Media Studies

What I have learnt in Media Studies so far:

Representation

In this lesson we learnt not only about how representation is the way individuals, groups, events and/or issues are represented within the media but how it is the way in which signs are constructed in order to display aspects of reality.

As a starter at the beginning of the lesson we were asked to describe how we see ourselves and how we think others might see us, this allowed us to really think about how we represent ourselves and how others represent us, giving us an insight into what was to come in the rest of the lesson

Key representations within the media include age, gender, social class, ethnicity, ability/disability, regional identity and sexuality. These social groups are what we then went on to brainstorm in our lesson to really get our heads around how they are represented and why they are represented that way.

Here are my brainstorms for Gender, Social Class, Sexuality and Ethnicity:



Camerawork

In this lesson we recapped all the camera shots and angles we had learned at GCSE and gone into much more depth with them so we are able to pick each one out more comfortably in extracts for practice/mock exams and of course the real exams.

We looked at two clips observing the opening titles, from Game of Thrones and Mad Men, we then noted down all the camera angles and movements we noticed during that time.

We also completed an angle analysis worksheet showing various shots we then had to write the connotations and denotations of, enabling us to really grasp understanding of angles, shots and their effects on the audience:

In this lesson I also learned about the manipulation of the camera lens, framing, scale and movement.

Camera movements - motion of the camera during exposure, for example:

Crane shot - achieved by mounting a camera on some type of crane device.

Steadicam shot - essentially a harness that uses the camera person’s body as the support device for the camera commonly used for motion tracking.

Pan - a camera movement which follows the action, or reveals previously unframed space, as it moves horizontally.

Mise-en-scene

In this lesson we looked at Mise-en-scene which is the arrangement of the scenery, props, etc. on the stage of a theatrical production or on the set of a film. Mise en scene includes lighting/colour, facial expressions and body language, setting/props, costume, hair and makeup which combine to show the audience everything framed in the shots.

We had to complete a worksheet showing a shot from certain films and had to describe everything in the scene we could see and the effect of those on the audience.

Here is an example I completed from the film Sparta:

Also, in this lesson we looked at gender roles and watched a clip from Mad Men and made notes about how the clip showed these gender roles. We then we got given an exam style question and we wrote a paragraph explaining how the Mise-en-scene used in the clip portrayed gender roles throughout the extract. I found this lesson successful as I had a more thorough and detailed understanding of Mise-en-scene in film as much more depth is required at A-Level compared to GCSE level.

Sound

In this lesson we learnt the different types of sound. In GCSE Media Studies I had already learned the meanings of Diegetic and Non-diegetic sounds and how to use them effectively in my productions:

Diegetic means actual or literal sound heard by the audience and characters in the film/TV show such as footsteps or creaking floorboards.

Sound is said to be non-diegetic when its source is not present or implied in the narrative universe such as instrumental soundtracks or drones.

However, during this double lesson I learnt types of sounds that I hadn't even heard of before:

Synchronous sound is sound that is matched to certain movements in a scene such as when footsteps correspond to feet walking.

Asynchronous sounds match the action being performed but is not precisely synchronised with the action. Asynchronous sound is used when the director wants to create tension as the audience can hear the sound but not see its source.

Editing

In this lesson we were looking at the different editing terms. Editing is a creative and technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. Some of the editing terms that i have learnt are:

Action match - character begins to move in one shot, we see continuation of the same movement in the next shot.

Eye-line match - character looks off-screen, next shot shows us what they see.

180 degree rule - ensures that the same space is described in each shot.

Dissolve shot - one shot fades into another shot to emphasise the passing of time.

We completed an editing terms worksheet where the editing techniques were shown to us through the shots however we had to write down which editing term was which and what it does in a film and how it creates effect:



Composition

Depth of field - the measure that can be applied to the area in focus within the frame.

Deep focus - requires a small aperture and lots of light, means that the foreground, middle-ground and background of the frame remain in focus.

Shallow focus - function of a narrow depth of field and it implies that only one section of the frame will remain sharp and clear (usually the foreground).

In this lesson on composition we watched an extract from Shameless and identified shots where the above focusses are used to create effect and linked it back to social class and how the family can be presumed to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy purely through identification of how certain family members were positioned within the frame and whether there was a deep focus or shallow focus to represent the significance of a specific aspect of the scene.