The media industry has a wide variety of content, with that there is a regulation of new media technologies is to ensure the cultural diversity in media content, and provide a free space of public access and various opinions and ideas without censorship.
In the UK there a few different committees that regulate different types of media:
Radio - IPSO
Television - OFCOM
Adverts - ASA
Movies - BBFC
In the UK, actions such as providing a Watershed, which is a time period where anything shown on TV should be family friendly spanning from 5.30 am to 9.00 pm. The committee that regulates adverts or ASA censors and bans adverts to protect viewers, they do this by taking in complaints from viewers, which is then reviewed.
Statistically, a large majority of adverts in the UK are reviewed for misleading information and false advertisement, and other adverts are reviewed for vulgarity, nudity, and more.
An example of this is the case of an Adidas poster for a sports bra advert that was banned for nudity in February, 2022.
The poster contained the bare breasts of 20 women of various skin colours, shapes and sizes. The pictures were identically cropped to show only the torso from below the shoulders. This caused an issue as they were advertising a sports bra product. Nudity can only be malicious if it was identified as sexual or objectifying, Adidas published this advert thinking that this poster was not intended to objectify nor sexualize women. But at the end of the day ASA concluded that the way the women were portrayed were in fact sexually explicit or objectified them, and considered that the depiction of naked breasts was likely to be seen as explicit nudity. ASA also concluded that the advert was inappropriately targeted because children or underage people were able to consume the advert.
Here are 8 different movie analyses and research written by me. (Timothy)
Uncharted
2022, Columbia Pictures
The opening scene for the movie Uncharted begins with an intense, high-action scene of Nathan Drake clinging on for his life on to what seems to be cargo loaded on to a plane. The scene then moves onto the scene of Nathan's younger self with his brother sneaking in to a museum. (1:20-5:28)
Media Language
The opening begins with a blank shot of a gray sky, then cuts to various shots of close-ups and medium close-ups of the props and Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) coming out of unconsciousness as he is falling from the sky. This was further emphasized as the scene used diegetic sounds of wind to really sell the effect of Nathan falling from the sky. Furthermore, the lighting in this scene used very natural lighting to create the scene of broad daylight. The use of shaky handheld shots makes the scene feel highly action packed. The props used in this case are an airplane and cargo boxes, this can be seen to denote that he is falling from a military aircraft of some sort. The scene uses a point-of-view shot to show Nathan frantically trying to grab on to something as he is falling from the sky when a hand suddenly grabs him which then transitions directly into the past by using a very similar scene by showing a close-up of a clasp of hands where Nathan's younger self is being pulled up by his brother Sam Drake. The editing used in this scene shows a text that says "BOSTON-15 Years Earlier" this tells the viewers the setting. This scene was a direct contrast to the other scene as it is set at night, therefore having darker lighting. The characters were also lit very dramatically, being lit from below. The actors dialogue also had a big difference, as in this scene they were seen to be whispering, further connoting that they are sneaking in to this place. The set showed a grand architecture and paintings lined with gold, which connotes he setting to be a museum. The older brother (Sam) was mostly shot with lower angles which shows him to be someone to look up to for Nathan. The scene ends with them being caught sneaking in as a diegetic sound of an alarm rings and the two brothers being very dramatically lit with a spotlight from a security guard's flashlight. The actors further emphasized this feeling of hopelessness as they put their hands up and showed an expression of hopelessness.
Representation
Stereotypes are used in this scene to represent orphans. The stereotypes used of orphans were that the brothers were troublemakers, this can be seen as they sneak into a museum and try to steal a priceless artifact. Most western media, depicts orphans to be troublesome as they trust nobody but themselves which makes them stubborn.
Audience
The audience for this extract would be teenagers to young adults aged 13-30, this can be seen as the scene is a genre based in action-comedy. Another possible audience that has been targeted are people who are interested in treasure hunting or historic artifacts, according to Bulmer and Katz's Uses and Gratification Theory, the audience will consume this text for personal identity. This movie contains large amount of content containing historical artifacts and adventuring, the audience can see this as an influence to make life decisions. The scene uses hermeneutic codes to keep audience engagement, as the flashback scene makes the viewer question things such as how he ended up in such an obscene situation so far in the future.
Industry
The film can be seen to have a large production value, as the props can be seen flying through the sky which can be seen to have used a large green screen set. The use of the museum set also makes the scene more grand.
The Fast and The Furious
2001, Universal Pictures
The opening scene for the movie The Fast and The Furious shows a high-action, intense mobile truck heist scene.
Media Language
The director started the extract by using a dolly-out shot of cargo being loaded onto a large truck. The props loaded into the truck were old televisions, which tells the viewer the setting of 2001, this was further emphasized with the use of non-diegetic sound of hip-hop music that was trending for Americans during that time period. The opening scene is unique as the entire heist scene has no dialogue, the robbers were seen to be using JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars that glowed green and they used racing helmets. This scene used a variety of diegetic sounds such as tire-screeching, engine revving, glass breaking, and car honking to emphasize the intensity of the scene. This scene uses hermeneutic codes to make the audience question things such as who the robbers are, what they are stealing and why? The pan shots used in this scene were used by the director to further denote the pure speed that the vehicles are going and passing by. Props such as roadblocks were blown away accompanied with diegetic sounds of explosions. This scene uses a variety of shots, varying from close-ups to long shots, these shot selections aid in connoting the sheer distance they are covering at high such speeds, all while fighting.
Representation
This opening extract can be seen to divert from conventions, which in this case the stereotypes of heist robbers. Most media would depict robbers to carry large weaponry such as guns, while wearing ski masks with a city car as a vehicle to blend in. This extract completely diverts that as the only weapon or tool they use in this scene is a grappling hook which is very unconventional, they can also be seen to use racing helmets and JDM cars.
Audience
The audience for this extract would be young adults aging from 16-40 as this action thriller genre will be very popular in that age range. Another possible audience targeted by the producer are people that are interested in racing or cars, according to Bulmer and Katz's Uses and Gratification Theory, the audience will consume this text for social relationships. This movie can be used by the viewer to bond with other enthusiasts. This scene uses hermeneutic codes to make the audience question things such as who the robbers are, what they are stealing and why?
Industry
Considering this movie was produced in 2001, the movie can be seen to be high production as they would have to rent or buy expensive cars as props, and the practical effects used such as explosions. The scene also had good quality fight choreography which can be overlooked in most movies.
Baby Driver
2017, TriStar Pictures
The opening scene of the movie Baby Driver released in 2017 by TriStar Pictures depicts a car chase scene of the main character “Baby” driving a car after a bank robbery. The characters in this scene, which in this case are the criminals are all white, this subverts the usual conventions of the criminals as in most media criminals are depicted to be Black or Hispanic. Furthermore, one of the criminals was a woman, which also subverts from the convention as we rarely ever see a female bank robber. The props used in this scene was an iPod, which tells the audience that the movie is set in the early 2000s, this fact is further supported by the other cars seen other road. This movie allows the audience to expect a fast-paced movie with an action-packed sequence. The tone of this movie is light, as the characters, although in an intense situation are shown in the movie with the diegetic sound of rock music. I personally enjoyed the shot selection and the music chosen.
Now You See Me
2013, Lionsgate Entertainment
The opening scene of the movie Now You See Me released in 2013 by Lionsgate entertainment begins by showing a magician doing a card trick that not only fools a present audience in the movie but the viewers of the movie as well. This is done by effect as they emphasize motion blur on the cards the producers don’t want the viewers to see and make the card they want the audience to see completely visible with minimal motion blur. The characters in this movie, which in this case are the magicians conform to the conventions as they all act out their acts in a public setting. This movie sets the expectation that the scale of magic tricks will be far larger scale. The tone for this movie is quite dark and mysterious as we do not know much about the characters other than the type of magic they specialize in.
(500) Days of Summer
2009, Dune Entertainment
The opening scene of the movie (500) Days of Summer released in 2009 by Dune Entertainment both subverts and conforms to conventions. It subverts the norm for most movies as this movie has a narrator telling the audience about the characters and it mentions that the movie is not about a love story. However, it does conform to the convention of having a romance movie about a man and a woman. The opening of this scene makes the audience interested as the narrator mentions that it is a story about a man and a woman, however, it later on mentions that it isn’t a love story, this hermeneutic codes leaves the audience curious and makes them expect an explanation as to why it isn’t a love story when it should obviously be one. The tone for this movie is set to be bittersweet. I like the idea of subverting general movie conventions as they have narration for this movie, I also like the use of animations to transition flashbacks. I dislike the opening credit scene as I felt the showcasing of childhood videos became boring after a few shots.
The Last Of Us
2023, Sony Pictures Television
(No clip yet)
The opening scene of the TV Show The Last of Us released in 2023 by Sony Pictures Television mostly conforms to conventions, the opening scene mainly shows a story about a single father with a teenage daughter. This conformed to conventions, as the single father, in this case, was shown to be struggling to balance work and life as he broke promises and forgot to spend time with his daughter, this conforms to conventions because most single fathers are represented to as such, struggling with work and life, however, still care very much about their family. The scene began with a talk show setting talking about a fungus evolution that can cause an outbreak, this piques the audience's interest as talking about it is foreshadowing further scenes. The tone for the opening scene is warm and happy, however the talk show scene offsets this as it is so obviously foreshadowing future events, therefore leaving viewers with a feeling of worry and anticipation. I overall like the idea of using such an obviously contrasting scene to the main tone of the opening to create the feeling of anticipation.
The Inbetweeners
2008, Bwark Production
(0:00-3:47)
The opening scene of the TV Show The Inbetweeners released in 2008 by Bwark Production conforms to conventions, the opening shows a boy named Will entering a new environment which is a school. In this extract, there were conventions of school bullies and nerds. This extract conformed to the general representation of a school bully by showing them using low-angle shots and showing them using vulgar language with British slang as insults towards the new student. The conventions of nerds were also conformed in this extract by showing Will using glasses, quirky hair, and preppy clothing, he was also shown using high-angle shots to show weakness. This makes the audience expect a funny show as the awkward dialogue and vulgar language make for an amusing show of contrast. The tone of this scene is comedic and funny, this is further emphasized by the squeaky non-diegetic sound effects. I overall like the idea of using sound effects to emphasize a specific tone of a scene.
The Batman
2022, DC Films
The opening scene of the movie The Batman released in 2022 by DC films uses only one continuous shot to show a mansion and family activities through a window. This shot was a POV (point-of-view) shot showing a view through binoculars, this effect connotates the effect of invading someone's privacy, making the audience seem quite uncomfortable. The shot moves around with various pan and tilt movements that shows different sections of a mansion which shows a happy family fooling around. This scene makes the audience curious and sets expectations of explanations such as who is getting spied on and who’s POV the shot is from. The tone of this scene can be seen to be mysterious. I overall like the idea of using one continuous shot as an opening.
Here is a plan for our general timeline for this project, written by me (Timothy)
To Do...
Deadline
Week 1
Form a group
Week 1
Research: 2 in detail, 8 not much detail.
End of Week 3
Start diary
Week 2
Plan (story board/script/idea outline)
End of Week 4
Week 3
Plan (story board/script/idea outline)
End of Week 4
Week 4
Plan (story board/script/idea outline)
End of Week 4
Create
Week 5
Create
End of Week 7
Week 6
Create
End of Week 7
Social Media Page + Research
End of Week 7
Week 7
Edit
End of Week 8
Week 8
Edit
End of Week 8
Self Reflection (Prezi)
1st draft before meeting
Week 9
Meeting with Mr Nick
Week 10
Deadline (Wed 15th March)
Week 1 (9th Jan 2023)
M1: Made a group with Maxi, Nayana, and Sharon. Started researching opening scenes, analyzed two major and six minor scenes.
M2: Studied media industry theory.
M3: Continued researching opening scenes, studied the films Baby Driver and (500) Days of Summer, took a team picture, worked on the project brief, and wrote a weekly diary blog post.
Week 2 (16th Jan 2023)
M1: Learned magazine terminology
M2: Came up with two new concepts, Moonlight Sonata and Mr. Fahrenheit.
M3: Chose Moonlight Sonata as the concept and created a brief script/screenplay plan.
Week 3 (23rd Jan 2023)
(NOT PRESENT) - TEAM PROGRESS
M1: Created a to-do list for the Moonlight Sonata project.
M2: Studied media funding theory.
M3: Started creating a storyboard for Moonlight Sonata, finalized the cast, discussed shooting, and created a vision board for the concept.
Week 4 (30th Jan 2023)
M1: Continued casting and developing the storyboard.
M2: Studied media regulation theory.
M3: Collected possible titles for the film opening, researched typefaces for titles and credits, practice shots in class, and continued working on the storyboard.
Week 5 (6th Feb 2023)
M1: Studied media industry theory.
M3: Completed the storyboard
M3: Set up and rented filming equipment, experimented with lighting and camera angles, and began filming.
Week 6 (13th Feb 2023)
M1: Practiced essay writing on "synergy" for Section B.
M2: Revised and practiced Section B essay writing on media ownership.
M3: Developed typeface for title and credits and planned editing for the following day.
Week 7 (20th Feb 2023)
M1: Revised media industry theory.
M2: Wrote a critical self-reflection on the Moonlight Sonata project.
- No project meetings held this week, but editing was 75% complete.
Week 8 (27th Feb 2023)
M1: Revised media industry theory.
M2: Took a mock exam for Section A and Section B.
M3: Screened the completed edit of Moonlight Sonata and received feedback from Mr. Nick. Made minor changes to transitions, added and removed clips, and adjusted credit positioning.
Week 9 (10th March 2023)
M1: Continued working on personal blog.
M2: Received feedback on the second draft of Moonlight Sonata project, made changes to color grading, removed redundant black screens, and fixed continuation issues.
M3: Finished blog posts and wrote a critical self-reflection.
Here is an introduction to my team, written by me. (Timothy)
(Left to Right) [Me] Timothy, Sharon, Nayana, Maxi
Maxi: Screenwriter
Nayana: Casting Director
Sharon: Creative Designer
Timothy: Director
We chose to work as a group because we all felt as all of our skills are mutually beneficial and necessary to create the best product. Starting from our designated screenwriter, Maxi, he is a gifted writer with creative abilities to express ideas in unique ways, I have also worked with him on previous projects, which makes me believe that we have natural chemistry and will easily work together to create. Next up, we have Nayana as our casting director, she has the ability to organize well and has many connections which will be very beneficial for the team in external activities. Last but not least, we have Sharon as our creative designer, she has a background in art and design, which helps us have a fresh and creative view on the product were making.
In this term's project, we are assigned to produce a media product from a choice of two set briefs – a film opening or a magazine. We are to present evidence of the process of our work (research, planning and production) on an online blog. We must also reflect critically on their finished media product in a creative digital format of their choice, answering a series of set prompt questions. All work involved in creating the portfolio, including process, finished product, and creative critical reflection, is put online for moderation purposes.
This work may be undertaken either individually, or as a group (of maximum 4 members), wherein I chose to do it in a group of 4 people. Together, we chose brief 2, which was to produce a film opening.
The instructions for this brief are as follows:
Candidates are to produce the titles and opening of a new fiction film (to last a maximum of two minutes). Titles should follow the institutional conventions of commercial cinema. The task may be undertaken individually or as a group. There should be a maximum of four members to a group.
All images and text used in the main task must be original, and produced by the candidate(s). Sound should be predominantly original (dialogue and atmospheric sound), though music taken from an acknowledged source may be used as part of the soundtrack.
This task should be preceded by relevant preliminary exercises to build up candidates’ skills with equipment and their understanding of conventions.
Throughout the production of this brief we must also follow the instructions of uploading to our blog consistently, where the details of which are as follows:
Each candidate must complete an individual blog which is started at the beginning of the project. Each blog should contain:
• the process of research, planning and production
• any refinement, changes or edits made, and reflections on key moments
• all individual contributions to any task undertaken as a group
• evidence of any preliminary exercises
• the final finished product, clearly labeled
• the creative critical reflection, clearly labelled.
Some production elements such as storyboards may be shared by all members of a group. Collaborators who worked with the candidate on research, planning and/or production must be listed on the Individual Candidate Record Card under ‘other group members’. Centers should select dedicated blogging applications which allow posts to be read chronologically, with appropriate capabilities to embed other applications.
