Preliminary Task - Take Two

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LrCl5XdUik

This is the link to our second preliminary task, it is posted on 'Youtube'.

We choose to do a second preliminary task as we were not very satisfied with how the first one went earlier on at the start of the year. We did not complete all the criteria that was needed on the sheet given to us, I managed to break the 180 degree rule numerous times and while editing I managed to make the shots jumpy by cutting shots too short. However we turned it around this time and we were even able to sort out the sound which was a problem last time. We choose to do a second task later on in the year as we had, had more experience with the cameras and the programme used to edit our film on the Apple Macs. In this preliminary task I feel it ran a lot more smoothly and we were able to cover all of the criteria given to us.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

While editing my film and peicing it together I discovered I had made numerous mistakes. One being I broke the 180 degree rule which happened during the filming right at the start. The camera seemed to have moved and instead of filming on my left side it switched to my right. Unfortunately, no matter what I did I couldn't seem to fix it while editing so I had no choice but to delete the begining chunk. I also broke this rule a little later on while filming the conversation. Secondly, I found that a lot of my shots were jumpy and seemed to cut away a bit too sudden. You may also have noticed that at the end of the film the scene changed from the stairs to a part in the hallway. This is because when I played it back I couldn't hear any sound and couldn't find a way on the camera to change it either. So I decided I would simply do an example of a series of over the shoulder shots to show a conversation instead. As well as this, I committed one of the worst crimes in media - filming in front of a window. This is displayed when doing the low angle scene at the bottom of the stairs, however to over come this I changed the brightness setting on the camera. I did try and complete the criteria set but missed out three shot, these were; the high angle shot; the dutch angle and also the exstreme close up shot. If I was to do this task again I think I would take more time in planning my shots and the places I would film to make sure I wouldn't mess up like this time and film in front of a window. Also with careful planning I could make sure I fitted in all the shots I need. I feel a little disappointed with this task as I feel I could have done a lot better but at least now I know what to expect for future tasks and I feel a little more comfortable with using a camera.

Editing Techniques

Transitions

A film transition is a technique by which scenes or shots are juxtaposed. Most commonly this is through a normal cut to the next scene. Most films will also include selective use of other transitions, usually to convey a tone or mood, suggest the passage of time, or separate parts of the story. These other transitions may include dissolves, L cuts, fades (usually to black), match cuts, and wipes.

Shot Reverse Shot

used mainly in a conversation between two people.

Straight Cut

is where two shots - often with a different setting - are quickly and directly cut together. it is used to highlight different aspects in the plot of the film.

Following the action

use a series of close up shots to show sort of a mini narrative within a narrative.

Parallel editing

allows two or more simultaneous sets of action unfold within a single film sequence.

Rubicam and Young

Dr. Maslow studied both humans and monkeys and found numerous ways in which they acted similarly. Monkeys, he found, always made sure they weren’t thirsty before looking for shelter, and always ensured they had shelter before they looked for love and companionship. In this way human’s are pretty much identical. No human worried about love before they felt secure and no human sought control before they felt respected by their peers. It was from this that Dr. Maslow came up with his famous Hierarchy of Needs.

Rubicam and Young took his theory and designed a research tool to find out where people stood within it. Their system accepted that people from different countries were influenced by their different cultural backgrounds and removed the effect it had on them. They created the Cross Cultural Consumer Characterisation - (4Cs) which divisive people into seven groups - depending on their core motivation. These are:

1. The explorer - their core need in life is for discovery.

2. The aspirer - their core need in life is for status.

3. The succeeder - their core need in life is for control.

4. The reformer - their core need in life is for enlightenment.

5. The mainstream - their core need in life is for security.

6. The struggler - their core need in life is for escape.

7. The resigned - their core need in life is for survival.

McQuail and Katz

McQuail and Katz came up with the theory of Uses and Gratification this explains how everybody uses media for different purposes and at different intervals of the day. For example you may watch an information programme on TV like the news in the morning and switch to an entertainment programme later on it the day. This shows that the individual has power over choosing media texts suiting to their needs and attempting to satisfy them.

The psychological basis for this is the hierarchy identified by Maslow.

Main areas identified:

1. A need for information, geographic and the social world for an individual would by satisfied by watching a programme like the news or a TV drama.

2. A need for identity, the individual would watch a film or a celebrity programme to satisfy this because of the use of characters and personalities featured, we are able to define our sense of self and social behaviour.

3. A need for social interactions and relationships, the individual would watch a soap opera and perhaps a sitcom.

4. A need for diversion by using media for play and entertainment can be satified by watching a game show and quiz programme.

Media and Audience Theories

The Active Audience theory

This theory shows there is a decoding process going on amongst the audience, not used for gratification purposes. Morley’s view of dominant, negotiated and oppositional readings of texts recognises the analysis of signs - the visual and ones which shape the modern media.

The model at its simplest:

The audience either accept or agree with the encoded meanings. We all interpret signs in different ways.

The mode of address

This theory speaks to us in a style that encourages us to identify with the text.

For instance: Friends, this programme is intended for a young audience due to a variety of factors, one of these is the music. It is fast and upbeat giving a sense of fun and excitement.

The Ethnographic model

This theory is about the researcher entering into a culture of a different group where a use of questions and interviews allows the researcher understand the media engagement of the group. It reveals the focus of domestic context, the technologies and the culture competence.

In many areas media is structured around a domestic environment in our day to day lives. We tend to find that programmes such as soaps are targeted at women whereas factual programmes are aimed towards men.

The Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School was a group of people who developed concerns about power in modern mass media (propaganda). They were thought to be left - winged Jews and neo-marxist, under threat in pre-war Nazi Germany. The group moved to America later on and began to refine their model on media and came up with the Hypodermic Needle / Effects Theory.

This theory explains that ideas are forced in your head by the media, almost as if you are injected by what they want you to think. Nazi propaganda is a vey good example of this. Their media pretty much poisoned the minds of innocent German civilians into thinking that all Jews were evil. Nazi propaganda influenced the public to think this.

Other examples of how we can be influenced by the media are music, films, T.V and games. For instance the television show Jackass, where the people carry out stunts. Admittedly it is funny to watch but the stunts can be very dangerous.

However the Jamie Bulger Case was said to be blamed on a horror film which two boys watched before killing poor Jamie. Could this be due to the film being mis-interpreted or because of a forgotten memory which arose from a subjective image, placing the wrong idea into their heads.

Also in China we understand that they sensor some of its media coverage so as to maintain their image to the public in their country. We discovered this by typing in ‘China’ into Google images where it came up with photos of tanks and war - showing them in a negative light. Whereas if you typed ‘China’ into Google images in China you would find photos of people all looking happy - showing them in a positive light.

But is it right to sensor parts of media?

The problem with this is that not everything influences us and we are all individuals, we don’t all react the same to things. For example, I’m scared of spiders but my boyfriend isn’t.