Media Studies Blog

Narrative Codes Appropriate Genres  STEAVE NEALE Steve Neale’s theory of repetition and difference. Steve Neale states that genres all contain instances of repetition and difference, difference is essential to the to the economy of the genre. This is shown in The Killing when it follows the genre of Police Procedural dramas, but doesn't follow all the conventions as it borrows them from other genres such as Film Noir, like having a dark setting.  TZVETAN TODOROV He believed that all films followed the same narrative patterns. They all went through the same five stages. There are five stages the narrative can progress through: 1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.) 2. A disruption of that order by an event. 3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption. 5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium. This is shown in The Killing when Lund has her job and is having a normal life whi...

The  police procedural , or  police crime drama , is a subgenre of  detective fiction  that attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a  police force  as they investigate  crimes . Although traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police  procedurals  frequently depict investigations into several unrelated crimes in a single story. Traditional mysteries usually adhere to the convention of having the criminal's identity concealed until the  climax  (the so-called  whodunit ), whereas in police procedurals, the perpetrator's identity is often known to the audience from the outset (the  inverted detective story ). Police procedurals depict a number of police-related topics such as  forensics ,  autopsies , the gathering of  evidence , the use of  search warrants , and  interrogation .\

GLOSSARY Disequilibrium -  a loss or lack of equilibrium or stability, especially in relation to supply, demand, and prices. Enigma -  a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand (puzzle). Equilibrium -  a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced. Genre -  a style or category of art, music, or literature. Iconography -  the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these. Intertextuality -  Reference within a a film to another film, media project, work of literature or piece of artwork. Mise en scene -  the arrangement of the scenery, props, etc. on the stage of a theatrical production or on the set of a film. Narrative -  A story that is created in a constructive format. Framing -  The selection of elements such as characters, setting and iconography that appear within a shot.

Nordic Noir Genre It is a genre of  crime fiction  written from a police point of view. The language is simple and deliberately avoid using metaphors, the settings have bleak landscapes, and the mood is dark and morally complex. Some critics attribute the genre's success to a distinctive and appealing style, "realistic, simple and precise… and stripped of unnecessary words". Their protagonists are typically detectives worn down by cares and far from simply heroic.

THE KILLING STRAUSS- Binary opposition drives a narrative forwards. In the first episode of THE KILLING  the main character is introduced as a female detective who is planning on moving away with her son to meet her boyfriend in Sweden from Copenhagen. However on her last day of work, she is introduced to a missing girl case. They find the girls underwear and a film card that belonged to her father, after looking for her they find a car in the nearby river, with her body inside the boot. The genre is film noir, with elements of other genres, such as thriller. As it has a classic detective mystery, with a generally dark atmosphere, it also contains drugs and alcohol. However it doesn't contain a voiceover The themes are crime, murder mystery.

Mr. Robot Genre Change Steve Neale says genre is instances of repetition and differences. Conventions of the Comedy genre are: Setting:  The setting is always dependant on the type of comedy that you want to use. The most common places for a comedy sketch to occur are in bright places, towns and cities that have a welcoming atmosphere. Teen comedies usually occur in high schools and small towns, whereas social comedy usually takes place in people’s houses, pubs and bars. Camerawork/shots:  The camerawork is very natural within comedies as all of the characters are at the same social status and no-one is better than any other character (with certain exceptions). Mid-shots, close-ups and two-shots are used commonly to show the relationship between each character, the reactions to jokes and the main focal point of the story line. With the exception of slapstick comedy which would use long shots and extreme shots to capture the psychical comedy within the text. Sound:  ...

Character Profile Name:   Ethan Santano   Age:  17 Appearance: 6'0 Strengths:  He is a very strong person with average intelligence and is very family orientated (mum). Weaknesses:  He will only drives his own jeep, he is very scared of dogs, gets angry very quickly, is claustrophobic and has a fear of heights. What does he want?: To rescue his sister who has been kidnapped by the headmaster of his school. How can i use camera/ sound to show things about him?:  He could have many shots looking up to him to show that he is powerful and in control. But there could also be close-ups to show his emotions. Furthermore, there could be high shots looking down on him to show that he can be weak at some points. Scenario 1: He could be stuck in a a car park surrounded by wild dogs, but whilst he's there the antagonist has people held hostage in a bank on the other side of town, meaning he has to escape to save the people. ...

Elliot - Thinglink Mr.Robot Character Arc - Elliot Episode 1 - Angela gets robbed on a street corner, meaning Elliot is set to find out everything he can about the man who did it. He later finds out that it was really Angela's boyfriend who robbed her, in a mask. Elliot is conflicted on whether or not he should tell Angela as he knows it will upset her. Episode 2 - When buying his drugs Elliot's building gets raided by police, meaning the find his drug stash. Whilst in prison Elliot gets a state lawyer, who turns out to be the owner of the dog he stole. Whilst on trial the lawyer makes no effort to defend Elliot, or stop him from going to jail. Luckily he gets away with just community service. Episode 3 - Elliot goes to the the fairground to meet the members of FSociety, when he's there they start a fight with him as he's not willing to hack the company he works for as he knows that Angela will lose her job. So he's faced with an ultimatum, A...

Sound Types Diegetic Sound - A natural sound that can be created in the scene, e.g. people speaking, the wind, water. Non-diegetic - An un-natural sound that cant be created in the scene, e.g. a voiceover, background music. Contrapuntal - Music that is opposite to the mood in the scene to emphasise the mood even more.

Character Analysis

Camera Movements Pan - Rotating the camera either sideways or vertically to show a wide shot whilst not moving the camera. Zoom - Zooming into a person or object to usually intensify the scene or show somethings significance. Crane - Zooming out on a large scale to give an overview of an area or to show the insignificance of an object/person. Track/Dolly - Used to get a wide view of whats going on in the scene or to follow someone. Track In/Back - Used to get a wide view of whats going on in the scene or to follow someone. Tilt  Virtual Camera (7.20) Handheld 

Thursday 7th September  The Maze Runner In the first picture a medium shot has been used to show the expression of Thomas but to also show the expressions of everyone around him to make the audience more aware of their fear. The medium shot also shows that the main character is looking directly at the camera as if it were not there to show that he has no awareness of his surroundings. The second picture is a long shot so that the audience can see directly through the “door”, meaning they can also see the two people inside struggling so they can now see what all the characters are looking at and why they all look so afraid. In the third picture is another mid shot to show the audience that all the characters look even more afraid than they originally did in the first shot and a shot-reverse-shot is used to emphasise this.

Shot Types Extreme Close-Up - A shot that is very close to the face and shows extreme detail. Close-Up - A shot that is taken from a very short distance from the focus of video, usually to show a character's emotion. Medium Shot - A shot taken from usually the knees up, to show some detail but also give a view of the background, used when there's a conversation Long Shot- A shot that is taken from a distance to give an overview of what's happening. Extreme Long Shot - A shot that is taken from a great distance to usually show the setting. LINK- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4316BUEVYkE