Media Studies

Close Up Shots (CU) Head and shoulders Emphasize importance of character or object Build a relationship with the character Facial expression Extreme Close Up (ECU) Part of the face (eyes, mouth) Convey emotion Key points in story Medium/ Mid Shot (MS) Waist up Background and body language Focus on character - what they are doing and how they are feeling Long Shot (LS) Full body Location or relationship of characters first shot at the start of a particular sequence High Angle Shot (HAS) Above the person or place Vulnerable Audience sides with the character in shot Low-Angle Shot (LAS) Below the character or place Powerful or Important Point of View (PoV) Camera becomes the character and shows us what they are seeing Eye Level (EL) Neutral Represents a real person standing up, watching the scene

The Invisible Art - Process known only to those within the industry, barely written about and also imperceptible to everyone else Producers - - Distribution - - Audience Buena Vista is Disney's distributors. It is a part of Disney's vertical integration unit and saves them lots of money. They take on a number of titles each year and create an individual release-plan for the films. Responsibilities of distributors:  Deciding on a release date  Deciding how many prints to produce and in which cinemas to screen them Advertising campaigns Designing art work for adverts, posters, flyers and billboards Organising premiers and talker screenings Booking talent (i.e. the stars or director) for press interviews and personal appearances Distribution Releasing and sustaining a film in the market place Worked best when the three key stages are linked or controlled by the same company UK system has more focus on marketing and sustaining a film in the local market ...

Types of marketing: Posters Merchandise Billboards Social media Interviews Trailers - teaser Promotional tours The movie business is seasonal and cynical: Summer Christmas Long holiday weekends (USA) Every major Hollywood studio has an internal department for promotion and the resources to promote. The marketing campaign will be cohesive across all media platforms - to maintain brand identity. Teaser trailer - very little info but 'cool' looking Theatrical trailer - done by specialist production houses Official website - builds as release date gets closer and is the start of the internet campaign Press Junket - press releases, merchandising, media interviews Few weeks before the release - Publicity Blitz (social media) Product tie-ins and corporate partnerships Publicity stunt How successful was Disney's marketing strategy for the Jungle Book (2016)? Disney's marketing was very successful as they used a wide selection of a...

How the glossies lost their shine - The Sunday Times Magazines are stopping production of physical editions and are mainly focused online and advertised through social media Some magazines still print their editions and survive through investing in journalism Using more medias to publish and make profit off of their work Collapse of well-known printed magazines as they are now only online (Marie Claire).   The Big Issue First published in 1991 Most widely circulated street newspaper Hybrid Genre (entertainment and social business) Entertainment aspect attracts advertising revenue Editorial content is often critical of big business, banking and champions the political cause and role of the individual within society Costs £2.50 / £1.25 goes to the trader Sold over 200 million copies Inspired a network of 120 similar street magazines "Ethical Capitalism" - John Bird Masthead Stamp-like Sans-serif Straightforward Sharp Taken seriously Bold ...

Production  Creation of the media product and is responsibility of the production company Pre-production - production - post-production Before this stage finance must be arranged British funding -bfi, lotteries,production companies. businesses  USA/Hollywood - conglomerates provide financial backing The Jungle Book (1967) Scripting Based on Rudyard Kipling's novel First version was 'too dark' Disney changed the production team Told Clemmons (the new scriptwriter) not to read the novel in order to create a clearer, lighthearted story line  Easier to follow for a younger audience Ending of the movie wasn't initially planned Animation process Characters based/drawn on the voice actors Used xerography  One animator would animate whole sequences as characters would interact Based movement of animals and old movies Walt Disney became more involved Characters had the personalities off the voice actors Sound/ music Songs were dev...

The Jungle Book(1967 vs 2016) The 1967 Jungle Book, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, is one of Walt Disney's hand-drawn animated classics. Based on Rudyard Kipling's dark and serious book(which is about the struggles between animals and man), this rendition strays from those dismal themes and portrays a more lighthearted, cheerful and straightforward approach. This lenient and easy-going depiction of the plot allows the movie to be appropriate and aimed at a more younger, family friendly audience. The movie uses a bright, soft colour scheme of greens, blues, yellows, blending together and furthering the idea that this movie is targeted at children. The music for this movie is said to have a "lightness, a Disney touch", advancing the fun, enjoyable plot. the simplicity and stereotypical Disney-like songs are easily memorable and catchy in order to allow those of a younger age to appreciate the movie more. The animation was done by xerography,  with character desig...

Economic contexts There is not always a clear-cut distinction between art house  and blockbusters. Major studios in Hollywood makes blockbusters:       Disney/ Buena Vista       Sony/Columbia       20 th century fox       Warner bros       Universal       Paramount --America have been very successful and practically own the film industry-- Making films is about minimizing risk: What does this mean?  They do not want to lose money. Specific techniques in order to save/earn more money How can they do this? Blockbuster: less complex ideas/plots in order to appeal to a wider audience, obtain a few stars, CGI, horizontal integration, large budget Art house: Use more creative, complex and different plots in order to stand out and deter from the low budget.  Is this good or bad for the audiences? Repetitive Two versions of the jungle book have b...

Film Industry - the area of commercial activity concerned with the production and distribution of films. --The technological and commercial institutions of film making-- Film production (how the product is made) Distribution (how the product gets to the retailer) Circulation (hoe the product is consumed by the audience) --Other things to consider-- the studio system (Hollywood) actors (star theory) finance (funding -> box office takings) How has media changed over time? In the late 19th century, the first motion picture camera was created by a man called  Étienne-Jules Marey, paving way for the film industry to flourish. By 1903, multiple silent (usually accompanied  with a live orchestra) movies such as George Méliès' 'Le Voyage dans le Lun' had been created and viewed worldwide. Soon after the golden age of Hollywood in 1915 , came  technicolor, animation and Disney, which quickly began to dominate the film industry. This allo...

Iconography - The visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these (important aspect of genre). Particular signs associated with a particular genre. Western Film is a genre that revolves around stories primarily set in the late 19th century in the American Old West . Most Westerns are set between the American Civil War (1865) and the early 1900s. An American Western Film usually revolves around a stoic hero and emphasises the importance of honour and sacrifice. There is a myriad of iconography within Western Movies such as, cowboy hats, guns, horses, cattle,  sheriffs, taverns, railroads and deserts. Some of the more subtle iconography ranges from a predominantly male cast, the hero being a cowboy (in most cases) and the ideas of serving justice and revenge.  Western movie posters are full of this iconography, with a rustic colour scheme of browns, blacks, whites, oranges and reds, reinforcing the aged look a...

How are the elements of mise-en-scene used to create  meaning on the variety front cover? Power is the focus and intention of this Variety magazine front cover. The costume depicted presents power by emasculating Cate with a suit. Her outfit is very uniform-like and bares large resemblance to a revolutionary uniform, with its shape, style and colour scheme of black, red and white. The red cuffs drag the reader’s attention onto Cate, thus creating a powerful focus on to her. Cate’s gesture, posture and proxemics on the cover show her powerful status as her slightly hunched over position paired with her head held high (all while sat on a stool) help demonstrate her intensity. This paired with her glancing away from the camera and upwards, suggests her looking towards what is to come (her presidential role within the Cannes Festival), and the responsibility and power she holds within that. There is a slight low angled camera shot of Cate that causes the reader to ...

Media Language - The way in which a text is constructed to create meaning for a reader or viewer of the text. All media texts are constructed with a clear intention and audience.   Key Areas Mise-en-Scene (setting, props, costume, make-up, lighting) Sound Editing Camera Angles and Shots Use of Colour Text Peaky Blinders Season 5 Trailer Analysis Mise-en-scene Big Ben - Provides the location of London to be known to the audience. With the show previously being based in Birmingham it creates mystery and curiosity behind the change of location. Bleak, dark and deserted - the setting projects an eerie and tense atmosphere unto the series, with grimy cobblestone streets and vast, dull countrysides. Era - the costume allows the audience to know when and where the series is set, and for previous watchers it reveals the memorable outfits of the main characters. Dull weather - the natural lighting is very dull and monotone, with the clouds and the ...

Prehistoric Age 30,000BC The earliest form of written communication, the prehistoric age was jam packed with hand written symbols and cave paintings that provided another form of communication rather than sounds and gestures. This provided foundation for the expansion of media throughout time. Industrial Age 1600 Mass production of print went viral during this age, with the recent creation of the printing press providing an easier and more efficient way of spreading media. Newspapers, leaflets, advertisement and photography allowed information and images to be shared throughout cities. Electronic Age 1800 Worldwide communication inflated, with telegraphs, radios and televisions helping people view and learn about the happenings of the world from the comforts of their homes, across the country. The invention of Morse code in 1835 and the telephone in 1876, provided portable, personal communication, with Morse code being used during wars....