Representation

Throughout this lesson, we learnt about representation. Representation is defined as "How individuals represent themselves in groups and issues.

Stereotypes are formed when you see something which is common in society and when you see something which is similar you refer it to the common object before. It acts as a "visual shortcut" for an audience (This makes it easier to understand a character).

Archetypes are the ultimate stereotype. This specific representation goes into detail on a stereotype, so an example of this would be a "Brainless blonde bimbo". This would be a prime example as we would stereotype a character as stupid if there natural hair colour was blonde and they were caked in make up.

A countertype is the confusion of a stereotype. A character could be stereotyped as stupid, but as soon as you begin to develop an understanding of the character, you could realise that your stereotype of the character is the complete opposite of what the characteristics of that character is.

Camera Angles

Close up: This shows a little bit of the setting, but it focuses on the characters face in detail or it can show the most important character in the scene.

Birds eye view: This shows a scene from overhead or above a setting. In this particular picture you can see the overview of my garden and what it looks like from this perspective.

Extreme close up: This makes the object magnified beyond the point to how we would visualise it, we would normally see less detail as we are not concentrating on one part of the body/face.

Long shot: A shot to show the comparison between a character and another object/character. In this example you can see the comparison between my height and the bed side cabinet.



Eye level shot: In this particular shot you can see the other character from a humans perspective and detail, this creates effect as the audience can see it from their perspective.

Medium shot: This shot ensures that the audience are specifically focused on one individual character and what they are doing. It also focuses on the detail of a character.




Sound and Meaning

In this lesson we learnt about various key points which surround Sounds.

A direct address is when a character speaks directly to the audience about their thoughts of feelings. This engages the audience as they know what he/she is feeling while the other characters sometimes do not.

Diegetic sound is when a specific sound comes from the actual film and it isn't a voice over. So for example, the sound of a gun or a scream would be a diegetic sound as the characters in the film will hear the noise.

Whereas a Non Diegetic sound  is a sound in which the characters don't hear the noise, so this would be either a voice over or a song to create the scene. It would be something which you can hear as an audience, but none of the characters are able to hear it, an example of this would be a backing track to a tension building scene.

A voiceover is a commentary on either the film or another subject as the scenes continue. They are normally not accompanied by a synchronised image while the Narrator is forming the words.

Sound bridges are a sound or song which plays continuously from one scene to another. This creates a smooth transition as the frames flow effectively. This enhances the continuity throughout the entire film.

A parallel sound makes sure that the image and the soundtrack complement each other, so this means choosing the correct soundtrack for a specific scene.

The contrapuntal sound is the complete opposite of a parallel sound, so a soundtrack which doesn't complement the scene. This could be effective because you could think that a scene is filled with happiness when it could be confused with a tension building scene.

Mise en scene

In this particular lesson we learnt about Mise en scene, which is a French term which means "Put into a scene or frame". A prime example of this could be visual information which is essential to a specific audience.

The focal points of Mise en scene are Set, Design and Space, Make up and Hair, Costume, Facial Expressions and Body Language, Lighting and Colour, and finally the positioning of each character. Each of these items have different effects to the reaction of the audience, and they can also have hidden meanings which are there for the audience to think about every perspective of a story.

The Set, Design and Space are key when Mise en scene is included in a scene. This particular point is important as it is more of a setting/ location rather than a background. In each individual scene made, they have to make the setting original as it gives the scene a distinctive appearance. The audience can be manipulated as the angles of the camera can make a large character seem small or a large character seem small. This is why space is an important factor of Mise en scene.

The Costume, Hair and Make Up can make an audience stereotype a certain character as soon as they visualise them. The producers will sometimes make the characters stand out to make sure that the audience know that the character is important and that it's key to focus on them. You can also see what time period the film/ programme was created and what the culture is.

The Facial Expressions and Body Language of a character brings out each individual emotions and thought. The body language could have an effect as the character could be gritting their teeth, which symbolises that the character is angry, but if the backing track was more joyful, then this would confuse the audience as the character is shown as angry but the backing track makes him seem happier in this sense.

The composition is key when using Mise en scene. the positioning of each frame will focus on one specific item or character which is important so the audience are given a hint of what's happening, this could also make a connection between two characters seem obvious.

The colour of a scene can give a particular feel, mood or look. This is because each colour can symbolise something. For example, blue is a colour which is seen as calm or peaceful, whereas red is seen as angry and being evil, so it gives it that dramatic effect.

Low key and High key lighting also create a scene. Low key lighting is where you have darker shadows so it gives the scene more of a dark and descending effect. High key lighting is the complete opposite, so something that is bright and colourful which creates a feeling of happiness in a scene.

Golden rules for a successful blog

For this blog I am going to list down some rules so that by the end of this year I will have completed a well-constructed blog.

Rule Number one:

I need to make sure that my blog has a completed construction with clearly signposted responses to the evaluation questions. This is an important rule as candidates failed to label their work specifically.

Rule Number two:

This blog has to be well organised and it must include tags, making the navigation more accessible. Work that is created during class shouldn't be included on this blog.

Rule Number Three:

Research and planning are two key points to creating a successful blog. The blog must include lots of embedded videos and audios, with annotated images. There should be a prolonging improvement in each individual blog.

Rule Number Four:

There should be an on-going record of progress throughout the entire blog. The work shouldn't be left until the last moment and individual blogs should be completed over a period of time.

Rule Number Five:

Centers are encouraged to get candidates to analyse contemporary products, including uploading photos which have been edited to analyse. The work should have recorded weaknesses and strengths of each individual blog and the improvements which have been made.

Rule Number Six:

The blog must include peer feedback and group responses. This could be used as an audience question to enhance the completed product.

Rule Number Seven:

The work must include a range of formats which have been used creatively. The evaluation could include PowerPoint, Prezi, Video, and Audio and embedded documents to support the work. Including things such as integrating a screen shot in the blog.

Rule Number Eight:

The use of digital technology is required to finish the blog successfully. Making sure that that the responses are relevant is key when answering the question. Also, a variety of Media forms would create a successful product.

Rule Number Nine:

A strong depth of understanding of the question which features YouTube video responses will be key for getting a better final product. The blogging should include "a full interactive multimedia experience" so this includes navigation, sophistication of work, and different formats of work, group work and creative pieces.

Rule Number Ten:

The work should be consistent and it should show a creative journey or work and experiments throughout the entire course.

Social Class of Audiences and Qualitative and Quantitative studies

 

There are various different Media perspectives and what shows were the most and least popular. The word "Genre" specifically means a film/programme which is put in a category of similar plot perspectives. When creating an advertisement, the producers will focus on two groups, these are "Niche" and "Mass" groups. A "Niche" group is focused on a small group of people. For example, people who like Soap Operas could be classed as a small audience. A "Mass" group will focus around large areas of people. An example of this would be people who watch television as this would be classed as a large audience. It can also be dependent on the social class of a family. We have a set of classes which are Group A, Group B, Group C1, Group C2, Group D and Group E. This varies from Doctors to young children who are unemployed. This can have a particular effect on the target audience as the programme might be too sophisticated for a particular audience, therefore they have to consider these "Classes".

We researched into different online websites which advertised television programmes and movies. The "American Broadcasting Company" (ABC) promote series such as Wipe-Out, Secret Millionaire and The View.

We also learnt the meaning of Quantitative and Qualitative. The Quantitative study will focus on number based topics, and the questions will be closed to create the designated answer. Qualitative studies will analyse existing products and create open questions which will leave a wide range of answers, also leaving it to interpretation.

We then moved on to what perspective the audience see's the production as. Some audiences can be classed as "Critics" due to their high standard of analogy. This particular audience will also focus on other publicity such as text in magazines and Advertisements on television.

Genre Expectations and Codes

I have learnt what "Genre Expectations" is. The genre specifically focuses around the target audience and they make sure that they can catch the audience's attention by using different techniques. An example of this could be horror, they would use part of a tension building scene which increases the intensity of the advertisement. As technology develops, the films might become more interesting as the standards of quality and detail in the production are becoming increasingly high.

I also learnt the definition of codes and the different types of codes used in the filming industry. "Codes" are a group of signs which develop meaning to create certain emotions for each particular film. The codes are sub-categorized into technical and symbolic codes. Technical codes consist of the equipment used to tell the story from every perspective. Symbolic codes focus on the expressions of each character to enforce meaning. To do this, they use different camera angles to make specific scenes stand out as more meaningful
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