A-level Media Notes and Revision

How does editing construct meaning in Titanium by David Guetta? Editing is used in this music video to allow the narrative to flow. At the beginning the 180 degree rule is used as he leaves the school, as the camera stays filming his right side. This aids the flow of the narrative as he is travelling in the same direction and the audience are following where he is going. Earlier on when the camera crosses to the other side of the imaginary line (breaking the rule) the camera shows the crossing so not to confuse the audience as the camera films him from his left side and then goes behind before it cuts to the other side of his face. A long frame is used as he walks out of the school to create tension as the audience wonder where he is going and what the woman is going to do. As the boy is escaping on his bike the pace of cuts increases showing different parts of the bike, views from behind to show progression down the street and close ups of his face to show his expression of urg...

The Kuleshov was an editing montage technique which was made popular in early Soviet cinema by Lev Kuleshov. It looked at the relationship between two shots that followed each other and how it was not just important to look at the separate parts, it was more than that. Kuleshov concluded that the effect of the cinema on the audience was down to the montage of alternating shots and sequences within the film.  Kuleshov began doing experiments with his new idea, testing audience reactions to certain images where he discovered that they had a psychological, emotional reaction which differed from person to person depending on their life experiences e.g. a grown man would react differently to an image of a naked woman in comparison to a child. He also said that the audience relate something they don't recognise to something that they know and therefore get a certain emotion from it.  ...

Some styles and types of editing include: Dissolve- a transition effect where one image gradually fades out while another image simultaneously replaces the original one.  Wipe- one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to the other or with a specific shape. There are specific styles of wipes e.g. barn door wipe, metric wipe, clock wipe etc.  Fade to black- it's exactly what it says on the tin, when an image fades to a totally black image. Fade to white- the same as above but instead of fading out to a black screen it fades to a totally white image.  Juxtaposition- when one shot is followed by another shot which is contrasting. Graphic Match- it creates a cut between two shots that juxtapose their graphically similar shapes. It can be useful in relating two disconnected scenes, help establish a relationship betwe en two scenes, create a ...

Terms Editing- assembling film shots into a desired order. 1. Speed of editing- how long is each shot? effect? 2. Style of editing- how is each shot joined? 3. Juxtaposition- the meaning created? Continuity editing- create a sense of logic and coherence between the shots. - a sense of reality - the shots flow together and make sense to the audience. Realism? The movement from shot A to shot B  1. pace- how quickly it moves     long frame- tension     short frame- action 2. style- the way in which it moves The most common editing transition is a cut. Cuts are used to aid continuity and allow the narrative to flow uninterrupted.  Both of these aspects create meaning for the audience.  180 degree rule - camera must be one side of the line but it can point in any direction - only cross if you show crossing Match on action - action followed on in next shot - need to b...

How does editing construct meaning in Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim? Editing is used in this music video to aid the continuity of the performance. At the beginning of the music video shot reverse shot is used when Christopher Walken is sitting in the chair and it cuts to the radio he is looking at and then cuts back to him sitting in the chair. This allows the audience to see from his point of view what he is looking at and therefore feel like we are there. By then reversing this to us seeing his reaction to the music on the radio through the use of this technique the audience get a sense of feelings towards it and may begin to question how he might react, possibly thinking that he will get up and dance. long frames are used in this first part of the video to create tension as the audience wonder what he is going to do. The most common editing transition used in this music video is the cut whi...

Little Mix- Black Magic How is the music video mainstream?  Mainstream music videos are mainly of the pop genre so they include the conventions of this genre. The conventions included in the Little Mix Black Magic music video include bright lighting particularly high key lighting in the setting of the school and bright objects and writing such as the bright purple hair Perrie has, the luminescent yellow writing of their name at the beginning of the video, bright red headphones which is also a use of advertisement to their teenage audience as they are beats which was a popular item to buy at the time this was made (2015), blue sparkles of the magic dust etc. these bright colours also link into another convention of the mainstream videos- the artists are happy, enjoying and content with life. The colours included help to reflect this mood due to the brightness of them which people may a...

These conventions include: Camera close-ups of band members and instruments (focus) long shots of the entire band establishing shots of the scene Mise-en-scene Costume, hair and makeup: baggy t-shirts and jeans (casual style) hair mid-length to long colours- red, blue and black (dark) outfits which have a laid-back, carefree style makeup: needed in a narrative or draws more attention to the performance  Lighting: natural and low key e.g. in clubs, alleyways, dark rooms at night time Actors: carefree and placid attitude most of the people seen in the video are the band due to it being a performance Props: electrical equipment/instruments e.g. guitars, drum kits, microphones, speakers etc. Setting: grungy (dirty, grimy) areas of cities run down buildings underground areas outdoor spaces music stores with small stages Editing cuts between performance and narrativ...

Definition of alternative music:  Music outside of the musical mainstream which does not have a genre, it subverts the established conventions and challenges the most popular music that the majority listen to.  Timeline 1980s- Alternative music also known as alternative rock or alternative begins  1980s-1990s- Main genre was alternative rock 1985- Radiohead is formed.  1990s- Started to become widely popular. The term 'alternative' used to describe pop punk bands that didn't fit into any existing genres. Grunge bands became 'indie rock' instead of 'alternative'. Music industry enticed by the alternative genre, signing Red Hot Chilli peppers and Nirvana etc. 1991- Nirvana release 'Smells like Teen Spirit'- rise in grunge music- sold 400,000 copies a week. 1995- Rivalry between Oasis and Blur in Britpop(name used to describe alternative rock bands in the 90s in the UK) . 2005- Fall Out Boy release 'D...

Definition of mainstream music:  Mainstream is when something is the common thought of the majority at the time. So in terms of music, it is what is currently popular. Therefore 'mainstream' music is also known as pop music which is short for popular music.  Timeline 1926-  The term 'pop music' is first used as a way of describing 'a piece of music having popular appeal'. 1950s-  'Pop music' originated in Britain and took over the American 'Rock'n'Roll' that before dominated most places.  Television is introduced and pop stars gained more popularity through their audience being able to see them. 1954- Elvis Presley records 'That's All Right Mama' at Sun Studios, Memphis. 1955- Chuck Berry's 'Maybellene' is released. 1958-  Elvis joins the army. 1962- A music producer called Phil Spector invents the Wall of Sound(recording technique). 1964- The Beatles take America- in March they were i...

1. I have chosen to analyse this text as I have seen this video many times before and therefore I am familiar with the content. I also felt this would be the best to choose as I have seen many pop videos so I have an idea of what they conventionally contain and I have seen most of the Little Mix music videos. 2. I encountered this video whilst looking at other pop music videos on Youtube.  3. Due to finding this video when looking at other pop videos I think I would have automatically interpreted it as a pop video without looking at it in detail through analysis. I think I would also be biased towards thinking it was successful in presenting this genre as I was already looking at some of my favourite pop music videos.  4. I assigned this text to pop at the beginning when I first watched it as Little Mix are typically pop artists.  5. I have a lot of experi...

In Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball music video framing is used to portray her as a sexual object for men to look at. During the video there are several uses of mid shots and long shots which show her singing on the wrecking ball not wearing any clothes. This supports Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory as the camera takes on the eyes of a heterosexual man and the audience are forced to view Miley in a certain way. Due to her posing in a sexual manner and not wearing any clothes the audience are encouraged to objectifiy her and see her as an object of sexual desire. This is exaggerated because of the lack of clothes as it juxtaposes the other shots where she appears dominant and strong as she swings on a wrecking ball with clothes. In these shots Miley is seen as passive due to the focus on her body rather than her singing, particularly the use of fragmentation where we only see the top part of her body when she is naked.  The...

Main features of the Reception theory People are not passive. This approach says that the audience can negotiate the meaning of a text and opposes what is being presented to them. The text is not passively accepted by the audience. They can interpret the meaning behind it differently due to each of their cultural backgrounds and experiences they have had in their life. The audience is active and engaged in the interpretation.  Stuart Hall claimed that the text goes through encoding and decoding stages.  Encoding: the meaning the producer puts into a text.                                               Decoding: the meaning the audience receives or takes out of the text.  Texts are encoded by the producers and include the ideologies of the people who make it. Texts are decoded by th...

These conventions include: Bright lighting Bright objects/costumes- makes video stand out and appeals to the young target audience as it appears vibrant and lively which is young people are attracted to. It also makes it more upbeat which fits the beat of most pop songs and the general message of the song. Costume is usually stylish, mainstream and what is fashionable in society at the time- this makes the artists reliable and appeals to the young target audience. Casting- young actors as the artist is usually young themselves and this appeals to the young target audience.  High key lighting and low key lighting. Makeup used to emphasise the beauty of the females. Narrative or Performance- fits Todorov's theory: Equilibrium, Disequilibirum(disrupts equilibrium), Resolution(restores equilibrium). Equilibrium: a state of balance/normality Artists...

Main features of the Male Gaze Theory  The camera acts as the eyes of a heterosexual male looking at a female. Most of the people at the top end of the media industry e.g. directors and producers are male and heterosexual. This causes the objectification of women- females being seen as sexual objects for men to look at.  They are devalued and there humanity taken away. The scene focuses on the curves of the women and this is emphasised through the use of camera movements, slow motion etc.  Makes it socially acceptable for men to look at women in this way. Women would be looking at other women and comparing themselves.  The audience are forced to look at the women and judge them due to the view they are being given. There is a patriarchal society which means male dominated. Use of scopophilia/voyeurism which is the pleasure people get from looking at other people's bodies w...

Lighting and Colour In this video natural high key lighting is used to suggest that this is an everyday situation, it can happen to anyone. Due to this lighting being so bright, the audience get the impression that the girls are happy and enjoying life. This is typical of the pop genre for the artists to be content with life. It is showing their teenage audience that even after a bad breakup they can  enjoy life. Furthermore the bright colours, particularly blue and pink reinforce this idea as they connote confidence and calmness. Pink is also stereotypically associated with girls which are the target audience for not only Little Mix's music but also a lot of pop songs. These bright colours which are typical of this genre also make the video stand out and appeals to the young target audience as it appears vibrant and lively, something young people are attracted to. It also makes the video more upbeat which fits the beat of the song and the general messag...