28th Feb

mid-shot: from hips to head
medium close up: from shoulders to head
medium two shot: shoulder to head with 2 people
close up: from neck upwards
wide shot: shows setting more locally - narrow view of an establishing shot
establishing shot: shows you where its set
long shot: full body shot of a person
cantered/dutch: camera tilted on an angle

Steadicam - harnessed to body, creates seamless movement. counteracts body movement
Handheld - camera held manually - rare in TV drama

Representation lecture - Paul

The construction of reality through language - Laughey 2009

To represent = to stand for 

• a representation is not a replication of reality
• an interpretation of reality

Media images are often
-constructed
- re-presentation

- media images are rarely a mirror view.

• We're being fed an image by the media
• trust the media to report 'facts'
• interpretation of those facts can lead to endorsing a particular representation.
• issue further complicated by agenda, setting, gatekeepers (people who control the media and decide what we here), external influences (who owns the media) etc.

- Foucaults thesis on discourse - noted a link between power and language
therefore representation can be stereotyped, negative or inaccurate

Limits in
resources
time
limitations in the media

lead to

stereotypes
use of 'shorthand'

who is saying what to who with what purpose and with what effect?

producer - text - audience

Helpful books

John Storey - cultural theory and popular culture
Gill Branston and Roy Stafford - the media students book

Sound - 23rd Feb

micro features - smaller things that make up a scene i.e editing, sound, m-e-s

Sound

music can manipulate audiences emotions
sound can create moods, create a character or suggest something is going to happen

Entire soundtrack has 3 essential ingredients;

1. dialogue
2. sound effects
3. music

Diegetic sound - sound in the movie the actors can hear
Non-diegetic sound - sound added for the viewers benefit i.e voiceovers

verisimilitude - makes the scene more real to the viewer

Diegetic sound contributes to the realism

Foley - reproduction of everyday sounds for filming

Synchronous - in time ( see action and hear sound)
                      - i.e gunshot, clock ticking, walking

Asynchronous - can't see the source
                        - adds tension/drama

Sound effect - follows an action
                     - i.e psycho - shower scene
                     - may be musical

Sound motif - identify a character
                     - i.e Jaws

Sound bridge/Relap sound - portion of sound that covers a cut (invisible editing)

Dialogue - accents

Voice over

Mode of address - "breaking the fourth wall"
                           - talking directly to the audience
                           - direct or indirect - adds humour i.e Mrs Browns Boys

Sound mixing - e.g dialogue + music playing at the same time but emphasis on one
                        - (turn music down to hear talking)

Sound track/score - represents a particular age group
                             - goes along with film

Incidental music - alongside tension - sad feeling; sad music
                           - consance - harmony
                           - dissonance - on edge - unnatural; surrealism

Ambient sound - natural sound

Script writing

We started script writing and had to go into groups to do a task.

60 second screenplay - scene from TV Drama - any genre

RULES

• at least 10 camera shots
• no more than 10 words of dialogue
• drama will be built through use of camera language, framing, m-e-s, sound and editing

THE SCENARIO

2 friends A + B are waiting for an important text
phone rings - A answers it and reads the text
A shows the text to B. B reads the text and is visibly upset
B leaves, A is worried

• Need to have a broad outline

• talk about m-e-s, location, time of day, props etc

• Camera shots - consider composition, framing and movement of camera to create atmosphere

                                - try to convey mood/tone

• think about side effects

• Editing - pace, juxtaposition, visual effects to add tension? (Create a key for editing transitions?)

• Create a story board

Editing continued

• creates meaning
• refers to how shots are put together to create a media text

2 types - continuity and non-continuity

Continuity editing is about keeping a linear narrative and still makes sense.

Non-continuity editing (eg Momento) is not in a straight foreword order; non-linear narrative

• Guides you through the story line.
• Shows time by emphasising order, duration and frequency

*group power points*

Editing: the passage of time

Slow mo action is played slower than it is filmed.

Elipsis - show time changing i.e minutes to hours etc

montage: a lot of scenes happening at once e.g Ashes to ashes

expansion of time: making the scene last longer than it is e.g character wakes up and clock says 12:05, *10 minutes passes* clock says 12:06

Cutting

action match: cuts from one shot to another with same action

shot reverse shot - conversation. used in soap operas, over the shoulder shots.

eyeline match - shows a character looking off screen then cuts to show what they were looking at.

graphic match - 2 objects link to each other i.e psycho - eye to plughole

Jump cuts: an abrupt transition from 1 scene to another i.e 1 coffee cup to 2

Parallel editing: goes from 1 scene in one place to another scene to another place - same time 

e.g inception

Cross cutting: scenes ordered to go forwards or backwards in time

Insert: put a video clip over existing footage to make it more interesting

Transitions

Dissolve: a gradual transition from one image to another - overlapping transition

Cross fade: 1 fades out, other fades in

Fade in: shot starts dark and gradually lightens

Fade out: starts at full exposure and fades out

Wipe: shot replaced by moving to the side 

camera work

Shot type
Position
Angle
Composition
Depth of field
Movement

shot types:

• extreme long shot
• long shot
• medium long shot
• medium shot
• medium close up
• close up
• big close up
• extreme close up

Position

Camera is viewers eye in scene
the camera position also dictates the viewers relationship with the action or character in the scene.

Angles

• low angle
• high angle
• tilted angle (sometimes called 'dutch' or 'canted')
• birds eye view
• worms eye view
• eye level

Composition

rule of thirds

Depth of field

A frame's depth of field refers to the focal length

• deep focus: where a frame shows everything sharp or in focus
• selective focus: only certain things are in focus and the rest is blurred
• pull or 'rack' focus: when the focal point changes within the frame.

Movement

• pan
• tilt
• tracking
• crab
• crane
• handheld
• zoom lens

Basic camera angles

Over the shoulder shot:

views action or object of significance 

usually shows conversation

shot reverse shot

high angle:

confrontation

shows weakness

low angle:

shows power 

makes viewer feel vulnerable

Camera movement:

tracking shot:

shot using dolly or track and dolly

'track in' takes audience into action

'track out' - opposite

tilt:

up or down on axis

up - height or power - usually with point of view (p.o.v) shot

zoom:

alternative to tracking

changes focal length on camera

arc shot:

camera moves in circle or semi circle

see reactions of characters 

increases intensity

pan:

camera mounted on tripod

follows moving object - with p.o.v

crane:
attaches camera to crane
follows action in vertical direction

sideways track or crab:
follows movement
audience keeps pace with action

the 180 degree rule:
The camera is the viewer 

lighting:

editing terminology and definitions

Close-up (CU): A shot showing a detail only (ex., face only or hands only).

Cross-cutting: Cutting back and forth between two or more events or actions that are taking place at the same time but in different places. Cross-cutting is used to build suspense or to show how different pieces of the action are related.

Cut: An abrupt transition from one shot to another.

Cutaways: A cut away from the primary subject to something the filmmaker has decided is equally or more relevant at that time. Often cutaways consist of shots showing the reaction of one character to another. This is often used to compress time in what appears to be a seamless manner.

Dissolve: An overlapping transition between scenes where one image fades out as another fades in. Editors often use this to indicate a change in time and/or location.

Establishing Shot: A shot, usually taken from a distance, which establishes for the viewer where the action is to occur and the spatial relationship of the characters and their setting.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU): A detail of a close-up (eyes or mouth only, etc.).

Fade In: A shot that starts in darkness and gradually lightens to full exposure.

Fade Out: A shot that starts at full exposure and gradually fades to black.

Freeze-Frame: At a chosen point in a scene, a particular frame is printed repeatedly, given the effect of halting or "freezing" the action.

Jump Cut: A cut where two spliced shots do not match in terms of time or place. A jump cut gives the effect that the camera is literally jumping around.

Long Shot (LS): A shot taken at a considerable distance from the subject. A long shot of a person is one in which the entire body is in frame.

Medium Shot (MS): A shot framing a subject at a medium range, usually a shot from the waist up.

Reverse cutting: A technique alternating over-the-shoulder shots showing different characters speaking. This is generally used in conversation scenes.

Sequence Shot: An entire scene or sequence that is one continuous camera shot. There is no editing.

Enigma = mystery

Textual analysis - Klaroline

outside - forest - adventure
confrontation
he's angry - facial expression- body language
wearing black - dark, mysterious
she's wearing dark colours but lighter
she looks scared/nervous - submissive, backed against tree

man - dominant
women - submissive

Textual analysis - Bleakhouse

Period/costume drama - victorian era? (dress)
                                    - upper class
serious facial expression - dark under eyes - stressed.
ginger hair - temper
blue dress - sad
lower class setting - not where she belongs
                              - dark
                              - London? back street/pub

low key lighting - ominous
man in background - blurred - not significant
                                - wearing red - danger
candle? lit - near night - hope

Textual analysis - Skins

 

Genre: 

teen drama

setting: house party

people: teens

Narrative:

they're at a house party

wallpaper not fitting with age group

drugs? - boy 

not their house

Individual characters:

boy on drugs? - having fun

girl seems more aware/reserved

Who is being represented and how?:

teens

social class - students/teens

both genders

close up on faces

their faces are brightest - most important in scene

Girl cares more - make-up, more aware. 

not wearing much - revealing - lower class

not a positive representation

suggests teens like to party

everyone else looking at them - reinforces them as the focus

light colours - blue/green. 

girl wearing red - danger/passion

Representation

Representation is constructed.

your task is to deconstruct how it has been created using technical language

representation

• gender
• ethnicity
• age
• class
• race
• religion
• disability

questions

1. Who is being represented?
2. In what way are they being represented?
3. Who and why are they being represented in this way?
4. Is the representation fair and accurate?

How are women represented in Mr Selfridge?

While watching the clips in class, I noted that the only women on screen were shop workers. They were not portrayed either positively or negatively however as it was set in the 1900's, from historical knowledge, you are aware that women did not have any rights.

Putting theory into action: Mr Selfridge

We watched clips from the TV show Mr Selfridge (season 1, episode 1) and were asked to take notes.

First clip

• period/costume drama indicated by suits - older era - 1909 - London
• light setting is high key
• Mr Selfridge is always in front and in middle of the scene - important
• he seems confident/relaxed. everyone else nervous/stressed
• department store - boxes - new
• for rich people - jewellery 
• workers happy to see him/want to please him
• grand opening - important scene

Second clip

• raining - sets tone - England?
• low key lighting/dark
• all workers wearing black
• staff very reserved/nervous
• shop in dark colours
• "1 year earlier" - scouting out competition
• high class shop
• his costume is lighter than the rest - bringing light into it
• he's from America - accent

Mise en scène

Mise en scène corresponds to what is in the scene/frame. It is used to give a signal or highlight a hidden meaning.

There are 5 elements to Mise en scène;

1. Settings and props:
1. helps tell you the genre
2. setting the scene/location
2. Costume/hair/makeup 
1. indicator of characters status, personality or career
2. tells you the year
3. signify an individual i.e Spiderman
3. Facial expressions/body language
1. sense of emotion
2. reflect a relationship
4. Lighting and colour
1. signify and reflect mood
2. shows how you should feel/how characters feel
5. Composition
1. attention to important characters/objects
2. adds significance 

The genre of drama

The different sub-genres of drama are:

• Teen drama
• Soap opera
• Costume/Period drama
• Medical/Hospital drama
• Police/Crime drama
• Docu-drama

The exam

There are 2 sections for this exam, section A and section B which in total will last for 2 hours and are both worth 50 marks.

Section A: Textual Analysis (TV Drama)

• 30 minutes of viewing a clip.
• ALWAYS about representation. 

Representation i.e camera angles, shot movement, composition, mise en scène, sound, special effects and editing.

Section B: 1 compulsory question based on a case study

• Process of production, distribution, marketing, exchange and exhibition. 
• local national/international level.
• British - some emphasis on own experience.