Introduction to Media: Blog index

1) First blog task - 10 questions

2) Denotation and Connotation

3) Introduction to Photoshop: fruit bowls

4) Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things

5) Camerawork: shots and angles

6) Camera movement and editing

7) Blog feedback and learner response

Blog feedback and Learner Response

 Y10 blog feedback October 2024

RAHEEMI, Abdul Mueed

WWW: A solid start to Media Studies – well done for completing nearly all your blog work! Your fruit bowl is creative and well designed and showcases your technical ability great choice of footballer too! Your analysis from the Denotation and Connotation blog is excellent this is the level of detail you need to use for every blog task.

EBI: Please can you rename the first blog post title to ‘First 10 questions’. Also, ensure that you complete any blog work and meet submission deadlines – you are missing the camerawork blog post. See below for details

Camerawork – Doctor Who:

https://mediamacguffingcseyear1.blogspot.com/2024/10/camerawork-blog-tasks.html

LR: Create a new blogpost on your Media blog called ‘Blog feedback and Learner Response’. Copy and paste this WWW/EBI feedback into your blogpost then complete the LR tasks/questions below.

Please go back and complete the camerawork blog post. Reflect on your first month of Media. What do you feel is your strongest piece of work so far? What is your weakest? What specific skills or knowledge do you need to develop over the rest of the course?

I think my strongest piece of work so far is the " Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things analysis " as I'm very good at analysing things and I'm pretty confident at it as well. I think I could have done better at denotation or connotation and also I'm not as good in identifying Media or Technical codes and I think I could do some improvements in them.

Camera movement and editing: blog tasks

 1) Pick three aspects of camera movement in the Minority Report clip. Identify the type of camera movement and write about why the director chose to use that camera movement in the scene and what effect it has on the audience.

• Fast pan - Horizontal turn left to right fast and is used to follow fast movement. This was used when the character was running away from the police in the alley ways. the camera was on the floor (a bit like a worm's eye)

•  Fast Track/Dolly - Movement either backwards or forward or along the side. This was used after the Fast Pan in the chase scene, the camera was moving as fast as the character (tracking the speed) and was going from right to left sideways.

•  Zoom - Zooming in or out either with the camera moving forward or it is actually zooming in using the feature - this was used during some conversations between the police the person who they were chasing. It was also used when showing the character's feelings/emotions and also maybe to show some of their thoughts as well.

2) Pick one camera angle that is used in the scene and explain the effect it has on the audience. 

The low angle can make the character look big, strong and scary that creates suspense and a sense of thrill. Additionally, filming a scene in this angle can make your audience feel like the character is unbeatable or smart in a way that the police won't be able catch him as he has a lot of tactics and ways to escape them..

3) Finally, revise last week's work on camerawork by picking out two shots or camera angles in the clip that communicate meaning to the audience.

• Two shots - This camera shot was used when the two characters ( the police and the runner) were speaking to each other to solve things out. This shows the audience that the police doesn't want hurt the person or solve things in a violent way and they just wanted to negotiate with him peacefully.

• Medium close up - This camera shot was used when the main character or the runner was trying to think of what do when he was surrounded by the police. This shows the audience that the runner is up to something and doesn't look interested in negotiating with the police peacefully as he was trying to think of a way to get out and escape as the police as surrounded him into a corner.

Extension task

Linked above is a video from Studio Binder on camera movements - read their webpage on this topic and you'll learn about this in even more detail.

Camerawork: blog tasks

 1) Pick three camera shots from the Doctor Who scene and explain what type of shot it is and what meanings or effect they have on the audience.

• The opening establishing shot clearly shows the characters getting off a boat and walking into the restaurant. This both sets the scene for the following action and also confirms the characters are very rich.

• The extreme close-up on the main character's eye at 0.52 successfully communicates the intensity of the scene and the mixture of fear and emotion he feels as he watches his son being kidnapped. This effect causes the audience to sympathise with the main character and wonder what will happen to the boy after being taken.

• The over-the-shoulder shot shows the main character recognises the man who saved the boy and that the man with the face injuries is not who he says he is. It is also a medium close-up which allows the audience to see the confusion on the main character's face and the realisation that he has seen him before. 

2) Pick one camera angle that is used in the scene and explain the effect it has on the audience. 

The high angle shot looking down on the man who has been beaten up shows his powerlessness and that he will rely on others to make him better.

3) Pick one aspect of mise-en-scene from the scene and explain what connotations are being communicated to the audience.

 • The restaurant setting helps to communicate the wealth and power that the main character is dealing with. It is clearly a luxurious destination and the way the family greets the owner shows they go here often. The costumes support this with characters wearing expensive clothes and wearing sunglasses.

Extension task

Go back to the opening scene of Stranger Things that we analysed for mise-en-scene. What camera shots can you find that are significant in communicating meaning? Are there any particular camera angles used to tell the audience about the characters or narrative?

Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things analysis

 1) Choose THREE aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. costume, lighting and setting) and write a short paragraph for each about the denotation and connotation and what is communicated to the audience.

For example: 

Costume: The character at the start is wearing a white lab coat. This suggests to the audience that the person is a scientist and is probably running away from a failed science experiment such as a creature that might be turned into a monster because of the failure. Another example is when after the lab chase scene, there are kids with casual clothing playing a board game. This shows the audience the character's personality, what they like to wear and how they would like to look when they are with their friends.

Lighting: The lighting of the scene was all dark, gloomy and scary. This makes the scene more dramatically scary for the audience as it makes them feel more mystery in the scene as they would be uncertain of what might happen next which will also make them feel danger from monsters, jump scares or traps etc. Another example is when the scientist was running in a light flickering setting this creates tension and uneasiness upon the audience as it is also like a chase scene.

Setting:

Props: 

Actor placement/movement/expression: The characters were placed in a scary surrounding with a dark lighting. They had a scared and terrified expressions and were seen to be running away from a creature which creates an uneasy and uncertain feeling for the audience and when the characters are in a chase scene it creates alot of tension on the audience.

fruit bowl task