Representation

Representation is linked to gender, age, class and ethnicity. A key in the study of representation concern is with the way in which representations are made to seem ‘natural’. Systems of representation are the means by which the concerns of ideologies are framed; such systems‘position’ their subjects. Stuart Hall in his video-lecture "Representation & the Media," describes representation as the act of re-presenting a meaning that already exists. Hall concludes that representation is the way in which meaning is given to depict images and words, which stand for something else. Similarly, Hall concludes “representation has no fixed meaning until it has been represented”. Media producers inevitably make choices: they select and combine, they make events into stories, they create characters, they invite us to see the world in a particular way. Media offer us versions of reality. But audiences also compare media with their own experiences, and make judgments about how far they can be trusted. Media representations can be real in some ways and not in others: we may know that something is fantasy, yet it can still tell us about reality. The media constructs views of the real world for us to read and interpret. These views having been mediated provide filtered and partial meanings. However we mostly ignore this selection and often fail to question the language and images that are used. Like wallpaper they are just there. In order for our students to begin to see behind their backs we need to show them how such meanings are constructed to appear 'natural'. ll media messages are ‘constructed.’ We should not think of media texts (newspaper articles, TV shows, comic books to name just a few) as “natural” things. Media texts are built just as surely as buildings and highways are built. The building materials involved vary from one kind of text to another. In a magazine, for example, there are words in different sizes and typefonts, photographs, colors, layout and page location. The Male Gaze The Male gaze is a term from film theory. It is used to describe when the audience is put into the perspective of a (heterosexual) man. Female characters are sexualized, and the camera may zero in on female body parts considered sexual. Applying the male gaze: Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball A close up of Miley instantly complies with the male gaze theory, however it is perhaps a more milder version of what is to come. Her red lips and blue eyes portray her femininity and also present her as an attractive woman, that a male heterosexual audience would be attracted to. The next shot reveals Miley acting intimately with a sledge hammer, which is usually regarded as a masculine object so could perhaps so her trying to subvert her femininity. Despite this, Miley still appears sexualised through her actions and the distinctiveness of the red lipstick which could give sexual connotations. The provocative shot connotes that Miley is an object of sexual desire which instantly appeals to male viewers. However, Miley is in control over the ball and therefore you could argue that she does have some power and is not totally seen as a sexual object. After her video being deemed a controversial one, Miley has defended her video with the following statements: I am represented as naked to show myself as emotionally destroyed and have becomes stripped (hurting inside) The wrecking ball is symbolic to destructive love

Main Task

Preliminary Task

Evaluation - Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation - Question 6

What have you learned about technologies from the constructing of your product?

Evaluation - Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation - Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation - Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation - Question 2

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation - Question 1

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

500 days of summer

The film starts off on what turns out to be the most important day for Tom, day 488, which is the last day he sees Summer in the 500 days of. It shows a brief glimpse of where the story's headed, without the audience realizing the significance of the shot. It then goes on to introduce the characters and their backstory. In the opening monologue, the narrator states, "this is not a love story." This kind of confuses us, because we had just be shown these two people very happily sitting together, 488 days into their relationship. Automatically this has intrigued the audience as they are wanting to figure out why this bold statement has just been said by the narrater, who's voice is unknown. (500) Days of Summer is presented in a non-chronological format, each scene being introduced by which of the 500 days. 

The target audience of this movie is easily related to many different types of people as it shows the infatuation and obsession that we all experience with love and break ups. The film takes a more 'indie' approach to the traditional love story which is more realistic perhaps compared to other romantic films.

The opening titles of this movie are lighthearted and playful, yet romantic. Animations are used along with shots of a girl and a boy throughout different stages of their lives. An old camera style is used emphasising the reality of this film helping the audience relate with it more. The animations in between show different day numbers, with the surrounding images allowing the audience to know if this particular day was good or bad. For example, on day 1, which is a good day, happy animations of a summers day are shown. The titles are shown in a simplistic way, fading in and out between each set of clips shown. The dissolving of the clips that are shown suggests that they are all memories, fading away as distant memories from the past. This gives the movie a relaxed feel. 

After the lighthearted opening titles, the very next scene is from day 290. This is the day that Summer and Tom broke up. The placement of this scene at first seems a little odd, but in fact is the best choice for the film. Showing this scene so early on not only sets the tone for the audience, giving them a taste of where the story is headed, but it also tells them that, that they break up well under the 500 days, showing there is more to this story than originally thought. This already tells us that maybe, there will be a happy ending after all. 

The entire movie is really viewed through the lens of Tom's perspective. The jumping back and forth in time symbolizes Tom's memory of what happened. As the ending narration says, "Most days are not special. They begin and end with no lasting memories being formed." Which is why there are only a select number of days out of the 500 that are showcased here. These are the lasting memories. This is what Tom remembers. The best and the worst. 

For the party scene, the filmmakers decided to use a split-screen technique. On the left side shows Tom's expectations of what the party will be like. On the right side is the painful reality. The scene is almost so heartbreaking to watch, that it makes you feel Tom's pain. Watching what you want to happen, but right next to it watching the cold reality of relationships is such a startling thing to see in a film. This makes it very easy for the target audience to relate, because we all have experienced not getting what we quite want. 
The film is definitely about love but it’s also about loss and dreams and growing up. It’s even about memory, and how it can mislead us and cause problems for us. Many people will relate with this, and the simplicity of the story being told makes the movie more effective. The mise en scene used in this film is simplistic but also unique to the specific character. For example, summer's clothes are quite uniquely styled, showing of her personality of being different to others around her.

Imaginary Forces - 500 Days of Summer from Imaginary Forces on Vimeo.

The Vow

The opening scene of this movie starts of very simple, but seconds in the simplicity suddenly turns into a dramatic twist. Paige and her husband Leo come out of a movie theater. On their way home, at a stop sign, Paige unbuckles her seatbelt to lean over and kiss Leo. At that very moment, a truck rams their car from behind and Paige crashes through the windshield. Both of them are rushed to the emergency room, and as Leo, in a voice-over talks about how "moments of impact help in finding who we are" the movie cuts to how Paige and Leo first met.  
The scenes of how they courted, proposed and became a happy married couple are now shown. This instantly grasps the audiences attention as they're emotions are already being affected before they have even got to know the personality of the characters. The dissolves show that these are distant memories, the bright colours used and laughter from all the characters show the audience that they were a happy couple who seemed to be living a simplistic life but a life that they found perfect because of their intimate relationship. 
The scenery of the snow, almost winter wonderland like, gives the impression that all is peaceful, however, a cold and harsh reality is about to hit them. When the devastating twist is revealed the audience are left feeling emotionally tied to these characters, almost saddened by what was happened. 
The titles are shown throughout this opening scene. There is a simple stye used, the words simple dissolve in and out. Over this a soft sound of a string orchestra can be heard, almost as if the instruments are trying to get into tune. This adds to the opening scene as it adds to the atmosphere of trying to make something perfect, and get everything just right. This this becomes into a soft melody accompanying  the words of the characters. When the car crashes the loud, harsh noises of the class can be heard smashing into millions of tiny pieces. This brings more feelings to the audience, scared, confused and sad. The  dramatics of this opening seen appeals to me as it entices the audience and is a perfect introduction to the story that is about to lead. 

The target audience is directed towards women, the romantic love story theme appeals to most women. Its also directed towards couples perhaps more than males on their own. This is achieved with the typical romantic drama genre shinning through from the beginning with all the focus of the film being on a couple. The happy ending also makes it more appealing as women tend to enjoy romances that have their bad episodes but end up with the perfect happy ending, as women relate to this. It also builds to a climax that's genuinely romantic and moving, though not quite in the way you expect. 
The story is told from Leo's view, although Paige was the one who was physically hurt, it shows the emotional struggle he experienced through his narration. This narration helps entice the audience as it allows them to become more emotionally linked with the tragedy this character is experiencing. Narrative is the art of storytelling, making this movies technique of narration work successfully.  
the soundtrack used in this movie is used at different points of the film for different effects. For example when the 2 main characters are in the car, and Leo begins to sing along with the radio, a playful, care free mood is portrayed. At other points of the movie more romantic styled songs are used to add to the strong love that the 2 characters have for each other. 

Juno

 An important part to making a title sequence work is to relate the titles to the film. The titles in the opening to Juno are quite childlike and similar to the comic book theme; still making links between the main character Juno and the film. The titles themselves are of a large size and are made to look three dimensional. The titles also link into the season that is first introduced in the opening sequence as they seem to be moving in the wind, like the leaves after they fell off a tree. In one part it appears that a title is placed on a fence, this connotes something about the character Juno that much like the title she is stuck between making a decision linking back to the saying “sitting on the fence”. Because the titles are so childlike and arty, it yet again enforces how Juno still has her inner child but is becoming more aware of it as the possibility of her bringing a child into the world becomes more like reality than a daydream. There is clever used of soft pastel background colours which contrast with the hard colours of Juno's clothing. She is contrasting the soft background, and really stands out. Also, at some points there is no colour at all in the background, but Juno stays coloured in. The whole film has a very similar 
sounding soundtrack and songs are used regularly. 
The opening lasts as long as the song does, it is quite 
a happy song which match the calmness of the opening. At this point in the film the viewer is unaware that Juno is pregnant so don't understand where she is going. The music almost tricks the viewer into thinking she is going somewhere nice and fun, when in fact she is going to find out her fate. The names of those involved in creating the film appear on numerous places in the animated form of the town. For example, on walls or windows. We are introduced into the character of Juno, and all we know about her is she is young, apparently likes Sunny D and is going somewhere. We have no reason to dislike her, and she looks like quite a nice girl so the audience is more likely to be sympathetic to her once they discover her situation. The titles give an impression that this is a low budget indie film due to the use of the basic animation. Not many clues are given to the genre, we know it will relate to young people so assume it will be some sort of teen movie. It doesn't really grip the viewer, but charms them. 

The establishing shot in Juno establishes the main character straight away, a close up of her face shows a lot about her personality, in terms of mise en scene, she doesn’t have very neat hair and she is drinking ‘Sunny D’ out of a big bottle. Her expression is very laid back and indolent. She is portrayed as very careless and free straight away in the sequence and rest of the film.
The non-diegetic music that starts to play whilst the character ‘Juno’ begins walking, completely replaces any other noise that could be playing during the introduction, this itself could suggest that she is in her ‘own world’ which could perhaps bring into question as to why she doesn’t want to live in reality. This method of music and titles is simple and effective, here with the addition o the carton like moving images being shown, makes it more appealing and attractive to the audience. 

My Sisters Keeper

Conceived by means of in vitro fertilization, Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) was brought into the world to be a genetic match for her older sister, Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), who suffers from acute promyelocytic leukemia, in order to keep her alive. Her family members are introduced one by one and each tells about how Kate's illness has affected them personally and the family. When Kate turns 15, she goes into renal failure. Eleven-year-old Anna knows that she will be forced by her parents to donate one of her kidneys. She also realizes that she may not be able to live the life she will want to lead - she may be unable to cheer-lead, play soccer, or be a mother. Anna tells her parents that she does not want any of this, and proceeds to sue them for medical emancipation and the rights to her own body. Her overprotective mother, Sara (Cameron Diaz), who leads an obsessive campaign to keep Kate alive, is indignant at Anna's decision and even strikes her across the face when she receives the notice of intended prosecution. The film is interlaced with flashbacks that detail Kate and Anna's closeness, as well as how Kate's illness has affected her siblings' lives and their relationships. 
Throughout the film, lighten is used to help portray the different emotions experienced throughout by the different characters. Happy, cheerful scenes, use very clean low contrast lighting, and more dramatic, emotional scenes were high contrast, but not so much it created a noticeable difference from the low contrast scenes but just enough to effect the audience’s emotion.
The mise en sene used in this film is simplistic to the lifestyle of a the every day family. The costume and settings used help the audience connect with the story as it makes it more clear that his devastating story happened to just an ordinary family. The scenes of the beach add to the sadness of the story, the soft lightening of the sunset over the sick girl show a more spiritual side and how she is at ease with her fate. The normal clothes of the family also show their normality in that their problems are hidden and cant be seen from an onlooker. Just like most people tend to hide their problems from the opening world. The natural lighting adds to the sense of realism of this film. 

In the opening of this film a number of features allow the audience to have an idea that the genre of the film is drama. During the opening sequence a number of family/childhood images used meaning that perhaps something is going to upset the family. The images shown are very dream like and happy suggesting that they are thoughts and memories from the past. The use of warm colours and the calming music in the background used shows the love of the family and infers that everything is happy with the family, however, the narration over lapping this reflects the drama of the movie. This intrigues the audience as it shows them that not everything is as it seems and they want to find out what emotional and destructive things are going to occur. The wording used by the young girl speaking draws in the viewers showing this method is very effective. 'Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Kate had have been healthy', this endearing line leaves the audience wanting to find out who was kate and what happened to her. The use of hand held camera shows that life is a bumpy road and with the home style shows the love and compassion amongst the family. This allows us to relate to the scene of family life. The dissolves from scene to scene add to the sense that the memories are from the past and are fading. The quite, calm music, gives a warm feel with the voiceover determining the genre of the film. The opening is concluded with a shot of the main character Anna appears, she is in a cold yet in a comforting place. The silence keeps the audience interested as they wait for her gripping story. I think this is very effective as it does not reveal much from the following story, so we are wanting and searching to find out what happened to what seems to be a loving family. 
The target audience is a female audience, this is suggested in that it is an emotional film, in which most females would enjoy compared to a male audience. The different emotions through out the movie, and the family aspect of it make it this genre. 

Dear John

 Dear john is an American romantic drama movie starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. It was released in 2010. The movie is about the life of a soldier that falls in love with a young woman. He recruits to the war, and they decide to exchange letters to each other, hence the movie being given the title 'Dear John'. 

John meets Savannah on a beach, this is a romantic setting clearly showing the romantic genre of the movie from the beginning. John is on leave for two weeks and Savannah who is a college student has spring break. In these two weeks they fall in love. They each meet each others families and some friends, Savannah is also introduced to a key character. This is John's father who has an obsession with coins. We now realise that this is where the introduction of John at coin factories etc has came from. At this point, the movie begins to escalate and drama begins to unfold.

Before they leave each other at the end of the 2 weeks, they have an argument. This fight shows that even though they may want their love to be perfect, that fighting will still occur and is a test of their relationship. 

They continue their relationship through letters and are expecting to build a life when he leaves the army. More drama is created when Savannah now breaks of the relationship, telling John how she has now engaged to another man. Their once, seeming to be unbreakable love, is gone. As well as this,m John's father is unwell, leaving his son in devastation. The audience have made emotional links with the characters at this point, showing the effectiveness the breaking of love and death can have on the audience even though they are not affected by the situation.  

It turns out that Savannah is married Tim, a good friend of Johns, and is living with him and his son Alan. Tim has gotten cancer and he is at the hospital. John visits him there and Tim tells him that Savannah still loves him, giving the audience a confused feeling of what they now want to happen between these 2 main characters. Their relationship has a chance of being fixed, however, it is now in very a very delicate situation. John goes back to the war and two months later he receives a letter from Savannah telling him that Tim had died. In the last scene of the movie, they skip forward and we see John in civilian clothes and he is carrying a bike as he sees Savannah in a coffee shop. The film ends with the both of them hugging.  The movie is concluded with a happy ending, leaving the viewers feeling uplifted and happy that happiness can be achieved after time with no hope and heartbreak. John doesn't get the girl in the end, but with her help he experiences alot of personal growth. 

John is a very kind person, who really takes care of Savannah. In the time before he meets Savannah and before he went to the army, he was a troublemaker. But this is how we see him in the movie. He has changed and also want to take a bit more responsibility with his father.

Savannah is the sweetest person. Her dream is to open up a camp for autistic children like Alan. But she had to put this plan away when her husband got cancer. She is also that kind of person everyone knows and care about.

This movie also includes mise-en-scene because John’s army costume backs up his story to make it believable. The setting of Dear John is very cinematic in a way where when the characters have a close up shot, you are still able to see the scenery behind them. 

Dear John begins with, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Special Forces is lying on the ground in combat gear with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. Coins begin to fall over him as, in a voiceover, he recalls a childhood trip to the U.S Mint. He compares himself to a coin in the United States Military, and states that the last thing he thought about before he blacked out was "you". 

The method used in the opening tittles gives an insight to what will occur later on the movie, but only some information is given therefor leaving the audience wanting to find out more. In addition to providing background information, this opening narration is important because it sets the overall tone of the movie. The titles are introduced in a simple manor, this gives more effect as it plays in with the romantic theme of the movie. The simplicity adds to the genre of love as it makes it seem more peaceful and natural. An almost dream like scene is made, the flash backs of the past with the softly spoken voice make it seem more at ease in contrast to the harsh images of the soldier being shot and badly injured. I think this entices the audience right from the beginning as they now know that something bad is going to happen in the latter scenes of the movie. I think this is very effective as it makes sure to hold the full attention of the viewers and almost ahas the left feeling effecting and emotional after this opening scene alone. 

Film Research

In preparation for the making of our film opening, I have been looking at different types of film opening methods used. I have made a presentation of this on prezi: http://prezi.com/si307f4sfpki/films/?utm_source=prezi-view&utm_medium=ending-bar&utm_content=Title-link&utm_campaign=ending-bar-tryout
The main idea has been left out as we have not yet decided which method we are going to use yet. This will be edited when we have concluded which technique we are using.