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 ‘Put 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. Mise-en-scene: Blog task 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'. 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.
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? Example: Skittles
Denotation: There is some text with colourful streams behind each letter set around a pack shot of the product itself. The background appears to be sky. Connotation: The advert builds on the slogan for Skittles ‘Taste the rainbow’. The connotation of the colour suggests that Skittles are joyful, fun and will provide a positive experience for the audience. The colours are vibrant and the sky in the background creates connotations of flying – this suggests to the audience that this is an exciting product.
Analysis: The advert helps the audience understand the product as the colours reflect the actual Skittles themselves. In addition, the text across the top of the advert (referring to a ‘punch in the mouth’) uses humour to connect with the audience and suggests the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. This adds to the positive, happy brand values that are suggested by the construction of the advert.
Blog task: 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 denotation, connotation and 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, 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 next week Thursday.
The fruit bowl task is a wonderfully creative way to learn some key skills in Photoshop. Once you have finished your fruit bowl, you need to post it to your blog. Create a blog post called 'Photoshop fruit bowl' and complete the following tasks: 1) Save your fruit bowl as a JPEG image in Photoshop - remember to save it in your own folder on the Media Shared drive. To save as a JPEG image, go to 'Save as' and then use the drop-down menu for 'File type' and choose JPEG.
2) Post your fruit bowl (or bowls if you did more than one) to your blog by clicking the 'add image' icon and locating the correct JPEG image. 3) Write a short explanation of the colour palette you used and the effect you were trying to create when designing your fruit bowl. You may need to complete the last part - the explanation - for homework. Due:next Tuesday.
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. You can find step-by-step text instructions here. Once you have your blog URL, post it as a comment below with your name clearly written next to it and email it to your teacher. For example: Mr Pall's blog: http://mediamacguffingcse.blogspot.co.uk/ IMPORTANT: It is absolutely essential you remember your log-in details for this blog - it is your Media work book for next two years. Make sure you do the following:
If possible, add your mobile phone number so you can get a code by text if you forget your password
Email your log-in details to yourself using your SCHOOL email address
Write a reminder of your blog URL, log-in and password in your planner
First blog task When you have set up your blog, it's time for your first blog post! Important: make sure you click on 'New Post' and NOT 'New Blog' when starting this process - it is a common mistake. You need to answer the following questions (detailed answers in full sentences please) as your first post: 1) Which part of the course are you looking forward to 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 was the last TV programme or film you watched?
5) Why do you think that TV programme or film appealed to an audience?
6) What technology have you used to access the media in the last 24 hours? (Radio, TV, phone etc.)
7) What device do you use most to access the media?
8) Watch this clip from acclaimed BBC drama series Doctor Who:
9) Why was the casting of Jodie Whittaker a significant moment in the history of Doctor Who?
10) 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. Extension question: 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. Extension question 2: What would a Doctor Who fan ('Whovian') particularly enjoy about this scene? Note: If the YouTube clip isn't working please let your Media teacher know. While you're waiting for the issue to be resolved, read up on this episode of Doctor Who on the brilliant IMDB website.
Finish these questions for homework if you don't manage to get through them in the lesson - due first lesson next week.
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.
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 today's 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 impact do the key conventions have on 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? 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?
Example: Splice (2009)
Language
The title and tag-line, release date and billing block (information about the Director and the production company) all follow the expected codes and conventions of a film poster. The effect created here is…
Industries
The film was produced by Dark Castle (for Universal Entertainment) who are associated with horror… It was executively produced by Guillermo del Toro who is a well known director. It was commercially successful (being the highest grossing Canadian feature film in 2010)…
Audience
This looks like it would be targeted at an audience of mixed gender (although perhaps slightly more female?) An adult age range might apply due to the 15 certificate and the content which includes hybridity and genetic experimentation…
Representation
The focal picture shows a female in a dominant position with another female confronting her. There is a male in the background which is perhaps unusual, particularly in science fiction…
The summer project is a fantastic opportunity to start planning your TV advert. Your summer project contains compulsory and optional elements; everybody will be researching TV adverts for body spray brands, creating a new TV advert idea and then writing a Statement of Intent first draft. However, if you wish to plan and film your production over the summer while you have time and actors available we would fully support you in this approach. Summer project tasks Complete the following tasks on a blogpost on your Media blog called 'Summer Project: coursework planning': 1) Research: lifestyle TV adverts Watch the following TV adverts that use narrative and media language to create an aspirational lifestyle and brand. Answer the questions for each advert: Nike: Nothing Beats a Londoner
Narrative: What is the story of the advert? Audience: What does the advert suggest about the lifestyle of someone who uses this product or brand? Representations: What representations of young people can you find in this advert?
Publix: Graduation Narrative: What is the story of the advert? Audience: What does the advert suggest about the lifestyle of someone who uses this product or brand? Representations: What representations of young people can you find in this advert? Lynx: Is it OK for guys... Narrative: What is the story of the advert? Audience: What does the advert suggest about the lifestyle of someone who uses this product or brand? Representations: What representations of young people can you find in this advert? Additional research: optional extension Depending on your coursework plan and the type of advert you wish to create, you may want to research additional TV adverts. You can make optional additional notes on other TV adverts here. 2) TV advert planning and Statement of Intent Plan out the brand of body spray you will advertise and the narrative for your new, original TV advert. Next, write the first draft of your genuine 300-word Statement of Intent. The final draft of this will be submitted to the exam board alongside your TV advert and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available. Guidance is provided by AQA in their NEA Student Booklet but we strongly recommend you also look at our Statement of Intent suggested content document too.
Summer project deadline: all tasks above due in first week back in September
Summer project: optional extensions Pre-production tasks Some students have already expressed an interest in filming their TV adverts over the summer break. This makes a huge amount of sense - far more availability of actors, much more time to schedule filming etc. However, if you want to do this, you need to complete the following aspects of pre-production: Script Write a script for your TV advert. You'll find guidance for writing a script for a TV advert... . Shot list Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film for your advert AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find an example here for a student film shot list. It makes sense to write your shot list by scene or location rather than a huge list of every shot in the extract in chronological order. Mise-en-scene What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre, lifestyle and setting of your advert? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. Shooting schedule Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the summer. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it! Non-assessed participants You will need to provide a written record of all non-assessed participants in your production work. Keep a record of everyone involved - actors, camerawork, sound etc. You will also need a keep a record of any non-original sound you used and note it on the Candidate Record Form. Keep these on your blog for easy reference when submitting your work later this year. Production: Filming Once you have completed your pre-production tasks, you can film as planned. If you are unable to film over the summer, we will have time to film this production in September. Good luck!
The coursework briefs have been released and we can now turn our attention to the most creative side of the course. The coursework unit is worth 30% of your GCSE so it's a brilliant opportunity to put marks in the bank before the final exams at the end of next year. Coursework brief: TV advert The brief we have selected is Brief 5: TV advert. The requirements are: Create one television advert for a body spray. The moving image advert should convey aspirations and a successful lifestyle, which is then attached by implication to the product. The advert must be between 60 and 80 seconds in length. The advert should be aimed at teenagers, who are 14 to 18 years of age. This advert should not focus on the qualities of the product. It should focus on the type of people the potential consumers aspire to be.
You need to submit a 300-word Statement of Intent and a 60-80 second completed video production to finish this coursework. Full details are available in the AQA NEA Student Booklet. We will have the first eight weeks of next year to complete the work. The first part of this project is a summer project which will allow you to research TV adverts and start planning your own coursework production. Introduction to TV advertising TV advertising has come a long way since it first appeared in the 1950s. Adverts in the modern age tend to focus on lifestyle and brand rather the qualities of the actual product. There are many incredible, creative examples of adverts that have become viral sensations and we now need to come up with an original idea to attract the hard-to-reach 14-18 teenage audience demographic. TV advert conventions: narrative / lifestyle The key conventions of lifestyle TV advertising include:
Characters that appeal to the target audience
Narrative
Sound: music / dialogue / voiceover
Fast-paced editing
Stereotypes (to communicate information to audience quickly)
Pack shot of product
Text on screen
Logo / slogan
'Call to action' / social media details
TV advert examples Watch these example adverts and identify at least three of the conventions of TV advertising for each: Rightmove - Life's steps Sure - #nevermoresure Eden Hazard Taco Bell - Web of Fries Use these clips as inspiration for your coursework production. Good luck!
