts (we know what a car chase feels like because we have seen in within a media text).
Paragraph 4: Gender representation
Judith Butler Gender as a performance – masculine or feminine?
Laura Mulvey The Male Gaze
Conclusion
How have you made use of the issue of representation in your text? What are the advantages of representation within a media text for audiences? What limitations are there?
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Monday, 25 April 2011
1(b) Genre
Genre Definition: A way of categorising compositions/texts (film/TV/music/literature etc) based on a certain criteria – a check-list of expectations and conventions.
Steve Neal: Genre is…
“repetition with an underlying pattern of variations”
How is genre important?
It is a way of organising the huge of amounts of texts that are available.It can act as a set of audience of expectations.It creates a relationship between audiences and producers which minimises the risk of financial failure – consider the money put into production and marketing…It reinforces our ideas and valuesIt makes clear what ‘works’ artistically allowing for repetition.It acts as short-hand communication for audiences.It creates a structural framework that can be adhered to or played with.
How to identify genre. Janet Staiger
Film theorist Janet Staiger asserts that genre can be identified using the following methods
Idealist: Judging texts by a predetermined standard.
Empirical: Comparing texts to texts that are already assumed to be part of a certain genre. (This is what you have mainly done during your planning stage - comparing the Codes and Conventions of similar texts).
Social Conventions: Using an accepted cultural consensus. (Perhaps this is relevant if you did audience/market research).
A priori: Using common generic elements that are identified in advance.
Limitations of Genre
Genre is always subjective (one man’s comedy could be another man’s horror.)
Texts are often so sophisticated that it is hard to fit them into one category.
It should only be seen as a tool rather than an absolute.
Categories are constantly evolving and changing so there is no such thing as ‘typical’.
How Genre’s are created
Jane Feuer in her article ‘Genre Study and Television’ states that ‘genres are not organic in their conception - they are synthetic: artificial creations by intellectuals.’Genre can be seen as a retrospective way of categorising texts by identifying trends and patterns in media. These trends and patterns could be established by creators repeating what works and is successful or by the expression of shared experiences (social factors).For instance the ‘Saw’ films were successful, films that focused on the gratuitous torturing and suffering of entrapped people. Consequently a series of other films that shared the same delight in displaying human suffering followed such Hostel, Devil’s Rejects, Wolf Creek, Captivity and I Know Who Killed Me.This type of film became known as ‘Torture Porn’ after film critic David Edelstein first used the term when describing Hostel.‘Torture Porn is a term often used described these type of films, but they could easily be called ‘Splatter Films’ or ‘Horror’.
How Genres Evolve
Producers of mainstream texts have to ensure that they give the audience ‘what they want’ and so use what has been effective and successful before. However they have to keep things fresh to make sure that audiences are not continually being part of the same experience.This brings in the idea of ‘repetition and variation’ - repeating what is successful but adding enough variation to prevent it from seeming stale.Another way is creating hybrid genres – taking several elements from two or more genres to create a new experience. e.g. Westworld (Western/Sci-fi), Blade Runner (Film Noir/Sci-fi), Shaun of the Dead (Rom-Zom-Com).
Steve Neal: Genre is…
“repetition with an underlying pattern of variations”
How is genre important?
It is a way of organising the huge of amounts of texts that are available.It can act as a set of audience of expectations.It creates a relationship between audiences and producers which minimises the risk of financial failure – consider the money put into production and marketing…It reinforces our ideas and valuesIt makes clear what ‘works’ artistically allowing for repetition.It acts as short-hand communication for audiences.It creates a structural framework that can be adhered to or played with.
How to identify genre. Janet Staiger
Film theorist Janet Staiger asserts that genre can be identified using the following methods
Idealist: Judging texts by a predetermined standard.
Empirical: Comparing texts to texts that are already assumed to be part of a certain genre. (This is what you have mainly done during your planning stage - comparing the Codes and Conventions of similar texts).
Social Conventions: Using an accepted cultural consensus. (Perhaps this is relevant if you did audience/market research).
A priori: Using common generic elements that are identified in advance.
Limitations of Genre
Genre is always subjective (one man’s comedy could be another man’s horror.)
Texts are often so sophisticated that it is hard to fit them into one category.
It should only be seen as a tool rather than an absolute.
Categories are constantly evolving and changing so there is no such thing as ‘typical’.
How Genre’s are created
Jane Feuer in her article ‘Genre Study and Television’ states that ‘genres are not organic in their conception - they are synthetic: artificial creations by intellectuals.’Genre can be seen as a retrospective way of categorising texts by identifying trends and patterns in media. These trends and patterns could be established by creators repeating what works and is successful or by the expression of shared experiences (social factors).For instance the ‘Saw’ films were successful, films that focused on the gratuitous torturing and suffering of entrapped people. Consequently a series of other films that shared the same delight in displaying human suffering followed such Hostel, Devil’s Rejects, Wolf Creek, Captivity and I Know Who Killed Me.This type of film became known as ‘Torture Porn’ after film critic David Edelstein first used the term when describing Hostel.‘Torture Porn is a term often used described these type of films, but they could easily be called ‘Splatter Films’ or ‘Horror’.
How Genres Evolve
Producers of mainstream texts have to ensure that they give the audience ‘what they want’ and so use what has been effective and successful before. However they have to keep things fresh to make sure that audiences are not continually being part of the same experience.This brings in the idea of ‘repetition and variation’ - repeating what is successful but adding enough variation to prevent it from seeming stale.Another way is creating hybrid genres – taking several elements from two or more genres to create a new experience. e.g. Westworld (Western/Sci-fi), Blade Runner (Film Noir/Sci-fi), Shaun of the Dead (Rom-Zom-Com).
‘Audiences want to have some idea what they are watching. They want to go into the theatre and know what kind of a film they are about to experience. It influences their expectations. But the dynamic quality of genre is also necessary to keep genres fresh. There are times when audiences’ expectations need to be altered. In short, filmmakers working within a genre need to walk a line: expand, develop, elaborate on the genre, but keep it under the overall structure of the specific genre umbrella.
Practice Exam question
1(b) “Genres are evolving.” Discuss your production in respect of the concept of genre.
1(b) “Genres are evolving.” Discuss your production in respect of the concept of genre.
1(b) Narrative
Narrative = the way these events are put together
(Story = a sequence of events known as the plot)
This could include:
—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 selected and/or missed out 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 to the characters
—Media texts use codes and conventions to indicate a story – we might consider these as media ‘shorthand’.
How could you signal:
—Someone has a secret?
—Someone is being followed?
—Something bad is going to happen?
Narrative shapes material in terms of space and time - it defines where things take place, when they take place, how quickly they take place.
Narrative, especially that of film and TV, has an immense ability to manipulate our awareness of time and place e.g. flashbacks, replays of action, slow motion, speeding up, jumping between places and times.
NARRATIVE MODES There are two main modes of narrative which need to be structured.
1 . The narrative of events e.g. - A hero shoots an enemy agent, dives into a
lake, triggers a remote control device which will destroy the enemy submarine.
2. The narrative of drama e.g. - The heroine has a tense argument with the
Hero and decides he was never her type and she is going to leave. Nothing has really happened in terms of events but a lot has happened dramatically.
Texts often need to signal changes in chronology.
How could you signal:
—A few months has gone by?
—A flashback?
—An historical event?
—The next day?
—A memory?
—Night falling?
Audiences need to be able to work out where or in what sort of place an event takes place.
How could you signal:
—An urban location?
—An environment unfamiliar to the character?
—The next scene takes place in a different city?
—A journey?
—Open Narratives – a text which is open to a number of possible interpretations and stories, so the audience tends to create their own narratives around the text.
—Closed (or fixed) Narratives – a text which provides its audience with only one possible story.
Music video and narrative
What problems for narrative are presented by the form of the music video? Consider:
Characters repetition setting chorus dialogue pace chronology
So - can we read a music video as a straightforward narrative?
Should we not expect to?
Or should we expect to have to work harder to create a story for ourselves?
Todorov's theory of equlilibium
—Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives. He stated that films and programmes begin with an equilibrium, a calm period.
—Then agents of disruption cause disequilibrium, a period of unsettlement and disquiet.
—This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end.
—The simplest form of narrative (sometimes referred to as ‘Classic’ or ‘Hollywood’ narrative).
An enigma = a mystery to draw the audience in and encourage questions.
Eg. the slow revealing of a character through delaying a shot of their face.
eg. a series of reaction shots before showing the audience the cause of the reaction
eg. the quick succession of image motifs to raise questions about the characteristics of a relationship
— The narrative will establish enigmas or mysteries as it goes along.
— Essentially, the narrative functions to establish and then solve these mysteries.
· Remember that you can choose any production you have created over the AS and A2 courses – main task or preliminary/ancillary.
· Aim to include some relevant application of narrative theory (e.g. Propp/Barthes) to explain what you did.
· Evaluate your work, don’t just describe it – how well did your narrative techniques work? How similar or different is your finished product from other media texts you know, or from your initial ideas and expectations?
· Relate your work to your understanding of institutions – your decisions were at least partly based on what you know about promotion, distribution etc. as well as creativity.
(Story = a sequence of events known as the plot)
This could include:
—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 selected and/or missed out 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 to the characters
—Media texts use codes and conventions to indicate a story – we might consider these as media ‘shorthand’.
How could you signal:
—Someone has a secret?
—Someone is being followed?
—Something bad is going to happen?
Narrative shapes material in terms of space and time - it defines where things take place, when they take place, how quickly they take place.
Narrative, especially that of film and TV, has an immense ability to manipulate our awareness of time and place e.g. flashbacks, replays of action, slow motion, speeding up, jumping between places and times.
NARRATIVE MODES There are two main modes of narrative which need to be structured.
1 . The narrative of events e.g. - A hero shoots an enemy agent, dives into a
lake, triggers a remote control device which will destroy the enemy submarine.
2. The narrative of drama e.g. - The heroine has a tense argument with the
Hero and decides he was never her type and she is going to leave. Nothing has really happened in terms of events but a lot has happened dramatically.
Texts often need to signal changes in chronology.
How could you signal:
—A few months has gone by?
—A flashback?
—An historical event?
—The next day?
—A memory?
—Night falling?
Audiences need to be able to work out where or in what sort of place an event takes place.
How could you signal:
—An urban location?
—An environment unfamiliar to the character?
—The next scene takes place in a different city?
—A journey?
—Open Narratives – a text which is open to a number of possible interpretations and stories, so the audience tends to create their own narratives around the text.
—Closed (or fixed) Narratives – a text which provides its audience with only one possible story.
Music video and narrative
What problems for narrative are presented by the form of the music video? Consider:
Characters repetition setting chorus dialogue pace chronology
So - can we read a music video as a straightforward narrative?
Should we not expect to?
Or should we expect to have to work harder to create a story for ourselves?
Todorov's theory of equlilibium
—Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives. He stated that films and programmes begin with an equilibrium, a calm period.
—Then agents of disruption cause disequilibrium, a period of unsettlement and disquiet.
—This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end.
—The simplest form of narrative (sometimes referred to as ‘Classic’ or ‘Hollywood’ narrative).
An enigma = a mystery to draw the audience in and encourage questions.
Eg. the slow revealing of a character through delaying a shot of their face.
eg. a series of reaction shots before showing the audience the cause of the reaction
eg. the quick succession of image motifs to raise questions about the characteristics of a relationship
— The narrative will establish enigmas or mysteries as it goes along.
— Essentially, the narrative functions to establish and then solve these mysteries.
PROPP’S THEORY ON CHARACTER AND ACTION
Vladimir Propp’s theory was formed in the early twentieth Century.
He studied Russian fairytales and discovered that within a narrative there were always 8 types of characters evident.
These are: the hero, the villain, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princess and her father.
He did not state these characters were all separate people e.g. the provider could also be the helper.
There are only 8 different character types and only 31 things they ever do. Once you have identified the character type (e.g., the hero) it’s easy to guess what they will do (save the maiden, defeat the villain, marry the maiden or whatever) because each character has a SPHERE OF ACTION.
Propp provided a model of narrative where characters and events can be seen as constructs, which exist in order to ‘move along’ and drive a narrative momentum. Using fairy tales as his basis, Propp identified a set of interchangeable character types that have clear functions in order to fuel a narrative.
— · The hero, focused on a quest.
— · The villain hindering the hero on his/her quest
— · The donor, who gives the hero some magical key or information.
— · The helper, who assists the hero on his / her quest.
— · The heroine, who is used by the villain and is a reward for the hero.
In this model, the audience will identify with the hero and root for the successful completion of the quest, and therefore be apposed to the villain as hindering narrative closure and, thus, satisfaction.
LEVI-STRAUSS AND BINARY OPPOSITIONS
Claude Levi-Strauss identified a narrative system of ‘binary opposites’ in which symbols and ideas exist in relation to their opposites, with which they are in conflict. The theory is that a simplified set of meanings is drawn from a text, where an idea is considered only in relation to its opposite, pandering to a viewer’s need to side with a character which is ‘good’ against that which is ‘evil’. Binary oppositions can be seen in the following:
GOOD + EVIL
MALE + FEMALE
US + THEM
Following this model we can consider the way in which many narratives are told from the point of view of the main protagonist, and consider what they ‘are’ in relation to what they ‘are not’. For example many Hollywood narratives are told from the point of view of a white, male figure, the hero of the narrative. This necessarily puts him in a privileged position inside the fold of the narrative, therefore, using Levi-Strauss’ model, we can identify what he exists in opposition to.
The theory is interesting in that it draws attention to the fact that the world of a text is a constructed fiction, where simplified moral systems can operate (the grey area being removed).
Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. An example would be GOOD and EVIL – we understand the concept of GOOD as being the opposite of EVIL.
Levi –Strauss was not so interested in looking at the order in which events were arranged in the plot. He looked instead for deeper arrangements of themes. For example, if we look at Science Fiction films we can identify a series of binary oppositions which are created by the narrative:
Earth Space
Good Evil
Humans Aliens
Past Present
Normal Strange
Known Unknown
Practice exam Question:
“Storytelling- narrative- is central to how people communicate their understanding of the world” (Kevin Williams). Explain the role of narrative in one of your productions.
· Remember that you can choose any production you have created over the AS and A2 courses – main task or preliminary/ancillary.
· Aim to include some relevant application of narrative theory (e.g. Propp/Barthes) to explain what you did.
· Evaluate your work, don’t just describe it – how well did your narrative techniques work? How similar or different is your finished product from other media texts you know, or from your initial ideas and expectations?
· Relate your work to your understanding of institutions – your decisions were at least partly based on what you know about promotion, distribution etc. as well as creativity.
1(b) Media Language
Key concepts: Media Language
You may be asked to write about one of your production pieces in relation to the concept of Media Language. This could be seen as the trickiest concept to define as it is not immediately obvious from the name what you are being asked to discuss – you therefore need to be careful when reading the question to make sure you know what is expected of you. However it can also be seen as a broader category than the others, giving you the opportunity to write about a number of different elements and to discuss any of the other key concepts.
Media Language means the way that meaning is made, using the conventions of the particular medium and type of media product. It is about considering how media texts communicate. One way to look at it is in relation to written language: if writing uses words, nouns, adjectives, sentences, paragraphs, rhymes, rhythms and chapters to convey meaning, how does a media text do it? If a written text uses short sentences, adverbs and similes to convey a sense of danger, a film title sequence might use fast editing, signs such as shadows falling across a wall, carefully composed mise en scene to suggest imprisonment and a specific choice of font and transition for the titles to convey a sense of unease.
You could write about elements of semiotics, genre, narrative, design, structure, codes and conventions, time and space, aesthetics, spoken, written and visual language to name just a few examples.
Louis Saussure’s Semiotics:
žSignifier = the form in which the sign takes
žSignified = the concept it represents
Louis Saussure was interested in the relationship between the signifier and the signified and this is referred to as 'signification.’
žiconic sign = a mode in which the signifier resembles or imitates the signified (recognizably looking, sounding, feeling, tasting or smelling like it) - being similar in possessing some of its qualities: e.g. a portrait, a cartoon, a scale-model, onomatopoeia, metaphors, 'realistic' sounds in 'programme music', sound effects in radio drama, a dubbed film soundtrack, imitative gestures;
žindexical sign = the signifier is directly connected in some way to the signified - this link can be observed or inferred:
e.g. 'natural signs' (smoke, thunder, footprints, echoes, non-synthetic odours and flavours), medical symptoms (pain, a rash, pulse-rate), measuring instruments (weathercock, thermometer, clock, spirit-level), 'signals' (a knock on a door, a phone ringing), pointers (a pointing 'index' finger, a directional signpost), recordings (a photograph, a film, video or television shot, an audio-recorded voice), personal 'trademarks' (handwriting, catchphrase)
Revise the following terms by writing one example of each from your production:
signifier
signified
detonated meaning
connoted meaning
iconic sign
indexical sign
Media Language Practice exam question 1b
“Media texts can communicate to their audiences in various ways.” Discuss the ways in which Media Language has been used within one of your productions.
Cover in your answer:
ž Louis Saussure’s Semiotics – indexical and iconic signs
ž Genre
ž Narrative
ž Design
ž Structure
ž codes and conventions
ž time and space
ž Aesthetics
ž Visual language
Practise taking a semiotic approach by evaluating one of your productions.
Focus on: Signs and their intended meaning
How they interact with each other – would a sign (e.g. the police hat) be read differently if placed in a different context? So how are elements affected by one another?
Anchorage text – how does the font/size/position convey meaning?
Drawing conclusions – what is the overall effect?
Example: Katy Perry's 'One of the Boys' album:
What does the darkening sky signify? How does it affect our reading of the rest of the image?
Pink is used a great deal in the composition – overwhelmingly seen as a feminine colour and on first viewing it could seem that the artist is to be seen as traditional (note the 1950s clothes and pose), selling a nostalgic image to women and men. However, the anchorage text suggests…
A white picket fence is symbolic of a perfect home life in American culture– why is it used here? How do the other elements of the image affect our reading of it?
How are we invited to view this as an image of femininity? Consider all the elements of the image together and come to a conclusion. Nostalgic? Objectified? Empowered? Ironic?
Pink flamingos? How do they interact with the other pink elements? How do they affect the reading of the rest of the image?
You may be asked to write about one of your production pieces in relation to the concept of Media Language. This could be seen as the trickiest concept to define as it is not immediately obvious from the name what you are being asked to discuss – you therefore need to be careful when reading the question to make sure you know what is expected of you. However it can also be seen as a broader category than the others, giving you the opportunity to write about a number of different elements and to discuss any of the other key concepts.
Media Language means the way that meaning is made, using the conventions of the particular medium and type of media product. It is about considering how media texts communicate. One way to look at it is in relation to written language: if writing uses words, nouns, adjectives, sentences, paragraphs, rhymes, rhythms and chapters to convey meaning, how does a media text do it? If a written text uses short sentences, adverbs and similes to convey a sense of danger, a film title sequence might use fast editing, signs such as shadows falling across a wall, carefully composed mise en scene to suggest imprisonment and a specific choice of font and transition for the titles to convey a sense of unease.
You could write about elements of semiotics, genre, narrative, design, structure, codes and conventions, time and space, aesthetics, spoken, written and visual language to name just a few examples.
Louis Saussure’s Semiotics:
žSignifier = the form in which the sign takes
žSignified = the concept it represents
Louis Saussure was interested in the relationship between the signifier and the signified and this is referred to as 'signification.’
žiconic sign = a mode in which the signifier resembles or imitates the signified (recognizably looking, sounding, feeling, tasting or smelling like it) - being similar in possessing some of its qualities: e.g. a portrait, a cartoon, a scale-model, onomatopoeia, metaphors, 'realistic' sounds in 'programme music', sound effects in radio drama, a dubbed film soundtrack, imitative gestures;
žindexical sign = the signifier is directly connected in some way to the signified - this link can be observed or inferred:
e.g. 'natural signs' (smoke, thunder, footprints, echoes, non-synthetic odours and flavours), medical symptoms (pain, a rash, pulse-rate), measuring instruments (weathercock, thermometer, clock, spirit-level), 'signals' (a knock on a door, a phone ringing), pointers (a pointing 'index' finger, a directional signpost), recordings (a photograph, a film, video or television shot, an audio-recorded voice), personal 'trademarks' (handwriting, catchphrase)
Revise the following terms by writing one example of each from your production:
signifier
signified
detonated meaning
connoted meaning
iconic sign
indexical sign
Media Language Practice exam question 1b
“Media texts can communicate to their audiences in various ways.” Discuss the ways in which Media Language has been used within one of your productions.
Cover in your answer:
ž Louis Saussure’s Semiotics – indexical and iconic signs
ž Genre
ž Narrative
ž Design
ž Structure
ž codes and conventions
ž time and space
ž Aesthetics
ž Visual language
Practise taking a semiotic approach by evaluating one of your productions.
Focus on: Signs and their intended meaning
How they interact with each other – would a sign (e.g. the police hat) be read differently if placed in a different context? So how are elements affected by one another?
Anchorage text – how does the font/size/position convey meaning?
Drawing conclusions – what is the overall effect?
Example: Katy Perry's 'One of the Boys' album:
What does the darkening sky signify? How does it affect our reading of the rest of the image?
Pink is used a great deal in the composition – overwhelmingly seen as a feminine colour and on first viewing it could seem that the artist is to be seen as traditional (note the 1950s clothes and pose), selling a nostalgic image to women and men. However, the anchorage text suggests…
A white picket fence is symbolic of a perfect home life in American culture– why is it used here? How do the other elements of the image affect our reading of it?
How are we invited to view this as an image of femininity? Consider all the elements of the image together and come to a conclusion. Nostalgic? Objectified? Empowered? Ironic?
Pink flamingos? How do they interact with the other pink elements? How do they affect the reading of the rest of the image?
1(b) AUDIENCE
In your introduction:
Who is the audience? How did you choose them?
What expectations might they have of your text?
How have you tried to meet these expectations?
What is their motivation for accessing texts like yours?
Linear models:
Sender Message Receiver
For example
(a) ‘Two Step Flow’ theory
Ideas travel from mass media – to opinion leaders – to passive individuals in society
(b) Hypodermic Syringe Theory
Audiences accept the messages that are ‘injected’ into them by the media they consume
This theory seem ‘outdated nowadays as audience are no longer passive. They are active audiences who enjoy being challenged by the media they consume and will not accept dominant readings neccessarily. They can give oppositional readings.
These theories were popular when mass media was developing. They are they now outdated
Task: 1(b) asks you to apply theory/media concepts to your coursework. But you may also suggest that some theories/media concepts DO NOT fit with your production work.
—How might these ‘linear models’ (two step flow and hypodermic syringe) be too limiting when evaluating the audience of your music video or your thriller?
Uses and Gratifications theory
- Described a number of uses an audience might make of a media text.
- Explained that media texts fulfil audiences’ needs in a number of ways. ee worksheet for details.
Why do you think some media theorists consider this model to be outdated?
Stuart Hall's Preferred Reading theory:
(also links with theory on Media Language)
Stuart Hall argues that media texts are constructed so that they have an intended or preferred reading, which will come from the producers’ own ideas and values. He suggests audiences decode texts in one of 4 ways:
Dominant – Negotiated – Oppositional - Aberrant
Gauntlett on Men's Magazines:
‘In post-traditional cultures, where identities are not ‘given’ but need to be constructed and negotiated, and where an individual has to establish their personal ethics and mode of living, the magazines offer some reassurance to men who are wondering “Is this right?” and “Am I doing this OK?”, enabling a more confident management of the narrative of the self.’
Example of audience negotiations with texts
Modern theory: Cultural Positioning
Another key debate in media is whether an audience can be forced to decode a text in a specific way, or whether an individual’s cultural positioning (could include gender, social group or individual experiences) determines the reading.
So who controls the reading?
Are media representations no longer fixed?
Can media construct audience’s identity?
Consider how the media helps us to create identities for ourselves:
— As individuals
— As a society
— As members of specific groups
Can we really separate people into specific groups or is this an artificial division?
Were these ‘differences’ between people originally there, or are they constructed by the media?
—Remind yourself: Who is the audience? How did you choose them?
—Might your target audience decode your text in different ways?
—How might your text and others like it play a part in shaping identities of individuals and groups?
Task:
2. Evaluating your own work with audiences
Choose one of your productions (main or ancillary, AS or A2) and explain how you selected and targeted a specific audience.
You could consider:
· How you chose a target audience in relation to the genre and form you selected.
· Whether you targeted an existing audience which already enjoys specific existing products like yours.
· How you made creative choices to appeal to this target audience.
· How you think your target audience will use your text (consider uses and gratifications here)
· How your media text could be marketed to the target audience (e.g. making use of social networking and other interactive technology).
1.Who is your target audience? How did you choose this audience?
2.(a) What expectations (uses/gratifications) might they have of your text?
(b) How have you tried to meet these expectations?
(c) What is their motivation for accessing texts like yours?
3. Under Stuart Hall’s theory of ‘Preferred Readings’ what type of ‘reading’ might this target audience give to your text?
Audiences
Who is the audience? How did you choose them?
What expectations might they have of your text?
How have you tried to meet these expectations?
What is their motivation for accessing texts like yours?
Linear models:
Sender Message Receiver
For example
(a) ‘Two Step Flow’ theory
Ideas travel from mass media – to opinion leaders – to passive individuals in society
(b) Hypodermic Syringe Theory
Audiences accept the messages that are ‘injected’ into them by the media they consume
This theory seem ‘outdated nowadays as audience are no longer passive. They are active audiences who enjoy being challenged by the media they consume and will not accept dominant readings neccessarily. They can give oppositional readings.
These theories were popular when mass media was developing. They are they now outdated
Task: 1(b) asks you to apply theory/media concepts to your coursework. But you may also suggest that some theories/media concepts DO NOT fit with your production work.
—How might these ‘linear models’ (two step flow and hypodermic syringe) be too limiting when evaluating the audience of your music video or your thriller?
Uses and Gratifications theory
- Described a number of uses an audience might make of a media text.
- Explained that media texts fulfil audiences’ needs in a number of ways. ee worksheet for details.
Why do you think some media theorists consider this model to be outdated?
Stuart Hall's Preferred Reading theory:
(also links with theory on Media Language)
Stuart Hall argues that media texts are constructed so that they have an intended or preferred reading, which will come from the producers’ own ideas and values. He suggests audiences decode texts in one of 4 ways:
Dominant – Negotiated – Oppositional - Aberrant
Gauntlett on Men's Magazines:
‘In post-traditional cultures, where identities are not ‘given’ but need to be constructed and negotiated, and where an individual has to establish their personal ethics and mode of living, the magazines offer some reassurance to men who are wondering “Is this right?” and “Am I doing this OK?”, enabling a more confident management of the narrative of the self.’
Example of audience negotiations with texts
Modern theory: Cultural Positioning
Another key debate in media is whether an audience can be forced to decode a text in a specific way, or whether an individual’s cultural positioning (could include gender, social group or individual experiences) determines the reading.
So who controls the reading?
Are media representations no longer fixed?
Can media construct audience’s identity?
Consider how the media helps us to create identities for ourselves:
— As individuals
— As a society
— As members of specific groups
Can we really separate people into specific groups or is this an artificial division?
Were these ‘differences’ between people originally there, or are they constructed by the media?
—Remind yourself: Who is the audience? How did you choose them?
—Might your target audience decode your text in different ways?
—How might your text and others like it play a part in shaping identities of individuals and groups?
Task:
2. Evaluating your own work with audiences
Choose one of your productions (main or ancillary, AS or A2) and explain how you selected and targeted a specific audience.
You could consider:
· How you chose a target audience in relation to the genre and form you selected.
· Whether you targeted an existing audience which already enjoys specific existing products like yours.
· How you made creative choices to appeal to this target audience.
· How you think your target audience will use your text (consider uses and gratifications here)
· How your media text could be marketed to the target audience (e.g. making use of social networking and other interactive technology).
1.Who is your target audience? How did you choose this audience?
2.(a) What expectations (uses/gratifications) might they have of your text?
(b) How have you tried to meet these expectations?
(c) What is their motivation for accessing texts like yours?
3. Under Stuart Hall’s theory of ‘Preferred Readings’ what type of ‘reading’ might this target audience give to your text?
Audiences
1(a) Post Production
Post Production means: the editing stage, where material is manipulated using software and transformed into a finished media product.
Typical exam question:
“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 these two years?
Introduction: Do you agree with the quote? Do you feel you progressed in this area?
Foundation Portfolio:
•What did the post-production process involve? (Give specific detailed examples)
•Why you used these effects/transitions/editing to create meaning
•How successful/important was it? What didn’t work?
Advanced:
• Did you do anything differently because of how the foundation task went?
•What did the post-production process involve this time? (Give specific detailed examples)
•Why you used effects/transitions/editing to create meaning
•How successful/important was this? How does it show progression?
Terminology:
•Overlap
•Fade / Wipe / Wash in/out/ Cross dissolve
•Fast / Slow motion effects
•Superimpose
•Fast cut montage effects
•Split Screen
•Colourisation – be specific
To achieve Level 3 or above you must comment and reflect on ‘media concepts’.
•Eisenstein believed that editing was: ‘the foundation of film art’
•For Eisenstein, meaning in cinema lay not in the individual shot but only in the relationships among shots established by editing.
•He created an editing style that he called "dialectical montage" that was abrupt and jagged and did not aim for smooth continuity.
•The jaggedness of Eisenstein's editing can create a sense of emotional and physical violence , but he also aimed to use editing to suggest ideas, a style he termed "intellectual montage."
•One of his films concludes with three shots of statues of stone lions edited to look like a single lion rising up and roaring, embodying the idea of the wrath of the people and the voice of the revolution.
Task:
Write 4 paragraphs explaining how you used imovie at the post-production stage
Task 2: Write 4 paragraphs explaining how you used iMovie to edit your film and create meaning?
Think about: Did you use a transition to suggest a character’s emotion? What connotations did your colourisation suggest?
•I used a fade to white to suggest that my central character was in a state of dream / a trance..
•I used the image motif of ‘feet’ as a repeated visual metaphor for the idea of the journey that the couple in my music video were going on and enhanced the colour of the trainers using a red filter effect to….
•I used the image motif of a pink balloon to suggest the connotation of… so it was important to slow the motion of this shot in the video to enable the viewer to consider this / to dramatise this / to emphasise this.
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 experiment with? Take risks with? Were you more confident? Were you more adventurous?
Typical exam question:
“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 these two years?
Introduction: Do you agree with the quote? Do you feel you progressed in this area?
Foundation Portfolio:
•What did the post-production process involve? (Give specific detailed examples)
•Why you used these effects/transitions/editing to create meaning
•How successful/important was it? What didn’t work?
Advanced:
• Did you do anything differently because of how the foundation task went?
•What did the post-production process involve this time? (Give specific detailed examples)
•Why you used effects/transitions/editing to create meaning
•How successful/important was this? How does it show progression?
Terminology:
•Overlap
•Fade / Wipe / Wash in/out/ Cross dissolve
•Fast / Slow motion effects
•Superimpose
•Fast cut montage effects
•Split Screen
•Colourisation – be specific
To achieve Level 3 or above you must comment and reflect on ‘media concepts’.
•Eisenstein believed that editing was: ‘the foundation of film art’
•For Eisenstein, meaning in cinema lay not in the individual shot but only in the relationships among shots established by editing.
•He created an editing style that he called "dialectical montage" that was abrupt and jagged and did not aim for smooth continuity.
•The jaggedness of Eisenstein's editing can create a sense of emotional and physical violence , but he also aimed to use editing to suggest ideas, a style he termed "intellectual montage."
•One of his films concludes with three shots of statues of stone lions edited to look like a single lion rising up and roaring, embodying the idea of the wrath of the people and the voice of the revolution.
Task:
Write 4 paragraphs explaining how you used imovie at the post-production stage
Task 2: Write 4 paragraphs explaining how you used iMovie to edit your film and create meaning?
Think about: Did you use a transition to suggest a character’s emotion? What connotations did your colourisation suggest?
•I used a fade to white to suggest that my central character was in a state of dream / a trance..
•I used the image motif of ‘feet’ as a repeated visual metaphor for the idea of the journey that the couple in my music video were going on and enhanced the colour of the trainers using a red filter effect to….
•I used the image motif of a pink balloon to suggest the connotation of… so it was important to slow the motion of this shot in the video to enable the viewer to consider this / to dramatise this / to emphasise this.
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 experiment with? Take risks with? Were you more confident? Were you more adventurous?
1(a) Planning and Research
You should focus on the following in your answer:
- organisation of time an equipment
- choice and organisation of actors, props and locations
- scripting and storyboarding
- target audience research and audience feedback (showcasing of work / video pitch / questionnaires)
- research into similar existing media products
- research into marketing music (finding a niche / online revolution etc)
Do not simply describe what you did. You cannot get above a D grade if you do this
Explain what each stage of the planning and research led to and what it helped you to understand when you came to make your final product.
Primary / Secondary research?
Qualitative / Quantitative data?
- organisation of time an equipment
- choice and organisation of actors, props and locations
- scripting and storyboarding
- target audience research and audience feedback (showcasing of work / video pitch / questionnaires)
- research into similar existing media products
- research into marketing music (finding a niche / online revolution etc)
Do not simply describe what you did. You cannot get above a D grade if you do this
Explain what each stage of the planning and research led to and what it helped you to understand when you came to make your final product.
Primary / Secondary research?
Qualitative / Quantitative data?
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Homework for Monday 14th March
•Present (using powerpoint) a summary of the ideas of 2 theorists on the area you have been allocated. Use your wider reading list to help you. Link your findings to thriller films and music videos.
• Audience
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Media language
• Audience
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Media language
Wider Reading List
Select one production. Evaluate it in relation to a media concept.
Audience
· Two Step Flow linear theory
· McQuail, Blumler and Brown: Uses and Gratifications theory vc Hypodermic Syringe
· Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
· Louis Althusser ‘interpellation’
Language
· Stuart Hall – Encoders and decoders
- Preferred readings: dominant/oppositional/negotiated / aberrant readings
· Ferdinand de Saussure – Semiotics (signifier and signified)
Representation
· ‘The Male Gaze’ and ‘Voyeurism (notion of looking)
· John Fiske ‘open and closed texts’
· Verisimilitude: the representation of reality (techniques)
Genre
· A set of relationships between institution , text and audience
· Ed Buscombe – Iconography
· Hybrids ‘structuring patterns’
· Tom Ryall
· Stephen Neale
Narrative
· Vladimir Propp (Russian folktales)
· Roland Bathes – 5 narrative codes
· Todorov
· Goodwin
REMEMBER: YOU ARE ABLE TO DESCRIBE HOW YOUR PRODUCTION DOES NOT RELATE TO THE CONCEPT AS WELL AS EXPLAIN HOW IT DOES
Audience
· Two Step Flow linear theory
· McQuail, Blumler and Brown: Uses and Gratifications theory vc Hypodermic Syringe
· Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
· Louis Althusser ‘interpellation’
Language
· Stuart Hall – Encoders and decoders
- Preferred readings: dominant/oppositional/negotiated / aberrant readings
· Ferdinand de Saussure – Semiotics (signifier and signified)
Representation
· ‘The Male Gaze’ and ‘Voyeurism (notion of looking)
· John Fiske ‘open and closed texts’
· Verisimilitude: the representation of reality (techniques)
Genre
· A set of relationships between institution , text and audience
· Ed Buscombe – Iconography
· Hybrids ‘structuring patterns’
· Tom Ryall
· Stephen Neale
Narrative
· Vladimir Propp (Russian folktales)
· Roland Bathes – 5 narrative codes
· Todorov
· Goodwin
REMEMBER: YOU ARE ABLE TO DESCRIBE HOW YOUR PRODUCTION DOES NOT RELATE TO THE CONCEPT AS WELL AS EXPLAIN HOW IT DOES
Question 1(b)
Question 1(b) requires you to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept. The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Audience
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Media language
TYPICAL EXAM QUESTION
1 (b) “Media texts rely on cultural experiences in order for audiences to easily make sense of narratives”.
Explain how you used conventional and / or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces. [25]
• Audience
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Media language
TYPICAL EXAM QUESTION
1 (b) “Media texts rely on cultural experiences in order for audiences to easily make sense of narratives”.
Explain how you used conventional and / or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces. [25]
Friday, 11 February 2011
Homework: to answer the following questions (from the lesson) on your blog for Monday
The Conventions of Real Media: MEDIA CONCEPTS
“the conventions of each genre shift, new genres and sub-genres emerge and others are 'discontinued' (Chandler)
a) Have you stuck closely to genre conventions in your production work?
b) Have you created a hybrid piece?
c) Have you used intertextual references?
'one could... argue that no set of necessary and sufficient conditions can mark off genres from other sorts of groupings in ways that all experts or ordinary film-goers would find acceptable' (Bordwell 1989, 147).
a) Do you think it is hard to agree on a set of ‘rules’ to follow when making a product?
b) How far have you followed any set of ‘rules’?
c) To what extent did you break ‘rules’?
d) Did you make any rules of your own?
Conventions give the producers a framework to work with- a set of guidelines (McQuail)
a) Was it helpful to work within a set of guidelines?
b) Did you feel more secure knowing what the guidelines were?
c) Were you happier breaking the conventions once you knew what they were?
“Sometimes, working within constraints produces the most interesting work” (Branston and Strafford)
a) Do you think you produced better work because you stuck to the conventions of the genre?
b) Would you have produced more creative work if you had not known what the guidelines were?
“the conventions of each genre shift, new genres and sub-genres emerge and others are 'discontinued' (Chandler)
a) Have you stuck closely to genre conventions in your production work?
b) Have you created a hybrid piece?
c) Have you used intertextual references?
'one could... argue that no set of necessary and sufficient conditions can mark off genres from other sorts of groupings in ways that all experts or ordinary film-goers would find acceptable' (Bordwell 1989, 147).
a) Do you think it is hard to agree on a set of ‘rules’ to follow when making a product?
b) How far have you followed any set of ‘rules’?
c) To what extent did you break ‘rules’?
d) Did you make any rules of your own?
Conventions give the producers a framework to work with- a set of guidelines (McQuail)
a) Was it helpful to work within a set of guidelines?
b) Did you feel more secure knowing what the guidelines were?
c) Were you happier breaking the conventions once you knew what they were?
“Sometimes, working within constraints produces the most interesting work” (Branston and Strafford)
a) Do you think you produced better work because you stuck to the conventions of the genre?
b) Would you have produced more creative work if you had not known what the guidelines were?
Monday, 7 February 2011
Conventions
Music Video Conventions
. The video will either be one of the following types or will be a hybrid of:
•- performance
•- narrative (lyrics)
•- a concept or idea
2.There will be some reference to the ‘notion of looking.’
3.There will be a relationship between music and visuals.
4.There will be close-ups of the artist and/or star image motifs.
5.There will be intertextual references within the video
6.The video will contain clear genre characteristics.
Homework
1.Complete planning sheets to show how you subverted/followed conventions with 7 points for AS and 7 for A2.
2.Complete the arrow in the middle: 3 points to explain how this shows progression.
3.Answer the question on your blog using examples from your planning sheets:
Conventions- should you always adhere to them or do they restrict creativity?
. The video will either be one of the following types or will be a hybrid of:
•- performance
•- narrative (lyrics)
•- a concept or idea
2.There will be some reference to the ‘notion of looking.’
3.There will be a relationship between music and visuals.
4.There will be close-ups of the artist and/or star image motifs.
5.There will be intertextual references within the video
6.The video will contain clear genre characteristics.
Homework
1.Complete planning sheets to show how you subverted/followed conventions with 7 points for AS and 7 for A2.
2.Complete the arrow in the middle: 3 points to explain how this shows progression.
3.Answer the question on your blog using examples from your planning sheets:
Conventions- should you always adhere to them or do they restrict creativity?
Homework - to complete 4 paragraphs using PEE in response to the question below:
“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 these two years?
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 experiment with? Take risks with? Were you more confident? Were you more adventurous?
Monday, 31 January 2011
Post - Production
Definition: ...the editing stage, where material is manipulated using software and transformed into a finished media product.
To achieve Level 3 or above you must comment and reflect on ‘media concepts’.
EISENSTEIN
Eisenstein believed that editing was: ‘the foundation of film art’
For Eisenstein, meaning in cinema lay not in the individual shot but only in the relationships among shots established by editing.
He created an editing style that he called "dialectical montage" that was abrupt and jagged and did not aim for smooth continuity.
The jaggedness of Eisenstein's editing can create a sense of emotional and physical violence , but he also aimed to use editing to suggest ideas, a style he termed "intellectual montage."
One of his films concludes with three shots of statues of stone lions edited to look like a single lion rising up and roaring, embodying the idea of the wrath of the people and the voice of the revolution.
Homework: Answer the question below for next lesson using youre own critical reflections across AS and A2.
- Remember to discuss specific editing effects, the connotations of each editing effect and whether each was uuccessful.
- Aim for 6 seperate points in your answer and exaplin whether you were more experimental and adventurous in your editing of the AS production compared to the A2 production.
Exam Question: “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 these two years?
Useful terminology:
Word bank:
To suggest…
To give the commutation of….
To signify …
To symbolise…
To show…
Overlap
Fade / Wipe / Wash in/out/ Cross dissolve
Fast / Slow motion effects
Superimpose
Fast cut montage effects
Split Screen
Colourisation – be specific
cut A cut is when you go from one shot to another in a video without using any time of transition, such as a fade or wipe.
dissolve A dissolve is when one scene of your video slowly disappears into another scene. Most video editors will allow you to decide how long you want a dissolve to take, allowing you to lengthen or shorten the length of the transition based on how you want your finished video to look.
fade A fade is very similar to a dissolve, but instead of transitioning between two different scenes, a fade transitions between the scene and blank or black screen.
in/out point Every video editing program will ask you to set in and out points on clips you want to use in your final product. The in point is simply where the video will start, and the out point is where it will end.
real time Real time allows you to see effects that you added to your video immediately, without the need to wait to render the video. If a video editor touts that it allows you to do something in real time, it means that you will be able to see the effect immediately.
rendering The process where an effect is applied to video. Think of it like developing a picture from a film camera; rendering is what applies an effect such as a wipe or fade to a piece of video.
time code Time code is the numerical address for a piece of video. Typically listed as hours : minutes : seconds : frames, each frame of your video essentially has its own time code to help you identify it.
transition A transition is what goes between two video clips in order to make moving between the two of them more visually appealing. Common transitions include dissolves and wipes.
wipe A wipe is a type of transition where one scene appears to be pushed of "wiped" off the screen by another.
To achieve Level 3 or above you must comment and reflect on ‘media concepts’.
EISENSTEIN
Eisenstein believed that editing was: ‘the foundation of film art’
For Eisenstein, meaning in cinema lay not in the individual shot but only in the relationships among shots established by editing.
He created an editing style that he called "dialectical montage" that was abrupt and jagged and did not aim for smooth continuity.
The jaggedness of Eisenstein's editing can create a sense of emotional and physical violence , but he also aimed to use editing to suggest ideas, a style he termed "intellectual montage."
One of his films concludes with three shots of statues of stone lions edited to look like a single lion rising up and roaring, embodying the idea of the wrath of the people and the voice of the revolution.
Homework: Answer the question below for next lesson using youre own critical reflections across AS and A2.
- Remember to discuss specific editing effects, the connotations of each editing effect and whether each was uuccessful.
- Aim for 6 seperate points in your answer and exaplin whether you were more experimental and adventurous in your editing of the AS production compared to the A2 production.
Exam Question: “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 these two years?
Useful terminology:
Word bank:
To suggest…
To give the commutation of….
To signify …
To symbolise…
To show…
Overlap
Fade / Wipe / Wash in/out/ Cross dissolve
Fast / Slow motion effects
Superimpose
Fast cut montage effects
Split Screen
Colourisation – be specific
cut A cut is when you go from one shot to another in a video without using any time of transition, such as a fade or wipe.
dissolve A dissolve is when one scene of your video slowly disappears into another scene. Most video editors will allow you to decide how long you want a dissolve to take, allowing you to lengthen or shorten the length of the transition based on how you want your finished video to look.
fade A fade is very similar to a dissolve, but instead of transitioning between two different scenes, a fade transitions between the scene and blank or black screen.
in/out point Every video editing program will ask you to set in and out points on clips you want to use in your final product. The in point is simply where the video will start, and the out point is where it will end.
real time Real time allows you to see effects that you added to your video immediately, without the need to wait to render the video. If a video editor touts that it allows you to do something in real time, it means that you will be able to see the effect immediately.
rendering The process where an effect is applied to video. Think of it like developing a picture from a film camera; rendering is what applies an effect such as a wipe or fade to a piece of video.
time code Time code is the numerical address for a piece of video. Typically listed as hours : minutes : seconds : frames, each frame of your video essentially has its own time code to help you identify it.
transition A transition is what goes between two video clips in order to make moving between the two of them more visually appealing. Common transitions include dissolves and wipes.
wipe A wipe is a type of transition where one scene appears to be pushed of "wiped" off the screen by another.
Digital Technology - detailed analysis
Digital Technology - Critical Debate
What statement is being made by each critic about the use of digital technology? In your experience from AS – A2, do you agree or disagree with it?
With the most primitive means the artist creates something which the most ingenious and efficient technology will never be able to create. (Kasimir Malevich)
What a computer is to me is the most remarkable tool that we have ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds. (Steve Jobs)
The proper artistic response to digital technology is to embrace it as a new window on everything that's eternally human, and to use it with passion, wisdom, fearlessness and joy. (Ralph Lombreglia)
What statement is being made by each critic about the use of digital technology? In your experience from AS – A2, do you agree or disagree with it?
With the most primitive means the artist creates something which the most ingenious and efficient technology will never be able to create. (Kasimir Malevich)
What a computer is to me is the most remarkable tool that we have ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds. (Steve Jobs)
The proper artistic response to digital technology is to embrace it as a new window on everything that's eternally human, and to use it with passion, wisdom, fearlessness and joy. (Ralph Lombreglia)
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Homework - Digital Technology
Homework Question - for Monday. Please post on your blog:
“Digital technology turns media consumers into producers”. In your experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions? [25]
You should aim for 1 side of A4 as a guide and time yourself 30 minutes.
“Digital technology turns media consumers into producers”. In your experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions? [25]
You should aim for 1 side of A4 as a guide and time yourself 30 minutes.
Digital Technology
What is Digital Technology?
Video and sound editing
Image manipulation and desktop publishing
MP3 and file sharing
Digital film production and screening
Web use, design and streaming
Convergence – the merging of more than one function on one device - software found on the internet
Mobile phones
Video and sound editing
Image manipulation and desktop publishing
MP3 and file sharing
Digital film production and screening
Web use, design and streaming
Convergence – the merging of more than one function on one device - software found on the internet
Mobile phones
Monday, 24 January 2011
Research and Planning
Areas of Research and Planning
Similar products: textual analysis of music videos/thrillers/CD covers/Magazine adverts/websites
Investigating theory: Goodwin’s?
Understanding conventions: Thriller? Music Video?
Flat planning / Storyboarding / Shotlists?
Investigating narrative: Music video (3 types) Thriller (Hitchcocks)
Finding an unsigned artist – methods used?
Discussion of audience expectations: researching target audience (creating a niche etc?) focus group feedback from film pitch? Showcasing feedback?
Updating plans – making an account of decisions and revisions made? Filming diary. Shooting schedule.
Location shots – checking lighting, selecting mise-en-scene, practicalities
Annotation of.. Similar texts, lyrics (Goodwin’s principals)
ETC….
In the exam:
Step 1: explain..
(a) what research and planning you did
(b) how you did it
Step 2: analyse the benefits of researching and planning the way you did. What it enabled you to understand.
Analysing Research and Planning
What advantages do blogs have over 'paper planning'?
Are there any disadvantages to using blogs? Are they easy to 'read'? To access?
What are the pros and cons of getting peer feedback?
Did I find getting qualitative or quantitative information most useful?
How useful are storyboards and shotlists?
How important is research into audience experiences and expectations?
Example responses:
The primary research I conducted included a film screening (showcasing) where I was able to analyse the qualitative results of a questionnaire I gave to a focus group. This enabled me to understand exactly how my target audience interpreted my ideas. For example, comments included how the use of ‘light’ as a theme in my thriller seemed to suggest positive connotations of ‘glory’ and ‘hope’ which did not fit the genre and ideology of my film.
In using this qualitative data, I was able to edit my film so as not to emphasise the ‘light’ in the opening narrative, and instead used lamps as image motifs to create shadows and darkness which suggested a more ominous atmosphere rather than emphasising the light they created.
Planning the ancillary website for my music video was crucial as it involved understanding the conventions of web design and the principals to follow if I was to appeal to my target audience. I therefore made a sketch of where I was going to position text and images to include tabs as links to the various pages to the site. I changed my mind as to what I would include in the scrolling text on the site, and therefore in my flat plan, I featured 4 different options to give me that flexibility.
I wanted to include image motives in ‘roll-overs’ which enabled the audience to understand quickly the ideology and brand of the band and so planning allowed me to see where these would fit within the body of the site. I quickly realised from my flatplan that my site was leaning more towards the ‘visual clutter’ and I wanted to maintain a lot of white space, therefore I ….
Homework
To post your answers in 5 (A) – (E) paragraphs on your blog explaining the planning and research you did and analyse what it enabled you to understand
For next lesson
Similar products: textual analysis of music videos/thrillers/CD covers/Magazine adverts/websites
Investigating theory: Goodwin’s?
Understanding conventions: Thriller? Music Video?
Flat planning / Storyboarding / Shotlists?
Investigating narrative: Music video (3 types) Thriller (Hitchcocks)
Finding an unsigned artist – methods used?
Discussion of audience expectations: researching target audience (creating a niche etc?) focus group feedback from film pitch? Showcasing feedback?
Updating plans – making an account of decisions and revisions made? Filming diary. Shooting schedule.
Location shots – checking lighting, selecting mise-en-scene, practicalities
Annotation of.. Similar texts, lyrics (Goodwin’s principals)
ETC….
In the exam:
Step 1: explain..
(a) what research and planning you did
(b) how you did it
Step 2: analyse the benefits of researching and planning the way you did. What it enabled you to understand.
Analysing Research and Planning
What advantages do blogs have over 'paper planning'?
Are there any disadvantages to using blogs? Are they easy to 'read'? To access?
What are the pros and cons of getting peer feedback?
Did I find getting qualitative or quantitative information most useful?
How useful are storyboards and shotlists?
How important is research into audience experiences and expectations?
Example responses:
The primary research I conducted included a film screening (showcasing) where I was able to analyse the qualitative results of a questionnaire I gave to a focus group. This enabled me to understand exactly how my target audience interpreted my ideas. For example, comments included how the use of ‘light’ as a theme in my thriller seemed to suggest positive connotations of ‘glory’ and ‘hope’ which did not fit the genre and ideology of my film.
In using this qualitative data, I was able to edit my film so as not to emphasise the ‘light’ in the opening narrative, and instead used lamps as image motifs to create shadows and darkness which suggested a more ominous atmosphere rather than emphasising the light they created.
Planning the ancillary website for my music video was crucial as it involved understanding the conventions of web design and the principals to follow if I was to appeal to my target audience. I therefore made a sketch of where I was going to position text and images to include tabs as links to the various pages to the site. I changed my mind as to what I would include in the scrolling text on the site, and therefore in my flat plan, I featured 4 different options to give me that flexibility.
I wanted to include image motives in ‘roll-overs’ which enabled the audience to understand quickly the ideology and brand of the band and so planning allowed me to see where these would fit within the body of the site. I quickly realised from my flatplan that my site was leaning more towards the ‘visual clutter’ and I wanted to maintain a lot of white space, therefore I ….
Homework
To post your answers in 5 (A) – (E) paragraphs on your blog explaining the planning and research you did and analyse what it enabled you to understand
For next lesson
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Creativity
Novel [new] associations which are useful” (Isaksen and Treffinger, 1993)
‘the ability to bring something new into existence’(Anthony Storr)
A process needed for problem solving…not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people” (Jones, 1993)
Rule breaking/boundary testing
“The making of the new and the rearranging of the old” (Bentley, 1997)
Example of how to write about creativity in th exam:
For my DVD cover I used a montage of found images from magazines and newspapers. I decided to use these pre-existing (or old) materials as a comment on the way women are represented in the media. However, I created something new as I rearranged these images and bought them together, juxtaposing contrasting images of women. For example, the image of the typical ‘housewife’ is next to an image of a woman wearing a short skirt and low cut top who looks provocative. These are opposites and make a statement about the way women are presented as extremes in the media.
Homework: Write three paragraphs similar to the one above linking your own production work to the definitions of creativity and explaining in detail how you were specifically creative in the making of your thriller and your music video
‘the ability to bring something new into existence’(Anthony Storr)
A process needed for problem solving…not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people” (Jones, 1993)
Rule breaking/boundary testing
“The making of the new and the rearranging of the old” (Bentley, 1997)
Example of how to write about creativity in th exam:
For my DVD cover I used a montage of found images from magazines and newspapers. I decided to use these pre-existing (or old) materials as a comment on the way women are represented in the media. However, I created something new as I rearranged these images and bought them together, juxtaposing contrasting images of women. For example, the image of the typical ‘housewife’ is next to an image of a woman wearing a short skirt and low cut top who looks provocative. These are opposites and make a statement about the way women are presented as extremes in the media.
Homework: Write three paragraphs similar to the one above linking your own production work to the definitions of creativity and explaining in detail how you were specifically creative in the making of your thriller and your music video
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Media Theorists
Here are just three theorists and an overview of their theories. Try to find out about at least 10 - 15 media theories for G325 Question 1 (a) and (b) and have them at your fingertips for the exam. Remember - you must apply them to your own work.
Roland Barthes:
Roland Barthes concentrated some of his work on a discussion of how myth operates in society and he discussed this in the context of denotation and connotation.
Connotation and denotation are often described in terms of levels of representation or levels of meaning.
Denotation - the literal, 'obvious' or 'commonsense' meaning of an image.
Connotation - is used to refer to the socio-cultural and 'personal' associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the image. These are typically related to the interpreter's class, age, gender, ethnicity and so on. Images are more open to interpretation - in their connotations than their denotations.
Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall suggests that there are three different positions that the reader of a text can occupy when trying to interpret a text, they are:
Preferred Reading
Negotiated Reading
Oppositional Reading
Preferred reading is when the reader fully shares the text's codes and accepts and reproduces the preferred reading i.e. the most dominant reading.
Negotiated reading is when the reader partly shares the text's codes and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes resists and modifies it in a way which reflects their own position, experiences and interests - this position involves contradictions.
Oppositional reading is when the reader, whose social situation places them in a directly oppositional relation to the dominant code, understands the preferred reading but does not share the text's code and rejects this reading, bringing to bear an alternative frame of reference (radical, feminist etc.).
In this instance a 'code' can be interpreted as what a text says.
Ferdinand de Saussure:
Semiotics is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems. Saussure stated that a sign could be made up of something which physically resembles the object in some way (icon), or has a direct link between it and its object, it is somehow connected i.e. smoke indicates fire (index) or it can be something with no resemblance at all and it communicates only because people agree that it shall stand for what it does (symbol).
The reading of a sign is determined by cultural experience of the reader. Semiotics pays great attention to the role of the reader in realising and producing meanings out of texts.
Useful web link
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html
Roland Barthes:
Roland Barthes concentrated some of his work on a discussion of how myth operates in society and he discussed this in the context of denotation and connotation.
Connotation and denotation are often described in terms of levels of representation or levels of meaning.
Denotation - the literal, 'obvious' or 'commonsense' meaning of an image.
Connotation - is used to refer to the socio-cultural and 'personal' associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the image. These are typically related to the interpreter's class, age, gender, ethnicity and so on. Images are more open to interpretation - in their connotations than their denotations.
Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall suggests that there are three different positions that the reader of a text can occupy when trying to interpret a text, they are:
Preferred Reading
Negotiated Reading
Oppositional Reading
Preferred reading is when the reader fully shares the text's codes and accepts and reproduces the preferred reading i.e. the most dominant reading.
Negotiated reading is when the reader partly shares the text's codes and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes resists and modifies it in a way which reflects their own position, experiences and interests - this position involves contradictions.
Oppositional reading is when the reader, whose social situation places them in a directly oppositional relation to the dominant code, understands the preferred reading but does not share the text's code and rejects this reading, bringing to bear an alternative frame of reference (radical, feminist etc.).
In this instance a 'code' can be interpreted as what a text says.
Ferdinand de Saussure:
Semiotics is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems. Saussure stated that a sign could be made up of something which physically resembles the object in some way (icon), or has a direct link between it and its object, it is somehow connected i.e. smoke indicates fire (index) or it can be something with no resemblance at all and it communicates only because people agree that it shall stand for what it does (symbol).
The reading of a sign is determined by cultural experience of the reader. Semiotics pays great attention to the role of the reader in realising and producing meanings out of texts.
Useful web link
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html
The markscheme 1(a)
Explanation/ analysis/argument (9-10 marks)
There is a clear sense of progression established by the answer, and a range of articulate reflections on the production process are offered.
Use of examples (9-10 marks)
Candidates offer a broad range of specific, relevant and clear examples in relation to creative skills development.
Use of terminology (5 marks)
The use of both production terms and conceptual media terminology applied throughout is excellent.
There is a clear sense of progression established by the answer, and a range of articulate reflections on the production process are offered.
Use of examples (9-10 marks)
Candidates offer a broad range of specific, relevant and clear examples in relation to creative skills development.
Use of terminology (5 marks)
The use of both production terms and conceptual media terminology applied throughout is excellent.
G325 Exam Overview
The purpose of this exam is to assess your knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates, through your understanding of one contemporary media issue and your ability to evaluate your own practical work in reflective and theoretical ways.
The examination:
• two hours
• two compulsory questions
• Total marks available: 100 (two questions on production work marked out of 25 each, and the media theory question marked out of 50.)
There are two sections to this paper:
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks)
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks)
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
2 compulsory questions.
Question 1(a) describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work, from Thriller Opening (AS) to Music Video (A2). The focus of this evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require you to adapt this to one or two specific production practices. The list of practices to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Digital Technology
• Creativity
• Research and planning
• Post-production
• Using conventions from real media texts
Question 1(b) requires you to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept. The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience
• Media language
EXAMPLE QUESTION
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
You must answer both 1(a) and 1(b).
In this section you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units. You must answer both 1(a) and 1(b).
1 (a) “Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers”. In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions? [25]
(b) “Media texts rely on cultural experiences in order for audiences to easily make sense of narratives”. Explain how you used conventional and / or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces. [25]
The examination:
• two hours
• two compulsory questions
• Total marks available: 100 (two questions on production work marked out of 25 each, and the media theory question marked out of 50.)
There are two sections to this paper:
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks)
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks)
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
2 compulsory questions.
Question 1(a) describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work, from Thriller Opening (AS) to Music Video (A2). The focus of this evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require you to adapt this to one or two specific production practices. The list of practices to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Digital Technology
• Creativity
• Research and planning
• Post-production
• Using conventions from real media texts
Question 1(b) requires you to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept. The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience
• Media language
EXAMPLE QUESTION
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
You must answer both 1(a) and 1(b).
In this section you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units. You must answer both 1(a) and 1(b).
1 (a) “Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers”. In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions? [25]
(b) “Media texts rely on cultural experiences in order for audiences to easily make sense of narratives”. Explain how you used conventional and / or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces. [25]
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