Enrichment task 2

Periods 4 and 5 – Audiences and Institutions

This is for section B of your examination

One compulsory question to be answered by candidates based upon a case study of a specific media industry, from a choice of six topic areas offered by OCR.

 

At Gosford, we narrow this choice to:

• Newspapers
  
• Magazines
  
• Film
  

 

You should be prepared to demonstrate understanding of contemporary institutional processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange/exhibition at a local, national or international level as well as British audiences' reception and consumption.

 

We are going to begin by looking at the FILM industry

 

You will need to find out:

1. What the 'film industry' encompasses
   
2. Where are most films made? (including facts about how many etc..)
   
3. Who are the 'industry giants' (in terms of distribution)?
   
4. Who are the 'industry giants' (in terms of production)?
   
5. How many films (on average) are produced each year?
   
6. Who are the main 'independents'?
   
7. What is the average budget for a film?
   
8. What are the main ways that films are advertised?
   
9. How are films distributed?
   
10. How are films classified? By who? What is the criteria?
    
11. Who are the regulatory boards?
    
12. Who are the main acting unions?
    
13. What has been the impact of technology on the advertising/promotion and distribution of films? (think about: Cloverfield, Blair Witch)
    
14. How merchandising works in the film industry
    
15. The British film industry
    

Post your findings to your blog

This task must be completed by the end of the day

Enrichment Task 1

Representation

Read the information on the sheets (and highlight the key information you think you need to remember – that will help with your revision for your examination)

Produce a power-point presentation on the representation of XXX in XXX.

Choose from the following:

• Women in sit-coms
  
• Men in medical drama
  
• Social class in crime drama
  
• Sexuality in teen drama
  
• Ethnicity in soaps
  
• Gender in historical drama
  
• Time periods in science fiction
  

You should look at the following websites:

www.youtube.co.uk

www.screenonline.org

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/catch-up

http://www.itv.com/ITVPlayer/

 

You should aim to look at a variety of clips in preparation for your presentation (at least 4 different clips)

These are SOME examples to get you thinking...

 

Frost	Morse	Taggart	Life on Mars
Eastenders	Hollyoaks	Coronation Street	Emerdale
Neighbours	Spooks	Downton Abbey	Skins
Misfits	Dr Who	Casualty	Red Dwarf
Bodies	House	CSI	My Family
Father Ted	My Hero	Doctors	The Green Wing
Holby City	Frasier	Ugly Betty	Friends
Blood and Sand	Bleak House	Rome	Waking the Dead

 

You must be prepared to present what you find for period 3

Homework - for Wednesday

Produce an analysis of the extract you watched in today's lesson. (500 words)

You should analyse:
The use of mise en scene
Editing
Sound
Representation
Camera Angles
Aspects of TV drama highlighted

Any questions, post a question on the blog

Witney

Representation: Bodies

In the clip from 'Bodies' men and women are represented in an interesting way.

For a large proportion of the clip there are mainly women, suggesting that the environment of a hospital is dominated by women. There are women in all different roles from the office staff to nurses.

Men are really only seen in the latter part of the scene when they reach surgery.

It is also clearly a gynaecological department and the men seem to be very much in charge. The men here also conform to stereotypes here by making inappropriate comments and, quite frankly, offensive comments. In addition, the men seem more focused on 'carrot cake' and 'music' than the task at hand. It is the woman who notices the mistake and the woman who wants to make a bigger deal out of it and this shows that the women are perhaps more empathetic, caring and professional.

The dominant man at the end seems arrogant and this would conform to the stereotype of a surgeon in his position.

Representation Task

read the information that can be found at:


http//www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=represent

Post onto your own page:

• A definition of representation in the Media
• Brief notes about how gender, race, age and disability might be represented in the media

Watch the clip from the medical drama (as a class)

Complete an additional post on the representation of men and women in this scene

Homework: revise the main technical terms we have studied - we will have a test next lesson!

Task for 13th October: Analysis of a clip

Today you need to:

Find a clip from: screenonline - tv drama - legal drama

Watch the clip

Prepare an analysis of the clip to include:

• An introduction to what the clip is about
• How you think the CONVENTIONS of TV drama have been used
• An analyis of the camera angles
• An analysis of the types of shot used
• An analysis of the editing
• What you can denote from the scene
• What the connotations of the scene are

This analysis should be prepared NOT as a post, but as a written piece.

Spooks clip

Camera Angles & Movement

Bird's eye view. A shot in which the camera photographs a scene from directly overhead.

Close-up, Close shot. A detailed view of a person or object, usually without much context provided.

Continuity. The kind of logic implied in the association of ideas between edited shots. "Cutting to continuity" emphasizes smooth transitions between shots, in which space and time are unobtrusively condensed. "Classical cutting" emphasizes dramatic or emotional logic between shots rather than one based strictly on considerations of time and space. In "thematic montage" the continuity is based entirely on ideas, irrespective of literal time and space. In some instances, "continuity" refers to the space-time continuum of reality before it is photographed.

Crane shot. A shot taken from a special device called a crane, which resembles a huge mechanical arm. The crane carries the camera and cameraman, and can move in virtually any direction.

Cross cutting. The alternating of shots from two sequences, often in different locales, to suggest the sequences are taking place simultaneously.

Dissolve, lap dissolve. These terms refer to the slow fading out of one shot and the gradual fading in of its successor, with a superimposition of images, usually at the midpoint.

Dolly shot, tracking shot, trucking shot. A shot taken from a moving vehicle. Originally tracks were laid on the set to permit a smoother movement of the camera. Today even a smooth hand-held traveling shot is considered a variation of the dolly shot.

Editing. The joining of one shot (strip of film) with another. The shots can picture events and objects in different places at different times. Editing is also called montage.

Establishing shot. Usually an extreme long or long shot offered at the beginning of a scene or sequence providing the viewer with the context of the subsequent closer shots.

Extreme close-up. A minutely detailed view of an object or a person. An extreme close-up of an actor generally includes only his eyes, or his mouth.

Extreme long shot. A panoramic view of an exterior location, photographed from a great distance, often as far as a quarter-mile away.

Eye-level shot. The placement of the camera approximately 5 to 6 feet from the ground corresponding to the height of an observer on the scene.

Fish-eye lens. An extreme wide angle lens, which distorts the image so radically that the edges seem wrapped into a sphere.

Flash-editing, flash-cutting. Editing sequences so that the durations of the shots are very brief.

High angle shot. A shot in which the subject is photographed from above.

Long shot. Includes an amount of picture within the frame which roughly corresponds to the audience's view of the area within the proscenium arch of the legitimate theater.

Long take. A shot of lengthy duration.

Low angle shot. A shot in which the subject is photographed from below.

Master shot. A single uninterrupted shot, usually taken from a long or full shot range, which contains an entire scene. Later, the closer shots are photographed, and an edited sequence, composed of a variety of different shots, is subsequently constructed on the editor's bench.

Medium shot. A relatively close shot, revealing a moderate amount of detail. A medium shot of a figure generally includes the body from the knees or waist up.

Montage. Transitional sequences of rapidly edited images, used to suggest the lapse of time or the passing of events. Often employs dissolves and multiple exposures. In Europe "montage" means editing.

Oblique angle. A shot which is photographed by a tilted camera. When the image is projected on the screen, the subject itself seems to be tilted on its side.

Over-the-shoulder shot. A medium shot, useful in dialogue scenes, in which one actor is photographed head-on from over the shoulder of another actor.

Point-of-view shot. Any shot which is taken from the vantage point of a character in the film. Also known as the first person camera.

Pull-back dolly. A technique used to surprise the viewer by withdrawing from a scene to reveal an object or character that was previously out of the frame.

Reaction shot. A cut to a shot of a character's reaction to the contents of the preceding shot.

Reverse angle shot. A shot taken from an angle 180° opposed to the previous shot -- that is, the camera is placed opposite its previous position.

Shot. Those images which are recorded continuously from the time the camera starts to the time it stops. That is, an unedited, uncut strip of film.

Telephoto lens, long lens. A lens which acts as a telescope, magnifying the size of objects at a great distance. A significant side effect is tendency to flatten perspective.

Three-shot. A medium shot, featuring three actors.

Two-shot. A medium shot, featuring two actors.

Wide angle lens, short lens. A lens which permits the camera to photograph a wider area than a normal lens. A significant side effect is its tendency to exaggerate perspective. Also used for deep-focus photography.

Wipe. And editing device, usually a line which travels across the screen, "pushing off" one image and revealing another.

Zoom lens. A lens of variable focal length which permits the cameraman to change from wide angle to telephoto shots (and vice versa) in one continuous movement.

Zoom shot. A shot taken with the aid of a zoom lens. The lens changes focal length during the shot so that a dolly or crane shot is suggested.

Editing Glossary

cut
A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.

continuity editing
Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

cross cutting
Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.

dissolve
A gradual scene transition. The editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one.

editing
The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.

errors of continuity
Disruptions in the flow of a scene, such as a failure to match action or the placement of props across shots.

establishing shot
A shot, normally taken from a great distance or from a "bird's eye view," that establishes where the action is about to occur.

eyeline match
The matching of eyelines between two or more characters. For example, if Sam looks to the right in shot A, Jean will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity.

fade
A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. Often used to indicate a change in time and place.

final cut
The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees.

iris
Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.

jump cut
A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action.

matched cut
A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action.

montage
Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. The shower scene from Psycho is an example of montage editing.

rough cut
The editor's first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs.

sequence shot
A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing.

shot reverse shot cutting
Usually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking.

wipe
Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films from the 1930s and 1940s.

How does TV Drama use conventions to manipulate the audience?

Editing: Pace, nature of transitions:

List of scenes:

• Graveyard scene (meeting the grass)
• Scene in the bar
• The morning scene
• Dead Grass
• Briefing
• Confession to Jackie
• Back at his apartment
• Viewing the CCTV footage
• Confessing to the boss

Transition of image and sound:

Throughout the extract there is music which accompanies the more dramatic aspects of the scene. This aids the audience's understanding as they recognise when there are problems and where Robbie is in trouble.

Continuity:

In the scene we see that the main character in this extract is Robbie. He is in virtually every key scene in the extract. The transition from him at work, to him at 'play' and back to work again shows the link between his work and his personal life. The scenes with the grass also show elements of continuity as we see that what he told Robbie and why he ended up dead are linked.

This is not finished...it is an example of the level of detail you need.

• Soap Operas or Continuing Dramas: ‘Eastenders’, ‘Coronation Street’…

• Crime and Police Dramas: ‘The Bill’, ‘The Wire’, ‘CSI..

• Medical/Emergency Dramas: ‘ER’, ‘Casualty’….

• Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Dramas: ‘Dr Who’, ‘Heroes’…

• Literary adaptations: Pride and Prejudice’, Oliver Twist

• Contemporary melodramas: ‘Skins’, ‘Waterloo Road’

• Comedy Dramas: ‘Shameless’, ‘Desperate Housewives’

A Gudie to what to include in your blog update: audiences

Who do you think your programmes are aimed at? (try to be specific)

What clues are there within the programme to suggest this? (think about the characters, plot/storyline, dialogue, setting, timing of the programme etc)

Do you think the programme-makers have been successful?

Notes on Dramas you watched

Hi All,

Some interesting reading with your first posts! I am a little disappointed that some of you have just cut and pasted a synopsis from the internet of the programme you watched, you do need to use your own reflections as much as possible. Chloe has the right sort of idea, as she has really looked at some of the media devices used in the shows she watched and she is really considering the audience. Have a look at what she wrote for some guidance.

Next lesson we will be looking at audience in more detail. Make sure you check this blog on a regular basis to see what needs to be done and for some help and advice.

W

Welcome to the Year 12 Media Blog

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