Media Audiences: What techniques does the opening sequence use to appeal to a weekday mainstream audience?
The techniques used are a range of different angle shots such as close ups and low angle shots to establish the surroundings. This also immediately grabs the attention of the audience and lures them in to watching further, even more this raises enigma codes such as: why is the girl alone? What is her relation with the woman? The shots have been edited to slow down the pace of the sequence, this is done to build and intensify suspense. In contrast there is a fast paced zoom to the garden door and a black fade to the next shot, however in between the close up slows down at the black car giving it significance. Also as the colour of the car is black this connotes that something negative is associated with the car. There is also use of pathetic fallacy as the weather is quite grey and dull foreboding something hasty in due events.
Media Institutions: What does this text tell us about the media institutions involved?
The media institution involved is the BBC, and evidently at the start of the sequence their main aim is to entertain the audience. As they are not informing the audience of any problem other than the 'spies' spying on the two couple, it is comprehensive that the only issue being explored is within the sequence and does not relate to any other issues related to the audience. Therefore it is understandable that their main purpose is to entertain.
Media Forms: How does the extract follow the codes and convention of an opening sequence?
As the sequence starts, it instantly lures the audiences and satisfies them in revealing that it is a drama. In the sequence, we see a pair through big close up shots yet the audience is oblivious to who the couple are, which builds some tension in the scene and indicates that the genre is drama. The tone of the sequence is quite serious which evidently signifies it as a drama as this type of tone would not be witnessed in a romance or comedy. The extract follows the codes and conventions by using binary opposition, where as the couple is seated in a black coloured car connoting to negativity therefore the opposition maybe ‘good vs bad’. The immediacy of the sequence would raise enigma codes such as: why are they spying on this couple? For what reason? What did they do? The opening sequence follows some codes and conventions however excludes the typical ones such as: a title sequence or a recap which gives the audience an insight of the previous episode. Although as the extract successfully builds tension and raises enigma codes it fits the conventions of a drama.The opening sequence reinforces the personal values the couple have and the sense of solidarity between them visual through their behaviour. There's also the form of integration and social interaction as the clip identifies a sense of belonging with the couple. This is typical as by having this type of behaviour it heightens the drama set forth.
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
The Hitman: Beautifully Executed
The hit man is being represented through on e of his victims as it reflects his actions and motives. In the mise en scene of the poster the backdrop has been immersedf with silky, seducing red, and the woman, which is the victim is shown on top of it. Through this we can intrepret that the red colour connotes blood but also that the victim is surrounded in danger as red could also signify danger. we can also observe that there is a gun shot in the woman's head suggesting crime and murder, however as this is the only sign of brutile killing it shows that the killer has no other intentions or motives. Stereotypically women are often shown as sexual objects, this is shown through the costumes worn by the female such as: lusty underwear and high heels suggesting that she may be femme fatal. The way the woman has been killed can arise enigma codes such as: why she has been killed?, what motives are behind it?
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
"Bullet Boy" Analysis
●◦•["Bullet Boy" Analysis]•◦●
As the trailer starts, low key lighting is immersed in the scene making the audience oblivious to the characters as well as heightening the darkness present in the scene which connotes darkness in the main protagonist’s life. The lighting also creates drama as well as tension. In the first couple of seconds we see quick shots of policemen raiding the man’s house establishing him as the main protagonist and immediately conveying that the film will be about crime and violence. The movement of the camera as well as the way the shots have been edited are quite fast accompanied by dark low key lighting making it harder for the audience to understand what is happening in the current situation therefore creates enigma codes and keeps the audience gripped. Non-contrapuntal music is used as the music being played in the background does not compliment the actual actions of the scene as the music is more slowly paced whereas the actions and camera shots are quite quick.
Low key lighting is used mainly in the trailer however there is bright light present when the main protagonist is seen with a female character presumably his girlfriend suggesting that there are some bright times in the main characters life. When we first witness the main character we are revealed to the fact that he is of black ethnicity which clearly shows a stereotype representation as the man is shown with guns and committing crime, which is a stereotypical view of black boys in the society. Also we see a very young boy holding a gun which is quite an extreme scene to see and is quite violating however this reinforces the genre of crime and violence. A gun could be the main icon of the film as it signifies the genre of crime which a gun is normally associated with but also the title itself “Bullet Boy”. The main target audience would be mainly teenage boys as well as men aged around 19-25 of class D/E as the main characters look around this age also as there are female characters present in the movie it will also attract female audiences.
As the trailer starts, low key lighting is immersed in the scene making the audience oblivious to the characters as well as heightening the darkness present in the scene which connotes darkness in the main protagonist’s life. The lighting also creates drama as well as tension. In the first couple of seconds we see quick shots of policemen raiding the man’s house establishing him as the main protagonist and immediately conveying that the film will be about crime and violence. The movement of the camera as well as the way the shots have been edited are quite fast accompanied by dark low key lighting making it harder for the audience to understand what is happening in the current situation therefore creates enigma codes and keeps the audience gripped. Non-contrapuntal music is used as the music being played in the background does not compliment the actual actions of the scene as the music is more slowly paced whereas the actions and camera shots are quite quick.
Low key lighting is used mainly in the trailer however there is bright light present when the main protagonist is seen with a female character presumably his girlfriend suggesting that there are some bright times in the main characters life. When we first witness the main character we are revealed to the fact that he is of black ethnicity which clearly shows a stereotype representation as the man is shown with guns and committing crime, which is a stereotypical view of black boys in the society. Also we see a very young boy holding a gun which is quite an extreme scene to see and is quite violating however this reinforces the genre of crime and violence. A gun could be the main icon of the film as it signifies the genre of crime which a gun is normally associated with but also the title itself “Bullet Boy”. The main target audience would be mainly teenage boys as well as men aged around 19-25 of class D/E as the main characters look around this age also as there are female characters present in the movie it will also attract female audiences.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Monday, 24 November 2008
O°o●◦How does the opening three minutes of 'Heroes' compare to typical TV title sequences? ◦●o°O
As the series starts, the logo of ‘Heroes’ appears marking itself as a trademark and giving ‘Heroes’ a unique image. This is evidently the first distinction notable which makes this TV programme different from any other as other programmes would have logos of the broadcasting institutions or any other partnered institution. The logo includes an eclipse with the word 'Heroes' emerging from the side. This gives the programme their own establishment as by having their own logo to look unique and attractive. Additionally, the effects of the eclipse gives an insight to the genre as it is not an image with bright colours but it tends to use dark colours which connotes to the genre of the programme being a horror or a science fiction.
The episode begins with a re-cap of the previous episode, The recap is embedded into the scene creating a flow and doing what it initially intends to which is reviewing the episode for audience to remember the present story line. This is accompanied by a voice over of a male who summarises the storyline simultaneously. This would be a quick reminder to the audience about what happened previously. Many other TV programmes use the same similar method but some may differ as some TV programmes are not a continuation of the previous and don’t follow on and an example would be ‘The Simpsons’ as it is a new storyline each day. There are not many programmes who choose to include this method such as: One Tree Hill, Hollyoaks and Eastenders as they do not use these methods making it an uncommon method to use. This shows that the re-cap does not compare to typical TV title sequences but it could be ideal to keep the audience engaged in the programme, as they are always aware of what happened previously.
As the series begins the title appears: "Chapter Two: Don't look back" which is shown written on the building in capitals. The variation of any other TV programme and The Heroes is significant here as an ordinary TV programme would mark their title at the start positioned at the lower centre of the screen, whereas in this case the title ‘Don’t look back’ is shown on a building. This magnifies the importance of the buildings as the male actor is shown jumping of them, which corresponds to the previous episode. The typography of the text is quite informal and indicates that it has been hand written rather than typed, which signifies to the type of text you would find in a comic book.
Chronologically, the camera angle is changed into a bird’s eye view of the male standing on the building, this is done to intensify the drama being created as it gives the audience a full focus of the man and his surroundings. This connotes that the male may have some sort of importance or may be superior within the series or may even want to commit suicide. This would be the ideas in the audience's mind if they have not seen the series before, this shows the ambiguity of the opening title sequence as the audience may not have a clear idea of what is exactly happening especially if they have not seen the programme before. This would cause the audience to think and will create mystery in their mind which would keep them engaged into the programme. This is also an alternative technique used quite rarely as many would just open in to the first scene and establish the storyline.
On the whole, I think that the opening sequence of the programme 'Heroes' varies from a lot of other TV programmes as it uses different unique techniques to make the programme seem interesting. I also think that the programme does well in engaging its audience as not many programmes use ‘re-caps’ to set the mood of the series.
The episode begins with a re-cap of the previous episode, The recap is embedded into the scene creating a flow and doing what it initially intends to which is reviewing the episode for audience to remember the present story line. This is accompanied by a voice over of a male who summarises the storyline simultaneously. This would be a quick reminder to the audience about what happened previously. Many other TV programmes use the same similar method but some may differ as some TV programmes are not a continuation of the previous and don’t follow on and an example would be ‘The Simpsons’ as it is a new storyline each day. There are not many programmes who choose to include this method such as: One Tree Hill, Hollyoaks and Eastenders as they do not use these methods making it an uncommon method to use. This shows that the re-cap does not compare to typical TV title sequences but it could be ideal to keep the audience engaged in the programme, as they are always aware of what happened previously.
As the series begins the title appears: "Chapter Two: Don't look back" which is shown written on the building in capitals. The variation of any other TV programme and The Heroes is significant here as an ordinary TV programme would mark their title at the start positioned at the lower centre of the screen, whereas in this case the title ‘Don’t look back’ is shown on a building. This magnifies the importance of the buildings as the male actor is shown jumping of them, which corresponds to the previous episode. The typography of the text is quite informal and indicates that it has been hand written rather than typed, which signifies to the type of text you would find in a comic book.
Chronologically, the camera angle is changed into a bird’s eye view of the male standing on the building, this is done to intensify the drama being created as it gives the audience a full focus of the man and his surroundings. This connotes that the male may have some sort of importance or may be superior within the series or may even want to commit suicide. This would be the ideas in the audience's mind if they have not seen the series before, this shows the ambiguity of the opening title sequence as the audience may not have a clear idea of what is exactly happening especially if they have not seen the programme before. This would cause the audience to think and will create mystery in their mind which would keep them engaged into the programme. This is also an alternative technique used quite rarely as many would just open in to the first scene and establish the storyline.
On the whole, I think that the opening sequence of the programme 'Heroes' varies from a lot of other TV programmes as it uses different unique techniques to make the programme seem interesting. I also think that the programme does well in engaging its audience as not many programmes use ‘re-caps’ to set the mood of the series.
---» An anthropological guide to youtube «---
YouTube big numbers --->
YouTube has produced more material in 6 months than the three biggest networks in America over the past 60 years (which is 1.5 million hours of broadcasting). They did this without producers and instead with people all across the globe uploading their own material. Currently, You tuber's upload over 9000 hours of content everyday which is the equivalent of approximately 400 always on TV channels. 88% of the content is new material.
Numa Numa and the celebrations of web cams...
This is the story of the numa numa dancer. who sitting in his bedroom created a video of him lip syncing a foreign song entitled Numa Numa. This video has been thought to have achieved over 600 million views!
The Machine is Us/ing Us and the New Mediascape...
Talking about the new ways in which we use the Internet (web 2.o) no longer is the Internet just for information its about linking people with websites such as Facebook and Wikipedia we are no longer just consumers we also provide the material this is called user generated content. To illustrate this his own video The Machine Is Us/ing Us was done with help from a musician in the ivory coast.
Who Is On Youtube?..
The majority of users on YouTube are young adults who make up 52 % of the content. Teenagers and over 35 users generate the same amount of content.
What Is On YouTube...
A range of popular videos. Many of these have gone into popular culture such as Charlie Bit My Finger
5% of vids are personal vlogs addressed to the YouTube community, Why?...
Many believe that the abundance in vlogs is due to a loss of community in real life for example going to the big supermarkets instead of the corner shops create a loss of community in our neighborhood however due to vlogs we now have an Internet community.
Cultural Inversion: individualism and community...
this is the theory in which as we grow more independent as individuals we long for a sense of community and closeness in our relationships. Also due to commercialisation we want more authenticity. YouTube provides this.
Understanding new forms of community through Participant Observation...
Participation theory is the theory in which you have to participate in something in order to understand it. In order to understand the YouTube community they became apart of it
YouTube as a medium for community...
When you vlog on YouTube you do not know when your going to be watched or who by. You don't even know whats going to happen to your vlog it could be remixed or anything this is called content collapse
Our first vlogs...
When first making a vlog it is difficult to know how to start because you do not know how to start broadcasting yourself or what to say.
The web cam:
Everybody is watching where nobody is ("context collapse")This is when although it feels like your talking to nobody and that nobody is there really your in a very public place where people across the globe could be watching what you do.
Re-cognition and new forms of self-awareness (McLuhan)...
Due to the fact we can achieve almost a replay of the events in our life it has brought us a new sense of self awareness. We can see how far we have come as people.
The Anonymity of Watching YouTube: Haters and Lovers...
On YouTube most people remain anonymous this causes almost a community of hatred & also of love because people do not have to feel anxiety or fear due to there opinions.
Aesthetic Arrest...
This is when people feel deep emotional connection with other from the Internet but without the responsibilities that come with it in Essence it allows connection without constraint.
Free Hugs: A hero for our mediated culture...
A man who had spent a lot of time in Britain had returned home to Sydney but had no one there to greet him so he started a free hug campaign to make himself feel less lonely. This not only bring people together physically but has done so emotionally all over YouTube.
YouTube Drama: Striving for popularity...
The difficulties in attaining one of the most popular videos or channels. Stars of YouTube include Brookers, Lonelygirl15 and others
An early star: emokid21ohio...
This is almost a love story between two users on YouTube. However, it had been found that this user was not who he proclaimed to be and therefore we come to the issue of authenticity.
You Tube's Authenticity Crisis: the story of LonelyGirl15...
The story of lonelygirl15 who people believed was a teenage American vlogger turned out to be an obscure New Zealand actress called Jessica Rose. This brings up the question on can people really be authentic or genuine on YouTube?
Reflections on Authenticity --->
Is anybody really being truly authentic or are we all just producing ourselves for YouTube many people believe that YouTube has not given us authenticity but rather just another form of drama.
Gaming the system / Exposing the System...
Thumbnails of the middle of any video on YouTube are shown before clicking. Many people use this to their advantage by choosing desirable thumbnails even if there video has nothing to do with it.
Seriously Playful Participatory Media Culture...
Has serious consequences for some people. Such as McCain whose joke 'bomb Iran' was taken into what he says was the "wrong context". Also YouTube has given us the power to do things we shouldn't. Basically, whenever we rip a DVD or upload copy written music we do so in the knowledge that we are braking the law.
Networked Production: The Collab. MadV's "The Message" and the message of YouTube...
A user known as MadV posted a video telling people to simply make a statement on there hands he gave the example of one world. Soon, this became the most responded to video on YouTube. The overall message of this video was of love and community this could be seen as the message of YouTube to.
Poem: The Little Glass Dot, The Eyes of the World...
A poem about Webcam & how it changes lives in our world. The main concepts being re-cognition, exploration of self and of course entertainment.
Conclusion by bnessel1973...
YouTube user who lost a child believes that the Internet site and the videos he created helped him to carry on through the hard times in life. He rounds up by saying thank you to everybody who has supported him in YouTube.
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