Task 4 Unit 6 Critical Approaches Ben Taylor

For this task I have used different media products which show perfect examples that demonstrate the following elements clearly. For instance it demonstrates critical approaches through semiotic analyse, genre, narrative and representation clearly through media products such as films and television programmes.

In media products there are critical approaches audience make from the product for instance semiotic analyses. Audiences have semiotic analyses of science of signs and by this they decode sequences in media products on what they interpret for instance there are different things which cause this effect by clothing, locations and colour.

For instance colour is very important because it’s very powerful on the interpretation you get from a product for instance if a scene was colourful it would give a sign/ representation. For instance if a colour was light it would show happiness but if it was dark it would represent power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery to very different textures of colour that represent different meanings.

Clothing is another element that show signs of meaning  for instance a gentleman wearing a Black suit which isn’t creased and looks brand new would interpret the gentleman was powerful and had success which equals rich. Location is another science of signs that decode from audience what a media product is encoding for instance a gentleman with a black leather house we associate thee gentleman to be a rich man who has had success along the way.

For the task I have chosen the opening scene of the film ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ staring Leonardo Di Caprio where he starts the scene from his house walking down the stairs. The scene ends where he gets to his office and his work colleagues are clapping him as he’s the boss in positive appercepation.

During this scene there is an awful lot which can be decoded by an audience for instance in this case me. There are a lot of semiotic analyses I picked up during the sequence in just under two minutes. For instance from the sequence we realise  the character played by Di Caprio is a wealthy man due to the suit he was wearing it looked expensive and slik which from decoding showed he was a wealthy man.

Another reason why it showed he was a wealthy man is because he had a massive house as you could see with his own car butler and the car itself. We also can tell he is wealthy because he chucks some glass after he finishes with it and from the scene and prop it shows money isn’t a problem to him. He even had a women butler open the door for him before leaving his house.

During the sequence the colour of his suit is blue it encodes to me he is someone who has confidence and as the sequence progresses you can tell he is a confident business man and intelligent in the way he talks. Even when he is in his office he chucks money as a paper ball into the bin where there is loads of money in the bin, money isn’t a problem to him because you can tell he makes a lot of money.

Secondly because he has a big office with a lot of people happy working for him and greeting him. I choose this scene because it is a brilliant sequence which shows semiotic analyses of a media product and particularly this film because it is a very good film one I enjoyed.

 

Genre- media products such as films and television programmes have a particular genre that appeals to an audience either way the product has a genre. In the world of media and film there are loads of genres for instance horror, thriller, action, War and adventure. In each of the genres you expect as an audience to see certain things in the product which associates itself with the genre and product.

For instance in a war film you expect soldiers to be fighting in  a war for instance like the film Saving Private Ryan with bombs going off, tanks and all the armoury. In an adventure you expect the story to have a quest or journey to something.

 For this task I have picked the scene from the film the avengers 2012 it is the genre being superheroes. In a superhero product like the Avengers you would expect as an audience to see a hero or heroes versus a villain or villains which will be good versus evil. With the setting you would expect it to be in American cities with lots of crime with the hero having a HQ or hideout with gadgets and a costume/ uniform. As a superhero genre you would also expect the villain and hero to have some sort of special powers or abilities.

 In this case for the Avengers you see this you see the villains the group of superheroes with special powers and abilities trying to defeat the villains in an American city. From the avengers it fulfils what the superhero genre is all about because it contains sequence you would expect to see as have just said above.

 

Narrative structures- in media products there are narrative structures in place for instance how the story is told for instance in some media products it is in linear. For example  the products starts from the beginning to the middle to the end in other media products its non linear where the product goes from the middle to the beginning to the end an example of this is in the film memento starring Guy Pearce. Other than non linear and linear in media products there is open narrative an closed narrative, open narrative is where a media product has a cliff-hanger at the end which leave people wondering What will happen in the next episode or film an example of this is in the soap EastEnders it relies on cliff-hangers for people to watch the next day if media products didn’t have cliff-hangers the audience would be bored and not engaged. In closed narrative it is where the media product has a plotline that is close up at the end for example a crime case you expect the case to be wrapped up.

 

The media product can be realist and non-realist for instance realist is where the product is straight story telling where it tells you by the narrative what is happening. With non-realist it is where they use different methods for a narrative for instance using voice overs, flashbacks, flash forwards, indents an alternate way of telling the story to audiences.

An example I have chosen for this task which demonstrates the importance of narrative is in the television programme ‘The Flash’ the first episode of the first series where it uses non realist ways for the narrative for instance it has a voice over of the character Barry Allen while the screenplay continues on it also has flashbacks during the story continuing the narrative of voiceovers and then uses the use of indents to narrate on the sequence of what is going on to for instance it tells you the location is present day six years ago.

The Flash is linear where it the product starts from the beginning to the middle to the end but does contain flashbacks which is non linear at the end of the first episode it leaves the narrative closed because the plotline has been sorted and not left as a cliff-hanger.

From the narrative I like the way it has been done because it engages me and keeps me watching because I like the use of flashbacks which tell the story gives you important information. I like the fact the voice over is on whilst the screen play is so you know what is going on and I like the fact the indents is used because it makes sense of the time period so you don’t get confused with the narrative I wouldn’t understand massively what is going on compared to having the narrative. It means a lot to have the narrative as it keeps me switched on the programme rather than finding something else to watch.

Representation- with the film Attack of the Block there is negative representation of the characters in the film because of their race its stereotype that there the gang and also because of the colour they are wearing it stereotypes them to be in a gang with dark dressing with hoddies up. With representation there is negative and positives to social groups but for this case it is negative stereotyping reality to characters. My opinion on it is that not just one race are in gangs it more than one race or colour.

 

Summary of script-

Introduction,

Hello, for this task I have used different media products which show perfect examples that demonstrate the following elements clearly. For instance it demonstrates critical approaches through semiotic analyse, genre, narrative and representation clearly through media products such as films and television programmes.

Critical approach-

 In a critical approach you semiotic analyse the media product in hand for this case I have picked the television programme the Wolf Of Wall Street in the Wolf Of Wall Street it shows semiotic analysis for example by different signs that are decoded by audience. One factor being colour in the scene the character played by Di Caprio wears blue to show that he is intelligent and confident from the suit he wears. It is also slick which shows he’s wealthy. From the props used such as the glass thrown it shows wealthness he has because money isn’t an object to him because he has loads of money. You can also tell he is rich by the car he has he is escorted into the car by his own butler and as he leaves his house he is let out of the door by his maid. The Location of the scene shows he is rich because it looks very big and luxurious. When he gets to his office he has a bin fall of money screwed up like paper balls he isn’t affected with losing money because he has so much.

Genre-  for genre I have picked the film the Avengers 2012 used as an Superhero action adventure film with ‘The Avengers 2012’  and superhero films you expect to see;

• Action
• HQ/ hideout
• Gadgets
• Special powers /abilities
• Good vs. evil
• American city’s
• Costumes/ uniform

Which the avengers deliver because all the members of the avengers have special abilities, the battle is in an American city, it Is good versus evil. With the good guys they have special gadgets as well and uniform. Like many superhero films the avengers have a HQ.

 

Narrative-

with a narrative it has different structures for instance it has a closed narrative which after a media product has ended the plot ends as well compared to the open narrative where the plot of the film ends in a cliff-hanger. Other than closed narrative and open narrative there is linear and nonlinear where media products either have linear where the product start’s from the beginning middle and end then nonlinear goes from the middle beginning end. Realist is where the narrative in a media product is straight story telling rather than non-realist is where the narrative uses flashbacks, indents and voiceovers. With The Flash 2014 the television programme it uses open narrative where the plot ends with a cliff-hanger this happens in the first episode where a member of star labs looks at a newspaper in the future of the health of the character Barry Allen who is the flash. It uses linear where the sequence starts from the beginning middle and end and with the sequence as well it is non realist it uses voice overs by the character of Barry Allen it also uses flashbacks and indents.

 

Representation- with the film Attack of the Block there is negative representation of the characters in the film because of their race its stereotype that there the gang and also because of the colour they are stereotype to be in a gang with dark dressing with hoddies up.