Year 12 Media Research Task

Year 12 Media – Assessed Task
Title: Research for A2 Coursework
Date Due: 11th June
Instructions: To complete research
into movie trailers ready for you
A2 coursework.
Please add more slides where
needed.

Success Criteria:
KEY CONCEPTS:
Meaning
Institution
Genre
Representation
Audience
Ideology
Narrative

A2 Media Studies
Coursework
Research and Planning
Name

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Meaning:
Meaning is how media is interpreted by the audience Stuart Hall says that there are 3 different
positions the audience takes in order to decode the meanings. They are the dominant-hegemonic
position, the negotiated business, and the oppositional position. The dominant-hegemonic is when
the viewer or the audience is located within that dominant point of view. There are little
misunderstanding and miscommunication as both the sender and receiver under the same rule set,
assumptions and cultural biases. This will allow the transmission of ideas to be understood the best.
The negotiated business is when the audience member or receiver is able to decode the sender’s
message within the context of the dominant cultural and societal views. The message is largely
understood but in a different sense than the dominant-hegemonic. The oppositional view is when the
audience member is capable of decoding the message in the way it was intended to be decoded, but
based on their own societal beliefs, often sees another, unintended meaning within the message. n
media, denotation is the standard definition of a word, whereas connotation is the feeling evoked by a
word. Let’s consider another word: gritty. The definition of gritty is “having a rough texture.” So, in a
literal sense (denotation), we might say, “This sandpaper is gritty. It’ll make that cox countertop nice
and smooth.” But, consider this sentence “That side of town is pretty gritty.” In that sense, we’re not
saying that section of the city has a “rough texture” in a literal sense. Instead, we’re saying it’s a tough
neighborhood, perhaps with issues related to crime and poverty. As such, you’ll want to have your
wits about you when walking through its streets. That’s connotation.

Technical Codes (Camera
shots/Angles):
Over the shoulder shot: An over the shoulder shot, often referred to as an OTS,
is a type of shot where the camera is facing one character from a position that
is just behind another character. The effects of this shot works to orient a
viewer because we are visually reminded of the off-screen actor during the
reverse coverage.
High angle shot: A high-angle shot is a cinematic technique where the camera
looks down on the subject from a high angle. High angle shots can make the
character seem vulnerable or powerless when applied with the correct mood,
setting, and effects.
Low angle shot: Low angle shot is a shot from a camera angle positioned low on
the vertical axis, anywhere below the eye line, looking up. The effect of the low
angle shot is that it makes the subject look strong and powerful.
Close up shot: A close up shot is a shot where the camera is relatively close to
the object or character. The effects of this shot is to allow the actor to establish
a strong emotional connection with the audience, and the audience to
intimately see details in the charcaters face they wouldn't see in other shots.

shots/Angles):
Extreme close up shot: Extreme close up shot is a more intense version of
the close-up, usually showing only the subject's eyes or another part of their face.
The close view intensifies feelings that the character is experiencing and allows
the audience to feel sympathy for the character.
Point of view shot: A POV shot is an angle that shows what a character is looking
at. Typically POV shots are placed in between a shot of a character looking at
something and a shot showing the character's reaction.
Establishing shot: An establishing shot is a shot that sets up the context for the
scene ahead, and it is usually used in the opening scene of a movie or a television
show. It is designed to inform the audience where the action will be taking place.
It shows the relationship between people and objects.
A medium shot, is a type of camera shot in film and television that shows an actor
approximately from the waist up. A medium shot is used to emphasize both the
actor and their surroundings by giving them an equal presence on screen.

shots/Angles):
Long shot: This is often used to set a scene or establish a setting. It is good for
framing and showing large groups of characters in a situation. This shot helps to
engage with the audience by emphasizing the place and location.
Extreme long shot: An extreme long shot is similar to the long shot the only
difference is that the camera angle is placed further to add emphasis to the setting
and atmosphere.
Deep focus: Deep focus is a technique using a large depth of field. Depth of field is
the front to back range of focus in an image that is, how much of it appears sharp and
clear. The purpose of a deep focus is for scenes that involve important activity in both
the foreground and the background of the picture.
Shallow focus: Shallow focus is a technique incorporating a small depth of field.
In shallow focus, one plane of the scene is in focus while the rest is out of focus.
Shallow focus is typically used to emphasize one part of the image over another.

Technical Codes (Sound):
Sound in media is divided into 2 main segments. The first segment is Diegetic sound, this is any sound that
the character or characters on screen can hear. So for example the sound of one character talking to
another would be diegetic. The other segment would be non-diegetic sound, this is when any sound that
the audience can hear but the characters on screen cannot. Any appearance of background music is a
prime example of non-diegetic sound. Other examples of diegetic sound would be sound effects and
ambient sounds, other examples for non-diegetic sound would be a dialogue from the narrators POV and
theme music. Sound can help create meaning by enhancing the audience’s emotional experience, for
example in the movie “Jaws” used a theme song which helped to create an intense and horrifying
atmosphere, this made the audience on the edge of their seat. Sound can also help create meaning by
Identifying characters and which character type they are. For example in Star Wars Rogue one an “evil
theme song” was played in the background when Darth Vader attacks.

Technical Codes (Editing):
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing writing, photography,
visual, audible, and film media used to convey information. Editing can
involve creative skills, human relations and a precise set of methods.
The main segment of editing is called continuity, what is continuity?
Continuity editing is the process, in film and video creation, of
combining more-or-less related shots, or different components cut
from a single shot, into a sequence to direct the viewer’s attention to a
pre-existing consistency of story across both time and physical
location. It is also really important and effective if used in movies as it
is really smooth and creates a seamless narrative experience for the
audience. Continuity editing can be split into two categories, which are
temporal continuity and spatial continuity. Also in each category, there
are multiple techniques that can cause a scene to be continuous. The
first category is called temporal continuity, which includes ellipsis,
continuity diegetic sound, match on action. The second category is
called spatial continuity, which includes eye line match, and 180
degrees rule.

Temporal continuity:
Ellipsis: An ellipsis is an apparent break-in natural time continuity as it
is implied in the film’s story. The simplest way to maintain temporal
continuity is to shoot and use all actively involved in the story’s
supposed duration whether it is pertinent or not.
Continuity diegetic sound: It is a sound that comes from within the
narrative world of a film (including off-screen sound). Continuous
diegetic sound helps to smooth temporally questionable cuts by
overlapping the shots.
Match on action: A match on the action is when some action
occurring before the temporally questionable cut is picked up where
the cut left it by the shot immediately following. For example, a shot
of someone tossing a ball can be edited to show two different views.

Spatial continuity:
Eye line match: Eye line match is a method of continuity editing
whereby a cut between two shots creates the illusion of the character
(in the first shot) looking at an object (in the second shot).
180 degrees rule: The 180 Degree Rule states that two characters in a
scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.
If you don’t follow the 180 Degree Rule or break it intentionally, it
disrupts the scene disorients the audience. When you break the 180
line, a person who was originally facing left in a scene is all of the
sudden facing right.

Symbolic Codes:
Mise-en-scene:
Mise-en-scene refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement—composition, sets, props, actors, costumes,
and lighting. Mise-en-scene also includes the composition, which consists of the positioning and movement of actors, as well as
objects, in the shot. The mise-en-scene contains 4 main aspects which are lighting, setting, color, and character. The term lighting in
media, refers to how directors and movie producers create meaning by the use of light. The lighting setup in the movies guides the
audience to a specific actor, prop, or part of a scene. The directors can also adjust the lightings size, color and harshness to match the
mood of the scene. For example if there was a tragic and depressing scene, the color dark blue will probably be portrayed as it is a
depressing and saddening color. We then move on to the props of a scene. A prop is an item used on screen or stage to help enhance a
performance. It can make a scene feel more authentic or help actors play their role more adequately. Props help the actors and
audience to understand what atmosphere they are in and helps create meaning. For example an actor playing as a Native American
would hold tools and weapons from that era. Facial expressions and body language also helps create atmosphere and help create
meaning by showing the audience how they react towards an action. For example in Avengers End Game, towards the death of Tony
Stark we see Spider Man (Tom Holland) use a heartbroken and mournful facial expression, this also helps engage and connect with the
audience and make them feel as if they are in the movie itself.

Symbolic Codes (Color):
Symbolic Colors:
Red: Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war,
danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Blue: Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and
stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, confidence.
Black: Black is associated with power, fear, mystery, strength, death, evil, and
aggression. The color black is usually used in horror movies to set a tense and
terrifying atmosphere
White: White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity. It is
considered to be the color of perfection. White could also represent death
because before a person dies they see a white light.
Green: Green, the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with
meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment.
Purple: The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power,
and ambition.
Orange: Orange is the color of joy and creativity. It is associated with
compassion, passion, and warmth.

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Institutions:
BBFC stands for The British Board of Film Classification it was founded by the film industry in 1912 it deals with the
censorship and classification of films. They’re a group that controls the age guidelines for films that are made in or enter the
UK cinemas.
This symbol stands for Universal which mains it is for all ages and all audiences can watch it as there is no nudity, sexual
content or drug use. Many Disney films have this rating, like: Moana or Frozen.
This symbol stands for Parental Guidance it is used on films that may contain alcohol, tobacco use, profanity and violence for
any movie with this rating it is suggested by the BBFC that the children watching are supervised by a parent or parental
guardian.
This symbol is for films that contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12 and are not allowed to
watch the film if they are not accompanied by an adult films under this rating are usually more graphic and have more
violence. for example: the avengers movies are 12a rating as there are deaths and fighting which may be upsetting to the
little kids and the parents might not want their kids to watch that.
This symbol is for films containing horror, dangerous behavior, profanity, violence and drugs and alcohol use. it means that
anyone under 15 is not permitted to watch a film with this rating as it may upset the children watching and their parents
would not want their children to watch.
This symbol is used for movies rated 18 , this means that anyone below 18 is not permitted to watch that movie as it may
contain nudity, profanity, dangerous behavior, violence, and drugs, and alcohol use.
This symbol is used for movies rated 18 and over this also means anyone below 18 is not permitted to watch that movie as it
may contain nudity, profanity, dangerous behavior, violence and drugs and alcohol use. Audience members watching this
movie or purchasing it will have to provide an ID before being permitted to watch the movie.

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Genre:
Media products can be classified into categories or genre. Media genres appear
within a medium (film, television) such as the "horror" film or the television
"situation comedy". A genre can be recognized by its common set of distinguishing
features. These features associated with a genre's style and content may be, for
example, a particular setting, character types, technical codes (lighting or music).
You may also find that some media texts blur genre boundaries. Audiences
recognize these features and therefore expect certain things. For example, at the
end of a romantic comedy film the two lead characters will realize they are in love.
Audiences may even select a text on the basis of its genre. Steve Neale states that
genres all contain instances of repetition and difference and difference is essential
to the to the economy of the genre. Neale states that the film and its genre is
defined by two things:
How much it conforms to its genre’s individual conventions and stereotypes: a film
must match the genre’s conventions to be identified as part of that genre. How
much a film subverts the genre’s conventions and stereotypes: the film must
subvert convention enough to be considered unique and not just a clone of an
existing film. Neale states that Hollywood’s generic regime performs two functions:
To guarantee pleasure and meaning for the audience.
To offset financial risks of film production by providing collateral against innovation
and difference.

Genre Theorists
(Steve Neale):
Steve Neale believes that films of a type should include features that are similar,
so the audience know it is a horror film or romance, but also include features
that are different, to keep an audience interested. Steve Neale also talks about
how genres are created through a process of repetition and recognition leading
to anticipation and expectation. Also as genres become more established, the
audience who view the product will slowly develop an expectation. This is also
known as genre convention and the audience get a sense of satisfaction from
recognizing them. This is very important for the industry as audience like genre
because it allows them to know what type of movie or TV show it is. The
audience also like genre as it allows them to understand the movie or TV show
even better. Steve Neale also states that the film and its genre is defined by two
things:
• How much it conforms to its genre’s individual conventions and stereotypes:
a film must match the genre’s conventions to be identified as part of that
genre.
• How much a film subverts the genre’s conventions and stereotypes: the film
must subvert convention enough to be considered unique and not just a
clone of an existing film.

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Representation:
What is representation in media? Media representations are the way how people in media portray a specific group,
communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular stereotype.
Nowadays stereotypes are represented mainly in social media and in films, for example, if a white man shoots up a school,
he is mentally ill. Whereas if a middle eastern man shoots up a school, he is known as a terrorist. This is dangerous if people
accept the assumptions about stereotypes that they see online without questioning them, and begin to think the
stereotypes that they see is normal to them.
Another example is gender stereotypes, consider these facts :
Only four Disney films feature women speaking over 60% of the dialogue: Inside Out, Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, and
Sleeping Beauty.
A study on the number of words spoken by male and female characters over 2000 screenplays found that less than one
quarter had about equal speaking lines for men and women. More than half the screenplays had 60 to 90% of the lines
spoken by male characters.
A study on gender in advertising found that only 3% of advertising showed women as leaders, 2% conveyed them as
intelligent, and only in 1% did they come off as interesting.
The problem with being exposed to poor gender representation and gender stereotypes is that they are everywhere all the
time. These stereotyped messages in the media,
through television, movies, magazine, music videos, advertising, video games, social media, and more, can over time
influence you to adopt similarly narrow ideas of gender roles in society.

Representation Theorists
(Laura Mulvey):
Ideology is involved in forming the subjectivity of the individual at
the level of the unconscious – and that is how a female spectator,
through borrowing the male gaze, takes the ideology of a
patriarchal society, which is imposed. Male gaze is a term coined
by film critic Laura Mulvey to describe the cinematic angle of a
heterosexual male on a female character. As fiction imitates life,
and vice versa, the male gaze has become a familiar cultural
perspective. The Male Gaze theory can be applied to many
aspects of the media. In many video games the male characters
will be dressed appropriately for whatever it is they are doing,
however, the females will have significantly less clothing or it will
be tightly fitted to their bodies. This is because many video games
are stereotypically aimed at men so they appeal to the male
fantasy. For example In video games, a game called “Tomb Raider”
contains a woman which has been sexualized by the directors to
make it more appealing for the target audience, which are mostly
aimed at teenagers.

Representation Theorists
(John Berger):
Berger's theory was that looking is a political act, perhaps even a
historically constructed process – such that where and when we see
something will affect what we see – comes across most powerfully in the
second episode of Ways of Seeing – which focused on the male gaze.
John Berger analyses how men and woman are culturally represented. In
the "ways of seeing," he claims that representations of men and women
in visual culture attract different "gazes," meaning different ways in which
they are looked at. John Berger's theory was also based on the ways that
the public view the piece which can vary depending on the demographic
of the audience. Berger suggests that women purposely feed into the
Male Gaze theory and use their femininity to their own advantage and to
the advantage of men. He also suggests that women use their femininity
make themselves feel powerful since men are seen as the dominant
gender. For example in the film Red Sparrow the lead character uses her
femininity to get what she wants off of the men. Like Berger suggests, she
is fully aware of what she is doing and using her sexuality to her
advantage.

Representation theories
Uses and gratification theory:
Uses and gratifications theory asserts that people use media to gratify specific wants
and needs. Unlike many media theories that view media users as passive, uses and
gratifications sees users as active agents who have control over their media
consumption. It explains how people use the media for their own need and get
satisfied when their needs are fulfilled. The objectives of uses and gratification
theory are: To show the relation of mass communication and how it is used
to gratify needs. To find out primary intentions of media use by people. To know the
positive and negative aspects of media use on the media users.
Cultivation theory:
Cultivation Theory suggests Television influences its audience to the extent that their
world view and perceptions start reflecting what they repeatedly see meaning TV is
considered to contribute independently to the way people perceive social reality and
will have an effect on the audience’s attitudes and values. Long term exposure to
violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence. Being less
shocked by violence the audience may then be more likely to behave violently.
Hypodermic needle theory:
The Hypodermic needle theory is a linear communication theory that suggests that
media messages are injected directly into the brains of passive audiences. The
Hypodermic theory comes from a fear of the mass media, and gives the media a lot
of power. This concept ignores the idea that not everyone in an audience behaves in
the same way.

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Audience:
A media audience may be as small as one person reading a magazine or as
large as billions of people around the world watching events, like 9/11, unfold
live on television. Audiences have a complex relationship with the products
they consume. Media producers intend audiences to read their product in a
certain way, but in actual fact everyone enjoys a product differently due to
the individual's background and lifestyle.
Stuart Hall says that there are 3 different positions the audience takes in
order to decode the meanings. They are the dominant-hegemonic position,
the negotiated business, and the oppositional position.
The dominant-hegemonic is when the viewer or the audience is located
within that dominant point of view. There are little misunderstanding and
miscommunication as both the sender and receiver under the same rule set,
assumptions, and cultural biases. This will allow the transmission of ideas to
be understood the best
The negotiated business is when the audience member or receiver is able to
decode the sender's message within the context of the dominant cultural and
societal views. The message is largely understood but in a different sense
than the dominant-hegemonic.
The oppositional view is when the audience member is capable of decoding
the message in the way it was intended to be decoded, but based on their
own societal beliefs, often sees another, unintended meaning within the
message.

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Ideology:
Ideology consists of a set of attitudes, beliefs and values held
in common by a group of people and culturally produced
within a community to sustain a particular way of life.
• All media products have an ideological dimension to them
and are constructed within the context of a dominant
ideology or series of common sense values that are generally
shared and understood by all members of a community
• Marxists see these values as representing the interests of
the dominant or ruling class and their maintenance of power
• Ideology is present in all media texts. It can be explored by
assessing the attitudes, beliefs and values embedded within a
text.
Dominant ideologies are ideologies that are told to us
repeatedly by important social institutions such as the law,
education, the government and the media. These are what
we live by in our day-to-day lives and often do not question.
People are often dissuaded from rebelling against these
beliefs, and keeps a sense of stability in society, this is
because commonly there are consequences should the laws
be broken.

Ideology– Capitalism:
Capitalism is an economic system in which private individuals or businesses
own capital goods. It is also and political system in which a country's trade
and industry is controlled by private owners. Some countries which are
capitalists would be UAE, New Zealand, Switzerland, etc. It effects the media
by not providing all the pros and cons of the firm, it also only shows how
capitalism makes money and not how effects things like the environment,
pollution, harmful to standard of living. It promotes a culture of work and
desire. The common perception of the communist culture is participate in
activities that appear beneficial to you. An example of capitalism being
portrayed in a film was the new release 'Parasite'. The film follows a family
who begin poor but suddenly come into a lot of money and experience what
it's like to be rich. The film portrays the both the positives and negatives of
Capitalism through this working class family. In the start of the film, the family
receives a gift (stone) from a family friend, which is very odd to gift someone
especially if they are poor they would expect cash or food. The stone has
many symbols, one being that it a rare stone that the older generations would
collect and pass down to their family instead of giving it to someone else
because it is seen as something precious (worth a lot of money) That's why in
the film, you could see they were very confused at first. It is also said to bring
wealth to the family, the son holds the stone and admires it, this symbolizes
his desire fantasy of being wealthy.

Ideology – Socialism:
Socialism is a a political and economic theory which believes that the
means of making, moving and trading wealth should be owned or
controlled by workers. This means the money made belongs to the
people who make the things, instead of a group of private owners, so
every person in the community has an equal share of the various
elements of production. Social media is the most crucial catalyst of
contemporary socialism. Social media isn't just a tool for mobilizing
people it can also be used as a tool for politicizing them. It provides a
platform for raising new kinds of political thinking & new forms of
political identity. An example of social media being utilized to spread
socialism is through Twitter & Instagram . The #Metoo movement had
gone viral on twitter a year ago, the hashtag was popularized when an
actress 'Alyssa Milano' urged victims of sexual abuse to share their
stories on Twitter in the wake of accusations of misconduct against
Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. This movement encouraged
lots of prominent female celebrities & activists to speak out on the
movement and empower women to share their personal experiences .
The famous actress & activist Emma Watson had also raised awareness
on the movement through an interview with a well-known magazine
publication, teen vogue .this movement is very positive as it
encourages freedom of speech and it sheds a light on more issues.

Ideology - Liberalism
Liberalism is a belief in gradual social progress by changing laws,
rather than by revolution. Liberalism is the belief that people should
have a lot of political and individual freedom. The ideology liberalism
has become more of a political stance in the media over the years,
mostly impacting one of the biggest sectors is in the world being
news/journalism in digital and printed media, in which they can have
the most power and influence to spread their beliefs to reflect all over
the world, for the drive of freedom for individual speech and stance.
They started with their effects on the media in the early 19th century
caused by the rise of consumerism and of the middle class, using
strong public broadcasting to benefit it from it, spreading to as many
as possible and growing a huge backing. The effects caused by this
with the media today has created many different liberal mediums like
The guardian newspaper in the UK, the Independent New York Times,
the MSNBC which is owned NBC/Comcast showing media integration
and then the liberal democrats for the UK, all showing the same traits
of promoting free speech but sometimes is said to show biased
nature.

Ideology - Marxism
Marxism is the political and economic belief that there is no social
classes and that every person within the society works for a
common good, and class struggle is theoretically gone. The theory
is that this will eliminate the social gap between the bourgeoisie
and the proletariat and this will eventually lead to communism.
the person who created this theory is Karl Marx. Believe that
bourgeois owners (very wealthy business owners) instruct editors
and journalists to put across certain messages to audience. This
would spread dominant ideology that questions the power and
privilege of the bourgeois. Direct control by owners can be
described as manipulative and the instrumental approach related
to Ralph Miliband. The advantages of Marxism is that it has equal
gender roles, equal education access and health care as part of its
foundation. The weaknesses of Marxism is that it tries to abolish
religion, as it can be seen as placing a superior role over others,
and Marx felt like religion was used to control people. It limits
opportunities for entrepreneurs as you are basically working for
the government, limiting diversity.

M.I.G.R.A.I.N – Narrative:
Tvetzan Todorov: Tvetzan Todorov was a Bulgarian philosopher who was born in 1939
and moved to France in 1963. Todorov studied classic fairy tales and stories. He
discovered that narratives moved forward in chronological order with one action
following after another. In other words, they have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Equilibrium: the equilibrium in a film or story is having balance where everything is
as it should be. for example in the lion king Mufasa is in control of the land and the
pride he then has a son Samba who is next in line for the throne.
Disruption: the disruption is where something makes the equilibrium stop and
creates a problem. in this case Mufasa’s jealous brother scar kills Mufasa and makes
his son Simba run away so he could take his place as king.
Recognition of disruption: this means that the characters in the film or story now
realize that the equilibrium has been disturbed. An example of this is when simba is
grown up and finds nala and he hears that scar is the king and is terrorizing everyone.
The Repair: this is where the characters attempt to repair the disruption, in this
instance simba goes back to fight scar and kills him
A return to a new equilibrium: this is the final stage where the characters go back to
how the equilibrium was before or have a new balanced equilibrium in this case
Simba takes his fathers place as a new king and Simba and Nala end up having 2
children.

Vladimir Propp: Vladimir Propp was a folklorist researcher who
researched the relationship between characters and narrative.
Propp argued that stories are character driven and that plots
develop from the decisions and actions of characters and how
they function in a story. He claimed characters could be classified
into certain roles that progress a story.
The Villain: Is the person who tries and stops the main hero
from succeeding. The villain will do no matter what to stop the
hero from winning.
The Hero: The hero is the person who is often looking fro
something , who's on some sort of quest or mission, or to solve
a mystery. The hero is the person who usually saves the day.
The Donor: The donor is the person who prepares the main hero
for the quest, by providing them with a weapon or a special
power or anything which gives them the advantage.
The False Hero: The false hero is the person who takes credit for
the heroes doing, and tries to marry the princess instead of the
hero.
The Princess: The princess is used as a prize of reward for the
hero. The typical story is that the hero is on a mission to go
ahead and marry the princess.
The Helper: The helper is the one that helps the hero. The
helper will help by working along side the hero to fight off any
enemies or help them retrieve and important object.

Film narratives are usually linear. That means we see
the events of the story unfolding in the order in which
they occurred. Linear narratives are the most common
form. Sometimes, however, a film might work better
with a non-linear plot which presents some or all of the
events in a non-chronological order. Non-
linear narratives and circular narratives have a
structure that is not so straightforward. A circular
narrative may begin at the end of the story and work
its way back to the origins of the narrative. Circular
narratives are often only understood clearly by the
audience at the end of a film. The effect of non-linear
narratives help create confusion and suspense to the
audience, as this would allow them to be curios to
what would happen next or why did it happen.
However linear movies can’t create that sense of
curiosity to the audience through confusion, but it can
help create suspense in their own ways.
Linear narrative Non-Linear narrative

Trailer research
What is a trailer/teaser trailer? Why are they used?
A teaser trailer is a short video segment related to an upcoming film, television
program, video game, or similar, that is usually released long in advance of the
product, so as to tease the audience.
How have trailers evolved over the years?
The first ever trailer to ever be released was is in 1913, and the person who
produced was Nils Granlund. The trailer was for the musical film called The
Pleasure Seekers. The trailer was not colored, it was in black and white, and also
due to the lack technology, the trailer did not consist any or music. There was only
a person playing a piano. Whereas if you would compare that trailer with a more
recent trailer such as, Avengers Infinity War, we see a lot of major differences. For
example the camera quality has been improved by a lot, especially since they
started to film in digital IMAX. Another example is the CGI, The CGI in this product
is really high quality especially since we are at a time of era where technology has
been advanced massively.

Trailer Research
What makes a good trailer?
I think a good trailer should contain a tease, something which hooks in the
audience without giving it away. It should also be really simple and minimalistic to
lead the audience on. It should also consist the name of actors, for example the
BATB trailer would contain Emma Watson, this would make the audience more
eager to view the product as they know it would contain high quality actors.
Are independent films up to the same standard as Conglomerates?
No, because the conglomerates have the upper hand here as they contain a
massive following, therefore more views and revenue would be made by the
conglomerate. Another reason why conglomerates would have the upper hand
over smaller institutes is because of equipment and the access to well known
characters. When a conglomerate has high quality equipment they would be able
to work in a fast pace and the views would be more than satisfied when they view
the product. Whereas smaller independent institutes would find it more difficult
to work in fast pace and there wont be as much viewers.

Trailer Research
Why do films include movie posters?
Film posters have various purposes which make them a vital tool for the success of
a film. The main purpose of a film poster is to advertise and inform the audience
of an upcoming film, through important information such as release date, actors
and suitability with reference to age.
Why is it important to include branding across movie promotional packs?
Social media branding is managing your company image, identity and market
position, as perceived by the market, across digital networks. Characteristics
include maintaining consistent brand identity across social media platforms,
usually integrating them. A promotional package is a collection of media products
and contents that is created to attract the target audience attention towards the
product being promoted.

Trailer – 3 Act Structure:
The 3 Act Structure:
It has been widely agreed that trailers for movies follow what is known as the 3 Act
Structure:
1. Establishing part (setting the scene/introducing the main characters).
2. Disturbance (some sort of conflict or issues arises – a potential problem)
3. Montage (a range of fast clips from throughout the movie edited together to
tease the audience.)

Analysis of Trailer 1:
The opening sequence starts with the Warner Bros institution logo but in a different color scheme. This is effective as it has an eerie effect
for the audience, which helps identify that the genre of the film is horror. This is then followed by the New Line Cinema logo. This is a
convention of any film to show all institutions of the film before it starts. Following this, there is darkness for ten seconds with dialogue
over. This is effective as it makes the audience listen carefully to the dialogue, which is crucial to the film. We then see an image of a doll’s
face appears, which is then followed by a shaky camera movements, moving away from the doll’s head. The shaky camera movements
suggest to the audience that the doll is dangerous and causes distress to people when near her, which she causes death. The camera then
goes onto show a low lighting mid shot of three people accompanied by dialogue of the story of Annabelle. This is a crucial part of the film
as it informs the audience about the storyline of what has previously happened involving Annabelle. Next a mid-shot of Annabelle appears
and zooms in at a steady slow pace. This emphasizes the tensions that Annabelle causes as her blank expressions send messages of
horrifying events. The director of the film then goes onto show a flash back of the story starting with a mid-shot of the two women, from
the beginning, coming through the door having a very loud conversation. This is effective because it shocks the audience by going from a
quiet atmosphere to a very loud one. After entering the door, the woman at the front bends down and picks up a worn stained piece of
paper. We then see a use of a POV shot to show the point of view of the woman behind her. The shot shows writing stating, “Miss Me?”
written in red crayon. The next crucial shot is a long shot of the doll sat down in the hallway, leaning against the wall. This is crucial because
the camera movement is very shaky, suggesting a hand-held device filmed it. This is effective as it influences the audience to feel nervous
as it is the shot of the point of view of the women, which suggests the woman feel nervous and intimidated. Wan the uses a close up of
Annabelle’s hands, which shows her holding a red crayon, suggesting to the audience she wrote the note. This creates confusion for the
audience as she is an inanimate object. The director then goes onto use a low angled close up of the blonde haired woman, which is then
framed by the spare room, covered in red crayon. This also creates confusion for the audience as it suggests Annabelle has damaged the
room. The next shot used is a panning POV shot, which establishes the scene and shows the damage done by the doll. The non-digetic
sound in the scene is very dramatic and emphasizes the tension and panic within the scene. This is then followed by a POV shot of the
ceiling which shows red writing stating, ‘Miss me?’, suggesting that Annabelle is actually alive and creates confusion for the audience. Next,
a floor level shot of the crayon rolling along the floor. This suggests that Annabelle has either dropped it or rolled it along the floor. The
camera then zooms in at a fast pace, which can be interpreted to represent the shock of realization of the characters within the scene. This
is then followed by a long shot of the hallway, which then zooms in to follow the dark haired woman carrying Annabelle out the door. This
is used to make the audience feel like they are in the scene. Finally, the director uses an aerial shot of the dark haired woman placing both
Annabelle and the note into the bin, suggesting that she has finally got rid of her which is not correct.

Analysis of Poster 1:
The main colours used in this poster are grey, white and black. The colour grey
symbolises stability or calm, this could represent the Warrens family and how they
purposely act, to provide relief from the spirit that is torturing the Perron family.
White symbolises innocence, this could show that the Perron family are the
innocent victims in the film. Black is associated with death, evil and mystery,
showing that the antagonists of the film are unknown. The messages are both
verbal and visual. The visual messages on the poster are used to give a creepy
feeling to the poster and to intrigue its audience, the noose symbolizing death and
the house in the background which could connote some sort of invasion. The
verbal messages on the poster include the title, tagline, release date, director and
credit block. Most of the verbal messages are used to connote the genre, the title
of the film is eerie and suggests something unnatural. The tagline mentions ”The
Warrens” who were paranormal investigators also shows the film is likely to be a
horror and the director has directed films including SAW and Insidious which are
both horror. Attention is gained through shock, having a noose on a poster is an
image that is likely to draw attention because audiences will be surprised and
possibly disturbed by its use, especially since it creates a tense and ghoul
atmosphere for the audience. The noose could also symbolize death as it is made
to kill humans.

Analysis of Social Media
Page 1:
The first thing you can see is that this social media account is verified which
means it is a very popular page this is already an advantage because when an
institution is promoting they want to reach a wide audience to get as much
attention as possible. The first thing you can see is that this social media account
is verified which means it is a very popular page this is already an advantage
because when an institution is promoting they want to reach a wide audience to
get as much attention as possible. Since the conjuring movie is the first one and
it was made in 2013 another movie followed after it in 2016 and now they have
another one coming out is September of 2020 they have the release date of the
movie in their bio since its the first thing people see when they go on the
account, this makes it easier to get their information across without the
audience having to scroll all the way down through the pictures just to find out
information. They also posted sneak peaks and clips from the movie before it
came out, this is good because it gives the audience more of an idea of what
they're watching but its also bad because it could spoil a bit of the movie which
could ruin the anticipation and excitement that comes from watching the movie.
They also posted a countdown of when the movie will come out this created a
sense of excitement for the audience and keeps them updated on the situation
so they don't forget to go watch the movie and book tickets.

Analysis of Trailer 2:
In the opening of this trailer, it establishes to the audience the characters and the setting of the film, this is effective as this
is key information for the audience to know in order to decide whether to go and see the film or not. It also gives you the
key information about what the film is all about, and gives a feeling of mystery as you wonder how they do what they are
doing. The opening establishes the setting by the shot type used, and this shows the film and things that happen in it are on
a big scale which will draw the audience in. The build up in this trailer includes the adding of storylines, to show what they
are going to do to complete these tasks, also giving a feeling of mystery. The next part of the story line shows the problems
that they are going to encounter and the different interactions that are involved causing problems for different characters.
The last part includes main events that happen throughout, summed up into one trailer giving the audience an overview of
the best things that happen, making them want to see more due to the whole storyline not been explained. The majority of
the sound that is used throughout the clip is over powered by the dialogue and the voice over that is used, this could be
effective for the audience as it gives them more detail ls on what the film is about alongside quiet music to enhance what
the dialogue is saying. The music however does still enhance the audience’s knowledge and detail about the film as the
trailer begins with non-diegetic beats/thuds, in between the voiceover, giving it a sense of mystery and tension which makes
the audience want to see more. It also portrays a sense of danger and like something bad is going to happen, so it is building
up towards something big and the main point of the story. The use of music at this point is affective in making the audience
want to see the film as they will want to find out what the big ending is and what it is all being built up too. It also draws the
audience in as it gives away the genre right from the very start showing that it is not a complicated film to follow and is quite
easy to understand, which would be appealing for the audience. More music is added to the trailer as it carries on showing
more action and events are being added, giving the audience a clear insight into the build up and the extent of the film. The
added music suggests to the music that there could be a change in direction to the film, giving them details on why to go
and see the film. The pace of the music throughout is quite fast to show the fast action of the film, which may link to the
slightly older than children target audience as you would have to keep up with everything that is happening.

Analysis of Poster 2:
Poster analysis for Now You See Me The background of this poster is very strange and
unique. First of all the overall color is a dark toned grey for the background, but then
the weird parts begin to happen when you see that the characters are blending in with
the title of the film “Now You See Me”. Some parts of the characters are over certain
letters but then trapped inside some other letters, this makes it seem really interesting
and unique as I have never come across a poster anything like this before. This part of
the poster adds to the mystery side of the film in an excellent way. In terms of camera
angle it is a high angle shot which is very unusual for a poster as most time we see the
character or characters facing the camera without having to look up or down. All
characters are therefore looking upwards towards the camera and all major characters
from the film a presented on the poster in the order of importance I would assume. The
title of the film is shown twice on the poster. Both times it is shown in a very strange
and unusual way. First of all we see how its placed both under and on certain character,
or part of them. Then we see it under the tagline and the name of the actors and
actresses, but even then the second part which is “See Me” is not in line with the first
part of the title. This can indicate different things to everybody, but to me it
furthermore highlights the crime and mystery elements as it suggests that things are
out of place and also all over the place. The tag line “The closer you look, the less you’ll
see.” seems to make the film much more interesting as you would want to find out
what they mean by the tagline as it does not give away much from the plot apart from
giving hints about mystery elements.

Analysis of Social Media Page
2:
The first thing you can see is that this social media account is verified which means it
is a very popular page this is already an advantage because when an institution is
promoting they want to reach a wide audience to get as much attention as possible.
The profile picture of this account is similar to the poster especially with the font and
the angle of the font, the white writing against the blue background makes the title
stand out which makes it easier for people to see so they know what the account is
because the full name is not shown, also the background could associate blue as
mystery which is what this movie is all about as its magic. They also repost things that
other people and fans have posted about the movie this allows them to be more
interactive with their audience making them feel more connected and interested in
the movie. They also posted sneak peaks and clips from the movie before it came out,
this is good because it gives the audience more of an idea of what they're watching
but it's also bad because it could spoil a bit of the movie which could ruin the
anticipation and excitement that comes from watching the movie and since it's an
action movie there is more anticipation in that genre than in any other genre. They
also posted a countdown of when the movie will come out this created a sense of
excitement for the audience and keeps them updated on the situation so they don't
forget to go watch the movie and book tickets. They also have a link in their bio which
if clicked takes you to the official Lionsgate website which is the institution that made
and produced “now you see me” this is good because the bio is one of the first things
you see when you go onto the account this gives good publicity to Lionsgate making
them more well known.

Year 12 Media Research Task

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Year 12 Media Research Task