task 5b

Who are the ASA?

The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media. Their purpose is to make advertisements in the UK responsible, all adverts will go through the ASA before they proceed into any sort of advertisement. Its role is to regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK.

The ASA had up to 57 complaints over the 50 Cent advert which was the reason for them to withdraw the Reebok advert in April. ‘Anti-gun campaigners had protested and said that this could encourage violence’ (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/reebok-advert-starring-50-cent-banned-for-glamorising-guns-491113.html)

Some also had said that this was a way of increasing gun crime as there is enough going on in Britain and they thought it was type of commercial that could influence younger viewers to think that 50 Cents lifestyle was ‘cool’ and the best way to live their lives as a rapper. The ASA also said that the commercial for Reebok Sportswear that highlighted an artist that had been shot nine times was not suitable to be advertised publicly.

Primary audience for this advert would be young teenagers from the age of 14 to a young adult at the age of 25. This would be because, that is a very realistic age bracket for this advert as at that age majority of music audiences would know of 50 Cent and heard his music.

Secondary Audience for this advert would be the ‘hidden’ audience which could be the type of audience that do not know about 50 Cents life or background. However this sort of audience could link and match up with the ones that complained about the advert. This would be because they did not know a lot about the advert but wanted it withdrawn because of personal reasons of ‘violence’.

task 5a

In this assignment I will be describing and explaining the different types of camera shots and moving image languages in 50 Cent’s Reebok advert made in 2005.

In this first shot there is a wide shot of an empty street in America with an empty shop, a bike and pair of trainers hanging off the telephone wires. In America if shoes are hung off a telephone wire it would usually be a sign of someone dying, this could suggest the lifestyle 50 cent was living in, which was in the ghetto, crime related, it also shows the disturbance in the neighbourhood as there is nobody to be seen on the street. However diegetic sound is used as you hear kids playing in the background, this could tell us about 50 Cents childhood as he was brought up in this type of scenery.

Mis-en-scene is used in the second shot as they show a close up of the trainers hanging from the wire. The dull, cloudy day also gives the audience a depressing image as they show bare trees in the background. In shot 3 they show a close up shot of a rope, this could represent 50 Cents life as it had come to an end, he had started his music career and was doing very well until he had got shot which then links to the shot of the ‘rope’ as everyone thought that was the end of him.  They have used low-key lighting to make the dark areas stand out with the back light, the dark area at this point of the video is when they hint out he had a very bad fall in his life.

Shot 3 then dissolves into the next shot where they show a picture of 50 cent in the background behind the rope. The non-simultaneous diegetic sound of a gunshot would link to crime and give a hint to an audience of 50 cent shooting someone or somebody shooting him, however the audience that know about the life of Jackson would know about how he got shot 9 times and still survived.

In shots 5 and 6 mis-en-scene is used to show the red drops of blood. They have used the key-light to make the red ‘blood’ drops very bright and strong so it attracts our eyes, this could also suggest that the shooting was very serious, as in reality it was life threatening and everybody had lost hope. The media has used strong lighting to create a very serious image in the audiences mind. In shots 7-9 non-simultaneous diegetic sound is used as you hear a female voice screaming very loudly out of shock, this could relate to one of Jacksons family relatives or close friends being at the scene when it all happened. However as the diegetic sound of the screaming continues, shot 8 is a very quick shot of 50 Cents head dropping down then in shot 10 you the screaming fade into police sirens and a police officer saying ‘rapper 50 cent gunned down’.

 This shows that the shot of Jackson dropping his head down represents him getting shot down. Shot 11 is a black and white shot of him sitting on his own, he is wearing a red jacket which could represent blood, this would show how he was left shot with nobody to revive him. Shot 12 switches into a daylight shot of a restaurant, this could represent the dark and light days as the colours here additionally reflect this faults that got him into trouble.

Scenes 14 and 16 are linked together as it moves into him sitting alone, to a daylight shot, then links to the same scene and colour of him sitting on his own again.  In shot 17 to 18 you hear the police in the background and an officer speaking, the scene then pauses for a second on Jacksons face and you hear one final non simultaneous diegetic sound of a gunshot. As you hear the sound of the gunshot 50 Cents eyes close and his head drops back, this explains what happened when he got shot. Shot 19 rewinds back to the streets in pure daylight, this shows how he had another chance. In shots 20-23 it rewinds back to a long shot of 50 cent sitting on the box, they have used non-simultaneous diegetic sound of a voice in the background saying “The best male hip-hop artist is 50 cent”. This suggests the how he took advantage of his second chance and continued with his famous career. As 50 cent counts to 7 you hear another non-simultaneous diegetic sound of crowds scream, this would represent the “fans” that he has, it could also show how happy people are to see him back.

As 50 cent counts 8, the voice in the background says “talking to 50 cent he’s still got the game on smash”. This shows how 50 cent is still at the peak of his career knowing he is the best male hip hop artist around. In the background they also say “who do you plan to massacre next?” 50 cent then starts laughing and rocking back and fourth, in my opinion this could show a sense of ego as he knows he is the best, it could show the anger he has for the person that made his career fall down, this could the criminal that shot him.

In the start of shot 24 Jackson has a serious face, mis-en-scene is used here in two different areas. His facial expression is one as the serious face could mean how he is reflecting on his past and looks to take on the hip hop industry again, it shows that he is serious to show the world he is the best. The lighting is very dark at this point and the shot dissolves into a slogan that is written in white bold writing which says ‘I AM WHAT I AM’. This could mean that he is never going to change his ways, it could show that he has grew up in the streets and crime related scenery and by shooting him and not killing him is not going to stop him from going back to that lifestyle. Shot 27 is the final shot of this advert, it has the Reebok trade mark abbreviation. You see black background with the white reebok sign, in some cases reebok could be trying to present a similar personality to 50 cent in this as he has a very superior personality and likes to be known as the best. This could relate to the company reebok itself as Reebok is known as one of the best trademarks in the world and especially in 2005 it was a brand that all teenagers loved. This could be the reason why they chose 50 cent to advertise their brand as it would attract young teenagers and could easily attract an audience profile up to 25 years old.

In my opinion although the clip has no relevance to the reebok brand although it is a very unique which makes it a good way to advertise the brand through a famous celebrity that has been through a rough lifestyle.

Task 4

Moving image language

Mis-en-scene – a French term meaning what is put into a scene or frame.

·         Visual information in front of the camera.

·         Analyse anything you see on the screen.

The 5 elements of mis en scene

·         Settings

·         Props

·         Costume, hair and make up

·         Facial expression and body language

·         Lighting and colour (lighting technician)

·         Positioning

Each aspect of mis en scene has hidden meanings within a film and sends signals to the audience about how we are supposed to feel at a certain point.

·         Iconography

Props can give the audience a first impression of the time of the film and when it was made. Modern or old fashioned.

Actions films would include – guns, big cars, explosions

Horror films – clown masks, knives

Science fiction films – different planet, rockets etc.

·         Costume and make up can indicate a characters personality, status and job (It tells us whether the film is set in present and what society/or culture it will centre around.)

·         Facial expressions provide a clear indicator of how someone is feeling (If someone is smiling broadly, we will assume that they are happy but we may get a different feeling if this accompanied by scary music)

·         Positioning of characters and objects within a frame. (A film maker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people.)

·         Colour carries certain connotations which may add meaning to a scene i.e red=danger/blood.

Lighting and colour – to highlight important characters or objects within frame.

To make characters look mysterious by shading sections of the face and body.

To reflect a characters mental state/hidden emotion i.e. bright = happy , dark=disturbed.

Low-key lighting is created by using only the key and back lights, it produces sharp contracts of light and dark areas.

High-key lighting uses more filler lights, lighting is natural and realistic to our eyes.

Reason to have hair light is to separate things from the background, so that the spotlight is on you.

The key light is the most important and brightest.

Hair light could be called a backlight.

Sound:

Diegetic sound: any voice, music passage or sound effect presenting and originating from a source within the film’s world.

Non diegetic – if it originates outside the film (as most background music).

A voiceover would be non-diegetic.

Sound bridges can lead in and out of a scene. They can occur at the beginning of one scene when the sound from the previous scenes carry over briefly.

Pleonastic sound is exaggerated sound is usually exaggerated through the use of Foley sound

Foley is the process of putting together film and video games, gunshots, handling guns etc.

Contrapuntal sound- sound that doesn’t easily match the images they are accompanying, or even run against them. This can have a quite disorientating effect upon the audience and make them question what they are seeing. – American beauty – dinner scene.

Silence – even when there is no sound this can create an impact

Dialogue – the tone, pitch and volume of actor’s voices can all contribute to the meaning of a scene

Dialogue without sound creates a tensed and powerful feeling. – No country for old men.

·         Cinematography- the way in which the camera is used to communicate meaning

·         Composition of visual elements.

Made up of shots angles and movements lighting can also be included.

The framing of a shot simply indicates where the cinematographer has placed the borders of an image.

Close up to show facial expressions and sympathy. A close up can make the audience feel closer to the character or repulse.

An extreme close up identify details that you wouldn’t notice in a normal shot. It calls attention to the subjects, making them more memorable visually.

Two shot allows you to see two characters together to sense what relationship they have together.

The two shot can show harmony or disharmony depending on the issue.

Over the shoulder shot allows you to understand the relation between the character and what they are looking at. The physical information can be used to convey information about the relationship.

Point of view – puts you in the characters footsteps, making it look like you are in the scenes.

High angle – a high angle shot makes the subject appear small and vulnerable.

Low angle – this shot makes subject appear larger than life. It transfers power to the subject, making it appear to dominate objects beneath it.

Pan – a pan shot is a horizontal movement of the camera from left to right.

Tilt shot – the tilt shot is a vertical movement of the camera from top to bottom.

Tilt and pan movements are on an axis

Editing

·         Montage - a montage is created through an assembly of quick cuts. It helps to communicate a larger idea and it can compress time. (citizen kane)

·         Parallel Editing- this occurs when two scenes are shot in sequence but presented by cutting back and forth between them. This creates a sense of two actions occurring in two different scenes.

·         Split screen – runs two shots side by side within a single frame. a split screen creates an idea of action.

·         Dissolves – a form of transition, this allows you to get from one scene to another.

·         Elliptical editing- the use of transitions such as cuts or dissolves to compress time eg. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne has an onscreen time of 1min 38 seconds of which he climbs a mountain.

·         Graphic match – graphic matching is when a scene links to another scene using the same scene or colour, this can occur with the use of a cut or dissolve.

·         Rhythm and Pace -  editing sets the rhythm or pace of a scene, this could be detected by either the scene or the music used to create the type of mood that is trying to be created. To build up tension in a scene you might cut one shot to another very quickly.

·         Long take- a long take of film with no cuts or editing done to the scene.

·         Jump cuts- quick jerky cuts, travel quicker or create disorientation.

·         Match cut – is used to follow the movement over a person or object.

Examples-

Mis en Scene and Lighting-  mis-en-scene is used in this film poster to give a an image of all the characters in the film. For example Noel Clarke (Sam in the film) is holding a baseball bat, this automatically puts an image in the audiences mind that he is a violent character in the film. They have a mixture of dark lighting and daylight in the poster, as you can see that Sam is holding the baseball bat and the lighting is quite dark on his side where as ‘Trevor’ on the left hand side plays a very calm and innocent role in the film which could be why the lighting is more brighter on that side.

Split Screen – split screen is used in one of the scenes in the film Pillow Talk (Michael Gordon). They have used this to show two couples on the phone to each other but are in different locations doing the same thing, they have used this to indicate ‘Romance’.

Point of View – this shot is used to put the audience in the characters footsteps. The image below has used the shot to let the audience have the same view as the character cycling along the countryside.

Foley Sound – this sound effect is used when putting a film or video game together using the sound of handling guns or heavy footsteps. They have used Foley sound in the Gladiator(Ridley Scott) trailer to make the audience feel the tension by hearing the heavy footsteps of the horse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP8Gky7JIyc

Task 3

Soap opera – a soap opera is a serial that is usually shown on daytime television or radio. The most common quality of a soap opera is that each episode ends with a promise for more drama the following day, this is called cliff hangers. East Enders is a great example of this as most “problems” are not resolved at the end of each episode.

Crime drama – A crime drama is a type of genre where the main aim of the show/programme is to either present crime or investigate crimes. These crimes would consist of assaults, robbery, murder etc. Power is an American crime drama television series that is based on a character named “Ghost” who owns nightclubs but he is also catering to clients of another operation: a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential.

Hospital Drama - A hospital/medical drama is a television program in which events centre upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment and most medical episodes are one hour long and set in a hospital. A typical medical drama would consist of two doctors working in a hospital and falling in love or saving someone’s life, an example of this would be Private Practice (Shonda Rhimes).

Makeover - Makeover reality television series are television series which focus on makeovers. For example Gok Wans videos consist of him transferring people from natural to with them having makeup on which entertains the audience that it targets.

Sitcoms - This is a genre of comedy, a situation comedy would usually have fixed characters who carry over from one episode to another. A situation comedy television program may be recorded in front of a studio audience, depending on the program's production format.              

Chat Shows – a chat is a television or radio programme where celebrities or a group of people will get invited to talk formally about various topics. It could also be based on a specific episode of a programme and they discuss what they think. For example Big Brother has the after show which they gossip about the show etc.

Reality TV- Reality TV is a genre in television that documents unscripted real life situations. This genre is highly based on celebrities and drama rather than education. An example Reality Television would be The Only Way Is Essex which is a reality series of a group of young and entertaining Essex residents.

Single Drama- a single drama is designed to be a one off story line for television, producers think that single drama is a more appropriate way to television than the cinema. An example of this would be ‘Dirty War’ which is about the terrorist attack on London.

Genre – Genre means ‘Type’ or ‘Category’, the aim of it is to categorise and organise a large number of films in smaller groups. An example of this would be under the genre ‘horror’ films like The Conjuring and Drag Me To Hell would come under, however films like Grown Ups(Dennis Dugan) and Daddys Home(Sean Anders) would be classified as the genre ‘comedy’.

Period Drama – This refers to a work set in an earlier time period, it is usually in the context of film and television. It applies to a lot of different genres from historical fiction and romances to adventure films and fantasies.

Dramadoc – a Dramadoc is a film that combines facts and fiction. It uses conventional documentary techniques like interviews, it uses this to engage and attract its audience. The techniques used in Dramadoc help the documentary itself deliver its message. 

Task 2

Describing Video Narrative Story Types

Non Linear – This is a form of media that can be used by the customer itself, for example; playing a video game, clicking on to social media websites/apps. According to a television narrative, non-linear media would be selecting and recording songs and viewing them at different date or time.

Linear – this is a form of media that is used in films to present a storyline, a linear story line would be very simple; it will have a beginning, middle and end.

Single Strand – there is one main character and you are focused on that specific person,

Multi Strand – a multi strand structure means that there are several narratives running at the same time. This is very common in the film and television industry, especially in episodes like Holby City and The Bill.

Realist – this is based on a real life story that can be presented in films, programmes and short clips for example Top Boy is a great example of a realist as the drama takes viewers into the rough crime life in London.  The programme links the elements of a tensed crime scene into drug dealing how people earn to live.

Anti-Realist- this could be a film or an advert that is situated in a different world from ours, it would include things like flying cars, fantasy adventures and surreal storylines. An example of this would be the film Fast and Furious as they do all sorts of things that are different to reality.

Open Ended – this is when a programme or episode ends in a cliff hanger which keeps the audience waiting. A good example of this would be East Enders as they end each and every series as a cliff hanger.

Closed – a closed ending would be when a film has a complete ending within two hours, this ending would usually consist of summarise the storyline of the film and coming up to a conclusion.

Single episode – this would be a one off episode so it won’t lead on to a series, it will usually consist of documentary. Documentaries do not often come in series, however some documentaries are shown on TV more than once.

Series – a series would be a number of episodes of a drama or any sort of programme, they will usually have seasons if there is more than one series made.

Flashback-  A flashback is a transition in a story to an earlier time. A flashback in a movie might show what happened when a character was younger or relating to something that’s happened in the past. It could be shown in any stage of the film from beginning to end.

Task 1

Fiction- Fiction films are films that tells a fictional or fictionalized story. Believable narratives and actors help convince the audience to believe it is a real life film. Alice in Wonderland by (Lewis Carroll) is a great example of this as there are all these incredible creatures and magical adventures in the so called ‘wonderland’ which gives the audience entertainment of a real life film.

Documentary – A documentary is a non-fictional aspect in the television and film industry as it intends to talk about and explain our everyday life, educational purposes, nature and things that is based on the real world we live in. An example of a documented show based on reality would be the documentary shown on BBC ‘Sex, Drugs and Murder’, this is based in Leeds on a girl who is surviving on the streets by selling herself and doing drugs rather than looking after her children.

News – The News is information that is provided by Journalists that work with different media sectors to present information about the world, politically and financially it will also show the parts like sports, weather, events etc. the news is based on Word of Mouth as it is one journalist explaining the story to millions of viewers watching. For example on BBC News if there has been a serious accident etc which is shown on the news there will always be a reporter at the scene explaining the story to the camera.

Advertising – this is a technique which is a lot in business but could be used in all different aspects, one aspect could be to promote a specific product. Companies would use advertising to help sell a product or even films, when a new film is about to be released the company of the film will put there film to be promoted on billboards, bus banners etc, this is called advertising.

Promotional- Film promotion is the process of making the film and getting key people involved in the making, like the directors, producers and actors. It will include advertising campaigns, press releases and interviews.

Hybrid- a hybrid is a genre in fiction that links two themes from different genres together. In four recent films, The Confederate States of America, Tarnation, Empathy and 15, the directors blend fact, fiction and genre. Each of their works could be categorized as hybrid documentaries. 

Unit 25 Television and Video Studies

Unit 25 television and film from JaiMedia