I was asked to discuss how ethnicity is represented from a short clip from episode 'terror' taken from a programme 'Sillent Witness.' I was asked to show how they were represented through; Camera shots and movements, editing, mise en scene and sound.
Sound- Specific moments.
Laugh of one of the police officers (who are all white) implying that he has no worry about the mission that they are about to take place in, which is to do with some sort of terror which can again be related to race.
It can be said that the constant sound of rain after the police station scene, in which rain can be heard from outside when the vans pulling up etc. as well as when switching from the building that the 'commanders' in to the building that the Muslim lady is in, could be interpreted as mise en scene, particularly emphasising the fact that the program is based in London and setting a tone for the mood through pathetic fallacy.
Footsteps running towards the house that the lady is based, camera cross cuts to lady in room. camera then switches to the lady in the room whilst Islamic music is playing as she prays quietly. This shows that the white police force is going in for the attack and could be interpreted as an attack on an Islamic race as she is the only person in the clip that is of any other ethnic background apart from white.
A particular sound that stands out is when the lady is praying in the house, and as the camera switches from her to the 'commander' in the other house, the sound of the girl praying can still be heard through the use of this sound bridge.
Camera Shots
Close up of hand washing of lady from Islamic background- custom of Muslims before they pray to wash there hands.
Long shot of police men to emphasise the fact that they are all white, and that they are to contrast with eachother implying that they are all the same and that this is what police are like.
Mid shot of policemen in gas masks, could further emphasise that they are all the same in terms of race, yet could also be interpreted as a 'new' ethnicity or that they have changed into a 'war-like' mood in which feelings for anything have been lost due to no expressions shown.
Long shot of woman putting on headscarf and as she puts mat down, the camera then changes from a long shot to a mid shot of the woman as she starts to pray.
Zooming is used from a long shot to a mid shot of the man with sniper rifle to emphasise him as threatening and show that he is another man that is again white.
Edits
Jump cut as police are putting equipment together, clear that they are all white.
showed continuity, jump cuts from 'commander' to police force to lady, shows that they have order and that some are of higher status than others.
Cross cut parallels- cutting between the police force and the woman praying, contrasting them ahich helps to emphasise to only person of a different race.
Jump cuts for tense police force outside building the woman is in and the peaceful atmosphere that the woman praying is in.
Mise en scene
Gas masks- connotation of war- relation to gas masks and white police force in terms of being brutal and 'war-like.'
Police station- electric bright lighting, contrasting to the woman in 'warm' lighting. Shows comparison to woman's warmth and police forces business-like approach
Outside is dark and mysterious, this is where the police force are and could possibly be interpreted as the white police force being similar to their surroundings in that they are 'dark and mysterious.'
Shot of rain dripping on the floor- connotes London, and could be seen as pathetic fallacy of the mood that the police force are creating. Camera then tilts up to an establishing shot of the van entering, further emphasising how they could be interpreted in that way.
Isaac Woods
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Representation of time and place (period drama's)
The characters and period in both of the trailers from Downton Abbey and Desperate Romantics are represented in different ways through the use of movement and camera angles. In a short summary of each of the trailers, the characters in Deseperate Romantics are shown as confident and almost as if they were imortal in that they are portrayed as 'untouchable.' This also links with the theme of the advert 'heroes,' further shown through the song playing in the background.
Downton Abbey is shown through different techniques, that the main thrust of the drama are, lies and betrayel. The first part of the trailer helps to portray the idea of deceite and lies whereas the second part of the advert portrays the repercussions from the lies.
When watching the trailer of Desperate Romantics, there a number of specific camera shots as well as movements that help to represent the time and setting of the period drama. The first camera shot is an extreme close up of a candle being blown out, which not only helps to show the period in which the drama is set but also the way that it is blown out as the 3 male characters are introduced through changing the cameras focus from the candle to the 3 characters entrance behind it, this could also be symbolic of change.
The next camera shot is a medium close up of the three character from a slightly tilted angle looking up at them to imply dominance.
The next specific camera shots that I believe are particularly important, is when the camera cuts to a close up of three different paintings (a point of view shot) and after each one cuts to a close up of the character looking at it, showing the reaction (although not much of one) However the fact that they don't have much expression helps to show that they are rebellious, further emphasized by when they walk past the paintings a wide shot it used to show them still with expressionless faces as the paintings explode behind them, coming close to yet not touching them. An aerial shot taken from slightly behind the three character as to show there back helps to further show that the are 'untouchable' as it is made clear that the explosions are close to them yet not touching them. Before which the director uses a close up of candles being blown out to further show the period of which it was set as well as the idea of them changing their surroundings in terms of being the 'heroes'
The first camera shot of the trailer from Downton Abbey is a medium close up of two characters eating at a dining table, with a large candle holder and candles inbetween them, although candles are a commen thing when eating at a dining table at present time, the candles as well as the costume of the characters help to show the period of the drama. The camera then quickly cuts to another medium close up of someone watching through the gap of the aggar door, as the character from the first shot is still speaking, saying 'why are you English so curious of other peoples lifes'- this being used as the camera is on the lady peering through the door helps to portray the theme of spying which is used throughout the advert. This is then followed by a point of view shot, in which helps us to establish what the girl peering through the door is looking at. After which there are around 12 more shots that use close ups, medium close ups and extreme close ups, that particularly focus on characters peering in on other chacters as well as the relationship between different characters through the use of particularly focussing on the movements of the characters eyes. Inbetween these camera shots there is a close up of a lady that says, 'your secret's safe with me' further showing the theme of secrets, spying and deception. There is also an establishing shot of two characters walking a dog, with the large mansion in the bakground to establish the setting of the period drama.
The music then beggins to pick up pace and the rate of which the camera cuts to different shots speeds up with it, as many different shots are shown of dramatic things happening including; a medium close up of a man seeming as though he is bullying another character throwing him against a wall, an extreme close up of two hands holding yet one letting go representing the way od which the house is being divided, further emphsised by the words that come up during the advert 'A house divided'.
Isaac Woods
Downton Abbey is shown through different techniques, that the main thrust of the drama are, lies and betrayel. The first part of the trailer helps to portray the idea of deceite and lies whereas the second part of the advert portrays the repercussions from the lies.
When watching the trailer of Desperate Romantics, there a number of specific camera shots as well as movements that help to represent the time and setting of the period drama. The first camera shot is an extreme close up of a candle being blown out, which not only helps to show the period in which the drama is set but also the way that it is blown out as the 3 male characters are introduced through changing the cameras focus from the candle to the 3 characters entrance behind it, this could also be symbolic of change.
The next camera shot is a medium close up of the three character from a slightly tilted angle looking up at them to imply dominance.
The next specific camera shots that I believe are particularly important, is when the camera cuts to a close up of three different paintings (a point of view shot) and after each one cuts to a close up of the character looking at it, showing the reaction (although not much of one) However the fact that they don't have much expression helps to show that they are rebellious, further emphasized by when they walk past the paintings a wide shot it used to show them still with expressionless faces as the paintings explode behind them, coming close to yet not touching them. An aerial shot taken from slightly behind the three character as to show there back helps to further show that the are 'untouchable' as it is made clear that the explosions are close to them yet not touching them. Before which the director uses a close up of candles being blown out to further show the period of which it was set as well as the idea of them changing their surroundings in terms of being the 'heroes'The first camera shot of the trailer from Downton Abbey is a medium close up of two characters eating at a dining table, with a large candle holder and candles inbetween them, although candles are a commen thing when eating at a dining table at present time, the candles as well as the costume of the characters help to show the period of the drama. The camera then quickly cuts to another medium close up of someone watching through the gap of the aggar door, as the character from the first shot is still speaking, saying 'why are you English so curious of other peoples lifes'- this being used as the camera is on the lady peering through the door helps to portray the theme of spying which is used throughout the advert. This is then followed by a point of view shot, in which helps us to establish what the girl peering through the door is looking at. After which there are around 12 more shots that use close ups, medium close ups and extreme close ups, that particularly focus on characters peering in on other chacters as well as the relationship between different characters through the use of particularly focussing on the movements of the characters eyes. Inbetween these camera shots there is a close up of a lady that says, 'your secret's safe with me' further showing the theme of secrets, spying and deception. There is also an establishing shot of two characters walking a dog, with the large mansion in the bakground to establish the setting of the period drama.
The music then beggins to pick up pace and the rate of which the camera cuts to different shots speeds up with it, as many different shots are shown of dramatic things happening including; a medium close up of a man seeming as though he is bullying another character throwing him against a wall, an extreme close up of two hands holding yet one letting go representing the way od which the house is being divided, further emphsised by the words that come up during the advert 'A house divided'. Isaac Woods
Monday, 1 November 2010
Inbetweeners deconstruct, compare and contrast (trailers)
The trailer I chose to deconstruct is the Inbetweeners advert from series two.
The beginning of the advert is shown in slow motion, when showing the boy described as 'The romantic' However the way in which he is shown, the audience portray him as being the opposite and 'geeky'. Even though he waves and smiles in a 'geeky' way, the girls waves back at him which gives the audience a false sense of hope for him, however he gets hit in the face with a football and ends up flat on his face in the mud. The mise-en-scene is him on a football pitch, even though he looks as though he has never played football, because of the way people are running around him and he is standing still, waving at the girl etc.
The next person to be shown to us is 'The genius'- who again seems to be the opposite of what he is described as, camera is shown spinning around the back of 'the genius, uncovering his parents who do not look amused, and a teacher who looks concerned for the boys mental health, the camera then cuts to a close up of 'the genius' who has a dopey and almost confused face.
The next character is shown in slow motion though a long shot, as he winks and smiles as all the ladies the words 'ladies man' comes underneath him, yet the camera then flips to show his back, where a sticker is shown displaying the words 'I have no penis' then cuts back to his front, where he ironically looks chuffed.
The camera then continues without cutting to show the next character, 'the hero' trying to make a change through trying to give people papers to help him to be elected for school council, however his trousers are then pulled down by a pupil, and could be seen as ironic of a quick change of a super hero, from there false identity to there true one.
The camera then cuts to the whole class, and shows all the characters described in the middle of the rest of the class hence 'inbetweeners' The teacher is shown right behind them which also shows how they can not be trusted and portrays them in a bad light.
Comparison and Contrast
The adverts of the three different series show how the program has gained a greater following throughout the years of it being on air, showing that they are able to push the boundaries even more and 'take the mickey' even more.
The characters are shown in a similar way through out the series's, but when it gets to the 3rd series, it seems as though the characters already show what they are like in terms of characteristics without actually having to say anything.
Each of the trailers show a 'bully' who seems to always get the main character, 'the hero', and his friends seem to laugh. However all the characters seem like outcasts yet he's the only one that seems as though he is not afraid to admit it.
I think it empathizes with people who are the outcasts of school, but still manage to seem cool to the audience as they are so funny, perhaps helping to make 'uncooler' kids look much more cool.
Isaac Woods
The beginning of the advert is shown in slow motion, when showing the boy described as 'The romantic' However the way in which he is shown, the audience portray him as being the opposite and 'geeky'. Even though he waves and smiles in a 'geeky' way, the girls waves back at him which gives the audience a false sense of hope for him, however he gets hit in the face with a football and ends up flat on his face in the mud. The mise-en-scene is him on a football pitch, even though he looks as though he has never played football, because of the way people are running around him and he is standing still, waving at the girl etc.
The next person to be shown to us is 'The genius'- who again seems to be the opposite of what he is described as, camera is shown spinning around the back of 'the genius, uncovering his parents who do not look amused, and a teacher who looks concerned for the boys mental health, the camera then cuts to a close up of 'the genius' who has a dopey and almost confused face.The next character is shown in slow motion though a long shot, as he winks and smiles as all the ladies the words 'ladies man' comes underneath him, yet the camera then flips to show his back, where a sticker is shown displaying the words 'I have no penis' then cuts back to his front, where he ironically looks chuffed.
The camera then continues without cutting to show the next character, 'the hero' trying to make a change through trying to give people papers to help him to be elected for school council, however his trousers are then pulled down by a pupil, and could be seen as ironic of a quick change of a super hero, from there false identity to there true one.The camera then cuts to the whole class, and shows all the characters described in the middle of the rest of the class hence 'inbetweeners' The teacher is shown right behind them which also shows how they can not be trusted and portrays them in a bad light.
Comparison and Contrast
The adverts of the three different series show how the program has gained a greater following throughout the years of it being on air, showing that they are able to push the boundaries even more and 'take the mickey' even more.
The characters are shown in a similar way through out the series's, but when it gets to the 3rd series, it seems as though the characters already show what they are like in terms of characteristics without actually having to say anything.
Each of the trailers show a 'bully' who seems to always get the main character, 'the hero', and his friends seem to laugh. However all the characters seem like outcasts yet he's the only one that seems as though he is not afraid to admit it.
I think it empathizes with people who are the outcasts of school, but still manage to seem cool to the audience as they are so funny, perhaps helping to make 'uncooler' kids look much more cool.
Isaac Woods
Sunday, 10 October 2010
TV Drama - representation of teenagers
I was asked by my teacher to review a TV Drama and write about how young people are represented in it.I chose to write about the TV Drama called Waterloo Road, a programme which is based in a secondary school. The episode last on TV, series 6; episode 6.6, has more of the usual in terms of the way in which it portrays kids. Pregnancy, drugs, gambling, love, violence, blackmail etc. However when watching the programme, it is easy to see that they show these issues in order to show kids watching it that some things are good, some are bad and helps to raise awareness about certain issues that take place in a secondary school.
One particular story line in the last episode on TV was about a teacher in the school that wants to have a child, but has got to the age where it is not possible. She interviews ladies who are about to give birth and want to give their child up after birth. After questioning each lady relentlessly, she finds no one, untill an unexpected ring of the door bell and an ex-pupil from waterloo road, who is now working at the reception of the school turns up. After deliberation with her husband, they decide that looking after the young girl's baby would be perfect. However I can imagine it won't be as perfect as it seems...
Isaac Woods
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
TV Drama
As you may have seen from my 1st blog, I like my TV! There are many different types of TV Drama that I like. Skins, Inbetweeners, Misfits, Spooks, Waterloo rd and Eastenders are my favourites. Out of that list, I would say Misfits was my favourite, a 6-part drama In which an episode was shown once a week, after every episode I found myself eagerly awaiting the next episode and wishing it would be on sooner! It uses a very interesting concept of a storm, giving people 'super powers' which gave the writers many different options for the storyline, the main characters find out there powers throughout the series and find them selfs up againts 'evil' characters who have powers with a negative connotation.
The next series is apparently starting around christmas time, and I cannot wait! However anyone planning on watching it without seeing the first seires, I would strongly suggest watching the first series before hand.
Isaac Woods
My Media Identity
My name's Isaac Woods and I'm a student at the 6 form of Camden school for girls.
I watch TV way too much, I love programmes like, Skins, Inbetweeners, Misfits and Waterloo road- these programmes generally appeal to people of my age. However i also like programmes such as Eastenders, Spooks, and comedy programmes such as Family Guy,
I also have a PS3 which I not only use to play games such as Red Dead Redemption, Fifa and Call Of Duty but also use to check out bbc Iplayer for programmes I might have missed, or if I just can't be bothered to leave my bed.
Isaac Woods
I use different types of media every day, some of which i use regularly where as other types of media i only use sometimes.
I watch TV way too much, I love programmes like, Skins, Inbetweeners, Misfits and Waterloo road- these programmes generally appeal to people of my age. However i also like programmes such as Eastenders, Spooks, and comedy programmes such as Family Guy, The simpsons and Russel Howards Good News- These programmes generally appeal to a wider range of people and i would recomend anyone to watch them and see if they like them as much as me :P
Internet is also a big part of my 'life of Media' I use facebook regularly to talk to my friends, arrange plans for the weekends, and look at past pictures of weekends that have already happend ;)
I also use Youtube to check out songs suggested by my friends, and spotify to check out the recomended songs calculated from the music I already have.
I also have a PS3 which I not only use to play games such as Red Dead Redemption, Fifa and Call Of Duty but also use to check out bbc Iplayer for programmes I might have missed, or if I just can't be bothered to leave my bed. I also enjoy reading books by Benjamin zephaniah, aswell as other authours. However I don't read enough!
Sometimes i read newspapers, but usually just for the sports section etc.
Isaac Woods
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