Aim: To explore in which the status is represented in television drama extract.
Semiotics: Language of signs
Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their denotation
Syntactics: Relations among signs in formal structures
Pragmatics: Relation between signs and their effects on those (people) who use them
Denotation: Group of characters on an ordinary street. Got home late, two boys in bed, single mum, ordinary life.
Connotation: single mum, general simple clothing, poor looking street.
What does sound bring to a media text?
Creates tone, mood and atmosphere
Sets the scene
Gives insight to what will happen next
Emotions
Silence s a key too for playing with audiences emotions
Diegetic sound: Sound that comes from the world of the text itself music comes a scene, for example, radio or DJ in night club, this adds atmosphere.
Non diegetic sound: Sound that is added over the action, added in to post production to create mood or impression, programmes theme tune, or music used to emphasise actions to create tension and create mood.
Synchronised sound: Occurs when there is a match between actions and sound, action brought to life with sound. e.g.: If explosion happened, expect and appropriate explosion sounds, sense of relation between action and text.
Selective sound: Emphasise aspects of texts or moments of dialogue, e.g.: soundtrack through scene, bits emphasised of the text.
The Street sound:
Non diegetic sound for theme tune – dull, ambient, not exiting, reflects lives of people featured, average, normal life.
Selective: Shower – stress and tension.
Synchronised: Door slamming, rustling keys, shower, car pulling up on road.
Social Status within the clip: Plays with your emotions, please, begging governors to take them in.
How the sound creates status in the extract:
Cars going past, silent, heavy breathing, quickly speaking to get it all out quickly, nervous and pleading (repetitive word: please - pleading). Ambient, sad, depressing music – non diegetic sound getting louder after speech has finished/ending (pleading).
Discuss the ways the status is represented in the clip
In this answer I must:
Use media vocabulary and terminology
Discuss sound by name
Make answers as detailed as possible.
How status is created:.
Camera work: creates a sense f status because close up shots are used to show the expressions and pain the main character is feeling and how she is pleading to get her kids into the school. Shots from above give the impressions of the governors looking down on them as they are more powerful.
Mise en scene: Slouched positioning of the characters shows that they are more poor than the other people there dressed smartly and sitting up tall. Basic outfits shows where they come from and that they are not the best off and the characters all have basic makeup up to show natural lighting on their faces to show shadows and expressions clearly.
Editing: Shots flash from one to another fairly quickly, shows anger and sadness on main character when she s in meeting and shots flick from her to governors back to her and children.
Sound: Cars going past, silent, heavy breathing, quickly speaking to get it all out quickly, nervous and pleading (repetitive word: please - pleading). Ambient, sad, depressing music – non diegetic sound getting louder after speech has finished/ending (pleading).
Highlights from my textual analysis:
Sound: Non diegetic in final part of clip
Camera work: Medium close up shows expressions
Editing: Flicking shots to show sadness
Mise en scene: Natural high key lighting which create shadows of faces to show expressions on faces
In semiotic analysis – Sugar rush.
The picture shown on the front of this dvd shows two girls aged about 16 laying down on their fronts, holding ice creams. You can see one of the girls giving a typical miimc of a 'teenage attitude' by sticking her middle finger up and pulling a 'I don't care look'. This give the impression that they are two girls with a typical teenage attitude. They are laying n the beach which also shows that they are on the border of becoming adults because they now have the freedom to go out and be trusted by themselves. Also the colours scheme of pink and white relates to the 'girly' colours of 'candy', 'ice creams' and 'makeup' which all tell the viewer the type of girls they are. The girl on the left appears to be more of a rebel that the girl on the right who seems to appear innocent and is looking at her friend as if to say 'what are you doing?'.
Although the picture is simplistic, it is also very effective and creates an image to the viewer of the what the item consists of. The lighting also effects on their personalities as the girl on the left appears to be shadowed over by the good goody and looks as though she is the more type to cause trouble.
