Wednesday, 3 April 2019
Wednesday, 20 March 2019
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Deutschland 83 Trailer Breakdown
1) The opening of the trailer uses sound and editing to draw the audience in. Explain why this is effective.
The trailer uses symbol crashes synced with the beats of the shot changing to appeal to audiences and show the power of the cuts, the loud crashing of the scene changing. This creates a tone for the trailer, a powerful slow build into the fast paced cuts and action of the later half of the trailer, showing the show will be about the fast paced action as well as the methodical story.
2) How does the trailer use action and enigma codes (Barthes) to encourage the audience to watch the show?
By leaving every scene opened ended and unfinished with no audio from the scene , the audience is left thinking about the context of the scenes, the resolution of the scenes and how the scenes will affect the show , with the scenes with action carrying the most weight and importance with enigma codes.
3)PRINT THREE SCREENSHOTS Pick three shots/scenes from the trailer that capture the spy thriller sub-genre. Why might this appeal to an audience? Try and apply Neale's genre theory 'repetition and difference'.
4) PRINT THREE SCREENSHOTS Pick three examples of mise-en-scene from the trailer that capture the 1983 setting the confirm the sub-genre of period drama. Why might this appeal to an audience?
5) The trailer uses the song 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Why did the producers select this soundtrack for the trailer? Read the lyrics as well as watching visuals.
The producers have used this as the song describes two sides fighting over one another, with only one able to be the victor, like the tension between the east and the west of Germany. This intertwined with Regan speech about 'evil in the modern world' and showing characters from the East creates the sense that the audience will be rooting for the west Germans while the east are bad.
6) The only words heard in the trailer are in English. Why do you think the UK trailer avoided subtitles or German dialogue?
To appeal to the western market more, hearing German being spoken may turn a western audience off of the show as they will need to watch subtitles. Only English is spoken to show the audience that the show does market to the English , rather than being a show made and marketed to only Germany
Deutschland 83 Poster analysis
Binary Opposites: Desaturated vs Vibrant
Uniform vs casual wear
Sad vs Happy
Dirty vs Clean
Death vs Life
Strict vs Freedom
Left; East, Lenin and Marx, Communist Propaganda, Communist red fist, Threatening, Prison building, Barbed wire, Pathetic fallacy, Regimented
Right; West, Technology, Street Art, Artsy, Young, Free love, Bright opportunity, Fruit = cultures, exciting flavours, variety, health, Kites = freedom
Friday, 1 March 2019
Monday, 25 February 2019
Historical, Economic and Social aspects of 1980s East Germany
Social aspects of 80s East Germany: People learnt what they can and can’t say in public, as they were always being watched with wide surveillance. People lived double lives, sticking to strict guidelines while outside in public, putting on a façade, only being able to be themselves within the conform of their own home, with this sometimes even being comprised with spies and tapping conversations with hidden mics. Selection in shops was very limited. If there was any ‘desirable goods’ shipped to local shops, huge lines would form. If a passer-by saw a line forming, people would instinctively join it, without even knowing what the product was. Equality was rife and good for the time, with most women working and good affordable childcare available. In a recent report on the perception of East Germans to their former country over 50% said "there were problems, but life was still good" .. somewhere around 10% said "life was better". Life wasn’t awful in east Germany; it was just like people breathing down your neck more times than often. No one lived in fear of the Statsi, you just saw more uniforms than normal. You hear about all the awful tales of 80s east Germany, however no one wants to listen to a boring story about normal life.
“There was punks, hip-hop, hippies and blues. There were even fascists (some deriving from the fact that this is the strongest mean of protest against a regime who rejects the existence of fascism as one of its state pillars, some because they believed in it). The church also played a big role as an underground movement. Stasi was of course aware of those things, but if you read the books about those subcultures, you will see that they were pretty much able to fool around with them and drive them insane. Just think of the impact of youth culture on western societies and multiply that, but with less people involved” …” a lot of those young people went into considerable risks for their activities. Some of them were even "hired" by the Stasi to infiltrate the scene. Some of them went to "re-education camps/prisons".
School was also different. Instead of learning English which had by then become a world language and was being taught in Western Germany many East German students learned Russian.
Economic aspects of 80s east Germany: Salaries and pay was very low, but the essentials, like bread and rent, were very cheap and affordable. However, if you needed to buy anything at world market prices, it was insanely expensive. People in East Germany knew how life was much better in Western Germany but couldn't experience it themselves. East Germany had its own version of most essential food products. It created its own industry for nearly everything.
Historical aspects of 80s east Germany: East Germany was controlled by the Stasi from 1950 to 1990, when the berlin wall was finally destroyed. The Stasi (the state security service) was the official security of the Germany Democratic Republic, who owned East Germany at the time while the allies divided the rest of Germany between the rest of them (England, France and America). They have been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. The Stasi motto was “Shield and Sword of the party” (Schild und Schwert der Partei) referring to the ruling of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. One of the main tasks of the Stasi was to spy on the population, through a huge and vast network of ‘informants’ (spies) and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including ‘psychological destruction of dissidents (interrogating). No one lived in fear of the Statsi, you just saw more uniforms than normal. You hear about all the awful tales of 80s east Germany, however no one wants to listen to a boring story about normal life.
The Stasi and nowadays NSA aren’t too different with their views on surveillance, the NSA just make it seem like they can’t see your personal and private information, rather than the Stasi who were known for gathering people’s private info in fear of an uprising / revolt.
“There was punks, hip-hop, hippies and blues. There were even fascists (some deriving from the fact that this is the strongest mean of protest against a regime who rejects the existence of fascism as one of its state pillars, some because they believed in it). The church also played a big role as an underground movement. Stasi was of course aware of those things, but if you read the books about those subcultures, you will see that they were pretty much able to fool around with them and drive them insane. Just think of the impact of youth culture on western societies and multiply that, but with less people involved” …” a lot of those young people went into considerable risks for their activities. Some of them were even "hired" by the Stasi to infiltrate the scene. Some of them went to "re-education camps/prisons".
School was also different. Instead of learning English which had by then become a world language and was being taught in Western Germany many East German students learned Russian.
Economic aspects of 80s east Germany: Salaries and pay was very low, but the essentials, like bread and rent, were very cheap and affordable. However, if you needed to buy anything at world market prices, it was insanely expensive. People in East Germany knew how life was much better in Western Germany but couldn't experience it themselves. East Germany had its own version of most essential food products. It created its own industry for nearly everything.
Historical aspects of 80s east Germany: East Germany was controlled by the Stasi from 1950 to 1990, when the berlin wall was finally destroyed. The Stasi (the state security service) was the official security of the Germany Democratic Republic, who owned East Germany at the time while the allies divided the rest of Germany between the rest of them (England, France and America). They have been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. The Stasi motto was “Shield and Sword of the party” (Schild und Schwert der Partei) referring to the ruling of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. One of the main tasks of the Stasi was to spy on the population, through a huge and vast network of ‘informants’ (spies) and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including ‘psychological destruction of dissidents (interrogating). No one lived in fear of the Statsi, you just saw more uniforms than normal. You hear about all the awful tales of 80s east Germany, however no one wants to listen to a boring story about normal life.
The Stasi and nowadays NSA aren’t too different with their views on surveillance, the NSA just make it seem like they can’t see your personal and private information, rather than the Stasi who were known for gathering people’s private info in fear of an uprising / revolt.
Friday, 8 February 2019
Monday, 4 February 2019
Friday, 1 February 2019
LFTVD representation Essay
How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed? What role does the use of media language, signs and signifies have in constructing and presenting these representations as real?
In stranger things, social groups are represented through choice of editing, camera angles and media language. In episode 1, age is the main group represented. In the scene I analysed, Age is represented through the media language of Mikes basement. As the scene is introduced, the camera pans across the Dungeons and Dragons board, from the boys last game. This shows the childlike innocence and playful attitude of the boys, juxtaposing the serious tone and implications of Will’s disappearance. The music adds to the feeling of childlike wonder with the light minor keys evoking thoughts of fantasy games, such as the Dungeons and Dragons board seen. From this, we can see the boys represent Age and children through the media language of Mike’s basement.
Age and maturity are also shown through the use of the walkie talkies from Mike and Lucas. The walkie talkies symbolise childhood and a playful attitude, like everything is a big game to them. This sense of a big game is also shown with the insistent use of the word ‘over’ when using the walkie talkies from Mike, like they’re playing a game and want to stay in character. This also plays up the stereotype of nerds from the boys, however a countertype of teenagers, with the boys being 13 at the time. The context of the conversation also evokes childhood and games, with the boys comparing the evens of Will’s disappearance with the failed attempt to kill the Demogorgon in D&D the night prior. However, this is juxtaposed with the maturity of the boys, eventually taking the law into their own hands and actively going to search for Will, seen after authority’s figures such as Chief Hopper and their parents have told them not to.
Gender and powerful women are represented in the diner scene when Benny is killed. Benny is a stereotypical man, a large, bearded, rough looking however also being a countertype of men with his attitude to Eleven, showing he has a heart of gold. When the female ‘social worker’ arrives, she is the controlling force of the scene, with all the power over Benny, becoming a more powerful and stronger character than Benny, killing him, showing a countertype of women being daintier and weaker than men. She is also shown the have power over Benny as he leans down to speak to the woman, making himself seem smaller and the woman seem bigger, evoking power and control. Power is also evoked through the use of the music. As soon as the she kills Benny, the music become significantly louder, setting the pace for the ensuing chase, as well as showing how she is now in power and has control over the diner and, she hopes, Eleven. From this, we can see the female ‘social worker’ epitomises power and strength, showing a countertype to the womanly maternal image of woman we have seen up to this point in the episode.
In stranger things, social groups are represented through choice of editing, camera angles and media language. In episode 1, age is the main group represented. In the scene I analysed, Age is represented through the media language of Mikes basement. As the scene is introduced, the camera pans across the Dungeons and Dragons board, from the boys last game. This shows the childlike innocence and playful attitude of the boys, juxtaposing the serious tone and implications of Will’s disappearance. The music adds to the feeling of childlike wonder with the light minor keys evoking thoughts of fantasy games, such as the Dungeons and Dragons board seen. From this, we can see the boys represent Age and children through the media language of Mike’s basement.
Age and maturity are also shown through the use of the walkie talkies from Mike and Lucas. The walkie talkies symbolise childhood and a playful attitude, like everything is a big game to them. This sense of a big game is also shown with the insistent use of the word ‘over’ when using the walkie talkies from Mike, like they’re playing a game and want to stay in character. This also plays up the stereotype of nerds from the boys, however a countertype of teenagers, with the boys being 13 at the time. The context of the conversation also evokes childhood and games, with the boys comparing the evens of Will’s disappearance with the failed attempt to kill the Demogorgon in D&D the night prior. However, this is juxtaposed with the maturity of the boys, eventually taking the law into their own hands and actively going to search for Will, seen after authority’s figures such as Chief Hopper and their parents have told them not to.
Gender and powerful women are represented in the diner scene when Benny is killed. Benny is a stereotypical man, a large, bearded, rough looking however also being a countertype of men with his attitude to Eleven, showing he has a heart of gold. When the female ‘social worker’ arrives, she is the controlling force of the scene, with all the power over Benny, becoming a more powerful and stronger character than Benny, killing him, showing a countertype of women being daintier and weaker than men. She is also shown the have power over Benny as he leans down to speak to the woman, making himself seem smaller and the woman seem bigger, evoking power and control. Power is also evoked through the use of the music. As soon as the she kills Benny, the music become significantly louder, setting the pace for the ensuing chase, as well as showing how she is now in power and has control over the diner and, she hopes, Eleven. From this, we can see the female ‘social worker’ epitomises power and strength, showing a countertype to the womanly maternal image of woman we have seen up to this point in the episode.
Sunday, 27 January 2019
How to write an exam question
P| oint
E| xample from scene
E| xplore:
C| amera
E| diting
M| ise En Scene
S| ound
Refocus on Question + Audience
COMPARE
REPEAT!!
Example question from first episode;
Explore the way that different groups of people are represented in ST and D83
• audience
• media language
P: In ST, we see a counter typical representation of women (especially considering the 1980s setting) in that we see empowered women.
E: We see the ‘social worker’ murder Benny, Eleven kills two men, and although Nancy isn’t aggressive, she does control the scene with her and Steve.
E: It is an interesting subversion of stereotypes – the 1980s setting leads us to expect submissive, powerless women, but the 21st Century construction transfers modern ideologies and values and empowers the women.
CEMS: When we first meet the social worker, we view her from a high angle shot, from the point of view of Benny. This reinforces the patriarchal hegemony which tricks us into thinking that she is a typical submissive woman. However, when she shoots Benny, she is elevated onto an equal level with the other government officials, and is even empowered through a low angle shot. This reinforced by the editing – the screen time she is given compared to the (silent and nameless) male officials is significantly greater, therefore empowering her.
A: This shocks the audience, which is important for narrative, but the Duffer Brothers are also trying to highlight the everyday sexism in society – even though we are a modern audience, we fell into the trap of putting sexist assumptions onto the scene.
E| xample from scene
E| xplore:
C| amera
E| diting
M| ise En Scene
S| ound
Refocus on Question + Audience
COMPARE
REPEAT!!
Example question from first episode;
Explore the way that different groups of people are represented in ST and D83
• audience
• media language
P: In ST, we see a counter typical representation of women (especially considering the 1980s setting) in that we see empowered women.
E: We see the ‘social worker’ murder Benny, Eleven kills two men, and although Nancy isn’t aggressive, she does control the scene with her and Steve.
E: It is an interesting subversion of stereotypes – the 1980s setting leads us to expect submissive, powerless women, but the 21st Century construction transfers modern ideologies and values and empowers the women.
CEMS: When we first meet the social worker, we view her from a high angle shot, from the point of view of Benny. This reinforces the patriarchal hegemony which tricks us into thinking that she is a typical submissive woman. However, when she shoots Benny, she is elevated onto an equal level with the other government officials, and is even empowered through a low angle shot. This reinforced by the editing – the screen time she is given compared to the (silent and nameless) male officials is significantly greater, therefore empowering her.
A: This shocks the audience, which is important for narrative, but the Duffer Brothers are also trying to highlight the everyday sexism in society – even though we are a modern audience, we fell into the trap of putting sexist assumptions onto the scene.
Thursday, 17 January 2019
Wednesday, 16 January 2019
LFTVD Theorists
Todorov: Equilibrium theory
Traditional narratives follow a 3 part structure of beginning middle and end which unfolds in 4 phases:
1. Exposition 2. Introduction of conflict 3. Climax 4. Resolution
Narrative is usually a chronological and linear sequences of themes, actions and motives.
Strauss: Binary opposites
Strauss identified that we understand the world by the relationship two opposites have together. He believed that narratives are arranged around the conflict of binary oppositions e.g.
Traditional narratives follow a 3 part structure of beginning middle and end which unfolds in 4 phases:
1. Exposition 2. Introduction of conflict 3. Climax 4. Resolution
Narrative is usually a chronological and linear sequences of themes, actions and motives.
Strauss: Binary opposites
Strauss identified that we understand the world by the relationship two opposites have together. He believed that narratives are arranged around the conflict of binary oppositions e.g.
- Man vs Woman
- Good vs Evil
- Day vs Night
- Old vs New
In stranger things; we see binary opposites e.g.
- Justice vs Injustice
- Nerds vs Jocks etc.
The conflict between the opposites helps to drive the narrative forward, finding problems to the issues within the narrative to progress the story.
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Narrative Structures
Linear narrative ; Have a clear beginning, middle , end.
Action A leads to Action B to C etc.
Follow chronological time frame
Fragmented narrative ; know as a non-linear narrative, disrupted and disjointed
Split narratives
No clear beginning, middle and end
Events / actions shown out of chronological order, not in the order they naturally appear in
Helps to show parallel narratives, a story within a story
More closely replicates the human mind and how it works, grabbing at different strands.
Enigma Codes ; Planting questions to incise audiences to watch the next episode:
What killed the first man in the elevator
Where does Eleven comes from, who is she.
Why does she have the 011 tattoo.
The events unfold in a linear order , however takes tropes from fragmented narratives.
Restricted Narrative ; We experienced the story through one characters eyes, thoughts and senses.
Always the main characters
Narrative cannot tell things to the audience the main characters doesn't know
Omnipresent narrative ; panoramic, all seeing, view of the world of the story, not just one characters point of views
provides the POV of many different characters and their experiences within the story
Audience sees a broader background to the story.
Narrative endings: Closed and Open endings
Open endings: When an episode, or season, ends on a cliff hanger, A story telling technique. In films, open endings can be unsatisfying for audiences (if done wrong). In LFTVDs, opening endings can indicate there will be a continuation of the story, or possibly a resolution, in the next episode. Encourages the viewer to watch more.
Action A leads to Action B to C etc.
Follow chronological time frame
Fragmented narrative ; know as a non-linear narrative, disrupted and disjointed
Split narratives
No clear beginning, middle and end
Events / actions shown out of chronological order, not in the order they naturally appear in
Helps to show parallel narratives, a story within a story
More closely replicates the human mind and how it works, grabbing at different strands.
Enigma Codes ; Planting questions to incise audiences to watch the next episode:
What killed the first man in the elevator
Where does Eleven comes from, who is she.
Why does she have the 011 tattoo.
The events unfold in a linear order , however takes tropes from fragmented narratives.
Restricted Narrative ; We experienced the story through one characters eyes, thoughts and senses.
Always the main characters
Narrative cannot tell things to the audience the main characters doesn't know
Omnipresent narrative ; panoramic, all seeing, view of the world of the story, not just one characters point of views
provides the POV of many different characters and their experiences within the story
Audience sees a broader background to the story.
Narrative endings: Closed and Open endings
Open endings: When an episode, or season, ends on a cliff hanger, A story telling technique. In films, open endings can be unsatisfying for audiences (if done wrong). In LFTVDs, opening endings can indicate there will be a continuation of the story, or possibly a resolution, in the next episode. Encourages the viewer to watch more.
Monday, 14 January 2019
Sunday, 13 January 2019
Stranger Things Representation
The representations in Stranger Things are not simple. There are complex gender representations , complex representations of age.
Going "Beyond the Binary".
Novelistic - multiple story lines and characters that are over a number of episodes and seasons. We see flashbacks that explain backgrounds.
Teenagers: Angst, stereotypical, Isolated from their family, breaking conventions
Family Life and relationships:
Mothers: Will's mum breaks codes and conventions , Mike's mum plays up stong conventions
Absent Fathers: Will's Dad - Gone, Mike's Dad - bad dad, shadows mum
Police:
Governments: Dehumanized.
Deceiving themes of power;
Going "Beyond the Binary".
Novelistic - multiple story lines and characters that are over a number of episodes and seasons. We see flashbacks that explain backgrounds.
Teenagers: Angst, stereotypical, Isolated from their family, breaking conventions
Family Life and relationships:
Mothers: Will's mum breaks codes and conventions , Mike's mum plays up stong conventions
Absent Fathers: Will's Dad - Gone, Mike's Dad - bad dad, shadows mum
Police:
Governments: Dehumanized.
Deceiving themes of power;
- Social workers - killing Benny
- Government - chasing Eleven
- Police - 'coffee and contemplation'
Key terms;
- Suburban
- Paranormal - light flicker, phone boom, Eleven stops fan, Creepy wall goop, Elevator man grab
- Constructed realism - middle class, quiet america
- Family life
- Signs (denotations/connotations)
- Self reflectivity
- Isolation, darkness, light, fear the monster
- Social groups, events and issues
Social groups;
- DRCAGES
- ability
- appearance
- lifestyle interests
- political values
- professions
Saturday, 12 January 2019
Monday, 7 January 2019
Long form TV dramas
In the exam, 1 long answer , 30 marks , 60 mins
1 Applying a theory , 10 marks , 25 mins
Institutional context: US network broadcasters must satisfy their advertisers and hold market share. They are controlled by federal regulation.
US cable television: Launched in 1970s, HBO was the 1st US national subscription cable TV channel. Other major US players include showtime and Fox.
Subscription VOD: 3/4 of UK households have personal viewer recorder (PVR) uptake but it has plateaued. The use of time shift is increasing. Growth of SVOD web based channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV is considerable.
Netflix dominates with 24% of UK market and £5m subscribers. 10% growth between 2015 - 16. Rise of binge watching started with DVD boxsets in late 90s / early 00s. Partially due to syndication problems in the UK.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Been a move from 'water cooler' tv to 'shared universe' fandom (as with cinema).
Rise of easter eggs - hidden references , in jokes (TV , Film and Video Games)
Why do audiences love LFTVD:
'State of the Nation' TV
Long form shows challenged the simplistic storylines and stereotypical characters that dominate network TV in the US e.g. CSI
HBO (Time Warner) launched The Sopranos in 1999 to 2007, which was a huge commercial and critical hit. Increasingly these shows were about the crisis of US identity & hegemony.
1 Applying a theory , 10 marks , 25 mins
Institutional context: US network broadcasters must satisfy their advertisers and hold market share. They are controlled by federal regulation.
US cable television: Launched in 1970s, HBO was the 1st US national subscription cable TV channel. Other major US players include showtime and Fox.
Subscription VOD: 3/4 of UK households have personal viewer recorder (PVR) uptake but it has plateaued. The use of time shift is increasing. Growth of SVOD web based channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV is considerable.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Been a move from 'water cooler' tv to 'shared universe' fandom (as with cinema).
Rise of easter eggs - hidden references , in jokes (TV , Film and Video Games)
Why do audiences love LFTVD:
- High quality dramas
- Multiple episodes , hours, years
- Content can be dark or difficult or innovative
- It now attracts some of the best and innovative writers and actors
- Time shifters, easily accessible
- Following the characters long term
- Characters development over 100s of hours
- Breaking codes / conventions e.g Plot armour
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Long form shows challenged the simplistic storylines and stereotypical characters that dominate network TV in the US e.g. CSI
HBO (Time Warner) launched The Sopranos in 1999 to 2007, which was a huge commercial and critical hit. Increasingly these shows were about the crisis of US identity & hegemony.
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
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