Media -Revision Mats

Binary Oppositions

Social ClassificationA: Upper Upper Class: i.e Royalty/ PM etcB: Upper Class: MPs, Consultants, Lawyers, Headmasters, Bank ManagersC1: Upper Middle Class: Teachers, Secretaries, Solicitors, ArchitectsC2: Lower Middle Class: Plumbers, Electricians, MechanicsD: Upper Lower Class: Unskilled workers i.e Shelf stackers, road sweepers, rubbish collectorsE: Lower Class: Unemployed, Homeless, Non-income

Race and Ethnicity: Country/Cultural Origin i.e. African, Ethnic Minorities (within culture), British, Asian etc...Interests: i.e fishing, sports, films, - this helps in identifying WHO buys certain products/watches certain programmes. For example, men that like film often like gadgets. Men that like cars quite often like football...Age: We usually split into RANGES i.e. UNDER 16, 16-19, 19-25, 30-45, 45-60, OVER 60

Attitudes & BeliefsBelongers: Traditional, conservative conformists; family orientatedEmulators: Young people searching for an identity, desiring to fit into adult world, but can be discouraged about prospectsEmulator Achievers: Successful, enjoy acquiring things and buy brand namesSocietally conscious achievers: Inner peace and environment more important than financial success; want personal fulfilment, lovers of outdoors and fitness, like to experimentNeeds Directed: Survivors on incomes that only allow needs and not wants to be fulfilled; pensioners and those on unemployment benefits, for example

Encoding & DecodingPreferred Reading: Media producers create texts with a preferred reading (the meaning they WANT the audience to take from it) which the audience then DECODEOppositional Reading: When someone makes a conscious rejection of the preferred meaningNegotiated Reading: When someone understands the meaning but it doesn’t relate to them so it is of no interest to them to decode it

Propp’s Character RolesThe hero: seeks something The Villain: opposes the heroThe donor: helps the hero by providing a magic objectThe dispatcher: sends the hero on his questThe helper: gives support to the heroThe princess: the reward for the hero, but also needs protection from the villainHer father

Barthes’ CodeAction - a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action, e.g. shoot outEnigma - a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. Works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably.Symbolic - (connotation)Semic - (denotation)Cultural - a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g. a “made man” in a gangster film is part of the mafia culture

• Strong

• Powerful

• Ac/ve

• Heroic

• Good

• Dominant

• Prac/cal

• Rich

• Weak

• Powerless

• Passive

• Cowardly

• Evil

• Submissive

• Imprac/cal

• Poor

Oppositional Reading E.g. A criminal may reject the concept that the police are the “goodies” in a crime movie as they believe their reasoning for committing crime are fair and they connect with the criminals on screen rather than the heroes and heroine of the police force

Editing

A long shot is used to show the full human figure and often provides a clear view of the environment or setting where we find the character.

An extreme long shot is used to show landscapes or provide a view of a whole world (ie. A city, a town, or even a galaxy) where the story is set.

A full shot is a variation on the long shot, showing the full subject (ie. The full human figure, with the feet at the bottom on the frame and the head at the top of the frame).

A medium shot showsthe human body frommid-shin or mid-thighup and is often usetoshow interactionbetween two or morecharacters

In close-ups, we can understand how a character feels; even “get into the head” of that character.

A high angle shot positions the camera above eye-level, looking down on the subject, which consequently appears insignificant, weak, helpless, or small according to how extreme the angle is.

Panning - When the camera stays in the same position but turns left or right.

At eye level, the impression is neutral.

A low angle shot has the camera looking up at the subject, which then appears important, powerful, or domineering, again depending on how exaggerated the angle is.

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Tracking - When the camera changes its position by moving left or right.

Tilting - When the camera stays in the same position but turns up or down.

Dollying - Changing the camera’s position by moving it forward or backward.

Zooming In/Out - Even when the camera is stationary it can appear to move closer to, or further from, its subject by using a special ring or lever on the lens.

1Shot Shot

Cut

Shot Shot

DISSOLVES: One shot fades in while another fades out so that for a few seconds, the two are on top of each other and appear to blend

WIPE: One shot is wiped from the screen by another . Often used to go from one scene to another or from one time to another

Shot 1............. dissolves into................... shot 2

FADE OUT One shot disappears, often into black or white.Often used to show a change of time

FADE IN The shot appears gradually often from black or white

PACE OF EDITING: When the pace of editing is slower, and a shot may continue for a longer period, this may make the scene feel more relaxed. At the beginning of a film the longer shots may be needed to give us information