SOUND

In class on Thursday, I learnt the difference between digetic and non-digetic sound. Digetic is like sounds that the video could actually present in the scene/film. Like dialogue, footsteps etc. And Non-Digetic is sound that can't be made in the video, such as voice overs etc.

I also learnt that there are categories of sound and they include:

Doctor Who - Animatic Clip/Analysis/Comparison

In mine and Georgina's Doctor Who animatic clip, we made the characters Rory and Amy stay quite close together in proximity - even though the Tardis door was in the way - to show how strong their relationship is. We also made them mirror each other a lot to signify their marriage and love towards each other, such as when they both rest their palms on the Tardis door as if they can almost touch each other - they're that close. We've kept the Doctor and Rory a little way apart, just to show that their disagreement is still at large but that the Doctor understands Rory needs some time and space to deal with the issue at hand.

For a lot of the scene, Passed-Out-Amy is in the background or very often not even in the frame to show that this scene is all about Outside Amy and Rory's struggle. When Rory is struggling with his decision whether to let Amy in or leave her outside, we used a high angle shot looking down on the character t show how vulnerable and weak he is at that specific time.

We used a lot of close-ups; on Amy and Rory's faces when she is pleading with him to capture the raw emotions both characters would be feeling. When Rory locks up the door, we chose to show the action as a close-up to symbolize the fact of what Rory is doing - saying goodbye to his wife - and also because it is a penultimate part of the scene.

At the start of the piece, we made the movement of the camera quick paced to show the urgency the characters would be feeling in the situations they are in. But as the scene goes on, the shots are edited at a slower and softer pace to give the audience an idea of how delicate the current scene is. This also helps to show how emotional the scene is too.

I think in this scene, Rory is the most important character because he's the one who has to make all the decisions and he's the most humane of the three principal characters in the show - this also means the audience can and will associate themselves better and more easily with him. To put this point across, we used various shots such as high angles, close-ups etc to really let the audience know how the character of Rory is feeling.

Over the last few weeks...

...in class we've been looking at difference and power in TV dramas between males and females.

The first thing we looked at was...

^Drawn by me

Then we looked at Modern Masculinity - Fight Club is a good example of how modern masculinity is portrayed in media and particularly film. In an early scene with the two main characters, they talk of how they've never been in a 'real fight' and debate how manly that makes them, before they proceed to have a fist fight.

And finally we looked at Post Feminism:

^Drawn by me

So, in many modern tv dramas, women are more and more likely to be represented as complete equals to men and often in recent dramas, women are the ones who save the day. In Doctor Who for example, all of the Doctor's companions are presented as strong, independant and courageous women.

MISFITS - Looking at Gender & Sexuality.

This clip trailer for an episode of the new season of Misfits is perfect to show both gender and sexuality in the media of tv drama. In this episode, Curtis' new power is to change genders at any time he desires. As he changes throughout the episode to get closer to new character Emma, the audience sees how the surrounding peoples' attitudes differ from when he is male to when he is female and Mel.

When the character is Curtis, he's treated as just one of the guys and doesn't have much luck with getting intimate with Emma, but when he is Mel, many of the male characters turn their attention onto him and are much more provocative. Also when he is Mel, he is closer to Emma and eventually gets with her in the form of a woman. This represents the idea of sexuality with a twist as even fellow character Simon asks Curtis confusedly "Are you a lesbian?". This whole episode subverses the idea of gender within popular tv culture, especially in Britain. And gives a fresh spin to how each gender is perceived and also how sexuality and alternative sexuality is viewed.

How are women represented in the Inbetweeners Movie trailer? Well...

In one of the first shots that the audience sees, the character Jay's mum and sister are doing the food shopping. Most things to do with food are do to with cooking which is seen as a typical woman's role within the family. Also, Neil doesn't call the woman by a name, he says "All right Jay's mum" as if subliminally, her name's not really important.

When Carly stops kissing Simon and tells him they need to talk, he replies with "oh, not talking" showing the character adores the girl and doesn't want to stop - this looks at the stereotype of like 'sex-starved teenage boys' and 'drugstore Romeos'.

When Carly breaks up with him, he subverses the typical idea of a 'hard' man and cries, something which you don't really expect teenage boys to do. This shows a much more feminine side to the character.

In this quick shot, we can see that the character Will holds a pink suitcase - pink being a typically 'girly' colour. This subverses the stereotype held against many young men/boys.

The girls in this clip and also throughout the film are considered more to be objects than anything else. Most of them dress provocatively, which you'd actually expect in this sort of film - one where boys are trying to score as many girls as they can.

Jay says "I better not get stuck with the fat one" showing that he only cares about the girl's looks and image rather than their personality. This is a typical stereotype that many teenage boys fall under where they're shallow when it comes to the opposite sex.

In this frame, Jay and Neil see the three girls by the pool and say "look cool" before being completely embarrassed and laughed at by the girls. This shows the males being in contorted and 'foolish' positions that are usually so reserved for females. The girls, in this scene at least, appear very dominant over the boys.

Throughout the entire trailer, the music is upbeat and club music to set the scene and location for the entire film. The boys are out in Malaga so the party scene music fits perfectly well in supporting the story.

TV DRAMAS - Moodboard

Traditional Masculinity - A look at Rome.

There are different stereotypes that are used in TV dramas and also films to represent traditional masculinity, these include:

The guy that jokes around a lot and is popular with his friends because of it.

The jock type of guy who is strong and leads the team. He's liked by his friends and also the girls.

The strong silent type who is quieter and not as lairy as the two previous guys but who still gets a fair amount of attention, usually for being strong and clever.

There are others such as the stupid guy, who nobody really takes seriously or thinks of much, but is there as part of the group.

In this clip from Rome, I think it is evident which characters fall into which of the stereotyped groups.

This character is obviously the leader and fits into the action hero/jock type of group. He's a man who asserts his authority and gets results, and we can see this as he leads the soldiers into war and takes command over them.

 

In this clip above, even though the man is in an awful situation, you can still tell he is probably the joker of the pack/the strong silent type. Throughout his torture he doesn't make a sound (this shows he doesn't want to be seen as weak, particularly in front of the other men - a classic sign of stereotyped 'alpha' males) until they are finished, to which he says "Is that it? I was just beginning to enjoy myself" which still shows his personality, even through the trauma. 

Representation of Gender Stereotypes - The Sopranos

In this short scene from tv drama The Sopranos, I can see many points where gender stereotypes are represented in a certain way...

A guide to getting a good grade...

...So in last lesson, I looked at what needed to be done to get a good grade overall.

I learned there are three AO's:
One Explanation/Analysis/Argument (20 marks) AO3
Two Use of Examples (20 marks) AO2
Three Use of correct terminology (10 marks) AO1

Basically, to get a decent grade I need to explain and analyse very well and be really informative. i also need to know what I'm talking about and use the right terminology. I need to pay a lot of attention to the finer details of the piece and just everything in general because it will be useful when coming to use examples to support my argument.

List of things to remember:
 - take lots of notes (the more the better and the more it will help)
 - micro elements
 - correct use of terminology
 - look at range or representation
 - use various examples from the clip
 - conformed to/subversed stereotypes.

Primeval Clip Analysis - Representation by frames

After watching the Primeval clip numerous times, I decided to analyse the piece by frames...

Frame One

The man in this scene simply says "Let her go" when the woman leaves. This shows he doesn't think much of her 'tantrum' and that the other man shouldn't run after her, showing the typical stereotype of a man who has power.

Frame Two

This completely challenges the idea of men doing the hard, labouring work as the character Abbie works the digger machinery. She also subverses the typical idea of a woman by wearing dark, boyish clothes and short choppy hair. She also shows hardly any facial expressions throughout the piece, which shows a brave brutality to her character which isn't really the norm or generally expected of stereotypical female character.

Frame Three

This shot subverses the stereotype of a man as the camera is angled down on him to show his vunerability in the situation and that weakness that he's trouble.

Frame Four
This shot tracks the character and gives the audience a part in the action as they follow him. The music in this scene is also important to help support the situation. It's fast, jumpy, edgy all to create suspense so the audience will be on the edge of their seat, waiting to see what happens.

Frame Five

This also subverses the stereotype of the woman as Abbie the character comes running into shot aiming a huge rifle, which is pretty unexpected of female characters.

Frame Six

In a short panning shot, the camera is held for a longer time on the three men as they stride toward their mission before briefly keeping the camera on the blonde female (this shows how the male characters are portrayed as being if not superior, slightly more dominant than the female character).

Frame Seven

In this frame, the camera pans around the back of all the characters as we see them standing in a loose circle. This could symbolize the idea that all the characters are equal.

Frame Eight/ Frame Nine

In this frame, the brunette woman is really shown as being less than others - particularly men. When the man pulls out the gun, her expression is quite typical of a 'damsel in distress' sort of thing.

Frame Ten

When she is thrown down onto the floor, her posture is slightly over dramatic - her arms are up, and her legs are bent, showing alot of her legs and dress. When she finally manages to get up, she says annoyed 'my best coat' referreing to the state the man put her in. She's exaggerated and portrayed as though "all women care about is clothes, shoes, money and appearance".

Frame Eleven

Interestingly when the other characters find the woman and rescue her. The blonde female is the one to ask if she's all right, showing a caring and motherly side to the character which is typically associated quite obviously with females.

Representation of Gender

So, there are six 'codes' that are generally abided by to do with how both genders are represented, particularly in tv dramas and the like, they include...

"1. Superiority and Domination: Men are shown in dominant positions. Women are physically portrayed in subordinate poses.

2. Dismemberment: Parts of the body such as legs, chest, etc., are photographed, rather than the full body.
3. Clowning and Exaggeration: Women are shown in positions that make them look contorted or foolish while men appear in positions reflective of thought and intelligence.

4. Male Approval: Males desire and women are desired. Women are shown as recipients of male approval.

5. The Voice-Over Authority: Male voices are used as voice-overs in commercials rather than females.

6. Irrelevant Sexualisation of Women and Girls: Women’s bodies are used to sell products even if the product has nothing to do with sex."

^ I borrowed the information above from http://beauchampcollegemedia.com/2010/08/08/representation-and-gender/

After learning how gender is represented, I've now made notes on the Primeval clip below This was used in last years exam so I'm anxious to see how I evaluate the clip in comparison to how it should be done, and how students before me have done so too.

Superiority and Domination

- Interestingly, the blonde female is shown in a dominant position - operating the huge digger machine- which turns the typical representation on it's head a bit.

- Starting at 2:53, in a short panning shot, the camera is held for a longer time on the three men as they stride toward their mission before briefly keeping the camera on the blonde female (this shows how the male characters are portrayed as being if not superior, slightly more dominant than the female character).

- Just after 4:00, the male character folds his arms when the woman is trying to persuade him and then pulls out a gun, showing he has the upper hand in a sense and the woman reacts with shocked expressions. He shoots at the floor to show his dominance and that she shouldn't mess with him. He then pushes her to the ground, again showing his superiority as the woman has to look up - and his filmed that way - and the man looks down.

- When the other characters turn up, in the foreground of the shot, the man is there and in the background the woman stands. although they both carry guns, because of the stature of the two of them , it would appear that the man has more dominance and is sort of, protecting the woman, showing his dominance in what they're about to do.

Disememberment 

- At 2:51, a hand is shown but this doesn't have much to do with gender representation, in my opinion.

Clowning and Exaggeration
- At the beginning of the sequence, the woman is all flustered and angry about something and storms away leaving the man, bewildered by her outburst. This suggests in a way to me, that the woman is being portrayed in a "whiny" expressive way where as the male is quiter and calmer and more subtle about her feelings. Another man  says simply 'Let her go' when she has finished with her form of tantrum. The camera is also aimed down when on the woman and up at when it's on the man, this symbolizes his dominance perhaps in their relationship but also in the current situation.
- In the second part of the clip, the brunette woman is really shown as being less than others - particularly men. When the man pulls out the gun, her expression is quite typical of a 'damsel in distress' sort of thing. When she is thrown down onto the floor, her posture is slightly over dramatic - her arms are up, and her legs are bent, showing alot of her legs and dress. When she finally manages to get up, she says annoyed 'my best coat' referreing to the state the man put her in. She's exaggerated and portrayed as though "all women care about is clothes, shoes, money and appearance". Also, interestingly when the other characters find the woman and rescue her. The blonde female is the one to ask if she's all right, showing a caring and motherly side to the character which is typically associated quite obviously with females.

Male Approval
- Towards the end of the second clip, male approval is really prominent. When the woman is trying to get what she wants from the man, she uses herself in a specfic way. She smiles and uses her voice to try and persuade him. And when the man pulls the gun onto her, she says 'We both know you're not a violent man' and smiles in an attempt to stop him from harming her.

The Voice-Over Authority
- There isn't much evidence of this but I can say that the men in these two clips do speak alot more frequently than the females, almost as if the conversation is better suited for men to figure out and discuss.

Irrelevant Sexualisation of Women and Girls
- This refers back to what I've written in Male Approval.

Exam Feedback

Above, I've annoted the exam feedback and written down my thoughts and also marked out things that I thought seemed important.