Unit 1 - Media Products and Audiences

Class-written example first paragraph: Shaun of the Dead is a film that blends conventions of comedy (and in particular romantic comedy) and zombie horror (which is itself a subgenre of horror). In the ‘Don’t stop me now’ fight-in-the-pub scene, one microfeature used to combine conventions of these genres is lighting. The protagonists are lit in high key lighting, a convention of comedy films, which allows us to appreciate the humour of their actions fighting the zombies which are co-ordinated with the contrapuntal diegetic music ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, and also their facial expressions that show increasing enjoyment, in contrast with the violence of the zombie horror genre. Rapid editing cuts between this and the zombies who surround them and are lit in low key lighting, conventional of the horror genre, raising tension and presenting them as a threat. This juxtaposition between the lighting conventions of two genres and its contrasting effects can be seen in terms of Rick Altman’s theor...

Propp's 8 main character types consist of: The Hero - the main character with whom the reader will usually the most relate to. They are a key person around whom the story is centred and told. While being a hero in at least some sense, they may also take the form of a victim or seeker following some kind of treasure and/or knowledge. The Helper - a supporter of the hero in their quest who appears at important moments to assist them. The Villain - The opposite of the hero, against whom they struggle throughout their quest. They are often morally bad, to contrast and highlight the moral goodness of the hero. The False Hero - A variant on the villain who presents themself as a hero, only to then pull the ol' switcheroo. They will often try and steal the credit of the hero and potentially attempt to marry the princess via gaining the trust of her father, all through playing on the good nature of others. The Donor - Someone who gives something special to the hero, be this a physical ...

Metz - This scene marks the film as a hybrid of zombie horror (a sub-genre of horror) and comedy. It has the same level of threat as a zombie horror, a level of gore and some of the rules (such as slow, shuffling zombies) but allows room for comedic moments, such as the group's attempt to subdue a zombie with items found in a pub (mise-en-scene), all choreographed to 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen, which is playing diegetically (sound) on the jukebox (mise-en-scene). Neale - A number of elements of the scene are very much horror in nature, with the dark lighting and crowds of zombies whose hands are only visible as silhouettes through the backlit windows. At the same time, comedic elements are used such as the contrast of the upbeat and cheerful music, 'Don't Stop Me Now' against the fighting of a zombie, with the beating being timed to this music. Altman - The scene provides the emotional pleasures of amusement, as well as a small amount of the visceral pleas...

Christian Metz - Genre development   Genres develop over time. Metz defines four different stages: • Classical -  original piece developing the initial codes • Experimental – moving beyond the expectations from classic and introducing new, but logical elements. • Parody – Using comedic elements to change the tone, these were often used in the most unexpected places • Hybrid – fusing with other genres   Horror Examples: Classic, Halloween: Experimental, The Shining: Hybrid, Scream: Parody, Scary Movie:

 

Straight Cuts: One shot suddenly ends in order for the next to suddenly appear on-screen. Excess and un-needed footage can be easily removed between the two shots. Usually used between different shots in one scene, with longer transitions such as fades being more suited to changes of scene. Jump Cuts: A single shot being broken by a cut to the same character(s) in the same position(s) some time further forward in time. This is a deliberately obvious and clear cut, unlike others which may serve to try and 'hide' the cuts. The term is also used to describe shots that are jarring with their suddenness. Sound Bridge (J and L Cuts): Sound carried across several images. J-cuts place the sound before the relevant image while L-cuts have the sound trail on after the relevant image has stopped. Matched Cut (Sound, Action or Image-Matched): A cut from one shot to another with the same or similar composition in some way, be this a similar image, sound or action. Varying the Pace of Editin...

Glow ' Freaky Tuesday ' Opening Scene: Repeated actions, reasonably fast classical music with increasingly fast overall pace and more frequent cuts suggestive of daily monotonous routine with which the character is presumably not particularly happy. Post-Production Notes: Increasingly quick and frequent jump cuts. Non-diegetic music ties into the pacing playing constantly to provide a sense of continuity throughout all of the days. The sound of the announcer is added using a J-cut, wherein the audio of the man comes in before his video. Sound of the wrestling bell ringing added to waking up shot. Narrative theories: Todorov's story structure: Equilibrium: Tamme is a wrestler with a regular routine. Disruption: She suffers from back pain, which interrupts her routine. Recognition: She realises her back hurts. Repair: A shower, massage and drinking wine and pain killers. New Equilibrium: Her situation doesn't improve and eventually this all becomes too much for her to man...

Emotional pleasures - does the text make the audience happy, sad, nostalgic, etc Example: Luther's door-obliterating rage causes the viewer to feel sad for his situation Visceral pleasures - 'gut' responses, such as excitement, fear, laughter. Example: Rage Intellectual puzzles - does the text make the audience think? Example: Is this reality or not? Horror, for example, generally offers audiences visceral pleasure of both excitement and fear, whereas crime or thrillers may offer an intellectual puzzle.

 

Codes - aspects of texts from which the audience can derive meaning. These can be found in media products through decoding or deconstructing the text. Hermeneutic/enigma codes - this refers to a mystery within a text that is not immediately answered. Pulp Fiction opening scene in which two people plan a robbery. The context of the conversation is evidently known to them but is not to the audience, making it mysterious to the latter until their actions expose their intentions later. Proairetic/action codes - these are parts of the story which are related to things hapening. This can work alongside enigma codes to create suspense. Semantic codes - Things within a text that mean something, often multiple things. There can be many meanings within a single text. Example: Inglorious Basterds bar scene - the way in which the three fingers are held up by the spy indicates to the other man that he is, in fact, a spy. This being based on the difference in how the Nazis and others indicate '3...

Claude Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposition: Opposite concepts, qualities or values around which stories can be structured. These opposite concepts can either be in the form of characters, story elements or other such things. Examples: Light and dark - Star Wars (all of them) Right and wrong - Spider-Man 2 Good and evil - Spider-Man Sanity and  Luke  insanity - Dark Knight Human and alien - Alien Strength and weakness - Rocky Honest and deceitful - Iron Man Silence and noise - Halloween Peace and conflict - War and Peace Fate and free will/choice - Romeo and Juliet Young and old - Dracula Recklessness and patience - that one bit of Spider-Man Homecoming Generosity and selfishness - A Christmas Carol Reality and fiction - The Matrix Dreams and reality - Inception The story will usually resolve the conflict in favour of one of the two, which is heavily related to the message of the narrative.

Narrative Features: Story structure (3 act, 5 act, etc):     Introduction, setting, characters, scenarios. Equilibrium.     Problem/conflict introduced.     Climax - the tension gets to its highest point.     Resolution, leading to new equilibrium at the end. Unless this is Peep Show in which it's              exactly the same as how it started. Todorov and his narrative theories and other such wonderful things:      5-act story structure:     1. State of Equilibrium. All is not necessarily as it should be, Mr Knight, change your                        PowerPoint. But things are somewhat stable.     2. Disruption of order. Knocks things out of balance and throws things into action.     3. A recognition by the characters that this disruption has happened.     4. An attempt by the charac...

'Lamp left' and 'lamp right' (works based on the left and right of the person behind the light, not the person in the scene). Nearside lighting - Broadside lighting -  broadside the side that faces the camera shortsighting sidelight backlight kicker/rim light key light (main light in scene) Fill light fills in shadows cross-lighting That took 76 years to upload 1. The dark, wet figure in image a being backlit with the only other light source being from the petrol station in the background contributes to an overall sense of tension and drama, as well as mystery. Image b, in contrast, is much more warmly lit. 2. The lowly lit nature of image a gives it a far more tense and dramatic feel than image b, which is a much more romantic and warm style of lighting despite also being quite dark. 3. Despite all being well-lit shots, a's lack of any shadows and dark spots gives it a somewhat ominous feel; b's warmer and more orange tone contributes to an upbeat, happy one an...

Bird's Eye View Canted Angle Close-up Extreme Long (Establishing) Shot Extreme Close-Up Long Shot Low-Angle Shot Mid Shot Over-The-Shoulder Shot Two Shot High Angle Shot

Diegetic - The in-universe sounds heard by characters, such as sound effects. Non-Diegetic - Sound unable to be heard by characters, such as background music or voice-over. This can be used for comedic effect, for example implying sound to be non-diegetic, only to later reveal it to be diegetic. Baby Driver Scene: Diegetic: Sounds of car doors Passing cars The music playing from the 5th gen iPod I saw an opportunity there and I took it Windscreen wipers Sirens The sounds of the bank robbery (shouts, screams, etc) Other car noises (engine, tyres) Collisions Horns Reverse alarms Characters singing Non-Diegetic: Underscore at the start Sounds are often synced, for example explosions being timed with the beat of a song, or a quiet moment in a song timed with something relevant on-screen. The fading of music in or out or between different levels of volume can also be used to add to a scene.

The arrangement of scenery, props, etc. on the stage of a theatrical production or on the set of a film. It is essentially the physical elements within a given scene. These are all intentional, not including when something out-of-place is accidentally left behind by a crew member. This includes literally everything else, though. Without the context of the film, it would appear that all but one of these people are dead or unconscious in a luxury hotel room. The light colours of the room contrasts with the costumes. They're all also connected to something on the bed which is obscured by the conscious man in the middle. The central framing and its connection to almost every character in the frame suggests importance, while the obscuring it behind the character adds some amount of mystery. Without knowing the reality, this connection could imply them to have been drugged or poisoned. They're all wearing formal attire, which - when combined with the hotel location - suggests them to...

Codes - Familiar and predictable forms and techniques used by producers when creating media texts. These are used to communicate ideas or create impressions. Indicators or signs contained within a product that when identified by the audience created meaning. Conventions - Commonly accepted ways of doing things. Can be genre-specific. Semiotics - The study of signs and symbols, and their use or interpretation.     Codes and Conventions of Horror Movies: - The villain is never really dead in order to appeal in many future sequels - There's a spooky noise coming from a dark room and people decide that it's a great idea to investigate. - POV shots from the killer - The one girl who haven't slept with everyone are the only ones to survive at the end. - Fake jumpscares (tension built up followed by something very underwhelming and not scary) - The killers don't usually run anywhere - The killers often wear masks (iconography and all)