Practise Edit

Above is my first attempt of editing. I used the editing programme Adobe Premiere to edit this on. I was able to access some short pre filmed clips of footage around New York City - I decided to chose the New York footage as it was the most interesting in my opinion. Over the sequence I created with the footage, I added effects such as blurring and warping the image. Secondly, I added a music clip over to top of the complete video to add to the city effect and give the video a more interesting and fun look.

Representation

The word 'Representation' has multiple meanings in multiple categories. The official definition for representation is "the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way."
In media, representation covers every aspect of what is produced. Women and men are represented in a certain way, children are represented in a certain way, family life is represented in a certain way, celebrities are represented in a certain way. The media does not show anything in its true form, everything gets manipulated - sometimes in a positive exaggeration, sometimes a negative one.

Representations from the media typically quickly get turned into stereotypes linked to a group of people which the audience instantly thinks of after hearing a word.




Many representations/ stereotypes are shown in this short clip from the film Aladdin. These stereotypes include: women, men, Indian people and Indian culture.
Women are represented as objects to look at in this clip as Jasmine does not say much or show much personality but Aladdin is still shown gawping at her with lust whilst describing her with "wow".
This also shows the stereotype that women must conform to me's beauty standards in order to be noticed and liked.
There are similar stereotypes set upon males in this clip. One main representation of men is when Aladdin jumps in front of Jasmine to save her from a man with a knife. This highlights the stereotype of men having to be hyper-masculine in order to progress and become successful. It also accentuates the stereotype of women being weak and not being able to save themselves.
Additionally, this clip makes India look poverty full and economically poor. This is noticeable when Jasmine remarks at the young boy "you must be hungry".

The media is representing these stereotypes to be seen by the audience because it makes the story and location more obvious without having to have a narrator. Many films and aspects of the media use this technique .

Audience

Media and Audience:

There are many questions which get circulated about the whole of the media industry. Some of these questions get published and answered and many are down to the opinion of the beholder.

One question which is specifically answered by opinion (therefore does not have a clear YES or NO answer) is who creates the content of the media, the media or the audience?
This question is one of the most dubious of questions as the answer could be both. The audience creates media every day through their own posts on social media. Social media is now, in some lights, a great platform for people sharing their personal thoughts and opinions which could be shared and used to make a positive impact on this Earth,
Despite this, sadly most of the media which we see is created by not every day people, but superficial companies who want the audience to have the same mindset and think in the same way as they do. Examples of this media: advertisements on televisions, radios, internet, social media, billboards. Also the content which is aired on television, the news, the songs played on the radio.

Another question commonly asked is can the media exist/function without an audience? Can an audience (public) exist/function without media? Media could not exist without an audience because the whole reason that media is created is to affect an audience.
On the other hand, an audience could exist without media, of course, but to an extent. The audience could exist but not at all how the we has morphed into being today. People suffer without media because of the way it has come to control and influence our lives so much - therefore removing it from our lives would make us function in an entirely different way.

Thirdly, yet another question which media has aroused from the audience is: who is more powerful: the media or the audience why/how?
This question is one more tricky one due to how both options could apply. The media holds more power in a way because we are surrounded by the media creator's creations. Additionally because the media can so easily influence and alter the way in which we think, act and perceive things. Much of the media has subliminal messages within which alter the way we are, this proves just how powerful the media is over the audience.
On the contrary, the audience holds a considerable amount of power as well. This is because no matter what the media shows us, we are ultimately the one and only consumers of it all. WE are the ones who decide how powerful the media is because we are the ones who judge it and decide whether we are going to let it control us and alter the way we think. We have the decision and we decide just how successful the media is and becomes.

One final question which we as an audience and consumers ask is: Can the media control an audience?
The answer to this question is almost a 100% clear yes. Of course the media can control an audience. It happens every day without us even realizing - such as in film adverts where they show the best parts of the film and then show at the end of the advert in big, bold letters WATCH NOW. The audience then goes onto do what the advert told us to do, and we go to watch the film. If a fashion magazine tells the consumer that a new style of jacket is the next big thing, we will do as they tell us and go to purchase and wear that style of jacket. We are almost completely being controlled in everything we do.
But again, we control just how much the media controls us. Consequently, the audience cannot entirely be controlled by the media.

 

Genre analysis

Clueless (!995) fits into many genres, but two main ones. These two genres are: Romantic Comedy and Teen film.
From this short opening, the audience will be able to tell that this film will be a teen film due to the setting in which the film is filmed. The setting is in a house hold in what seems and looks to be like Beverly Hills in America. We can also tell that the film is in America due to the characters accents and the song playing in the background (Kids in America by Kim Wilde) - which clearly refers to the fact that they are teenagers in America.
This scene additionally shows that the main character is Cher Horowitz. The audience can recognize this due to the way she narrates her actions and explains what is happening in her life at that moment in time and does not talk about many other people. Cher performs this narration in a comical way which proves the film's belonging in the romantic comedy genre.




From this opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), it is clear to see this film is a science fiction/ fantasy film with aspects of comedy.
The setting shows the fact that the film is a fantasy due to showing many animals and plants which do not exist on Earth. Additionally, the way in which the main character, the Star Lord (played by Chris Pratt) is dressed and the technology he is using - both futuristic and unearthly. This also highlights the fitting of the science fiction genre with the film.
The comedy aspect becomes clear within this whole scene. This is due to the way the Star Lord lightheartedly and comedically dances around the scene to Come and Get Your Love by Redbone.




This clip of What Lies Beneath (2000) shows clear inferences to the film belonging to the thriller and horror genre.
One aspect of the clip which emphasizes this is the music. The music highlights the tension by a violin using a tremolo technique - also using stop starts to create jump scares. Additionally the character shown in the clip (Claire Spencer) accentuates the films belonging to the thriller genre through her acting with many techniques to mirror the genre and thrill of the scene.
Additionally, the setting provides thrill and tension. The bathroom covered in steam adds elements of mystery and the feel of not knowing what will happen next due to not being able to see properly. this adds to the already-tense-atmosphere

Semiotics

This image is the film poster for a film named Coraline. 
From observing this image alone, I can pick up denotations and tell this film will be a horror/thriller and perhaps of the children's genre additionally.
It is clear that this film has aspects of the horror and thriller genres because of some symbolic images and aspects of the whole combined film poster. Aspects of this image which have connotations to thrillers and horror could be the black cat at the front of the image (black cats have connotations to bad luck), the overwhelming use of dark colours such as deep purple and black (darkness is connotative to death, danger and mystery). The tree on the left side of the poster has very sinister connotations.
The way that the branches form make it look like a claw reaching towards the young girl at the center foreground of the film poster. This technique is mixing innocence and horror which creates a spooky and eerie feeling to the viewer, which may make them more intrigues to watch the film (preferred reading).
Based from the image, this film could included in the fantasy genre also as it shows a parallel universe effect (one side of the house is spooky and fantasy like/ make believe, whilst the opposite side of the house is normal and ordinary day-to-day life).

Genre Analysis

Today's Task: the class was split into groups of two. Each person in the pair was given a random genre and we went out and photographed things inside the school which fitted with the theme.




This image is based on the genre of High School Movies. The image reflects and corresponds with this film genre because typically, high school movies usually consist of a lot of sport - hence why I am being photographed throwing a basket ball at the hoop. We decided to use an ordinary straight angle because most films in this genre don't use any advanced or intricate angles, but just film it realistically.
Most High School Movies (if not all) are typically set in America. The school rule in America is to attend school in non-uniform, hence why I am not in uniform, in order to correspond with the chosen film genre.






This image was based on the genre of Apocalyptic. This image reflects and corresponds with the film genre because it shows a deserted scene. Additionally, the weather is gloomy and grey which as connotations of sadness, despair and melancholy emotions. Apocalypse genre films typically involve a scene which shows the aftermath of the actual apocalypse itself at some scene in the film - hence why my partner and I recreated that scene.

genre analysis

From this opening scene of The Great Gatsby alone, the viewer would be able to sense that the upcoming film would be perhaps a thriller. The opening scene could be described as mysterious due to the face it does not give away much and leaves the viewer with an overwhelming sense of suspense with an almost cliff hanger effect. This effect was most likely intended on because of the way it grips the viewer and makes them want to carry on watching - no one wants to be bored of a film 22 seconds in.
The music in the background (violins humming) makes adds the effect of suspense and tension as this sound could be described as unnerving, it is not "easy listening" music, instead it creates an eerie and tense aura.