Sunday, 12 October 2014

Representation of Class and Status

The clip is taken from Downton Abbey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IscFlwFNB6I



In this shot status is shown through the fact that the head servant is sitting at the top of the table showing he has the power in the room as sitting at the top of the table is seen as having the power for example in a family it is normally the man who sits there as he is seen as the head of the family. Also at the top of the table are the 2 other senior servants, this can be told due to the fact that they are wearing black dresses while the other servants are wearing different colours and thing on their heads showing that they tend to work downstairs whereas the two women at the top of the table are not wearing working clothes and look smarter showing that they probably work upstairs interacting with family living there more than the others.


In this shots the status of the chef over the other kitchen hands is shown because of the fact that she is bossing them all around and telling them what to do in regards to getting all of the breakfasts out on time. Her higher status is also shown through the fact that she is wearing a full apron  rather than just a half apron.

The lower status of this kitchen hand is shown from the fact that she is asking for help to get the food upstairs rather than just demanding that someone helps her. Her lower status is also shown from the fact the she is only wearing half a apron rather than a full apron like the chef.

This characters status is shown through the fact the she doesn't help the other servants. It is also shown from the fact that through the busyness of the kitchen, due to everyone rushing around trying to get everything ready for breakfast upstairs, she is still sitting down drinking her tea not really doing anything. Her status is also shown through her clothing, she is wearing the smart black clothing shows she works upstairs with the family.


This shot is used to show the servants status over the paper boy. This is shown by the fact that he is telling the paper boy that he is late. It is also shown through the fact the servant is wearing a smart uniform while the paper boy is wearing his paper boy uniform however due to the fact that the paper boy is on the servants territory it gives him the status over the paper boy. 

This low angle shot of the head servant is used to show his status over the other servant. Also the use of different ties gives him status because he is the only servant wearing a black tie. His status is also shown through the fact that the other servant stops ironing the paper to listen to what he has to say.


The low status of the kitchen hand  is shown through the fact that she is cleaning up after the other servants and she asks a simple questions and doesn't really get an answer to her question showing know one really has any respect for her as they wont answer her question. 

This shot shows the status of the head servant as the lower servant has brought the news to him rather than taking it straight up to the lord of the house. In this shot the different status is also shown in the difference in costume. They are both wearing different ties showing they are of different status.


In this shot the different class is shown. He is shown coming down the stairs show he is from the upstairs. The use of the red carpet  gives the viewer the idea that the man is sort of royal and the use of gold around the pictures shows that they are from the upper class and someone of working class wouldn't have a gold picture frames. Also the use of the dog following behind the man shows his status because the dog is a hunting dog and only people in the upper class would  own a hunting dog.


Different class is shown in this shot due to the conversation that was going on. The use of the word 'Lord' shows the difference in the class between the servant and the lord of the house. When the servant is asked a question he doesn't give a straight answer he say 'I believe so' showing that  he doesn't want to give the wrong answer to the master of the house.


Their different class is shown from the fact that the master sits down while the servant still has to stand while the master eats his breakfast. It also shows the audience the difference between classes in a very simple way and this allows them to understand how different the classes are.

In this shot shows the status of the father over his daughter because as he is sitting down his daughters seem to hover over him as if trying to get his attention however because of his higher status he doesn't directly look at them he just acknowledges they are there when they start asking question.  

His status over his daughter is shown in this shot because he is sat at the head of the table. This shows that he is in charge of them and also shows he is in charge of the whole house because of the power he shows at the table and in regards to his daughters.

In this shot the master of the house knocks on the door and asks if he can come in. The fact that he doesn't give her a chance to reply shows that even though he respects her he is still the person in charge of the house and can enter any room he wants. 

In this shot class is shown. It is shown through the fact that the women is being served her breakfast in bed by a servant showing she is of a higher class than the servant. Also the use of different clothing also shows different status. It shows it because the servant is wearing a plain black dress whereas the women in the bed is wearing a rather extravagant night dress. 

Friday, 3 October 2014

Age Analysis




In this close up of Finn putting the camera in the bag the stereotype that teenage boys can't be trusted is confirmed. This is shown from the fact that Finn is trying to hid the camera and put it back without the teacher noticing. This relates to age because it is showing that the youths can't be trusted with expensive equipment. This shot has been used to tell the audience that Finn and Josh have broken something and are now trying to cover it up so that they don't get in trouble, this is stereotypical of most youths because most youths will try and cover up the fact that they have done something wrong.


In this medium long shot the teacher can be seen catching the boys in the act. This shows that the older character has power over the boys as he is in charge of them and can discipline them, if necessary, the fact that Finn is trying to hide the broken camera in his jackets shows that he doesn't want to get in trouble but it also shows how naive he is because he is doing it right in front of the teacher. This confirms the stereotype that teachers hold power over students, but is also shows that the boys have no respect for the teacher because they are not telling him what they have done they are trying to cover it up so that they don't get in trouble.


In this medium long shot a stereotype is broken, the stereotype that Students tell on other students has been broken however in this shot the teacher is the one telling on the students and getting them into trouble. The older character is represented in a negative way because of the fact that he has a smug look on his face due to the fact that he haas got the boys in trouble. 3 age groups are show in this shot, young people, adults and older people. They are shown in a stereotypical way as both the older person and the adult have power over the youths and because the adult has power over the older person. The power the adult has over the older person is shown through the fact that rather than disciplining the students himself he is handing the job over the the young member of staff. The Adults power over the students is shown through costuming because she is in smart dress while the students and all in uniform. 


In this medium shot a pan has been used panning round from the door to the boy. A pan has been used to show that the setting has changed and the fact that it is the site managers door tells the audience that the boy is at the door for one of two reasons, to either report something that has happened around the school or he has been set there as part of punishment. The use of costumes shows the fact that the boy, Kyle, has no respect for the school or the standards it holds. His body language shows that he doesn't want to be there and this is stereotypical of teenage boys. The use of the tie as a prop allows the audience to see where it fits in as a character but it also links to the fact that he has no respect for the school because it is scruffy, again this is a stereotype as most boys don't like wearing their tie up at their neck.


This medium long shot is again used to set the scene and tell this audience where this bit of action is taking place. The use of Diegetic sound in this shot allows the audience to understand that the students are in a corridor and that it is either in between lessons or it is lunch time. The use of diegetic sound helps towards the representation of age because many people would associate teenagers with is noise and chatter. 

This medium close up. The 180 rule is broken however because the character has ale moved to the other side of the line the break is un-obvious. This shot is stereotypical of age because most people. A lot of young people in schools are portrayed as aggressive and rude, this shot confirms this stereotype because of the fact that Amy has completely changed he body language and attitude from the previous shot to show her shouting at Harry. This gives this age group a bad name because of the fact that she is portrayed as a bit of a thug and a bit violent. 


This establishing shot is used to show that the setting has changed again. It has also been used to show that the adult in the room has power over the children, the fact that he is standing up also gives him more power over the students. This shot is cut straight from the other shot which leaves the audience wondering what is going to become of what happened in the previous scene. The use of costumes also shows the difference between the adult and the students because even thought they are all wearing the same thing, a shirt and tie, the fact that the teacher is wearing a pink shit and a pink and purple stripy tie tells the audience that because he isn't a student so therefore holds more power than the students, wearing a white shit and a yellow and maroon stripy tie.  


This close up of Ronan and Vicki is used to show how close their relationship is and how well they get on, however the look on her face doesn't support what the scene is trying to portray.This gives the audience the impression that she doesn't really what the relationship that she currently has with Ronan. This makes her look like another teenager who has rushed into a serious relationship quickly and doesn't really know what she is doing, a typical mistake made by young couple. 



The use of matching eye lines shows the mutual respect between the 2 students because they are looking directly at each other showing they are on the same level as each other. This links to Age because even though in the scene Amy looks like she has more control over Stuart the fact that they are looking at each other shows that they are both in same position of power. Their young age makes the situation worse as it will be considered bulling.


The tilt of the teachers body and the low angle shot make he like he has all the power. In these shots age is represented in an un-stereotypical way because you never really see an Adult wearing these types of clothes. The fact that he is asking if the trousers are supposed to look like that reinforces how un-stereotypical the outfit is for people in his age group. Even though the high angle shot is used to show that he has power it is clear that he does and that  he doesn't because the 2 girls shown in the medium long shot, below, are just laughing at him and if he had control of the situation then they wouldn't be laughing. This shows how un-stereotypical the situation is because the teacher doesn't have control over the girls do and the fact that he gets angry over the situation show just how much he doesn't like not having control over the situation and gets embarrassed because they are laughing at him rather that with him this also show the difference in age because even though he thinks what he is wearing is cool and modern and what the kids wear he is in fact wrong because the generation that he thinks he is dressing as actually don't think the outfit is cool. 

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Analysis of Sound


Dialogue- speech patterns, age (older people talk different to younger people), volume, high pitched, levels. (Diegetic)

Background Music- sets pace, mood, era, regional identity. (Non-digetic)

Diegetic - what the actors can hear

Non-Diegetic - what the actors can't hear

Synchronous-  where the sound source is on screen

Asynchronous- where the sound source isn't on screen

Ambiant Sound-  background noise

Sound effects- can be enhanced, leading us to Foley Sound.

Foley Sound- everyday sounds- e.g. tapping on the keyboard.

Analysis of mise-en-scene



Costume- can reveal era of the programme or film. overalls cover in soot suggests a chimney sweep. can also give indications to occupation or wealth. especially in gender because there is a difference between what the males are wearing and the females are wearing. Can also reveal sexuality.

Lighting- high key lighting is very soft, shadowless, feminine, often used in conduction with light skinned people with light coloured hair and light clothes on. Quite romantic. Low key lighting is dark, aggressive, masculine and unsettling. Can make a character look mysterious or threatening.

Props- short for properties. give you some clues about something, Eg about the characters lives or where they are. Iconography to the genre. Things that help you gain some information about the character.

Setting- gives you information about genre, time scale (Eg. in the future, present or past), regional identity (whether it is rural or urban), might tell you about your characters (rich or poor, posh or not)
.
Sometimes accent and regional dialect can fall under miss-en-scene as well. 

Analysis of Camera Work

Shot Types

Establishing Shot- establishes where and when the film is set. Often the first shot you see in a TV programme.

Helicopter Shot- shows the setting. Expensive and shows the film has a high production value.

Master Shot- Establishes the limit of the action and where it will take place.

Long Shot- shows a person from head to feet. Shows, body language, appearance, location.

Medium Shot- from the waist up. often used when there is more than one person in a shot, showing the relationship between 2 people.

Close up- face. used to show reaction or emotion.

Extreme Close up- used to show them focusing on. Eg- pouring a drink. brings the audience's attention to what the person is doing.

Camera Movement

Panning- showing every thing regarding to location so that every thing is shown but it doesn't look very small. Goes horizontal.

Tilt-  panning in a vertical way. Used to scan the body of a young attractive female. Used to show what  the person looks like. Good for representation of gender. 

Dolly Shot- where the camera tripod is put of wheels and it is moved slowly along. Often on dolly track. It shows you something that isn't in the frame. Makes a connection between what is in the shot and what isn't.

Steady Cam- where the camera is balanced to make it look like a dolly shot even though a track hasn't. It appears more normal than a controlled shot as it will appear smoother. 


Camera Angles 

High Angle- looks down on the something making them look vulnerable and weaker. 

Low Angle- looks up at something making it look strong and more powerful. Good for point of view shots of smaller objects or people. 

Countered Angle- where the camera itself is at an angle not straight. 




Monday, 29 September 2014

Gender Analysis



At the start of this extract of Doctor Who, western stand off music can be heard, this shows that a confrontation is about to go down. While this music is being played it is a high angle shot of Martha and a low angle shot of the Master are used.




The low angle shot of the Master makes it look like he is towering above the camera and in makes him look like he has all the power in the room, this links to gender because this shot give the male in the scene all the power. The high angle shot of Martha is use to show that she has less power than the Master because she is in a low position than him this gives the female characters less power than the males. 
 Power for the male characters is also shown in this shot where the guards are both male and in charge of Martha so they have authority over here. The use of guns as a prop also give the guards more power as people are likely to listen to people who are holding guns. This gives the males more authority because there are no women soldiers used within the extract. They have power over her because she is listen to what they are telling her to do and she is obeying them showing that she has little power over what she does.
  


The shot of Martha's mother and sister in maids uniform shows that they are in a position of no power because they will have to do everything they are told because they are in a position that holds no power and they have no authority. Again a soldier holding a gun can be seen which shows that he also has authority over the family and because he is pointing the gun at them he also has power over Martha because she know that if she does anything he will kill her family.

When Martha obeys what the Master is saying she is shown as submissive because she is giving him all the power but this shows how little power Martha has within the situation because she isn't trying to disobey him she is listening to everything that he is say, this also makes her look helpless because she isn't in control of her own action because they are being controlled by the dominant male, the master, this tell the audience he has so much more power than Martha. A tilt is used to show her movement to an even lower level than the Master the tilt also gives her less power as it seems she is becoming even more inferior. 



The women in the red dress is almost a piece of the furniture no one appears to pay attention to her it is like she doesn't really need to be there but the Master has kept her in the room show that he has a huge amount of power over her, he is treating her like a possession, something that he owns rather than something that he loves. She is very silent at the beginning of extract to show that the Master is completely in control over her.  

Throughout the clip when the Master is talking down to Martha and she is looking up at him they have matching eye lines. The matching of the eye lines show that they are looking at each other and even though the Master is talking to a room full of people he is only interested in talking to Martha and the fact that Martha is looking up at him shows that she is actually listening to what he has to say.



When the Master calls Martha a child it gives the audience the interpretation that the males are still in control of the situation and that she is weak and small like a child but she also has no power because most children don't. The fact the he used the word child rather and women shows that he has no respect of her and likes the fact that she has no power. 



This high angle shot of the Doctor is used to make him look weak and vulnerable, this is the first time the male gender doesn't appear to be a control because he looks so helpless. This is the first time that there appears to be a shift with the gender who holds the most control. This shows that even though the male gender feel like they have all the power actually the female lead actually has a lot of power. The cage is used to show just how vulnerable the doctor is but the fact that he is still in the suit shows that he has some power in the situation because everyone that holds power is wearing a suit. This links to the fact that in the situation the males hold power over the women within the situation. 


The use of dark light in this shot is used to give Martha some mystery because we a now discovering what she has been doing for the last year. The use of slow motion in the shot is used to show the pain that she went through to get to where she is today it also shows her strength, this gives her so power because it is show what she went through to get her message around the world, a shot of her telling her story on the stairs is also used to show her power because people are willing to listen to what she has to say and they want to help her which shows she has some form of power over them because they are willing to do what ever she says. 



The second flashback is used to show Martha being given her power by the doctor, this allows the audience to understand that even when the Master thought he had all the power he didn't showing that the power is no longer the Master and is now Martha and the Doctors again. This shot also shows that the male had to give the female the power to go off and do what she had to do. This gives the audience the interpretation that the male is more dominant in the situation than the female character. 



 As Martha gains power over the Master her close up shot become more eye level rather than a high angle showing that she is no long weaker than the Master and is actually now on the same level of power as the Master, the Master then has to use the banister on the stairs to keep himself up showing that he is become weaker and is losing his power as the Doctors plan is revealed. As Martha gains power there are more cuts to the countdown showing that the Masters time in charge is running out and when the countdown hits 0 the Doctor will be in charge.


The close up of the women in the red dress saying "Doctor" is used to show that the Master has completely lost control over everything because even his 'possession' is disobeying him and changing her side to side with the Doctor, this shot is used to show that the Master has completely lost control and now the only male character with power is the Doctor. This shows that the female gender within the scene is breaking away from the control the male gender and finally showing how strong and independent they can be as so up to this point all the female characters have been listening to everything the male characters tell them to do. 



Sunday, 21 September 2014

Textual Analysis Regional Identity



During the advert a traditional Greek Song can be heard, the volume of the song decreases at the end when there is dialogue being spoken. The music helps give the advert regional identity because the music is a typical song that you would have expected to feature in an advert that is set in Greece. The song allows the audience to identify the region of the world that the advert is set in.


This shot feature in the advert creates an instantly recognisable image of Greece where people picture people riding around on donkeys. This helps to construct regional identity because there isn’t really anywhere else where this would look acceptable and everyone would instantly think of Greece. Not only does the donkey help to construct regional identity but so the setting, the hills, the trees and the beautiful clear sky, put all these together and you get an image that instantly reminds you of Greece, the use of a wide also helps to benefit the picture because it allows the audience to see more within the shot and gives the audience the chance to associate Greece with the video.



In this medium shot, a man can be clearly seen wearing traditional Greek monks outfit. This helps to construct regional identity because Greece is the only place where you would expect to see monks to wear these clothes. The use of the Greek flag as a prop helps to reinforce the fact that the advert is set in Greece because you wouldn’t expect to see the flag of Greece anywhere except Greece.


In this shot again clothes that you would associate with rural Greece can be seen. This also contributes to regional identity because it is helping the viewer to understand. The costumes in this shot also help the viewer understand the class that the character are from. They are from a low class this can be seen from the fact that they are both wearing simple coloured clothes and they are both wearing plain clothes whereas people who are in a high class would have worn a different style of clothes and they would have had more colour on them.
There is a small amount of dialogue used in the advert. This dialogue is spoke in Greek which also shows the audience that it is set in Greece. The fact that they speak in Greek helps construct the regional identity of the advert and is instantly tells the viewer where it is set. The characters have heavy Greek accents which means that even if you don’t recognise the language then you can tell from their accent roughly where they are from and where the advert is set.
The fact that in the advert both traditional Greek music and traditional Greek clothing have both been used links to the time period that the Yoghurt first came out in 1926 as they are things that people expected to find in those time period.


The setting is very typical of a rural area. There are rolling hills in the background and the clear sky and this shows the viewer that the setting is in a warm and beautiful country. This constructs the representation of the regional identity as it shows the viewer exactly where it is set and there are only a hand full of place that look like that and the fact the boy is releasing the cow on to a path tells you that it is a place that people have to live on hills in, this also helps tell the viewer that it is set in Greece.


The high angle used in this shot is used to reinforce exactly how high up they are. This links to regional identity because there are only a few places where people live that high up and Greece is the main place you think of when you think of villages on hills with big long windy paths going up in to the hills.


This shot is anyway the regional identity is shown with in the advert because Greece is known for having washing lines hanging high above the ground and if the audience say this many people would instantly think of Greece and this shows that that the shot has been well constructed as it holds a clear representation of what people think of when they think of Greece.