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This blog has all my coursework that I am currently studying for AS Media. Please feel free to read and comment.

TV Drama

Primeval Extract
The clip first starts with a 180 degree rule and then uses a jump cut to introduce the other characters, the non-digetic sound overlaps during the profile shots of Abby using the digger. This is to show the continuity edit. This is also where we see a challenged convention of women in the clip. Abby using the digger shows the audience that she is a woman who breaks the stereotype. She is also wearing a leather jacket and blonde hair. The jacket suggests that she is a tough, masculine woman. There is a whip pan from Danny to Abby as he spots something in the hole that Abby has dug. The non-digetic sound that appears over that moment shows us the sense of something unusual has been found. The Whip pan of the Sabertooth tiger's Point-Of-View is used to create suspence. As the Sabertooth starts to attack Danny, it is here where the roles of men and women are reversed. Abby uses the digger to change the Sabertooth's focus so that it gives Danny time to escape. This shows that she is a woman who is not scared and knows how to take control in a situation like this. However the fact that Danny is getting dirty and proceeds to run off again changes the role as it shows that he is more physically stronger as he proceeds to go down a zipwire. During the fight scene a lot of wide shots are used to focus on the setting and where the characters are.


The use of the slow-motion at the end of the Danny jumping of the zipwire shows a sense of relief. The pan of the men and Abby walking again challenges the conventions of women in TV Drama as it shows that she is a woman who is tough and confident. The first man we see is wearing a pink t-shirt, a waistcoat, a scarf and a hat. The costume suggests that he is possibly gay however when he speaks it turns out that he knows quite a lot about the current situation. The second man across is the same man we see at the beginning of the clip, he is looks physically attractive and quite butch. There is a man in a suit who stands out as he does not look like he should be with the others. The use of the sound bridge with the dialogue is to show the continuity edit. This scene also shows us who is more dominant within the group and the representation of gender is that Danny is in control and he has more power over the others. During the dialogue a woman called Jenny is mentioned, a jump cut is used and non-digetic sound is used to reveal her. The fact she is wearing a silk dress and a white coat shows her status, it also shows that she could possibly be from the middle class. The white coat suggest purity and innocence. During this scene, she comes across as a naive woman. The 180 degree rule is used in this conversation and the close-ups are used to show emotion. After the man, West pulls out a shotgun, quick cut and the non-digetic and digetic sound overlaps. This is used to create tension and suspence as the audience do not know if he will shoot her. Again, slow motion is used to create tension and suspense. The use of the High-Angle shots shows the role reversal again. As Mr West manages to turn the situation in his favour. The non-digetic sound cuts out to dialogue as the others arrive and it again shows relief. It is during this we see Jenny as a 'damsel in distress'. This again challenges the convention of women as most would asscioate damsels as blonde and clumsy. However she is not clumsy but a confident woman who unlike Abby is not used to being this situation. The man Jenny adressesses as Mr. West is seen to be a butch, fat man who looks as if he wants to kill someone. This is another stereotype we see of an average man.We also get to see a small part of humour during the part when Steven asks West to hand over the gun, Connor picks up a shovel. This suggests something about how he handles himself in situations and his personality. Instead of thanking the others for saving her life, Jenny snaps at Mr West for ruining her coat. This again shows that she is naive and also could be seen as a snob.


There are a lot of representations of gender throughout this clip and at times they break the stereotypes. However as we can see with Jenny, her character is portrayed as a naive snob who knows thinks that she knows how to handle certain situations. Whereas with Abby, she is a butch masculine woman who is very confident and knows how to handle herself. Danny, is a physically strong man who is as we saw the leader of the group. He knows how to take the lead and control situations. Connor is possibly seen as a gay man but again knows what his aim is during the scenes and has sufficent knowledge of what the others are taking about.


Life On Mars opening
Last Thursday, we looked at the opening for Life On Mars. It focuses on Sam Tyler who suffers a car accident and is sent back into 1973. The programme focuses on his journey on returning to the present day. The opening shot is a wide shot of a highway , in the bottom right hand corner is a car and guy on the road. This establishing shit immediately shows the audience the time of year. The next shot is a tilted medium close-up of a guy in the road and what is presumably his car behind him.  During this scene a non-digetic song is faintly playing in the background, the lyrics of the song are not able to hear as the sound is being played so low. The next shots are a what happens to be a series of shots that could possibly relate to the character. The non-digetic sounds used are a way of showing a shift and that possibly the character is being moved or helped. Towards the end of this, there a number of extreme close-ups of Sam's eyes. The non-digetic sound of a defibrillator being used triggers a number of flash cuts which triggers what appears to be a time shift as Sam immediately sits up and is in what looks to be another place another place.




As Sam sits up, the song that was playing from before is now a lot louder. As Sam stands up we see that he is now in a different period as his costume has changed and the uses of the contrast on the screen also helps to show the audience that a time shift has happened. The use of the slow motion when Sam stands up shows the audience that something is not right. The 360 pan is to immediately establishes the shift in time. The wide shot of the car shows the change in the sou nd from non-digetic to digetic. The police officer in this scene also helps to show the audience that Sam is no longer where he was at the beginning of the opening. The two exchange dialogue during which the 180 degree ruled is used. The police officer's accent in this conversation reveals to us that the opening is set in Manchester.  As Sam makes his way out of the shot. The from Sam walking away from the away the car to the tunnel is used to remove unnecessary footage as the next shot is important as it is a symbolic reference to the fact that Sam has travelled backwards in time. The over head pan of the billboard with the highway on it again emphasises the time shift. It also develops more on the setting as it shows that Sam is still in the same place that he was in the beginning shots of the opening. From the look of the buildings in this scene we can tell that the place has been abandoned possibly for re-construction. This again links to the billboard which helps to emphasise the time shift.




There is a profile pan of Sam walking down a road, there a number of cars in this scene which again show the audience the shift in time. They are an important factor as the audience would immediately try and figure out what year he has ended up. The shot of Sam's face in the back of a car window mirror is useful as the blurriness suggest that he is in a place that he shouldn't be. Sam's body language as he is walking down the street gives the audience an idea as to what type of person he is. He's walking with a sort-of hunch but there's something a little sinister about him. This suggests that he is possibly a stereotypical 'hard man', for example; Phil Mitchell or Max Branning. When Sam enters the police station, the scene that takes place immediately shows that he does not belong in this time and that something is not right. It also gives the audience a insight as to what police stations were like around the this period of time as they are all smoking not doing their work. It shows that they are men who don't care about their workplace. This emphaises the time shift in the politcal sense because in the preset day smoking has been prohibited in public buildings.  However, it gives a stereotypical view on police officers as not all officers in this time were like this. As Sam starts to walk through the room and there is a lot of non-digetic sound. The shot of Sam walking has been slow-motioned as it emphasises the fact that he should not be in this time and place. The non-digetic sound is broken by Sam knocking over an officers tray of assignments. This brings him back to 'reality'. During this scene, we see for the first time Sam try to come to terms with where he is. He aggressively addresses the other officers i the room and wakes up CID Gene Hunt, a very controlling and butch sort of man who looks at beating people up as a way of getting someone to understand his 'rules'. The true details of the time shift are revealed to Sam when he asks Gene what years is it 'supposed' to be. Gene tells hims that he's in 1973 and then punches him in the stomach. By Gene's accent in this scene, we can tell where the scene is set.


Thursday 3rd March-My view on being a producer
The role of a producer is a vital role when it comes to film projects. They are , in a way, the decision maker of what happens throughout the pre-production stage of the film. The first 'job' of the producer is to develop the idea of the film that they'll be producing. Whether it's an idea that they have or someone else has created. After that it's to the find a script that the producer feels will hopefully be a great success. once the script has been given to the producer, he then has to find a way of paying the scriptwriter. To do that the producer has to find funding for the film and then he has to get distribution before he/she can do that.




The distribution has to be pleased with the script, cast and team. This is the time when the producer has to find the director, cast and other heads of department, i.e: costume, cinematography etc. I found that the producers job is a hard job because if something goes during the filming, it relies on the producer to solve the problem. I think that for a producer to make a successful film. They are going to need a team of producers, a director, a cast and crew who are willing to work with them no matter what. Personally, I would not like to become a producer as it involves too much organisation and a lot of hard wok.


Research on Love Actually


Genre: Romantic Comedy
Written and directed by: Richard Curtis
Cast: Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightly, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Laura Linney
American star: Laura Linney
Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Lisa Chasin
Budget: £30 million
Gross Revenue: $246,942,017


Plot: The film is about 9 different love stories each of which focuses on one character who faces a romantic problem. Each story is somehow interlinked with each other by either a relative or friend who is focused in another story. Except for one story about a pop star, who is trying to re-launch his career.


Reception: When the film was released, it received a lot of positive review from British film critics, Nev Pierce from the BBC said that it was a "vibrant romantic comedy", awarding 4 out of 5 stars. However when the film was released in America, it received mixed reviews. Most of which were mainly negative. A.O. Scott from New York times said that it's a "romantic comedy swollen to the length of an Oscar-trawling epic-nearly two and a quarter hours of cheekiness, diffidence and high-tone smirking". 


Analysis of Cranford
Throughout the clip, a lot of wide shots were used. This was to establish the setting of each scene. Also the scene had a lot of physical movement which restricted the amount of close-ups that could have been used. The two women in the scene were from the middle class, you could tell this from the way that they were dressed and the clothes that they were wearing. During the scene one of the maids mentioned how the lact that Mrs Forester had aquired was that of ladies of grace. This meant that they were knew that it was something very precious, therfore also helping to show the soical class. The carry box that the lady was carried in showed that she was from the middle/upper class. This is because she has enough money and wealth to afford a carry box. the fact that she was wearing black clothing could suggest that she has recently lost someone or give the audience and idea to her personality.




At the beginning of the clip there was a family who were from the working class. This is because their house looked very run under. There was not very much non-digetic sound used in the clip as it contained a lot more verbal language. The only time that non-digetic sound was played in the clip was during a running scene which helped to build the emotions and pace of that secific scene. The house that the maids were in looked very small and plain. This showed that they were not very rich but they were able to afford the bare necessities. The maid who turned up at the house in the beginning of the clip was possibly a friend as she said that she was at her service. The shots were quite long as a lot of dialogue was used. The only time they used close-ups was to focus on the facial expressions of a certain character. The audience that Cranford would appeal to is the elderly and possibly middle-aged people. this is because the clip does not have any fast-paced scenes or quick cuts. There is not very much non digetic sound as it focuses more on the verbal language.




The long shot towards the end of clip showed two men walking through the town. The wide shot was used so that it focused on their costumes which helped to show their social class. The man on the left is carrying a breifcase could possibly be a doctor. This is established through the way the man expresses his concern as the maids run past him talking about the cat. These two men possibly could be from the middle class as they are walking through a town and are also wearing very respectible clothes.


Thursday 3rd Febuary
In today's lesson we were looking at representation of age. We watched two clips, one from Eastenders and a fan-made trailer from Skins. We also had to identify some of the stereotypes that are recongnised with teens, the elderly and the middle-aged woman.


Teens
  • partying
  • sewaring
  • part of a gang
  • sometimes in care
  • ASBOs
  • hoodies and tracksuits
  • violent/dangerous
  • spoilt
Elderly
  • typically sweet
  • terminal illness
  • bad smell
  • patronising-giving teens a lollipop etc
  • talk about the war or the 'old' days
  • boring
  • dependant on others
  • fragile
  • care homes
Middle-Aged Woman
  • married with 2 kids
  • single parent
  • house-wives
  • independant
  • well-educated
  • dinner parties
This is the age representation from the Eastenders and Skins clip we watched:


 Eastenders
  • age bracket (65+)
  • the elderly woman talking about the war-stereotype to show she lives in the past
  • she was wearing Tweed and a headscarf around her shows that she is old-fashioned
  • Middle-aged woman looked like she was from the working class
  • When the elderly woman spoke about looking to the future it showed that she was using a counter-stereotype
  • Grant Mitchell was a typical hardman with the way he spoke and acted-hands in pocket
Skins
  • age brakcet (18-20)
  • typical stereotypes- the geek, the popular guy
  • sewaring and smoking to show teens are rebels
  • the typical crush was used- geek and the beautiful girl, the student and teacher, the gay guy and the muslim boy etc
  • unconditional love for someone you can't have
  • the middle-aged single father- stereotypical that he couldn't cope with his partner's death also shows that mean are weak when left alone
  • the popular guy at the beginning posiibly main character




Eastenders Analysis
Eastedners is a 30 minute programme. In the opening titles the genre and the setting is immediately established by the non-digetic sound and the image of the opening titles. The first 90 seconds introduces the multiple narratives that will be within the programme. During which there was no dialogue used. This meant that if the audience would have to make up their mind as to what was happening or going on in the opening minutes.




Throughout the programme there was not much lighting used as it helped to determine the time of day and the setting. Also most of the scenes were inside so the only lighting that was needed in the programme was the lighitng inside the hospital and Queen Vic scenes. I noticed that the 180 rule was a very common factor within the programme made it easier to understand who was talking within each scene. The 180 rule is a common in this programme because it meant that it could reach all age ranges. I also noticed that with the 180 rule. If the camera was on a certain type of shot i.e- Medium shot on one person when it changed to the next character the shot would still be the same size. Quick cuts were used to place a break in the currrent narrative and also to develop a previous narrative that was already being shown. There was not a lot of non-digetic sound except when the opening and ending titles overlapped the beginning and ending scene of the programme. The only sound that was digetic was from the radio's in certain scenes like the cafe or the Queen Vic, for example. As well as outside in the street when a low sound of a motorbike could be heard. Eastenders always finishes on a cliffhanger so that it would the audience would be interested and will tune int to see the narrative the show ended on develop.




The storyline in the programme was established after about 10-15 minutes. In the episode that I watched the storyline I gathered from it, was:


  • Phil tries to persuade Shirley that his marriage propasal is geniune 
  • Whitney loses her clothe stall
  • Darren cracks under pressure to get more customers






The clothes that each character was wearing determined the type of socail class that each character was from. The way the dialogue was delivered and the body lanaguage also helped to show each character's personality.


Thursday 27th January
In today's lesson, we were taught about how ideologies and representations of men and women are shown in TV Drama. We had to analyse what, how and why they are used.


Ideologies
Ideologies refer to a system of belief that is constructed and presented by a media text. The overarching ideologies that underpin this are the dominant ideologies of our society.


Stereotypes 
Stereotypes are used because the audience will instantly understand them. Stereotypes can be thought of as a 'visual shortcut'. They're repeated so often that we assume they are normal and/or true. I think that stereotypes are used save time because then the background or personality doesn't have to be established.
Archetypes
Archetypes are the 'ultimate' stereotype. Forexample, a big busted, Blonde bimbo.

Counter-stereotypes
Counter stereotypes change the view on typical stereotypes. Eminem is a good example as he is a White raper and most people associate rapping with black people. They challenge the idea of typical stereotype and change the idea of it.


Representation of women in media highlights:


  • Beauty
  • Size/Physique
  • Emotions 
  • Relationships
Representation of Men in media highlights:
  • Strength
  • Physique
  • Power
  • Sexual attractiveness

We had to analyse 3 different TV Dramas and what the representations of men and women are portrayed in each Drama. 

Eastenders
Eastenders uses typical stereotypes. the men are very dominating and for someone like Phil, for example,  he is a hard, aggressive man. His character could be seen as unfair but accurate as there are people like him today. Whereas Ricky can be seen as a man who is a fair and accurate representation of men. This is because he plays an average, family man. 

Life On Mars
In Life On Mars, Gene hunt's character is seen as very authoritative and demanding. The representative of men and women in this show will be a lot different to that in Eastenders as Life On Mars is set in 1973. The women in the scene that we watched were seen as sexual objects. 

Tipping The Velvet
I found that Tipping The Velvet uses a counter stereotype as the women were very controlled and they are seen as a possession of the man. This is because the programme is set in the 1920s/30s. If the women walked around with short hair, they would have been seen as improper ladies.


Analysis of The Bill
The opening minutes of The Bill was very verbal. There was a 'Previously' moment where they had to establish what had happened in the previous episode. During which there was a lot of verbal langauge was shown to be the most dominant of the Media languages in this programme. It mean that you can close your eyes and still know what was going on in the programme. As the programme started to begin, a lot of quick shots were used to establish the characters and the setting. The opening titles also established the type of drama that The Bill was. You could tell this via the non-digetic sound of the police sirens and the pictures of the police cars and the main characters within the titles. During the scenes inside the office, the digetic sound was amplified to show the audience where the scene was taking place.


Analysis of Byker Grove
The opening minutes of Byker Grove help to set the genre. The genre of Byker Grove is children's Drama. At the beginning of the programme, sharp cuts were used to introduce the multiple narratives within the programme. This is how the genre is established. After the opening titles, the multilple narratives are developed. Within which, we see which characters are more dominant, these people could possibly be the main characters. Throughout the opening minutes, each scene used close-ups and wide shots. These were used to show the facial expression of a character and establish the set. I noticed that each scene would end on a 'mini' cliff-hangar. This meant that viewers would want to see how that narrative would continue. The non-digetic sound was needed ony for the opening titles and a small scene within the programme. This was becuase there was a lot more verbal language throughout the opening minutes. This is becuase of the genre, which meant that verbal language would be more dominant so that the viewer would be able to understand what was going on. Due to the age this programme would be broadcasted to.

Analysis of White Girl
The opening minutes of White Girl contrasts to Byker Grove. The first shot of the film is an establishing shot of two flats with the main character riding past on her bike. As yet we do not know that she is the main charatcer until the next few shots. In which quick cuts are used to focus on the girl and establish her role in the film by using non-verbal and aural language. The film is allowed to take more time doing this because of the length. This also meant that non-verbal, aural and visual language would become more dominant throughout the film. The use of the shots in the opening minutes helped to show the narrative of the film to the audience. The non-digetic sound helped to show the emotion that the characters would be feeling in the scene. I felt that not a lot of lighting was used inside the falt to show the type of estate the family were residing in and their current status level. By using non-verbal, aural and visual langauage in the opening minuetes, the narrative was established however it did make the audienece have to take their time to think about the story and what could happen next.




TV Drama


Form
This relates to the shape or structure of the text. It's often linked to the narrative. Structuralist theorists like Todorov argue that all stories have the same basic structures.




Style
The distinctive look of the Media text. A particular TV Drama often displays an individual style which can be identified by specific choices in technical codes.




Genre
A French word meaning 'sort' or 'kind' which is used in grouping programmes which may have similar from/ structure or patterns of elements. Example:Police Drama.




Conventions
The characteristic ingredients of a particular genre and particular elements that make it recognisable. It may be connected with form,language, theme or visual elements.




Semiotics
The study of the signs and symbols. Roland Barthes identified two orders of signification-Denotation and Connotation. Denotations are the signifiers, where Connotations are the signified. Denotations are literal, Connotations are more varied and may be subject to debate.


Aural Langauge 
Including the verbal language of a text but also various elements which go to make up the sound mix. Sound is classified as Digetic and Non-Digetic sound depending on if it 'could' be heard by the participants of the text.




Media Langauges


Written Languages
Are applicable to print and web where 'copy' is a significant area. Any Media text in which the written word features.




Verbal language
Clearly highly relevant to TV Drama. The verbal language is significant part of the structure, often the vehicle for carrying the narrative. Language choices are vital in creating appropriate responses from the audience.




Non-Verbal Langauge
Conveyed through gesture, poses, stance and mannerisms. In addiction the term 'blocking' which comes from the Theatre is applicable. Two and Three dimensional spaces are included.




Visual Language
Includes technical areas like camera, lighting, mise-en-scene. There is an obvious overlap with Non-Verbal Language and Editing. This study includes Semiotics.


Notes on Five Days
The boy holding up his fingers at the sun is a symbolic representation to the title of the programme.
The woman on the plane looks as if she has just come back from a business trips. This links her to the boy because he sees a plane through his hands as it comes to land. The watch signifies time is either running out or someone is in a hurry for something. This links to the mother, Leanne, as she is in a hurry to leave the house. The teenage girl curling her hair shows that Leanne is a single mum as she has to rely on her parents to help her out. This was verbally mentioned. The flowers that the family drive past links to the next shot of the elderly man who is watering his own plants. This is because he enjoys flowers and it also reveals the reason as to who Leanne is talking about when she mentions the person who likes his flowers. It also suggests why they are in a hurry. The scene with the man who is sellingt the dog interlinks with a previous scene when Leanne mentions the people staying open for them as she thanks the man for staying open. The two scenes interlink due the verbal code that Leanne mentions before. The use of the Non-Verbal Language in the scene shows that the man has a possible attraction to Leanne. The use of the watch the grandftaher held up and when Leanne links to another scene because the woman in the office asks for the time, they are interlinked by the woman leaving a recorded message or a voicemail on a phone. During this scene there is another symbolic connection to the title of the film from the work collegue who asks if anyone wants a pint.