Martyn Hollinshead AS Media

The editing in Skins helps to show the relationships between characters in the scene, as well as drive the narrative. Parallel editing emphasises the relationship between the boy and the girl. We can tell they are brother and sister through the way their scenes are linked; the camera constantly switches between them when the boy is distracting the father, and furthermore these frequent cuts (along with the pace of the cuts) show the action of the scene.
There is no obvious equilibrium shown throughout the scene, which could also suggest that there may be issues between the characters to begin with, and could therefore be foreshadowing a possible conflict that may bring about a new equilibrium or increase the disequilibrium.

In the opening scene of Skins dialogue is used to show stereotypical views of teenagers and adults. When the boy puts on the loud rock music the father enters the room and begins to shout at him, showing frustration and anger. This suggests the stereotypical view that teenagers frustrate adults due to their inconsiderate nature (loud music). The words used by the man consist of taboo and slang terms, showing that he is of a lower class. A lot of sound is also amplified in the scene, such as the girls' footsteps, the unrealistically loud music and the dialogue, which could suggest that the relationships between the characters is war-like and 'explosive' in nature.

The camera angles in Skins help to convey the stereotypical views of teenagers by emphasising the emotions and actions of characters in the scene. The reverse zoom birds eye view of the boy in the bed which opens the scene suggests that the boy could possibly be drugged, as the slow speed of the reverse zoom combined with the blank look on his face may be showing he is having  hallucinogenic out of body experience. This conforms to the stereotypical view that teenagers are drug addicts, and so makes the audience already start to make judgements about the boy.

Stereotypical views are conformed to and challenged by the Mise en scene in the opening scene of Skins. The teenage boy, shown as the protagonist through the prolonged close up of his face in the first scene, immediately shows conformity to the stereotypical view of teenagers. His quilt covers depict a naked man and woman, with himself lying in the middle; not only does this show the view that teenagers are sexually charged, but also it conveys the message that as he is in the middle of the man and woman, his orientation is undecided. His bedroom is however simple and neat, which challenges the view that teenagers are messy; his floor is clear, the clothes are organised and everything is tidy. This contrast of conformity and challenge plays on the audiences' mind, and allows them to form their own opinions about teenagers in the scene.

Working Title's website is very easy on the eys, with large, crisp pictures and colours that tell you they care about the quality of their site. When you enter the site the home page presents you with a giant banner displaying some of WT's latest films, such as Johnny English: Reborn and Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy. There are several tabs along the top of the page which put the information into sections such as a page for trailers, news, features and of course to display their extensive range of films. When clicking on a film to view its information, every single one is crammed with information such as the plot, cast, awards, trailers, recent and old news about the film and even some relevant games such as Hot Fuzz's take on Space Invaders and Pac Man.
The site is clearly laid out for adults, not because of its content but more because of the clean cut layout and range of colours used. There is a black background on which the multiple boxes and banners are laid upon, and the font is also clear and not distracting. The language used in some of the features is also more formal than informal, which also signifies that the site is aimed at mature audiences.
The purpose of thier website is to simply display their films in all of their glory. The sheer extent of information along with the interactive galleries and sharp graphics really help to make their work look extremely professional; just by glancing at the amoun of content tells you that they are a company that produces premium quality entertainment. Surprisingly though it is hard to find any information out about their history from their site. But once again it doesn't seem that the site is to tell the audience about their company, but instead about their end products.

A website is an essential tool for film companies in the modern day, as they provide several services not just for their audience but for themselves as well. Some uses include:

• General marketing & Publicity
• Job Listings for potential staff
• Contact details
• Information for the press (Interview & conference dates, new developments within the company etc.)
• Free advertising space
• Fan interaction pages for building relationships with the audience
• Archive of previous projects and films
• Fan zone with exclusive information on films, memorabilia and behind the scenes information
• To display accolades and awards

My Boy Jack appeals to the audience in several ways. First, the drama has a lot of Escapism about it; the historical genre and setting contrast to the life of today, and allows the audience to 'escape' the atmosphere of everyday life for that of an upper class wartime Britain.
A second way that the film appeals to the audience is that it is aimed at a select audience only, namely fans of history, and tries to suit their pleasures. The emotional pleasures evoked in the opening scene consist of some comedy (for laughter) and a visceral pleasure of adrenaline. Because of the fast-paced layout of the scene, it gets the audiences' heart racing at the excitement.
Third, the film fits in with the genre communities' specification list; the people sound, look and act like pre WW1 citizens, and that therefore suits what the audience want to see.

Media Essay

How is Disability Portrayed in the Opening Scene of After Thomas

The marks for the TV drama exam are split into 3 areas, with 50 as the total. These areas are:

1) Explanation, Analysis, Argument (20 marks):

• Explanation: This must be detailed and must show the examiner everything that you have observed in the video clip.
• Analysis: The analysis has to be in-depth and elaborate on the explanations. This breaks down the multiple sections which will be assessed such as the Mise en scene and Sound types.
• Argument: This is when you use theories such as Todorov's theory of narrative to back up your explanations. You could also use them to argue either for or against whether they are accurate towards what is shown in the clip. For example if the clip didn't have any particular Equilibrium it would challenge Todorov's theory.

2) Examples (20 marks):
A range of examples from the clip should be used. Moreover there must be frequent use throughout the essay, but they must be appropriately used and relevant to the explanation. Finally they must focus on the set question, otherwise they could be deemed irrelevant.

3) Terminology (10 marks):
The terminology of the essay needs to be accurate, and well structured. An example would be to use 'Mise en scene' instead of 'the shot'. Furthermore it should be frequent and generally as complex as possible.

Apocalypse Now Analysis of Sound

Here the camera is positioned above several forklifts which Block proceeds to donut around. Several times in this sequence of shots the camera is switched from ground level to the aerial camera. The reason for those switches however are so that the audience can see the size of the stunt that is being performed, and by combining low angled shots with birds eye positioning, this scene provides the 'WOW' factor that the audience is looking for.

In this shot the camera tilts up and down when following the car through the corner/donut. There isn't a major movement as there is no requirement because everything fits into the scene, however when Ken drives off the camera moves noticably upwards to follow him away.

Tessa Perkins has five assumptions about Stereotypes. These are:

1) Stereotypes are not always negative (e.g. 'The French are good cooks').
2) They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful ( e.g. 'upper class twits').
3) They can be held about one's own group.
4) They are not rigid or unchanging ( e.g. the "cloth cap worker of the 1950's became the
    1980's 'consumerist home-owner who holidays in Spain').
5) They are not always false.

Here are my views on Perkin's assumptions.

1) Stereotypes are indeed not always negative. Usually they are used for negativity such as calling Americans fat and that the Welsh enjoy having 'relationships' with sheep. However, as Tessa states, stereotyping can be used in positive way. For example, she claims that the french are good cooks. In general, this is true as a lot of the culture in france is to do with their extensive range of premium quality recipes and restaurants. Furthermore the french are known for liking cheese, and this is because they have invented hundreds of flavours, such as brie.

2) I also agree with her statement that it does not always apply to a minority group. As shown in the previous assumption, stereotyping can be used to describe an entire country. Another example of this is that 'Africans are good runners'; this is used sometimes because in general African nations usually win medals for running in The Olympics and at other athletic events. It can apply to a minority group, such as teenagers who are sometimes stereotyped as being 'unruly', but it can be used for a majority group too.

3) Stereotypical views can be held about one's own group because I, as a teenager, do stereotype my own kind at times to be 'law breakers and trouble makers'. Obviously this isn't normally the case for the vast majority of teenagers, but because we are portrayed this way in the media that view becomes my own view. I know that I'm not like that, but when i see a teenager in a tracksuit and Adidas trainers, I instantly think they like to cause trouble, even if they could actually be wearing them just because they are comfortable clothes.

4) I agree with the view that stereotypes can change over the years. For example, fifty years ago middle eastern people were viewed as being merely undeveloped and also were not very common in the news. These days however people stereotype the middle east as a land of danger and terrorism, because of recent events with the terrorist attacks from Al Quaeda and the Taliban. Furthermore, now people are suspicious of asians in general, for because they all have a similar appearance, people think that they could be terrorists and so are occassionally reluctant to interact with them.

5) I believe that Tessa is right that stereotypical views are not always false because when it is used to generalise a majority group it is in most cases true. For example, the stereotype 'Americans are very patriotic' is true because, when shown in the media, American people proudly display their national flags and are generally passionate about their nation, such as at sports events in their country like American football in which spectators would rise and sing the national anthem. Generally however stereotypes are false, because to label middle eastern people as terrorists is simply a narrow minded view on a group of people who are in general harmless human beings like the rest of us. In fact stereotyping, especially in this way, could be viewed as racism, because it could easily offend the average Afghan citizen.

High production value: When a film has a high budget, the quality of production is greater because better actors, scripts, directors, producers and composers can be afforded to help make the film a hgue success.

Blockbuster:
A film that has been highly successful at the box office; usually because it has had a high production value. Blockbuster movies usually make hundreds of millions and sometimes even billions of dollars, and normally have the most popular actors in the world as their major stars.

'Above the line' costs:
These costs apply to paying the individuals who are directly involved with the film itself. In other words, this includes paying the director, script writers, producers, actors and casting director.

'Below the line' costs:
These are the costs of everything that is physical, namely equipment, pieces of the set, the location costs such as closing off a road for private filming, keeping film cast and crew well fed, accomodation for film cast and crew etc.

Media conglomerate:
From Wikipedia.org: A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet. It is also referred to as media institutions and media groups.

The whip pan in this shot is excecuted in a realistic way, as if the audience is watching the filming, but then is surprised by the loud noise of the car and 'whips' round to see. This gives the shot a connection with the audience as it really makes them feel a part of the action, and this encourages viewers to keep watching.

This shot shows Ken jump down a small bank and then drift between some tour buses. The camera is stationary, however it pivots, or pans, to follow the car through the corner. This shot has been used to make the audience feel as if they are a bystander, watching the car as it tears through the studio. Creates realism and an immersive feel.

In this shot we see the camera set on a GO-PRO track array, which is fixed to the rear of the car and goes through the window to the passenger seat. This shot could also be viewed as an arc shot as when the camera moves from looking at Block to the passenger seat, it arcs around him. The use of the GO-PRO gives the shot a unique perspective not usually seen in videos such as this, giving the extra 'WOW' factor that makes it stand out from the rest.

Analysing a Still

Camera Angles

Denotations:
The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests, or the action or process of indicating or referring to something by means of a word, symbol, etc.

Connotations:
An idea or feeling that a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning or the implication of such ideas or feelings.

Production – the concept of the film is developed from idea, to script, to filming to editing.

Marketing – publicity for the film in all countries of release to create interest/hype in the lead up to theatrical release.

Distribution – supplying the product/film to cinemas in hardware/software

Exhibition – the showing of the film to audiences

-What conclusions can you draw about the group's choice of films?
Many of the films which were chosen by the group were of US origin. The most probable cause of this would be that the USA's film industry has a much larger budget due to the worldwide popularity and quality of Hollywood films. It is because of this that the group has mentioned an overall collection of American films; more people watch them as they always contain cutting-edge special effects, hard hitting story lines and superb actors. There were a few British films mentioned though as well, such as the controversial 'Four Lions' and the most anticipated film of the year, 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II'. Harry Potter can be debated though, as it is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, an American studio.

-What are the pros and cons of watching films at the Cinema/DVD/TV?

• Cinema: Pros- A premium and immersive experience, the picture quality, sound and in some cases 3D realism is unbeatable anywhere else, as the sheer size of every cinema screen and sound system is enough to swamp any competitor. Cons- Expensive, requires travel usually by car, and the audience cannot be controlled, so if others are messing around for example throwing popcorn it can ruin the experience
• TV: Pros- Watch what you want to (most of the time) in the comfort of your own home, common necessities are to hand such as own food and drink, relatively inexpensive. Cons- Quality is not always good depending on TV and to improve this it can become pricey when HD TVs are involved, without a facility like Sky+ you can't pause programmes, no control on what's on and when unless you've purchased Sky Anytime+, Vigin Tivo box etc.
• DVD: Pros- Pause film, special features, can be decent quality with Blu-ray. Cons- DVDs take up space, can be scratched easily, Blu-ray is expensive, quality depends on hardware

What methods of marketing are used in film?
Methods of marketing that are commonly used are posters, trailers and TV adverts. The most effective method is usually TV adverts as it reaches the widest audience and is a lot more pleasing and attention grabbing than a static poster or certain trailers.

Media Studies Transition Pack

Here goes...

Hi, I'm Martyn Hollinshead and this is my first ever post of my AS Media Studies blog. Over the next two years I will be posting all of my media work here, so basically, watch this space! :-)