THEORY TASKS

1. Spaced Analysis
• Copy and paste (and add to if your work is limited) your Spaced analysis
• Include images as necessary
• Watch the episode of Spaced (Series 2, Episode 5 GONE) and discuss the use of two or
more of the following;
• 1.Miseenscene (colour, costume, props)
• 2.Camera
• 3.Editing
• 4.Sound
• 5.Intertextuality (other products that are referenced in it)
• 6.Context (who made it, when was it made, who for, etc.)
• Reference your observation and critically discuss its use (is it successful/funny? Why?
Etc.)

2. • Watch the episode of ‘Spaced’ (Series 2 Episode 5 ‘Gone’) and discuss the use of two or more of the following.
• Mise En Scene.
• Camera
• Editing
• Sound
• Intertextuality (Other production that are reference in it)
• Context (who made it, when was it was made and who for etc.)
• Reference your observation and critically discuss its use (is it successful/funny? Why? Etc.
• Mise en Scene
• The definition of Mise En Scene is the arrangement of the scenery, props on a film, within this episode there is many purposeful arrangements to
persuade the audience of its authenticity and how realistic the set is. In the beginning of this episode for example within the first opening scenes
(0:12-0:30) the set shows a truck/vehicle that would be recognisable to the audience and fitting the area this episode is based (Camden). The use of
the back London streets is something a British audience which I presume is the main demographic of this series could identify without even realising
helps set the tone of the episode and perhaps some of the humour and storylines. Slightly further on in this episode you see the main characters
placed around a kitchen, The mise en scene of this kitchen could imply the social groups and potentially the wealth of group, the slightly messy
kitchen, with what seems dated furnishing could tell the audience the lifestyle of its main characters and even help the audience relate in some way,
as in my opinion the main audience would be a young crowd who also might be in a flat share. Throughout the episode I noticed that the scenery is
shown in British pubs which can clearly be identified by the décor and punters. This again I’m sure done to show the lifestyle and perhaps the area the
main characters reside. Throughout this episode I could see even the clothing reflected the characters own personality. For example, Mike who is in an
army uniform represents to the audience that he is an eccentric and perhaps the weirdo of the group, whereas Daisy and Tim are dressed normally
however slightly dated fashion could replicate the time in time in which this series was on air. Even minor details such as old telephones within the
flat could in fact show the era in which this series is based. All of these things are subtle yet necessary for the show to have working Mise en Scene.
• Camera and Editing and Sound
• In Simon Pegg’s spaced there is many trademark camera movements and editing to ensure the narrative and storylines are as comical as possible,
some of these are simple yet very effective for example when the character Mike is trying to organise his night out with flatmate Daisy, the technique
“Quick action montage” This is basically when the scenes move at a brisk pace, and his method of using quick action montages help doing this. This
technique often features characters doing mundane but important tasks in order to prepare for the next scene. Not only does this technique advance
the story, but it is also used for comedic purposes. The actual clips that are used very short or for example the use of animation also adds a new
element to the narrative and keeps the audience enticed. I also noted that this episode uses “Bar and Pub” The use of a pub or a club atmosphere
leads directly to the climax of the film, for example Mike meeting the troubled ‘youth’ in the toilet, directly leads to the main storyline of the episode,
this is something the audience can easily relate to, and understand easily, without making the storyline over complicated. Non-Diegetic sound whose
source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to present in the action: Narrators commentary. Sound effects which is added for the
dramatic effect. Mood music.

3. Conflict Image
• American Beauty: Director Sam Mendes, 1999.
• I picked this film and scene to analyse as I feel it is one of my favourite films with many underlining meanings and metaphors. For this
particular scene, shows the main characters Lester Burnham and Angela Hayes around a bath tub. The storyline is that Lester fantasies
about Angela his daughters’ friend, this scene is shown as a fantasy in his mind, there are many features within the Mise En Scene colours
and costume, and setting. Firstly, the candles are reversed, placing Jane in what symbolically represents her as the highest centre candle,
descending down to Lester and Carolyn. Lester’s infatuation with Angela is also contributing to his failing. The first of Lester’s fantasies
begins when he and Carolyn attend a high school basketball game where Jane and Angela are cheerleaders. At the first sight of Angela,
Lester’s jaw drops, his eyes become glazed, and his sexual desires race through his mind. The cheerleaders fade away into darkness and
Angela takes centre court, seconds before cheering and now dancing seductively. As the movie progresses, Lester’s fantasies also
progress. As he becomes more eager to attain his own personal fulfilment and gain control and power back over his life, his fantasies
become more real and even more sexual. One of Lester’s last fantasies involved him waking up in the middle of the night.
• Which is the image shown at the top of the page. He walks to the bathroom down the hall. Backlit smoke and fog rush out from the door
as it opens. When the smoke clears, Lester finds Angela in the bathtub. The water is full of red rose petals. In this fantasy, Angela actually
speaks to Lester and he submerges his hands beneath the rose filled water to touch her body. Once again, the colour red and the rose
were unreserved in appearance, collectively representing what Lester values as beautiful, perfect, and desirable. One of the most central,
reoccurring images throughout the film is that of Ricky and his camera. Images being taped through his camera are emphasized,
specifically the Implied in Lester’s fantasies, and in the images involving those fantasies, is the assumption that having sex with an
underage female will allow him to recapture his youth, his manhood and independence. Implied in these messages, quite bluntly, is the
concept that a man’s power and control rests in his own ability to have sex with whomever he pleases, even if she is underage, or is “out
of his league,” so to speak. Additionally, throughout the film, viewers become aware of Angela’s self-centeredness. Lester is the only
character who has a relationship with her that ignores her superficiality Lester is the only character who has a relationship with her that
ignores her superficiality. Thus, his obsession with Angela subtly implies that beauty is, for many, only skin deep, which is not a novel
idea. America’s obsession with materialistic beauty has been perpetuated by mass media. All of these ideas are shown within this scene,
with the lighting being dim to show perhaps show the intense desire Lester has for the underage girl, candle lit scenes in films often
correlates with emotions and intent of the main characters, I feel this again applies to this scene.

4. Amy Analysis
• Copy and paste (and add to if your work is limited) your Amy analysis
• Include images as necessary
• Task
• Watch the sequence Recording the song Back to Black
• 1. To what extent has Kapadia manipulated this footage to create a different set of meanings and responses?
• 2. What function does this sequence have in the narrative as a whole?
• 3. How might contextual factors (knowing the larger story of her life) impact on the way that you read this scene?
• or
• Watch the sequence Addiction to crack cocaine and Blake
• 1. List the techniques used by the director to show Winehouse’s battle with drug addiction and why they may have been used.
• 2. What do you feel is the overall effect of this sequence?
• or
• Amy’s death and its aftermath
• To what extent does Kapadia use filmic techniques to generate a response in the climax of Amy ?

5. • AMY
• Amy- Documentary.
• Watch the sequence Addiction to crack cocaine and Blake
• 1. List the techniques used by the director to show Winehouse’s battle with drug addiction and why they may have been used.
• Asif Kapadia’s 2015 documentary on the singer Amy Winehouse is distinctive in many ways. It follows the same filmmaking
techniques that he utilised on his earlier film on the racing driver Ayton Senna to a similar overall effect. The film uses a style
which the director likes to label ‘true fiction’. The entire narrative is constructed from a variety of archival footage sources and
lacks any guiding voiceover. It uses a number of interviews from Winehouse’s family, friends and people that worked for her, to
develop an insight into her troubled life. Captions and the use of her music, alongside a specially developed score also work to
position the spectator in a particular way. The film was well-reviewed and became the highest grossing British documentary at the
UK box-office. It also received a number of awards for Best Documentary, most notably gaining an Oscar and BAFTA in 2016. The
film is largely chronological and linear. There are a couple of instances where the past is reflected upon with the use of home video
footage. The interesting issue in approaching the narrative is that as it is based on real-life events (and given the earlier work on
context), it is clear where it is going. We also see Amy in a couple of shots and she appears to be under the influence of drugs –
particularly in the big close up. There is then some stock footage of her performance at the Eden Project in July 2007 – where she
appears to be struggling to stay awake while singing. The lyrics are once again captioned. The footage changes – it feels almost like
a hidden camera, there is also the introduction of an ambient musical soundtrack as we see what appears to be drugs
paraphernalia on the screen.
• 2. What do you feel is the overall effect of this sequence?
• Throughout Asif Kapadia’s documentary was effective for evoking emotion, Interestingly I felt a wide range of emotions, for
example at the start of the documentary I experienced laugher and enjoyed Amy’s humour, this entertaining element of the
documentary I felt was purposeful, perhaps to show a positive side to Amy in which the audience might not have ever seen, due to
the negative media she experienced during her fame, This helped me be less judgemental toward her and her substance miss-use,
and in a way give a human side to a celebrity which isn’t often possible in today’s media circus. As the linear structure continued
the mood, and the documentary took a more of a negative turn, I felt saddened and experienced sympathy for Amy and her
troubled character, and overall gave me a greater understanding of mental health issues, and a greater appreciation for her talent
and music. I also felt a lot of anger toward some of the male figures in her life, the men that were supposed to be her support
system, almost felt like they were taking advantage of her delicate soul and extreme success, It became obvious to me that all she
needed was somebody to tell her no, rather than her closest parts enabling her destructive behavior, (Father, Husband).

6. Factual Analysis
• Copy and paste (and add to if your work is limited) your Amy analysis
• Include images as necessary
• Compare the differing representations of people in ‘The Might Redcar’,
‘Benefits Street’ and ‘Skint’.
• What do you think the aim of each of these programs is?
• Are these programs biased?
• Use specific examples to show how the different representations and aims have
been achieved.

7. The Mighty Redcar. (Series 1 Episode 1)
1.Can a documentary be objective? Why do you believe this?
In my opinion I feel that a documentary can be both objective and subjective. Objectivity can be defined as “Absence of bias/prejudice,
fairness, fair-mindedness” and any other synonyms for objectivity. I feel that any successful documentary has to lack the directors own
thoughts and feelings for the participants within the episode. The reasoning for this is so that the audience can get a fair reflection on
the topics covered and therefore determine their own opinion, it would be unethical to misinform the audience, which defeats the
object of a well-developed/educational documentary. However I also feel that a documentary can also be subjective, my reasoning’s
for this is that within the editing and filming process, the directors and producers can pick and choose what they record and then later
select what footage is included within the final cut. This is subconsciously done, to perhaps to keep the audience entertained or to gain
more views when aired. I feel that The Mighty Redcar is fairly objective, and provides a factual reflection of life within Redcar.
2. How much should we accept what we watch/read? And Why?
In my opinion I think that as a passive audience in the age of social media and technology you can either become accepting of
everything you see and read due to laziness or you can utilise the instant news, by reading different news outlets, to compare stories
and determine what you consider to be the truth, or stop reading tabloids that are often created for entertainment purposes and read
well written/educational newspapers, such as the Independent or The guardian, but of course these all have different political stances,
(left, right, or neutral’. I feel that The mighty Redcar is fair reliable, however like everything you see on TV, you have take it with a pinch
of salt, as these types of documentaries have to not only inform the audience, but also entertain them or nobody will watch it.
2.How can we make sure what a documentary presents as fact is true?
One way of ensuring a documentary is containing facts, is peer review is such an effective tool in quality control, it also is used in
evaluating researchers. Researchers are judged for purposes of hiring and promotion largely on the basis of publication in peer-
reviewed journals. Furthermore, publication in these journals remains the most important way to disseminate quality-controlled
contributions to knowledge. The number of peer-reviewed journals is continuing to grow, and importance of peer review has not
diminished during the digital era.

8. Compare the differing representations of people in ‘Redcar’, ‘Benefit Street’ and ‘Skint’.
I feel that ‘The Mighty Redcar’ and ‘Benefit Street’ have totally different portrayals of the ‘working class’ and those
struggling on the breadline. I feel that these two different documentaries had different motives, for example ‘The Mighty
Redcar, was produce a positive insight to the lives of the young in a poverty stricken area, to show those who are
struggling to develop a good living. As quoted from the Teesside Live tabloid “The Mighty Redcar”, a docu-soap about the
youth of the unemployment hit town on the North-east coast, could have been dreadful and patronising, but it was
rather wonderful. Yes it was stylised, but the young people’s stories, grim or steeped in disadvantage, were vividly real
and so moving that you’re tempted to set up a crowd funder so that Kaitlyn can afford to go to drama school and James
stays out of trouble. “Remember Made in Chelsea? This is its diametric opposite. Whereas the guardian has a total
different thoughts upon Benefit Street, What struck me is that it was called Benefits Street and then three-quarters or
more of the programme actually followed one storyline which was about a petty criminal and shoplifter and how he lived
on the proceeds of his crime, rather than the reality of what people face when they live on benefits,"

9. • The themes and issues with Pan’s Labyrinth.
• Settings:
• . The time is 1944 Spanish Civil war. Modernist movement and also a lean toward Fascism in Spain.
• . Physical setting: A mill on the border of Spain. Pockets of ‘Reds’ pepper in the forests.
• . Women are subordinate to men, war is raging across the world. It is a time of paranoia and suspicion
• . Fantasy setting: Labyrinth (acts as hub) Pale mans lair. Fig tree, Underground Kingdom.
• Immortality:
• Immortality might seem like a strange theme for pan’s Labyrinth, in which every main character expects for Mercedes
dies…but the eternal life can come in lots of shapes and sizes. Ofelia, who must complete three tasks, the last of which
involves her own death, in order to live forever. But maybe that’s the point. Only the innocent characters like Ofelia can
attain immortality, while characters like vial trying to gain their legacy through his son are meant to be forgotten. And then
there’s immortality of the film and the book, the story will stay in readers/viewers minds, so therefore, do the characters
stay immortal in real life and in fantasy?
• Rules and Order:
• Rules are meant to be broken. Or, in Ofelia’s case, ALL rules.
• While the human world in which she lives is full of the order forced and imposed by a fascist, authoritarian regime, the
supernatural world of Pan’s Labyrinth also has it owns set of laws. But Ofelia doesn’t care much for either. The fairies and
the Faun aren’t necessarily trying to help Ofelia, they’re trying to test her. And how she passes these tests is by listening to
her own intuition or conscience instead of giving in to their authority. Ofelia’s tests were designed to see if she would
stray from the required path. If she did, they would know she retained her true immortal essence as this was also a
characteristic from the Princess Moanna. Ofelia’s stubborn disobedient character to her mother and the failure to follow
rules during her tasks, was her success in the final test, but this wasn’t necessarily disobedience but perhaps more self-
sacrifice.

10. • Representations in gender:
• Within Pan’s Labyrinth there is clear binary opposition in terms of representation, for example the male characters (not including
the Doctor) are represented of a patriarchal society. This is a reflection of the fascist society in Spain at that time, where men hold
majority of power and women are expected to keep their traditional roles (housewife, mother etc), Del Toro makes these links very
clear with the characters. This is shown by the female characters are generally represented more positively.
• Representation in gender Captain Vidal:
• He is often shown to be obsessed by his father’s military exploits and equally determined his own unborn son. He also refuses to
believe his child might not be a male, he also demands that his son is born close to him, forcing his ill wife to travel to him this is a
clear lack of empathy for his wife’s position. During the banquet he scolds his wife for talking about romance in public,
embarrassing her in front of guests and belittling a woman as if it is nothing. He is also very dismissive of Ofelia his Stepdaughter,
these are examples of misogynistic attitudes during that time. Not only did Captain Vidal have negative qualities toward females.
Vidal’s appearance (narcissistic grooming) shaving, polishing his boots and his spotless uniform and precise mannerisms all
demonstrate his narcissistic personality type.
• Representation in gender Ofelia:
• Ofelia is positively represented in this film, as a strong willed, brave & independent in thought especially for her young age. She
resists fascism/Vidal through love of literature and fairy tales and her expressive imagination. The scene in which Ofelia ruins dress
demonstrates her rejection of patriarchal values and rejection of conformity.

11. • Representation of Mercedes:
• She has a more positive representation to Carmen (Ofelia’s mother) She is portrayed more caring and
compassionate towards Ofelia, she is resourceful, strong willed, and actively resists Vidal and the fascist
regime, she supports the rebels by smuggling supplies to them. When Mercedes is caught by Vidal later on
in the film, Vidal laughs that he should be left alone with her, he states, “she is just a woman” again showing
the patriarchal society which existed at that time. Mercedes uses her presumed weakness to her advantage,
when Vidal turns his back on her, because he feels comfortable, she slashes his face, and escapes. Mercedes
then finds empowerment from this and becomes a leader.
• Representation in Politics/Religion:
• Del Toro’s negative views on fascism/Catholicism is very evident through the way they are represented.
Banquet scene: Vidal/Priest attending meal represented as uncaring authoritarian. Represent the middle
class and ruling elite, manner they are represented suggestive of Del Toro’s negative opinions on
authoritarian groups that oppose free thought (embodied Ofelia’s love of her books). Negative
representations of Catholicism linked to Del Toro’s own beliefs as his negative feelings toward his own
catholic upbringing evident in some scenes. For example, the banquet scene, had connotations of
Catholicism, with colours of gold, ruby’s and silver. In contrast, the rebels are represented fairly positively
and are shown to be more compassionate and comradelier.