What theory concerns the 8 character types?
The Vladimir Propp theory concerns the 8 character types that are known in film.
The Villain
The Helper
The princess or Prize
Her Father
The Donor
The Hero
The False Hero
The Dispatcher
Whats a juxtaposition?
When two things are together but don't make sense, for example a cold fire.
What's a diegetic sound?
A sound that is heard within the scene and can be seen within the shot. e.g someone talking in the scene
Micro-Elements
. Camera Language
. Sound
. Editing
. Mise-en-scene
CAMERA
Shot type
Extreme Close up - When the camera focuses on a small section of an object or character to give it extreme attention
Close Up - From the top of head to bottom chin (neck and face) This emphasises a character and may try to highlight their emotions, for example them being scared.
Mid Shot - Moves further out to the top of the head down to the waist. This starts to show more of a background which would provide more narrative to the actual story.
Long Shot - Shows the whole body and might be done to introduce a whole setting / location and show off a costume. For example jumanji in the market scene there is a long shot giving an idea of what kind of area they are in.
Wide Shot - Shows a vast area and used to highlight a location
POV Shot - Shows us something through the eyes of the character
Camera angles
Low Angle - Puts the character in a position of power as if they are looking down on you or over you and makes the audience feel inferior
High Angle - Makes the character seem vulnerable and puts the viewer in a position of power
Camera Movement
Pan - When the camera moves from right to left or left to right.
Tilt - When the camera moves from top to bottom or bottom to top
Tracking shot - When the camera is moving along side the character running
Crane shot - When the camera goes into a high place from a low area which goes into a high angle
Crane Up or crane down.
Steadicam - Being held on a contraption which keep the camera steady almost like a moving tripod. Used in the shining a lot as example.
Handheld camera - if wobbling used to show the emotions flowing
SOUND
Diegetic sound - Refers to sound within the actual scene E.G Dialogue, sound effects, music with a source within the scene e.g a radio
Non-Diegetic - Refers to sound outside of the scene for example a voiceover, soundtrack - Music, captions, titles, subtitles
On-Screen sound - When the audience can see the source of the sound
Off-Screen sound - When the audience can't see the source of the sound
Parallel sound - Matches the action that is taking place E.G in a playground there are lots of kids laughing so the music would be happy and upbeat
Contrapuntal sound - Doesn't match the sound / action E.G Playground with kids having fun but the sound is eary and scary to create an ominous tension of trouble.
EDITING
Speed of editing
. In a film, each scene may last a matter of seconds, or it could continue for minutes
. The length of each sequence establishes the pace of the film moving the action along
. The speed of editing will help to determine the mood of what is taking place on screen
. If the filmmaker wants the editing to feel fast or anxious they will have fast shots
. If a relaxed mood is desired then the scenes will last longer and have less significant changes e.g a romantic comedy
Style of editing
Cross-cutting is to edit together two sequences that the audience need to know are connected in some way
Something is happening at the same time in a different location
A character reliving a memory
Transitions
.Straight cut - one shot move instantaneously to the next and helps to retain reality but does not break our own suspense of disbelief
.Fade - A darkening or lightening till a screen becomes black or white - used to indicate the beginning or end of a section of time within narrative - can show the passing of time
.Dissolve - Two images overlapping and one gets less obvious and dissolves
.Wipe - images that are pushed off the screen
Continuity editing
Eye line match - we see the character looking at something off screen and then cut to a shot of what they are looking at
Match on action - we see a character start an action in one shot and then see them continue it in the next
MISE-EN-SCENE
Everything within a scene:
Settings and props
Facial expressions and body language
Costume hair and make-up
Lighting and colour
Colour:
Denotation and Connotation
Denotation - The literal description of an object or concept
Connotation - The association with an object or concept e.g a red pen suggests evil or blood in a horror film
Lighting:
Key light - Strongest light which goes directly on the subject
Back light - which is on the back of the subject (creating a silhouette)
Filler light - Helps to soften the background and harsh lighting overall
Positioning of characters and objects in the frame
Deep focus - where the foreground and background are in focus at the same time
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Camera
. Tracking shot of pathway to lead onto someone - The shot is a steady shot
. Pan of camera to follow the car to show its relevance in the scene
. Wide shot of the car and person
. long shot of the scene and what is happening in the scene
. pans onto man assaulting other man last second to show how sudden the attack is
. Establishing shot at the end but other than that its continuous
Sound
. Use of happy music to create an ominous scene and effect that something bad is going to happen.
. Music is in time with what is happening in the scene (contrapuntal)
. Ominous and eary music within the scene right at the end to show the easiness
. The song lyrics are ironic as it says 'run rabbit run rabbit run run run' suggests the imminent threat that is about to occur
. as car door closes ominous and eary music plays to suggest the crime thats been committed
Editing
Still continuous shot of man walking and pan to follow and tracking shot onwards up till the end of the opening scene where its a long shot with a wide view of the man being chucked into the boot of the car.
Mise-en-scene
Stereotype - black person in a suburban area feeling out of place e
Countertype - black person being victimised
Dominant representations - popular opinion upheld by mass amount of people
Conform/challenge
Using the word creepy, refers to horror,
Analyse How genre conventions have been used to create meaning in a media product you have studied (12)
The setting and time of night conforms to stereotypes. The scene is set on a suburban street, where the black character believes he 'stand(s) out like a sore thumb', suggesting that stereotypically the black community are of a lower class. Also, the scene is set at night, conforming to the stereotype that most crime happens at night, as that is when the protagonist is attacked. This links back to the Theory of Binary opposition by Levi Strauss as the contrast of black people in a white neighbourhood represents a binary opposition as this reflects the lack of equality in the two races as this is shown through the use of a juxtaposition.
The Vladimir Propp theory concerns the 8 character types that are known in film.
The Villain
The Helper
The princess or Prize
Her Father
The Donor
The Hero
The False Hero
The Dispatcher
Whats a juxtaposition?
When two things are together but don't make sense, for example a cold fire.
What's a diegetic sound?
A sound that is heard within the scene and can be seen within the shot. e.g someone talking in the scene
Micro-Elements
. Camera Language
. Sound
. Editing
. Mise-en-scene
CAMERA
Shot type
Extreme Close up - When the camera focuses on a small section of an object or character to give it extreme attention
Close Up - From the top of head to bottom chin (neck and face) This emphasises a character and may try to highlight their emotions, for example them being scared.
Mid Shot - Moves further out to the top of the head down to the waist. This starts to show more of a background which would provide more narrative to the actual story.
Long Shot - Shows the whole body and might be done to introduce a whole setting / location and show off a costume. For example jumanji in the market scene there is a long shot giving an idea of what kind of area they are in.
Wide Shot - Shows a vast area and used to highlight a location
POV Shot - Shows us something through the eyes of the character
Camera angles
Low Angle - Puts the character in a position of power as if they are looking down on you or over you and makes the audience feel inferior
High Angle - Makes the character seem vulnerable and puts the viewer in a position of power
Camera Movement
Pan - When the camera moves from right to left or left to right.
Tilt - When the camera moves from top to bottom or bottom to top
Tracking shot - When the camera is moving along side the character running
Crane shot - When the camera goes into a high place from a low area which goes into a high angle
Crane Up or crane down.
Steadicam - Being held on a contraption which keep the camera steady almost like a moving tripod. Used in the shining a lot as example.
Handheld camera - if wobbling used to show the emotions flowing
SOUND
Diegetic sound - Refers to sound within the actual scene E.G Dialogue, sound effects, music with a source within the scene e.g a radio
Non-Diegetic - Refers to sound outside of the scene for example a voiceover, soundtrack - Music, captions, titles, subtitles
On-Screen sound - When the audience can see the source of the sound
Off-Screen sound - When the audience can't see the source of the sound
Parallel sound - Matches the action that is taking place E.G in a playground there are lots of kids laughing so the music would be happy and upbeat
Contrapuntal sound - Doesn't match the sound / action E.G Playground with kids having fun but the sound is eary and scary to create an ominous tension of trouble.
EDITING
Speed of editing
. In a film, each scene may last a matter of seconds, or it could continue for minutes
. The length of each sequence establishes the pace of the film moving the action along
. The speed of editing will help to determine the mood of what is taking place on screen
. If the filmmaker wants the editing to feel fast or anxious they will have fast shots
. If a relaxed mood is desired then the scenes will last longer and have less significant changes e.g a romantic comedy
Style of editing
Cross-cutting is to edit together two sequences that the audience need to know are connected in some way
Something is happening at the same time in a different location
A character reliving a memory
Transitions
.Straight cut - one shot move instantaneously to the next and helps to retain reality but does not break our own suspense of disbelief
.Fade - A darkening or lightening till a screen becomes black or white - used to indicate the beginning or end of a section of time within narrative - can show the passing of time
.Dissolve - Two images overlapping and one gets less obvious and dissolves
.Wipe - images that are pushed off the screen
Continuity editing
Eye line match - we see the character looking at something off screen and then cut to a shot of what they are looking at
Match on action - we see a character start an action in one shot and then see them continue it in the next
MISE-EN-SCENE
Everything within a scene:
Settings and props
Facial expressions and body language
Costume hair and make-up
Lighting and colour
Colour:
Denotation and Connotation
Denotation - The literal description of an object or concept
Connotation - The association with an object or concept e.g a red pen suggests evil or blood in a horror film
Lighting:
Key light - Strongest light which goes directly on the subject
Back light - which is on the back of the subject (creating a silhouette)
Filler light - Helps to soften the background and harsh lighting overall
Positioning of characters and objects in the frame
Deep focus - where the foreground and background are in focus at the same time
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Camera
. Tracking shot of pathway to lead onto someone - The shot is a steady shot
. Pan of camera to follow the car to show its relevance in the scene
. Wide shot of the car and person
. long shot of the scene and what is happening in the scene
. pans onto man assaulting other man last second to show how sudden the attack is
. Establishing shot at the end but other than that its continuous
Sound
. Use of happy music to create an ominous scene and effect that something bad is going to happen.
. Music is in time with what is happening in the scene (contrapuntal)
. Ominous and eary music within the scene right at the end to show the easiness
. The song lyrics are ironic as it says 'run rabbit run rabbit run run run' suggests the imminent threat that is about to occur
. as car door closes ominous and eary music plays to suggest the crime thats been committed
Editing
Still continuous shot of man walking and pan to follow and tracking shot onwards up till the end of the opening scene where its a long shot with a wide view of the man being chucked into the boot of the car.
Mise-en-scene
. Night time so its more creepy
. Casual clothing and fashionable look
. Old car being driver suggests a creepy old scene
. Car driver is wearing all black
Representation
Stereotype - black person in a suburban area feeling out of place e
Countertype - black person being victimised
Dominant representations - popular opinion upheld by mass amount of people
Conform/challenge
Using the word creepy, refers to horror,
Lighting is dim and uneasy
Masked attacker connotes horror
Zombie like dragging connotes horror
Music becomes sinister and harsh with the relation of the kidnapping
Car door slamming is an enigma code and sounds like a bullet shot.
Analyse How genre conventions have been used to create meaning in a media product you have studied (12)
3 points explained using Point Explanation Evidence Theory (Thriller, psychological film)
One of the conventions that have been used to create meaning in the opening scene of 'Get Out' created by Jordan Peel, is the usage of classical music in a eary situation. One of the most typical conventions of a horror / thrillers is the usage of contrapuntal audio. Contrapuntal audio is used as a polar opposite in a situation to convey something is off and shouldn't be there. This kind of audio displays a deeply unsettling and concerning threat. The actor being shown in the opening scene is walking down a creepy suburban street as a car begins to follow him. As the situation begins to intensify the music gets louder and louder to indicate imminent danger. The evidence to support this is in the opening scene of the film 'Get out' we see a Masked man attacking a Black character, whiles this is going on there is classical music being played extremely loud to create an intense situation and a clear showing of violence. The non diegetic music portrays a violent situation which is one of the generic features of a horror / thriller. This is an example of the theory of Enigma Codes which links to this typical convention in a horror film as it begs the question of why is this black man being kidnapped by a man in a mask playing classical music, whats going to happen to the person being kidnapped and why is he being taken? This theory has been used to create an intense amount of confusion and lack of knowledge the audience has with what has just happened.
Another one of the conventions in a typical thriller / horror film that has been presented in the opening scene is the mise-en-scene of the kidnapper. This is because within all horror films there is always a villain to be presented to the audience. This is a convention of the genre of horror as the usage of dark clothing of the masked man connotes cruel intentions and violence. This creates an unsettling scenario which makes the audience think that a crime is about to be committed as the clothing that the kidnapper wears is shown to be all black clothing whiles covering their face. The usage of completely covering ones body presents the idea that they are up to something and have cruel intentions. Following this wearing dark clothes at night makes it easier to assume they are trying to hide themselves. The evidence to support this idea of horror is through an old fashioned car within the opening scene following the black man suggesting to the audience an immanent threat is upon us. This is a clear representation of the Vladimir propp theory as within the propp theory it is stated that there is always a villain in every Film. The masked man suddenly attacking and kidnapping this man supports this theory and furthers the idea of horror as stereotypically in all films there is a villain disturbing the peace.
Point
Explain
Evidence
Theory
There is however a challenge of stereotypes, in terms of black on white violence.
Audiences will assume the dominant representation of black characters in the media attacking white people, however the scene challenges audiences expectations, by having a black character attacked by a white character in a suburban street. The attacker does however conform to the stereotype of white power as he drives an expensive car. This links back to the Enigma theory as the audience is confused about what is happening and why this Black man is being assaulted.
Audiences will assume the dominant representation of black characters in the media attacking white people, however the scene challenges audiences expectations, by having a black character attacked by a white character in a suburban street. The attacker does however conform to the stereotype of white power as he drives an expensive car. This links back to the Enigma theory as the audience is confused about what is happening and why this Black man is being assaulted.
Identify two technical conventions used in a media product you have studied that create specific meaning for the audience. Explain how each technical convention creates specific meaning for the audience. (4)
The continuous shot creates tension as it conforms to the setting. This is used as it progressively takes you through the scene creating a realistic situation by following in order what is going on so we fully understand.
Another technical convention is the use of non diegetic sound. The non diegetic sound of the war time music playing extremely loudly causes an unstable feeling to the scene and creates tension as the kidnapper assaults the Black person.
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