Powerpoint on Conventions

Pp on conventions from NathanFrancisHC

Homework - Greek yoghurt

Regional identity is identifying a person's identity which is rooted not only in the setting of the film but also in speech, costumes etc. and in the region they live in.

This advert is about a young boy that lets his cow out of the pen to then go and recue it to earn himself some yoghurt from his mum.

The regional identity is represented in this advert by many things, the first being sounds. Right from the very start of the advert there is a banjo playing a tune in the background. This immediately gives the effect of a foreign country to the viewers.

The second thing that helps portray the regional identity is the clothing, a boy is shown in the advert wearing a vest with a shirt over the top and shorts. The clothing didn't look like it was in the best condition and wasn't very clean either, this shows that he might not be in a family of very high class. As he runs through the village you see a priest wearing what looks like a robe and he is ringing a bell. The robe signifies that he is religious but plays no further part in the advert other than showing the audience that he may be In a religious village. All of the outfits worn by all of the villagers seen in the advert seem old fashioned as they are not bright and colourful like they are today, but instead dull and bland.

Going back to my previous point about the boy being in a lower class family, I think he may be indeed in a lower class family. I think this because when he runs through the village you see that people are wearing full outfits (like the cowboy on the horse) so it's not just a poor village, and he is still wearing what looks baggy clothes that are sweaty and dirty. The make up used helps add the dirty effect.

Most of the regional identity is shown by setting. From the very start you are shown an establishing shot of the region and you can see that they are on a farm in the country near some mountains which makes people think they can't be anywhere near a city or anything but instead near a village which is supported when he runs into the village to find his cow. There is also an establishing shot as the boy runs towards the house. It shows that it is quite far away from the cow pen but there was no risk of him being that far away from the house because everyone in the village is nice and no one would ever do anything bad to him. It also shows the mother in the house which adds the effect of it being in the past from her outfit, not being a sex object but instead just wearing normal clothes, and also because in the past the women had to stay indoors and do the cleaning and the man went out to work which is presumably why he is not in the advert.

Near the start of the advert the boy calls for his mother by shouting: "Mama!", this shows that they are not in an English speaking country as most people in countries that speak English say "mum" or "mother". The foreign country idea is backed up as the young boy has a tanned colour skin, this, combined with everything else makes me think they are probably in a country like Greece.

Through out the advert it leads the audience into thinking that it is set in the past, having a cow for milk instead of a milkman, people batting their clothes to get rid of dust, riding horses and having no sign of technology being shown. This is the case until right at the very end when the mother pulls her phone out which shows that it is the present time, but everything seems older as the yoghurts formula is unchanged since that time. This adds the effect that even though in this present day there is so much technology, you can still live the rural, simple Greek life by buying their yoghurt.

 

 

When the boy runs to find his cow, there was no worry him being a little boy in the village all on his own, it was made to make you feel as if he was safe. They man on the horse just pointed him towards the direction of his cow, there was no risk of him being a criminal or anything. As he runs through the town he was asking people where his cow went, and there was none of this "stranger danger" in the village, and even if he already knew them, it just adds the effect of the small village where everyone knows everyone and gets along. Finally, when he gets to his cow, there is a butcher waiting to kill it. The boy approaches and just leads it away and the butcher, although he looks disappointed, doesn't try to stop him, he just lets him take the cow and go on his way.

 

Almost all of the camera shots are establishing shots which really help to portray the regional identity in this advert. They are used to show the viewers where the boy is at all times, it usually does a medium shot of him running and then an establishing shot of the area where he is running. An example of this is when he is running down a lane it uses an establishing shot but then cuts to a medium shot when he glides his hand along the stone wall.

 

 







In conclusion, I think that having all these different elements brings a feeling of safety and simplicity to the viewers and shows them the rural lifestyle while advertising their product effectively.

PowerPoint On Representation and Stereotypes

Media presentation on representation stereotypes and verisimilitude from NathanFrancisHC

Powerpoint on How to Analyse a TV Drama

Media presentation from NathanFrancisHC

Editing in Doc Martin

The editing techniques used in Doc Martin are quite successful as they fulfil their purpose. Pretty much from the start of the clip everyone is at different levels so eye line match is used to show who the character is talking to without actually having to show the person that they're talking to. Action match is also used when Doc puts his arm up and waves it at the plumber while he is trying to get the words out of his mouth and when the shot cuts towards him for a medium shot his arm is still up doing the same movements. This is also used when he enters the police station, in one clip he begins to open the door and in the next it is inside the police station and he is continuing to open and walk through the door. This makes the shots seem fluent and flow seamlessly even though it isn't just one continued movement.


I think all the the transitions between shots are just cuts which is where it literally goes from one shot to another without any effect or anything. This is especially good when it came to the part where Doc Martin was getting agitated and stressed because it allowed there to be more shots and at an even quicker pace to make everything look more hectic and confusing.

Regional identity in Doc Martin

Firstly, from the language they are speaking I would assume that they are in an English speaking country as everyone in the clip is speaking English. I would also assume that they are probably in England as well as the characters accents sound English.

The mountainous village shows they are not anywhere near cities like London, but more in a quieter, country area.

Throughout the clip the word "Bodmin" is used, like at the start when the Plumbers are talking about it or when Doc himself is briefly talking to the police officer, which gives the viewer a clear idea of where this clip is actually located because Bodmin is a town in Cornwall.


From the clip you can deduce that Doc Martin has not been in the town long because most people in the town seem quite laid back, like the plumber that's just sitting and eating a sandwich and drinking a drink and the woman that ordered the prescription that said the previous doctor was quite laid back with how he did things (which also shows that he can't have been there long as he has only just replaced the previous doctor), where as Doc Martin is stressed and trying to get things done.

Homework - Sherlock Holmes Mis-En-Scene

From the very start of the clip you see that there is a gun being pointed at someone which brings tension straight away. You see that Sherlock is holding the gun but If you didn't know who Sherlock was you could mistake him for the bad guy as he is the one with the gun and Moriarty is standing there defenceless. Both men are wearing suits which sows the position of power that they are in, both being quite high as suits are expensive and usually worn by powerful people. By the look on Moriarty's face you can see he is not really that bothered that Sherlock is pointing at gun at him which tells you he is either sure that Sherlock wont shoot or not afraid of death.

After Moriarty leaves you can see that Dr Watson is wearing a heavy coat which Sherlock proceeds to rip off and throw away and you can see bombs inside. Dr Watson is wearing just a casual outfit which portrays that he is not as powerful as Sherlock which is reinforced as Dr Watson sits down showing the status through levels of height. From just the visual evidence I think that maybe Moriarty took Dr Watson hostage and Sherlock came to save him. You then start to see more of the scenery and you see that they are near a swimming pool at night time.

When Moriarty enters the scene again Sherlock puts both hands on the gun and grips it tightly which show he may feel threatened by Moriarty or that he thinks he is a dangerous man. Red lasers appear on both Dr Watson and Sherlock which without anything else telling us, lets us know that there are multiple guns pointed at them.

Homework - Sherlock Holmes Sounds

There is little sound used in this clip of Sherlock Holmes but the sound that is used is used to good effect. During the conversation between Moriarty and Sherlock some ominous, daunting music starts playing and continues until Moriarty leaves. This adds effect to the threat Moriarty makes against Sherlock as it makes him seem more dark and dangerous. As Moriarty Leaves you hear the door open and then close. Even though you don't physically see him go through the door, by the sound effect of just hearing the door, you know he has. Throughout the whole clip you can hear the water of the swimming pool just moving and sloshing about which just adds that bit of background noise that makes it so that when people aren't speaking, it's not complete silence. I think that it's good that there is never complete silence because otherwise the viewers could get bored.

When Sherlock rips the coat off of Dr Watson, the sounds of the coat rustling and moving in exaggerated so you can hear it clearly and then Sherlock runs off screen and you hear the door open, then close again but Sherlock runs back in. This shows that he just opened it, looked outside and the closed it. If Sherlock hadn't have walked on screen then you would have assumed that he'd left.

As you see the laser pointer on John Watson you hear a different door opening and Moriarty walks back in. Some upbeat music plays as they talk which brings the excitement levels up and the tension because it build and builds and gets louder and louder while Sherlock aims the gun at the coat with bombs in it and then it abruptly stops as the clip ends on a cliff-hanger.

Homework - Sherlock Holmes Shot types

Right at the start of the clip you see a part of Dr Watsons shoulder which shows his point of view, it shows what he is seeing. This isn't an over the shoulder shot, Instead I think it's a medium shot because it is focused on the two men in the shot, Sherlock and Moriarty. The shot then switches to an over the shoulder shot as Sherlock and Moriarty begin to engage in conversation and it regularly switches between the two of them. This is to show the facial expressions they both make as they talk which portrays the emotions of the characters which in turn, helps the audience see what they're feeling and understand the characters a bit better. When Moriarty begins to tell Sherlock what he would do to him ("I will burn you, I will burn the heart out of you!") the camera zooms in to emphasise the threat and create tension between the two of them. Throughout the whole conversation, the background scenery and the shoulder that you can see is blurred, the only thing in the shot that is not blurred is the person that the camera is focused on. I think this is to kind of guide the audience into what they should be looking at. To help the over the shoulder shots look seamless and fluent, the person has to stay the same side of the screen at all times, for example, if Sherlock is the on right of the screen when you are looking at his face, then he also must be on the right side of the screen when you are looking at his shoulder and can see Moriarty's face.

After the conversation, Moriarty leaves and it switches to a masters shot. This is a shot to show where the characters are and to also show the proximity of the actors. It then switches to a close up of Sherlock's face with a part of Dr Watson in the bottom right of the screen, Sherlock then turns towards Dr Watson and a look of concern spreads across his face. I think the close up of Sherlock's face is done really well as Sherlock is supposed to be "heartless" as it says previously in the clip but the shot shows that he cares about Dr Watson. Sherlock then proceeds to rip of the coat which Dr Watson is wearing as it contains bombs and the shot switches to a masters shot as Sherlock threw the coat away from them to show the proximity of the two men, but also the proximity of the coat and them. That same masters shot is used a lot to show both Sherlock and Dr Watson as they are both doing different things at the time. Dr Watson is breathing heavily as he just had a traumatic experience while Sherlock is pacing up and down. The camera shot switches to a medium shot of Sherlock and he paces and he walks towards the camera turning into a close up, this shows the viewers that Sherlock is stressed but also thinking about what to do next.

 

As Watson begins to stand up it switches to a close up of him as a red laser is pointed on his chest. It then switches back to that same masters shot that it has been using to show that there is also not just one laser pointing and Dr Watson, but multiple pointing at both of them. Moriarty enters again but neither Dr Watson or Sherlock turn to look but instead stay looking the same direction they was before he walked in. Again, Moriarty is blurred to show that Sherlock is the one people should be looking at and the shots switch between close ups of both Sherlock and Dr Watson to show their expression and to show their body language towards each other. Dr Watson gives Sherlock a little nod which tells Sherlock he should do what they're both thinking he should do and as Sherlock aims the gun at the coat with the bombs in, the camera does close ups of each of the characters to show their expressions, Sherlock and Moriarty being quite calm and Dr Watson being quite nervous and anxious.

Homework 12th September

Select a five minute approximate clip of a TV drama from Youtube and do a textual analysis using shot types, sounds and mise-en-scène, include the video clip at the start of your post and include images at relevant points through your analysis.

Mise-En-scène

Mise-en-scène is a french term which basically means everything you see on the screen. It only consists of visual aspects and is used to deduce what you can find out from a piece of media without and audio.

At the start of this clip you immediately see two plumbers and Doc Martin. Doc Martin is wearing a suit which shows you that he is in a position of power. The two plumbers are wearing work overalls which are slightly dirty which shows they are both manual workers except maybe the younger one does more of the work as the older one is sitting down. The fact that the plumbing is needing to be fixed forms the idea that is not a new house and that it is probably quite old.

There are a lot of boxes in the room which could make the viewers think that he has just moved in and whenDoc Martin first enters the room he is carrying something so this adds to the idea that he is moving house and bringing his stuff.

As Doc Martin leaves the room that he is in and goes outside you can see from the buildings that they are quite old and they also have small doorways and the streets are narrow which is an indicator of old fashion buildings. This confirms the idea about the house that Doc is moving into being quite old.

You see hills in the background which shows that they are in the country and as the streets are so unpopulated with no cars being driven at all they are probably in a small town in the country somewhere.

Near the end of the clip a seagull lands in the background while Doc Martin is talking to a lady. This shows that the small town that they live in is by the sea. You also see their hair and clothes being blown quite a lot which backs up the theory that it is set by the sea as there is a strong breeze formed by waves at the sea.

The seagull is spotted flying into the shot on the right of the picture

Sounds in Doc Martin

Right at the start of the clip there is a "dun dun" which starts the mysterious atmosphere feeling and as the clip progresses it doesn't really follow it up with anything abnormal. This type of sound is non-diegetic because it is not in the story and is not naturally occurring, for example, mood music. The water pipe bursts which creates a constant hissing noise of the water coming out and then the telephone rings so the son plumber has to answer it. Both of these sounds are diegetic because they are sounds that are actually part of the story line and are naturally occurring. They are also synchronous sounds which means you actually see the sound occur on screen.

A woman enters the room and starts speaking to him and then a dog enters and begins barking, which is again, diegetic and synchronous. In total there is the noise from the water, the dog and the conversations all merging into one which builds up and eventually gets to Doc Martin and he snaps. After Doc Martin finishes with the others he turns to the dog and says "And as for you..." while a piece of tense, non-diegetic, music plays which leads the audience into thinking that he was going to do something bad to the dog but the music then turns into a cheerful piece as you see him just walking it to the police station which is quite anti-climatic.

As Doc Martin enters the police station you hear a hoover and then see it after hearing it. This makes the shot change seem a lot smoother and seamless. Once again this sound is both diegetic and also synchronous. Doc Martin is there for a very brief moment and when he leaves the dog starts whining (diegetic and synchronous).

After he leaves the station and head downhill you start hearing seagulls which helps tell the audience where the location of the show is (by the sea) and because this piece of sound is actually happening in the story it is diegetic. This sound is however asynchronous which means you hear the sound but don't actually see the source of the sound, so it occurs off screen. After he is finished talking to a woman he bumped into about her prescription he then proceeds to head further downhill where some cheerful music is added. The music is then stopped abruptly after he notices a girl through a window and they look at each other. While this is happening some tense music plays (non diegetic) which helps show the audience that there is probably some back story with Doc Martin and this girl and it also shows the audience that it is not a happy story. Doc Martin is called upon by a lady before the shot ends and then it changes shot to show the lady. This again, helps add smoothness and seamlessness to the shot transitions.

Shot Types in Doc Martin

In the Doc Martin clip there were many different shots used. Usually at the start of a programme there will be an establishing shot to show the viewers where they are but as this is just a clip, we don't know what part of the programme it was taken from. The clip starts at a master shot as Doc Martin walks in. They all have different statuses which are reinforced by the levels in which they're standing, sitting or crouching. Doc has the highest status so he stands, meaning everyone has to look up to him, The dad plumber is sitting so He looks up to Doc but down at his son and the son plumber is crouching under the sink so everyone looks down at him. There are many medium close ups in the start of this clip to show the emotions of the characters, Doc being a more moody, grumpy person and the dad plumber being more jolly and cheerful. As more people enter the room the shots start to become more diverse, they have over the shoulder shots while the son is on the telephone and talking to the woman and they have medium shots of the two plumbers at work with Doc in the background. When Doc starts his journey towards the police station, it shows him walking through the village, towards the camera, the camera then stops and he walks past it. As he continues walking you catch a glimpse of the scenery which it mountainous and in the country. You also hear seagulls which tells you that it's by the sea. Even though the camera was focused on Doc Martin, it showed the viewers where the clip from this programme is set so it is therefor an establishing shot. Later in the clip there is another establishing shot when Doc walks down the village towards the car which has houses in on mountains in the background. The camera then moves to make a medium close up of Doc and the woman he is talking to.

Second thoughts on Doc Martin clip.

I think that the Doc Martin clip is a mixed genre type of clip, I think that it tried to have comedy in there by having the water pipe burst and having everyone coming in the room but not really helping, they were all doing their own thing, like someone was on the phone, a woman was just standing there and the man was rabbiting on about useless things. Doc Martin then took control of the situation by telling everyone what to do and it ended him saying to the dog that ran in "and as for you..." which leaves the audience thinking what he could do with the dog. As he says this, some daunting music plays and it makes you think he might be doing something bad to it. The music then turns into a more happy tune as the scene changes and you see that he is just taking it to the police. A woman approaches him and asks for a prescription but he denies her and he takes some details from her. She very briefly mentions that she has a husband when she see's the time but to me it looked like she was flirting with Doc Martin a bit. You find out here that maybe not everyone likes him because when the woman tells him that he is exactly what the town needs, he counteracts this statement by saying that maybe not everyone thinks so. Then I think it kind of moved on into a more story lined section where he saw a girl with an eyepatch and some music played which made you feel as if he knew her. She also looked a bit shy or guilty and he looked really intrigued. He then was called upon by a lady who needed his help and kept on piling him up with vegetables and I think they tried to aim at maybe a bit of comedy there too by having more and more being pilled onto him. While this is happening they are having  a conversation and you find out from Doc Martin that he is maybe a bit of a grumpy person as his responses are usually negative. I have never seen Doc Martin before but from the 5 minute clip I feel that it is some sort of detective programme with funny moments. I think that the target audience for this show is people maybe over the age of 20 because, as a teenager, I didn't enjoy it that much.

Initial thoughts on Doc Martin clip.

I think that the Doc Martin clip is a mixed genre type of clip, I think that it tried to have comedy in there by having the water pipe burst and having everyone coming in the room but not really helping ending with the dog. Doc Martin finally snaps and tells everyone what to do and ends by saying to the dog "and you..." which leaves the audience thinking what he could do with the dog. Then I think it kind of moved on into a more story lined section where he saw a girl with an eyepatch and some music played which made you feel as if he knew her. She also looked a bit shy or guilty and he looked really intrigued. He then was called upon by a lady who needed his help and kept on piling him up with vegetables and I think they tried to aim at maybe a bit of comedy there too by having more and more being pilled onto him. I have never seen Doc Martin before but from the 5 minute clip I feel that it is some sort of detective programme with funny moments. I think that the target audience for this show is people maybe over the age of 20 because, as a teenager, I didn't enjoy it that much.