Film Noir ..

Film Noir ..

Film Noir is a typical style of stylish Hollywood crime drama films in the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s, particularly those that emphasized suspicious attitudes and sexual motivations 

Throughout this film trailer they jump from high-key lighting to low key-lighting; however it starts off by using strong high-key lighting using the key and back lights until the woman gives him the book "The Big Sleep" and he starts reading it. The scene changes to him in the car and that's when they use low-key lighting which is more of the filler lights. The scene is dark and you can only see half of his face because there's a shadow it. Then the scene jumps to him breaking into a house and still the lighting is low-key. During that whole scene the lighting is low-key as the woman comes back into the scene you can still tell it's low-key but it's not as strong as the lighting when he was in the car. While the scene fades out the lighting changes to high-key and you see the man and another woman kissing the only shadows on their face is from the man’s hat. Following on from that it shows the man in a car and this shot is low-key because she shadows on half of his face however when they show the woman they use high-key lighting. As the text comes up on the scene you can't really tell whether its high-key or low-key lighting but I don't think that matters because the text is the main focus in that scene. When the text "The Big Sleep" comes up the lighting behind it is clearly high-key; the only shadows shown on the scene are at the back because of the settings. When they show the woman again the lighting is high-key because there's only a hint of shadow on her face but has been softened with the filler light. You can clearly see the contrast between the low- key and high- key lighting towards the end as they use low-key lighting for one shot then straight away jump to the next shot with high -key lighting and that's how the trailer ends.

Having the high- key lighting first is really effective because it straight away identifies who's in the film and what they want, it doesn't confuse the audience. The scene jumping from high-key lighting to low-key lighting is really effective as it shows the contrast between not only the scenes but the characters in the scenes and whether they're the hero's or the villains. I think, when he was in the car the effect of using low-key lighting works well because he might be up to no good or doing something bad which is proven in the next scene when he beaks into someones house; however he could be a detective finding evidence. This is an enigma code as it raises questions on who he might be which attracts the audience to carry on watching (or in this case as its a film trailer to watch the film). As I mentioned above they use low-key lighting in one shot then straight away goes into high-key lighting which just highlights how effective the lighting is to create tension or  a relaxed feel to the scene.

For this image the producers have used high-key lighting because there are no shadows on their faces. The key light was used really strongly for this image as the light on their face is so bright. However, on the image you can still see the contrast between the black and white because on the woman even though her face has no shadow towards the back and her hair you can see the darkness. Also, on the man on the side of his face you can see a small hint of a shadow and behind them both its black which means the producer used the back and key light mostly. 

Using the high-key lighting on their faces is really effective as it highlights their facial expressions. This therefore, indicates whether the characters are serious or comical. The facial expressions in this case prove that the films genre is Hollywood crime drama because he looks serious and the woman looks scared; she's holding on to him in the car which connotes that maybe a car is coming towards them to hit into them or maybe they're running away and the car is stolen. This hints the genre crime drama really well as it shows the crime side of the genre. Also because the background of the characters is dark it means all the focus is on them. 

Analysis of a Moving Image (Film Trailer)

Analysis of a Film Trailer (Fast 5)

Colour ..

• The colour's are different throughout the film trailer  
• At the start the colours aren't as bright or bold
• The colours change as the action goes on, from the cars being blown up to when their burning the money in a basement.
• To me, when I watch the trailer I see a lot of blue... maybe because a lot of the film is shot outdoors in the day time.

Composition and Type of Shots..

• Throughout this film trailer they use different types of shots such as, mid-shots to identify the person (star appeal) 
• The first shot is an establishing shot, straight away the director uses Mise-en-scene, for example the setting shows that the place the film is set in is Rio. Personally, I think this shot works really well as it’s the first opening shot the audience see so straight away they think it's going to be an interesting film because the setting and everything is new.
• They use lots of close-ups for the cars flying and the actors which is successful because not only does it show the famous actors but it also highlights the action genre. 
• Cars flying around and being crashed with lots of fire and police is the typical iconography of action films (genre).
• Finally, they used a long shot when the entire group were standing on top of the roof watching the bank. They used this, in my opinion so that it shows the whole group clearly and it’s better for the audience to identify all the actors.

Size ..

• After showing an "introduction" to the film they show the Universal Company logo which the only thing is shown on the screen at that time meaning it’s the main focus. 
• The next piece of writing you see is the part where it says "Next spring" and at the end "Coming soon" in big bold blue writing with a black background which shows that the writing at that point is the main point, it's the main focus. I think another reason why they chose to have the time its coming on twice is because they want the audience to get excited... as if they can't wait to watch it.
• Finally, they have the main title by itself in the same font as the rest of the writing which shows that just as the title the rest of the writing is just as important.

 Setting ..

• As I said before, the setting is shown in the first scene which gives the audience a little clue to what might be happening.
• Most of the settings shown in the trailer are where the group get ready to rob the bank. The reason they've filmed most of it there is because it’s a main setting, it's one of the most important settings throughout the whole film.
• Another setting they've used is in the very first beginning on the train when they rob the cars. This is also one of the most important settings because it's the first scene that introduces us to the action genre.

Lighting ..

• The lighting throughout the whole film is different because it starts calm - not too bright but not dull that is bores the audience.
• As the film goes on into more of the action the lighting starts to become more live and bold which demonstrates that the lighting backs the action through the film which makes it even more eager to watch.
• A lot of the film is shot at night which affects the lighting however it all suits the genre 100% because it's more live at night. Instead of using natural sunlight they use their own lights from their cars.

Pose ..

• During the film trailer they use a lot of close up's on faces to show their poses, for example when they have the scene with The Rock the close-up really helps the audience recognise who he is also his facial expression illustrate that he’s worried about something...
• Another time they use a close-up is when the girl is in the car driving which is a really good way of bring a wider audience, as their cantering to both men and women.
• Finally, in the long shot where it shows the whole group on the top of the roof you can see all their facial expressions which give us a view on how they all feel about their job. 

  

TV is Dying ..

My power point for "TV is dying."

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8r_XtOTn9AhSGFETldaY3AyQTA/edit

Analysis of Reebok Advert ..

 

Analysis of Reebok Advert ..

Colour ..

• The colours are mainly grey and black which connotes a negative and serious mood.
• I don't understand why an advert would use such colours as the advert is meant to be persuasive and attract the audiences' attention.
• Connotation- the use of dark colours could represent his past life and how he's changed his life for the better and now he's a famous rapper.
• The colours could reflect this faults that got him into trouble.

Framing ..

• The text is placed on top of the image.
• The text explains what kind of environment he's from which explains the finger prints underneath.
• The finger prints could connote that his life wasn't an easy one but now he's changed. 
• The image is normally associated with when you get arrested and they take your finger prints for identity.
• "I am what I am" shows he doesn't care how he's portrayed as long as his audience know who he is also; "I am what I am" is a strong bold statement which could really work for advertising because it will remain in the target audiences' head.

Composition ..

• The picture of 50 cent is on the left hand side and on the right is an image of finger prints which represents the finger prints they take then people get sent to jail.
• The layout is straight forward and simple which connotes that anyone can have this product Reebok are trying to sell.
• A simple layout could work or fail and I think in this case it works as the simplistic highlights and brings all the attention to the actual advert.

Size ..

• The size of the writing "I am what I am" is bigger than the rest of the writing on the advert which displays that that statement is the title or main heading on the advert.
• On the top, what 50 cent says is also bold however the size shows it's not as important as the Heading "I am what I am".
• Underneath placed on the bottom is the Reebok logo which I don't think works well because it’s not very noticeable which means people can't recognise that the advert was made by Reebok.

Type of Shot ..

• The picture of 50 cent is a close up
• Close up's are good when you want the audience to recognise the person on the advert because it could attract many fans if the person is a popular well known celebrity.
• In this case 50 cent is famous and has many fans which are good for Reebok because it means if 50 cent is wearing their product then so does everyone else. 
• The finger prints is a bird’s eye view shot which means you can clearly see the image and all the detail. 
• This is a good way to catch the audiences' eyes because if there in a hurry and only see the advert for 10 seconds they get the message straight away.

Subject Matter .. 

• The subject of the finger prints with what 50 cent says on the top shows how he began having a dangerous life but now has changed it for the better
• I think Reebok wants to portray that anyone can wear their products and anyone can change, it’s never too late.
• I think the people that would mainly be attracted to this would be the ones with hard lives or the ones who always get themselves into trouble. 

 Setting ..

• The picture of 50 cent has a plain black background which is good because all the focus is on him and the audience doesn't get distracted with the background.
• The image of the finger prints has no background in the sense that the main image is the finger prints. 
• I don't think they worried much about the settings because they had other priorities which would help them sell their image.

Lighting ..

• The lighting isn't very bright which dulls the atmosphere and creates a negative mood like the colours.
• However the lighting touches his face slightly which could symbolise the change he has made.
• The director uses Mise-en-scene really well here because the only lighting shown is the one on his face which brings all the attention to him.

Pose ..

• 50 cents facial expression highlights the serious mood.
• He looks angry as well as serious which connotes that he's finally taking his life seriously now and the change he made shows that.
• The shot doesn't show whether he's standing or sitting, it's a close up to his face which shows they want to concentrate on his face.

Analysis of a Media Film Poster ..

Analysis of a Film Poster ..

The font of the text "Wanted" is written in bold capitals on the top of the film poster, this connotes that they've put this on the top in bold because they want the audience to recognise the film so that it sticks to them and they go watch it. The colour is lighter than the background which is good because it means more of the attention goes to the title; however there's still attention on the image. Putting it in capitals means it’s more powerful which reinforce that the film is going to have the same powerful feel. This makes the audience want to go and watch it even more. The size again reinforces that this is the title and it's one of the main features of the poster. Finally, the word "Wanted" kind of gives you a clue of the narrative or what the equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium - theroy followed by Todorov, could be about but still plays with the audiences mind.

The denotation of the image is a mid-shot of Angelina Jolie holding a gun and another man behind her; however the connotation of this image represents that the woman is more dominant than the man. Angelina Jolie in front of the man looking more powerful would attract more women because all women want to feel strong and powerful; however this would also attract men because Angelina Jolie is a young, beautiful attractive woman. She plays the hero in the film, which follows the theory made my Vladimir Propp. Behind them is an establishing-shot which works well because it brings all the attention to Angelina Jolie who has won three Golden Globe Award and is the highest-paid actress, in 2009 and 2011. This helps bring a bigger audience to watch the film. She's popular and has many of her own fans (star appeal). 

Her facial expression highlights the genre because you know if the film was a comedy she wouldn't look serious.  Having Angelina Jolie, a woman on the front holding a gun isn't a typical representation, it challenges how women are portrayed in the media today; it also breaks typical stereotypes that women depend on men and men are more powerful and stronger than women but obviously in this case it's different.

The director for this cover has used some elements of mise-en-scene for example,  they've used a key light affect which works really well as it hits Angelina Jolie on the face which represents the importance of her character in the film. With the man they've used a low-key lighting affect which in my eyes represents that he plays the "magical helper" again using the theory of Vladimir Propp. Some of the iconography in the poster for example the big gun right in the middle of the poster not only is a part of mise-en-scene but also connotes the genre of the film is action. This would attract an audience that loves action, guns and fighting thus making it a wider audience. This film is a hybrid genre - action, crime and thriller, therefore it stretches the target audience because more people would be able to enjoy the film.

Institution, this is a typical Hollywood film, because this film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures it's a really good way of attracting a wider audience as Universal Pictures is a well known company that produce many successful films such as The Mummy and American Pie. This film was also nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The film budge was $75 million but was a hit with the Box office and made $341, 433,252 this shows the amount of people already that have seen the film. This connotes that the film was a success which would advise the target audience to go and watch it. 

They promoted this film threw video games and they made a sequel meaning the actual film was a hit and meant a wider audience. The BBFC rated "Wanted" as 18 meaning the film was based on an older target audience. This connotes that  the reason why they rate it 18 is because it’s too violent which means it’s not suitable for children but that also means they lose a small amount of their audience.

Analysis of a Media Advert ..

Media Analysis ..

The image is of a skinny, beautiful woman in a relaxed and calm position wearing a floral white dress with dark flowers which adds to the calm and relaxed feel. The colours again also help the calm and relaxed feel because they've used colours like cream and white. This has a negative representation that women should be skinny and as beautiful as her. This could crush women's confidence but on the other hand make the audience want to buy the perfume so that they can start to look as good as her.

Abby Lee Kershaw is a very famous model who has worked for Gucci in different adverts so she is well known and she has a lot of fans, this is really good for advertising because it shows that her fans will want this product because she wears it. Finally, the background of the image is in the sky, this could be because Gucci want you to feel as if you’re in heaven once you've worn the perfume. I personally think it goes overboard with that and it also bends the ASA guidelines; however the audience may believe it’s true that if they have that perfume they will feel as if their floating on clouds. 

The text "Flora by Gucci" is placed on the bottom corner which in my opinion isn't a good way to advertise the perfume. The text is what gives the product the identity and the recognition. However the black font colour in front of a pale background really works because it brings all the attention to the text which is what the audience need to read. The style of the font works with the advert because it looks elegant which attracts women's attention, all women want to be elegant and Gucci wants women to feel as if they need this perfume in order to be elegant. The style in addition, adds to the flora theme this advert has. Also, next to it says "The New Fragrance" which attracts more attention because all women want the next best thing. Having it in capitals makes it seem really important which is good because you want women to think it’s a new fragrance which I need to have.  

The bottle is placed on the bottom corner which I think doesn't matter as much as the title because the bottle  on its own stands out as it has a crystal look to it, this therefore would attract more women because the bottle looks aesthetically pleasing. The bottle is one of the main selling points when it comes to perfume adverts because it’s what persuades the women (audience) to buy it. The title again is written on the bottle to give its "identity" which is clever because it makes the audience remember it a Gucci perfume. Finally, underneath the bottle there's a hint of burliness which means all the attention goes on to the bottle thus making the audience fall in love with the bottle which then leads to them wanting to buy it.

Media Consumption ..

Newspapers ..

• I read any newspaper that's lying around, I have no favourite. 
• I would look for the sections that show what’s happening around us because it’s interesting to find out what’s going on within our community.
• I would never read articles on politics because I find all of that boring and pointless.
• I would normally read crime or rape or murder stories because it gives me more awareness on the world today.
• I personally don't buy any newspapers but my mum does.  

Magazines ..

• Again, I don't buy magazines because I think most magazines aren't interesting.
• If I was to pick up a magazine I  would read what's going to happen on different soaps.    

Television ..

• I have no idea of how many hours I spend watching TV so I'm gonna say 50 hours a week.
• I normally watch TV when I come back home and in the morning when I'm getting ready. 
• I like watching comedy central, Living and Sky movies because these channels have interesting  shows/films which keep me engaged. 
• I normally watch TV with someone or family.
• It depends on who it is, if I'm watching TV with my sister then I decide but if it’s with someone older then they decide. 

Radio ..

• I like listening to kiss, magic and capital. 
• Listening to the radio would probably be 5 hours a week.
• I would normally listen to the radio in the morning so I can find out what the weathers going to be like.
• I dislike the stations that play opera because I don't understand it and you have to be in the mood to actually appreciate it.
• I listen to the radio with my sister mainly.
• We normally listen to the radio in our bedroom while cleaning the house.
• While I'm listening to the radio I'm normally cleaning the house or studying. 

Cinema ..

• In the last month I've been to the cinema and watched "Ted".
• In other places I've been lots of films like "Last of the Mohicans", "Father of the bride" and "Love and other drugs".
• I watched the first one with my friend and aunt but the other two with my mum.
• Normally I'm the one that chooses what films to watch.

Internet ..

• I normally go on the internet all the time, everyday.
• I access the internet at my house and in school.
• The main sites I go on are Facebook, Webcam Toy, Cameroid, Youtube and My Blog.
• I access Facebook so that I can catch up with friends and upload new pictures, I go on Webcam Toy and Cameroid for entertainment, when I'm bored I like talking pictures. Finally I go on My Blog because I like looking at it and changing the designs and layout of my page.  
• I like listening to music on my laptop while on the internet and some times I'm doing my homework. 

Why I Chose Media ...

Why I chose media at A levels?

When I first chose media in GSCE's I wasn't really keen on it, I felt it was going to be too hard and I wouldn't enjoy it however now I can say I was completely wrong. I know media at A levels was the right decisions because it has both the practical side and the theory side, it's evened out which makes it less stressful.

I really enjoyed it at GSCE's, I achieved an A and A*. I find the media very interesting and it plays a bit part in the society nowadays, also I want to study media at uni and then hopefully carry on with media as my future career so I think that taking media at A levels will give me a better understanding.

I find Media will give me a unique opportunity to meet new important people and will give me an insight on how the media works in the world.

Media is one of my favorite subjects when I did GSCE's I have a really passion for media and I know if I work hard and put all the effort in Media at A levels it will also continue to be my favorite subject.

I feel I can really show off all my skills in media A levels because as I said before I have a real passion for media so that's why I chose it at A levels ..