A2 Media. Preliminary Task - Arctic Monkeys 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'

Hotel Babylon - Ethnicity

Hotel Babylon

Merlin - Class & Status.

This clip begins with the young man delivering a small bottle of liquid which is presumably for someone of higher social class than him, I can infer that he is of lower class and is someone else's service due to the time it is set in. The young man is obviously a significant character to the series as the whole clip is based around his actions and other people that he comes across during the clip. Upon delivery of the bottle the camera focuses on the items on the table which the young man proceeds to look at and then pick up, the fact that he looks behind him to see if anybody is coming emulates the idea that he is doing something he shouldn't be doing. The camera then focus's on the door from a perspective of the young man's back when the woman walks into the room, showing his blind spot and he turns around guiltily and waits for the women to say something to him. This shows that the woman is of higher class than him and he could potentially be in her service. The music that is playing in the background gives off a devious vibe which suggests that the young man is up to no good, the music then intensifies when the woman gets closer to the room which builds up to her entrance and the music then cuts when she comes in. The woman goes on to question why he is there and he stutters and then manages to leave quickly, the sound effect used when the women is seen for what she is in the mirror suggests that there is an element of magic in the scene.

The young man leaves the room and exits the building, the screen goes black and holds for about five seconds and then reopens to the sound of a sword being sharpened, this suggests that some form of armed combat is about to take place. The young man then goes on to walk through the village which is followed by a panning shot which shows what is going on around him. He walks past a number of boys who seem to be about his age however they show that they have more power than him as they all talk down to him and make him seem weak in comparison to them. This gives off the idea that the young man is born to a lower class family and has always been looked down on as he seems to expect it when they start talking to him, he walks around alone whereas they walk around in a group to suggest that he is isolated and different. The village that he is walking through seems to be where he lives and you can guess that it is a medieval village where the rich have power and the poor do the labour work. 

The opposing young man mocks the young man and causes him to lose it and challenge him, the opposing young man shows his power by laughing off the challenge and trying to mock him. Due to the fact that the young man seems to be poor he is given a weapon which is thrown at him by his opponent who is still laughing at the situation. The opposing young man is full of confidence and his wealth is shown by the fact that he has armour and has some form of training in combat whereas the poor young man has no armour and hasn't got any experience in duelling and flinches when his weapon is thrown to him, he then has to kneel down to pick up his weapon. The fight scene begins with the rich young man swinging his weapon which reinstates his power over his opponent, the richer of the two young men is clearly a much better fighter and has the physical advantage however the poor young man is mentally stronger and has the power of magic on his side. He finds himself in the situation where his opponent has the upper hand over him and he uses magic to make something happen that saves him which seems completely normal to the people watching the fight happen. The lower class young man seems to enjoy himself watching his opponent being helpless to the fact that he is so 'unfortunate' during the fight, the fact that he enjoys it so much shows that he isn't use to things going his way. His master then comes onto the scene which distracts Merlin (lower class young man) which makes him realise what he has done, the presence of the old man strikes fear into Merlin because he has power over him and he knows he has done wrong.

Kill List - Research

PRODUCERS:

Warp X.// British film production company, based in Sheffield and features further offices in Nottingham and London, founded in 2005. Warp X is a digital film studio that produces feature films in the UK with budgets usually between £400,000 and £800,000. The film studio began with support from organisations including; Warp Films, Film Four, UK Film Council, EM Media and Screen Yorkshire. Warp X have produced a total of ten films they are; 'A Complete History of My Sexual Features', 'Donkey Punch', 'Bunny and the Bull', 'She, a Chinese', 'All Tomorrow's Parties', 'Hush', 'Tyrannosaur', 'Kill list', 'Berberian Sound Studio', 'For Those in Peril.' 

StudioCanal.// French based production and distribution company founded in 1988 by Pierre Lescure, owns the third largest film library in the world. The company is a unit of the Canal+ Group, controlled by Vivendi. StudioCanal acquired film library's from studios that either went defunct or had merged with it over the years, this is why StudioCanal has the third largest film library in the world. StudioCanal's film library begins in 1990 and has plans for films in 2015.

Screen Yorkshire.// English based regional screen agency, they aim to deliver support for film making, exhibition and related media activities. Regional screen agencies have a complex role spanning cultural, economic and social objectives. To be effective, they have found it essential to engage actively with other regional partners and to involve stakeholders including local film and television producers, broadcasters, games developers, museums and other cultural organisations.  

Film Four.//

UK Film Council.//

Rook Films.//

DISTRIBUTORS:

Optimum Releasing (UK).//

IFC Midnight (US).//

Mise en Scene - Downton Abbey - Class & Status

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IscFlwFNB6I

Colour.// Green pleasant background shown when the paperboy is biking towards the Abbey, sunlight beams over the background whilst the paperboy is almost a silhouette. The downstairs of the Abbey in the servants quarters is very dark which suggests not much care has been put into the downstairs to maintain high standards in comparison to the upstairs where everything is elegant and implies it is a high class place.

Costume.// The paperboy is wearing lower class clothing, seems to be a cold morning because he is wearing clothes that will keep him warm, the kitchen workers all wear similar clothing that suggests the job they do in the Abbey vividly. Waiters all wear suits because they will be present in the upstairs area of the Abbey and therefore must look suitable to be in the presence of the upper class. The upper class men all wear smart clothes such as suit's with ties to breakfast and the women wear dresses, this shows they have to maintain the high standard of clothing wherever they go.

Lighting.// The opening scene shows a contrast of darkness and light, the background is lit up by sunlight which shows the Abbey's gardens whereas the paperboy is almost in darkness making him a silhouette. The downstairs of the Abbey is pretty dull when it comes to lighting, whereas the upstairs uses lighting to make it look grand and of high class.  

Body language/Posture.// The posture of the paperboy changes when he gets to the door to deliver the paper, he stands taller to look smart/formal upon delivery, when he leaves he slouches on his bike. The lady who is in bed moves eloquently and slowly, she maintains a similar posture throughout the scene. The man walks around with his arms behind his back, he maintains this posture whilst walking around and comes to a halt in the dining room when the man of more significance walks in, he holds his posture the same to look formal in front of the man with more authority. 

Framing.// Camera shots are used to represent social class through the way that it often uses a low angle shot when looking at a member of the upper class, this is used so the audience look up to them as well to show their authority at the given time. Whereas the lower class are looked down on from a high angle shot to show they are weaker in society, they are also in the lower quarters of the abbey which represents the idea that they are less significant.

Hair and Makeup.// The lower class workers wear little/ no make-up because they are working, they also have their hair tied up to keep it out of the way when preparing food to ensure high standards of hygiene are maintained. The waiters have clean cut hair and side partings to look smart in the presence of the upper class, the upper class men have similar clean haircuts. The upper class women have their hair done neatly and wear make-up, this shows the divide between the upper and lower class when they are compared.

Setting and Props.// The woman who is lying in bed merely has to ring a bell and her breakfast is brought to her in bed, she is given a table with her breakfast on which she can place over her lap which enables her to eat in bed. She is also given a newspaper that has been ironed to ensure the ink is dry, this shows they aim to maintain high standards so the upper class are looked after well. The abbey itself is a very large building which immediately implies it is for the upper class, it has huge gardens as well to convey the same meaning. The newspaper is significant in the scene because the characters are reacting to the headlines, the whole scene is based around these headlines which sends a chain reaction through the abbey. The paperboy is delayed due to the big news, the news is then passed on through the abbey as quickly as possible to get the news to the upper class whilst maintaining high standards.

Facial Expressions.// The upper class tend to keep themselves from showing too much expression, this is portrayed when the Lord finds out that the Titanic has sunk, he shows very little concern even though he knows people on board. The lower class however show more expression, the head chef looks concerned when the lady of the abbey rings her bell to signify she is ready for her breakfast, this portrays the idea that she is nervous because she wants to maintain high standards to keep the lady happy. The lord shows a harsh look of concern when he opens the golden envelope, this causes the women to look at him with some concern as well, he leaves quickly and heads upstairs to wear the lady is still in her bedroom.

American Beauty

Mise en Scene

Colour.// The scene is engulfed in almost darkness except the centre of the scene where a spotlight is on the young girl, 

Costume.//

Lighting.//

Body language/Posture.//

Framing.//

Hair & Make-up.//

Setting/Props.//

Facial expressions.//

Representation of Disability - TV Drama.

Stereotypes & Countertypes.//

Camera shots/movement.// Camera shots are used in TV drama to show power/authority, this can be shown through different angles, movements and heights of the camera. One of the most common camera shots used in a TV drama to show a persons disability is the long shot, this is used to show a characters full body and how they fit in with the scene around them, this can be used to show a clear physical disability of a character. 'Two shots' are used in TV drama where a disabled character will be put next to an able bodied character to show they are weaker, this is a stereotype of disabled people which is represented on screen.

Editing.// Editing can be used to emphasise disability, this is noticeable when scenes are prolonged to create a sense of awkwardness in the atmosphere,this gives characters who are fortunate enough to not have a disability have a taste of what disabled characters go through much more often.

Sound.// Sound is used to create an atmosphere in TV drama, the atmosphere that commonly comes with the introduction of a disabled character is silence, silence creates a sense of awkwardness so it is often used in collaboration with a disabled character because they have more specific needs compared to a character without a disability, this gives off the idea that they are awkward.

Mise en scene.// Mise en scene is used to highlight the idea that the disabled person doesn't fit in, this is portrayed through; them being slower to get things done, often can't take part in 'fun' things due to their disability...

Gender.//

Age.// Younger people who are disabled seem to receive more sympathy for their disability than elders with disabilities, this may be due to the fact that disabilities are associated with old age.

Ethnicity.// I do not believe disability is effected by ethnicity, therefore there are no positives or negatives to how ethnicity effects disability. 

Social class.//

Regional identity.//

Sexuality.//