Media Language (Q1B)

Evaluate one production in terms of media language?

Plan:

Introduction -

• Every medium has its own 'language'. Thus media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules. 
• Bathes (1977) argued that in film connotation can be analytically distinguished from denotation. 
• As John Fiske (1982) puts it "dentation is what is filmed, connotation is how it is filmed" Thus I will now discuss this in terms of my AS 'thriller' production 'Classified'.

Genre:

- Tom Ryall (1978) - "genre provides a framework of structuring rules - thus acts as a form of supervision over the work of production of film makers"

- Queer Theory 

- Roland Bathes enigma/ symbollic coding

• Tom Ryall (1978) believed that "Genre provides a framework of structuring rules - thus acts as a form of supervision over the work of production of film makers". Furthermore we used our chosen genre as a form of 'supervision' however still had the power to subvert certain conventions. For example we chose to have a female protagonist and female villain in our production in order to subvert from traditional gender roles.
• Thus we incorporated queer theory in which we suggested that sexual identity is more fluid, furthermore ideas of masculinity can be represented in a woman.
• For example in our own production we presented our female villain as dangerous by using Roland Bathes enigma/ symbollic coding thus the villain holds a weapon to attack the protagonist which symbolises evil. This subverts the stereotype in which males are only aggressive and dominant. 

Narrative:

- Circular structure/ open structure

- Todorov's narrative theory - equilibrium 

• The main narrative of our production consisted of, a young female running away from an unknown villain which associates with our chosen title 'Classified' thus the current plot is a secret to the audience.
• We chose to incorporate a common thriller genre convention in which instead of having a closed structure we featured a circular structure. We chose to feature to feature this convention thus it allowed us to produce the 'climax' of the film in order to draw audiences in
• Thus challenging Todorov's narrative theory in which all media products begins with a state of equilibrium, which is then disrupted until equilibrium is restored again. However our production only features one of these stages which is the 'disruption', furthermore subverting normal narrative conventions.

Mise-en-scene:

- Location/ sound

- Non-diegetic sound

- Editing - saturation decreased = gloomy appearance

- Ferdinand De Saussure - The signifier and signified

• We chose our location setting to be in an empty field in order to fit the dull mise-en-scene we were trying to establish. 
• To emphasise the 'dullness' of the setting whilst editing we used the saturation tool to bring down/ decrease the colouration in the scenery in order to appear more 'gloomy'. We used this denotation in order to connotate the protagonists isolation and helplessness AKA the dull colouration represent the evil atmosphere.
• We chose to feature mostly non-diegetic sound, in which the most sound which can be heard is from the music. The music commences at a slow pace however speeds up each time the villain got closer.
• We also integrated a 'heart beat' sound effect in order to connotate the protagonists fear due to having an increased heart rate.
• Thus we incorporated theorist Ferdinand de Saussure - the signifier and signified. Furthermore it remains up to the audience being what they interpret from hearing the heartbeat sound effect.

Final paragraph: 

- Camera work - Establishing shot - highlights isolation, close up anges - emotions

- Stuart Hall's 'Encoding and decoding' theory ; Dominant, negotiated and oppositional

- Propp's narrative theory 

• For the camera work, we chose to first of all feature an establishing shot. We did this in order to signify furthermore to the audience how isolated the protagonist is, due to none other featured characters in the background.
• Once the the protagonists surroundings had been established we used a lot more close-up angles to establish to the audience the characters mood thus her facial expression. 
• To create meaning throughout our media text we especially considered Stuart Hall's 'Encoding and Decoding' theory. We chose to feature both dominant ideologies as well, challenging contexts in order to subvert from usual 'thriller' conventions. 
• Although the narrative appeared as dominant we challenged ideologies such as the typical gender roles (Propp's narrative theory).
• Furthermore we understood that what message we encoded to the audience could also be decoded and understood by: Dominant, negotiated and oppositional perspectives. Thus our intended meaning could also be taken as an preferred meaning.