Bridget Jones' Diary - Working Title Film

Bridget Jones’ Diary is a well known working title film, which shows the typical conventions of what all of the working title films seem to portray.

The actors/actresses within Bridget Jones’ Diary are all originally British apart from the main Character “Bridget” who is played by American actress Renee Zellweger. However her character is British therefore she changes her accent to a middle class London accent. The other 2 main actors within Bridget  Jones’s Diary is Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, who are regularly seen in working title films and they always seem to play similar characters. Within Bridget Jones’ Diary they continue this role of playing two middle class men, with good jobs and the same love interest.

The setting of Bridget Jones’ Diary is also very typical of working class films as it is mainly set in London however it portrays the whole of England in an enchanting and beautiful  country, this is shown when the characters go to the countryside. Also all of the shots showing London portray it to be an exciting and eventful place as all the Bars and shops the characters are in are busy which creates the sense of London being full of excitement at all times.

The target audience for this film could range from working class to upper class as the storyline is not very farfetched and could be one of a situation that a regular person could be in, just in different circumstances. Also the comedy and the normality of the characters creates a sense of reality that everyone can relate to which makes the film appeal to a wide class range. 

Defintions

Hyper-dermic needle effect - This is the idea that mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences.

Synergy - is the promotion and sale of a product throughout the various subsidiaries of a media conglomerate,e.g. films, soundtracks or video games. An example of this is Walt Disney pioneered synergistic marketing techniques in the 1930s by granting dozens of firms the right to use his Mickey Mouse character in products and ads, and continued to market Disney media through licensing arrangements. These products can help advertise the film itself and thus help to increase the film's sales. (Wikipedia)

Representation

Representation

An image + a point of view = representation.

What views of people or issues are being conveyed to the audience?

Hollyoaks – issues being conveyed through the opening credits seem to be real life issues, someone being a transgender, gay, the typical villain and women possibly seducing some of the men and these ideas play into the characters roles of Propp’s theory. We can see this through the way some of the characters look this is transformed through their facial expressions, stances, clothing, the way they are behaving and their background.

Tudors -

Who is being represented?

Hollyoaks – the people that were being represented are the young people of the modern day society. Women are shown to be the more sexy/pretty gender through wearing little clothes and make up; none of the females are shown to be looking particularly untidy or uncaring about their appearance. Men are shown to be dominant through the positions they are standing in and they are also portrayed as typical male characters.

Tudors – In this opening clip it seems as though men are represented to be to be the more powerful sex this is because throughout that opening scene there was not a single women shown not even in the background. Also the men are seen to be very powerful and competitive, as it seemed as though there was a rich man and he was the target of another group of powerful men. In this clip it seems as though the men all have dominating roles.

How far do the representations challenge or conform to dominant representations and ideologies?

Hollyoaks – the representations of both men and women conform to dominant representations and ideologies of males and females in society. The women are shown to be classically pretty and no one is seen to be overweight, ugly or challenge the typical idea of a beautiful women. The men also conform to dominant representations through their clothes, actions and also through the background they are each in.

Tudors – The representations within this clip conform to ideologies that men are dominant, powerful, in control and aggressive, these ideas of men are shown through both the richer man and the group of men chasing after him. However it can challenge the idea that wealthy people are well like as it is evident that this man is a target and receives brutal aggression from this group of men.

Ext; How far are audiences positioned to take up a preferred view?

Hollyoaks – A preferred view from the opening credits would be that the characters within Hollyoaks are a representation of real life and they are a reflection of the young people that we find today in modern society. A preferred view of the women would be that all women are sexy, pretty, vain, thin and it would seem as they have no imperfections, where as in reality this is not the case for every female. A preferred view of the men would be that they are all very attractive and seem in good shape there was not a character shown that seemed to look unattractive or overweight.

Tudors – For this particular clip I don’t think that the audience are likely to take a completely preferred view as the part that was showing seemed to be unrealistic and over exaggerated. However parts of this it seemed as though there could be a preferred view and this would be where there is a richer man in power who seems to have enemy and a side person this is because in this time 

Definitions

Hegemony – This is the way in which a person/people in power maintain and keep their control.

Ideology – This is a belief system that is constructed and presented by a media text.

Representation – Is the process by which the media presents the ‘real world’ to an audience. Media constructs meanings about the real world and re-presents the world to help the audience make sense of it.

Stereotypes - a widely help but fixed and over simplified images or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Essay - LOST

What narrative structure/s is evident in the first episode of lost? What effect does this have on the audience?

In the first part of Lost it seems a though this TV drama will follow the narrative structure of Propps character roles and the idea that in film and TV there is always a hero, villain, donor, dispatcher, false hero, helper, princess and sometimes a father. In this opening seen it is evident that Jack the main character is there hero as he helps and uses his medical to help and save the other people on the deserted island. Also we see that there are two helpers the lifeguard and the fat man, we know this because they aid the hero (Jack) and do as they ask him to do and we see examples of this in other TV such as fairytales. Also there pregnant lady could also be viewed as the princess as she is the one who needs help from the hero and she is the focus of the hero as he goes to her on more than one occasion unlike the other victims.

In part 2 of the first episode there story seems to continue to follow the narrative structure of propps and it seems as though there are two potential villains introduced. The first villain could be the Chinese man and we know this from the dialogue when he said forget about the rest of them, also the fact that the man speaks another language adds some secrecy to his character and could separate him from the other characters in the TV drama. Also the second potential villain could be the white man smoking at the beginning; the audience may assume this from the idea that he is alone and also separate from everyone else which could seem suspicious and unfriendly to the other characters.

In part 3 it seems as though there is another helper which is the lady as she wants to do what she can and all that she can do to help the man try and find a way for them all to be saved. There are seems to be a father which is the old white guy however this is only assumed because the camera focuses on him in certain shots however he never speaks and the only thing he does in relation to another character is try to make the girl laugh.

In part 4 it seems as though there is a false here which is the Charlie character and this is because it seems at first as though he wants to help but he is also caught doing abnormal things which makes him suspicious, but because it’s not so obvious yet this allows the audience to assume and be able to predict as to whether he is a false hero or whether he plays another role within this TV drama.

Discuss the sound techniques used in the first episode of lost. What effect does this have on the audience?

In the first part of Lost it opened with Non-digetic sound and this was used to build tension and create suspense for the audience without a great deal of physical drama having to take place. The non-digetic sound in this short clip get louder reaches a climax and then cuts off sharply. This can make the audience feel as though something will happen to the character and as though they are in danger and also add to the idea that we know something that the characters don’t. There is also digetic sounds such as birds and tribal music, which lets us know what kind of setting the character is in and that the character is potentially in a place that is foreign to them. Other sounds such as screaming adds elements of danger and fear for the character and the audience.  All these sounds together build up tension and set a tone and atmosphere for this TV drama.

In the second part of the first episode of lost more dialogue is introduced which would make the audience feel more involved and relatable to the characters. Also this would give the audience a better understanding of the TV programme and what has previously happened. This is because the dialogue between characters is like the characters communicating to the audience because certain aspects of the drama that were not understood could now be explained and they would gain a better understanding of the whole programme just through speech between the characters.

At the beginning of part 3 when the sound is used to create the sense of danger this adds a dramatic tone to the audience and creates fear and elements of danger for the characters. Throughout the rest of part 3 and the beginning of part 4 sound is used to continue to build tension however whenever it seems as though something will happen to the audience it end up being some kind of discovery or nothing and this will build a bigger tension for the audience as they are waiting for something bigger and more dramatic to happen.  There is also music in the background which matches the weather in this TV drama this add to the mood of the scene and can help the audience feel involved and feel what the characters feel. Also in part 4 the sound continues to build tension and suspense yet a taste of the thing that is putting the character at danger acts however it is not revealed which means that tension and suspense can still be built.

How is realism constructed in this episode of lost?

Realism is constructed in the first part of Lost from the setting, the sound and the characters. The setting is a real life place and to the audience it doesn’t look as though any part of the setting as been made up or created just for this TV drama. The sounds are real life sounds that you could hear and they match the setting which emphasises the realistic elements in this TV drama. Also the characters they are actually real people and they are not dressed in any abnormal costume they are dressed in clothes that match their character. For example the main character Jack seems to be a doctor and he is dressed in a professional suit. Also what adds realism to the characters clothes is the fact that they look battered and damaged which is appropriate as it matches the situation of a plane crash. Finally in the first part the place crash adds realism as it is something that the audience will be aware of happening and it is not something that is unrealistic.

Realism is continued to be created through the use of dialogue this is because when the characters have conversation with other characters about the situation that they are in the audience get an insight and what the characters say make the crash seem more realistic and their experiences that are being discussed do not seem fair fetched and seem real for the situation that they are in.  This also seems to be realistic because survival does not seem to be the main focus of the TV drama yet however it is still seen by the audience and they are surviving in a way that a normal person would do if they were in this same situation.

At the beginning of part 3 a sense of realism is lost when there is a fearful digetic sound and all trees are being knocked down as it makes it seem as though there is some kind of beastly animal about to attack the people that are stranded on the island. But the fact that the man has a flash back helps the audience to fully understand what went on whilst at the same time reinforcing and showing the audience what the man had described. It also explains to the audience how the character got certain items e.g. the alcohol for the woman’s hands and the man’s back previously. However this sense of realism is brought back when you see the lady having to remove a dead man shoes to wear for herself, this is realistic because it is something she has to do to benefit the group and try to help Jack.

In part 4, realism is lost once again when this unknown beast acts however it adds drama and allows the characters to perform and show realistic emotions.

How does lost fit the conventions of a TV drama?

In the first part of Lost it seems to fit the conventions of a TV drama because it aims to represent reality and that is something that is done in this TV drama. It is showing something that doesn’t necessarily happen very often but something that could and has happened in reality. It has a title sequence which is appropriate to the type of TV drama that it is as there is a lot of music used to build tension which would suggests to the audience that every week there will be high tension for various reasons in this series.  So far it seems as though it will be narrative based as there seems to be a storyline that will be taking place and from the first 10 minutes the audience are able to make predictions about what may happen. For example they will be stranded; Jack and the pregnant lady may develop a relationship. As well as that it also seems as they will be in the same or similar locations every week as they are stranded on this island.

Lost continues to fit the conventions of a TV drama in part 2 as it seems to be able to appeal to a wide variety of people which is could as it means its target audience is vast as many people would relate, enjoy and are able to understand the story as it is not to complex yet not to basic.  From this I think that target audience for Lost are people who travel, people who like disasters, teenagers and adults.

Why is sound important in tv drama?

Sound is important to TV drama because it can create an atmosphere as well as support what the audience can see and the style of the drama. In TV drama sound is used to build tension and create anxiety for the audience. The use of sound to do this makes the audience feel involved and apart of the suspense that the characters feel. Also the use of sound to suit the genre supports the quality of the programme.

TV Drama - The Killing

1.They use close up shots to show the instensity of the person, also to show the emotion in their face. This shot creates tension and suspence for what is about to happen.

2.Panning is used alot to show the drama that is taking place in every scene.It is used to show the view everything that is involved so they can feel apart  of the programme as if they are a character.

3.Zooming in also adds and creates tension and suspence, it makes the view suspect and try to predict the next dramatic thing that will take place.

4.Low angle shots are used in this to show the supiriority of a charcter and also to show the strength in the dramatic scene that may be happening. Low angle shots are good to show what may be behind a charcter which would create suspence.

5.Mid shots are used to show the body language as well as the facial expression of a character as this can give an insight into what they charcter may be thinking or feeling, it shows the reaction of a character which could potentailly make the character a suspect or a victim, whether they are involved or not.

6.Long shots are used to show the environment around the characters making the scene more dramatic and creating a dangerous and airy atmosphere which potentially puts the character at risk or in danger.