1. Media Language
Codes:
Medialanguage consists of codes, whichcaneitherbe technical codes,visual codes,oraudiocodes.
Technical codesincludesmovingimageswhichiscompiledof fourmedia components which
includes shottypes(e.g.establishingshot),angles(e.g.cantedangles),movement(e.g.handheld),
and editing(e.g.fast/slow cuts).We incorporatedthe fourcomponentsof movingimagesby
analysingourstorysequence byconstructingashotlistto know what specific shotswe wanted.We
made a shootingscriptto knowwhatangles andmovements we needed, andthe scriptconsistedof
the editingtechniques we chose toinclude inourshortfilm.
Visual codesincludesmise-en-scene,whichhasseven components:costumes,hairandmake-up,
setting/location,props, characterposition/bodylanguage,lighting,andcolour.We included most
of thisinthe planningstage of our production.We firstlookedlocationtodecide where certain
sceneswouldbe bestfilmedonce the script wasfinalised,afterthatwe decidedtogatherthe props
we neededsince ourfilmwould heavilyrely onpropsforthe presentdayscenesourcharacter,
Claire,wouldbe in.A daybefore we filmedwe toldouractresseswhattype of costumeswe wanted
thento wear,inregardsto colour, once we sortedouttheirindividual representations.Features
such as hair/make-up,bodylanguage andlightingwere sortedoutonthe dayof filmingbecausewe
neededthe actressestobe there sowe couldexperimentwhat lookswe wantedforthemorhow
we wanted themto act.
Audiocodesreferstomusic,speechandsoundeffects.Musicisused inourproductiontohelp
create a certainmood forour audience sotheycan feel aparticularwaywhenwatchingourfilm,
whichisempathetic.Inregardstospeech,we useda voiceoverfora majorityof the film, whichis
non-diegeticdialogue,there wasacertainflashbackscene where we useddiegeticdialogueasClaire
and herfriend Isabel talkinapark. We useddiegeticdialoguehere todraw the audience intothe
actionso theyfeel like theyare involvedinthe conversation. Duringthe presentdaysceneswith
Claire we usedsoundeffectsof herbreathing,aheartmonitormachine andat the veryendwe used
the soundof a flatline tosignify herdeath.These soundeffectshelptomake the scene more
relatable andmore realistictoouraudience astheyare shown her journey.
Genre:
Medialanguage alsoreferstogenre,whichis a style orcategory of something,inthiscase the genre
for our shortfilmisdrama.Steve Neal proposedthatgenre hasgenericcodesandconvention,for
example aconventionof a drama basedfilmcouldbe adramatic storyline.He alsostates that
difference isessentialto change, whichwe have takenintoaccountwithour filmbyhavinga tragic
endingforour protagonist,whichmakesourfilmdifferent. Genresof filmscanhave subgenres,
whichisa subdivisionof agenre,inthiscase our sub-genre wouldbe ateendrama as mostof our
actressesare teenagerstherefore ourfilmmightappeal toteenagersmore thanadult.Ontopof
havinga subgenre,afilmcanalso be a genre hybrid, whichiswhentwoormore genresare
combinedtogetherinafilm,however,ourfilmisnotagenre hybrid.
Narratology:
VladdimirProppproposedacharacter theorywhich statesthatare eightdifferenttypesof
characters ina story, hero,villain,princess,dispatcher,donor,helper,fatherandfalse hero.Inour
productionwe onlyhave fourcharacters,Claire whoisthe protagonistandcouldbe consideredas
2. the hero,Claire’soldersisterHelenwhoalmostlike aparentfigure,soshe isclosertothe father
character type,we alsohave Claire’sbestfriendsIsabelandRachel whoare bothhelpers.Although
our productionfeaturescharactersfromPropp’stheorywe still have alimitedamountof characters
represented,whichmeansourproductiondoesn’tentirelyconformtothistheory.
Anothernarrative theoristisRolandBatheswhosaidatheoryconsistsof five codes,the enigma
code,proaireticcode,semanticcode,symboliccode,andthe cultural code.The enigmacode refers
to a mystery withinafilm,inourproductionthe mysterywe leave the audience withis whether
Claire wouldmake itornot, whichis revealed atthe end.The proaireticcode is a sequence of events
whichleadto suspense.We usedthiscode towardsthe endof our productionwhen Claire’s
heartbeatgetsslower, thenhereyesbegintofluttershut, beforeshe dropsthe pen,thenthe flat
line machine isheard.The semanticcode referstoadeepermeaningwithinatext,inourproduction
the deepermessage we are tryingtoportrayto our audience istonot take the people youhave by
your side forgrantedbecause youcan neverpredictthe future. The symboliccode issomethingthat
createsa greatermeaningor causescharacterdevelopment,inourcase the fact that Claire gets
cancer isthe main sources of her characterdevelopmentasouraudience isable tosee how having
cancer changed herthrough her flashbacks.The cultural code referstocultural knowledge andin
thiscase we educate ouraudience aboutthe likelihoodof developingcancerif italreadyrunsin the
family,andhowpeople cope anddeal withit.
