Working Title Timeline

WT Timeline

What is the impact of New Technologies on the Film Industry?

What is the Impact of New Technologies on the Film Industry

Kick-Ass

As a class we watched Kick-Ass the movie, we had to pick out the seven key areas of representation: Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Sexuality, Social Class, Physical Ability/ Disability, Regional Identity and also, the four key areas of Textual Analysis: Camera Shots, Editing, Sound, Mise en Scene. 

From the very start of the film we see who the hero will be, Dave, who later on becomes the superhero Kick-Ass. He is a typical white middle-class American comic book nerd and wants to help the world as a vigilante. The binary opposite of Kick-Ass, is the villain, a white business man with lots of money who is in charge of lots of people. We see other types of villains who seem as though they're important, like a Red Herring; they're stereotypical criminal gangster characters, dressed wearing chains and vests and walking with a typical gangster swagger. 
There are many close-ups within the film, mainly when there are particularly gruesome parts, for example the stabbing and when Kick-Ass has blood all over his face. There is a repeated scene involving Dave, a girl and their lockers in a school corridor, the camera work creates a tense awkward feeling for Dave but shows that the girl wants to talk to him, and they keep exchanging looks. During a more upbeat scene in the film, there is a contrast in scenes from a bright fast-paced chase with loud music through the middle of New York City and the quiet, dark alley where Kick-Ass is trying to be a hero and save a cat. The scenes then collide as the criminals involved in the chase turn down the back street, Kick-Ass gets involved and the camera work involves fast shots to increase the impact on the audience; again there are close-ups of action shots and injuries.
As the film is set in New York City, there is a reputation of the city housing some gangs and violence, so in the centre of Times Square it's light and bright and colourful, whereas in the shadows and back streets it's not a friendly place to be walking on your own. This proves that regional identity is present in every city; the effect of light and dark is also shown with the lighting used in the film. During one scene in particular the lighting is dim outside and it's a quiet suburban neighbourhood, Kick-Ass has gone to try and make peace between two people, the flat he goes into is full of black people, stereotypically they're smoking and drinking and playing violent video games, there are also lots of weapons around the room, and only one girl, who looks as though she's a prostitute. Hit Girl is introduced and she saves Kick-Ass from being killed, she is around 12 years old and knows more about the world than Kick-Ass, she can use any weapon put in front of her and kills everyone in the apartment; this is a very fast paced scene as the child's talent shocks the audience.
Another character is introduced later in the film, Red-Mist, he also claims to be a superhero but really he's the villain boss man's son. This causes trouble as he comes across as a genuine hero, but beneath the mask he's involved in the gangs his father is in control of. Red-Mist then gets Kick-Ass, Hit Girl (and her father, Big Daddy) involved in trouble, there is a factory fire which includes lots of hand-held camera work and added sound effects such as the sound of fire and the music in the background. Towards the end of the film, there is a long action scene involving the heroes, Kick-Ass, Big Daddy and Hit Girl; against the bad guys, the boss man and his hired gang members. The sound is incredibly loud and there are many added sound effects for the sound of guns firing and stabbing, the lighting is very dark and there is upbeat music playing throughout. Night-vision is used at one point as Hit Girl saves Big Daddy and Kick-Ass, she succeeds but at the very end the last gang member alive sets fire to the floor surrounding Big Daddy, this involves close-ups and wide shots of the area the scene is set in. An emotional scene at the end of the fight between Hit Girl and Big Daddy shows their faces half lit and slow, quiet music is played. 
The whole film consists of action scenes with fast paced camera shots and loud music and sound effects, there are some shots from below and some from above at key points in the film, for example when Hit Girl and Big Daddy are keeping something secret from the audience the cinematographer uses a camera looking up to them from where the object would be, this is then revealed near the end of the film. 
The ultimate heroes in the film are Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Big Daddy, they are all white middle-class American people, of all different ages. Big Daddy is approximately 40, Kick Ass is around 18 and Hit Girl, 12. In the final scene Hit Girl fights against the boss man villain, this involves binary opposites against each other, old and young, male and female.
The music throughout the film is effective and a wide variety of genres, however the last scene in particular shows a contrast in music every few minutes. For example, western style music is played as Hit Girl convinces some security guards that she's an innocent child, the music let's the audience know she's up to no good; then there is some rock genre music with drums and guitars when she takes on a group of about 15 security guards; and as Kick-Ass comes to save her, one of America's most well known anthems plays, 'An American Trilogy - Elvis Presley'. The special effects are well used, for example flying, fighting and the make-up used makes the audience more involved in the film as it appears more realistic. There is a wide shot as Kick-Ass and Hit Girl fly home on the jet pack over New York City, this fades into a sunset. The ending of the film shows Red-Mist taking over his father's role and sitting in his office chair, he then turns and fires a gun at the camera - the film ends with the flash of the gun. The song 'Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless' plays during the credits, the song relates to all the death in the film and the idea that Red-Mist's character doesn't think the war is over yet between himself, Kick-Ass and Hit Girl, so it leaves the audience thinking that there could be a Kick-Ass 2.

Representation - Race/Ethnicity - Spooks

As a class we watched a scene from the drama series Spooks, the title is 'Danny's Death', from the short clip we had to analyse the mise en scene, lighting, characters, colours and representation included.





How is representation of ethnicity constructed in this clip?
The mise en scene from the very start shows a contrast between dark and light, the faces of the characters are always partially lit; this highlights the representation of ethnicity by the difference between black and white. The main character, Danny, is black; the two terrorist characters are Arabian and the woman in the main scene is white, so already there are characters playing stereotypical roles for their race. There are other people within this clip but not in the main scene, they are all white as well and are colleagues and friends of Danny and the woman. All the characters are well spoken irrelevant to their racial backgrounds, this shows that the only features that make them 'different' are their religion, beliefs and physical appearance.
The sounds used in the clip make the atmosphere tense and unpredictable for the audience, there is a drum beat playing from the start of the clip which could be perceived as a heartbeat or footsteps building closer to a climax. The sound slowly blends into a song sounding very similar to the 'Mvezzin', which is traditionally the 'Call to Prayer' this could show links to the different religions between races in the clip. The whale song is played until the very end of this short clip, this holds emotion between all the characters as there are short shots showing each persons' reaction.
There is another aspect of religion as before Danny speaks to defend himself against the terrorist holding a gun to his head, he whispers something to himself as if it was a prayer or a goodbye to someone he loves before he surrenders himself. This shows there are different beliefs in different people no matter what religion or race they are. The two Arabian men are terrorists, one was dressed as a regular businessman, the other was head to toe in Arabian black robes. The man in the suit is obviously the leader of the two, he could be mistaken for an everyday businessman in a busy city, as though he's in disguise. 

Representation - Race/Ethnicity

Stereotypes - white

Stereotypes - black

Law abiding Blond, big boobs (perfect) Alcohol – wine, beer Class structure obsessed Stressed, worry a lot Talk about the weather Trailer trash/hillbillies/white trash Educated, academic, eloquent Nerdy Uptight, stiff, upper lip Dumb/stupid Playing the ‘bad guys’ in films (British men) Bitchy Size zero Different hair and eye colours ‘White men can’t jump’ Can’t run very fast Protestant/Christian Sarcastic/dry humour

Big families, small houses, single parents Big booty Hip-hop, more musical, rhythmic, gospels Afro Crimes, drugs, Can’t swim very well Dark hair and eye colours Well hung Characters die in films (Deep Blue Sea) Rappers, gangsters Relaxed, loud, bubbly, friendly, religious Power hungry (Mugabe) Cooler than white people Muscular, big lips, big noses Colour ‘black’ always mentioned in news reports Attitude, swagger, slang/lingo/patois R.P. (received pronunciation) Bad fathers, pimps, money

We were then asked to write down what stereotypes we immediately thought of when seeing 'young, black, British male' written down.

- knife crime, drugs, music, out a lot, 'grime', swagger, confidence, gangster clothing etc., aware of the public blaming 'young black men'

Essay Targets:

1- Focus on British Film Industry and use examples of BRITISH films
2- Use examples from Working Title (Warp and Hollywood are comparisons)
3- Refer back to the question, key word: IMPACT
4- Institutions and Audience is the main focus in any question, discuss these two areas where you have studied
5- Use the word 'audience' in the place of 'people/you/us' unless it's personal opinion
6- Terminology is key: processes, audience, conglomerate
7- PEE - point, evidence, explain

I will improve my essay writing by taking into consideration the targets above and mainly using the 3rd, because I substitute some terminology with other words if I can't remember, and the 6th as I tend to forget the question and go off task. The 7th target is also helpful as when I learnt this in GCSE English I had forgotten that I can still use it now, so next time I will include this in my essay as well.

Task 4 & 5

 Task 4

Place the following genres into their correct category.

The News, EastEnders, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Friends, Horizon, Cribs, Qi, The Bill, Holyoaks, Life On Mars, I’m A Celebrity..., House, Escape To The Country, X Factor, Coronation Street,

Information	Identity	Social Interaction	Diversion
The News Qi Horizon	Cribs Escape to the country	Eastenders Coronation Street Friends Life on Mars The Bill Hollyoaks House	Who wants to be a millionaire? I’m a celebrity… X factor

Which of the above programmes might be guilty of employing the ‘Hypodermic Model’ and which therefore might also reflect Blumer’s views on audience?

Social Interaction programmes could be an example of the ‘Hypodermic Model’ as the audience get involved of the life of a soap opera character.

Task 5

Look at the opening of ‘Nanny McPhee’. Think about the way the text has been constructed through the use of codes. What has been encoded for the audience to decode?

The target audience of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is families, this is because the exciting story and characters appeal to children, but the storyline of having a nanny appeals to parents and older audiences. It also allows the older audience to see children act in the film and experience their childhood again. The trailer shows that the main character, the nanny, has a special power which makes the children want to see it as it seems extraordinary; the adults also want to see it but to find out the outcome and see the humour within the film.
The colour green at the start of the trailer could appear a 'happy' colour to the child audience, this links to bright green generally meaning happiness rather than jealousy from a child's point of view. The actress playing the nanny is made up to look ugly and in some ways hideous as she's got witch features in the way that she has powers that normal people don't have; this can appeal to children as she looks unusual but to adults as they know the role of an ugly witch from previous films and tv programmes.

Representation - Age

This, is Carl Fredricksen; he is one of the main characters from Disney Pixar's 'Up'.

Stereotypically old people (60 - 65+) are racist, anti-youth, narrow minded, deaf, hunchbacked, set in their ways - prefer things 'back in my day', stubborn, ill, wrinkly and keep themselves to themselves. They are often very racist and like to do things traditionally, they sleep a lot and are known for their hobbies, like knitting or tapestry, they tend to appear lonely and grumpy and we always see them as wearing flat caps and sweater vests. Usually they live in villages in small communities and there is a stereotypical idea of old women having lots of cats.

Although Mr Fredricksen comes across as being the traditional old man with his wrinkly appearance and smart clothing and glasses, he isn't old in his mind, he's still living the life of his middle-aged self. At the start of the film we see a montage of Mr  Fredricksen's married life, spent with his wife, Ellie, they plan to go travelling to a Lost Land in South America together, but they don't make it there before she passes away. He is told his house must be knocked down because of buildings being built around it, he ties hundreds of balloons to his roof and takes off in his house to the Lost Land. This shows that Carl still has passion in him even though he's old and people believe old people shouldn't have the same types of dreams as young people.



I chose Mr Fredricksen as I believe he shows a non-stereotypical personality of an old man, at first he comes across anti-youth as shown at the start of the film, he seems grumpy and jealous of the fact they can still run a mile. However, once you get to know the character throughout the rest of the movie, the audience see that he has a big heart and is just too stubborn to show it - also linking to the fact old people are stubborn and like to do things their way.
As he is paired with Russell throughout the film, an 8 year old boy scout from his neighbourhood, Carl has to learn to cooperate with children's needs - this could cause him to feel emotion again (after Ellie's death) and release his 'inner child' during the rest of the film. Russell is a typical 8 year old, living in the modern world and experiencing the present day events and activities of children's lives. He relies on his parents a lot, in this case he relies on Mr Fredricksen a lot throughout the film, he can use technology and there is a particular scene in the film where he uses a satellite navigation pad. He also is experiencing the subculture groups at school and in general life, just like other young people, involving geeks, goths, townies, grebs, emos and chavs etc. - this is typical of young people in the modern day.

Let the Right One In (essay)

Let the Right One In

Theories -

Claude Levi-Strauss (1908 - 2009)
Binary Opposites, e.g.
Good / Evil
Black / White
Tall / Short
Old / Young
etc.


Vladmir Propp (1895 - 1970)
Character Roles, e.g. 
James Bond - Goldfinger

James Bond	Hero – character who seeks something
Goldfinger	Villain
Q	Donor – provides an object with some magic property
Felix Leiter	Helper – aids the hero
Pussy Galore	Princess – reward for the hero, often the object of the villain
	Princess’ father – rewards the hero
M	Dispatcher – sends hero on his way
	False hero – seems to be heroic, turns out evil, AKA red herring*

*Red herring: character or object introduced as seemingly important, but is then left behind/forgotten/never mentioned again, they in fact had/have no importance.

Not every character type is visible in every text.

Tzvetan Todorov (1939 - )

All stories begin with an equilibrium, this is disrupted, then restored.
A classic beginning, middle, end - narrative structure.

3 part narrative structure
1) Equilibrium

2) Disruption of equilibrium

3) Restoration of equilibrium or new equilibrium

Animoto - Audience Theory - Reception Theory

This is England '86

This is England '86 is a Channel 4 drama series, it was aired during 2010.
Directors: Shane Meadows and Tom Harper
Executive Producers: Mark Herbert and Shane Meadows
Producer: Derrin Schlesinger
Production Company: Warp Films
Funding: Screen Yorkshire Filming, EM Media

The aim of the remake series of the film This is England, was to show a new generation how life was in the 1980's, they show the mod revival rather than the skinhead culture shown in the original film. It also gives an insight to the recession that has continued to take place in the present day, which shows it has always been around. The series appeals more to older teenagers as they watched the film when it first came out in 2006 as well, so the production company will have taken this into account and made the series more teen-friendly. Shane Meadows also used the same original cast from the film, this creates a link for the audience as they know the characters already; the only difference in cast is that Lol's mum and dad are new characters. The TV series was also filmed in the same area, Sheffield, so that the links to the film are shown.
The budget for the series was higher than the film, by a lot, the film was £1.5 million whereas the series was £20 million, so this meant that they could use artificial lighting and more settings and locations, there were also a range of cameras used (not all hand-held like the film) and the editing was more advanced. One other change with the film is that Sean isn't the only main character, there are others who share the limelight in the series.

New Technology in Film Production

3D on Prezi

Disability - Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump – played by Tom Hanks

Created by – Winston Groom

Disability – little brain activity, bow legs
D.O.B – 06/06/1944
Hometown – Alabama
I.Q – 75
Occupation – soldier, businessman, shrimp boat captain, football player, professional ping pong player, lawn mower


Forrest Gump’s disability is portrayed well in the film as the audience see that he is simple-minded and doesn’t think through his actions. The film is set in 1981 but there are flashbacks to different events in his life, this means Forrest Gump is 37 years old throughout most of the story, this character is played by Tom Hanks; however the scenes involving him as a child are played by Joseph Urso.

The stereotypes of a mental disability are that the person is typically ‘not right in the head’; they’re often described as crazy or a ‘freak’. The audience can’t tell visually if a character or person has a mental disability, it’s usually shown through body language or speech.

The start of the film shows Forrest Gump sitting on the famous bench waiting for a bus, talking to a woman. He begins telling her his life story, this could show abnormality within the character; this is shown as the average person wouldn’t tell a stranger their life story on a normal day. He shows a personal level to the woman, the woman doesn’t react very much and just sits and listens, this could show that she knows he’s ‘not right in the head’.

The physical disability with his ‘bowed legs’ is shown twice vividly in the film, at first when he’s younger being chased by a group of boys, the famous quote ‘Run Forrest run!’ is shouted by Jenny, Forrest’s friend. This scene is repeated later in the film, during his adult life, the same group of boys are chasing him but in a truck as they’re all older; Jenny shouts ‘Run Forrest run!’ again. His physical disability is visually stronger when he’s a child as he wears leg braces to fix it, when the character grows up and becomes an adult his physical disability disappears.

The film, ‘Tropic Thunder’ shows a clip of two characters talking about going ‘Full Retard’, they say how no one can go full retard, however as Forrest Gump has both a mental and physical disability he is verging on ‘full retard’. One of the characters in the scene mentions Forrest Gump being ‘slow’ and having braces on his legs, but he’s a professional ping pong player therefore he can’t be ‘full retard’.




Jess Pardoe and Grace Keogh

Representation - Disability

As a class we listened to 'Spasticus Autisticus' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, this was playing as the lesson started. Ian Dury had polio and therefore this illness stopped the growth in one of his legs, making him physically disabled, this song is aimed at disabilities but as he wrote it, it's accepted by the public. 

We discussed our views on disabled people as a class and how we feel around them; there were mixed reactions depending on whether a student had experienced being around disabled people before or not. The ideas we came up with were that it depends on the disability, whether it's mental or physical, we all came to the conclusion that we feel comfortable around them but more uncomfortable around mental disabilities than physical. We all agreed that we feel awkward around disabled people but we don't want to patronise them so we don't stare, this is harder for younger people as they can't help it if they see someone 'different'. It's easier for people to take the mickey out of disabilities than to empathise with the person, we try to avoid them in public places as we feel intimidating to them. 

We then listed famous people with disabilities;

Stephen Hawking - wheelchair

Heather Mills - one leg

Gordon Brown - one eye 

Stevie Wonder - blind

Verne Troyer - Achondroplasia

Muhammad Ali - Parkisons' disease

Gary Coleman - Achondroplasia

Albert Einstein - Autism

Leonardo Da Vinci - Autism

Michael J. Fox - Parkinsons' disease

Ian Dury - Polio

Terry Pratchett - Alzheimer's

Ray Charles - blind

Mozart - deaf

We went on to looking at characters in films that have disabilities;

Rainman - Dustin Hoffman

Forrest Gump - Tom Hanks

My Left Foot - Daniel Day Lewis

I Am Sam - Sean Penn

Born on the 4th of July - Tom Cruise

Waterboy - Adam Sandler

The Ringer - Johnny Knoxville

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt

Unbreakable - Samuel L. Jackson

iRobot - Will Smith

Million Dollar Baby - Hilary Swank

Avatar - Sam Worthington

Four of these films feature the disabled person as being a hero in the end, proving to the audience that even with disabilities people can win over others and be successful. Seven of the films listed above were nominated and/or won Oscars for Best Film and Best Actor, this shows that the public like to see actors playing characters who are 'different' and unusual, the films usually sell well and are very successful with awards and responses are often positive. 

Flowchart of Production

Flowchart of Production

View more presentations from jessspardoe.

The Gaze (Katy Perry music video)

Marjorie Ferguson -
Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera.
Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown.Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

Trevor Millum - 

Seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.Carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.

Music Video -
Our chosen music video is Katy Perry – Teenage Dream, we chose this because it shows a good example of all forms of the gaze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE&ob=av2e (embedding was disabled by request on YouTube)

This video shows the voyeuristic gaze as the audience like looking at the video, because of the fetishistic aspect. Laura Mulvey says ‘women as image’ and ‘men as bearers of the look’ this is shown through the video as the artist Katy Perry strips, and the men all look at her longingly.  However Mulvey’s theory fails to account for the female audience as she focuses on the average heterosexual male. Another criticism of her theory is that since the 1980s the public have become more accepting of sexualisation within the media of male bodies; this is shown in the video as there are a variety of shots showing the main man topless. This is also shown when all actors strip in the sea and play fight.
Marjorie Fergusons theories also apply in Katy Perry’s video, for example the chocolate box is shown throughout, with many full and half smiles. During many clips of the video there are romantic and sexual gazes, this accentuates the fact that she’s definitely ‘available’.
This video also uses the care free gaze by Trevor Millum, this is shown at the very start when the two main characters are in the car, the girls hair is flowing in the wind this gives the impression she is an ‘outdoor girl’. The seductive gaze is also applied during a particular slow part of the song involving a sexual scene; the darkness of the room links to why their eyes are half open, the mood of the scene is also shown through their body language.

Representations

The Gaze:

The gaze was described in the 1970's as the way viewers look at images of people in any visual medium. The 'male gaze' is the feminists usual response to the voyeuristic way in which men look at women, as though they're there to look at and not to contribute. In 1998 Jonathan Schroeder said, "the gaze implies more than to look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze." He is literally saying that there are always meanings behind a gaze whether it's at another person or aimlessly into the distance, there is always a power within it.

Forms of the gaze - 
Spectator: the viewer
Intra-diegetic: longingly
Direct address: from within
Camera: usually in place of the other character
Bystander: glance of a passer by
Audience within a text: advert (audience gaze)
The camera gaze means that there is use of the fourth wall (the audience), the actor literally looking or talking to the camera engages a personal audience response.

Direction of gaze - 
Towards... others
                   oneself
                   object(s)
                   reader/camera
                   middle distance (not direct/beyond the audience)


Laura Mulvey talks about the 'male gaze' and the "visual pleasure and narrative cinema"  this means the active male or the passive female. 'Woman as image' and 'man as "bearer of the look."' She also brings the idea of voyeuristic, which means to enjoy looking at the gaze and fetishistic which is the idea that 'sex sells' and if the picture is sexy or appealing then it will receive more responses.
Criticisms of Mulvey are that she has failed to account for the female spectator within her research, she typically looks at the spectator being only a hetrosexual male which in itself ignores all ideas of diversity. Lastly, since the 1980's there have been an increasing display and sexualisation of the male body in mainstream cinema, television and adverts. This is because the modern generation have learnt to accept the theory that 'sex sells' and they know this is the main source of advertisement.

As a class we looked at underwear adverts by Calvin Klein, firstly a menswear one, of Freddie Ljungberg, who is a well known Arsenal player from Sweden. 
We were asked to comment on everything within the photographic advert. I said that his hair looked masculine as it's a short, practical cut; his abs and general body shape also looked masculine and toned causing the audience to jump to the conclusion that his sexuality is straight. The 'look' in his eyes and faces shows determined, intense thoughts and his eyes look very inviting as though he's looking directly at the viewer; Ljungberg's jawline is also very chiselled which makes him look like a 'pretty boy' but all of his other features seem masculine. His lips look slightly pouted and posed for the photograph, this suggests a seductive image; the stubble on his face also looks manly and rugged. The background of the photo is a firey red colour, therefore this comes across as dangerous, sexual, romantic and hot, we also discussed that it reflects his football team colour, Arsenal. The bar his right hand is holding onto above him looks like a pull-up bar which highlights that he could have been working out, his arm is also tensed making him look manly and toned. The tattoo on the right side of his body is of a wild black cat, this could come across to the audience as daring and that he can take pain 'like a man', it is also in a sexual place on his body which is appealing to some women. The underwear he's modelling for the advert is plain black with the Calvin Klein logo on the waistband of them, they are a tight fit which is also appealing to women. From what you can see of the pubic area where his fist pulls his underwear down a little, we can see his tan line and that he's shaven, which suggests cleanliness. The hand in a fist position holding his underwear has a lot of inflamed veins which could also mean he was working out beforehand. He is wearing a necklace which could be a religious thing, or a personal and sensitive necklace with a meaning behind it. His necklace rests on his chest, which looks sweaty and shiny, this could suggest a post coital image, again using the idea that 'sex sells'. The general look in his eyes engages the reader and attracts attention to him, the focal point of the advert is him as a whole, there is nothing that particularly stands out. 


We then went on to look at a girl version of the advert, featuring Eva Mendes, a famous actress known for being in 'Hitch'.
 
The 'look' in her face and eyes, I believe, shows that she knows she looks good, it also suggests that she's distracted and disinterested in anyone else's thoughts. Her fair is long which shows femininity, it's wet and messy which could mean she'd been in the shower or swimming pool beforehand. He legs are long, tanned, toned and slim which attracts a man's eyes from a voyeuristic point of view and attracts women's attention from a jealous point of view. Her stance is confident in both images, in the first one, one of her legs is turned outwards revealing more of her body and showing off the underwear, the second he has her hands on her hips and has a wide stance with her feet - standing her ground. Her arms look too thin from some angles but again show confidence within her stance, her body could be described as 'the perfect body' by some people but by others she looks 'too skinny'. The lingerie she's modelling isn't particularly attractive or sexy so Calvin Klein have tried to make it more appealing by the way they've captured the photographs. She's wearing high-heeled shoes with lingerie which makes no sense in the real world, but this also adds to confidence and causes her legs to look longer and slimmer, the shoes aren't the main focus so they are plain. The confidence that Mendes has in these images suggests that she's trying to make other women feel confident in their underwear, her legs are dominant in the picture so the viewer would look at her long legs and the way she's standing and immediately think that she's a confident and dominant woman. In contrast to this, her stance could simply mean that she knows she looks amazing and her body is slim and perfect.

The three images as a whole show good examples of fetishistic aspects and how 'sex sells' is definitely true as more and more adverts are becoming sex oriented. 

Media Essay - Film Production

Media Essay - Film Production

Warp Films: Fact Sheet

Every time I upload this it's wonky, I wanted to upload it to show that I've done it for now anyway... I'll sort it out

Warp Films Fact Sheet

Shameless Representation -

As a class we discussed regional identity and sexuality, we started with sexuality as we decided it would be easier to define.

Stereotypical sexuality:

Gay man - camp, limp wristed, mincing walk, muscular, gay couple (one butch, one camp), loud, flamboyant, loves themselves

Straight man - insensitive, loves boobs, reads lad magazines, drinks beer, unhealthy, metrosexual (takes care of ones appearance, but is straight) - metrosexuality is becoming more and more popular among youths.

Stereotypical regional identity:

North - poorer, pubs and clubs, smaller houses (except for Cheshire etc), working class, accent - shortened words, tracksuits, uneducated, heavy drinkers, 1980's style, funny, naturally witty

South - richer, country clubs, golf clubs, big country estates/houses, upper class, proper English, suits, flat caps, sweater vests, gay, yachts, coastal lifestyles, extra money, cultured (museums, galleries)

After listing the characteristics of sexuality and regional identities we watched Shameless series 1, episode 1 as a class, this was an excellent example of a northern society living in a typical council estate area in Manchester in the present day, this episode was first aired in 2004. Sexuality runs throughout the episode showing the difference between straight and gay from the very first scene. 

In the opening of the episode, the audience are introduced to the Gallaghers, first of all with Frank, the father of the family, however his appearance and attitude towards life aren't typically fatherly. His voice then narrates about the children, firstly Fiona, the eldest, she is described as a 'massive help', secondly Lip, he is described as 'gobby' which explains why no one calls him Phillip, and he goes by the nickname, 'Lip'. Then there's Ian, who we're told is 'a lot like his Mam', followed by Carl who comes across as a crazy child, likes to do what he wants all of the time, then Debbie, who Frank describes as being 'sent from God' which insinuates that she's a goody two shoes and likes to help everybody all of the time, and finally, Liam the youngest, who looks adorably cute, but seems as though he could be a lot of trouble for a small child. The clip then goes on to show the community around a fire, which turns out to be a car that one of them has set alight, the police then stop their fun and they all run away, very suspiciously and guiltily. 

There are two brothers in the family, Lip and Ian, they are very different, Lip is straight - the normal stereotypical boy, keeps photos of naked women by his bed; Ian is gay, and Lip finds his stash of gay porn in their shared bedroom. Obviously at first Ian is embarrassed and doesn't know what to do with himself when Lip confronts him about it, for a poor family on a council estate to have a gay son wasn't the most common occurrence. 

There were many hints that Ian was gay before Lip found his folder of gay porn photos, he had a Kylie Minogue poster about his bed, he's not ashamed of crying (which most straight guys are) however he's not visually stereotypical at all, but then he wouldn't be able to afford designer clothes (typical of gay men) as they live in a council house in Manchester. Lip however gives off the stereotype of being straight immediately, he has sexual encounters more often than Ian does, he makes humour out of them and tells all his friends - he also boasts about it and exaggerates to make it sound more incredible than it was.

The other couple featured in the clip of the episode that we watched are Steve and Fiona, Fiona meets Steve at a club one night, they both expect it to be a 'one night stand' it seems, Steve goes out of his way to bump into her outside and then offers to get Fiona and her friend a drink. Instead, he goes back to Fiona's house with her and they end up having a literal, 'one night stand'.
The viewer immediately knows that these two characters are both straight, firstly as they're both attracted to each other, and you can see this through body language and speech. Steve has a low level of speech when he speaks to Fiona when they're alone, there is romantic music playing while he speaks to her; Fiona makes 'random noises' during their sexual encounter, the script writer has used intertexuality from Monty Python, as this originally happened in this previous film.

The regional identity is mainly shown within their accents, they all have northern Manchester accents to show where their from, and they live on the 'Chatsworth Estate' which at the start we see in detail. It doesn't look like the type of place that a rich person would live in, or even visit for a start; their clothing also looks like hand-me-downs or maybe jumpers Frank's had for ten or more years. Plus Frank's a single father as the mother ran off years ago, this then causes Fiona to become like a mother figure, particularly to Carl, Debbie and Liam as they're not old enough to care for themselves fully. This could be another stereotypical factor of the north, that there are more single parent families than in the south, also in the north there are more children than the south. 

The mise en scène within the episode shows simply the area where they're from, giving the advantages and disadvantages purely visually. The lighting is bright making it look like a happy atmosphere during the opening, however the sun isn't out which reflects on the weather stereotypically being more sunny and warmer in the south than the north. The houses and blocks of flats seem small and cheap as the area is catering for the poorer majority of Manchester, this shows typical council houses all over the country. The camera angles at the very beginning when Frank falls to the floor show the audience what his children can see when they're looking down on him as they all gather above him, this then switches quickly to what Frank would be seeing if he looked up at them. This is vital as it shows continuity and makes the cinematography look clean and sleek. 

TV Drama-Generic Conventions

You will find that TV dramas all have the following ingredients:

Characters – even particular kinds of characters: eg, at its most simple, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters.

Stories – they all tell stories, whether those stories involve adventure, crime or romance and they often, but not always, end happily.

The stories are told against familiar backdrops: – eg, homes, police stations and offices (for crime dramas), hospitals (for medical dramas) – most of which are created in studios. However, most dramas also use outside locations to create particular effects.

Camerawork – particular kinds of shots are used: eg, sequences involving establishing shots followed by mid-shots of characters, shot/reverse shots to show character interaction and, in particular,close-ups to show the characters’ emotions.

Stories use dialogue to tell the stories. Occasionally, monologues are built in (as voiceovers, a character telling a story).

Music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense, tension) and underline emotional moments.

Particular subgenres tend to have items which make them immediately identifiable – police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, they symbolise the (sub)genre.