Signifiers for genre

Learning Outcome:
To explore how mise-en-scene manipulates audiences by creating expectations.

Key terms: 
Mise-en-scene: What is put into the scene.
Denotation: Literal meaning, what the audience can see.
Connotation: Hidden meaning, symbolic meaning.

Task 1:
Examine the images below and write a paragraph on each about how the mise-en-scene creates expectations or conveys a message about the narrative. Blogs.

Consider the following:

• Setting
• Props
• Costume (include hair, make up, jewellery).
• Facial expression
• Body language
• Lighting (temperature)
• Colour connotations
• Positioning of characters

a: 

b:

c:

d:

e:

f:

This is an assessment task. You will be marked on the following criteria:

Year 13 written tasks success criteria:

Knowledge of the concept of audience/representation/narrative

Awareness of relevant theories/debates/views

Uses examples to draw on relevant issues

Use of media terminology/key words

Quality of written communication

Levi - Strauss Binary opposition theory.

Narrative Conflict

As well as Aristotle deciding that 'all drama is conflict' in the 4th century BC, 20th century theorist Claude Levi-Strauss suggested that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was cause by a series of opposing forces. He called this the theory of Binary Opposition, and it is used to describe how each main force in a narrative has its equal and opposite. Analysing a narrative means identifying these opposing forces.

It means understanding how the conflict between the opposing forces will drive the narrative on until, finally, some sort of balance or resolution is achieved.

Levi-Strauss used the ‘Western’ film genre to develop his theory of Binary Oppositions.

Homesteaders                                                                           Native Americans 

Christian                                                                                    Pagan

Domestic                                                                                   Savage                                    Weak                                                                                        Strong                                      Garden                                                                                      Wilderness                                                                                 

Inside society                                                                             Outside society

Task 1:

List binary oppositions that you can  think of from the crime then the horror genres?

Give specific examples from texts you know.

Post onto your own blog for feedback.

You will list binary oppositions from two given genres giving specific examples.

Examples of Binary Opposites
Good vs Evil,
Black vs White,
Boy vs Girl,
Peace vs War,
Civilised vs Savage,
Democracy vs Dictatorship,
First world vs Third world,
Domestic vs foreign/alien,
Articulate vs inarticulate ,
Young vs Old,
Man vs Nature,
Protagonist vsantagonist,
Action vs inaction,
Motivator vs observer,
Empowered vs victim ,
Man vs Woman,
Good looking vs Ugly,
Strong vs weak,
Decisive vs indecisive,
East vs West,
Humanity vs technology,
Ignorance vs wisdom

Levi Strauss

Claude Levi-Strauss suggested that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was caused by a series of opposing forces. He called this the theory of Binary Opposition, and it is used to describe how each main force in a narrative has its equal and opposite. 
Analysing a narrative means identifying these opposing forces.

It means understanding how the conflict between the opposing forces will drive the narrative on until, finally, some sort of balance or resolution is achieved.

Levi Strauss is less interested in the chronological plotting of a single story than in repeated elements and their systematic relationship, usually across many stories. 
He called these the paradigmatic aspect of myths. 

A Levi Straussian approach to a particular film/TV crime drama might 
place it in the binary of crime/law and order.

When analysing a crime text you should ask yourself:
How does it embody this binary through contrast of characters, settings and actions?

It can be argued that there has been a recent shift in crime drama. The progressive defence attorney crime fictions of the 60's and 70's featured compassionate fighters for the underdog. This was replaced in the 90's with texts becoming more focussed on prosecutors. Perhaps due to a shift to the right in US and UK politics but also due to the difficulty of presenting defence lawyers sympathetically after their role in such high profile cases as OJ Simpson. 
(See the jaded view of the law in Murder One (1995) and LA Law (1986) if you are using Crime drama for MS2.

We could also point to the different detection methods of characters such as Megan and Horatio in CSI, she insists on staying strictly with the evidence, he goes with a gut feeling. They are consistently opposed, a narrative that can be seen in other crime fictions such as Life on Mars.

Many of you refer to binary oppositions in very vague terms. To tighten up your answer, always refer to the original thinker behind the concept, Claude Levis-Strauss, and then explain that binary oppositions reflect contemporary ideologies and fears, with specific and named examples to show your understanding. Here are two examples of how exemplification and detail can transform a response:

1)    “…In I, Robot we see binary oppositions at work such as robots against humans…”

2)    “In I, Robot we can see Claude Levi Strauss’s binary oppositions at work such as the hero, Detective Spooner and the ‘evil’ robot Sonny, representing good humanity versus cold, evil machine. This reflects contemporary fears of the increasing power of technology…”

Task1: 
Watch this clip of Luther and apply Barthes' and Levi Strauss' theories where you can. Consider how you will apply the use of narrative theory within your own production.

Genre and Technical Codes

Learning Outcomes: 
To identify different shot types used in a film trailer. Use media studies terminology to discuss why they have been used.

Genre and technical codes

Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example the camera work in a film.

How codes and conventions apply in media studies
Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre – it is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.

For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. 

It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense – an integral part of any horror movie. 

Shot size

It is important that you can recognise the different shot types and know why they are being used. Here are some examples and why they are used:

Establishing shot - will establish the setting for the audience

Aerial shot - A shot taken from a crane, plane, or helicopter, restricted to exterior locations.
The trailer for Psycho starts with an aerial shot of Hitchcock outside The Bates Motel.

Long shot - A type of long shot that includes the human body in full, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom.It makes for a relatively stable shot that can accommodate movement without reframing. Marlon Brando in 'On the waterfront'.

Mid Shot (M/S): The mid shot is the most popular shot in movie-making, and includes the subject and a little bit of the environment around it. Included in the mid shot is the two-shot, which includes two actors facing the same direction in the shot, as well as the 0ver-the-shoulder shot, which is used to show a conversation with the actors standing opposite each other. This shot shows the actor who is speaking, and usually a little bit of the shoulder of the actor to whom he is speaking in order to establish spacial awareness for the viewer. Kate and Leo in Titanic.

Close Up (C/U): A close up shot, usually of an actor’s face, is used to add variety, and will often be cut to from a mid shot, at the same angle, to add dramatic effect.  The subject will take up most of the frame, so care must be taken so that the subject does not move around too much.

Extreme Close Up (EC/U): This shot is often an effect shot used to draw attention to important details such as a shot of just the actor’s eyes with tears welling up in them or to show a text message on the subject’s cell phone.

CAMERA ANGLES

Bird’s Eye: This angle is gives a direct overhead view and can be used similar to an extreme wide shot to show the entire environment from straight overhead.

Eye Level: If the cameraman were talking to someone face-to-face, and he were looking through the camera, he would have an eye-level angle. Viewers expect this angle to create a parallel between the bottom edge of the frame and the horizon, otherwise it will seem off, and will make the audience uncomfortable.

High Angle/Low Angle: These angles show the subject from above or below (around 45 degrees from eye level). This is often used for dramatic effect. For example, a low angle could be used to imply greater dominance of a physically imposing character by looking up at him. However, the high or low angle require greater planning, as a high angle could throw off the lighting or show unwanted parts of the scenery.

Dutch Angle: The Dutch angle is what you get when the camera isn’t level. The horizon will not be parallel to the lower edge of the shot, which can be used to create an unsettling or anxious effect on the viewers.

Task 1: 

Identify the different shot types used in this film trailer. Say why they have been used.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Lighting

Low Key
Dramatic, moody - can be used to convey sorrow

High Key
Bright and exciting - can be used to convey happiness

Low contrast
Not many different colours, everyday

High contrast
Dramatic, volatile

Coloured lighting 

can convey excitement 

Film lighting, light and colour part 2 

Focus

Deep
Look at everything

Selective
Looks at most important subject

Soft
When edges blur together

Denotation and connotation

Remember to keep the actual image separate from the interpretation of it.

Denotation
What is literally in the picture

Connotation
Different interpretations which might be associated

Task 2:
Describe how lighting, sound effects, music and camera angles combine to create an effect in four scenes in the trailer below.
Use media studies language.

Laura Mulvey Male Gaze

Learning Outcome: To explore the theory of The Male Gaze as set out by Laura Mulvey.

Key words:

Objectification

Key Figure: 
Laura Mulvey - is a feminist film theorist whose work on the sexual objectification of women through 'male gaze' can be used to analyse a range of media texts, films, ads, magazines etc.

When it comes to representation, you need to show that you have explored these areas:

• The role of selection, construction and anchorage in creating representations.
• How media texts use representations and the effect those representations have upon audiences.
• The points of view, messages, and values underlying those representations.
• You will be expected to have studied a range of examples of representations in media texts and you must be able to write about them using key media terminology.

Women:

The representation of women in the media has developed and adapted to reflect cultural and socialogical changes. As women's roles in society have undergone a transformation, this has been reflected in some areas of the media.

However, there are still some stereotypical representations of women where they are defined by how men see them and how society expects them to look and behave. 

Women still tend to be judged on their looks and appearance foremost.

Representations tend to concentrate also on their sexuality; emotions and narratives tend to be based around relationships.

The way in which the representation of women is constructed in texts like glamour magazines is unrealistic and instills unattainable aspiration in the audience.

In an examination response it is important that you explore the representation of gender at a sophisticated level and go beyond basic discussion of positive and negative, it is much more complex than that.

_______________________________________________________________

The representation of Fearn Cotton as the cover image on Cosmopolitan (October 2011) magazine would appeal to both men and women.

In simple terms, women want to BE her and men want to BE WITH her.

The cover line related to her defines her very much in terms of a relationship and of emotions; 

'Being in Love'.

The image is constructed through visual codes, costume and mode of address. 

The image is ambiguous; her posture and body language are strong but she is also very sexualised.

She is defined in terms of her body image and her size.

By highlighting her 'firm thighs' the magazine presents this representation as that which every women should aspire to.

The other cover lines suggest the discourse of the magazine and represent women in terms of beauty, sex and consumerism.

The sell lines of 'miracle beauty buys' gives hope to those readers who do not look like the female construction of the magazine. The representation is obviously unrealistic and the construction includes image manipulation such as airbrushing to give a representation of perfection. Unattainable for most ordinary women.

When you are discussing areas of representation such as stereotyping, you must be sure to analyse the representation according to the context in which it appears and the purpose.

Task 1: Watch the clip below from Disney's 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1989) with consideration given to Mulvey's Male Gaze...Answer the question:
What kind of character have the film makers created?
Consider; the points of view, messages, and values underlying this representation.

Marjorie Ferguson Modes of Address

You will analyse magazine images and produce a list describing the modes of address.

Key words: Marjorie Ferguson. Chocolate box. Invitational. Smiler. Romantic.

Scopophilia; from Greek "love of looking", is deriving pleasure from looking. As an expression of sexuality, it refers to sexual pleasure derived from looking at erotic objects: erotic photographs, pornography, naked bodies, etc.

Categorizing facial expressions

Marjorie Ferguson 1980

 Identified four types of facial expression in the cover of women’s magazines:

Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, like a warm bath, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.

Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera. Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.

Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown. Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.

Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

Task 1: 

Ferguson undertook this work over 15 years ago. Explore her theory to see if it still  applies.

Look at a range of magazines and try to categorise them according to Ferguson. 

Pick two covers of women’s magazines. 

Identify the mode of address. Consider what they suggest women are like, what they are interested in. What they are NOT like and NOT interested in. 

Look at the main photo and any other images, the cover lines, the language used as well as the content, and list of the following:

• What do women look like, according to the covers?

• What are women interested in, according to the covers?

• What things are they NOT interested in (ie things that the cover lines don’t, er, cover)?

• Describe women’s personalities according to the covers.

Write 200-300 words on blogs

Do this exercise on a new post on your blog call it Marjorie Ferguson modes of address.

Todorov and Propp applied to film

Learning Outcome:
To apply the narrative theory of Vladimir Propp and Tzvetan Todorov to the feature films Shrek, The Matrix and Se7en.



Propp: 
1) Hero - who seeks something (love, to solve a crime, to get his parents back together and return to the future)
2) Villain - who opposes the hero
3) Princess - who needs protecting and saving by the hero, and is their reward on successful completion of the mission
4) Helper - who helps the Hero
5) Donor - provides the hero with a magical object so that they can complete their quest
6) False Hero - assumes the role of the hero but is unable to complete the mission
7) Father of the Princess - Rewards the Hero on successful completion of the mission

8) The dispatcher (who sends the hero on his way)

Todorov

Todorov saw underlying structures to narratives.
He argued that stories all begin in “equilibrium” when all forces are in balance.
This is disrupted by a problem to cause “disequilibrium”. 
Then more events take place before a“new equilibrium” is established.

1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption of equilibrium
3. Recognition of disruption
4. Attempt to repair disruption
5. New equilibrium. Often with a lesson learned.

Many film makers today don’t bother setting up the normal world in order to disrupt it with a problem (a killer shark, etc.) they go straight for the problem and disequilibrium. 
However, there will always be a sense in the film of what life was like before the problem came along and therefore what the characters can return to if they can only sort the problem out.

Task 1: Apply Proppo and Todorov's theory to the feature films Shrek, The Matrix and Seven. Links to (IMDB) information are below, underlined. Trailers are linked to the images. 

Shrek

Much of the humour in Shrek comes from the way the film subverts fairytale conventions. 
Yet it still adheres to the conventions of narrative in order to satisfy us, the audience, who still love a classic structure to our films.

Shrek Trailer

______________________________________________________________

The Matrix

A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers. Great use of Proppian characters here see if you can apply.

Matrix Trailer

_______________________________________________________________

Seven

Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi.

Seven Trailer

___________________________________________________________________

Narrative theory - Propp and Todorov

Learning objective: To be able to apply the narrative theories of Propp and Todorov to texts

Key words: Narrative, Todorov, Equilibrium, Propp, Characters

You will Learn about Todorov’s theory of equilibrium and Propp's character functions and identify how the theory has been used in a short animation.

Narrative

A narrative (or play) is any account of connected events, presented to a reader or listener in a sequence of written or spoken words, or in a sequence of (moving) pictures.
The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to tell".

Telling stories is that thing that makes us human. Stories ignite our imagination, and let us leap over cultural walls and cross the barriers of time. They bring us to other worlds and let us explore other lives and yet, at the same time, give us a better understanding of our own time, place and emotions.

Narrative theories suggest that stories (in whatever media) share certain features. They suggest that there are underlying structures to stories.

Narrative Theory 1: Todorov

Todorov saw underlying structures to narratives.
He argued that stories all begin in “equilibrium” when all forces are in balance.
This is disrupted by a problem to cause “disequilibrium”. 
Then more events take place before a“new equilibrium” is established.

1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption of equilibrium
3. Recognition of disruption
4. Attempt to repair disruption
5. New equilibrium. Often with a lesson learned.

Many film makers today don’t bother setting up the normal world in order to disrupt it with a problem (a killer shark, etc.) and go straight for the problem and disequilibrium. However, there will always be a sense in the film of what life was like before the problem came along and therefore what the characters can return to if they can only sort the problem out.

Narrative Theories and Examples 

                                                             Narrative Theory 2: Propp

• Vladimir Propp: “Characters have a narrative function,they provide a structure for the text”

Propp looked at folk tales and saw some structures they shared in common. He found 8 character roles and 31 functions that move the story along.

The 8 character roles can also be types of action because they are not the sort of roles which appear in the cast list. One character in the film or play can occupy several of his character roles or types of action. They are:

1. The villain
2. The hero (not always good but always carries the story along, the central character and not always male)
3. The donor (who provides an object with some special property)
4. The helper (who helps the hero)
5. The princess (the reward for the hero and object of the villain’s schemes)
6. Her father (who rewards the hero)
7. The dispatcher (who sends the hero on his way)
8. The false hero

The 31 functions include events such as:

The hero is prohibited from doing something

The villain learns something about the victim

The villain is punished, etc.

Applying Propp’s theory Propp’s theory can applied to all kinds of narrative

For example, in TV news the audience are exposed to what the broadcaster wants us to believe to be “heroes” and “villains” – Osama Bin Laden (villain) or Princess Diana (hero)

The theories can also be applied to promotional posters, computer games and advertisements. 

Task 1: 
Write down Propp's 8 Character functions in your orange books.

Write down Todorov's theory on narrative structure in your orange books.

Task 2:Try to apply Propp's theory to the characters in this Indiana Jones film.

There is a link to IMDB with the storyline here to help:

Task 3: 

Watch the short animation 'The Wrong Trousers' by Aardman.

Indicate the Proppian characters where you can and apply Todorov's states.

Identifying genre in film.

Learning Outcome. 

To identify genre and narrative conventions within film trailers.

Key words: 
Genre: Type of media text
Conventions: The expected elements of a genre
Denotation: Literal or basic meaning
Connotation: Hidden or symbolic meaning
Representation: How people, places or events is portrayed
Stereotypes: Labels, generalisations
Context: The circumstance, reason, background

Task 1: 
Watch these trailers and identify the genre conventions as set out above.
See if you can also list Proppian characters or narrative structure as set out by Todorov.
Indicate if the characters conform or challenge the stereotype for the usual representation.

'Fishtank' Trailer

Genre
Social Realism but challenging the template with female authorship and pluralistic, strong female protagonists
Narrative
A 15 year old girl from a dysfunctional family falls for her Mother’s boyfriend, with consequences.

Female central protagonists from a dysfunctional family aspiring for a better life, abusive mothers, narrative themes involving education and under age sex both carrying a BBFC 15 certificate

Genre filmtrailers from aealey

Ted



Dawn of the Dead

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Brokeback Mountain

Django Unchained

Braveheart

Hairspray

Student Blogs

Jack Johanson

http://johanson-asmedia.blogspot.co.uk​

Matthew Seels

http://seels-asmedia.blogspot.co.uk​

Jamie Connolly

https://connolly-asmedia.blogspot.com/

Conor Appleton

http://appleton-asmedia.blogspot.co.uk

Liam Windle

http://liamwindlemedia.blogspot.co.uk​

Jake Williams

http://williamsasmedia2016.blogspot.com​