1. Amy Holmes
First Ice Essay
In your own edit of ‘First Ice’, analyse the signs, codes and conventions.
1. List the signs
2. Show how they produce codes
3. Explain their relationships and how these are conventions or not conventions
In our edit of the first half of the poem ‘First Ice’ we combined three shots containing
pieces of visual information represented within the lines of the poem through the use
of signs. We mainly relied on the use of Mise-En-Scene and Cinematography to put
across the codes we wanted our audience to translate.
In the first shot we see a young girl on the phone. She is positioned within the left two
thirds of the shot and the angle is slightly above her to make her appear young and
vulnerable because the audience feels as though they are raised above her and could
overpower her easily. The shallow depth of focus blurs out the wall behind her
slightly, but we can still see that is dull and grey and presumably quite dirty, implying
that she is very isolated and alone from the lack of life around her. Her clean
appearance contrasts to the grimy looking wall and implies that she is out of place and
doesn’t belong there. Her appearance and the jewelry she is wearing signify that she
takes pride in both the way she looks and the way she presents herself to others. The
bright colours of her coat, hair and nail varnish also contrast against the sombre

2. background; implying both that she is in a foreign environment, and also connoting to
her youth. The big fur hood she is encased in reveals that she is outdoors and that it is
cold, adding to the sense of vulnerability as she has nowhere to shelter. The fact she is
holding the phone to her ear signifies that she is either trying to get through to
someone/make a plea for help, something implied by her obvious misplacement with
the area she is in; or that she is receiving some kind of news. Her eyes are fixed on the
ground in concentration and her facial expression is very stern and solemn, signifying
that she is having a very serious conversation.
Her eye suddenly widen and look up, signifying she has heard something that has
disturbed/unnerved her. This is then followed by a use of editing which causes the
screen to flash black for a few seconds, connoting that she is absorbing the impact of
the new she has heard and perhaps even signifying that her mind becomes blank for a
second as she cannot decide how to react.
As the scene continues, the girl receives a piece of news that has a large emotional
impact on her. She lowers the phone slowly implying shock and that she is struggling
to know how to react. Her mouth hangs slightly open which also implies shock and
her lips appear pale, signifying innocence and a childlike/vulnerable quality to her.
The hood of her coat begins to slip down over her eyes as if it is sheltering her from
the impact of what she has just heard and covers her eyes to shield her. As she lowers
the phone her hand remains close to her body as if she is trying to encase her
emotions and hold herself together. At the same moment the wind begins to pick up
and blows her long hair out chaotically around her, representing the news hitting her

3. hard and possibly connoting that she is becoming restless and agitated. She covers her
mouth with her hands signifying she is trying to contain her emotions and stifle a gasp
of shock. We used editing to convert the footage into slow motion which can connote
to her confusion/panic or even signify her struggle to keep herself calm and conscious
as she processes what she has been told.
In the final shot she raises her other hand to her face and attempts to warm then by
breathing on them and intertwining her fingers. Her hands appear soft and delicate,
showing no sign of any labor or hardship and signifying that she is just a typical
young girl. The shot is positioned closer up to her hands and the lower half of her
face, making her appear small, soft and delicate. The way she conducts the movement
in her hands signifies that she is perhaps quite distressed by what she has heard and is
using her pushing her hands together in an attempt to hold herself together mentally
and emotionally. The editing continues to run the footage in slow motion, making the
movement appear slow and shaky which could connote to her reactions and emotions.
The lighting featured in all three shots is not particularly bright or harsh and therefore
creates a cold and numbing atmosphere, reflecting the news she is receiving.
The depth of focus begins to become more and more shallow until there is no longer
any focus at all, leaving just the girls blurred out figure remaining on screen. This
could signify something good in her life fading out and makes her appear incredibly
vulnerable and alone.
Throughout the scene there is very little actual camera movement in each shot; this is
something that could signify a contrast to the girls life as the image remains still

4. whilst the girls life becomes chaotic and out of control as the news she receives turns
it upside down.
In conclusion, we used a combined number of media techniques to present signs,
codes and conventions which the audience of our interpretation of the poem ‘First Ice’
can easily translate to understand what is happening to the girl featured in it. We used
mise-en-scene to signify she is in an unfamiliar environment and that she is receiving
news via phone which seriously shocks and distresses her. We kept the camera angle
slightly above her and maintained a close up to her face the entire time which made
her appear delicate and vulnerable. We also used very little movement to create a
contrast between the shot and the emotions she is portraying. Finally we used editing
to control the speed of the scene in order to signify the impact of the new hitting her
and how she struggles to control her emotions and cope with the situation she has
found herself in.