Worst paragraph makeover

Maude wears simple clothes whilst the woman wears intricate outfits which is a stark contrast when you consider sexuality as Maude's sexuality isnt simple considering it is in secret and she cannot tell the woman how she feels. It is also noticable that from Maude's typical feminime dress sense her homosexuality is vaguely recognisable in comparison to the suspected heterosexuality of the woman. The part of the scene where Maude is in the bed and the woman is getting changed we see quick cuts of an eyeline match to and from the naked womans back which is positioned in the middle of a candle and a fire possibly connecting the woman to danger or sexual attraction.

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TERMINOLOGY

OCR VIDEO TERMINOLOGY
Camera shots
A variety of camera shots creates atmosphere and a specific mood for narrative
An establishing shot is usually at the beginning
A long shot helps the audience understand the relationship between character and setting
Mid shot focuses more on mise-en-scene
Contrasting represents binary oppositions eg. young and old
Close up is usually on an object of significance and works as reference for point of view shot which puts you inside the mind of the character
Extreme close up shot draws into emotions of character and is intense and uncomfortable for audience

Movements
A tracking shot is backwards and forwards, it draws the audience in or tells you that the action is over
A tilt shot is up or down and it gives a sense of height or power
Established camera shots create atmosphere and realism
Zoom is into or away and stimulates a tracking shot
Arc shot is a semi circle and it enables the audience to see the characters full emotions
A panning shot is left to right and is usually used when a character is searching a room

GENERAL TERMINOLOGY
Genre - The classification of any media text into a category or type.

Representation - The process by which an image etc may be used to represent/stand for someone or something.

Hypodermic Needle Theory - (also known as the hypodermic-syringe model, transmission-belt model, or magic bullet theory) is a model of communications suggesting that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. The model is rooted in 1930s behaviorism and is largely considered obsolete today.


Discourse - The expression of ideologies or speech used to achieve social, personal or political power.

Media Institution – The operation of a large media corporation embracing production, distribution and consumption

Mis-en-scene – Everything that is put in a TV studio or film set

Narrative - The way in which a plot or story is told, by whom and in what order.

Form – The structure or skeleton of a text

Ideology - A system of beliefs/values, which can be identified in mass media products or texts.

Denotation - The common sense, obvious meaning of something.

Connotation - Associations triggered by eg. an image or an object.

  ADVANCED TERMINOLOGY

paradigmatic elements/ codes and conventions- items that are used at construction to make a complete product
syntagm- the completed product (such as a completed magazine or dvd cover
bricolage- a combo of genres, e.g. action and romance, or romance and comedy
in-house style- a company of organisation way of communication with a consistent layout
enigma- exciting (a engimatic character, like Sylar in heroes)
direct mode of address- when a character looks straight at the camera (at the audience, indirect mode of address is the opposite)

MISE EN SCENE TERMINOLOGY

This term is used in film to describe what is in the frame and why. There are several areas to consider when talking about mise en scene:

·         Setting and props

·         Costume and make-up

·         Body language and facial expression

·         Lighting and colour

Each of these factors combines to give the shot a certain 'look' or 'feel'. What is put in or left out of a shot can make a big difference to the signals we receive about what sort of film it is and how we are supposed to feel at this point. For instance, a simple shot of a tree can be made to look threatening by adding a vulture and a storm and shooting it in darkness. The same tree can be given a very different look by having children playing beneath its sunlit branches.

EDITING TERMINOLOGY

cut A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.
continuity editing Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viewer.
cross cutting Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.
dissolve A gradual scene transition. The editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one.
editing The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.
errors of continuity Disruptions in the flow of a scene, such as a failure to match action or the placement of props across shots.
establishing shot A shot, normally taken from a great distance or from a "bird's eye view," that establishes where the action is about to occur.
eyeline match The matching of eyelines between two or more characters. For example, if Sam looks to the right in shot A, Jean will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity.
fade A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. Often used to indicate a change in time and place.
final cut The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees.
iris Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.
jump cut A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action.
matched cut A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action.
montage Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. The shower scene from Psycho is an example of montage editing.
rough cut The editor's first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs.
sequence shot A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing.
shot reverse shot cuttingUsually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking.
wipe Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films from the 1930s and 1940s.

SOUND TERMINOLOGY

Acousmatic sound - sound one hears without seeing their originating cause   Acousmêtre - akind of invisible voice-character with mysterious powers   Added Value - the expressive and/or informative value with which a sound enriches a image  Audiovisual Contract - an agreement to forget that sound is coming from loudspeakers and picture from screen    Anempathetic Sound - music or sound effects that seems to exhibit conspicuous indifference to what is goingon in the film's plot  Chronography   -  the stabilisation of projection speed madecinema an art of time   Empathetic Sound - music or sound effects whose mood matches the mood of the action  Extension(of SoundSpace)

External logic - the logic by which the flow of sound includes effects of discontinuity as nondiegetic interventions   Internal logic - the logic by which the sound flow is apparently born out of the narrative situation itself    Magnetization (spatial) -  "mental pan" of the sound source  Materializing Sound Indices (M. S. I.)  - sonic details that "materialize" the sound source  Rendering - the use of sounds to convey the feelings or effects associated with the situation on screen Synchresis - the mental fusion between a sound and a visual when these occur at exactly the same time    Temporalization - influence of sound on the perception of time in the image  Vococentrism - the privilige of the voicein audiovisual media

Mock exam re-done

    The initial wide shot helps set the scene and brings in comparisons of class by showing the well equipped guards against the gladiators who are wearing rags and this shows the lower class situation, which is obviously not good. One of the first few shots is a shot through the cage which is also reflected later in the scene through the net when the fighting takes place, this represents how the lower classes are stuck and caged into this lower part of society and want to but cannot break out of it. The point of view shot when the two main characters are in the box and the other two are fighting shows their lack in status and class as that is what they are destined for. The most prominent sign of the differences of class and status between the gladiators and the onlookers is when we have an over the shoulder shot from the onlookers which exaggerates their higher power and status in comparison to the low gladiators who casually watch whilst chatting in comparison to the brutal events taking place below this shows the gladiators to be the prorgaonists and the upper class to be the antagonists in this situation. The low angled wide shot we see numerous times throughout strongly represents the variations in class and status between all characters as the gladiators are lowest, the guards are middle and the upper class very much the highest.
    The most effective editing in this scene is when the black character has the most of the screen showing his superiority but we still see the upper class in the background although not the focus they are still prominent and signifying his lack in class. The cuts from the box with the gladiators in to the upper class who are casually chatting shows a strong contrast in class the cutting speed slows down in the box which helps exaggerate the emotions of the lower class and then in the actual fighting scene the cutting speed increases with the tension.
     The first we see of the characters is immediately added to with the sound of drums and low trombones that almost sounds like a funeral march which makes the audience aware that there is danger ahead and implies that the characters walking are the ones in trouble of danger and so lower class, the men are then ordered into a box like animals showing their lack of status which is juxtaposed with diagetic sound. The contrasts of the gladiators not speaking at all, the guards barking orders and the upper class speaking freely about things other than the fighting that is about to take place shows the differences in status as the gladiators are clearly so affected by what is about to take place and the upper class see this as nothing worth speaking about which is also represented as they are laughing when leading up to the fight as these people are fighting for their death and they show little recognition for this. The diagetic sound of the battle going on outside the box adds tension whilst also reminding us of their lack in class as this is what they are going to be doing also. The polite applause of the upper class juxtaposed with the climax of music contrasts the significance of the death to the lower class and the simple entertainment to the upper class. When the two main characters are fighting we hear frantic strings that shows the frantic terror of the fighters.
     The dull and muted colour scheme that is present from the first shot shows the low class of the characters and the rags in comparison to the full outfits of the guards again suggest the low class of the gladiators and vulnerability. The higher class members are dressed in rich reds and purples which are usually associated with rich and royal people, this could be connected with Levi Strauss' Binary Opposites. The lower class characters being in the dark and the other higher class guards and upper class being in the light shows literally that the lower are in the dark of society. The lack of clothing when the gladiators remove their rags signifies their vulnerability although they are muscley they are very much being exploited to the onlookers of the higher class. The mise en scene of the upper class playing with their hair as they look down onto the lower class who are playing with life and death shows the contast in status. The black character although wearing little, is wearing white which symbolises purity and could possibly be linked to the fact he doesnt kill the other man, it is also possible the size of weapons represents phallic symbollism and a signification of lower class. The final part of the scene shows blood squirting onto the upper class which represents and increases our dislike for them.

Preliminary Exercise

 Our preliminary exercise was called Waiting, the storyline consisted of a blind date which had a man waiting, a woman rushing to meet him and them instantly connecting as soon as she arrives. We used a variety of shots and the short film was constructed throughout school using the road, stairs and sixth form cafe. We used copyright free music to help the suspense and emotion of the film.

The first thing we did was brainstorm ideas for storylines and settings and then, once we had decided, we began to put our ideas of what we wanted to include onto a list and ordered them chronologically. Then we made this into a storyboard by placing different parts of the story into different boxes  showing how the film would flow and what would happen when and added extra information that might help us when filming. The next step was to add some dialogue and so we created a script so we were organised for filming and could organise things promptly particularly regarding the actors.
 When it came to filming we stuck to the plans really well and organised our time wisely giving different jobs to different people so we were using the time we had effectively. We shot the film in around 2 hours and shot extra shots just incase as the actors only had this time free. We shared the workload equally regarding filming and direction.

 FEEDBACK:
After watching editing our film we showcased it to the others and got feedback. Instantly from watching it on the big screen it was obvious things needed to be changed, particularly the audio. Our audio had been turned down too quiet which affected the overall film and really the audio we had chosen needed to fit the mood more which was mentioned in the feedback. We also had lots of continuity errors as the film was shot over a free lesson and break so the noise and amount of people changed quite a bit which affected how realistic it was.


SUCCESS:
- storyline, it was mentioned a few times that the story of the film was unique
- camera shots, we also had compliments on our range of camera shots
- editing, in particular the split screen which only we used seemed to be liked
- the mystery character, we made sure you could not see the face of the girl in the film until the end which added to the story and made it more dramatic.. possibly

FAILURES:
- camera, due to the weather a lot of the shots were overpowered by rain and the girl didnt really fit in when wearing a skirt in the pouring down rain, this also lead to a slightly shaky camera
- continuation, this was our main downfall and possibly with more time or maybe more time editing this could have been improved this also applies to..
- audio, we definitely should have done a pre recorded audio of the voices to compliment the film

WHAT I WILL LEARN FROM THIS
- planning is key, our successes in this were definitely due to the time we spent planning
- editing, we possibly should have spent more time editing than filming as this would have meant our major downfalls that were sound and continuation could have been resolved
- acting, I think if we had of had better actors the overall quality of the film would have been improved even if the acting was not marked

Skins Feedback

Brad and Elliott
:-) Good use of images
:-) Good use of terminology
:-) Good links to theories/binary opposites
:-( Make more attractive, gifs? videos? (our video broke)
:-( Could use more on editing/mise-en-scene/music, although what is there is good
- From this feedback I can see that next time I, we, need to try and include more Gifs, another group included loads of Gifs and this made their presentation instantly more interesting throughout. There were comments on a video, however, we did have a video but we had a technical issue with the speakers, this video complimented the presentation very well and it is a shame it didnt work. It is also mentioned that we need to say more about editing or mise-en-scene.

Could make it better presented and more interesting also mention camera shots and sounds.
Nicely laid out.
Good use of pictures.
Good technical language.
From this feedback I can see we need to concentrate on camera shots and sounds which we did, admittedly, not cover that well. However, I am sure the first comment contradicts the next two!?

Terminology is well used
Need more on mise-en-scene
Mise-en-scene needs to be used more by the sounds of this really detailed feedback..

Jacob and Sarah
Character pictures, clear, informative
Titles? Layout not too good
Huge chunks of text, break it up
A bit brief
Good inclusion of all theories
Doesnt finish well
By the sounds of things here we need to break up text and conclude the presentation which are fair points. ( There were titles but ok)

To reflect on my own performance so far, I personally think our presentation was effective and we put a lot of effort into the presentation and worked well till we believed it was the best it could be. I think at the beginning of the Media course I didnt put as much effort into my blog for example as some other people did this could be because the stress of all the subjects and in particular A LEVELS we had just been faced with which was a bit daunting, However, I think now I am/have put a lot more effort into my blog which will help my learning. I think me and Roo worked well as a pair and  we didnt hardly bicker at all, suprisingly, the most important and rewarding thing we did was take time in the deciding of which tv drama we were going to use and after deliberation and choosing Skins this really did benefit us as it was something we were both interested in and knew quite a lot about.

Skins.

 

Levi- Strauss Binary Opposition Theory

Hero v Villain

Skins adopt the ‘hero v villain’ structure that was highlighted by Levi Strauss. The episode we analyzed was based around a conflict between two characters. Levi Strauss said that the conflict was between two 'binary opposites 'however skins doesn’t adhere to this, as the conflicting characters share similar qualities. This is probably the cause of their disagreements and eventually the fight, as their both ‘alpha male’ characters’.

Propp’s Character Types Theory:

 

 

 

Hero- COOK

Cook although the hero strongly subverts typical hero stereotype with opposite characteristics. He’s an overconfident, lively character with a personality you’ll either love or hate. The director uses his personality to spark the conflict that later unravels in the episode. The episode begins with Cook showing the prominent features of his personality being rowdy and singing loudly The Ace of Spades, the episode finishes with him singing this again after all the drama is brought to a close as the director chooses that he sings "its all a game to me" which shows his carefree personality that has resulted in the disruption of this episode. Cook is also your typical male stereotype; he is the ‘alpha male’ of the group and lacks any sign of femininity. He’s interested in fighting, drinking and women and fits right into the stereotypical mould for a young male.

Watch video - Making of episode 2 - Skins - E4.com

Villain- GANGSTER

Adheres to the typical stereotype of a villain possessing characteristics such as threatening, violent and dangerous, However, this villain is a scrawny looking man who is constantly surrounded by larger men to protect him. Although at first he would seem very masculine as the episode develops we see him doing a speech on stage where he shows a feminine side and then goes onto get upset and sensitive about Cook singing to his daughter, this shows his feminine side which fits his vulnerable build but not his oversized ego.

Donor- UNCLE

Provides the hero with drugs which is ultimately yet not traditional “magical” object that will help them complete their quest of having a good night

False hero- FREDDIE

Although not doing this nastily he is ultimately wanting to get the princess the hero is out to get, and often goes along with things he is doing that are bound to end badly, he also strongly disagrees with what the hero is doing although this brings the hero happiness. Freddie creates disputes on various occasions in this episode as he confronts Cook about sleeping with Effy when JJ liked her, he also shouts at Cook later in the episode when they flee the party. It is obvious from the beginning of the episode that Freddie is uncomfortable with Cook and his actions, it is also obvious he has strong feelings for Effy as there are numerous scenes that are slowed down of him staring at Effy.

Helper- JJ

A quiet and timid character that is constantly there for hero and false hero although he may be ill treated, we do not see much of JJ until he is in the brothel and he shows how he is quite the opposite to Cook who acts like he has been here before and is comfortable here, it is obvious JJ does not want to be in this situation but he does everything to please the more dominant characters JJ and Freddie.

Princess- EFFY

Also subverts the typical princess stereotype as she is a “grungey” girl who shares many characteristics of the hero, that are bad, and manipulates both hero and false hero.

 

 

 

Todorov’s Theory of narrative equilibrium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equilibrium- The beginning is a balanced state where although not much is happening regarding the party, there is no trouble or disruption and the scene is that of a calm one although you can sense disruption is approaching

 Disruption- The party fails and a new party is to be found, once in it is obvious the disruption is about to approach as there are hints that the gangster and hero are about to clash with threatening talk as soon as the hero enters, and then the pinnacle of the disruption when the hero sings to the gangsters daughter and ultimately starts a fight, the disruption continues when Freddie confronts Cook as he disagrees with what he is doing and how he has to bail him out all the time and put himself in danger. The pinnacle of the disruption is when Cook nearly hits innocent JJ from the aggressive state he has reached due to drugs.

Recognition of disruption- Cook realises he has done wrong and how much he appreciates the friendship of Freddie, he goes to his house and convinces him to hear him out.

Attempt to repair- Cook attempts to repair the realtionship by recognising his errors and apologising which he does successfully and the friendship is back to a new equilibrium

New equilibrium- Freddie and Cook are now friends as the night is over and everyone is away from danger, however, the gangster is still onto Cook as we see from the “Next time” clip as that situation is still left over from other episodes.

Narrative Structure

The episode uses a ‘linear' narrative structure This means the storyline unravels in a chronological order. There are no flashbacks or jumping around in time. The structure is fairly basic and regular; instead I think the director has focused on the storyline instead of focusing too much on the structure.

The narrative structure is fairly mainstream and in fact typical of that that would be used in a Hollywood film. For example the story works as a chain; everything has its purpose and links neatly together. The whole story is fleshed out around a bunch of enigmas and resulting solutions, e.g. ‘the fight’ and the ‘fall out with Freddy’ then the making up. A high level of narrative closure is used too. At the end of the episode we see cook have a talk with Freddy and their differences settled, leaving everything on a good note. However the whole gangster issue is left unresolved, but this is because it’s continued further down the series. And finally the episode is driven by slightly stereotypical but largely believable characters, with clear goals.