General analysis and lighting analysis on a film extract and still image

In the short extract from the film sin city the attention of the audience is pointed to the orange/yellowish cylinder held in the hand of one of the characters who is covered in plasters, the whole film is shot in a neo film-noir style which means that everything is in black and white (which could connote good and evil which is a binary opposite and a theory of Levi-Strauss) but in that scene the only colour that springs out at the audience is the orange/yellow cylinder which could be a tube used to store pills for medical reasons, this connotes that the reason that the cylinder is in colour is to emphasis the pain the character is going through. Throughout the short scene we see a number of lighting techniques, one of which include extreme low-key lighting. By using low-key lighting, there is a strong contrast between light and darkness which creates an effect of chiaroscuro, this could connote that the characters have some sort of darkness within them, that the male who has a much deeper and darker look about him with the help of top lighting, is some sort of villain which relates to Propps character roles theory. Top lighting has also been used in this scene to show the characters facial features and seeing as the setting is in a bathroom, the lighting is expected to come down from the top giving it a more realistic setting rather than to use a heavy amount of key lighting making it look unrealistic from the setting.

The lighting in the sin city film poster is used to highlight power in the characters, Bruce Willis is the actor centred in the middle and due to the low angle shot and the fact that he is looking down connotes that he is the superior of all the characters, he is the only one looking down on someone making the audience who view this poster feel intimidated by him. The lighting on Bruce Willis face leaves a few shadows on and around his face which is a low key lighting, it connotes power and could emphasise the darkness within the character and relating to Propps theory Bruce Willis would be considered as a Villain and an antagonist. The two characters behind Bruce Willis, especially Jessica Alba, are shown in a high key lighting with the help of a key light which connotes that these two characters are pure, good people and possibly some sort of hope within the film. The weather also provides a sense of darkness, combined with the facial expression of the characters and the lighting on them the weather shows pathetic fallacy as it shows the mood of the story, the majority of this poster uses a lot of low-key lighting to highlight the characters and portray them in a certain way.

My Media Consumption

Newspapers:
I don't actually read any newspapers but I do go online and see bits of news on yahoo homepage, I tend to read whatever is on there but mainly things to do with celebrities or crime. Even though I don't buy or read any newspapers my parents do sometimes get newspapers for interesting stories or shocking stories e.g. the royal wedding, death of a popular celebrity etc.

Magazines:
I don't read or buy magazines nowadays but when I was younger I use to read a magazine called "Game Master". I would usually buy them for the cheats on games or to read reviews on games which I would really want, sometimes I would look at the pages promoting the 'coming soon' games incase they had a game sequel I've been waiting for to come out, I would usually ignore the contest pages because I never won them and was never told if I won or lost when I was meant to be told.

Television:
Usually I would watch around 37hours of TV weekly, I'd watch TV before school (would watch daybreak) and straight after school I'd watch TV shows I've recorded or are on while I wait for my food to be cooked, sometimes I would also watch TV in the evening but that is just usually just shows I didn't have time to watch earlier on or are late night shows like Family Guy, American Dad, Medical Detectives, Unsolved Mysteries. I'd also watch shows like Derren Browns magic shows or comedy shows such as Citizen Khan, How I Met Your Mother and Rules Of Engagement and sometimes if Lie To Me is on TV I'd watch it even though it has been cancelled and all of the episodes are just re-runs. I do usually watch TV alone but sometimes I watch with my two brothers if it's a show we have common interest in, usually my older brother takes charge of the remote.

Radio:
Capital radio is my favourite as it plays the latest chart songs and sometimes do play a few old songs which I enjoyed listening to and I don't dislike any stations because my music taste is quite wide, if the music, bass line, voice, lyrics or anything sounds good in a song then I wouldn't mind listening to it, I don't mind if it isn't a genre I don't usually listen to. Due to technology improving I don't really listen to the radio anymore, if I'm in the car I would connect a USB and memory card full of my favourite songs and listen to them instead, but when I did listen to the radio I would usually be in the car on my way to school or on my way back home from school and I'd listen to it with my mother, younger brother and two cousins.

Cinema:
Recently I've watched the film 'Keith Lemon' (it was terrible) in cinema and on the TV I've watched the film exorcist (original). I usually watch films in the holidays with my family, cousins, uncles and aunts and usually it is the kids of the families who decide on the films.

Internet:
I access the internet almost all the time at home by going on my laptop and ps3, either playing online, talking on Facebook or whatsapp on my iPhone or I'd be on youtube listening to music or watching funny videos, reading news on yahoo and looking at interesting photos on instagram on iPhone or going through interesting blogs and photos on tumblr.

Analysis of Kidulthood opening

The film “Kidulthood” has a clever and effective opening, which instantly grabs the attention of young adults and teenager audience. The film begins with music which in todays society would appeal to the teenage generation, the music begins and sounds quite dark, gloomy and intense which already gives the audience an idea that the film may be quite a dark, mysterious, gloomy and intense film which would either appeal or relate (or both) to teenagers.

Kids talking on a playground is also heard in the background but is faintly heard, this connotes that the story would appeal to young teenagers but due to the faint sounds of a playground could connote that the film isn’t based around school life. The first thing that audience would see is a close up in slow motion of boys trainers as they play football on the field which could connote that the film does still have its realism within it, that school isn’t going to be portrayed as something its not but due to the field, boys and football being muddy it could represent the dark side of where they live and how hard their lives are.

The scene then cuts to a sped up panning shot of two girls talking, and due to the camera panning and focusing on them it establishes that the girls are two of the main characters, also known as the protagonists, in the film. The colours used in the shots are colours such as black and grey with a vignette border, this is used to set the atmosphere of the school which could make the audience think of it as quite a bad school full of hoodlums and troublemakers which reinforces the stereotype that is seen by the older members of society, this stereotype being that all teenagers act disrespectful and are troublemakers and hoodlums. The two girls are also portrayed as quite “chavy” looking, with one of the girls having her hair tied up at an angle, showing off her big gold hoop earrings and their uniforms not done up properly, also due to both girls being of different skin colour it could show that this film isn’t about racism and the school isn't discriminating against other races so it could possibly be more about social classes as the next shot is a contrasting shot of two other girls who look more presentable and could be of a higher social class but still have those few teenage looks about them with their uniform slightly out of place as if they are trying to fit in with the rest of the school, also to support my idea that the film is more about social classes, the two upper class girls have the camera slow down and zoom in a bit with the music changing by going slightly louder and distort which could connote that the two girls are soon to be victims within the school and according to Propps characters they would be the princesses who are in need of help.

The camera then moves to a group of boys in their own clothing, one with his hood up which again reinforce society’s stereotypical view on teenagers in todays society, this hooded teenager has quite an aggressive walk and facial expression while looking around, possibly for a person who has made him angry and impatient, the two guys this character is with have quite blank expressions and aren’t standing out as much which connotes that they aren’t important while the hooded teenager is, this hooded teenager is also represented quite negatively as described above and is therefore seen by the audience as a possible antagonist or villain according to Propp in the film and is disliked by the audience.

The shot then goes onto a close up of a drill bit being placed into a drill, the lighting is still quite dark and could possibly connote danger and possible harm to another character with the use of a mechanical device, the dark low-key lighting and music give the audience the false impression that this person is an antagonist and therefore makes the audience dislike him.

The shot then cuts back to the girls we first saw, the way they talk to each other using slang words in confidence shows that they are use to talking like that and are therefore seen in society’s eyes as possible troublemakers from a low class, we then have the camera cut back to the firstly addressed antagonist who is using foul language when talking to others, as a manner of inducing fear into others this again reinforces the stereotype mentioned before about teenagers, next we see a male character kissing and hiding with who this antagonist is possibly looking for.

Next the audience is seeing the supposed antagonist drilling, the audience has still not yet seen what this falsely accused antagonist is drilling which keeps the audience hooked on curiosity and creates an enigma.

By Akshay Bajaj

Analysis of a print advert

Timberland advertisements are extremely important as they create meaning for their products, for this advertisement the meaning they are trying to create is that its products have durability in tough times.

The Timberland company are also ‘poking’ fun at the banks due to the recent economic activity (recession/downfall). They are saying that their products are so strong that nothing can take it down and that maybe they should make a bank because it’ll be able to get through the times better than the banks have. This would create a sense of security with the audience, they would see the advertisement and think of safety, they would have trust in the brand as it is very well known and it states that their products get through tough times. The fact that they are talking about ‘starting a bank’ they may also be trying to say “You can trust us with your money, you have nothing to worry about, you wont be upset with the product.” This again would allow the audience to feel safe and secure with Timberland.

The font they have used is very hard-hitting; it has dirt over some of the letters, which relates to the advert and what it is trying to show. They are trying to show that they have already been through tough times and they are still around.

The brand name ‘Timberland’ is in the bottom right corner along with its famous logo. It’s already a very well known brand and therefore does not need to be any bigger because when someone sees the main image of the pair of shoes they would recognise the style and when they see the logo and name they know instantly that it is a Timberland product.

For Timberland to be making fun of the recent recession could be a sensible psychological ‘play on fears’ of recession. They could be aiming for people who are recently out of jobs and been made redundant or aiming for people who don’t want to spend and just want to save up, which is why Timberland used the words “Maybe we should start a bank” because people are saving in banks and they should become one because they would help the consumer save money when they buy the product because the product was “Built to last”.

As Timberland had survived the ‘credit crunch’ it shows the strength of the brand this will get consumers to place trust in the brand and therefore buy products from them.

The poster is graphically very simple, this is because Timberland do not want to distract you from the message being portrayed.

The poster consists simply of a black background with white, copy/text in ‘Impact’ font and a visual of the brand’s products for anchorage.

The fact that Timberland is a well-established brand is evident. The fact that they only used a small percentage of the whole page to actually display their brand and used up most of the page with a tagline about strength of products and a product easily linked to the brand shows that they know who their target audience are and that they know that a simple poster which is so effective can be able to attract them easily in the times of recession.

Timberlands target audience are most likely going to be people who are insecure about spending money and people who need someone to trust with their money when spending. They are aiming to people most likely between their mid 20’s to 30’s due to the fact that Timberland is a popular brand to the 20+. But it is possible that they have these shoes for all ages due to the fact that they are selling this product in a John Lewis store. John Lewis is popular with being known as the brand that stays with you for life, as their “She’s always a woman to me” advert campaign shows the style of John Lewis being portrayed throughout the life of a woman.

By Akshay Bajaj

Film poster analysis

The film poster of Remember me is a main theatrical poster with quite a plain colour scheme with only the colours black, white, with a small amount of red and also grey, which is used for the billing block. The black and white used is for the tag lines and actors names but is mainly used for the main image. Black and white is unusual for posters therefore grabbing the attention of a passerby when they see a black and white photo with the colour red (which is one of the first colours recognised/to stand out to a human eye)

The colours, black and white could connote reminiscing about the past and with the help of the title, 'Remember me' anchoring a meaning on the main image. The main image is of two protagonists who are in very close physical proximity which could show that they are two lovers in the film which connotes romance. ‘Remember me’ signifies a tragedy which may occur during the film making one of the protagonists reminisce about the past.

The title is in a bold; worn out font like the bottom left of the poster which could connote danger and drama which is a genre clue, the title is in the colour red which is the only actual colour used other than black or white, it allows the title to be easily readable to potential audience, it is also eye-catching. The red could connote anger as the bottom left of the poster is torn or it could connote love due to the two protagonists in the main image are in very close physical proximity.

Grey is used for the billings block, it's positioned next to the title which is different and eye-catching, but due to it being grey it's in a similar colour as the background, this could be because it is seen as irrelevant or could be a distraction for a potential audience member and therefore is in a colour similar to the background.

Generally, the poster gives quite a bit of genre clues. The main image is of two protagonists who are in very close physical proximity which could show that they are two lovers in the film which connotes romance. Due to the male having a more dominant pose, covering part of the females face, suggest that he is the main protagonist out of the two and the film revolves more around him than any other star in the film, it’s simple yet so effective, the image successfully captures a romantic vibe, it gives the clue that the genre of the film is most likely a romance. The title anchors the meaning of a tragedy which may occur during the film making one of the protagonists to reminisce about the past; this would show that there might be some drama. The tag line "Live in the moments" anchors the meaning of the image, it makes it seem as if the protagonists are living in the moments and because of their facial expressions, poses and gestures they give away genre clues, the film poster is being represented as being a romance poster but due to the torn part in the bottom left shows that there might be some sort of drama and tragedy which may occur.

The cast list at the top of the poster has mainly A-list celebrities with their surname larger than their first name which could connote that they are more famously known by their surnames instead of their first name, the A-list celebrities include the 'Twilight' teen heart-throb, Robert Pattinson, the Australian actress from the programme 'lost', Emilie De Ravin and former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. The fact that Pierce Brosnan is in the film could connote that the film has some action and drama in it because Pierce Brosnan is famously associated with action and drama films.

The poster seems to be aimed at their primary target audience of teenagers aged 13-18 which places them in the social-economical group of D or E, this poster could perhaps to be aimed to those who have had love problems or have lost a loved one due to a terrible tragedy in the past and like to reminisce every now and then and due to the poster being of a rough standard with dull colours this would less likely appeal to those of a higher background. Romantic drama is more associated with teenage girls, who are the primary target audience. Boys would most likely not enjoy romance films due to them being seen as ‘girly films’, but due to the protagonist being a male in this romantic drama, many teenage boys might aspire to be like the protagonist or they might identify with the protagonist, having the same problems and seeing a person going through the same feelings as the audience may attract an audience who want to escape reality (escapism) and see how someone else is dealing with their problems.

The poster could also be aimed to their secondary target audience of the drama genre, due to Pierce Brosnan being one of the actors in the film, Pierce Brosnan wouldn't appeal to many of the younger audience so it is possible he would attract his fans from previous films and would appeal to an older audience of people between the ages of 28-50 they are most likely to range between the social-economical group of B, C and D.

In the poster the main protagonist, Robert Pattinson, is represented as a romantic gentlemen who is well dressed but due to his hair looking extremely messy he is portrayed as a man who does think too much about himself and his appearance. Because of both characters on the poster having messy hair, could be a clue to what their life or love life is like (messy; all over the place). The protagonist seems to have found happiness through love due to having a woman who is in close physical proximity to him; almost close to kissing him and due to his facial expression.

The female on the poster, Emile De Ravin, is represented as being someone who is mysterious, hiding behind the male Robert Pattinson, but the hand positioned behind the male is the females and looks as if it has a ring on the ring finger shows that she is in love and is most likely in love with the male she is currently with and is most likely going to marry him. This would attract a lot of ‘newly weds’ and couples who have been married for a while or even couples who are going through a rough time as they can relate to the characters in the film. The male is wearing a suit while the female is wearing teenage denim clothing which represents the male as a serious business man who is in love, the female is represented as a ‘free sprit’ due to her wearing teenage clothing, she seems as if she wants to stay young, her clothing isn’t a business suit and therefore she isn’t represented as a serious business type of woman.

Overall, the film poster is a very simple yet so effective poster, it has many genre clues hidden around the poster which can only be found and understood if studied carefully and when studied carefully the narrative and genre clues are slowly revealed, for example the torn part of the paper in the bottom left shows that the film is a drama and the close physical proximity of the characters connote romance.

By Akshay Bajaj