Category: 11 MED 1

In the following training scene, Peeta wins a small victory against the main group of tributes in the gym by using his considerable strength to throw a large steel ball. How are use of other tributes using various weapons used to highlight the importance of Peeta not appearing weak?

In this scene Katniss is being prepared to meet Cinna. How does Gary Ross show the audience that Cinna is different to the other residents of The Capitol? How is costume and acting used to highlight this?

Let’s view the opening shots of Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane. How are costume, colours, lighting and camera movement used to illustrate the differences between The Capitol and District 12?

1. Read reviews of some of the films they have made. This will often provided important bits of information about recurring themes, costume, lighting, acting, cinematography  used by the director. (Remember: a professional critic will know more about the work of your chosen director than you do.)
2. View the trailers of the most significant of your director’s films. Note where their style is evident. You are trying to find examples of the stylistic elements that are mentioned in the  reviews you read.
3. Try and understand why your chosen director uses their unique stylistic device – what do they what the audience to experience?

 

Social Value is defined as:

An attitude towards a discourse that a society holds to be true, important or valuable at a particular place and at a particular time. Social values may remain in a society over a number of years and generally change or evolve slowly.

Discourse is defined as:

An ongoing discussion, framework or idea about a topic held by society.

One way to think about social values is by reflecting on how they have changed over time. In film there have been a number of changes to the way particular genre’s are constructed that reflects changes in what ideas are most valued by society.

For example, the genre of ‘natural disaster movie’ has gained a place in the film landscape – films that focus of the end of the world being brought about by natural disasters – this reflects the new focus society has on environmental issues, climate change, etc.

How can you identify social values in a text?

Once you have deconstructed a media text by looking for the main codes and conventions that have been used, you need to step back and think about how each of the codes work together to tell you something about the value placed on particular ideas or beliefs.

Remember, you can’t touch a social value so you have to try to sense what assumptions are being made about the attitude of the audience. Are there any stereotypes in the text that, although gross generalisations, reveal a commonly held attitude of the time? Are there any statements being made about gender roles? Is there a political reference that is commonly accepted as true but has not always been so?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are some examples of things you should avoid when writing about Gettin’ Square:

There is always that women in the cow patterned bikini and he says she is wearing too much.

This was written as evidence of the fact that Dabba is a gangster, but it doesn’t tell me why such behaviour (if it were true) would be proof of him being a gangster. What is lacking is an explanation of the fact that this kind of comment is typical of a gangster mentality that sees women primarily as objects of desire. This would have been a nice segway into another excellent example mentioned in this piece of the scene when Dabba goes to a bikini car wash.

Dialogue expresses this character as it brings forth his level of communication skills. Dabba uses foul language when speaking in front of his two baby daughters.

This tells us nothing about why this kind of behaviour is an indication of Dabba being a gangster at heart. Mentioning the fact that this shows perhaps a limited vocabulary born out of a poor education (commonly associated with criminality) would have shown the reader that you understand why the writer decided to have Dabba swear in front of his daughters. Similarly, discussing the fact that he may be unaware of the inappropriate nature of his language because he does it so often and how that says something about the company he keeps (a long time in prison, gangster friends like Crusher, etc) would have further shown an understanding of the choices made by the screenwriter.

Look at the next example and write a paragraph explaining why it is not thorough enough, in terms of analysis.

…when Chika goes into his restaurant and offers him an offer, he declines saying that he can’t come into his area and boss him  around. This also shows he is a criminal deep down.

Clearly, this is a good piece of evidence from the text that illustrates Dabba is best described as a ganster, but it fails to explain how this situation shows this. It needs to be said that Chika is one of the most feared gansters in Brisbane and that we see no other character in the film stand up to him in any. This fact makes the cool, calm manner in which Dabba stands his ground a perfect illustration of the power he holds in the underworld. Chika’s capitulation is proof that he too acknowledges Dabba’s status as gangster to be feared and respected.

Today, I am going to give you a practice outcome to do; I need it back by Thursday, so I can mark it over the holidays and have feedback for you first week back.

You need to write apprx. 1/2 – 3/4 of a page.

The first few lines of your response should tell me what the representation of Dabba is, and the rest of what you write should explain how particular codes are used to created that representation.

Now, let’s look at Gettin’ Square; I’d like to focus on the way Queensland is represented by looking at the scene where Dabba and Crusher are walking along the beach front.

In terms of Queensland, there are 2 primary representations, that are created through clever use of location:

1. Flashy, Glizty, Tacky

Afresco (outside) dinning

Mansions

Luxury boats/ marinas

2. Shady Underworld

Prisons

Alleyways

Carparks

Spits dingy apartment

Night time locations

Petrol Stations

These two contrasting representations of Queensland highlight the clash between the criminal and the law sides of society. The struggles of  Barry, Dabba and Spit, as they attempt to get square, is reflected in these contrasting representations of Queensland.

Holiday Homework

• Script draft completed
• Prep for next outcome by creating revision sheet

Today, we are going to look at:

1. The representations of Spit, Barry and Dabba
2. The representation of Queensland
3. The way in which editing is used to construct the time line
4. Important scenes

When does the film begin and how do we know this?

Is the opening of the film easy to understand? Explain your answer.

Today I wold like to allow to work on your PDP. Look at the Lessonbucket website and see what you can find. One part of the site that I think is particularly useful is the section on Filmmaking Advice. Another section you should definitely look at is the section of Production Design Plans.

The next time we see each other will be on Wednesday when we will be watching Getting Square. No further class time will be given to the development of your PDP, so make sure you use the resources at your disposal as effectively as possible. Please see me if you have and questions about what you need to be doing.

The wording of the extended analysis question has been printed below; let’s take a look at it and make sure we understand exactly what is being asked.

Using the print advertisement, analyse the codes and conventions that have been used to create particular representations. In your analysis, you should refer to any stereotypes used, the social values contained within the advertisement and the target audience that it is aimed towards.

Handy hints:

1. Review the work we did on colour
2. Make sure you understand key vocabulary covered in class (one additional word you might want to know is medium)
3. Be sure you are clear about steps you need to go through before you write your extended response