Camera Shots and Angles: Blog Task

There is a lot to take in for camerawork - We will be covering this across the next two weeks and returning to it when we study TV later this year.  

This task will also give us an opportunity to use everything we have learned about media language so far (denotation, connotation and mise-en-scene) to improve our media analysis.

Remember, writing analysis in Media means picking out the interesting or important aspects of something and then examining WHY or HOW they have been put together to create an effect on the audience.

Camera Shots: Notes

Learning to accurately identify different camera shots and the effect they have on an audience is a critical skill in Media Studies. 

Before long, you'll find yourself naturally identifying interesting examples of camera shots, movements or angles when you're watching movies, TV or YouTube. The key aspect is always to consider WHY the director has chosen to present the scene in that way - what are they trying to communicate to the audience?

Here's a great YouTuber for Film Studies - Darius Britt AKA D4Darius. Notice that he uses 'full shot' instead of long shot - but otherwise this is pretty much the same as the shots that we learn in class:

 

Camera shots recap:

• Wide shot / establishing shot (WS/ES)
• Long shot (LS)
• Medium shot (MS)
• Medium close up (MCU)
• Over-the-shoulder shot (OTS)
• Close up (CU)
• Big close up / Extreme close up (BCU/XCU)

Camera angle:

• High angle: makes subject look small and weak.
• Low angle: makes subject look big and powerful.
• Unusual perspective: can be used to surprise the audience or show danger (e.g. looking down off a cliff)

Here's a reminder graphic courtesy of resource site poetryessay.co.uk: 

Camerawork: Blog Tasks

We need to be able to recognise and analyse the camera shots and angles when studying film or television. As ever with media, we need to be able to explain the effect this camerawork has on the audience.

Create a blogpost called 'Camerawork blog tasks'.

Watch this clip from Doctor Who and complete the tasks below:

Blog tasks:

1) Pick three camera shots from the Doctor Who scene, take a screenshot and explain what type of shot it is and what meanings or effect they have on the audience.

2) Pick one camera angle that is used in the scene, take a screenshot and explain the effect it has on the audience. 

3) Pick one aspect of mise-en-scene from the scene, take a screenshot and explain what connotations are being communicated to the audience.

Extension task

Go back to the opening scene of Stranger Things that we analysed for mise-en-scene. What camera shots can you find that are significant in communicating meaning? Are there any particular camera angles used to tell the audience about the characters or narrative?

Due date: See Show My Homework

Example analysis: The Night Manager (BBC, 2016)

Here's an example of how you write media analysis for camerawork using this BBC drama clip from The Night Manager.

 

1) Three camera shots:

- The opening establishing shot clearly shows the characters getting off a boat and walking into the restaurant. This both sets the scene for the following action and also confirms the characters are very rich.

- The extreme close-up on the main character's eye at 0.52 successfully communicates the intensity of the scene and the mixture of fear and emotion he feels as he watches his son being kidnapped. This has the effect of causing the audience to sympathise with the main character and wonder what will happen to the boy after being taken.

- The over-the-shoulder shot at 1.13 shows the main character recognises the man who saved the boy and that the man with the face injuries is not who he says he is. Like many over-the-shoulder shots, it is also a medium close-up which allows the audience to see the confusion on the main character's face and the realisation that he has seen him before.

2) Camera angles:

- The power between the two key characters is shown using camera angles. The high angle shot at 1.21 looking down on the man who has been beaten up shows his powerlessness and that he will rely on others to make him better. He looks broken and defeated as the close-up shot from above shows him looking up at the main character. In contrast, the main character is shown in a low-angle close-up immediately afterwards (1.23) to show his power over the broken man. The camera is looking up at him from the perspective of the man on the floor. This introduces a clear power relationship between the two characters - emphasised by the dialogue at the end: "We're going to take care of you."

3) Mise-en-scene: 

- The restaurant setting helps to communicate the wealth and power that the main character is dealing with. It is clearly a luxurious destination and the way the family greets the owner shows they go here often. The costumes support this with characters wearing expensive clothes and wearing sunglasses. Arriving by boat also shows how rich and powerful the characters are.

Media Language: Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is a vital aspect of media language and builds nicely on our work on denotation and connotation.

Mise-en-scène is a French term meaning ‘Putting on Stage’. It refers to the Media language used by the producer in their media product to communicate with their audience so…everything we see on screen. We can remember what this includes using the acronym CLAMPS:

• Costume
• Lighting
• Actor placement and movement
• Make-up
• Props
• Setting

When we look at a clip, image or advert in Media Studies we need to be able to identify aspects of mise-en-scene and explain the effect it has on the audience.

This video explains the power of mise-en-scene in film analysis: 

Mise-en-scene: Blog tasks

Watch the opening of television drama ‘Stranger Things’, a science fiction story set in the 1980s when four friends get wrapped up in a dangerous alternate universe.



Create a new blogpost called 'Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things analysis'. 

1) Choose THREE aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. costume, lighting and setting) and write a short paragraph for each about the denotation and connotation and what is communicated to the audience.

For example: 

Costume: The character at the start is wearing a white lab coat. This suggests to the audience...

Lighting: 

Setting: 

Props: 

Actor placement/movement/expression: 

Extension tasks

Watch the extract again. Try and write an analysis of the other aspects of mise-en-scene. Work through all the aspects of CLAMPS (the mnemonic we use to remember mise-en-scene).

Now think about the clip more generally. What does this opening sequence suggest the series will be about in terms of narrative, character and genre? What is it that tells you this? 

Read this excellent article on the 1980s references in Stranger Things. Which of these links specifically to mise-en-scene? 

Finish this for homework if not finished in class.

Introduction to Photoshop

The initial Photoshop tasks are essential in building a foundation of knowledge for what will become one of your most useful tools whilst completing your Media Studies GCSE.

Every single task that you complete in today's lesson should be uploaded to your Blog under the heading 'Introduction to Photoshop'

Colour Tasks:

1. Firstly, you need to select a colour palette that you wish to replicate throughout your task. Some recommended options include:

Urban

Fashionable

Expensive

Skin-tone

Pastel 

Vibrant

Fresh

Youthful

Earth

Autumn

Winter

Fruity

Example: Urban

2. Secondly, you need to create a blank A4 page on Photoshop where you will copy your chosen image on to. Once you have done this, use the blank space below your image to create a colour palette based on your image. To do this, you will use the 'eyedropper' tool to grab a colour from your image, and the 'brush' tool to spread it across your page.

Example Palette:

3. Once you have created your palette, you should then create another A4 photoshop page and copy the blank parrot image onto it. You will then once again use the 'eyedropper' tool to select colours from your palette, followed by the 'paint bucket' tool to drop those colours into your parrot image. You should place a smaller version of your original image in the corner of your parrot image so that we can see the reference for your colour selections.

Example Finished Parrot:

Create a new blogpost in your GCSE Media blog called 'Introduction to Photoshop'.

1. When you have finished your Parrot task, click 'File', 'Export', 'Quick export as PNG' and save a PNG (image) of your Parrot to your Media Shared folder

2. Open up your blog and upload the PNG (image of your completed Parrot) to your blog

3. Write a short description of the type of colour palette you chose to represent from the list above and what image you chose and why? Give a brief description of how you found the task? Did you find any parts difficult? If you could do anything differently, what would you do and why?

Extension tasks:

1. Layer Task:

1. Firstly, open up the Photoshop file 'Layer Test' that your teacher has placed into your folder.

2. Secondly, look across at the layers that exist in the document. These all contain rectangles of increasing size. Your task is to reorder the layers so that I can see part of all of the rectangles in the document. You should not need to move any shapes out of the way, this is simply about reordering the layers to allow visibility.

Layer Section: 

2. Transform Task:

1. Firstly, open up the Photoshop file 'Transform Test' that your teacher has placed into your folder.

2. Find an image on Google Images that you want to use for this task. Use Ctrl+T to enter 'Transform' mode which will allow you to both move and resize the image that you have selected.

3. Once happy with the size of your original image, right click the layer that your image is in and click the 'duplicate layer' option to create a copy. Once you have done this twice, use Ctrl+T to change the size of your two copies to make them different from the original.

Example:

3. Text Task:

1. Firstly, open up the Photoshop file 'Text Test' that your teacher has placed into your folder.

2. Click the 'T' icon on the left hand sidebar to access the text tool. To create a text box, you should click and drag to make a box the size that you wish for it to be.

3. You are then going to create 3 text boxes all containing the phrase 'Media Studies' with the following requirements

    a. Birch Std Regular - Yellow - Size 32

    b. Snap ITC Regular - Purple - Size 48

    c. Forte Regular - Red - Size 72

4. Second Parrot Task:

Choose a different colour palette from the list above then find a new image from Google to repeat the Parrot task again. A new blank copy of the Parrot will be in the extension folder in your Media Shared drive.

Denotation and Connotation

Understanding denotation and connotation is the starting point for all Media Studies analysis.

Remember the definitions:

Denotation: the literal meaning of something
E.g. A rose is a garden plant

Connotation: the suggestion behind this literal meaning (reading between the lines)
E.g .The rose suggests romance and love.

When writing media analysis, you need to consider the following questions:

Denotation: what do you see?

Connotation: what is suggested? What does it mean?

Analysis: what is the effect on the audience? How is this effect created?

In order to help you structure your media analysis on your blogs. 

Think about:

What is shown in the advert? Setting/image/posture/costume?

What is the message of your advert? What is the mood?

How do the colour(s) of your advert reinforce the message and suggest the mood?

P - Point - Clear opening sentence where you establish your idea

E - Evidence - Referring a specific detail from one of our CSPs/Texts

T - Terminology/Technique/Theory - Apply media studies language to your chosen reference

A - Analysis - Analyse the effect of your chosen reference, linking it back to the question.

Example: Skittles

The Skittles print advert communicates meaning to an audience through the use of a symbolic media code. The symbol of the fist is being used to draw audience attention to the anchorage text (key information). The use of the word ‘fist’ is repeated in the text which could connote that this flavour is extremely sour and not everyone can handle this extraordinary taste. The producer’s message could be to communicate that this product is quite unique and their advertisement techniques are quite playful and add humour.

Denotation & Connotation blog tasks: Advert Analysis

Create a new blogpost in your GCSE Media blog called 'Denotation and connotation'.

1) Write an analysis of the WaterAid advert above using point, evidence, terminology, analysis. What can you see? What are the deeper meanings in the advert? What does the advert communicate to the audience? How might an audience react after seeing the advert?

2) Now choose your own choice of advert from Google images. Save it to your documents, insert it into your blogpost and write an analysis using denotation and connotation (point, evidence, terminology, analysis), explaining what the advert is communicating to the audience.

Extension: Print advert research

Read this design blog on some of the best print adverts of all time. Choose one advert that you feel is particularly powerful in terms of its use of connotations and analyse why it is so successful

Finish this for homework if you don't complete it in the lesson - due date on Show My Homework.

GCSE Media Key Concepts: blog task

Everything we study in GCSE Media over the next two years will be based around the theoretical framework. This means four key concepts: Language, Industries, Audience and Representation.

If you missed any of the notes from the lesson this should help:

Language

• The Language of Media Studies
• How we ‘read’ media texts
• Recognising the codes and conventions of media texts
• Key media terms e.g. genre… denotation… connotation… narrative… 

Industries

• The companies, organisations or regulators behind the media
• Most aspects of the media are a commodity: something that is bought and sold. There is competition and a demand for profit.
• Huge institutions are called multinationals e.g. News International
• Smaller institutions can include media texts we create ourselves (blogs etc.)

Audience

• The people who consume media products
• How does the media influence its audience? Who holds the power?
• How is an audience targeted? What do the audience enjoy or learn from the media product?
• Audience research: who exactly is buying our product?

Representation

• The people who consume media products
• How does the media influence its audience? Who holds the power?
• How is an audience targeted? What do the audience enjoy or learn from the media product?
• Audience research: who exactly is buying our product?

Key Concepts homework blog task

Create a new blogpost called 'Key Concepts film poster analysis' and complete the following tasks:

1) Find a film poster of your choice (use Google images) and add it to your blog post. You'll need to save it to My Pictures or a similar folder and then import the image using the 'insert image' icon in Blogger.

2) Write an analysis of the film poster on your blog using the four key media concepts: language, industries, audience and representation.

The key questions to ask:

Language: how do we know it is a film poster? What key conventions (typical features) of a film poster can you spot and what do they communicate to the audience?

Industries: who are the companies behind the film? Who directs or stars in the film? Who is making money from this media product? You may need to research this on the internet if it isn't clear on the poster.

Audience: who is the target audience for this film? How can we tell?

Representation: what representation of people or groups can we find in this poster? What does it tell the audience?

Challenge: choose a different media text - for example, a magazine cover or advert - and do another key concept analysis using language, industries, audience and representation.

Example: The Meg (2018)

Language

The Meg film poster is immediately recognisable as a film poster because the actor names are placed across the poster along the bottom just above the film's title. The title 'The Meg' is the largest text on the poster which clearly communicates to the audience that this is the title. The title is in bright green which stands out against the murky blue background and the greenish blue colour scheme has connotations of the sea and the science fiction film genre. The central image is of one person above a shark which is in turn above a much bigger shark. The light in the top left of the image could suggest safety or life - emphasising the danger and death of the sharks below. This image suggests the film has elements of horror. 

Industries

The Meg is a Warner Brothers film starring Jason Statham and it made $530m at the worldwide box office against a production budget of $130m. The director was Jon Turteltaub.

Audience

The target audience for The Meg would likely be teenagers - perhaps from 13-37 years old. The film was rated 12A by the BBFC. The target gender for The Meg would be both males and females but perhaps slightly more males as it involves giant sharks. In terms of audience pleasures, someone might enjoy The Meg because the shark attacks will be dramatic and full of action and danger. The film will provide escapism and jump scares to make them forget about normal life. The audience will also want the main character to survive and will be scared when they are in danger.

Representation

There is only one person on the film poster which makes it difficult to analyse the representation. However, the main star is Jason Statham and the character on the poster appears to be male so this perhaps reinforces the stereotype that action heroes are male. The sharks are represented in a very stereotypical way as they are presented as dangerous, hungry beasts. This is emphasised by the size differences of the sharks and person.

Due date: on Show My Homework

Welcome to GCSE Media!

Welcome to GCSE Media!

Welcome to GCSE Media Studies - We have a brilliant two-year journey ahead of us and can't wait to get started! 

Over the next two years you will create some amazing production work, learn a huge amount about analysing the media and end up with an excellent GCSE grade. All you need to do is work hard and be creative! 

Your first job is to start your GCSE Media blog and sign up to Google Classroom. 

You can find step-by-step text instructions to starting your blog here. 

Once you have your blog URL, email it to your teacher. The URL is the address on the browser that ends with .blogspot.co.uk or similar. For example:

Mr Pall's blog: http://mediamacguffingcse.blogspot.co.uk/ 

You will need to click the 'View blog' button in the bottom left in order to see your blog on the internet and copy the URL.

IMPORTANT: It is absolutely essential you remember your log-in details for this blog - it is your Media work book for next two years. The easiest way to do this is to use your school Google account to create your blog on blogger.com. 

First blog task

When you have set up your blog, it's time for your first blog post! Click on 'New Post' and put the title as 'First 10 questions'. You need to answer the following questions (detailed answers in full sentences please) as your first post:

1) Which part of Media are you looking forward to the most?

2) What knowledge and skills do you hope to learn in Media?

3) What grade are you realistically hoping to achieve in Media?

4) What device do you use most to access the media? (The media = news, TV, music, film, social media etc.) 

5) What is your average 'screen time' (or equivalent) on your phone each day. Is this about right, too little or too much? Why? 

6) What was the last TV programme or film you watched?

7) What device or subscription do you use to listen to music?

8) Do you play videogames? If so, what do you play games on and what is your favourite game?

9) Are you on social media? If so, what social media do you have and why do you like it? 

10) Finally, do you think the media is a positive or negative thing for young people? Why?

Extension tasks

Watch this clip from acclaimed BBC drama series Doctor Who - recently revamped in conjunction with Disney:

Why was the casting of Ncuti Gatwa a significant moment in the history of Doctor Who?

What aspects of this scene do you think an audience might enjoy? List at least three things and explain why the audience would enjoy each aspect. 

How is this scene constructed to tell the audience the history of Doctor Who? Think about the script, camerawork and acting.

What can you spot in Doctor Who that you will find in most television dramas? (E.g. characters, dramatic music etc.) These are called key conventions - list as many as you can think of. 

What would a Doctor Who fan ('Whovian') like or dislike about this scene?

Note: If the YouTube clip isn't working please let your Media teacher know.

Finish these questions for homework if you don't manage to get through them in the lesson - due date on Show My Homework.

If you DO finish everything - well done! Spend some time looking through our Media blog, particularly at last year's Media student blogs. This will give you an idea of the fantastic work you will be producing over the next two years.

GCSE Media Studies: Coursework

The summer project is a fantastic opportunity to start planning your music video or promotional website.

Your summer project contains compulsory and optional elements; everybody will be completing some research around either music videos or sports personality websites, coming up with some initial concepts and drafting a statement of intent for your coursework idea. However, if you wish to plan and film/photograph some key elements for your production over the summer while you have time available we would fully support you in this approach.

Coursework Briefs

Sports Personality Websites: Brief 4

1. Marcus Rashford

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

3. Naomi Osaka

4. Alysa Liu

Music Videos (Community Focused): Brief 5

1. Kendrick Lamar - Alright

2. Justin Bieber - Intentions

3. Pharrell Williams - Happy

4. Beyonce - Brown Skin Girl

Summer Project Tasks

Complete the following tasks on a blogpost on your Media blog called 'GCSE Media Studies: Coursework':

Place a heading at the top of your blog post called 'Summer Project Tasks' as this same blog post will later be used for redrafts of your statement of intent and your ongoing coursework tracker.

Task 1: Research and Textual Analysis (Understanding Conventions)

Objective: Understand how industry professionals establish branding, use media language, and create a "house style."

Choose ONE of the options below to analyse, depending on which brief you are leaning toward:

• Brief 4 (Sports Promotion): Find the official website and social media feeds (e.g., Instagram/TikTok) of a real sports personality or presenter (e.g., Marcus Rashford, Serena Williams, Alex Scott).

• Brief 5 (Music Video): Choose an official music video by an established band or solo artist that tells a clear story or features a strong community of fans.

Your Blog Post Requirements:

1. Mise-en-scène & Visual Style: Take 3 screenshots. Use the CLAMPS acronym (Costume, Lighting, Actor placement/movement, Make-up, Props, Setting) to explain how a specific mood or brand identity is created. What are the denotations and connotations of these choices?

2. Target Audience: Who is this media product aimed at? Explain how the language, tone, and visual style appeal directly to this target audience.

3. Branding / House Style: 

• If you chose the Music Video: How does the video make the audience feel like they are part of a fan community? How does it build the artist's brand?

• If you chose the Sports Website: How do they maintain a consistent look (fonts, colours, logos) between the website and social media?

Task 2: Establishing a Concept & Brand Identity

Objective: Practice brainstorming an original concept, identity, and narrative framework.

Now, you will invent a fictional sports personality OR a fictional music artist/band.

Your Blog Post Requirements:

1. The Bio: Write a brief introduction to your fictional person/group.

   • Sports: What is their sport? What is their role? What charity, cause, or social issues do they champion/support?

   • Music: What is the name of the band/artist? What is their musical genre? What is the core style/vibe of their brand?

2. Logo and House Style Mood Board: Create a visual mood board (Collection of images) for your concept. It must include:

• A colour palette (3–4 specific colors that reflect their identity). Tool: https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel

• Font styles that fit the genre/sport. 

• Some logo examples that might be used to inspire your own person/band that establishes the brand in the way that you envision.

Task 3: Website/Music Video Planning

Objective: Consider the practicalities of your production and what is required to make this possible.

Plan out the basic details for your website/music video. Complete the following on your blog:

1. Plan for music video/website (narrative/performance/message etc.): 
2. Link to brief (positive role model for website/sense of community for music video):
3. Actors/performers you plan to use: 
4. Locations: 
5. Costume/make-up/props required: 

Task 4: Statement of Intent

On the same Summer Project blogpost, write the rough first draft of your 300-word Statement of Intent for the website/music video you plan to create. The final draft of this document will be submitted to the exam board alongside your music video production/website and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.

Guidance and minimum requirements can be found in the AQA brief from their NEA Student Booklet.

We also strongly recommend you look at our Statement of Intent questions to consider document too.

Extension - Task 5: Going for the Top Bands (Advanced Media Theory)

Objective: Show the examiners you can apply higher-level thinking to push your work into the top grade boundaries.

Look closely at the "In the top bands, students may..." sections on the assessment briefs. Write a short paragraph on your blog addressing one of the following strategies for your project next term:

1. Intertextuality: How could you include cross-references to other famous media products, films, or campaigns to make your project more clever and engaging?

2. Subverting Expectations: How could you create a complex or deliberately ambiguous representation of your artist/athlete to challenge the typical stereotypes or audience expectations of that genre?