LO6 regulation and media effects

KEY INFO ABOUT LO6:

• Biggest question worth 20 marks so it is the first question you answer. 
• You need to spend at least 40 minutes on it. 
• You have to debate. (include both sides of the argument)(positive and negatives)
• 10 marks = level 2 basic
• 16 - 20 marks = level 4 excellent
• Unlike question 6 which is a direct question. It will be a quote which you will have to debate for and against.
• Be able to evaluate legal ethical and regulatory issues

An example must be recent (5 years or 10 as a maximum)

Reasons for complaints (Nicole Scherzinger X-factor 2019):

• Pre watershed (7pm)
• Effects on young children
• Choice of mine en scene (costumes & gestures)(provocative & revealing)

Debate:

positives

• Its their brand (post feminism)
• Promotion to get more money and fans
• Female empowerment (inclusive in the types of women in the group

negatives

• Promiscuous behaviour of a female
• Young children could mimic costumes/gestures (Ideal self/partner - Carl Roger (1930))
• Traditional stereotypes of sexualized women (Male gaze - Laura Mulvey (1975))
• Unrealistic beauty standards

Passive audience theory:

Hypodermic Syringe - implies that media has a negative impact. Mass audience believe everything they see/hear (Adorno and Horkheimer). Media injecting negative ideas and values into the public. it was very common in the 1940's to 50's when the mass media were perceived as an extreme influence towards audiences adapted behavior. The audience were like mindless sheep (very impressionable).

Craig Anderson (2007):

Over-exposure to fast speed violent content can lead to changes in brain function when processing violent images and make you become desensitized to the content. Mise En scene has a lot to do with this (props, gestures) as well as sound and editing etc.

Gerbner and Gross (1979):

Cultivation theory - The more time spent watching TV the more likely we are to believe real life and what we see on TV align/are the same.

Cohen (1972):

when the mass media demonize groups, people or products that they believe become a threat to society, values and interests. (Gender roles, sexuality, abortion laws)

Active Audience Theory:

Gauntlet (1995):

We are able to filter and adapt content in media (we separate the good and the bad/ intelligent enough to know that what we see on screen isn't acceptable/possible in real life)

Batman goes around beating up/killing criminals with no repercussions even though he's just an ordinary man who's rich.

opening scene shows halloween as a night just for committing crimes as the scene cuts between multiple criminals using their halloween costumes as a disguise whist they rob and beat people.

Mcqual (1972) + bloomer + Katz (1975)

uses + gratification

we use media to full-fill different uses:

• surveillance - (Watching and learning about the world)
• Escapism - (Escaping reality)
• Personal Identity - (Ideal self/partner Carl Rogers)
• Social Interaction - (How we interact with other people/ our relationships)

(Rick Altman 1999) Genre offers pleasures

(Stuart Hall 1980) How we understand Media product in 3 ways:

• preferred reading - (Accepting the most transparent meaning on the product)
• negotiated reading - (Partially agrees with the meaning but have some personal opinions)
• oppositional reading -(Meaning understood but don't agree and think the opposite)

 

BBFC for my media product:

what BBFC rating is it and why - Age rating of 15 because characters are systematically tortured and killed and there is also sex scenes as well as threats of sexual violence (women are assaulted and beaten)

State 5 ways/examples your product meets or rejects the rating - easily meets the age rating and could argue its too low as it includes violence, sex, death, torture, poverty/starvation, kidnapping. A character is impaled by a large shard of glass which they have to remove by hand without any anesthesia.

I think it should be rated higher as the death scenes are very detailed realistic and gruesome as a lot of them die slow agonising deaths as no one can save them.

Revsion

 TB Tim O'sullivan 1998, Barry Keith grant 1995

LC Laura mullet 1975, carl Roger 1930

PP Patrick phillips 1996

Homework

 Key theory 4: Stuart Hall (1995), Alvarado (1987)

Western/white cultures continue to misrepresent ethnic minorities as in the media due to underlying racist tendencies. (the other, evil, barbaric, pitied, humoured)

I agree with Stuart Hall, for example catwoman is almost pitied in the Batman due to her actions and also only really challenges the stereotypes of gender and not so much ethnicity.

Cat woman is someone who is pitied in the film as she is an orphan who learned to survive on Gothams streets by being a thief, leaving her to be someone the audience as well as the characters have empathy for. However due to her being a thief there is also a sense of evil and barbaric as she is a criminal who Batman should be stopping, instead she is basically his sidekick and becomes an accidental hero making her seem even more ‘the other” (not relevant).

Key theory 5: Earp and Katz (1999)

Men have a pathological need for control and violence. (patriarchy - Male dominated society).

Could also argue against as I have a powerful violent woman (post feminist).

I also agree with Earp and Katz theory and I think it is very relevant within my film in particular due to it being quite violent and male dominated. There are a few scene which stand out to me but one in particular when Batman is fighting off a group of thugs in the metro and he quite brutally beats one of them. There is a mixture of sound effects and camera angles which make the scene seem so violent. As the first thug attacks batman he quickly puts him to the ground and then repeatedly smashes his face which makes a gruesome sound, the camera isn’t pointing at the thugs face but instead Batman’s face and upper body where you can see the power and violence he is putting into his punches. Furthermore all of the main antagonist are male villains who all seem to have dark violent tendencies and desires towards either Batman or just the public in general. For example in the opening scene loads of criminals are shown using cross cutting however they all seem to be male based of their physical appearance and body shape.

Notes:

LO3: representation theory

Representation Theory

re-presented - over and over again (people & places)

• Gender Representation (stereotypes)
• Ethnicities
• character types (damsel, antagonist, heroic protagonist, underdog, accidental hero)
• class status (rich vs poor)
• location (zeitgeist - "spirit of the time" when props and costumes etc fit the theme of the time/era)

key theory to include in essays:

Carl Rogers (1980)

Ideal self/ Ideal partner (How characters are mediated as a role model or attractive to appeal to an audience)

Exam question examples:

Q6)  analyse how the production techniques are used to create meaning in a media product you have studied. (12)    MICRO - MACRO

Q6)  analyse the concept of 'representation' in a media product you have studied. (12)

Final question - answer first as its the biggest question in the paper (40 mins)

Q6/Q7 - always the second question you answer because its a high mark question (20 mins)

Definitions:

Analyse - Give examples and explain the meaning/effect on the audience and why?

Production techniques/Media language/Micro elements - mise en scene, camerawork, editing, sound

Creates meaning - connotes, connotations, denotes, denotation, conveys, portrays, implies, represents, enigma, verisimilitude, tension, empathy, spectacle.

Key theory 1 - Tim O'Sullivan et al. (1998)

For representations to work, there has to to be a shared recognition of people and places. All representations therefore have ideologies behind them.

Ideology - A set of views and beliefs that we all recognise. (religion)

Ideology's in my product:

• vengeance  
• Force for good
• Justice

Proof from essays:

Mise En Scene Essay - "the narrative of The Batman is a man with a traumatic past who seeks to protect his town of Gotham City in hopes of removing some of the evil from the world."

Key theory 2: Richard Dyer (1983)

Audiences should question the representations they see in media texts (Implies)

Mise En Scene Essay - "Selina Kyle aka ‘Catwoman’ who wears a costume which is a very tight-fitting latex outfit."

A very stereotypical outfit for a female costume however also challenges stereotypes as she is part of an ethnic minority and a female whilst being a heroic protagonist.

Key theory 4: Stuart Hall (1995), Alvarado (1987)

Western/white cultures continue to misrepresent ethnic minorities as in the media due to underlying racist tendencies. (the other, evil, barbaric, pitied, humoured)

Key theory 5: Earp and Katz (1999)

Men have a pathological need for control and violence. (patriarchy - Male dominated society).

Could also argue against as I have a powerful violent woman (post feminist).

Ideal self / Partner - Carl Rogers (1930)

Sound and editing HW

 Sound types:

• Diegetic - Natural sound heard by both the characters and the audience, e.g., dialog

• Non-diegetic - Sound the character cannot hear but the audience can, e.g., sound effects

Editing types:

• Continuity Editing
• Action match
• Shot reverse shot structure 
• Cross cutting
• Insert shot
• Eye line match

Sound types used in the Batman:

Diegetic sound - The sound of gun fire during the final fight scene as Batman hears it aswell as the audience.

Non diegetic sound - the opening scene is voiced over by Batman. Also The Batman’s sound track as only the audience can hear it as it has been added during editing.

Editing types used in the Batman:

Action match - The metro fight scene as we see Batman use his fighting skills to beat up one of the thugs in multiple different cuts which connotes his skill and strength.

Shot reverse shot - A great example is the riddlers interrogation scene as the camera constantly cuts between each character’s perspective during there conversation. However the low angle of the riddlers POV compare to the Batman’s height angle connotes Batman’s dominance in the situation and the riddlers powerlessness as he has been captured.

Cross cutting - Is used in some of the very first opening scenes as it cuts between different criminals committing crimes all across Gotham in different locations. This denotes that all these crimes are happening at the same time which then connotes tension and chaos as there is a lot going on.

Insert shot - This is once again displayed in the opening scene of the film as the riddler beats the mayor to death with a carpet tucker which he then drops and it lands right in front of the camera taking up the whole screen this connotes the prop/iconography’s importance as later in the film a vital clue is hidden u see the carpets.

Eye line match - This is also used in the metro fight scene as we see the thugs look of screen into what would only be darkness and then a few seconds later the camera pans to it and out of the darkness comes batman, this has the effect of creating mystery and suspense as we don’t know what the characters are looking at.

Sound:

Dialogue - As mentioned previously the Batman narrates the opening scene in the film as he sets the harrowing dark setting of a rainy Halloween night in Gotham. The Batman’s deep monotone voice paired with the eerie chaos of Gotham makes this piece of dialogue especially effective in creating thrilling first impressions for the viewer. Another key piece of dialogue is when the Batman is asked “who are you” by a startled criminal, which Batman responds by saying “I’m vengeance” this is a very simple but effective piece of dialogue as it’s almost like a catchphrase which the audience find exciting.

Sound effects - The sound effects in The Batman are arguably for me the best sound effects in any movie. There are loads of iconic sounds like the sound of Batman’s boots on the concrete in the rain as he appears out of the dark before fighting a group of thugs or the whistle of the Batmobiles engine as he chases an enemy’s car however the whistle of his height powered engine connotes more of a hunt than a chase as the enemy stands no chance. these are incredibly effective in evoking excitement as well as enigma in the audience.

Incidental music - The song ‘something in the way’ is played early on In the film during a murder investigation which is a very slow, unsettling almost gothic song and the lyrics almost convey the feeling and thoughts of Batman and others as they are confused regarding the mystery of the mayor candidates death. Another example is a scene where Batman takes out the villain ‘penguin’ in a awesome fire filled car fight whilst intense music plays in the background. Although the music has no lyrics just the melody alone makes you feel as so you are watching a western duel won by Batman aswell as the sound of Batman’s boots stomping on the road furthermore creates a cowboy like atmosphere.

Sting - A great example of sting is the introduction of the bat mobile which is a very high pitched whistle sound which almost sound like a kettle which catches the viewers full attention as they are curious to what’s happening. In the scene it is very dark and the batmobile can’t really be seen other that the glow of its engine further intriguing the viewer. it signals something vital is happening and in this case it is the batmobile which ultimately results in Batman winning the fight.

LO3 - sound

 

As with other micro elements media language sound creates a lot of meaning especially emotion from the audience. Sound helps the audience feel a certain way (verisimilitude).

Common emotions from sound - fear, empathy, enigma(suspense), pain, tension, spectacle (excitement), verisimilitude (reality,real)

Types of sound:

• Diegetic - Natural sound heard by both the characters and the audience, e.g., dialog
• Non-diegetic - Sound the character cannot hear but the audience can, e.g., sound effects

Example diegetic noises - "screeching tires, honking horns, revving engines" connotes urgency and chaos.

non-diegetic is used to emphasize what is happening in the movie and to evoke emotion by using things like music. Pitch, tempo, Rythm normally has an effect as they are usually linked with what's happening in the scene. Overall, it connotes urgency and adrenaline rush.

A soundtrack includes both:

• music 
• lyrics

Incidental Music - is without lyrics and just a melody.

Sting - Is a very high-pitched single sound. Acts like an exclamation mark or signals something vital.

L03 - Editing

 Editing involves changing or improving a video or photo this could be removing parts or adding parts as well as special effects or sound effects with the goal of improving the subject you are editing. Furthermore editing is adding transitions, cutting and organising footage to create a narrative.

Editing Terms:

• cutting
• eyeliner match
• shot reverse 
• shot structures

Continuity Editing:

Most films use this type of editing - It is editing that is continuous in creating a narrative for the audience to understand. It appears to be invisible by using cuts.

S shot reverse shot structure

A action match

C cross cutting

I insert shot

E eye-line match

Action match:

Action matches happen in action scenes,

it is 1 continuous action/movement over multiple shots. This connotes the characters power and skill. 

Shot reverse shot structure:

CUT from one shot to another and back again. we see this when there is a conversation between two characters

Practise sentence:

In the shot reverse shot structure we see both a high angle and low angle both displayed as over the shoulder shots. the high angle connotes the powerlessness and weakness of the other character compare to the low angle which connotes the power and importance of the other character.

Crosscutting:

cutting from one location to another

"meanwhile"

Insert Shot:

Focuses on a significant prop/iconography

Emphasises importance of the prop/iconography

Eye-line match:

when we see a character look of screen at something we can't see and then cuts to what they are looking at. Maybe a clue they have worked out.

The Batman shot types homework

shot types

here are 2 different shot types :

• 1st - Establishing shot

2nd - Medium Long shot

1st - Gives an overview of the setting (Gotham city) and denotes a reset in the storyline as this shot type is typically used at the start of a new 'chapter' in the story. Batmans positioning in the shot is purposefull as it connotes batman as a leader and shows power as he is almost 'looking over his kingdom'. The over the shoulder angle in this scene captures the perspective of the subject and displays the relationship between the protagonist and the setting.

2nd - This long shot is used to once again show setting but also create an atmosphere in the scene as it is far enough away for us to partially see the background and the protagonist whilst also not being so far that we cannot see any detail. This certain shot connotes Batman as being fearless as he seems unfazed by the fire behind. furthermore the low angle shot denotes his supremicy as he seems to tower over us as the viewer. This shot also presents key components of the narratvive stage, (1 rising action - the fight), (2 climax - batman wins), 

(3 falling action - car explosion and fire) (4 resilution - Batman leaves the scene victorious)

This is a very short and simple snippet of movement in the batman film however i feel it is a great display of it.

in the scene the camera cuts focus between the car in the background and bruce waynes face as he turns his head back towards the camera.

this simple head movement as well as the shift in focus onto his worried face shows his emotion and connotates bruce waynes sudden surge in panic and fear as he knows he must save the people.