1. Media Language
Codes:
Medialanguage consists of codes, whichcaneitherbe technical codes,visual codes,oraudiocodes.
Technical codes
Thisincludesmovingimages,whichare compiledof fourmediacomponents whichincludes shot
types(e.g.establishingshot),angles(e.g.cantedangles),movement(e.g.handheld),and editing
(e.g.fast/slowcuts).We incorporatedthe fourcomponentsof movingimagesbyanalysingourstory
sequence byconstructingashotlistto know whatspecific shotswe wanted.We made a shooting
scriptto knowwhat angles andmovements we needed, andthe scriptconsistedof the editing
techniques we chose toinclude inourshortfilm.
Visual codes
Thisincludesmise-en-scene,whichhasseven components:costumes,hairandmake-up,setting/
location,props, characterposition/bodylanguage,lighting,andcolour.We included mostof thisin
the planningstage of our production.We firstlookedlocationtodecide where certainsceneswould
be bestfilmed once the scriptwasfinalised,afterthatwe decidedtogatherthe propswe needed
since our filmwould heavilyrely onpropsforthe presentdayscenesourcharacter, Claire,wouldbe
in.A day before we filmedwe toldouractresseswhattype of costumes we wantedthentowear,in
regardsto colour, once we sortedout
theirindividual representations.Features
such as hair/make-up,bodylanguage and
lightingwere sortedoutonthe dayof
filmingbecause we neededthe actresses
to be there so we couldexperimentwhat
lookswe wantedforthemor how we
wantedthemtoact.
2. Audio codes
Thisrefersto music,speechandsoundeffects.Musicisused inourproductiontohelpcreate a
certainmood for our audience sotheycanfeel aparticularway whenwatchingourfilm, whichis
empathetic.Inregardstospeech,we usedavoiceoverfora majorityof the film, whichisnon-
diegeticdialogue,there wasacertainflashbackscene where we useddiegeticdialogue asClaire and
herfriend Isabel talkina park.We useddiegeticdialoguehere todraw the audience intothe action
so theyfeel liketheyare involvedinthe conversation.Duringthe presentdaysceneswith Clairewe
usedsoundeffectsof herbreathing,aheartmonitormachine andat the veryendwe usedthe
soundof a flatline tosignify herdeath.These soundeffectshelptomake the scene more relatable
and more realistictoour audience astheyare shown herjourney.
Genre:
Medialanguage alsoreferstogenre,whichis a style or
categoryof something,inthiscase the genre forourshort
filmisdrama.Steve Neal proposedthatgenre hasgeneric
codesand convention,forexample aconventionof a
drama basedfilmcouldbe a dramaticstoryline.He also
statesthat difference isessentialto change, whichwe
have takenintoaccount withourfilmbyhavinga tragic
endingforour protagonist, whichmakesourfilm
different. Genresof filmscanhave subgenres, whichisa
subdivisionof agenre,inthiscase our sub-genre wouldbe
a teendrama as mostof our actressesare teenagers
therefore ourfilmmightappeal toteenagersmore than
adult.Ontop of havinga subgenre,afilmcanalsobe a
genre hybrid, whichiswhentwoormore genresare
combinedtogetherinafilm,however,ourfilmisnota
genre hybrid.
3. Narratology:
VladdimirProppproposedacharacter theorywhich statesthatare eight
differenttypesof charactersina story,hero,villain,princess,dispatcher,
donor,helper,fatherandfalse hero.Inourproductionwe onlyhave four
characters,Claire whoisthe protagonistandcouldbe consideredasthe
hero,Claire’s oldersisterHelenwhoalmostlike aparentfigure, soshe is
closerto the fathercharacter type,we alsohave Claire’sbestfriends
Isabel andRachel whoare bothhelpers.Althoughourproduction
featurescharactersfromPropp’stheorywe still have alimitedamountof
characters represented, whichmeansourproductiondoesn’tentirely
conformto thistheory.
Anothernarrative theoristisRolandBatheswhosaida
theoryconsistsof five codes,the enigmacode,
proaireticcode,semanticcode,symbolic code,andthe
cultural code.The enigmacode referstoa mystery
withinafilm,inourproductionthe mysterywe leave
the audience withis whetherClairewouldmake itor
not, whichis revealed atthe end.The proaireticcode
isa sequence of eventswhich leadtosuspense.We
usedthiscode towardsthe endof our production
whenClaire’s heartbeatgetsslower, thenhereyes
begintofluttershut, before she dropsthe pen, then
the flatline machine isheard.The semanticcode
referstoa deepermeaningwithinatext,inour
productionthe deepermessagewe are tryingto
portray to ouraudience istonot take the people youhave byyourside forgrantedbecause youcan
neverpredictthe future. The symboliccode issomethingthatcreatesagreatermeaningor causes
character development,inourcase the fact that Claire getscancer isthe main sourcesof her
character developmentasour audience isable tosee how havingcancerchanged herthrough her
flashbacks.The cultural code referstocultural knowledge andinthiscase we educate ouraudience
aboutthe likelihoodof developingcancerif italreadyrunsinthe family,andhow people cope and
deal withit.
