Thursday 20 October 2011

Editing

Editing

Continuity editing- its purpose is to create and provide efficient and artful transitions

In-camera editing - selecting and joining camera takes
                               - the set of techniques that governs the relation among shots

DON'T BREAK THE 180 DEGREE RULE. 

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Narrative

Story - The chronological order of all events explicitly presented and inferred by the text
Plot - The way the events are put together and presented to the audience

Tzvetan Todorov - Equilibrium = disruption/disequilibrium = new equilibrium

Narratology is a branch of structuralism

Linear - all in chronological order
Non-linear - story told backwards

Thursday 13 October 2011

Micro Elements & Mise-en-scene

The five micro elements are:

Costume
Lighting
Acting/body language
Make-up
Props
Setting/location

Also known as "CLAMPS".

Costume - indicates personality, status & job
                - tells us whether the film is set in present and what culture/society it surrounds.

Facial Expressions - shows peoples feelings.
                                - body language also shows peoples feelings.

Positioning of characters - positioning can draw attention to certain objects/characters.

Lighting - make people look mysterious
               - reflect a characters mental state

Types of Lighting


-Low key lighting - low meaning dark
                              - low key light = shadow

-High key lighting - lighting is natural
                               - sun is blocked out

Mise-en-scene means "everything in the frame".

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Key concepts in Media

1) Symbolic:

-objects
-key signifiers/images
-lighting/colour
-positioning
-setting/locations
-facial expressions & body language
-clothing, hair & make-up

2) Written

-slogan
-type face
-headlines
-captions
-style
-choice of words
-emphasis of words

3) Technical

-camera angles
-framing (extra long shot, long shot, etc)
-cropping
-juxtaposition (two separate signs that together make contrasting meaning)

Semiotics is the study of signs:

-text- pictures, etc
-sign
-denotation
-connotation
-codes
-signified

Signifier = The physical for that which we can see or hear; the words; pictures; the sounds.
Signified= The meaning of the sign what we understand it to represent.

Signifier = denotation
Signified= connotation

All media texts have two layers of meaning:

1) Denotation level: what we actually see.
2) Connotation level: what you associate this way - signified.

There is also a 3rd order of meaning which is the ideology & myth.