Wednesday 11 May 2011
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Representation of own product - P1-04
1) Who and what is being represented? AND 2) How is that representation being created?
In our music video we are representing the indie kids of the UK. Although Butch Walker is Canadian our video is depicted as a UK version so this is why we would represent indie kids of the UK. People who follow the indie trend would most likely listen to a lot of indie bands and wear the same sort of clothes as their indie music stars so by the way we dress in the video we are representing this type of group. The lyrics in the song also help the representation of indie people as they may relate to the indie lifestyle these people live - i.e. playing guitar, partying, fighting, drugs, lazy, skinny jeans.
3) Why did you create the representation in that way? What was your intention?
We created the representation in this way as we wanted to appeal to the target audience. We wanted to show our representation through the type of music, the lyrics and the visuals in the music video. Our intention was to come across as an indie band who appealed to the indie kids of the country.
4) What is the effect of the representation?
In our music video we are representing the indie kids of the UK. Although Butch Walker is Canadian our video is depicted as a UK version so this is why we would represent indie kids of the UK. People who follow the indie trend would most likely listen to a lot of indie bands and wear the same sort of clothes as their indie music stars so by the way we dress in the video we are representing this type of group. The lyrics in the song also help the representation of indie people as they may relate to the indie lifestyle these people live - i.e. playing guitar, partying, fighting, drugs, lazy, skinny jeans.
3) Why did you create the representation in that way? What was your intention?
We created the representation in this way as we wanted to appeal to the target audience. We wanted to show our representation through the type of music, the lyrics and the visuals in the music video. Our intention was to come across as an indie band who appealed to the indie kids of the country.
4) What is the effect of the representation?
- Representation has an effect to distinguish different types of groups/cultures/interests.
- It allows people to be part of a type of group and to express themselves.
- Allows directors/actors to portray their feelings towards certain types of people/representations.
Representation...
1) Who And What Is Being Represented?
In our music video we are representing the artist in a love story narrative. We focused on the lyrics to create imagery that matched what was being said. Therefore, the artist was represented in a serious and romantic role.
2) How Is That Representation Being Created?
We created this representation mainly through the choice of mise-en-scene. The setting was very important while filming our video. We analyzed the lyrics closely before filming and noticed that they mentioned nature a lot for instance "lakes and seas". So we then chose artistic and natural locations such as a forest, a river and around traditional cambridge architecture to film. These places had a romantic feel about them where you can imagine couples exploring together therefore they linked to the love story theme.
3) Why Did You Create The Representation In That Way? What Was Your Intention?
We wanted the settings to have a romantic connotation so that the audience interpret the surroundings as romantic places to be. Some people may see the image without any meaning for instance just a forest or just a riverbank but viewers with an artistic eye and romantic side to them will interpret the setting how we intended it to be seen.
4) What Is The Effect Of The Representation?
The intended audience of our song and music video we think is females. This is because the lyrics are a girl expressing her feelings about her love interest and comparing his beauty to nature. We chose to represent the artist as a mature teenage girl.
The majority of girls dream about a fairytale romance because they are influenced by love stories in films and television programmes, that's where their knowledge of romance comes from.
In our music video we are representing the artist in a love story narrative. We focused on the lyrics to create imagery that matched what was being said. Therefore, the artist was represented in a serious and romantic role.
2) How Is That Representation Being Created?
We created this representation mainly through the choice of mise-en-scene. The setting was very important while filming our video. We analyzed the lyrics closely before filming and noticed that they mentioned nature a lot for instance "lakes and seas". So we then chose artistic and natural locations such as a forest, a river and around traditional cambridge architecture to film. These places had a romantic feel about them where you can imagine couples exploring together therefore they linked to the love story theme.
3) Why Did You Create The Representation In That Way? What Was Your Intention?
We wanted the settings to have a romantic connotation so that the audience interpret the surroundings as romantic places to be. Some people may see the image without any meaning for instance just a forest or just a riverbank but viewers with an artistic eye and romantic side to them will interpret the setting how we intended it to be seen.
4) What Is The Effect Of The Representation?
The intended audience of our song and music video we think is females. This is because the lyrics are a girl expressing her feelings about her love interest and comparing his beauty to nature. We chose to represent the artist as a mature teenage girl.
The majority of girls dream about a fairytale romance because they are influenced by love stories in films and television programmes, that's where their knowledge of romance comes from.
1B- Concept 5- Representation.
1. Who and What is being represented?- The main focus of our music video, showing who is being represented, is the artist and the band. The artist is being represented as he is the main singer therefore he is being shown as a natural performer being spontaneous. The genre of the song is indie-rock therefore we tried to fixate this into the music video through his personality by making him flamboyant.
2. How is that representation being created?
- Our choice of micro elements helps create our representation we wanted to achieve. Using our choice of cinematography such as long shots of the main artist shows his body language of how he chooses to behave. Another form of micro elements that show this is mise-en-scene. This includes costume and colour which portrays his character because the striking red trousers.
3. Why did you create that representation in that way? what was your intention?
- We created the representation in this particular way because we felt the main focus should contrast other objects in the frame e.g the two members of the band. This was important because it attracts the viewers attention allowing the main artist to stand out.
4. What is the effect of the representation?
- The production shows which factors play which role in the music video to represent a certain figure. In our music video, the genre of the song decided what factors we had to control for example, the way the artist dressed, acted and appeared on screen.References made in our video is a stereotype because we wanted the genre to match his onscreen appearance so we purposely made the song and artist link.
The reception encouraged us to attract a certain audience that have an interest in this genre of music which is indie/rock.
Representation
Who and what is being represented?
Kanye West is being represented as the main artist in the video. The whole video is based on a narrative that we created from the lyrics of the song. We used visual/lyrics, so what you hear is related to what you see on the screen. The song is about himself and how he regrets the past.
How is the representation being created?
The video is created around the narrative of the song. Representing the story line that Kanye is portraying. We used visual/lyrics to create more of an atmosphere for the viewer. They can see what they're hearing about and vise versa. Also allowing the audience to relate to Kanye.
Why did you create the representation in that way? What was your intention?
We created this representation to help the audience to engage with Kanye and understand why he is how he is.
Kanye West is being represented as the main artist in the video. The whole video is based on a narrative that we created from the lyrics of the song. We used visual/lyrics, so what you hear is related to what you see on the screen. The song is about himself and how he regrets the past.
How is the representation being created?
The video is created around the narrative of the song. Representing the story line that Kanye is portraying. We used visual/lyrics to create more of an atmosphere for the viewer. They can see what they're hearing about and vise versa. Also allowing the audience to relate to Kanye.
Why did you create the representation in that way? What was your intention?
We created this representation to help the audience to engage with Kanye and understand why he is how he is.
Concept 5 Representation
1) Who and what is being represented?
Adam is meant to be the confident, cocky, "cool" guy who is trying to get the girl. What is being represented is a funny attempt for Adam and his friends to win the girls heart, but get rejected. There is a competition between Jack and Harry as well, but it is clear that they are minor characters and Adam is the leader. The girl is not interested in anyone except Joe.
2) How is that representation being created?
This is being created by each character having their own turn to chat her up. Adam seems the most interested and tries the hardest to get her, even fighting for her at the end. Adam is shown as the leader by showing his daily activities before going to college. This lets the audience understand his character more. Also, when he is walking with Jack and Harry, he is in the centre, so is the focus of attention. The fact everything is over the top shows it is a comedy as no one would take things so seriously (such as Jack crying when she walks off, and the fight between Adam and Joe).
3) Why did you create the representation in that way? What was your intention?
The representation was created in this way as it suited the college location. Teenagers were used so it was natural to put them in a typical environment doing typical activities such as socialising and trying to pull a girl. We wanted it to have a comedy effect because the song was upbeat and a serious theme would not suit this, so we decided to have Adam's character be very lively and funny.
4) What is the effect of the representation?
The audience found Adam's character funny and the video appealed to a teenage audience due to the way Adam's character is portrayed and how he acts in a school environment. The audience get to know more about Adam because they get to see his daily routine and who he hangs around with. Adam is shown as a stereotypical "lad" as he is showing off and cocky, and his friends seem to just follow in his footsteps. The denotation of this music video is Adam at the beginning shown as a normal guy getting ready for college. The connotation is that he is actually quite cocky and thinks hes ''all that''.
Adam is meant to be the confident, cocky, "cool" guy who is trying to get the girl. What is being represented is a funny attempt for Adam and his friends to win the girls heart, but get rejected. There is a competition between Jack and Harry as well, but it is clear that they are minor characters and Adam is the leader. The girl is not interested in anyone except Joe.
2) How is that representation being created?
This is being created by each character having their own turn to chat her up. Adam seems the most interested and tries the hardest to get her, even fighting for her at the end. Adam is shown as the leader by showing his daily activities before going to college. This lets the audience understand his character more. Also, when he is walking with Jack and Harry, he is in the centre, so is the focus of attention. The fact everything is over the top shows it is a comedy as no one would take things so seriously (such as Jack crying when she walks off, and the fight between Adam and Joe).
3) Why did you create the representation in that way? What was your intention?
The representation was created in this way as it suited the college location. Teenagers were used so it was natural to put them in a typical environment doing typical activities such as socialising and trying to pull a girl. We wanted it to have a comedy effect because the song was upbeat and a serious theme would not suit this, so we decided to have Adam's character be very lively and funny.
4) What is the effect of the representation?
The audience found Adam's character funny and the video appealed to a teenage audience due to the way Adam's character is portrayed and how he acts in a school environment. The audience get to know more about Adam because they get to see his daily routine and who he hangs around with. Adam is shown as a stereotypical "lad" as he is showing off and cocky, and his friends seem to just follow in his footsteps. The denotation of this music video is Adam at the beginning shown as a normal guy getting ready for college. The connotation is that he is actually quite cocky and thinks hes ''all that''.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Genre...
1) Do you think genres are timeless? Can we still label films?
We think that genres are timeless because they have been around for years and the story lines are very similar today as they were years ago. The standard genres have been used for many years and can't create a new type of genre without it being a hybrid genre. All the main genres have been covered so it's difficult to develop a brand new one.
2) Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
We think that hybrid genres are developing so much because modern day audiences are getting fed up of predicable story lines. If you know the genre, it can be quite easy to guess what is going to happen throughout the film. Hybrid genres are used to surprise the audience and keep them interested.
3) Choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre?
We choose Yasmin's thriller 'A Bit Tied Up' to analyse. The genre is thriller, this is shown to the audience via three different themes including setting, theme/topic and format. You can tell Yasmin's film opening is a thriller from the setting e.g. the main action happens in a dark creepy room which is typical of the thriller genre. For example, the issues and concepts shown in the film. In our thriller, the main action is set around one character who receives a voicemail from the antagonist. This lets the audience know that the antagonist is messing with her head by letting her know that her friend was in trouble, but not giving her any information to tell her were she is. The antagonist seems to be getting enjoyment out of this which then shows the audience the sub genre.
We think that genres are timeless because they have been around for years and the story lines are very similar today as they were years ago. The standard genres have been used for many years and can't create a new type of genre without it being a hybrid genre. All the main genres have been covered so it's difficult to develop a brand new one.
2) Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
We think that hybrid genres are developing so much because modern day audiences are getting fed up of predicable story lines. If you know the genre, it can be quite easy to guess what is going to happen throughout the film. Hybrid genres are used to surprise the audience and keep them interested.
3) Choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre?
We choose Yasmin's thriller 'A Bit Tied Up' to analyse. The genre is thriller, this is shown to the audience via three different themes including setting, theme/topic and format. You can tell Yasmin's film opening is a thriller from the setting e.g. the main action happens in a dark creepy room which is typical of the thriller genre. For example, the issues and concepts shown in the film. In our thriller, the main action is set around one character who receives a voicemail from the antagonist. This lets the audience know that the antagonist is messing with her head by letting her know that her friend was in trouble, but not giving her any information to tell her were she is. The antagonist seems to be getting enjoyment out of this which then shows the audience the sub genre.
Concept 4: Genre
1. Do you think genres are timeless? Can we still label films?
Yes because there are always going to be films classed into each genre. This links to Robert Stam's theory of persona acting because we are used to the same actors playing their certain characters to fit the chosen genre. We can still label films because we can tell straight away from seeing a film what the storyline will be and what characters there will be, etc. Writers are only writing films that fit into certain genres because that is what audiences want, no one creates films that cant be labeled because they wouldn't sell.
2. Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres are become extremely popular in cinema because directors are constantly trying to redefine cinema and try to keep modern audiences pleased and hooked on the film. they use multiple genres to appeal to a widespread audience to bring in more money and views.
3. Choose one of your products and determine how it does/ doesn't conform to a genre.
The genre of this film is thriller but it has a sub genre of psychological thriller and this is shown through the setting of the film, the characters and props for example Adam's character is the protagonist and he is male and in danger of being attacked. The film challenges the Janet Stieger's "id ealist method" because the protagonist in the antagonist, you would normally expect there to be a clear good guy and bad guy in a thriller. This conforms to Robert Stam's theory of persona actors, the kind of actor that we would have got for Adam's part would've been someone like Matt Damon, the generic thriller hero.
Yes because there are always going to be films classed into each genre. This links to Robert Stam's theory of persona acting because we are used to the same actors playing their certain characters to fit the chosen genre. We can still label films because we can tell straight away from seeing a film what the storyline will be and what characters there will be, etc. Writers are only writing films that fit into certain genres because that is what audiences want, no one creates films that cant be labeled because they wouldn't sell.
2. Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres are become extremely popular in cinema because directors are constantly trying to redefine cinema and try to keep modern audiences pleased and hooked on the film. they use multiple genres to appeal to a widespread audience to bring in more money and views.
3. Choose one of your products and determine how it does/ doesn't conform to a genre.
The genre of this film is thriller but it has a sub genre of psychological thriller and this is shown through the setting of the film, the characters and props for example Adam's character is the protagonist and he is male and in danger of being attacked. The film challenges the Janet Stieger's "id ealist method" because the protagonist in the antagonist, you would normally expect there to be a clear good guy and bad guy in a thriller. This conforms to Robert Stam's theory of persona actors, the kind of actor that we would have got for Adam's part would've been someone like Matt Damon, the generic thriller hero.
The Genre Debate
Do you think genres are timeless? Can we still label films?
Genres do have the ability to stay timeless depending on the reputation and reaction of the films in it; if these films are all good and have fan bases than they may be able to stay timeless. However if the genre is full of niche market made films than this could make it seem cheap and repetitive giving the genre no cutting edge when it comes to new releases therefore it does not coincide with Janet Steiger's four ways of defining a film because it will not be accepted by cultural expectation or predetermined standard, more specifically compared to other films in the genre.
We can label films, in relation to Robert Stam theory; about how genres are defined through the performer or persona acting; an example of this is Jean-Claude Van Damme films as they are usually involving the same type of character and then the audience no exactly what to expect.
Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
I think hybrid genres are developing a lot because films need to meet audience expectations and preferences. It is no longer that an audience expects to see one type of genre in a film, they expect a genre within a genre so that is why they are developing so much. An example of this is Avatar, there are many genres in this film so it is hard to label one specific genre. This film was extremely popular with the viewing public all over the world due to having a hybrid genre.
Choose one of your products and choose how it does or doesn't conform to a genre?
I think that our thriller project only works as a thriller because it contains very little other characteristics that could be related to other genres. This also means that is does not really work as a hybrid genre as it can only really be linked to a thriller type of movie.
Genres do have the ability to stay timeless depending on the reputation and reaction of the films in it; if these films are all good and have fan bases than they may be able to stay timeless. However if the genre is full of niche market made films than this could make it seem cheap and repetitive giving the genre no cutting edge when it comes to new releases therefore it does not coincide with Janet Steiger's four ways of defining a film because it will not be accepted by cultural expectation or predetermined standard, more specifically compared to other films in the genre.
We can label films, in relation to Robert Stam theory; about how genres are defined through the performer or persona acting; an example of this is Jean-Claude Van Damme films as they are usually involving the same type of character and then the audience no exactly what to expect.
Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
I think hybrid genres are developing a lot because films need to meet audience expectations and preferences. It is no longer that an audience expects to see one type of genre in a film, they expect a genre within a genre so that is why they are developing so much. An example of this is Avatar, there are many genres in this film so it is hard to label one specific genre. This film was extremely popular with the viewing public all over the world due to having a hybrid genre.
Choose one of your products and choose how it does or doesn't conform to a genre?
I think that our thriller project only works as a thriller because it contains very little other characteristics that could be related to other genres. This also means that is does not really work as a hybrid genre as it can only really be linked to a thriller type of movie.
Section 1B - Concept 4: Genre
Do you think genres are timeless? Can we still label films?
I do believe that Genres are timeless in the sense they will always represent a group of films. However genres constantly develop and change as the meaning of 'Drama' or 'Romance' changes within society. As more genres and sub-genres are created, it gets harder to categorize films as it is all a matter of opinion.
However, Janet Steinger believes there are four easy ways of defining films:
I do believe that Genres are timeless in the sense they will always represent a group of films. However genres constantly develop and change as the meaning of 'Drama' or 'Romance' changes within society. As more genres and sub-genres are created, it gets harder to categorize films as it is all a matter of opinion.
However, Janet Steinger believes there are four easy ways of defining films:
- 'Idealist method' - predetermined standard
- 'Empirical method' - comparing to other films
- 'Social conventions' - accepted by cultural expectations in society.
- 'Ironic hybridization' - combining elements of different genres.
This means you can always categorize a film into a certain genre.
Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres have increased in numbers because a hybrid genre creates a bigger crowd. If you make a romance film you will get 1 audience but if you make a romance action film you will get 2 audiences. Also, with the improvement of technology, you can collaborate a wider range of genres together. For example, 'Avatar' is a hybrid genre, consisting of action, adventure and fantasy. They used their technology to their advantage to get the best out of each genre.
Choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre.
do you think
Do you think genres are timeless? Can we still label films?
The main bases of genres are timeless, but the sub genres and hybrid genres are expanding and changing with trends. The way that they are filmed and the audiences that they are aimed at change with fashion and trends also. John Turby suggests genres are useful for marketing and attracting the target audience. This implies that genres are crucial to the success of a film, so we feel they are timeless and are going to be around for a long time.
Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres are developing because by combining to different genres you appeal to a wider audience. An example of this is Green Hornet which is a combination of comedy and action. By appealing to a wider audience, more people are likely to watch the film which means the film maker will be able to make more money as the film will be more successful. Also Robert Stam states that genres can be defined through the performer. If a film has a varied cast it can fall into a hybrid genre if there are different actors from different genres to appeal to everyone.
Choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre.
The video conforms to the genre as it is very dark lighting and there is a low slow rumbling noise with pianos playing chilling music over the top. It conforms to thriller theme as the opening scenes are linked with death and mystery which automatically gives the viewer an incite to the rest of the film. Janet Steiger says there are 4 ways of defining a film genre; one way is comparing to other films. The opening to this film is similar to other thriller films, with the slow moving camera, dramatic scenes, and subtle music. Another way is through "Ironic hybridization" where elements if different genres are combined. This is true for this film as it is a crime/thriller.
The main bases of genres are timeless, but the sub genres and hybrid genres are expanding and changing with trends. The way that they are filmed and the audiences that they are aimed at change with fashion and trends also. John Turby suggests genres are useful for marketing and attracting the target audience. This implies that genres are crucial to the success of a film, so we feel they are timeless and are going to be around for a long time.
Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres are developing because by combining to different genres you appeal to a wider audience. An example of this is Green Hornet which is a combination of comedy and action. By appealing to a wider audience, more people are likely to watch the film which means the film maker will be able to make more money as the film will be more successful. Also Robert Stam states that genres can be defined through the performer. If a film has a varied cast it can fall into a hybrid genre if there are different actors from different genres to appeal to everyone.
Choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre.
The video conforms to the genre as it is very dark lighting and there is a low slow rumbling noise with pianos playing chilling music over the top. It conforms to thriller theme as the opening scenes are linked with death and mystery which automatically gives the viewer an incite to the rest of the film. Janet Steiger says there are 4 ways of defining a film genre; one way is comparing to other films. The opening to this film is similar to other thriller films, with the slow moving camera, dramatic scenes, and subtle music. Another way is through "Ironic hybridization" where elements if different genres are combined. This is true for this film as it is a crime/thriller.
theories of genre
do you think genres are timeless? can we still label films?
In most cases, we are still able to label films, such as action and sci-fi, Commando and Moon respectively. However, there are certain films that defy conventions of genres making them difficult to put into a specific genre, examples being Melancholia where it is mainly a drama yet in a sci-fi setting. Over time, people's opinions of the world changes so their opinions on films change aswell.
why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres are developing because we've already looked at the basics of each genre so people are experimenting with genres to create new and unique. Example being Cowboys and Aliens which combines Western and sci-fi, and Avatar, which combines sci-fi and romance.
choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre
In terms of genre being defined by setting, the thriller project has a busy post-modern setting, this allows the crime to be committed in an enviroment where the assassin can be unseen, this setting also presents it as more a political thriller, contradicting with the conventions of a classic thriller.
Then there is the theme and topic, which can't be seen so much as it is only the beginning of a film, but the scene was designed to follow on into a story of corruption within the political stance of Great Britain.
And finally the format. The way the film is represented with guns and murder and everything, shows the high level of risk being played with by few people. Shot in widescreen with various effects such as sped up footage, filters and techno soundtrack exaggerate the post modern nature of the political thriller.
So the project does conform to a specific genre as it meets the conventions of a thriller.
The project is mainly a subgenre of a political thriller as it deals with current affairs in an escapist form. It has a Ying and a Yang, weapons, murder, mystery and conspiracy.
According to Janet Steiger, there are 4 ways to define a film. The first is a Id Ealist Method, or the predetermined standard of a film. The Second is the Empirical method, which is comparing it to other films. The third is social conventions, which are accepted by cultural expectations in society, and the fourth is the ironic hybridization, which is combining elements from different genres.
Id Ealist Method: the project is conventional as it is a political thriller, the conventions are met such as dealing with current affairs, keeping a keen eye on political stance etc.
Empirical Method: Influenced by the Bounre films (assasination, enigma), Spooks (style and keeping with current affairs), Ichi the Killer (stylistic effects) and JFK (style of assassination)
Social Conventions: clear line between good guy and bad guy, easy plot to grasp
Ironic Hybridization: just a thriller, nothing more
According to Robert Stam, genres can be defined by the performer. The persona acting is the same character each time and this helps the audience to know what to expect. The actors are central to the brief storyline, and add an extra layer to the setting and music.
John Turby says that genre is useful for purposes of marketing, target audience and critical review. If this film was marketed, it'd be very mysterious, following a sort of viral marketing where not much information is giving about the film. He also said that screenwriters may use genre basis as a way to determine plot or theme.
In most cases, we are still able to label films, such as action and sci-fi, Commando and Moon respectively. However, there are certain films that defy conventions of genres making them difficult to put into a specific genre, examples being Melancholia where it is mainly a drama yet in a sci-fi setting. Over time, people's opinions of the world changes so their opinions on films change aswell.
why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Hybrid genres are developing because we've already looked at the basics of each genre so people are experimenting with genres to create new and unique. Example being Cowboys and Aliens which combines Western and sci-fi, and Avatar, which combines sci-fi and romance.
choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre
In terms of genre being defined by setting, the thriller project has a busy post-modern setting, this allows the crime to be committed in an enviroment where the assassin can be unseen, this setting also presents it as more a political thriller, contradicting with the conventions of a classic thriller.
Then there is the theme and topic, which can't be seen so much as it is only the beginning of a film, but the scene was designed to follow on into a story of corruption within the political stance of Great Britain.
And finally the format. The way the film is represented with guns and murder and everything, shows the high level of risk being played with by few people. Shot in widescreen with various effects such as sped up footage, filters and techno soundtrack exaggerate the post modern nature of the political thriller.
So the project does conform to a specific genre as it meets the conventions of a thriller.
The project is mainly a subgenre of a political thriller as it deals with current affairs in an escapist form. It has a Ying and a Yang, weapons, murder, mystery and conspiracy.
According to Janet Steiger, there are 4 ways to define a film. The first is a Id Ealist Method, or the predetermined standard of a film. The Second is the Empirical method, which is comparing it to other films. The third is social conventions, which are accepted by cultural expectations in society, and the fourth is the ironic hybridization, which is combining elements from different genres.
Id Ealist Method: the project is conventional as it is a political thriller, the conventions are met such as dealing with current affairs, keeping a keen eye on political stance etc.
Empirical Method: Influenced by the Bounre films (assasination, enigma), Spooks (style and keeping with current affairs), Ichi the Killer (stylistic effects) and JFK (style of assassination)
Social Conventions: clear line between good guy and bad guy, easy plot to grasp
Ironic Hybridization: just a thriller, nothing more
According to Robert Stam, genres can be defined by the performer. The persona acting is the same character each time and this helps the audience to know what to expect. The actors are central to the brief storyline, and add an extra layer to the setting and music.
John Turby says that genre is useful for purposes of marketing, target audience and critical review. If this film was marketed, it'd be very mysterious, following a sort of viral marketing where not much information is giving about the film. He also said that screenwriters may use genre basis as a way to determine plot or theme.
Section 1B: Genre
Do you think genres are timeless? Can we still label films?
Genres are timeless as even though nowadays they are changing they're still sticking to the main route of how movies are seen by the audience and are still seen in particular genres. Even though genres are still used to inform audiences what the movie is like, they are still adapting and expanding.
Robert Stam suggests that genres are defined through the performer which supports that we can still label films as sometimes the performer has the same personalty in the same genre of films.
Why do you think hybrid genres are developing so much?
Recently, there are more films that are hybrid genres than not because combining two different genres can attract different target audiences depending on what genre they like. For example, Romantic comedies would attract two types of viewers; those who like comedies and those who like romances. This allows there to be a bigger target audience overall and therefore more popular. This relates to the theorist, John Turby who said that genres are useful for purposes such as target audience and marketing because a larger audience can expand the marketing of the movie. For example the film Avatar contains the genres, romance, action and thriller therefore there is a wide target audience who can help advertise the movie and allow it to become more popular. Hybrid genres are developing so much because genres are there to attract a specific target audience, so hybrid attract an even bigger audience because there is two genres to attract two types of people.
Choose one of your products and determine how it does/doesn't conform to a genre.
Our thriller, Group P3-68 does conform to a particular genre as the three aspects, Setting, Theme/Topic and format have been met. The way the setting has shown thriller to be the particular genre is because the main character is shown first off in a lift accompanied by low tone music showing jump cuts to the victim. To an average audience, these features can be seen as typical expectations. The way the theme/topic shows thriller to be the genre is because the mood and emotions shown in the footage puts the audience on edge as they would think something is going to happen. The format shows a number of different shots including, jump cuts and close ups. This helps the audience predict the story-line and the issues which are to come.
Also this thriller can be categorised into two subgenres: crime thriller and psychological. This does conform to the genre of the film because of the story line.
Janet Steiger says there are four ways of defining films. these four features can relate to our thriller because we are able to judge other thrillers with ours to know its particular genre, such as the music and camera angles. Also it could be a different cultural expectation in society because in some cultures our thriller could be very elaborate to some people while some cultures might see this is a mild thriller.
Robert Stam believes that the performer allows the audience to define the genre that the film is given, therefore the main character in our thriller should show a dramatic, determining performance.
John Turby believes the genre is useful for purposes of marketing and target audience therefore having the audience predict the genre can be important to the film and its production. Expectations are deliberately contradicted or agreed with to help the audience, this is done by screen writers using 'genre bases'.
John Turby believes the genre is useful for purposes of marketing and target audience therefore having the audience predict the genre can be important to the film and its production. Expectations are deliberately contradicted or agreed with to help the audience, this is done by screen writers using 'genre bases'.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
Uses and Gratification theory
Theorist: Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch
This theory says that we are an active audience and seek our own media and that we are happier watching things that we understand and are comfortable with. It is not about how the media is presented but it is how we interpret it.
This theory says that we are an active audience and seek our own media and that we are happier watching things that we understand and are comfortable with. It is not about how the media is presented but it is how we interpret it.
Uses and gratifications theory
Focuses on why people use particular media rather than on content. Media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. Users take an active part in the communication process. The user seeks out the best source of media that best fulfills their needs.
Uses of gratifitation
Uses and Gratifications
One influential tradition in media research is referred to as 'uses and gratifications' (occasionally 'needs and gratifications'). This approach focuses on why people use particular media rather than on content. In contrast to the concern of the 'media effects' tradition with 'what media do to people' (which assumes a homogeneous mass audience and a 'hypodermic' view of media), U & G can be seen as part of a broader trend amongst media researchers which is more concerned with 'what people do with media', allowing for a variety of responses and interpretations. However, some commentators have argued that gratifications could also be seen as effects: e.g. thrillers are likely to generate very similar responses amongst most viewers. And who could say that they never watch more TV than they had intended to? Watching TV helps to shape audience needs and expectations. U & G arose originally in the 1940s and underwent a revival in the 1970s amd 1980s. The approach springs from a functionalist paradigm in the social sciences. It presents the use of media in terms of the gratification of social or psychological needs of the individual (Blumler & Katz 1974). The mass media compete with other sources of gratification, but gratifications can be obtained from a medium's content (e.g. watching a specific programme), from familiarity with a genre within the medium (e.g. watching soap operas), from general exposure to the medium (e.g. watching TV), and from the social context in which it is used (e.g. watching TV with the family). U & G theorists argue that people's needs influence how they use and respond to a medium. Zillmann (cited by McQuail 1987: 236) has shown the influence of mood on media choice: boredom encourages the choice of exciting content and stress encourages a choice of relaxing content. The same TV programme may gratify different needs for different individuals. Different needs are associated with individual personalities, stages of maturation, backgrounds and social roles. Developmental factors seem to be related to some motives for purposeful viewing: e.g. Judith van Evra argues that young children may be particularly likely to watch TV in search of information and hence more susceptible to influence (Evra 1990: 177, 179). An empirical study in the U & G tradition might typically involve audience members completing a questionnaire about why they watch a TV programme. Denis McQuail offers (McQuail 1987: 73) the following typology of common reasons for media use:Uses and Gratification Theory
The uses and gratification theory suggests we have 4 different needs, these are:
Surveillance
Personal Identity
Personal Relationships
Relationships with the media
Surveillance
Personal Identity
Personal Relationships
Relationships with the media
Uses and Gratification Theory
The uses and gratification theory says that people play an active role in choosing and using the media. They have a more active role in the communication process and people choose a media which is best for them. The theory assumes that the user has several choices to meet their needs. It is a popular approach to understand mass communication.
Usages and gratification theory.
- Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratification theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media.
- Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their media use. The theorist say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfills the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.
- The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people”
- The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs.
Funny Games
How does the film break expectations?
The film breaks expectations as firstly everyone is killed apart from the man who is doing the killing - this breaks conventions of a thriller movie as in most thriller movies the killer is found out in the end and at least one or two people survive. Secondly the film has a really laid back atmosphere in which we wouldn't expect from a thriller film, we would normally expect their to be a tense and edgy atmosphere. Funny Games also breaks expectations due to the the killer talking to the audience and asking them what they think he should do. He also has the power to rewind real life through a remote control which also is not the normal thing we would expect when viewing a thriller.
What is he trying to make the audience think about violence?
We think that the director s trying to say that we do not necessarily need to see the violence for it to have an impact. The use of visceral sounds helps to give it this impact on the audience. This also forces the audience to think more about what it happening and gives them the chance to imagine it for themselves.
Do you think it is intentional shock
We feel it is intentional shock as the director has obviously done this film to shock us as it does not follow conventions.
The film breaks expectations as firstly everyone is killed apart from the man who is doing the killing - this breaks conventions of a thriller movie as in most thriller movies the killer is found out in the end and at least one or two people survive. Secondly the film has a really laid back atmosphere in which we wouldn't expect from a thriller film, we would normally expect their to be a tense and edgy atmosphere. Funny Games also breaks expectations due to the the killer talking to the audience and asking them what they think he should do. He also has the power to rewind real life through a remote control which also is not the normal thing we would expect when viewing a thriller.
What is he trying to make the audience think about violence?
We think that the director s trying to say that we do not necessarily need to see the violence for it to have an impact. The use of visceral sounds helps to give it this impact on the audience. This also forces the audience to think more about what it happening and gives them the chance to imagine it for themselves.
Do you think it is intentional shock
We feel it is intentional shock as the director has obviously done this film to shock us as it does not follow conventions.
Funny games
How does the film break expectations?
The narrative defeats all traditions in a film. traditionally the children in the film are the ones that are alive until the end. In this film the child is the first to die. the next to die is the father who traditionally would be alive to try and save the family.
The antagonists in the film dont come across in the typical slimey crazy way as a typical horror antagonist. The protagonists dont fit conventions either. The woman isn't very attractive and usually in a horror the people being tortured are good looking
What is he trying to make the audience think about violence?
He is trying to make it seem casual and meaningless. In a typical horror the violence will be much more extreme and will be focused on. When the women is pushed into the sea there is no shoot of her struggling instead they just film the two guys chatting about everyday stuff.
Do you think it is intentional shock?
I believe it was intentional they made it all obviously differnet and shocking to a normal film.
The narrative defeats all traditions in a film. traditionally the children in the film are the ones that are alive until the end. In this film the child is the first to die. the next to die is the father who traditionally would be alive to try and save the family.
The antagonists in the film dont come across in the typical slimey crazy way as a typical horror antagonist. The protagonists dont fit conventions either. The woman isn't very attractive and usually in a horror the people being tortured are good looking
What is he trying to make the audience think about violence?
He is trying to make it seem casual and meaningless. In a typical horror the violence will be much more extreme and will be focused on. When the women is pushed into the sea there is no shoot of her struggling instead they just film the two guys chatting about everyday stuff.
Do you think it is intentional shock?
I believe it was intentional they made it all obviously differnet and shocking to a normal film.
Funny Games
1)How does the film break from expectations (genre/narrative/character)?
The bad guys live and don't get arrested. Nothing bad happens to them and they continue their weird games. The good people all die instead of surviving the reason for their death is completely pointless. The bad people actually talk to the camera which is not something which normally happens in these type of films.
What is he trying to make the audience think about the violence?
He is trying to make the audience think the violence is over-dramatised as you cannot see it and there are over the top sound effects. The leaves the audience creating the violence in their head rather than seeing it on the film.
Do you think it is intentional shock?
Yes it is intentional to scare the viewer and throw them out of their comfort zone.
The bad guys live and don't get arrested. Nothing bad happens to them and they continue their weird games. The good people all die instead of surviving the reason for their death is completely pointless. The bad people actually talk to the camera which is not something which normally happens in these type of films.
What is he trying to make the audience think about the violence?
He is trying to make the audience think the violence is over-dramatised as you cannot see it and there are over the top sound effects. The leaves the audience creating the violence in their head rather than seeing it on the film.
Do you think it is intentional shock?
Yes it is intentional to scare the viewer and throw them out of their comfort zone.
Funny Games
How does the film break expectations?
First of all, the child is the first person to die out of the family, this goes against thriller conventions because they are the ones that need to be saved. Also, one of the victims survives at the end in some way but everyone dies. The deaths also go against thriller conventions as most are done out of shot and they are never stretched out, they are all quick and inglorious where as in normal thrillers the victims slowly die or sacrifices themselves. The film breaks cinema expectations because the character breaks the fourth wall which isn't normally good for movies as it breaks immersion into the story. The character also rewinds time quite randomly which doesn't make sense with the story. The film breaks more thriller conventions as the villains aren't disfigured or ugly which you see in most horror films, also the characters speak politely and seem intellectual because they talk about black holes and antimatter.
What is he trying to make the audience think about violence?
We cannot see the violence because we are made to picture what is happening to the victims with visceral sounds so that the violence seems a lot worse and we interpret it in our own way for example when the man is stabbed you can hear him screaming but you cannot see what is going on.
Do you think it is intentional shock?
no because you are made to think about the film and what is going on in the minds of the killers rather than just the way they are killing people.
First of all, the child is the first person to die out of the family, this goes against thriller conventions because they are the ones that need to be saved. Also, one of the victims survives at the end in some way but everyone dies. The deaths also go against thriller conventions as most are done out of shot and they are never stretched out, they are all quick and inglorious where as in normal thrillers the victims slowly die or sacrifices themselves. The film breaks cinema expectations because the character breaks the fourth wall which isn't normally good for movies as it breaks immersion into the story. The character also rewinds time quite randomly which doesn't make sense with the story. The film breaks more thriller conventions as the villains aren't disfigured or ugly which you see in most horror films, also the characters speak politely and seem intellectual because they talk about black holes and antimatter.
What is he trying to make the audience think about violence?
We cannot see the violence because we are made to picture what is happening to the victims with visceral sounds so that the violence seems a lot worse and we interpret it in our own way for example when the man is stabbed you can hear him screaming but you cannot see what is going on.
Do you think it is intentional shock?
no because you are made to think about the film and what is going on in the minds of the killers rather than just the way they are killing people.
Funny Games
1) How Does The Film Break Expectations?
The genre of this is film is thriller therefore the conventions of a thriller is for the bad person to die at the end however in this film all the good characters died and the two bad characters remained alive and carried on torturing more people. Most thriller films have a positive end where the main character survives but in this film it ended negatively and all the good characters died. The narrative is not normal as the bad character talks to the audience making them feel involved in his acts rather then him talking to his people, this may make the audience feel confused.
2) What is he trying to make the audience feel about violence?
His trying to make us feel that violence is acceptable and normal. He doesn't show us what actually happens for example the shooting but he does create the fear from telling the audience what is going to happen next and whose going to die and because he told us what was going to happen instead of showing us its more effective for the audience as it makes them think more about the situation. He makes them play a game which involves them both dying therefore his showing that for him violence is fun.
3) Do you think it is intentional shock?
Yes, because Michael Hanetce says that the audience are passive and they are used to seeing violence, blood and gore. So by not showing this in this film it makes the audience feel shocked and they think more about the situation and think why it is acceptable to find violence entertaining.
The genre of this is film is thriller therefore the conventions of a thriller is for the bad person to die at the end however in this film all the good characters died and the two bad characters remained alive and carried on torturing more people. Most thriller films have a positive end where the main character survives but in this film it ended negatively and all the good characters died. The narrative is not normal as the bad character talks to the audience making them feel involved in his acts rather then him talking to his people, this may make the audience feel confused.
2) What is he trying to make the audience feel about violence?
His trying to make us feel that violence is acceptable and normal. He doesn't show us what actually happens for example the shooting but he does create the fear from telling the audience what is going to happen next and whose going to die and because he told us what was going to happen instead of showing us its more effective for the audience as it makes them think more about the situation. He makes them play a game which involves them both dying therefore his showing that for him violence is fun.
3) Do you think it is intentional shock?
Yes, because Michael Hanetce says that the audience are passive and they are used to seeing violence, blood and gore. So by not showing this in this film it makes the audience feel shocked and they think more about the situation and think why it is acceptable to find violence entertaining.
Funny Games- Michael Haneke.
How does the film break expectations?
- The Genre of this film is a thriller as certain features that would mean its a horror are not shown, such as blood, gore and other tortured related aspects.
The narrative is unusual as the actor of the film speaks to the camera occasionally to allow the audience to believe there a part of the crime/film. In a typical thriller film, the characters all have their own roles and the audience likes to believe the victim always escapes and then continues with their lives however in this film, all the characters die including the women, man and the child.
What he is trying to make the audience think about violence?
- From the clip we watched, we get the feeling that he is trying to create a different feel for violence. It is seemed to say that if you cant see the violence happening then its portrayed as okay as you don't share the emotions that the characters would have felt (such as the mother seeing her child being killed)
Do you think it is intentional shock?
- The way the story is told, you know that the strangers who enter the families house are intentionally going to cause a scene therefore the violence and bad behaviour is expected however audiences normally believe that the main character is going to escape and survive which challenges expectations.
- The Genre of this film is a thriller as certain features that would mean its a horror are not shown, such as blood, gore and other tortured related aspects.
The narrative is unusual as the actor of the film speaks to the camera occasionally to allow the audience to believe there a part of the crime/film. In a typical thriller film, the characters all have their own roles and the audience likes to believe the victim always escapes and then continues with their lives however in this film, all the characters die including the women, man and the child.
What he is trying to make the audience think about violence?
- From the clip we watched, we get the feeling that he is trying to create a different feel for violence. It is seemed to say that if you cant see the violence happening then its portrayed as okay as you don't share the emotions that the characters would have felt (such as the mother seeing her child being killed)
Do you think it is intentional shock?
- The way the story is told, you know that the strangers who enter the families house are intentionally going to cause a scene therefore the violence and bad behaviour is expected however audiences normally believe that the main character is going to escape and survive which challenges expectations.
Tuesday 5 April 2011
David Gauntlett Theories
David Gauntlett is a British media theorist that specialises in contemporary media audiences, the every day making and sharing of digital media, and the role of this media in self identity and self expression.
He published an online article named "Media Studies 2.0" in 2007 which created discussion amongst the media studies community. Media Studies 2.0 argues that the traditional form of media studies teaching and research does not consider the changing media landscape where the categories of audiences and producers blur together. He states that new research methods and approaches are needed.
He published an online article named "Media Studies 2.0" in 2007 which created discussion amongst the media studies community. Media Studies 2.0 argues that the traditional form of media studies teaching and research does not consider the changing media landscape where the categories of audiences and producers blur together. He states that new research methods and approaches are needed.
David Gauntlett Theorist
David Gauntlett
Media in the Online Age
David Gauntlett's theory argued that Web 2.0 is changing the way we distribute, create and view media. Web 1.0 allowed people to make their own media and share it across the internet but web 2.0 allowed people to contribute together into one big project like Wikipedia.
David Gauntlett Theory
In 2007, Gauntlett published online the article Media Studies 2.0, which created some discussion amongst media studies educators.] The article argues that the traditional form of media studies teaching and research fails to recognise the changing media landscape in which the categories of 'audiences' and 'producers' blur together, and in which new research methods and approaches are needed. Andy Ruddock has written that Gauntlett's "ironic polemic" includes "much to value", and acknowledges that the argument "is more strategy than creed", but argues that audiences still exist, and experience mass media specifically as audience, and so it would be premature to dispose of the notion of 'audience' altogether.
Media used to be for richer people handed down on poorer people, how ever in the modern day everyone is a form of media as we have more equipment at cheaper prices to create media.
Titch: Children's Film Evaluation
Propp
This video does not follow Propp's theory because there is only one character seen in this clip. Although the only character we do see is male which agrees with parts of the theory where he argues that the narrative is lead by males.
The Hero's Journey
The film is only the beginning of the story, so the character is only at the preparation stage and has just set off on his journey. We can only assume that the other stages (Complication, Transference, Struggle, Return, Recognition) will come later in the children's film.
Levi Strauss
Due to their only being one character the chances of binary opposites is unlikely unless the rest of the narrative is extended but we can only predict this. As the protagonist is the only character he is more likely to be the hero, moral, young and strong compared to the opposites.
Todorov
In this video we do not know what happens at the end so we cannot link this to Todorov's theory. As it is only the beginning we do not know if he is an underdog, if all loose ends will be tied at the end and the narrative structure of the film. We also do not know if there will be a clear beginning, middle and end.
David Gauntlett
Gauntlett graduated from the University of York in Sociology in 1992. He then took his PhD and then taught at the University of Leeds from 1993 to 2002, then was appointed Professor of Media and Audiences at Bournemouth University. In 2006 he joined the School of Media, Arts and Design at University of Westminster as Professor of Media and Communications.
This video does not follow Propp's theory because there is only one character seen in this clip. Although the only character we do see is male which agrees with parts of the theory where he argues that the narrative is lead by males.
The Hero's Journey
The film is only the beginning of the story, so the character is only at the preparation stage and has just set off on his journey. We can only assume that the other stages (Complication, Transference, Struggle, Return, Recognition) will come later in the children's film.
Levi Strauss
Due to their only being one character the chances of binary opposites is unlikely unless the rest of the narrative is extended but we can only predict this. As the protagonist is the only character he is more likely to be the hero, moral, young and strong compared to the opposites.
Todorov
In this video we do not know what happens at the end so we cannot link this to Todorov's theory. As it is only the beginning we do not know if he is an underdog, if all loose ends will be tied at the end and the narrative structure of the film. We also do not know if there will be a clear beginning, middle and end.
David Gauntlett
Gauntlett graduated from the University of York in Sociology in 1992. He then took his PhD and then taught at the University of Leeds from 1993 to 2002, then was appointed Professor of Media and Audiences at Bournemouth University. In 2006 he joined the School of Media, Arts and Design at University of Westminster as Professor of Media and Communications.
Applying Narrative Theories To Children's Film...
Propp:
In this children's film opening, we included 2 of the 8 characters, the hero and the villain. The hero is Agents Bean and Bell and the villain is Dr. Skull. The reason we included only 2 out of 8 of the characters is because the task was to create only the opening of a Children's Film that was under 2 minutes long. Had we created the whole film we would have tried to include all 8 narrative characters, including a donor, a false hero, a princess etc. Propp argued that narratives are driven by males however we have challenged this theory by having 2 female heros leading the story. Propp also said that the hero of a narrative had a specific journey starting with preparation. Our Children's Film didn't include a preparation section however it did have a complication and transference part. If we had the opportunity to create the whole film we could have added a flashback to show the preparation part of the story.
Strauss:
Strauss says that all narratives contain "Binary Opposites". Our Children's Film opening included the following "Binary Opposites": Male/Female, Hero/Villain, Police/Criminal, Moral/Immoral and Weak/Strong. All of the above provide a contrast and rivalry in the narrative which links to Todorov's theory.
Todorov:
Todorov said that the audience desires order: A beginning, middle and end where all loose ends are tied. The theory has 5 different stages 1) A state of equilibrium, 2) A disruption of order, 3) A recognition the order has ocurred, 4) An attempt to repair the damage and 5) A return or restoration of a new equilibrium. Considering we only created an opening for the Children's Film which was under 2 minutes long we only managed to include a disruption of order in the story. This involved Bean and Bell running away from Dr. Skull and then inconveniently bumping into him. This is the second stage of the theory, we didn't include the first stage but if we had the chance to make the whole film the idea of a flashback would be good to show the state of equilibrium.
In this children's film opening, we included 2 of the 8 characters, the hero and the villain. The hero is Agents Bean and Bell and the villain is Dr. Skull. The reason we included only 2 out of 8 of the characters is because the task was to create only the opening of a Children's Film that was under 2 minutes long. Had we created the whole film we would have tried to include all 8 narrative characters, including a donor, a false hero, a princess etc. Propp argued that narratives are driven by males however we have challenged this theory by having 2 female heros leading the story. Propp also said that the hero of a narrative had a specific journey starting with preparation. Our Children's Film didn't include a preparation section however it did have a complication and transference part. If we had the opportunity to create the whole film we could have added a flashback to show the preparation part of the story.
Strauss:
Strauss says that all narratives contain "Binary Opposites". Our Children's Film opening included the following "Binary Opposites": Male/Female, Hero/Villain, Police/Criminal, Moral/Immoral and Weak/Strong. All of the above provide a contrast and rivalry in the narrative which links to Todorov's theory.
Todorov:
Todorov said that the audience desires order: A beginning, middle and end where all loose ends are tied. The theory has 5 different stages 1) A state of equilibrium, 2) A disruption of order, 3) A recognition the order has ocurred, 4) An attempt to repair the damage and 5) A return or restoration of a new equilibrium. Considering we only created an opening for the Children's Film which was under 2 minutes long we only managed to include a disruption of order in the story. This involved Bean and Bell running away from Dr. Skull and then inconveniently bumping into him. This is the second stage of the theory, we didn't include the first stage but if we had the chance to make the whole film the idea of a flashback would be good to show the state of equilibrium.
David Gauntlett
David Gauntlett graduated from the University of York in sociology in 1992. He then took his PhD, and taught at Leeds University from 1993 to 2002. He was then announced professor of media and audiences at the University of Bournemouth, and in 2006 he joined the school of media, arts and design at the University of Westminster as the professor of media and communications. Gauntlett's critique of media 'effects' studies sparked controversy in 1995 and since then he has published a number of books and research on the role of popular media in people's lives In particular he has focused on the way in which digital media is changing the experience of media in general.Since the late 1990s he has produced the website Theory.org.uk. In Reading Media Theory, Barlow & Mills state: "David Gauntlett is a prominent, public academic, who has spent his career engaging in research activities which have deliberately involved the public, and have crossed the traditional divide between the academic community and the outside world." In 2007, he was shortlisted for the 'Young Academic Author of the Year' award in the Times Higher Award (Ultimately the award was won by historian Richard Toye).
This approach asks participants to make something as part of the research process. Gauntlett's work of this kind began with Video Critical (1997), in which children were asked to make videos about the environment, and then in a number of projects which are discussed in Creative Explorations (2007). As well as studies in which participants have been invited to make video, diaries, collage, and drawings, Gauntlett has explored the use of Lego serious play as a tool in sociology and social research. This approach makes use of metaphor and invites participants to build metaphorical models of their identities. The process of making something, and then reflecting upon it, is claimed to give a more nuanced insight into participants' feelings or experiences. This work has been supported by awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
In 2007, Gauntlett published online the article Media studies 2.0, which created some discussion amongst media studies educators. The article argues that the traditional form of media studies teaching and research fails to recognize the changing media landscape in which the categories of 'audiences' and 'producers' blur together, and in which new research methods and approaches are needed. Andy Ruddock has written that Gauntlett's "ironic polemic" includes "much to value", and acknowledges that the argument "is more strategy than creed", but argues that audiences still exist, and experience mass media specifically as audience, and so it would be premature to dispose of the notion of 'audience' altogether. The inaugural issue of the journal Interactions was dedicated to a discussion of 'Media Studies 2.0', with contributions from a number of experts and a response by Gauntlett.
n 2008 Gauntlett proposed 'the Make and Connect Agenda', an attempt to rethink audience studies in the context of media users as producers as well as consumers of media material.This argues that there is a shift from a 'sit-back-and-be-told culture' to a 'making-and-doing culture', and that harnessing creativity in both web 2.0 and in other everyday creative activities will play a role in tackling environmental problems These ideas are developed further in 'Making is Connecting'.
This approach asks participants to make something as part of the research process. Gauntlett's work of this kind began with Video Critical (1997), in which children were asked to make videos about the environment, and then in a number of projects which are discussed in Creative Explorations (2007). As well as studies in which participants have been invited to make video, diaries, collage, and drawings, Gauntlett has explored the use of Lego serious play as a tool in sociology and social research. This approach makes use of metaphor and invites participants to build metaphorical models of their identities. The process of making something, and then reflecting upon it, is claimed to give a more nuanced insight into participants' feelings or experiences. This work has been supported by awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
In 2007, Gauntlett published online the article Media studies 2.0, which created some discussion amongst media studies educators. The article argues that the traditional form of media studies teaching and research fails to recognize the changing media landscape in which the categories of 'audiences' and 'producers' blur together, and in which new research methods and approaches are needed. Andy Ruddock has written that Gauntlett's "ironic polemic" includes "much to value", and acknowledges that the argument "is more strategy than creed", but argues that audiences still exist, and experience mass media specifically as audience, and so it would be premature to dispose of the notion of 'audience' altogether. The inaugural issue of the journal Interactions was dedicated to a discussion of 'Media Studies 2.0', with contributions from a number of experts and a response by Gauntlett.
n 2008 Gauntlett proposed 'the Make and Connect Agenda', an attempt to rethink audience studies in the context of media users as producers as well as consumers of media material.This argues that there is a shift from a 'sit-back-and-be-told culture' to a 'making-and-doing culture', and that harnessing creativity in both web 2.0 and in other everyday creative activities will play a role in tackling environmental problems These ideas are developed further in 'Making is Connecting'.
Applying the 3 narrative theories to my childrens film
Propp's Theory
1) The Hero - The Police
2) The Villain - Ben Dover
3) The Donor - ?
4) The False Hero - ?
5) The Dispatcher - Police
6) The Helper - ?
7) The Princess - ?
8) The Father ?
I can use Propp's theory to establish the characters in our childrens film. The hero is obviously the police as they are the people that are stopping the criminal. The villain is Ben Dover as he is the criminal that's being chased by the police. There is no donor as no one is assisting the police. There is also no false hero as there is no one that appears to be good but isn't. The dispatcher is the police force as they are the ones that sent the police out to catch the criminal. There is no helper as the police are working alone. There is no princess because there was no need for one. There is no father as this is not needed either.
Propp's theory can describe the story but it does not cover the whole range of characters and leaves many blank (such as the donor and helper). This is because the theory generalises to bigger films that have a larger range of characters.
Straws Theory
Hero = The Police, Villain = Ben Dover
Moral = The Police, Immoral = Ben Dover
Police = The Police, Criminal = Ben Dover
There are not many other binary opposites in the children's film(e.g. popular/unpopular, human/alien etc). Straws theory is not overly useful in analysing the film as there are not many binary opposites and characters are very much independant.
Todorov's Theory
The state of equilibrium would be at the beginning of the film as there is a news story about pandas which isn't particularly shocking and leaves the film in a calm state. The disruption to that order would be the breaking news that Ben Dover has escaped from jail. This diverts the viewers attention away from the previous news story and focuses them on this new stage of disorder. The recognition that the disorder has occurred is when the police are chasing Ben Dover. The attempt to repair the damage of the disruption is when the police finally catch Ben Dover. The restoration of a new equilibrium is when the onlookers shout "Yay!" as it lets us understand that the criminal is now captured and people are safe. This theory works the best as it can be fully applied to the childrens film.
Childrens Film Narrative Theory Analysis
P3-72 2011
Vladimir Propp
Hero Helper Villain
We can see in this opening that some of the character roles have already been revealed. The opening focuses on Bronwen who is sitting on the grass at the beginning of the film throughout it all, she is filling the hero role which goes against Propp's theory because he argued that narratives are led by males.
We also see the villain role, Dominic plays the villain who the camera zooms in on at the end of the clip, it's clear that he's a villain and as he is male, this goes with the theory that narratives are led by males as the villain is one of the main characters that lead the narrative. Lastly, we see that Adam is the bully who bullies Bronwen by the benches and then who looks distressed when she walks away sad, this hints at the possibility that Adam will eventually become the helper character that goes along with her.
In this short clip we do not get to see all the character roles but you can guess that there won't be a princess or father role as the romance in the film would be between Bronwen and Adam, there isn't a father involved and neither are a prize to the other.
We can see beginnings of a journey, we see something happening to spark the hero's journey - dominic, the villain appears from the shadows. I can guess that the story will follow the rest of the steps if it was feature length.
Levi Strauss
We can see clear binary opposites during the beginnings of the films, for example, male and female opposites - The are contrasts between the sexes straight away, Adam and his male friends are bullying Bronwen. We can also see binary opposites of popular and unpopular students Brownwen is clearly unpopular. There is also good and evil contrasts, good bronwen and evil Dominic.
 |
| Male and Female Contrast/ popular and unpopular |
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| Good and Evil Contrast (Dominic by the tree in the background) |
Tzvetan Todorov
We can clearly see the beginning structure of the film, it's introducing the characters and starting the film, you can expect to see the other parts of the films. We also see how our childrens film matches the theory because we want the underdog to win, Bronwen is unpopular and she is also the hero that will save the day.
There is also a state of equilibrium that we can see in the clip, we can see that the original equilibrium is that Adam bullies Bronwen and thats just the way it goes, the disturbance is them going on a journey and the new equilibrium is them living their normal lives as friends.
 |
| State of equilibrium when Adam is bullying with his friends |
Children's Film, Theory application
Vladimere Propp - Says the Characters have set roles in our childrens film we had a limited amount of characters as we were trying to keep it simple for the younger audience and as we only made the opening sequence we could not introduce all the characters that would have been throughout the whole of the film.
Hero - Policeman (Was trying to fight "evil" and catch the bad guy restoring peace and achieving the new equilibrium)
Villain - Robber (Was trying to get away with his wrong doing)
Dispatcher - News reporter (was informing us the audience on the current proceedings of the chase)
Helpers - 2nd Policeman (Also trying to restore the equilibrium)
The rest were not nessersary to include in the short opening.
Strauss - Believed that there were binary opposites involved in the film, this applied to our footage as we had a cop and a robber creating a story line with friction. The children's film Involved the greater fighting "evil" dispite the odds shown throughout the sequence the good guys came out on top. Showing a moral of the story to the younger audience as well as following a traditional plot for children's films.
Todorov - Believed there are several stages to a traditional plot. Our children's film did follow the basic stages of his theory. The first scene was a calm news room talking about todays current affairs, this would be the usual equilibrium. However a disruption arises with the breaking news, following close behind is the recognition of the disruption as the news reporter keeps us up to date with the chase from the "eye in the sky". The attempt to restore the disruption of seeing the police struggle to keep in the chase. Although in the end a new equilibrium is restored as the robber is caught and members of public are seen to be celebrating. So as you can see the children's film did include a beginning, middle and a end.theories put into practice
Propp writes about the eight characters and he argues that narratives are driven by males. This theory is trye in the case of Max's thriller as the two main characters of the sequence were both males.
He also said all narratives feature the same eight character roles based on traditional tales, because it is two minutes we don't have all characters, but if we did carry on with this film we probably would seen at least 6 of the eight characters. In this sequence however we are already presented with the dispatcher (man character who gets shot) as his death sets the story in motion, his death will get the hero involved and thus the story begins. We are also presented with the villain (man character who shoots him) and his story will be revealed later but for now, he remains an enigma.
Propp also talk about story arcs, implying that each story has
preparation, complication, transference, struggle, return and recognition
at the moment, this sequence falls under preparation (something happens to set off his journey), but will later become a complication (hero struggles and needs help).
Strauss talks about binary opposites, suggesting that in narratives, every character has an opposite to then, a ying for a yang. In this sequence, we cleary has a brief binary opposite with the assassin and the target. Villain/hero, moral/immoral, weak/strong (cause assassin had a gun) and criminal/idealistic politician, rich/poor (as the politician is rich and the assassin is for hire)
Todorov says that each story has five stages
Equilibrium, Disruption of that order, Recognition that the disorder has occurred, Attempt to repair the damage and Return to a new equilibrium. This sequence has an equilibrium and a disruption of it but not the other three as the story doesn't progress any further.
In conclusion, most of the theories presented here are proven true for this sequence as it was only two minutes and followed many conventions of a thriller. It was quite difficult to present every segment of all the theories and if the film went further through the narrative, we would have included all of the segments of the theories.
He also said all narratives feature the same eight character roles based on traditional tales, because it is two minutes we don't have all characters, but if we did carry on with this film we probably would seen at least 6 of the eight characters. In this sequence however we are already presented with the dispatcher (man character who gets shot) as his death sets the story in motion, his death will get the hero involved and thus the story begins. We are also presented with the villain (man character who shoots him) and his story will be revealed later but for now, he remains an enigma.Propp also talk about story arcs, implying that each story has
preparation, complication, transference, struggle, return and recognition
at the moment, this sequence falls under preparation (something happens to set off his journey), but will later become a complication (hero struggles and needs help).
Strauss talks about binary opposites, suggesting that in narratives, every character has an opposite to then, a ying for a yang. In this sequence, we cleary has a brief binary opposite with the assassin and the target. Villain/hero, moral/immoral, weak/strong (cause assassin had a gun) and criminal/idealistic politician, rich/poor (as the politician is rich and the assassin is for hire)Todorov says that each story has five stages
Equilibrium, Disruption of that order, Recognition that the disorder has occurred, Attempt to repair the damage and Return to a new equilibrium. This sequence has an equilibrium and a disruption of it but not the other three as the story doesn't progress any further.
Applying the 3 Narrative theories to your children film
Propp's Theory
1) Hero - The Carrot
2) Villain - The Burger
3) Donor - The Ketchup
4) False Hero - The Hot dog, The Chips and The Burger
5) Dispatcher - The Carrot
6) Helper - The Grapes and The Apple
7) Princess - NA
8) Father - NA
Hero's Journey
Straus' Theory
Moral/Immoral - The Healthy food/The Junk food
Good/Bad - The Healthy food/The Junk food
Popular/Unpopular - The Junk food/The Healthy food
Weak/Strong - The Grape/The Hot dog
Hero/Villain - The Healthy food/The Junk food
As it is a childrens film it is the standard good vs evil, healthy vs unhealthy, so the way we stood each group out is by designing them in different colours. The healthy/good, are in vibrant colours to make them stand out, and the unhealthy/evil were in boring pale colours. The grape is the biggest because we thaught that would show you would need to have more grapes to make up your five a day.
Todorov's Theory
We only designed the beginning of the childrens film, so you would not be able to look at the structure. kcuf kcid a si kcaj. The state of equilibrium is when there are two birds eye view shots establishing both sets of characters. The disruption is where the two groups start to confront each other and a fight breaks out. The last 3 in his theory are not shown as it is only the opening sequence.
1) Hero - The Carrot
2) Villain - The Burger
3) Donor - The Ketchup
4) False Hero - The Hot dog, The Chips and The Burger
5) Dispatcher - The Carrot
6) Helper - The Grapes and The Apple
7) Princess - NA
8) Father - NA
Hero's Journey
- Preparation - The carrot is standing around with the other healthy food in a huddle. They look over and see the unhealthy food and they start to head towards them.
- Complication - The carrot faces the group and can see that they are to big to fight them on his own. Even though the carrot has the help of the grape and the apple, they are not strong enough to win.
- Transference - They see the bottle of ketchup and they fire it at the unhealthy group, and knock the hot dog down.
- Struggle - The unhealthy group begin to retreat but the carrot and crew can not push the bottle very fast so they coulde be caught at any time, but as it is only the start we do not know what happens
- Recognition - As it is only the start we do not know what happens to the two groups or the carrot.
Straus' Theory
Moral/Immoral - The Healthy food/The Junk food
Good/Bad - The Healthy food/The Junk food
Popular/Unpopular - The Junk food/The Healthy food
Weak/Strong - The Grape/The Hot dog
Hero/Villain - The Healthy food/The Junk food
As it is a childrens film it is the standard good vs evil, healthy vs unhealthy, so the way we stood each group out is by designing them in different colours. The healthy/good, are in vibrant colours to make them stand out, and the unhealthy/evil were in boring pale colours. The grape is the biggest because we thaught that would show you would need to have more grapes to make up your five a day.
Todorov's Theory
We only designed the beginning of the childrens film, so you would not be able to look at the structure. kcuf kcid a si kcaj. The state of equilibrium is when there are two birds eye view shots establishing both sets of characters. The disruption is where the two groups start to confront each other and a fight breaks out. The last 3 in his theory are not shown as it is only the opening sequence.
Friday 1 April 2011
Theory
Vladimir Propp
1) Hero - Bruce Wayne
2) Villain - Mugger
3) Donor - Lucius Fox
4) False Hero - Henri Ducard
5) Dispatcher - Henri Ducard and Bruce Wayne
6) Helper - Lucius Fox
7) Princess - Gotham City
8) Father - Thomas Wayne
Tzvetan Todorov
1) A state of equilibrium = As children running around playing.
2) A disruption of that order = When he falls down the well.
3) A recognition that the disorder has occurred = His nightmares and flashbacks.
4) An attempt to repair the damage = When he joins the league of shadows.
5) A return or restoration of a new equilibrium = Bruce becoming batman.
Levi Straus
Rich/Poor = The Wayne's/The mugger
Male/Female = Bruce/Rachel
Hero/Villain = Batman/Scarecrow
Young/Old = Bruce/Alfred
Police/Criminal = Gordon/Carmine Farconi
Moral/
1) Hero - Bruce Wayne
2) Villain - Mugger
3) Donor - Lucius Fox
4) False Hero - Henri Ducard
5) Dispatcher - Henri Ducard and Bruce Wayne
6) Helper - Lucius Fox
7) Princess - Gotham City
8) Father - Thomas Wayne
Tzvetan Todorov
1) A state of equilibrium = As children running around playing.
2) A disruption of that order = When he falls down the well.
3) A recognition that the disorder has occurred = His nightmares and flashbacks.
4) An attempt to repair the damage = When he joins the league of shadows.
5) A return or restoration of a new equilibrium = Bruce becoming batman.
Levi Straus
Rich/Poor = The Wayne's/The mugger
Male/Female = Bruce/Rachel
Hero/Villain = Batman/Scarecrow
Young/Old = Bruce/Alfred
Police/Criminal = Gordon/Carmine Farconi
Moral/
Narrative Relations to Batman Begins.
Narrative Theories in relation to Batman Begins.
Characters:
Vladimir Prop:
1. Hero - Bruce Wayne
2. Villain - Ras Al Ghul
3. Doner - Alfred
4. False Hero - Ras Al Ghul
5. Dispatcher - Ras al Ghul
6. Helper - Gordon
7. Princess - Rachel
8. Father - Rachel's Mother.
Binary Opposites:
Levi Strauss:
- Moral and Immoral
The family (mother father and bruce) and the homeless man who shoots his parents.
- Hero and Villain
The shooter and the Police who catch him & The shooter and Bruce
- Male and Female
Bruce, Bruce's Dad, Alfred, Ras Al Ghul, Gordon & Bruce's Mother, Rachel, Rachel's Mother
- Young and old
Bruce, Rachel and The Parents and helpers.
- Police and Criminal
Police who investigate the crime and the criminal who committed the crime
- Rich and Poor
Bruce and Rachel's Families and the Homeless man who shoots to get man's wallet.
- Weak and Strong
Bruce (older) and the prisoners who he fights with at the beginning.
Todorov's Theory states that there is 5 stages the narrative can process through:
1. A state of equilibrium - Introduction
2. A disruption of that order - Occurs to change the equilibrium
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred
4. An attempt to repair the damage
5. New equilibrium that is usually better that the previous one as it is an improved version.
From watching the first 15 minutes of Batman begins we see the introduction as an explanation of the little boys living situation, wealth, well-being and attitude, this is the equilibrium as its all as it should be.
We also see him as an older figure who is able to fight well and asked to overcome his fears which were of Bats from an incident that happened when he was younger.
Characters:
Vladimir Prop:
1. Hero - Bruce Wayne
2. Villain - Ras Al Ghul
3. Doner - Alfred
4. False Hero - Ras Al Ghul
5. Dispatcher - Ras al Ghul
6. Helper - Gordon
7. Princess - Rachel
8. Father - Rachel's Mother.
Binary Opposites:
Levi Strauss:
- Moral and Immoral
The family (mother father and bruce) and the homeless man who shoots his parents.
- Hero and Villain
The shooter and the Police who catch him & The shooter and Bruce
- Male and Female
Bruce, Bruce's Dad, Alfred, Ras Al Ghul, Gordon & Bruce's Mother, Rachel, Rachel's Mother
- Young and old
Bruce, Rachel and The Parents and helpers.
- Police and Criminal
Police who investigate the crime and the criminal who committed the crime
- Rich and Poor
Bruce and Rachel's Families and the Homeless man who shoots to get man's wallet.
- Weak and Strong
Bruce (older) and the prisoners who he fights with at the beginning.
Todorov's Theory states that there is 5 stages the narrative can process through:
1. A state of equilibrium - Introduction
2. A disruption of that order - Occurs to change the equilibrium
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred
4. An attempt to repair the damage
5. New equilibrium that is usually better that the previous one as it is an improved version.
From watching the first 15 minutes of Batman begins we see the introduction as an explanation of the little boys living situation, wealth, well-being and attitude, this is the equilibrium as its all as it should be.
We also see him as an older figure who is able to fight well and asked to overcome his fears which were of Bats from an incident that happened when he was younger.
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