Genre was the first theory we looked at, ("Genre theory is used in the study of films in order to facilitate the categorization of films. Genre are dependent on various factors such as story line, whom the director is, what are the audience expectations et cetera. In using genre theory we create a short cut in how we are to describe films. Genre theory through it's use is a method of shortening academic works.") Source
I looked at this theory in post 4, speaking a lot about Robert Altman's, Neale and Hartley's opinions. Looking at some of Robert Altman's views on genre i believe many can be applied to our A2 media short film. One of his views is "That genres are defined by producers and are easily recognised by audiences.". I believe this is a very important view we should try use in our short film. This is because after looking at short films in post 5,6 and 7 I learnt it is key for the audience to know what genre it is as the film is so brief. One way we can do this is with our lighting. After looking at lighting in previous posts I believe we can use what we have learnt to help change the lighting to create an atmosphere. This will not only create an atmosphere but will help show the genre of the short film - relating back to Altman's view genres can be recognised by audiences.
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| Robert Altman (1925-2006) - American film director. |
In the lead up to post 4 on genre our class also had a discussion on Tomato puree. We was asked were it would be found in a supermarket, then what would happen if it was placed on a different shelf in a supermarket. After this discussion I had to blog post my thoughts on how this could relate to film. I came up with the idea on actors. For instance if X actor was not chosen for X film would the audience for that film still be the same. One of the examples i came up with was would as many girls go to see Twilight if Taylor Lautner wasn't chosen to star in the film. I believe this cant be applied to our short film we are creating. This is because we have not had the joy of choosing an actor out of hundreds or thousands of people. We had to choose an actor who wanted to act and who was also willing to give up some of their free time. However I believe our lead actor is a great choice for the short film we are creating.
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| Tom Hanks - Audience hit. |
Our short film Karma is being packaged and marketed to appeal to a teenage audience. The pre-production work, postcards and so forth have been designed to appeal successfully to this group of people. The genre is a drama. From family issues to bulling our short film is a hard hitting short film looking at real life situations.
The next theory we have spoke about earlier on in the year was narrative theory. ("In media terms, narrative is the coherence/organisation given to a series of facts. The human mind needs narrative to make sense of things. We connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. In everything we seek a beginning, a middle and an end. We understand and construct meaning using our experience of reality and of previous texts. Each text becomes part of the previous and the next through its relationship with the audience.") Source
After looking at genre theory we went on to look at a narrative theory PowerPoint. Once again we looked at different theorists such as Julian McDougall. On the first slide of the presentation there was a quote saying "In everything we seek a beginning, a middle and an end.". I believe this can be applied to our short film. I think our film has a starter, while including a action filled middle finished by an ending which leaves the audience in deep thought. Our starter was outlining the problem Lucieanne has at home with the closeup of the door with shouting over the top. The middle is filled with bulling scenes with Lucieanne being the bully and victim. While by the end she turns into the victim. I think its important we have this structure and keeping to the storyboards/shot lists will help us do this.
Following on from this we was introduced to another slide on narrative conventions. The four conventions were Genre, Character, Form and Time. These four conventions are important as they help an audience interperate a text. Once again this relates back to genre theory and how important it is for an audience to understand what is happening very quickly. I believe these conventions can defiantly be applied to our short film. All of the four conventions will help the understanding of our audience enhancing the pleasure when viewing the short film.
For our film Karma the storyline is very important. It is one way to grip the attention of our audience. How it is told can be enhanced by using many of the conventions we have learnt. Editing the final cut will help us show a storyline by playing around with how it is told.
The third and final theory we spoke about was Audience theory. ("Audience theory provides a starting point for many Media Studies tasks. Whether you are constructing a text or analysing one, you will need to consider the destination of that text (i.e. its target audience) and how that audience (or any other) will respond to that text.") Source
To improve our understanding on audience theory we was placed into groups and had to create a presentation. Our group did ours on David Gauntlett - Critism of the effects model. This improved our understanding, and was an early learner to helping us create our short films. Audiences have different views. This comes from how they interpret a text given to them. Our group of four must make sure the audience for our short film interprets Karma well. Click the link to view the presentation.
Audience Theory Presentation
From the first slide we found out Andrew Hart believes that audiences are vital in communication, if it wasn't for the audiences media wouldn't exist. After reading through the slide I believe this one jumped out at me. This is because we are making our short film to communicate to an audience. Communication is vital if we want our short film Karma to be successful. In the last few months I have learnt many ways to communicate to an audience but i believe our filming and editing will play a big part in communication to an audience. This is because if both are not completed to a high standard an audiences interest will not be there. When we do come to filming and editing i will be thinking about the audience, including how they would perceive it when watching Karma.
Further on in the slides I found out theorists Blumler and Katz suggested there are four main needs for audiences. These are Diverson, Personal relationships, personal identity and Surveillance. I believe our film cant show diverson which is escaping the pressures of everyday. This is because our short film looks at bulling and other problems. While personal identity on the other hand is a great way of communication to an audience. Our audience is going to be aimed at teenagers. With Lucieanne a school girl this is one way a viewer would be able to compare their life's with hers. Personal identity takes me back to communicating and this is one way our character who plays Lucieanne will have to relate to an audience.
Representation Theory & Media Language
The two remaining topics we have yet to speak about are Representation theory and Media language. These two topics are due to come up in the exam so it is very important I research into them both.
Representation Theory - ("Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.") Source
Media Language - ("Any specialized form of discourse has its own unique language and media literacy is no exception. Even experienced media teachers are often bewildered by the seemingly interchangeable terminology used by writers and speakers in the field.") Source
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