A2 Exam Revision - Media Concepts

7/31/2019 A2 Exam Revision - Media Concepts

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Dale Luck Critical Perspectives A2 Media Studies

Exam Notes

1

Production Practices

Digital Technology

Panasonic HDC-SD60

Hardware video camera Used for filming both the AS film opening and A2 music video Much better for filming than cameras that use tape, but no audio input jack Also used to record the continuity and lipsyncing tasks at AS and A2

o AS Continuity Task Learnt how to get to grips with the basic functions of the camera

o AS Film Opening Learnt about basic shot uses (close ups, wide shots, etc.) Camera automatically seperated different shots, unlike tape (+)

Adobe Photoshop CS5

Software - image manipulation program Used for ancillary products and making the weblog more aesthetically pleasing Complicated to use, but very powerful once you get the hang of it

o Magazine Advertisement Rule of Three + Two Fonts Images manipulated to be black and white and re-sized

o Album Cover Rule of Three + Conventions of Information Placement Inspired by the album Revolutions: Live at Wembley by Biffy Clyro

Colour scheme kept the same (red, black and white) Placement of cover content kept the same Photographs of band performing used

Images manipulated to be black and white and re-sized Mode of Address same fonts used on both, style of photos kept the same House Style - black and white performance photos, juxtaposition of colours

Adobe After Effects CS5 Software video editing program Used for the editing of both the AS and A2 main and induction tasks Complicated to use, good for special effects, bad for just normal editing

o AS Continuity Task Learned the basics of how to edit videos together

o AS Film Opening Learnt how to use special effects and addition of credits

o A2 Lipsyncing and Music Video Learnt how to properly synchronise sound and colour grading

Weblogs for audience feedback, Scribd and the like for uploading materials (Web 2.0)


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Exam Notes

2

Creativity

AS Film Opening

Inspiration: Reservoir Dogs ;American Psycho ; Dextero Clothing formal attire (American Psycho ; Reservoir Dogs)o Colour Scheme starch white with bright red blood (American Psycho)o Music juxtaposition for atmosphere (American Psycho ; Reservoir Dogs)

Conventions kept to whilst using original content Restricted by course specifications that forced use of special effects, etc.

A2 Ancillary Products

Digipako Inspiration: Live at Wembleyby Biffy Clyro

Colour Scheme red w/ black and white photographs Content performance photographs Layout rule of three used by the cover

Magazine adverto Inspiration: Live At Wembley+ Santogolds Lights Out

Colour Scheme low amount of colours (Santogold) Content performance photographs (Biffy Clyro) Layout rule of three, use of photographs (Santogold)

Restricted by course specification to use conventions and inspirationA2 Music Video

Inspiration: Death Cab For Cutie (Bixby Canyon Bridge), Elbow (Lippy Kids)o Content live performance, shots mirroring Elbow music videoo Colour Scheme link to ancillary productso Costumes smart, but not too formal, mirroring Death Cab For Cutie

Restricted by course specification to use lipsyncing in a majority of it..+.. Bentley making of new, re-arranging of old (intertextuality)

..+.. David Gauntlett creating something new (created new content)

..- Technology eliminates all creativity (allowed me to make what I want)

..- Planning eliminates all creativity (was required to create the product)

..- Cant learn from studying old texts (conventions, intertextuality)


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Exam Notes

3

Research and Planning

Types of research primary and secondary (personal research and found research)

Pros and cons of sources cost, time spent, reliability, accuracy, usefulness

Organisation of research blog use, research referencing, development over time

Planning drafts and audience feedback gained

Organisation of planning deadlines, production schedules, communication, pros and cons

Presentation of planning use of creativity and digital technology

How it informed the practical work how it all affected the final product

AS Film Opening

Conventions were researched into the genre used (secondary)

Audience was formed from assumptions made (primary)

Studied films for style, character stereotypes, use of sound and colour (primary)

Films were time consuming to study, but useful for the end productOthers were quick, though audience research had debatable usefulness

Organization was done via Blogger, and convention research was referenced

Storyboards, small drafts and ideas were posted, audience feedback achieved

Audience feedback lead to simplification of plot and locations used

Deadlines met, as were production schedules

Small team of two, so good communication, but compromises had to be made

Presented via YouTube for video and Scribd for storyboards

Practical work was highly affected by all research, except for audience (?)


Print conventions were researched and applied (secondary) rule of three

Albums were studied personally and similar styles used in end product (primary)

Style of certain bands linked to music choice was applied (primary)

None of it was time consuming, but usefulness of style research is debatable

Organization was done via Blogger, and convention research was referenced

Prototypes were posted onto the blog and feedback was gained

Lead to complete change of digipak and advert

Solo work, much greater control over content but more time consuming

Presented via uploading the prototypes straight to the blog, practical work affected

A2 Music Video

Music video conventions were researched and applied (secondary)

Music videos and bands researched for style and inspiration (primary)

Organization done via Blogger, convention research was referenced

Information on band posted and feedback obtained, leading to complete change

Two people in team, made research a lot quicker, but harder to come to decisions

Presented research via YouTube, Scribd, etcetera. and feedback gained throughout

Research had a big impact on the final product Elbow and Death Cab For Cutie


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Exam Notes

4

Post-Production

AS Coursework Image Manipulation and Video Editing

What Was Done:

Photos of iPod and television were captured to replace shaky shots Special effects were createduse of television and blurred vision Video files were cut together to match the storyboard set beforehand Music was added to keep to conventions of film openings (diegetic)

Tools:

Photoshop CS5 (+ powerful, - learning curve) After Effects CS5 (+ powerful, - not suitable for just cutting, - learning curve)

Strengths and Weaknesses:

..+.. already proficient at using Photoshop, so less time consuming ..+.. had gotten to grips with the basics ofAfter Effects already ..- but rendering the final video was a big learning process (difficulties)

A2 Coursework Image Manipulation and Video Editing

What Was Done:

Advert photos edited, fonts downloaded, stars found and used Digipak photos edited, masks used, fonts downloaded, conventions used Video color grading, video cutting, lipsyncing, music synchronisation

Tools:

Photoshop CS5 (+ powerful, - learning curve) After Effects CS5 (+ powerful, - not suitable for just cutting, - learning curve)

Strengths and Weaknesses:

..+.. already proficient at using Photoshop, so less time consuming ..+.. render difficulties already gotten over from last year

Progression

Photoshop skills got bettero Image manipulation i.e. color balancingo Visual effects i.e. gradient usage, converting to black and white

Video editing skills got bettero Synchronisation of sound and video got better (not much thought to it at AS)o Creation of special effects (extended to color grading)o Handling rendering the video


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Exam Notes

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Media Conventions

Talk about how you encoded to create a preferred/open/closed meaning for the audience

Stuart Hallpreferred meanings are encoded, but different meaning can be decoded

Umberto Eco open text has many meanings ; closed text has a very specific meaning

Barthes images = polysemic, can have preferred meaning through anchorage (text/music)

AS Film Opening

Macro Analysis

Pre-Production (what was done)

To create a similar atmosphere toAmerican Psycho (disconcerting) Planned to be from killers perspective Conventions of horror genre to be used to target specific audience Linear series of events to be split apart by film credits

Production and Post-Production (how it was done)

Juxtaposition of music and content to add to the atmosphere Use of indexical signs (Pierce) to connote meaning of content Perspective established by blocking view of victim early on

Micro Elements (mode of address/persuasion)

Mise-En-Scene costume intertextuality for audience targetting

Camerawork close ups and slow-ish pace for horror conventions

Editing perspective of killer for intellectual puzzle

Sound juxtaposition of music and content for disconcerting atmosphere


Macro Analysis

Pre-Production (what was done)

Conventions of print, specifically the rule of three and the placementof information on the page

Types of shots that would be required (link to video) The review sites to mention and the ratings given to the band The store names to include The font to use for the band name (magazine + digipak) What program to use (Photoshop use of layers and effective tools)

Production and Post-Production (how it was done)

Juxtaposed photograph colour scheme with the information shown Arranged group photo in the middle as largest to draw focus Arranged the rest of them to be tiled around it for added interest

Micro Elements (mode of address/persuasion)

Mise-En-Scene style of band links to Death Cab For Cutie and audience

Camerawork long shot for main photograph to draw focus, close shots else

Editing black and white colour edit to contrast font and bright colours


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Exam Notes

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Media Concepts

Genre

Use of conventions (inc. deviations)

Steve Neale

genres are both repetititious and different from past genre textsThomas Schatz order (male-dominant, individual, contested space) or integration

Narrative structure (open/closed, ambiguous/linear)

Representations used stereotypical to the genre

Tom Ryall iconographies and representations

Rick Altman emotional and visceral pleasures created by said iconographies

Ideologies used from the genre

Rick Altmanintellectual puzzle created by hidden identity of murderer

Narrative

Describe the series of events in the film opening briefly

Mise-en-scene costumes, intertextuality, camera work, colour scheme and music

Proppfalse hero (somebody who thinks they are the hero)

Barthes enigma / semantic / symbolic / cultural code

Strauss binary oppositions (good and bad, rich and poor)

Representation

Who is being represented?

Status upper-middle class

Gender male

How are they being represented?

Media language

Use of positive/negative stereotypes

David Gilmoreman the provider/protector/impregnator (provider

Laura Mulveymale gaze (both are seen to be unwavering, classy, and organized)

Why are they being represented in this way?

Audience recognition and expectations of the genre and character types


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Exam Notes

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Audience

Define audiences location, consumption, size and subjectivity

How did you attract your target audience (media language, representation, conventions)?

How were audience theories incorporated?

Adorno and HorkheimerHypodermic Needle Model take in values/ideas/info shown

McQuail Uses and Gratifications Model consumption motivated by individual needs

Needs of audience: entertainment, empathy with content, gossip, information

Avoids idea of a passive audience, enables thinking of them as active consumers

Stuart Halldifferent perspectives to decode it by preferred, negotiated, oppositional

Why was this specific audience targeted?

Media Language

Camera

Editing

Lighting

Sound

Mise-en-scene

Special effects

Piercewe only think in signs, which society attributes meaning to

Icons to imitate something to some extent

Indexes an observed or inferred link to something (e.g. smoke to fire)

Symbolsdoesnt mean anything to the audience unless learnt (e.g. language, flags)

Fiskedenotations are what is photographed, connotations is how it is photographed

Stuart Hall texts are encoded by producers, but meaning is decoded by audiences

A2 Exam Revision - Media Concepts

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