Lighting

Key Light
This highlights the form and dimension of the subject, omitting the key light can result in a silhouette effect.
High
This aims reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. Nowadays, it is used to suggest an upbeat mood, often being used in sitcoms and comedies. It is usually quite homogeneous and free from dark shadows.
Low
This lighting creates a chiaroscuro effect (see below).It accentuates the contours of an object by throwing areas into shade. Low-key lighting has a higher lighting ratio than high-key lighting.


Back Light
This lights foreground elements from the rear. It is sometimes called 'Shoulder Light' because when lighting an actor/actress it causes the edges of the hair to glow. It is often used to show the characters as good/pure. It is used quite a lot in soap operas.


Rim Lighting
This creates a thin outline around a subject without necessarily hitting the front.


Chiaroscuro ('light-dark')
It is used to indicate extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness.


*All of the information above that I collected was from Wikipedia.

Atonement Fact File

Institutions
The film was directed by Joe Wright, it is based on the novel by writer Ian McEwan. The writer involved with the film was Christoper Hampton. The production companies included Working Title Films, Universal Films, Studio Canal and Relativity Media. Filming locations include London, Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire. In the UK it was released on the 7th September 2007, in the USA it was released on the 4th January 2008. The film had an estimated budget of $30,000,000, in the UK, on the opening weekend, it made £1,634,065 from just 411 screens.


The film has multiple reviews claiming its excellence, one user review from IMDB says 'Atonement - a feast for the eyes.'. Also, the demographics statistics show that the film pleases a vast range of audience groups.

	Votes	Average
Males	60,706	7.7
Females	29,974	8.1
Aged under 18	1,105	8.4
Males under 18	354	8.3
Females under 18	736	8.4
Aged 18-29	57,269	8.0
Males Aged 18-29	35,829	7.9
Females Aged 18-29	21,175	8.2
Aged 30-44	25,231	7.5
Males Aged 30-44	19,019	7.5
Females Aged 30-44	6,043	7.8
Aged 45+	7,068	7.7
Males Aged 45+	5,167	7.7
Females Aged 45+	1,829	8.1
IMDb staff	19	7.9
Top 1000 voters	597	7.1
US users	24,590	7.8
Non-US users	63,013	7.8
IMDb users	102,321	7.8

Working Title Fact File

-British Film Production Company based in London
-Co-founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983
-Produce feature films and television productions
-Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan are the co-owners


With reference to their productions within television, they are engaged in a venture named 'Working Title Television', it is a joint venture with NBC Universal, their parent company.

Skins Trailer Analysis - Representation of Young People

Sound
All sound in the clip is non-diegetic, with the song 'Standing in the way of control' by The Gossip playing over the clip from the beginning up until the voiceover states what the program is and when it starts. This dominance of music perhaps symbolises the dominance that parties supposedly have in the lives of young people. The lyrics of the song itself show that young people are perhaps rebellious and like to go against authority. 'We live our lives, because we're standing in the way of control' suggests that they like to enjoy life as much as possible, which, for them, means disobeying rules. It also suggests that their age group are the only thing preventing complete control and conformity; they must maintain the fun factor in life whilst adults remain responsible and spend most of their time at work and do not usually go to parties. The song also helps to give the clip a quick tempo, showing the 'non-stop' nature of young people and their party-going stereotype. Finally, as the clip comes to a close, the music slows down as the party does; the characters are beginning to feel the effects of the drugs, alcohol and tiredness. This perhaps suggests that they are not responsible and forward thinking, they merely live for the moment which some may see as a negative characteristic.


Mise-en-scene
Throughout the scene there are many toys shown in the frame, these include a trike, water pistols and someone is dressed in a massive bear costume which obviously reminds us of the traditional childhood toy. This perhaps suggests that people of this age still are rather immature and tend to cling on to their younger days in the refusal to grow up and take more responsibility. Also, there is frequent evidence of drug use in the clip, this is a stereotype of young people, some people say that a lot of young people take drugs. It could suggest that they are quite irresponsible and do not care for their well-being or that of their peers.


Editing
The shots of the clip are edited to cut very quickly to the next and give the clip a very quick tempo. This could symbolise the lifestyles of young people in that they rarely calm down and relax; they frequently go to parties and engage in these kind of activities shown in the clip.


Camera
The camera composition is quite important in this clip. The frame is regularly filled with the faces and bodies of young people, this suggests the chaos and lack of control that these parties have, showing how uncontrollable young people are. There are quite a lot of close-ups in the clip, possibly suggesting that people of this age are quite 'in-your-face' and maybe disrespectful and inconsiderate.

Doctor Who Clip - Evaluation of Answer

I think my answer is worthy of a level 2. It shows examples relating to various technical areas, but not in enough detail to gain a level 3. I have used some terminology but again, not enough so as to reach level 3. My main target is to analyse the technical areas in greater detail and to make greater use of terminology whilst making my points.


In this exemplar answer, there are many examples of terminology in the analysis of the text. Also, the points, despite the proficient detail, are concise enough to allow for further answers to be made about the current, and other technical areas. This is something I aim to improve in doing in future answers.


For example, in the analysis of camera shots, a lot of terminology is used and the points are concisely explained to show that they have understanding of the question. Also, the answer is written in a style that consecutively shows the various technical areas, as opposed to being in chronological order. This is good as it ensures all techinical areas have been covered as opposed to concentrating on analysing the whole clip.

Monarch of the Glen - Camera angles and shots

1. The beginning of the clip shows the use of a wide shot to introduce the audience to the area and the people living/working there. The characters in shot are all older and are shown to be hard working and collaborative. The wide shot helps to express this by including many of them in the shot, showing that they are working as a team.

2. When we are introduced to the young female character, the camera tracks her and seems to pivot around the boy, this perhaps suggests she is important to him. As he is looking away, but still the camera tracks her form his position, it shows he may not be confident enough to speak to her but still pays her a lot of attention.

3. In this next screenshot, the camera is angled so as to show the girl quite trapped in the car, with various things covering her from the camera. This perhaps suggests that she feels quite trapped and nervous. 

4. This low angle shot shows the man to be powerful in the conversation and be quite intimidating for the girl.

Corporate Intrusion into Cyberspace

When previous 'do-it-yourself' media institutions such as Youtube and MySpace were purchased by big media companies, the relaxed approach to copyright ceased and the sites became more visibly corporate. For example, much legally posted material has been removed from Youtube and MySpace is now using Gracenote software to clear copyright and intellectual property at the point of download.


SOPA is the Stopping Online Piracy Act. It is a United States bill introduced to expand the ability of United States law enforcement to fight online trafficking of copyrighted material. Court orders have beeen requested to bar advertising networks and payment facilities from conducting business with copyright infringing websites and search engines from linking to these sites. The law would incur a maximum of five years in prison for unauthorised streaming of copyright material. Proponents of the bill say that it protects material and the industry it contributes to. Opponents say that it threatens free speech and innovation and enables law enforcement to block access to entire internet domains because of infringing material on a single webpage or blog.


Corporate intrusion has also led to a huge increase in internet advertisement. For example, they can sometimes be seen at the beginning of popular Youtube videos. Advertisement has become a very large source of income, internet advertising in the UK generates around £2 billion a year- more than 50% of the money made from television advertisements. The money invested in internet adverts has increased since 2007 due to the increased amount of people with broadband connection which led to more spent time online (an opportunity to advertise to a large amount of people).


The internet accounts for 23.5% of all advertising money spent in the UK, while television advertisement spending accounts for 21.9% of marketing budgets.


According to Luhrs (2007), digital media will continue to grow in significance in the foreseeable future.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a new phase of the internet in which we can create material, distribute it and perhaps move closer to the democratic spirit of the internet that it's inventor, Tim Berners-Lee, had intended. This new era is a positive development for ordinary people, they have relatively cheap instant access to film production and distribution, even a webcam combined with broadband connection can make you an overnight sensation on Youtube. An example of this is the 'Numa Numa Guy', who found his way to fame by recording himself singing and dancing to a well known song..

The man in this video had such great success with this video he went on to create a new Youtube Channel named Numa Network and now has his own website, http://www.numanetwork.com/SVkbT/.

Web 2.0 allows interaction and collaboration within a virtual community. This differs greatly from the mere creation and viewing of controlled content with the previous nature of the internet. Although, it was not a sudden and immediate process to get to Web 2.0, it has been a gradual evolution. Features that allow the seemingly infinite communication include message boards and forums. Also, websites such as Amazon now have systems allowing people to rate and review products.

The most popular Web 2.0 websites are owned by huge companies, for example, Youtube is owned by Google, so, social networking 'We Media', creates profit for these companies. These were also the people that were making money from the web previously. According to O'Hear (2006), Digital media will continue to provide it's owners with huge profits.

Despite these changes into a phase in which people have the opportunity to create material to be viewed by people online, most people still choose to just watch, read, play and listen rather than create and distribute. Only 0.16% of Youtube users actually upload videos.

 



Kat And Alfie Trailer - EastEnders - Sound

Sound that plays throughout the clip is the wind. It adds to the feeling of desolation within the location. Also, it gives emphasis to the characters (Kat and Alfie) as the location seems empty apart from them. It may suggest that without these characters, the soap has not been quite the same, with a sense of emptiness. So, when the music begins and the returning characters are shown, it has a big impact on the audience and draws them in.

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The similarity of the sound to that of a Western styled film suggests that there is going to be some sort of conflict. When Kat enters the set, the sound of her walking is louder than usual, adding emphasis to her return to the square, suggesting it is a significant event and will effect other characters living in the area.

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Also, the sound of her bag hitting the ground after she drops it is emphasised. Perhaps this means that she means to stay and it will take a lot to collect her belongings and leave again. This will interest the audience as they may want her to stay. The bag sounds very heavy, along with suggesting her plans to settle in this place, it could also suggest that she has a lot of things to deal with in this place, possibly unfinished business with other characters.

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The suggestion of conflict is again shown when Kat opens her mirror. It sounds quite alike to that of a gun, again, similar to a Western style film. The feeling of conflict is given as it reminds us of a duel, the way she is standing reinforces this idea. Again, this will interest the audience as they will look forward to the future storylines involving Kat.

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The music from the beginning despite it's occasional increases in volume, has been quite calm, yet tense. But, when we see Alfie, the music changes and the volume increases. This may be because the two characters have now returned and will together, have a large effect on the square. It also raises the question of conflict as up until now, Kat has been shown as a dominant character, but she is now seen as subordinate to Alfie. The music plays a big part in showing the position of these characters.

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The motif at the end of the clip is very effective. As we hear each bang of the drum, it switches between the two characters' eyes. The sound suggests their strong feelings towards each other. This implies the conflict is going to be big.

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Finally, the non-diegetic sound after introduction of Alfie sharply lowers and we can only hear the squeaking of a sign. This may symbolise the 'calm before the storm', the square is empty apart from these two characters, they dare not venture outside and be caught in between this crossfire. 

How has the expansion of digital media been an improvement for audiences?

The shift from 'push media' to 'pull media' is an improvement for audiences as it allows them much greater control over what products are produced. This links in to the rise of prosumers, audiences now have the technology to produce and distribute their own products easily. This not only creates audiences, like that of Be Kind Rewind, which is about people remaking (or Sweding), films, but also expresses what films they are interested in and gives producers an idea of what consumers want to see. The film industry has changed from being a value chain to being a social network, consumers and producers are now mixed up.

The expansion of digital media allows niche audiences to have an intimate network within their audience and be able to discuss with each other and advise each other about their film interests. These smaller, niche audiences are what Csigo (2007) describes in his theory of audience fragmentation; bigger audiences have now fragmented and fallen together into smaller audiences with similar, specific interests. As their interests are more focused than others that may have a wide range of film preferences, social networking is key, it allows them to easily find media products that comply with their interests. Before the expansion of digital media, this social networking would have been a lot more dificult.

Due to the expansion of digital media, 360 degree branding has come into effect and is used by a large amount of filmmakers to help raise the awareness of their film. The broader range of media allows audiences to experience their film in many ways. It also allows them more choice to experience it when and where they want. For example, they can download an App for their iPod and play it when travelling; no longer constrained by the lmited digital media.

Audiences now have a lot more freedom and ability to conduct price comparisons between film distributors. With a computer they can navigate to and from various websites to decide where the best place would be to buy their product. This saves money for the audiences.

One of the biggest technological advances in the film industry is the introduction and development of 3D films. This provides a greater experience for audiences when they watch a film.

Digital cinemas now present an opportunity for audiences to view films in a far greater resolution. Digital projectors capable of 2K resolution began deploying in 2005.

Home cinema is a very big improvement for audiences. Previously, the cinema was by far a better way of viewing films, it still is but the gap has decreased. For example, we now have Blu-ray films and surround sound systems which immerse us in films far better than a mere DVD.