MEDIA TECHNIQUES: MISE-EN-SCENE

MISE-EN-SCENE:

production design:location,studio,set,design,costume and make-up.props

• the overall look of a film that illustrates the setting and visual style of the story. this includes the design of the sets,location choices, choice and supervision props.

LIGHTING

• lighting plays an important part in creating the atmosphere in a film the amount of light and direction of the light source can give meaning to the viewer of the film.e.g. lighting can be used to indicate the time of day.

KEY LIGHTING

• it is usually directed onto the main character. fill lighting can be added to soften the effect of shadows.

BACK LIGHTING

• it is used to create a silhouette. the character can be made to look mysterious due to the effect of the shadows. it can create a sense of impending doom and is often used in horror movies.

COLOUR DESIGN

• colour is one of the most important things in your scene because it can make it look completely different. the colour can be symbolic or suggestive.the colour differences can be used to suggest brightness or many different things. colour can make the audience feel various different emotions it is important for both film and marketing. e.g. in stores they use certain colours on their products to link them all in and sometimes to have the costumer hurry up.

PROGRESS REVIEW

 SEPTEMBER

• Use of media so far:
• 
• Last year in the first part of my media course i learned how to use premiere. when i was editing my product i learned how to add in credits and tittles add effects to my video, add in sounds, i also learned how to edit the sound to keep; on with the flow of my project and also add music.
• 
• during the production of my media product in the fist year of my media course i also learned how to use photoshop when i was creating a tittle and a company logo for my film. at first i had very minimal skills at using photoshop but as the year went on my skills where improved dramatically and i am sure that i will be able to put them to use during my A2 this year.
• 
• during the filming process last year when i was capturing the opening sequence of my film i was familiarised with the camera i learned how to focus it correctly and also how to use different shots and angles to create multiple affects.
• Improvements:
• add images to each

i have added relevant images to each of my post

• finish attack the block

i have finished my ‘attack the block’ trailer analysis

• add examples to back up therories

i have added examples to back up all my theories

• consider a hybrid genre to expand trailer appeal

i have decided to have to genres Drama/Crime

• capitals for tittles

i have put capitals in for all my tittles

Key TheoriesAL

TODOROV’S NARRATIVE THEORY

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. he believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern.

EQUILIBRIUM-where we first meet the characters. Disruption-where something happens to effect the characters lives. REALISATION-where the characters realise they need to fix the situation. DIS-EQUILIBRIUM- the characters have to deal with the situation and often try and fix it. NEW EQUILIBRIUM- everything is restored back to the way it was or in a better place than it was when it started.

BARTHES-ENIGMA & ACTION CODES

Roland Barthes was a semiologist: basically he was paid to look at ‘texts’ and decipher how they were put together. if you imagine a text like a ball of string.can it be unravelled in more than one way.

his idea was ‘texts’ could be: OPEN-(unravelled in different ways) CLOSED(there is only one thread to pull on) Barthes decided that the threads you pull on try and unravel meaning are called NARRATIVE CODES. these include ACTION & ENIGMA CODES.

ACTION CODES

Action codes are significant events which move the narrative on in a particular direction. it applies to any action that implies a further narrative action e.g. a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of this action will be.

ENIGMA CODE

enigma codes pose questions to the audience which are then answered shortly after or later on in the film. e.g. who is she? where is she going? why is she doing that? they refer to any element in a story that is not explained and therefore,exist as a enigma for the audience , raising questions that demand an explanation.

STRAUSS-BINARY OPPOSITIONS

Levi Strauss believed that the world was split into a series of binary opposites. this means that one thing can only be defined in relation to something it isn’t.e.g. so a hero is only a hero if there is a villain.

PROPP-CHARACTER CODES

Vladimir prop developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions ,which indicates that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to all media. what do you think the types might includes.

Hero: in every story there is a major character with whom the reader will normally associate most strongly and who is the key person around which the story is told.

The villain: the sharpest contrast against the hero is the villain,who struggles directly against the hero. the villain typically is morally bad, highlighting the goodness of the hero.

Princess: she may be the object which is deliberately sought by the hero, perhaps finding where the villain has taken her.

The helper: the hero is supported in his or her quest by a helper, who appears at critical moments to provide support.

The donor: the donor is a person who gives the hero something special,such as a magical weapon or some particular wisdom.

Dispatcher: an early role in the is that of the dispatcher who sends the hero on the mission.

False hero: a varient on the villain and a potential complication within the plot.whilst their motives may seem good at first it becomes clear they have villainous traits or are perhaps working for villain.

Princesses father: who constrains the princes or who may dispatch the hero on the mission to recuse her.

GENRE THERORY- DAVID CHANDLER

it was chandler who first identified that a genre is defined by conventions of content  (similar themes or setting) and form (including structure and style)

STEVE NEALE & JHON HARTLEY.

steve Neale added that it is not just repetition that makes a genre but they need to be different form each other to attract an audiences. Jhon Hartley stated that same text can belong to different genres at once.this adds to our idea of sub and hybrid genres.

key terminology

(Media product) means media text no matter weather it’s fiscal or written.

media tools-LIAR

L- language (codes&conventions) Media texts follow the same rules depending on the platform they use. TV&Film follow the rules of Visual Media.

-shot types_mise-en-scene_ editing_sound

I- institution- are the people who make the media texts. they can range from being big companies and conglomerates to small independent companies.

A- audience-people who listen/watch/read media texts are called the audience.audiences are grouped together by things such as their gender,age, how  much money they earn and their interest. institutions work hard to make their media text appeal to the right audience.

R- representation- the way real life is presented in the media is known as representation. groups of people, based on things such as aged, gender,race and social class, are often represented in a certain light so people begin to believe all people in that group are like that. this is called stereotyping.

MEDIA GENRE

Genre- we separate media into genre types.the word genre comes from the french word meaning type. media genes can apply to all different types of media product such as the horror film or the television “soap opera”. A genre can be recognized by it’s common set of distinguishing features. these features associated with genres style and content may be, e.g. -style,setting,characters,pops,colours and lighting

SUB AND HYBRID GENRES

genre can be more complex than one type at once. a sub genre category in a particular genre. like vampire movies in the genre horror. hybrid genre is two or more genres in the same text.such as a ROM-com (romantic & comment).

MEDIA NARRATIVE

in media studies,it is important to tell the difference between narrative and story. story=a sequence of events,known correctly as a plot.Narrative=the way those events are put together to be presented to an audience.

LINEAR NARRATIVE

as the name suggest. linear narratives follow a straight line. starting at the beginning ,moving to the middle and proceeding to the end of the story.

NONE LINEAR NARRATIVE

a none linear narrative is how a film uses different techniques to tell stories out of order to have a greater effect. e.g. flashbacks,out of sequence,dream sequences.

TECHNICAL AND SYMBOLIC CODES

TECHNICAL CODE-(signified): What something in an image technically is.this could be a character or a prop, a colour choice, language used, a camera shot or angle.

SYMBOLIC CODE-(signified): What the meaning or interpretation behind an image might be. such as the colour red representing danger, anger or passion, or a close up shot being used to show a characters emotions.

SHOT TYPES ANALYSIS-(PAID IN FULL)

MEDIA TECHNIQUES

camera shots,angle,movement and composition: SHOTS:stab;wishing shot,master shot, close-up,mid-shot,long-shot,wide shot,two shot,aerial shot. and variations of these.  ANGLE:high angle,low angle,canted angle.  MOVEMENT:pan,tilt,track,dolly,crane,steadicam,hand-held,zoom,reverse zoom.   COMPOSITION: framing,rule of thirds, –

DEEP & SHALLOW FIELD

• depth of field is the front-to-back range of focus in an image-that is, how much of it appears sharp and clear. in deep focus the foreground, middle-ground and background are all in focus.
• shallow focus is a photographic & crime matographic technique incorporating a small depth of field. in a shallow focus one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus. shallow focus is typically used to emphasise one part of the image over another.

FRAMING: keep the RULE OF THRIDS in mind when designing your shot. the viewers eye is drawn to the corrections of a frame, this is where your action should be taking place.

foreground/background: when designing a shot remember to keep in mind both the action in the foreground and the background.

establishing shot: an establishing shot was used here to set the scene for the movie and the environment it was set in. the establishing shot is usually used to introduce the viewers to were the story is going to be told.

extreme close up: an extreme-close up here is used to show emotion in the characters eyes. an extreme close up is always used to show the emotion of the character to emphasis a particular part of their body or to emphasis a particular object to keep the viewers attention.

medium shot: a medium shot was used here to introduce the audience to the main character and the setting. A medium shot is usually used to show the character from the waist up so the consumers can see them and a slight part of there surroundings.

wide shot: a wide shot was used here to show the atmosphere. wide shots are usually used to set the seen for the film or a new setting for the film.

two shot: a two shot is when two characters are in the same shot it can be used to show both of them in the frame at the same time usually t show the interaction between the two and sometimes emotions.

low angle shot: a low angle shot is normally used for showing characters power over the weaker one put in this instance it was used to show to characters conversing shot from all the way down the stairs as if they where having a private conversation.

over the shoulder shot: the over the shoulder shot is used from both directions is normally used to show that two characters are engaging in conversation or any form of contact and to show it from both views.

GROUP TRAILER ANALYSIS:ATTACK THE BLOCK

• Mise-en-scene
• this movie is set on a council estate in London, the trailer shows where they film is set to draw the audience in the mine-en-scene fits in with the whole theme of the film. the wardrobe choices for the characters is the typical dress code for teenagers in London especially the ones who are considered to live in the poorer areas such as council flats and also they are always a pack of boys riding on round on their peddle bikes which they show in the trial, it will relate to their target audience which will gain them more viewers.
• Sound
• the sound involved in the trailer includes a lot of grime music which is typical to the UK and normally listen to my the younger teenage generation. we also listen to them speaking slang in the trailer this also ties in with the whole counsel flat young theme of the movies
• 
• Editing
• the editing in the trailer involves very quick cuts to show the most exciting parts of the film and also to cut in some humour to show that the film has two genres involved this is done obviously to draw in the audience and entice them to go and watch the movie.
• 
• Camera
• the camera work in the trailer shows that the production crew and camera man have used many different shot types and angles to portray different affects to the audience and show the emotion of the characters as the trailer goes along and then also show the dominance of the monsters that are invading their block.
• 
• Genre
• the genre of this movie is sci-fi/comedy/action……….
• 
• Structure
• this trailer is structured in order so they show snippets of the film from start to the nearly the end put they do not give the film away because if the did that their would be no point watching it.
• 

INITIAL IDEAS

my initial idea for this product will be making a film trailer. my film trailer will be about two teenagers being left home alone for a weekend and they are tormented by the ghost of a little girl who died there ten years prior to them moving in.

G324: Advanced portfolio in media

A2-This is a coursework unit where candidates engage with contemporary media technologies to produce a media portfolio through a combination of two more media and then present their research , planning and evaluation in digital format. This is a development of the skills from unit G321 and is also internally assessed and externally moderated. this year i will be producing my main task and two ancillary task.

i have chosen to do a promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer a website homepage and a poster for the film.