Media Awards- Labrat - Why was it the best?

Mise-en-scene
In terms of the costumes in Labrat 'Chris' is dressed like most teenagers; simple and casual attire. This helps the audience to identify with the character and as the narrative develops we can establish that 'Chris' is our protagonist.. However, costumes do alternate between the casual wear and when he puts on the lab coat, gloves etc. The change in costumes could suggest that there are two sides to 'Chris' just like there are two sides to the story that 'Chris' is telling us as the narrative develops. In the clip we also see the person who attacks Chris giving him the bruise under his eye, which allows us to identify him as the antagonist or the villain.  

Next, in relation to the lighting. From the start of the clip into the middle of the clip all the lighting is natural,it is either using light from the sun when outside or light from the rooms when filming is taking place inside the buildings. Then, as we progress towards the end of the clip the filming takes place inside the chemistry lab I think that filler lights were used which help to soften any shadows created by any other lighting. I also think that low key lighting was used at times when a strong contrast between light and dark scenes are noticeable and dramatic shadows are created. This effect comes from the Italian word chiaroscuro.  The use of these lighting types builds up a sense of tension and suspense among the audience, they are likely to try and piece together the development of the clip themselves which also helps to keep them engaged.

The props used are identified at the scenes of the lab. Props used include; Bunsen Burners, Test tubes and a large beaker. The props used helps the audience to understand the importance of chemistry in 'Chris' life. This helps the audience to identify with the character and understand more about him.

The settings alternate between the lab, library and behind a building. Each time the setting is shown on screen it links to what is being said in the audio/dialogue. For example, when we are being told the characters name,age and name of school he attends we are being shown a scene of him in a library. When these shots are stitched together the narrative is following a linear narrative. This means that shots are in sequence with a beginning, middle and end.  

Cinematography
In terms of the camera framing a lot of interesting techniques have been used. To begin the clip, it goes straight into a extreme close up shot of the grass. The use of the of the extreme close up draws attention to the grass and the movement of it. It gets the audience wondering what significance the grass has in the story of 'Chris'. Then, a lot of close ups have been used, particularly of the chemicals in the lab. The use of these close ups highlights a significance of them in Chris's life. However, I think that there is an enigma codes as well. " Why does it have to be chemicals and making things that Chris turns to as a source of money?" and " What is Chris going to do with what he makes?" and " Are his activities legal?" I also identified the use of medium shots, for example a medium shot is used when Chris is speaking to the camera and when he is in the library, the two medium shots coming one after the other emphasizes the body language of Chris. This then helps the audience to further understand and identify with the protagonist. 

Camera Movements are also used excellently. I think that a Steadicam sequence was used for the first into middle section of the clip. This is when the shots are filmed with a camera attached to a shoulder frame that is strapped to the camera operator. The use of a Steadicam allows for extended shots which follow the action shown on screen. With extended shots the audience are almost sutured (Stitched into) into the narrative which keeps them guessing. I also think that a tilt camera movement was used when Chris is ambushed behind the building. The use of the tilt camera movement which is a long shot allows the audience to identify between the protagonist and the antagonist. Being able to identify the two characters means that the clip kind of appeals to the emotional side of the audience because they are likely to feel like they want to help our protagonist in what seems to be his hour of need. 

Sound
From the different types of sounds, I identified the use of diegetic sound at the very start of the birds which helps to set a basic scene for the audience and give them a basic understanding of the narrative. After that non diegetic sound is used which changes the view the audience are likely to already have developed about the atmosphere going from soft and mellow to a slightly more serious atmosphere. There is also a voice over, this helps the audience to really relate to what the character is saying as the story is directly told by him. Then, throughout I think that the clip uses parallel sounds. This means that the sound we hear is linking to what is being shown to us on the screen. I also think there was a sound bridge when we see close ups of the lab equipment as the music we hear continues throughout those scenes and creates a smooth transition from one scene to the next.

Editing
Finally, the editing types that I identified were a fade in/out, straight cuts and jump cuts. The fade out was used when on screen we are shown a close up of Chris and then the screen fades to black and reads ' Labrat' in white writing. However, the straight cuts are used all the time and are the type of editing that we don't realize as they are so frequent. Then, the jump cut that I am identifying is when the antagonist grabs Chris and pushes him to the wall and then the shot changes to Chris in a medical office. I thought this was a jump cut because the audiences attention is focused on what the antagonist is about to do to Chris at which point the shot suddenly changes to Chris in a medical office. Using all these types of shots combined makes the production look very professional and artistic while conveying a strong meaning to the audience

MCCAT
Overall, I think that the Cinematography and the editing of Labrat were what caught my eye and made me chose the production as one of my top 2 along with The Experiment. Together the cinematography and editing in particular make the production look professional and conveys the narrative well.

Media Awards - The Experiment. Why it was the best?

I think that the two best Y12 productions are The Experiment and Labrat. Below I will comment on both using the techniques I have have learnt in my first half term of AS Media Studies.

The Experiment

Mise En Scene
In regards to the Mise- en- scene throughout the clip the narrative is constantly emphasized to the audience which helps to keep them engaged and interested in the clip. However, below I will break it down into the different elements of Mise-en-scene.

In terms of costume throughout the clip, the protagonist is continuously shot wearing the same outfit apart from when the flashback is shown. This highlights the difference in the girl’s life before she started running from the environment she once used to call home. This makes the audience relate to her unfortunate situation as it reaches out the audiences emotional side.

The clip conveys the narrative well through the facial expressions of the actors/actresses.  The protagonist (girl continuously running) has a look of worry and distress on her face which engages the audience emotionally into the narrative. This is because they are likely to feel sympathetic and feel like they want to help the girl.

After watching the clip, I noticed that lighting for the majority of the clip was fairly gray and dimly lit. The bit of the clip that differs is the flashback. This creates a strong contrast between the two different lives of the girl. The narrative is again well demonstrated through the lighting because we can associate loneliness and isolation to the clip.

 When Mise-en-scene is abbreviated to CLAMPS, the ‘M’ stands for makeup/hair.  Therefore, for this clip; we do not actually see anyone who is wearing make up in the majority. This emphasizes that time is of the essence to the main character and she does not have time for that sort of stuff in her new life that she has to lead.

The settings that alternate between the destroyed house and the deserted woods emphasize the narrative to the audience about loneliness and destruction of the girl’s life, as she has nobody to turn to for help. The third setting is based in a park at the moment of the flashback, when the girl remembers what her life used to be like before creating a more jubilant atmosphere.

Cinematography

In terms of Cinematography a lot  of excellent techniques were used in both the camera movement and the camera framing.  The first shot we see is a over the shoulder shot of the person looking at the evidence which leads them to "Alissa Garcia". The fact that the audience remains in the dark about the identity of that person suggests that they are the antagonist. This is because villains in film extracts don't normally show themselves straight away at least not until the protagonist goes looking for them. The second type of camera shot I identified was a close up, of the map on the wall which had the word' Green ford' highlighted in yellow. The use of this close up  draws the audiences attention to the map which creates questions for the audience known as enigma codes. " Why does the unidentified character have a map labeling Greenford"? " Of what significance is Greenford to them?" 

Then, in terms of camera movement, the first type of movement I spotted was a tracking shot. This means that the camera ran along pre laid tracks for the purposes of capturing a specific piece of action. In relation to the clip, the tracking shot is used when the protagonist is running through the deserted woods. The use of the tracking shot makes the audience feel like they are running with her, which means they are sutured into the narrative. I also identified a small series of point of view shots. These allow the audience to further identify with the characters, as they are almost placed in the shoes of the actors they see on screen. There are also a few close up shots such as when the flashback is shown, these help to emphasise how big of a change has taken place in the girls life.

Sound

The different types of sound used vary a lot throughout The Experiment clip.

The use of a radio audio immediately helps us to associate the genre of this narrative.

I identified non-diegetic sound when the music is played in the background of the clip; this helps to unnerve the audience and creates a tense and unsettled atmosphere.  The creation of the unsettled atmosphere helps the audience with the identification of the different characters within the clip although we really only see the identity of the protagonist rather than the antagonist.  There was also a use of diegetic sound; this is when the flashback is shown. The use of the diegetic sound here helps the audience to understand the importance of the memories to a girl who has to spend her life on the run. This is also a area where the audience are engaged emotional because it helps to make them realize how importance memories are and how important life is in general, makes them value their memories and life more.

Editing

Finally, in terms of the editing the majority of the clip was made up of straight cuts and continuity editing. Straight cuts are so common the audience does not tend to notice them and continuity editing is when shots are placed logically so that one event follows on from the next.  An example, of continuity editing is when we see a series of buildings and then we see a kitchen. This makes us make a relation that the kitchen is likely to be inside one of these buildings.  At the time of the flashback, there is use of a fade out/in editing technique as well as a dissolve. These techniques appeal to the emotional and somewhat psychological side of the target audience.

MCCAT

Overall, the media language techniques used were clear and strongly emphasized throughout The Experiment which is why I chose it as one of the best two productions from the Media Awards 2015. I would say that the best-represented aspect of media language is the Mise-en –scene and editing. This is because they together appealed to all types of audiences in a variety of different ways. I also liked the creativity around the narrative and the production work because it made it bespoke against the other productions and I would say that is one of the reasons why it won the award for the best production overall in A Level.  

4 questions to ask BBC executive Fran Unsworth

Fran Unsworth is a British journalist and media executive who was previously acting director of news at the BBC. From November 2012 until August 2013. She is also a member of the BBC's executive board. 

Fran Unsworth was appointed Director of the BBC World Service Group on 8th December 2014. In this role she leads the BBC's global news services - BBC World Service, BBC World News and BBC.com/news - as well as BBC Monitoring, and chairs the BBC's international development charity, BBC Media Action. The BBC's global news services have a weekly audience of 265m.

MY FOUR QUESTIONS:

1)Why did you want to pursue a career in the media? 

2)What was it that interested you in the media industry?

3) What is the most interesting part of the current position that you hold?

4) What types of apprenticeships does the BBC do? (As I am an aspiring journalist)   

Editing Task

This clip is from the film Sky fall, it was released in 2012 directed by Sam Mendas. It is the clip of the opening train fighting scene. 

The first form of editing that I noticed in the scene was the use of a tracking shot; this is when the camera follows the action along a pre laid track. The use of the tracking shot during the fight on top of train makes the audience feel as if they are moving with the action through space; this sutures them into the narrative which is making them feel like they are on top of train with bond. Another editing strategy that I noticed was continuity editing, this is when shots move in a logical order. Continuity editing is used throughout the scene which gets the audience to automatically piece together the joining of the shots. This may then have the audience guessing how the narrative might pan out.

The third editing strategy that I saw was a jump cut. This is an unexpected edit where the audience is forced to focus on something very suddenly. I think that a jump cut was used when the shot on screen when from us looking at the men fighting to us looking at them fighting down the barrel of the lady’s gun. The use of the jump cut creates a sense of suspense and tension among the audience and enigma codes; Will the lady hit Bond (Protagonist) or will she hit the antagonist?

In this scene there is use of dramatic irony, this is when the audience knows something but the character doesn’t. Dramatic irony was used in this scene when the lady is aiming her gun ready to take the shot at which point we are looking at the fight down the barrel of her gun. At this point the audience is aware that she is at risk of hitting bond but he doesn’t know this and gets hit anyway when she is ordered to take the shot.

In this scene from Sky fall I have also noticed the use of a shot reverse shot. This is used directly after Bond has been hit between the woman who took the shot and the antagonist. This makes the audience feel sorry for the woman because as a result of it not being a clear shot she killed Bond and let the antagonist get away at which point he looks around to see who took the shot. From this we can tell that the woman is feeling guilty and the use of the shot reverse shot almost makes the audience want to feel her guilt with her but they can’t.

In the scene there is use of straight cuts throughout the majority of the clip. These are the most common form of editing which means that the audience would hardly ever realise them. Right towards the end of the scene there is use of a fade out where the screen faded to black. This use of this technique makes the audience guess how the narrative might pan out which therefore encourages them to watch the whole film. The style of editing throughout the whole clip was carefully chosen by the directors and editors for the film because it fantastically conveys the violent scene that it shown. I think that the editing technique of fading out was also used during the fight scene when our protagonist and antagonist come towards the tunnel at which point the action dips to black and makes the audience wonder who is winning.

In this scene I believe that I have covered all the editing techniques that I can see immediately. However, there were also some particular camera movements that caught my eye. The first is the use of a panning. This is where the camera moves slowly on its axis from side to side. In this scene panning was used when the camera moves between filming the fight and filming the woman driving along the road. 

From what I researched I found that there is a type of editing called action editing. This is when a clip has been edited in a certain way to make it seem more action packed. I think that was used in this Sky fall scene because the scene was edited to show the audience the fight from multiple perspectives which make the film as a whole more appealing to them.

The scene uses parallel sound which is diegetic and non diegetic is used. In this particular Sky fall scene it was used when the train is about to reach the tunnel. Parallel because that is the sound we would expect to hear .    

  

Cinematography

For this post about Cinematography, I have chosen to look at the opening scene from The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1.

In this opening sequence, there are a variety of camera shots, angles and different types of movement. The very first scene is a medium close up (MCU) of Katniss from the side. Katniss and her surroundings are shown in even balance.  This sutures the audience into the narrative creating enigma codes about why Katniss says what she does? Where is she? Why is she in a fragile emotional state?  At 0:17 there is a close up of Katniss, this emphasizes her facial expression and her emotions. This helps to draw the audience’s attention to Katniss as a character.  At 0:52 there is a low angle shot, this makes the audience feel dis-empowered. Then at 1:16, there is evidence of a long shot, where larger amounts of the setting are shown along with a full body shot of Katniss through the panel of glass in the door. At 1:29 there is a establishing long shot which helps the audience figure out where Katniss is. It seems to be some sort of hospital for the District Tributes. There is also an extreme big close up of Katniss’s hand while the rest of the image is blurred out. While still focusing on her hand there is a bit of a whip pan motion to looking at Katniss’s face as she lifts her head from the pillow. After this there is an over the shoulder shot at 2:00 where Katniss is talking too (Ben?) who is another tribute from another district. 

Parallel & Contrapuntal Sound Presentation Feedback

This is my parallel and contrapuntal sound presentation with the choice of music being the HAWAII 5 0 Theme Song, it was already uploaded in a previous post, but this includes my feedback and the presentation that I thought was the best in 12C.

Feedback:

WWW: Well thought out and fantastically presented .
EBI: Varied the contrapuntal sound images slightly more to include some other law based images
WWW: Good use of media terminology in my explanation to the class
EBI: My explanation of contrapuntal sound could have been slightly clearer and a little bit more in depth
WWW: A good explanation behind my thoughts of why I picked out particular pictures
EBI: I could have taken it upon myself to edit the music to the specific part I needed, and adjusted it so that the ending was fading out to signal what be about to happen in the forthcoming episode.

Learner Response

From the presentations of 12C, I picked the best one from the boys and the best one from the girls. For the boys I picked Sunny's presentation because the images shown in relation to the music were well thought out and well presented particularly with the moving images which helped me to understand his thought process more clearly as just like a movie it engaged people in his presentation making them want to listen to the forthcoming explanation.

For the girls I picked Ra'eesah's presentation. This is because she thought outside the box when she was told to chose a piece of music to analyse rather than a standard theme tune to something. However, I thought that she could have varied her contrapuntal sound images a little as they only consisted of traffic jams. Personally, that wouldn't have been the only contrapuntal sound images that I would have picked to do with her piece of music which was music for a fabulous wedding entrance. 

Sound Task

This clip is from the film Jurassic World, it is a scene of the two boys being chased by the indominus Rex.

This scene uses parallel sound (Expect to hear this type of music as part of the scene). The parallel sound is a sound of terror. This engages the audience  and builds up suspense and makes them wonder how the narrative shall develop. The clip also uses diegetic sound which is the dialogue between the two boys as they are about to jump. Examples of non diegetic sound would be the roar of the indominus Rex.

Just a few seconds prior to the boys jumping off the cliff there is also a slight example of contrapuntal sound.  I would say that it is the gushing of the waterfall as it slowly gets louder and louder. This is because it a such a terrifying situation you wouldn't normally hear a waterfall in the background. Waterfalls tend to be associated with a calmer and more relaxed atmosphere. Finally, there is also a very small sound bridge this is the scream of the boys as they jump of the cliff because begin to hear it while on the screen the audience is begin shown the indominus rex's mouth closing after just missing the boys when it tried to eat them.