Mise-en-scéne Stranger Things Analysis

        - Selected Aspects

Aspects of Mise-en-scéne (CLAMPS)

• Costume
• Lighting
• Actions/Actor
• Make-Up 
• Props
• Setting

Denotation - Costume:

At the beginning of the clip I could see: a man wearing a lab coat

Connotation - Costume:

A lab coat is usually associated with Science and/or experiments and so we are able to infer as the audience that his occupation is a Scientist. If we were to expand on this we could say that he is doing experiments due to the clothing he is wearing.

Denotation - Lighting:

In this clip I could see; flickering lights; flickering lights when the man was in the elevator; darkness as the elevator doors closed

Connotation - Lighting:

The flickering lights at the start create an eerie atmosphere which causes the audience to anticipate something to happen. This keeps the audience on their toes and will make them prepared for any jump scares or sudden actions that might be coming up. Additionally, it will keep them engaged and might make them think, 'I won't get scared', this kind of mindset allows you to pay attention to the little details that might be hints to jump scares and in turn allows the audience to thoroughly understand the episode. The use of the flickering lights when the man was in the elevator just added to the tension and made the audience to expect something to come out. This drives the attention away from above the man where the 'thing' actually is and causes both the audience and man to think that their safe when in reality he's in a whole lot more danger. The use of darkness after hearing the man scream and get lifted up makes the audience think that something horrible has happened to him and that a chapter has ended for him as you can also associate black with darkness.

Denotation - Actions:

In this clip I can see; a man with a lab coat running out of a room; a man with a lab coat continuously pressing elevator buttons; a growling sound; a man get lifted up and screaming;

Connotation - Actions:

The fact that this man is wearing a lab coat suggests that he could be a scientist and the location is his lab so he's most likely carrying out an experiment. However, the fact that he is running away in such fear while looking behind him could mean that one (?) of his experiments has gone terribly wrong and is possibly putting his very life at danger at this point. When he was continuously pressing the buttons of the elevator I think it allowed the audience to know that whatever/whoever it was that was chasing him, it was fast and the man had to get away desperately. The growling sound causes the audience to question and think, 'what is that?' which makes the shocking realisation that it's above even more impactful. The fact that he is a grown man and was lifted that easily suggests that whatever/whoever it is, is in fact quite strong which just makes it more dangerous. 

Denotation - Props:
In the clip I could see; bikes: the board game Dungeons and Dragons.

Connotation - Props:

I think that the use of bikes in the clip, shows that they are still quite young as having a bike is quite common at that age. Also the fact that they take them around with them a lot implies they are special to them. This leaves a greater effect on the audience because Will left his bike as he was running away from the monster. This further shows that the thing/person was very dangerous. The use of the board game Dungeons and Dragons shows the kind of things that the children enjoy and allows us, the audience to understand the characters more.

Denotation - Setting:

In the clip I could hear crickets chirping; I could see a man wearing a lab coat.

Connotation - Setting:

At the beginning, we can tell that the setting is either really calm or deserted, this is shown by the sound of crickets chirping which is usually quite faint. This implies that it is very quiet and maybe everyone who is supposed to be there has disappeared. The fact that there is a man wearing a lab coat makes the audience aware now that the setting is a lab, which could also mean that there are experiments going on. However, for a lab, it is quite strange to only see on person there and for it to be so quiet.

Blog Feedback and Learner Response

WWW: This is a glorious start to GCSE Media – what a wonderful blog! I think it’s great that you’ve customised the look and – most importantly – the work is showing huge potential too. I completely agree with your intention of aiming for a 7-9 grade and let’s go for the top! It’s difficult to pick out a particular piece because you’re offering excellent depth and detail across the blog – from your opening questions that offer engagement and thoughtful responses to your WaterAid analysis which is extensive. Keep up the good work!

EBI: A minor criticism: we need to be adding the depth and detail you offer for the WaterAid advert for the Heinz advert. You’ve perhaps chosen a tricky advert to offer in-depth analysis but you could write about how well established the Heinz brand is and the instantly recognisable colour scheme. Always remember to explore texts from a variety of angles and offer extended paragraphs in your written analysis!

LR: 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? How can you improve the depth and detail of your media analysis?

My first month of Media has actually been really enjoyable and interesting. I find the idea of doing homework in the form of blogs makes it seem like less of a task and more of a fun thing to do. Using technology makes it much easier and quicker to complete as I am more used to it than writing. This makes me feel like I can express myself more using blogs which is part of the reason why I used a picture I took as the background for my blog. 

I feel that my strongest piece in Media is my WaterAid analysis because I was able to go into a lot of detail and pick out little parts of the the image and analyse them as much as I could. 

I think that my weakest blog in Media is either my Heinz Advert Analysis or the 10 questions. The reason that I think this is because for the Heinz Advert Analysis I could have further analysed it but I found this quite difficult due to it being quite a plain advert with not much going on. I also think that for the 10 questions I could have spoken about CLAMPS (Costume, Lighting, Actors/Actions, Make-Up, Props and Setting) to improve my explanation and make it more high level.

I need to develop my ability to look deeper into the text/image in order to make my analysis longer and more impactful. I can improve the depth and detail of my media analysis by expanding on what I've said further and turning it into a more advanced work that will make me feel proud once I've finished it.

Heinz Advert Analysis: Denotation and Connotation

Denotation:

In this advert I can see a Heinz Beanz can on a plain turquoise background and what seems to be a bean stalk wrapped around it. I can also see the words, 'for truly magic beans'. 

Connotation: 

The use of the bean stalk and the words, ' for truly magic beans' are a reference to the Fairy Tale 'Jack and the Bean Stalk' which will appeal to the younger audience. By aiming this particular advert at children will in turn cause parents to start taking in interest in buying it for their children which will increase the profit made. The use of the plain turquoise background makes for a simplistic design and yet it also captures the eye and allows for a memorable advert & slogan. I also think that the slogan used here will make children think that they can grow their own bean stalk like in the Fairy Tale and it also shows that Heinz themselves think that the beans they produce are magical/special. The colours on their own are quite distinct as well, which means that it would be easy to pick them out from other competitors on the shelf.  

Advert Analysis: Denotation and Connotation

Denotation:

In this advert there is a sandy background on the right and a boy with a serious face wearing worn out clothes on the left. There is also a house on the right hand side of the picture and text that appears to be fading positioned in the centre left reading, 'Dig toilet Not graves' there's also the WaterAid logo in the top left corner.

Connotation:

The use of the sandy wall in the background suggests that it's a hot place and is probably somewhere in Africa that uses basic design as we also know that there is a shortage of clean water. The boy in the image could be one of the people being affected by this and the serious expression on his face is most likely a way to beckon the audience to help him and to also feel compassionate towards him. The clothes that he is wearing look quite worn out and have some creases on them, this could mean that he's not from a wealthy background and might not have access to basic home essentials. The house on the right hand side is probably where the boy lives, however it isn't in focus so it's difficult to tell. The font of the text is quite faded, this could suggest that something is running out, this could mean time, water or even the number of people. What the text actually says gives the idea that many people have died and instead of having to dig graves they would rather dig toilets which also implies that there aren't many toilets either. This causes the audience to feel further compassion and guilt towards everyone suffering, not just the boy and will therefore make them feel more compelled to do something about it, in this case by donating. 

Introduction to Photoshop: Fruit Bowl

Fruit Bowl

For the fruit bowl task that we were given, I decided to choose the Skin Tone Palette. This is because I found that the colours incorporated in the palette were quite interesting and would be fun to use and experiment with. I wanted to try and embody a realistic yet creative element into my Fruit Bowl. I used a mixture of dark and light tones as they blended well together and made it seem as though I was including different races into my piece. Once I had finished filling in all of the fruits I found that a darker background would make the fruit bowl look even more complete and would make the piece stand out more. In the end I found that with everything together, it looked even better and I think that for my first time using Photoshop it was quite successful.

Key Concepts:Blog Task

A Silent Voice (2017)

Language:                                            The use of a release date, title, tagline and credits let's us know that it is a film poster as these features are customarily seen on them. The effect this has is making the audience more interested in the film by giving out these little details which will create more publicity prior to the release. 

Industries:                                             A Silent Voice was produced by Kyoto Animation which is well known for it's Slice of Life and yet emotional works such as Clannad and Violet Evergarden. It was directed by Naoko Yamada a Japanese animator, television and film director. The film ended up receiving 5 nominations and winning 2 awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay/Original Story. 

Audience:                                                                                                              I think that this film is targeted at both genders but mostly towards females as it has elements of Romance in it and the majority of characters are female. Due to the sometimes extreme acts of bullying and mentioning of death within the film it is aimed at teenagers and older with parental guidance. I also think that this might appeal to people who may have been a victim of bullying or were a bully in the past as they will be able to relate to the protagonists more.

Representation:                                                                                                    The focal image shows a boy who appears to be running after a girl, by his facial expression and body movement it looks like he has something to say to her, it could be an apology by the look in his eyes and the positioning of his eyebrows that make his face look more apologetic. The girls facial expression says that the boy is not a stranger to her and that she has maybe recalled a moment in her past of which the boy might have been involved. This is quite typical of a drama as now we can tell that the story will be based around what the boy has done to the girl and why he needs to apologise to her.

First Blog - 10 Questions 

1) Which part of the course are you looking forward to most?
The part of the course that I am most looking forward to is creating a product that the exam board will assign to us in June.

2) What knowledge and skills do you hope to learn in Media?
In Media, I hope to be able to spot fake news immediately to ensure that I can be aware of what is actually happening in the world and what the public is not being told. I also hope to be able to improve my ability to successfully deliver my own influential videos in the future. 

3) What grade are you realistically hoping to achieve in Media?

Realistically, I am hoping to achieve a grade 7 or above in Media, though I am aiming to get a grade 9 if possible. 

4) What was the last TV programme or film you watched?

The last show that I watched was Violet Evergarden which is an anime.

5) Why do you think that TV programme or film appealed to an audience?

I think that Violet Evergarden would appeal to an audience because of the outstanding animations, use of sounds and emotions all incorporated into it. In addition, the lite novel was the first work to win the grand prize in the Kyoto Animation Awards program's novel category in 2014, this let's the audience know that there must be something special about this series which would encourage them to watch it.

6) What technology have you used to access the media in the last 24 hours? (Radio, TV, phone etc.)

In the last 24 hours the technology I have used to access the media include: Phone, iPad, Laptop, Computer and TV. 

7) What device do you use most to access the media?

I commonly use my phone to access the media as it is easy to use and I can use it outside as well as inside.

8) Watch this clip from acclaimed BBC drama series Doctor Who:

Watched.

9) Why was the casting of Jodie Whittaker a significant moment in the history of Doctor Who?

The casting of Jodie Whittaker, the 13th doctor in 2005 was a significant moment in the history of Doctor Who because she was the first female doctor in the science fiction television series.

10) What aspects of this scene do you think an audience might enjoy? List at least three things and explain why the audience would enjoy each aspect.

I think that the audience would enjoy the aspect of regeneration within this scene, it would make them interested to find out who the next doctor will be, how they'll carry out what the previous doctor had been doing and will therefore cause them to keep watching the series. I also think that changing the actor is a bit of a change which will make the audience more excited. Finally, I think that the special effects used when the light was seen to be emanating from the 12th doctors body, this would make the audience feel fascinated by the scene.

Extension question: What can you spot in Doctor Who that you will find in most television dramas? (E.g. characters, dramatic music etc.) These are called key conventions - list as many as you can think of. 

I can spot that the use of dramatic music, voice, dialogue, editing and cinematography makes it quite similar to other Television Dramas as it causes everything to work together and in turn makes it more effective.

Extension question 2: What would a Doctor Who fan ('Whovian') particularly enjoy about this scene?

I think that a Doctor Who fan would particularly enjoy this scene because of the fact that having a female play the doctor created more independence for them as during that time no one would have ever thought of there being a female doctor. Also, seeing a show that has male dominating roles and having a female take place would make fans quite shocked yet amazed at the same time.