Friday, 16 December 2016

Evaluation question (visualisation diagram)

RTFQ

1. Introduction:
-state why visualisation diagram is effective (what it is (illustration) to represent the design layout of the final product supported with annotations) the introduction neeeds to show that understand what the product is and what the pre production document is

2. Effective features of a visualisation diagram:
-explain why feature is effective, supported with examples from the brief, colours based on scenrio, and why, what illustrations, and why, what font style and why, 5 examples

3. Ineffective features:
-2 examples

4. Conclusion
-overall a xyz is an effective tool to  be used in the pre-production of a xyz

Story Boards:

(Promotional Video)
-Location information
-camera movement arrows
-Logo (title graphic)
-Slogan
-Soundtrack
-Product should be a close up
-non-diegetic music, in every frame (promos have music)
-each frame needs atleast 4, clear, consistent, technical features


Wednesday, 14 December 2016

LO6

Level 1
0-5
Level 2
6-10
Level 3
11-15
Level 4
16-20

Intro:
-opinion/answer to the question
-say what the product you are studying is
-give the name of the product/audience/regulator
-say how you will structure it

Discuss the potential media effects of a media product you have studied.

Discuss the regulatory guidelines for a media product you have studied.

5 theories (3 negative 2 positive) / 5 regulatory  relate to some theory


Tuesday, 13 December 2016

LO6: Media effects and regulation

LO6 is all about legal and ethical. The two areas which are discussed are regulation(guidelines), and social/moral (effects/impacts of media products).

Discuss the potential media effects of the audiences of a media product you have studied. Or discuss the regulatory guide lines associated with a media product you have studied.

Need to write an argument/debate with two sides.

Media effects:

Passive audience theory:
Impact of content on younger audience
-effects
-offence
Hypodermic syringe theory
Uses and gratifications (McQuail 1972)
-escapism
-personal relationships
Negative stereotypes:
-Mulvey (1975) male gaze
-Turton (2014) Asian and black are trouble makers
-Alvarado (1987) Ethnicity, pities, humorous,
Anderson (2007) exposure to violent video games can lead to changes in brain function (desensitisation)
Copy cat violence
A MORAL PANIC - when the media demonises a certain product (the dark knight) if a group of journalists, psychologists, and people group together against the product.
Folk Devil

Active audience theory:
Hall (1980) Encoding/Decoding
-dominant
-negotiated
-oppositional

"Media effects are predominately negative." Discuss the statement based on a media product you have studied.

-Give your opinion to the answer to the question (debate)
-Tell me the product + specific audience + regulator
-Tell me how you are going to structure your essay




Tuesday, 6 December 2016

LO3: Production Techniques

Production Techniques, need linking to meanings.

Mise-en-scene:
What you see in the shot, costume, lighting(low-key/high-key), location/iconography (time period, where we are), gestures, props, actors.

Mise-en-scene meaning, binary opposition (Levi Strauss 1958) narrative theory opportunities.

Mise-en-scene can also connect to sub-genre (Barry Keith Grant 1995), location and iconography, for example sci-fi films, a shot would show a futuristic landscape.

Acting gestures, stock characters Propp (1928).

X-Men days of future past example find out.

X-Men days of future past uses low-key lighting in the future fight scene, where the mutants battle with robot assassins sent to kill them. The whole setting is dark, which connotes danger and death. The robot assassins themselves due to lighting have been made out to be the darkest characters in the film, which connotes that they are the most dangerous and possibly the most evil. Meanwhile the characters which are fighting the robot assassins are presented with high key lighting, which makes them look bright which connotes goodness. (Binary opposition Levi Strauss 1958, good vs evil).

X-Men days of future past also uses costume to show the reader that Wolverine has travelled back to 1973. The character Quicksilver wears a pink floyd t-shirt, which is a band which was very popular in the 70s, and the director makes the audience recognize this, becuase it is important that they know that Wolverine has travelled back in time, since it is important that the story line makes sense. This connects to the sub-genre (Barry Keith Grant 1995) of "time-travel", which is usually within the genre "Sci-Fi".

Mise-en-scene - what is included - relate to film meaning.
Camerawork - pick three key scenes.
Identify techniques - relate to film meaning.
Editing - same key scenes - continuity techniques.
Sound - diegetic, non diegetic - effect and impact.

MICRO Production techiniques
MACRO Meaning
Genre
Narrative + Story
Representation characters

Camerawork:
Shot types:
-Close-up
-Medium Close-up
-Extreme Close-up
-Long-shot
-Aerial-shot
-Establishing shot (wide shot)
-Mid shot
-Extrmeme Long Shot
-Two Shot
-Over the shoulder shot
-Crowd shot

Angles:
-dutch angle (connotes confusion)
-low angle
-high angle
-eye-level shot

Movements:
-track forward
-track backwards
-tracking (side)
-tilt shot
-panning shot
-hand held
-zoom

Composition:
-rule of thirds
-shallow depth of field (something in the foreground or background is in focus everything else blurred, connotes importance)
-deep depth of field

X-Men: Days of Future Past uses Camera Movements such as a tracking shot, and a dutch angle in the scene when Quicksilver runs incredibly fast, and the film slows down time to show what its like from his perspective when hes going so fast. Quick Silver runs on the floor, and the tracking shot follows him. The jacket that you see is silver, which makes the audience think of his naem "Quick Silver". The director has used this iconography of Quick Silver because the film fits into the Super Hero Theory (Barry Keith Grant 1995).

Editing Techniques:
Continuity:
-(Invisible)
-Shot-reverse-shot
-Insert
-Action match
-Eye-line-match
-Cross cutting

Non-Continuity:
(Notice the editing)
-Montage
-Flashback
-Flash forward

In X-Men Days of future past, the film incorporates flash backs and flash forwards, which are non-continuity techniques. The character who has the flash backs is wolverine, becuase of his traumatic past. The flash backs link to Tim O Sullivan et al. (1998) theory who thinks all media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves, which I think is saying, that some people can relate to Wolverine, becuase they also had a traumatic past (and may also have flash backs) which makes him appeal more as a character, since he learns how to over come his problems.

Sound:
Diegetic
Sound effects - foley
Ambrient and off screen sound
Wild track
-diaglogue - accent line - mode of adrdresss

Non-diegetic
-Theme music
-Incidental music
-Narrative
-Sound motif
-Sound bridge (invisible editing technique)

X-Men Days of Future Past uses Diegetic sound when Quicksilver puts his headphones in and listens to Pink Floyd. The Diegetic sound gets louder, as if the audience is hearing what Quicksilver is listening to. This again links to Barry Keith Grants theory, since the song links to the fact that they are in the 70s.







LO2: Advertising

Media Product: X-Men Days of Future Past
How it can be advertised: Trailers on YouTube (because that's where people go to watch trailers, would appear on videos, related to marvel, or super heroes, or action videos), Trailers on TV (would appear on channels which feature action films or a channel which features sci-fi films), Billboards (would be located near areas where the target audience would be, for example near video shops or cinemas), Magazine Posters (Magazines about action films), Newspaper posters. Pop-up adds (on websites related to superheroes or Marvel).


Wednesday, 16 November 2016

LO6

2 main areas when media effects are discussed:

Theories that can be applied to each area:

Give an example of a media text that caused a 'moral panic'.

BBFC:
They give age rating o films.
To 'protect' the public from violen or inappropriate content.
Used o be called British Board of Film Censors...changed its name in 1984.


From the early 80s, home videos emerged (VHS), BBFC realised that they can not control what people watch at home.

Video Recording Act 1984.
The video recording act came about due too 'video nasties'. The people wanted to watch incredibly gory content, because they couldn't watch them at the cinema, so they bought the films instead. Films were not rated at the time. Even though they do not block films, they still sometimes need to ask the producer to cut out certain scenes, in order to give them an 18 rating.

5 examples of content from my film that support or go agains t he regulatory guidelines for the age classification.





Tuesday, 15 November 2016

LO6: Media Effects

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/aug/05/politicsandthearts

-Dark Themes
-Mental Healh
-Psychopathic
-Sadistic

Do I agree with the article?

a) PASSIVE AUDIENCE THEORY

Hypodermic syringe - implies that media has a negatice impact. Mass audience believe everyhing they/hear (Adorno and Horkheimer).

In the 1940-50's, the mass media were percieved as an extreme influence towards audiences adapted behaviour. This was linked to rise of advertising and consumerism.

This model does not hold much positivity for the audience, however it is a good method for a meia producer, politicians and also towards the use of marketing.

In 1975 Vance Packard looked at the relationship between advertising and media effects in his book the 'Hidden Persuaders'.

He believed the media were condiioning people o want products and services with the rise of consumerism.

When the 'mass media' demonise groups, people or products they beleive become a threat to society, values and inerests it is called a 'moral panic' (Stanley Cohen, 1972).

The group/products are referred to as 'folk devils'.

Violence in the media

Anderson (2007) that high exposure to fast-paced violent games can lead to changes in brain function when processing violent images, incluing dapening of emotional resposes to violence. One of the high risk factors?

This is known as desensitisation.

Ferguson (2012) showed no long term link over three years.

Three media products that have ben critiised for being too violentnegatie impact.

Copycat violence.

1. A clockwork orange.
This film features a scene when a gang rapes a woman, while singing "singing in the rain" inspired a real-life gang rape where they sang singing in the rain. There was also a man who dressed as droog who assaulted a woman.
Image result for clock orange

2. Grand Theft Auto IV
3. Marlyn Manson

Representation
Who is being represented
All representations are mediated (Hall, 1980).
Is there use of stereotypes/countertypes (Perkins, 1979). Not all steriotypes are negative.
Represntaion of woman - are they objectified (Mulvey, 1975). Representation of men (Earp and Katz, 1999) - 'equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence'.
Represenation of gay poeple (Butler, 1993) - are they steriotypical.

Alvardo (1987), Hall (1995) - ethnicity 'exotic, dangerous, humorous, pitied'.

Turton (2014) - hooligans, trouble causers.  Teenage, Black and Asian boys.

Lloyd (1995) girls as 'double deviant' - trouble causers bu shouuldn't be because they are 'women'

X-Men: DOFP Critisms, violence

Jeniffers lawrences body.

b.) ACTIVE AUDIENCE THEORY

Other school of thought - we are able to filter and adapt to onent in media (Gauntlett, 1995) - backwards...

We have uses and gratification (McQuail, 1972) theory - people use media for their own purposes?

Provides a more positive outlook on the effects of media.

Hall (1980) encoding / decoding model.

Preferred reading - by audience depending on their background but accepts the dominant viewpoint/story.

Negoitiated reading - partially agrees with meaning

Oppositional reading - meaning understood but don't agree and think opposite.

Aberrant - gets the completely wrong meaning entirely.

Positive effecs of X-Men: DOFP?
What can it be used for? Any messages?

Identiy the potential impact of a media product you have studied on the audience