Classwork

 This blog post contains a summary of what we learned in class.

Camera  Angles 

camera angles refer to the position of the camera in relation to the subject being filmed. the placement of the camera can affect how the subject is perceived by the audience. different camera angles and camera movements have different connotations that can affect how the audience feels.

there are 12 types of camera angles that we've learned:

1. long shot - a long shot frames the subject from a distance and focuses on its surroundings. audiences can experience the vastness of the location, and the subject appears to be isolated and alone.

2. extreme long shot - an extreme long shot shows the full length of the subject while also including a large amount of the surrounding area of the film setting, it is a view from an even greater distance from a long shot in which the subject appear as small dots in the landscape.

3. medium shot - a medium show shows the character from the waist to the top of the head, it emphasize both the character and their surroundings by giving them an equal presence on screen. 

4. cowboy shot - a cowboy shot frames the subject form the mid-thigh to the top of their head, it is usually used to reveal a weapon that the character is holding.

5. close up - a close up often used to show a character from the top of the shoulders to the top of their head. this is to draw the audiences attention to the character and show the importance of their presence.

6. extreme close up - an extreme close up is a shot framed of a characters face, this can allow the audience to understand the characters feelings.

7. POV - a POV shows what the character is looking at in a first person perspective, this gives the audience a view from the characters perspective by positioning the camera right where the characters eyes would be.

8. over the shoulder - this is when the camera angle is placed above the back of the shoulder and head of a subject. this is commonly used to show a conversation happening between two subjects.

9. high angle - it is when the camera points down on the subject from above. this shot is used to make the subject or object below seem vulnerable, powerless or weak.

10. low angle - it is when the shot is taken from below and pointing up. this can be used to make a subject appear to be larger, taller or more powerful.

11. dutch angle - it is when the camera is tilted, this gives the audience a feeling of disorientation or uneasiness.

12. establishing shot - an establishing shot is a wide or extreme wide shot of buildings or landscapes, this is to introduce new scenes and tell the audience where and when the action is happening.

during the class, we had to create a mini poster showing how different camera angles look like and what connotations or meanings they have. here are the mini posters the class made:

this video my teacher shared was also helpful for me to have a better understanding about different types of camera angles. this video also showed examples from movies that used different camera angles and how they have different connotations.

Camera Movement

during the class, we learned about different camera movements and how each camera movement have different connotations and have different effects to the audiences feelings.

This is a list of camera movements we learned in class:

Sound

- Diegetic Sound : it is a sound that can be heard by the characters within the media text. It adds a sense of realism and reveals information to the characters (and then audience)

- Non-diegetic Sound : it is a sound that can only be heard by the audience. It enhances meaning and creates an emotional response in the audience.

- Trans Diegetic Sound: it is a sound that transitions from on to the other. It creates a link between the audience and the world and it makes it more immersive.

Non Diegetic Tones:

- Melodic : It is positive and pleasing connotations, it enhances a positive scene while also creating positive emotions in the audience.

- Discordant : It is harsh and unpleasant connotations, it enhances negative scenes and creates suspense, tension and anxiety.

- Contrapuntal : It has an opposite tone to the on-scene visuals. It adds a deeper meaning to scenes and creates insights into the character's thoughts. Maybe they seek pleasure in doing bad things.

Mise-en-scene

a mise-en-scene refers to the arrangement and design of visual elements within a frame or a scene. 

these are the 12 factors of mise-en-scene we studied in class:

during the lesson we did a group work where we created the mise-en-scene of a scenario of foolish teenagers entering a haunted house, we drew and explain how the factors of mise-en-scene can create a sense of place to the audience. this is the classwork that my group made:

we also did a classwork where we mentioned the factors of miss-en-scene from different movie characters and sets.

our teacher also gave us a video which explains more about mise-en-scene and also gives us examples from films or media texts that uses mise-en-scene and gives different connotations to them

Edit

editing is the process of selecting, arranging and manipulating footage to create a cohesive and engaging story. (post production)

There are two types of takes / cuts that we learned:

Long take: 

- feels slow

- build suspense

- extends the feelings

- more immersive

Short take / quick cut: 

- increase pace

- high energy / excitement

- action

- focus on detail

There are two types of editing that we learned:

Continuity Editing:

- Straight cut (cut)

- Eyeline match

- Shot / reverse shot

- Cutaway / inset

- Match cut

Non Continuity Editing:

- Cross cut (parallel cut)

- Flash back

- Flash forward

- Jump out

- Match cut

Media consolidation - media consolidation is the concentration of ownership of our media sources (news, film, TV,

radio, video games etc)

into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations.

Advantages of media consolidation:

• Able to provide content for niche audiences

• Improved quality due to better funding

• It is cheaper for the audience

• Converging technologies (eg. we can now get our TV, phone and internet from the same company, making

• things

• simple)

• Diversification - less risk for the media company. (if something fails, it is not too much of an issue)

• Can reach a larger audience.

Disadvantages of media consolidation: 

• smaller/independent media outlets can’t compete with the production quality

• Illusion of choice

• Lack of competitiveness and alternate view points. Every TV channel is expressing the same viewpoint.

• The focus is making money, not good content

• Less local news

Curran & Seaton Theory

• The mass media is owned and operated by fewer and fewer companies. (media consolidation into

• conglomerates.

• (conglomerates - conglomerates are large parent companies with smaller independent entities that may

• operate

• across multiple industries.)

• Mass media is driven by political agendas and economic influences.

• The rise in new media is associated with the decline of quality content. 

• Web users have a larger voice and can challenge conglomerates.

Vertical integration - it is when one company owns more than one stage of the media chain. (production,

distribution, exhibition)

Benefits of owning all stages of production:

For the company (eg. Disney):

• Creative control over story, script, design, editing, rating, marketing

• Able to use more characters that appeal to a wider audience. 

• Increase revenue (don’t share profits)

• Access to user data (tailor content, suggestions)

For the audience:

• More content, intertextuality (intertextuality - the relationship between media products where one text

• references another text by reusing some of its ideas and meanings)

Past Paper Practice

‘In the world of media ownership, bigger is always better.’ To what extent is this true in the media area you have

studied? [25 marks]

How to answer:

• Topic sentence that answers the question

• Outline the company, what it owns

• Give an explanation of vertical integration

• Introduce the media and how it was produced, distributed and exhibited

• How does this benefit the company?

• How does this benefit the audience?

• Are there any disadvantages?

• How do the ideas of Curran and Seaton fit this case study? (what is the company’s ideology? What

• economic influences played a role? Has this integration resulted ina decline in quality?)

Horizontal integration - when one company owns more than one stage within the same level.

• It also allows companies to diversify their content, profit etc. it also allows for cross - promotion, and

• different media platforms bring access to different audiences.

• Audiences can benefit because it gives them more exposure to their favourite media properties/characters,

• and can increase engagement. (children who are exposed to character when they are young will more likely

• consume the same property when they are older)

Synergy - mutually beneficial cross promotional strategies used by companies. 

How synergy benefits both parties:

For examples James Bond 

Benefits for James Bond:

• High pays from companies

• More locations, tax free

• Luxury brands to bolster Bond’s image

• More awareness (each company will have its own Bond marketing campaign)

• A chance to reach new markets/audience

Benefits for companies:

• Get to be associated with Bond

• Good advertisement for locations

• They can include the character in their marketing campaigns

• Bond fans may purchase products they see on screen

Hypodermic Needle theory (not really a working theory anymore) 

It assumes the audience as a sponge, absorbing ideologies from the media passively, without any questions  

Two Step Flow theory

Expand the passive audience theory to suggest that people have their interpretations formed by opinion leaders

(opinion leader - an active media user who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lower-end

media users. / trusted members of the community -> celebrities, influences)

Uses & Gratification (Blumer & Katz)

The audience is actively using the media to satisfy some of our bas social needs;

• Diversion - a form of escapism from the stresses and strains of life. Maybe all media falls into this group

• Personal identity - the media supplies us with role models and ways of understanding our place in society

• Social relationships - people make connections with performers they see on the screen, they also form

• relationships with people in society when discussing the media product

• Surveillance - audiences use the media to gather information

Reflection: this classwork post helped me better remember and understand the key terms and theories better, by making this post i was able to review important media concepts by rewriting them. i can always go back to this classwork post if i need to do revisions for any mock test as most of the learning materials are compiled into one post.

Screen Test

This post contains the screen test for our project

Our class conducted a screen test where, me and my classmates practiced acting out different lines. by doing this screen test, we can see who is comfortable and and confident acting in front of the camera.

then our group made our own screen test where we tried to find people who could suit the roles we need for our thriller film opening. 

Reflection: it was a new experience for me to create a screen test. it was entertaining to see my classmates trying to do the screen test, until it was my turn, thankfully i did my take with one of my group member which made it less embarrassing. the screen test made me reflect that actors really need to be comfortable and have confidence when doing their job

Script / Screenplay

 This blog post contains the script and screenplay of our group's project

Reflection: as a group we worked together to make the script and screenplay, but mostly Tisha worded everthing out in the document. first we tried to choose a suitable name with a relatable meaning to the film, and then we started to come up with phrases that the characters will say. i find making the script enjoyable as we all thought of ways on how each character would say each line. 

Storyboard

This blog post contains the storyboard for our component 1. the storyboard was drawn by our member Cassie also with the help of me, Tisha and Eileen by giving ideas

Our teacher gave us a helpful video that explains more about storyboard and how to make a good and proper storyboard. here is the video:

this was our very first idea of what our thriller film opening was going to be about:

then we started to do a clearer version of our initial idea :

this is our final storyboard for our film opening project:

Reflection: the video my teacher showed me was very informative and i now know better on how to make storyboards. by making a storyboard, it helps us visualize how our film opening will look like, it will also be helpful when we start filming, we can know what scenes to film and how to film them. however i also think that creating the storyboard takes a very long time, and there was a time where there were stains on the paper and my group member Cassie had to remake them.  

Statement of Intent

 This is the statement of intent for our thriller film opening project. 

Statement of Intent 

Genre
Thriller – Mystery, Horror
Target Audience
Demographic	Teenagers (15-21)
Psychographic	People who enjoy watching thriller; with low lighting (dark contrast colours), High School Student; rebel students
How we will appeal to this target audience
Include modern situations and elements such as social media, technology, trends. This gives a personal and relatable sense that teenage audiences can relate. Other than that we show
Main inspirations
Get Out and Midsommar
General Synopsis
Main character fight with mom Mom mad and sad Partyyyyy  Kidnap kaki gets dragged out mom ❤️call “where r uuuu”
Characters
Teenage girl Mom Kidnapper Random background walkers
Representations
People:  Main Character (Lilith Angelica) – Will be using short dresses that most teenagers would usually use, they wear soft makeup Mother – Hair in a bun (?), Typical home clothes, reading glasses, strict expressions  Places: Tisha’s House – decorate the house with decorations that would suit a party,  Props:  Plastic cups (?) Soda’s (Sprite, Coca Cola)  Parking lot – find areas that has dim / low lighting to give an effect to the audience feeling gloomy and scary  Props:  Car Phone Room – Where the main character will be getting ready  Props:  Make up Hair straightener / curler Notebook Polaroid Camera Bag  Heels Photobooth pictures on mirror/wall
Dominant Reading
“Step on a crack, you break your moms back” – Listen to your mom, before it's too late. Your actions affect other people.
Proposed Roles
Script	Cassie
Storyboard	Cassie
Location Scout	Eileen
Risk Assessment	Eileen
Screen Test	Tisha
Filming schedule	Eileen
Audience research	Kimora
Behind-the-scenes	Kimora
Editing	Tisha

Reflection: The statement of intent helped us outline the main idea and plan of our project. we get to think further into our project for example by thinking of representations and target audiences, we get to have a clear view of what our project will look like. we then assigned each members into different roles, by doing this we think that we can make things more efficient.