The Hustle - Gender Traits

Metrosexual

Main advice on how to approach the exam

Camera - Analysing Meaning (Doctor Who shots)

Proxemic codes - distance between/arrangement of characters in the shot - relationship?
All of the characters in the scene are The Doctor, Rory, and the two Amys, and each character has a different relationship between each other person. Rory and Amy are married, therefore very close and hold a close friendship as well as loving each other. Amy is classed as the Doctor's companion, again a close friend, and also a 'sidekick'. Rory is essentially just there because of Amy, however him and The Doctor have also obtained a slight friendship to a certain extent, although there is an element there of rivalry between them, over Amy. This could quite possibly be because she is the only female, and The Doctor as well as Rory maybe attracted to her. The shots we have made definitely represent how much love the married couple have for each other, by arranging them as close together as possible, even though they are both either side of the Tardis door. Most of the shots only include one person, and they mainly swop in shot reverse shot between the 'future Amy' and Rory. 


Who is bigger/smaller, foreground/background?
Throughout each of our shots, we decided that Rory would be the 'bigger' character and the Amy on the other side of the door will be the 'smaller' character. This is because as he is the male in their relationship, he will be seen as the more powerful one and also throughout the clip Amy is definitely portrayed as subordinate, the way she is 'trapped' behind the door. Both of these characters are mainly in the foreground, and this indicates that they are both as important as each other. In our first shot, The Doctor and Rory are in the background, and we chose a long shot for this, as the 'real Amy' is laying on the floor in the foreground.


Are characters facing each other, side by side, in teams?
As we know, the 'real Amy', The Doctor, and Rory are inside of the Tardis. The 'future Amy' is on the outside, the other side of the door, and the characters inside won't let her in, as it will lead to a consequence for the Amy inside. It is clear to the audience that the people inside could be classed as one team, and the Amy outside is on her own. The majority of our shots we have created include her and Rory who is inside, they show them facing each other, as close to either side of the door as possible, which makes the scene very intimate, and proves how close the married couple are, especially as they are both emotional the time. 

   

Suckerpunch Trailer Analysis

These are the shots I chose to analyse which I think represent the whole trailer of Suckerpunch itself.

Traditional Masculinity - Rome

After watching the 'Rome' clip, it is extremely obvious how the commonly stereotypical man is portrayed. It is set in the Roman times, 2000 years ago, which will give me the opportunity to compare the expectations of masculinity of then and nowadays. They act strong, overpowering of women and even aggressive. They fit in with the alpha male role, especially in this clip. It immediately reveals a congregation of men, 'Roman warriors', and they all have the same expression on their faces, angry and slightly worried. The audience can tell that a fight is about to begin, and with the second group of men storming towards the other gives the impression there will be a war, which there is. They all start to fight, stabbing people, slashing them with swords. They are all big built and portray this idea of a violent man. Also they are all shouting and yelling, a typical thing men would do. There is then a type of meeting, an all the men around are behaving as males typically would, shouting, torturing men who are quite clearly in the wrong, whilst they then listen to the 'emperor' Caesar towering above another man, who looks like the victim in the situation, as he forces him into humiliation. All the rest of the army begin to chant and shout excitably, so the fact that this chaos is taking place most definitely associates with the masculine stereotype.

   
This shot above is not extremely clear, however it is visible that it's of the fight between the armys. You can clearly see the weapons being used, the swords and sheilds, and you can also easily spot the type of protection they are wearing on their heads, which are helmets. They were popular protection methods in those days. It's also very obvious how many people are actually involved, which is alot. The shot is also extremely dark with hardly any colour at all, proving that the setting was deliberately created this way to create the eery effect. It may also tie in with the pathetic fallacy element, how the weather represents the mood of the scene.

Sopranos Representation of Gender

This is some research I have obtained from watching a clip of the Sopranos. I decided to do this so I could have a close look at the different types of ways males and females act, especially towards each other, so this was a great example to use. Overall it doesn't necessarily conform to the stereotype of the genders, although there are elements of it. It has given me a greater insight into the sorts of ways male and female characters are portrayed on TV.  

Representation, Archetypes & Stereotypes

Representation - This is the act of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being represented. It can also mean a thing e.g. a picture or a model, that depicts a likeness or reproduction of someone or something, or even so, a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image.
Everything in the media are representations of reality. This means that they are intentionally changed and edited their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us. It is extremely important to remember this when studying the media - every media form, from a home video to a glossy magazine, is a representation of someone's concept of existence, modified into signs which can be read by an audience. Without the media, our perception of reality would be limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to change our views, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. 
Representations consist of:
Real life concepts - the link to reality
Someone perception of real life 
Someone view on a social group
Reality reconstructed to fit a scenario/narrative
Exaggerates/dramatises reality
Interpretation of reality
Ideology - opinions and beliefs
Contextual - time and place


Archetypes - An archetype is basically something that serves as a model or a basis, in other words a prototype, for making copies of originals, representing an original type after which other similar things are copied. It's a collectively inherited idea, pattern of thought or image, universally presented.


Stereotypes - A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing, someone/something which conforms to a certain idea. It's a commonly held public belief about specific social groups of types of individuals, and there are simplified conceptions of groups based on prior assumptions.

Summary of Marking Criteria

The exam requires you to cover 3 sections of the criteria, and you will be assessed on your ability to understand how representations are constructed in a media text through the analysis of different technical areas. The criteria consists of explanation, analysis and argument (20 marks), use of examples (20 marks), and use of terminology (10 marks).
To achieve a level 4, and gain top marks, you must show an excellent understanding of the tasks, as well as great knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects used in the extract. Also, discuss the extract's representation, clearly linked to the textual analysis, and lastly answer relevantly to the question. This is the way in which you will receive top marks for the first section of criteria. For the second part, you must offer a frequent textual analysis from the extract (marks will be awarded to reflect the range and appropriateness of examples), and also a full range of examples from each technical area. Plus, you must offer examples which are clearly relevant to the set question. For the final area of criteria, quite simply, use of terminology must be relevant and accurate.
Lastly, overall, complex issues must be expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the complex subject matter. Relevant sentences and paragraphs must be well constructed, of course using technical terminology. There must not be spelling errors, and the correct use of punctuation and grammar has to be displayed.

TV Drama Introduction

A TV Drama is a story that is presented in a dramatic way and explores a range of genres, from soap opera to science fiction to costume drama. It's piece of film that engages with the issues of the day in an accessible fashion, i.e. through believable characters, through fantastic locations or plots.
People like to watch dramas for many different reasons, and some of these can consist of how they much rather observe, than experience, which makes them perfect for this reason. A lot of people tend to prefer them to other TV shows such as comedies or action and adventure, and this is because drama is the base of any good story, a life without a story is no life at all. This is obviously an important factor, and it makes them interesting. Drama is essential in TV programmes, plays, films, music and even perhaps jokes. However just as there are great TV shows and not so good TV shows, there is the kind of drama that makes life worth living, and the kind which makes life unbearable.
The typical conventions of a TV drama are:
Engaging characters (good and bad)
Enticing narrative (story)
Carefully constructed sets and settings to create the desired atmosphere (mise-en-scene)
Camera work to suit the type of drama
Dialogue, sound and music to suit.