Hey its me again Sammie and this time I am going to talk about the Ethical, Legal and Regulatory issues of the film 'The Fault in Our Stars'
The products impact and effect on the audience
The first thing that I am going to speak about is the Hypodermic Syringe theory (Theodore Ardono 1930). The Hypodermic Syringe Theory links to a passive audience and it suggests that media has a negative impact on a mass audience as they believe everything that they see and hear within the media. A passive audience is an audience that believes everything that see and hear in the media and then they re-enact what they have seen and heard. A passive audience can also be positive as although they are re-enacting what they have seen they are re-enacting the positive things they have seen instead of the negative. An active audience however, are able to filter what they have seen and heard within the media don't go and re-enact these things. A theory that links to the active audience is David Gauntlett's theory as he says 'we are able to filter and adapt to content in the media'. Both of the main characters in 'The Fault in Our Stars' are positive role models. The audience can see this because they are both teens that have been struggling with cancer most of their lives. The Hypodermic Syringe theory could be positive also because the main characters do things that ordinary people do like hang out with friends and go on holidays which encourages young people that are in the same sort of situation in real life to do the same because they are influenced through watching the film. This also links to Carl Rogers theory 'ideal self, ideal partner' because the young people that are influenced want to be the main characters. There aren't really any negative impacts on the audience from the film as they don't really do anything negative that the audience could copy. The only thing that could be classed as having a negative impact on the audience is the mild uses of strong language, the mild sex scene and also the vandalism of a persons home and car. The vandalism is a good example of having a negative impact on the passive audience as they are vandalising a persons home with eggs and toilet paper which could influence the younger audience and they may re-enact this.
Relevant issues of representation
The next thing that I am going to speak about are the relevant issues of representation. Stuart Hall (1980) says that 'all representations are mediated' this means that everything is set up to be represented in the way that it has been. In the film the struggles of teenagers with terminal illnesses are being represented which is what makes it iconic. I am also going to speak about Tessa Perkins theory (1979) as she says 'not all stereotypes are false' this is very true as in every stereotype there is always a small element of truth. One positive stereotype from my film is when Hazel is portrayed as the stronger protagonist as even though she struggles she is still emotionally stronger than the male protagonist. this is also a countertype as stereotypically the male would be both emotionally and physically stronger than women. One negative stereotype in the film is when the two main characters are on their date and Hazel is portrayed as shy and submissive which is how women are stereotyped usually because this is how we are or used to be, nowadays women are more confident. In the film there is also a challenged representation of disability due to the fact that both the main characters have Cancer. Another thing that is challenged is age as they are really young, however they are really mature and very responsible for their age this is again due to dealing with a terminal illness. An example of this is when Hazel is at Augustus' funeral and speaks his eulogy. This is a really big responsibility for a 16 year old girl as usually this would never happen. The representation of young people with disabilities is also challenged as in the film 'The Fault in Our Stars' as they do things that you wouldn't stereotypically see disabled people doing such as when Hazel and Gus go right to the very top floor of the Anne Frank Museum and also when they go to Amsterdam as they have so many different problems to overcome yet they do it. This is an important representation as it shows the teenagers that watch the film that they can do anything whether they are disabled or not, it shows them that people can live with their disabilities and still enjoy their lives even if the things they can do are only limited.
Relevant legal and/or ethical issues
The third thing that we are going to speak about is legal and ethical issues for the film 'The Fault in Our Stars'. So the first thing that we are going to speak about in this section is copyright infringement and what this is and the consequences of it. So, copyright infringement is the use of any content that you don't have the rights or permissions to use such as soundtracks, songs and also images. To prevent copyright infringement the producers of the film would have had to ask for permission to use certain things. There are many different ways that they could do this such as emailing, phoning or sending a letter to the creator. One example from the film 'The Fault in Our Stars' that would need permissions to use would be the song 'Boom Clap' by Charli xcx. The record label that would have needed to be contacted to gain permissions is Atlantic Asylum Neon Gold. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). This is the company that decides what the viewing age of a film should be based on the content. The film has been classed as a 12 by the BBFC which means that it is only suitable for an audience of people over the age of 12. If a film is classed as a 12 or a 12A then it usually means that the film contains some material that is not suitable for anybody under the age of 12. The guidelines for the BBFC state that strong language may be passed at a 12 depending on the manner in which the language is used. This also depends on who is actually using the strong language, how often the language is used and also whether it is used in a certain context. Films that are 12's can also contain sex which is brief and discreetly portrayed. There can also be uses of verbal sexual references which the BBFC say shouldn't go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Also there may be nudity but it should only be brief and discreet. The Fault in Our Stars contains one use of strong language according to the BBFC standards and then also use of milder language. the film also contains discreet sexual activity, mild sexual references, references to soft drugs which are used to treat the characters terminal illnesses. In the film there is also indications of a persons alcoholism. The indications towards the alcoholism comes from a scene where they are in Amsterdam going to see Hazel's favourite author and he tells them in not so many words that he turned to drink when his daughter died of Cancer. The discreet sexual activity and references is during the scene in Amsterdam when Gus and Hazel go back to his hotel room after visiting the Anne Frank Museum. These things all adhere to the BBFC standards. This film was never cut or re-edited as it says on the BBFC website that all versions of this film passed. The last thing within this section that we are going to talk about is the fact that 'The Fault in Our Stars' is an adaptation of the book by John Green therefore permissions would have been needed. The permission for this would have been given during the early stages of pre-production.
Regulatory bodies
ASA:
The ASA is the UK advertising industry that sets the standards in the successful self-regulation of adverts. They govern with codes of practice that have been designed to protect the consumers. This company makes sure that the adverts that the consumers see are not misleading, harmful or offensive. They regulate all sorts of advertisements from magazines and newspapers to posters and DVD's. Many different CAP codes regulate print materials such as children. I, however am going to focus on Harm and Offense. The website says that the principle of this is 'Advertisements must not be harmful or offensive. Advertisements must take account of generally accepted standards to minimise the risk of causing harm or serious widespread offense. The context in which an advertisement is likely to be broadcast must be taken into account to avoid unsuitable scheduling.' There are many different rules within this code and the poster for 'The Fault in Our Stars does comply with all of them as it doesn't cause any harm or offense. It also doesn't show anything that would cause a person under the age of 18 any physical pain. It also doesn't 'encourage or condone' any harmful discriminatory behaviour or any violence. It complies with all the rules of this code, and also all of the other codes that are used.The reason the posters do not contain any harmful or offensive material is because it would be seen in public places, advertised on billboards, buses all to attract a mass audience. Another reason being that children under the age of 12 would see the posters and this wouldn't be appropriate which therefore means that the posters connote romance between the two main characters and the romance that is involved in the narrative.
legal- copyright (music/ soundtrack)
- certification (age rating) BBFC - British Board of Film Classification
- BBFC also comes under regulation. - ASA- Advertising Standards Authority
the products impacts and effect on the audience
relevant issues of representation
relevant legal and ethical issues
relate legal and ethical issues to the role that the relevant regulatory bodies play in upholding guidelines and regulations.
for a merit give examples from the film
research age ratings
whether they have changed
whether the rating it different in America to here- why is this different?
knowledge of audience theories-
active- uses and gratifications- audience pleasure
passive- copycats- they re-enact the film- they are influenced by the film
a) The products impact and effect on the audience
1) passive audiences- hypodermic syringe (Theodore Adorno 1930)- media has a negative impact on an audience. Mass audience believe everything they see and hear.
Issues about sexual content?
what negative effects does it have on the audience?
what is in the film that the audience could re-enact.
2 examples of positive impacts- positive impacts and role models- role model Hazel and Augustus and also Isaac.
2) active audience- we are able to filter and adapt to content in media (David Gauntlett 2007) We have uses and gratifications theory- people use media on their own purposes.
b) relevant issues of representation
Who is being represented?
All representations are mediated ( Stuart Hall, 1980)
mediated- set up to be represented that way
is there use of stereotypes/ countertypes (Tessa Perkins, 1979). Not all stereotypes are false, they are based on a small element of truth.
Stereotypes- common characteristics of different groups of people.
- most stereotypes are negative.
Countertype- challenged stereotypes
Representations of women- are they objectified (Laura Mulvey, 1975). Representation of men (Earp and Katz 1999) 'equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence'
c) relevant legal and/or ethical issues
Legal- copyright infringement? - main worry in film industry illegal downloading?
Copyright infringement- the use of content that you don't have the rights or the permissions to use.
To prevent copyright infringement you need to make sure that you have the right permissions to use whatever it is that you need.
There are many ways to gain permission
if you use something without the creators permission legal prosecution could take place, you could also be sued.
could be used as a form of marketing- illegal downloads
Ethical- offensive material- racism, sexual content, strong language, violence, drug use
age of the audience and the negative impacts- passive audience
Sensationalism- making something bad look good
Censorship- removing content that is not appropriate. re-edited based on the content that is included in the film.
Hey again, its me Sammie this time I am going to be talking about advertising, promotion and also distribution.
Advertising and promotion means to market a film to create maximum awareness for the films target audience.
There are many different ways that a film can be advertised such as:
- Posters
- Billboards
- Cinema Adverts
- Magazines and Newspapers
- Social Media
- Flyers
- Video Adverts
- Interviews
- Web Banners
- Endorsements
- and many more.
Theorist David Gauntlett (2002) talked about Web 2.0 and stated that this is the point where the web went from being a static medium to a two way form of communication and also an interaction platform.
The Fault in Our Stars was advertised in many different ways. A few of the ways that it was advertised are: video advertisements, trailers in the cinema and on youtube, bus adverts and many other ways. Below I am going to speak about some of these ways.
The first way that we are going to speak about is the poster. This poster was put up in many different places such as cinemas, supermarkets and it was also shown in magazines and newspapers. It shows the it was based on a book which means that not only is the film being advertised but the book is too. This is a good thing as it encourages young people to read the book as well as go to see or buy the film. The poster encourages and tells people to go and see the film as it also shows the two main protagonists Hazel and Augustus which also appeals to young people as they are young and attractive which could be why the advertisers chose to use this image. This is a very simple film poster and doesn't give away what the film is really about which then intrigues the target audience because they then want to find out more and so watch the film. Using posters has always been a way for film industries to advertise films and it has always worked for them as they are a good way of creating awareness which is why they still use them now.
Bringing out a soundtrack before the film comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray is a good thing as it is another good way of advertising it. This is because it helps people to remember that the film will be following soon. The music is also played on music channels on tv and also on the radio which again reminds people again about the film as if they watch the music videos then they will see parts of the film incorporated in the video. A good example of a music video that has the film incorporated in it is Charlie XCX's video as this was the main soundtrack recorded specifically for this film. This is again another thing that film industries have used for a long to advertise but it has only really become more popular the past few years as most big films now bring out the full soundtrack. This then boosts the sales of the film as they are cross promoting. And the target audience can hear the soundtrack regularly.
Video Advertisements and the trailer were used to advertise The Fault in Our Stars. They would have been played on television, on internet sites such as YouTube and vivo, it will have also been played in the cinema before the film was released for viewing. Video advertising is fairly new as the internet like we know it now is also fairly new.
These are some screenshots from the trailer and they tell the audience in a minimalistic way what happens in the film which then intrigues them to then either go to the cinema and watch it and then also maybe buy is on DVD.
Overall, I believe that the advertising methods that were used to promote the film The Fault in Our Stars is one of the main reasons why it did so well.
Distribution is the act of giving or selling an item or product to an audience.
Technical Convergence is the theory that over time technology converges into different pieces of technology that are new and improved and they are also easier to use. It also means that one piece of technology can be used for more than one thing.
The Fault in Our Stars was distributed on many different mediums such as DVD and Blu-Ray, Cinema and also a copy for internet streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and many other sites, a person can use these sites on many different devices. For the online streaming sites a person has to subscribe and pay to watch things. As long as a person has a subscription they can watch anything unless it is YouTube as you have to pay for the films on there now. When a film is brought out in many different ways it means that the film will become more successful as more people will watch it as it is easier to access. There are many different illegal sites too which means that people can download torrents and then have the film for free and this is where the film industry loses income as there are so many illegal sites out there.
Here are some stats that show how well the film did because of the way that it was advertised and distributed. These stats however, do not include streaming and illegal downloads which could have boosted the profits if it was bought.
Domestic Blu-Ray Sales- $17,779,344 - £11,791,260.94
Total Domestic Video Sales- $42,296,384 - £28,059,421.14
Based on how much it cost to make the film and and how well the film sold in the box office and on DVD, a profit has been made from the sales of this film, which means that the advertising and distribution in many different places worked to promote the film.
"Sophie, 17 loves romance. This informs most aspects in her life especially film and music. The Fault in Our Stars does this especially as she is a sucker for the emotional films. She also gets all her ideals for a relationship from this sort of film, she is inspired by the unconditional love that is shared between characters and wants this in her own life."
Hi there, its Sammie again. This time I have been asked to look at the demographics for my film 'The Fault in Our Stars'. Ien Ang (pronounced Yen) (1991) and John Hartley (1987) suggested that producers create invisible fiction or imaginary entities before creating a media product. This is true as the producers want to get a feel of what their target audience likes to do and what sort of things would interest them to incorporate these into the film. The main target audience for my film is teenage girls from the ages of 15 and upward. Gender
The first example that represents gender in the film 'The Fault in Our Stars' is the relationship as it links to Carl Rodgers theory. His theory is 'Ideal self, ideal partner' and this links to the film as the main characters ideal self would be to not be ill and this relates to the target audience as they have other things wrong with them that they would like to change to become their ideal selfs. The ideal partner is Augustus because he is an attractive and caring young person like the target audience and they feel like they could see themselves with somebody like him, however this appeals mostly to girls. The next example that represents gender is again the main characters relationship as it links to Claude Levi Strauss's theory of 'Binary Opposition'. This links because Hazel is more dominant than Augustus most of the way through the film and so doesn't meet the average stereotype of the male being the dominant partner and the female being the subordinate partner. We can tell that this film is aimed mostly at a female target audience because of the fact that Hazel is more in control and so shows the females that watch the film that they can be in control. The third example is again linked to the main characters relationship and also to Strauss's theory of 'Binary Opposition' as the roles are reversed and Augustus becomes the dominant stereotypical male and Hazel becomes the stereotypical subordinate female. This shows the target audience that the roles can be reversed. Age
The age rating of this film is a 12 but the median age is a 15 as the themes of the film are for a more mature audience that would understand what the meaning behind it is. The first example of this is the fact that this is a film about two teenagers that are battling Cancer. It shows the target audience that they can overcome anything if they try and if they really want to. The second example of this that I am going to use is when Hazel and Augustus go on their first date. This is an example because they are falling in love for the first time and it shows that if they can do this even if it is just for a short period of time, then the target audience can too. It also helps the target audience too believe in love if they don't already. The third example is when the lead characters travel abroad and go to Amsterdam. This shows the target audience that they can go anywhere and do anything that they want to. The fourth example is when they go to the Cancer Support Group as it shows that they are sociable and can still make friends even if they are terminally ill. This appeals to the audience as many of them may be involved in a support group for other problems that they have, also the target audience will be if an age where they are just learning g to cope or deal with social issues. Another example of the target audiences age is the book as this is a young adults fiction book.
Lifestyle and Uses and Gratifications
NRS stands for National Readership Survey. The target audience for my film 'The Fault in Our Stars' is in the lifestyle category E of the NRS which is Urban Ventures. The technology from the film back this up as the main characters have up to date technology such as I-phones and laptops which their parents have probably bought for them as they are teenagers and still live at home. It backs it up as most people have up to date technology because their parents can afford these kind of things and so can the characters parents in the film. This also relates to the target audience being digital natives. Digital natives are people who have been brought up within the digital age and they have witnessed the development of technology. Denis McQuail (1972) says that there are four reasons why people consume media products. These are; surveillance, escapism, building a personal identity and finally building personal relationships. An example of escapism in my film is when the two main characters go away to Amsterdam. This is an example as many people want escape and to go away on holiday and do things like they do in the film. Another example that links to escapism is when the main characters go on their first date as the target audience can escape and imagine that they are on the date with whichever main character that they like as they are both attractive. An example of building a personal identity is when the target audience can relate to the characters or the actors. They want to be or replicate them. The audience could relate to them because they have an illness that they are trying to overcome, or they can relate to the love story that is incorporated into the film. The film could also be in lifestyle category A: affluent achievers as many successful people will watch the film too such as people from the medical world that will understand the problems and the downsides of the illness that the two main characters suffer from. This would help the affluent achievers to build relationships too as they could talk to people similar to the characters in the film that suffer from the illness in the real world as they understand the themes that are included in the film.
Spending Power
This film will influence two different groups of people, who have different lifestyles. The first is Urban Ventures and their demographics would be C1 and C2. This means that they will have an income but it will be very little as they will be at college or university which means that they will probably have a part time job where they will earn minimum wage. The second is the thriving greys and affluent achievers and their demographics will be A and B. This band are all upper middle class and middle class people which means they have a good job and a decent wage and a disposable income. The first group of people may be able to go to the cinema to watch the film or buy the book or the DVD. But the second band of people could afford to go on holiday to Amsterdam like the two main characters do in the film. They could also afford to donate money to charity every month.
Diegetic sound is the natural sounds
that you hear (Diegesis). An example of this is birds chirping, dialogue (all 3 stages of production), and sound effects
- (Ambient Sound). – Phony sound. This happens
during production.
Non-diegetic sounds are things that
you wouldn’t normally hear (Audience would
only hear). An example of this is a voice over. *Tick* This happens during
post production. *Tick* Another example is incidental music (very good at creating
emotion). You can have non-diegetic music like soundtracks e.g. Skyfall
The difference between denotation
and connotation is…
Denotation- you say what you see *Tick*(describe what you see and hear)
Connotation- you explain what you
see *Tick*
The ‘male gaze’ is about females
being objectified. (Laura Mulvey) e.g The
Dictator
Assessor Name: Sam
Student Name: Sammie
Life on Mars Task
non-diegetic sound:
music track- theme music, the heart monitor sound, the whispering, police sirens, scene transition sound effects.
The non-diegetic sound reinforces the disequilibrium or the enigma.
Hey guys its me Sammie again this time I'm going to analyse a movie that has been produced by 20th Century Fox. The movie that I have chosen is 'The Fault in Our Stars'.
Purpose
The purpose of the film that I have chosen is to entertain. The Fault in Our Stars is entertaining as although it is a sad and moving film it has funny parts throughout especially with the main characters, an example of this is the jokes that are made throughout the film. This film was made for a mass audience. 20th Century Fox produced this film to earn a profit when it was sold so it was for commercial gain as 20th Century Fox is a commercial company.
Genre
This films main genre is a romance as the two main characters have a connection and fall in love. I guess this film could also be classed as a drama as one of the main characters dies and it is about cancer. The sub-genre is romantic comedy or rom-com this is because funny things happen throughout when the two main characters are together or with friends.
Form
The form of the film is a feature length film as it has a duration of 2hrs and 13 minutes. The Fault in Our Stars has been distributed online by streaming and also on DVD and Blu-Ray, it also aired in the movie theatres or cinema before all of this to target a mass, young audience. Style
The style of the film is modern as it is set in the present day, the 21st century. The film creates verisimilitude as it is very realistic and is set in places that we know are real such as America and also Amsterdam.
Content and Meaning
For content and meaning we are going to speak about a few different things and theories.The first is Todorov's theory. He said that a film has to have 5 stages although, we are only going to look at three of these which are an equilibrium, disequilibrium and a resolution but it doesn't always have to follow these steps. My film starts of as an disequilibrium as the main character is ill and suffering from cancer. It then has its equilibrium when the main character Hazel falls in love with the other main character Augustus. The equilibrium is then followed again by another disequilibrium when things start to go wrong for Augustus as he is then re-diagnosed with cancer and in the end has his life taken too early. There doesn't seem to be a resolution, which could connote a potential sequel.
Next we are going to look at Kate Domaille's theory...
Her theory was that... " every story ever told can be fitted into one of eight narrative types"
These types are...
Archilles: the fatal flaw that leads to the destruction of the previously flawless or almost flawless person.
Candide: the indomitable hero who cannot be put down
Cinderella: the dream comes true
Circe: the chase, the innocent and the victim
Faust: selling your soul to the devil may bring riches but eventually your soul will belong to him
Orpheous: The loss of something personal, the gift that is taken away, the tragedy of loss or the journey that follows the loss
Romeo and Juliet: the love story
Tristan and Iseult: the love triangle, man loves woman unfortunately they are both spoken for.
The Fault in Our Stars fits into, two of these narrative types which are Orpheous and Romeo and Juliet. This is because the two main characters fall in love which is why it fits into the Romeo and Juliet narrative. It fits into the Orpheous narrative because their is the loss of one of the main characters lives to a fatal illness.
Levi Strauss believes in binary opposition for example gender, which means that the male and female roles are switched so a female would become dominant and the male would become subordinate. He also looks at the way in which males and females are stereotyped. An example of this is the male being dominant and the female being subordinate, this is very stereotypical as the male is the 'stronger' person.
In 'The Fault in Our Stars' we see binary opposition as Augustus always shows his emotions throughout the film whether he is happy or sad an example of this is when he is crying, when he tells Hazel that his cancer has come back. The clip above shows some of the emotion that he shows throughout the movie. It also shows Hazel's emotion and they are not so different in most ways. They are both protagonists and the Cancer for both of them is the antagonist. In this film everyone is led to believe that Augustus is the Underdog as he is expected to carry on living and Hazel is expected to die as she seems more ill than him. But halfway through the movie there is an unexpected twist and the audience finds out that Augustus has cancer again and that is all over his body. Towards the end we realise that it is no longer Augustus that is going to come out on top, we know that it is going to be Hazel.
Laura Mulvey (1975)
' The male gaze' - the way males see females. She believes that women are 'objectified'
The Fault in Our Stars has little to no objectification of women. The only part in this movie where this happens is when Isaac is feeling his girlfriend up.
In the trailer for my film there is both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. The diegetic sounds are the dialogue different bits of different scenes have been taken and put into it, one example of this is when Hazel says ' why are you staring at me' and Augustus replies 'because your beautiful'. This connotes romance as it foreshadows the love story that is going to happen. This is also an example of binary opposition as Augustus the male main character is very emotionally out there, and is not the average stereotypical man that is not in touch with his emotions. This could be because it is a 'side effect of dying'. It also has non-diegetic sounds such as the voice over at the beginning of the trailer and also the music that is played throughout the trailer. For different parts of the trailer there are different songs or music. The first piece of music is non-diegetic as it is played over the actual film. It has quite a slow tempo at first which connotes that the film is going to be sad. Then the next piece of music is diegetic as the music can be heard in the diegesis or the story world. The third piece of music is non-diegetic as it is again played over the film instead of in the diegesis. The tempo denotes that the music gets faster and also becomes more upbeat. This connotes that the film is going to become more dramatic.
This extract from the movie only contains diegetic sounds. These are dialogue and also the sounds of creatures in the background, this is called ambient sound and it is in the clip to create verisimilitude of the setting. An example of the dialogue denoted in this clip is when Augustus says "Hazel Grace I hope you realize that you trying to keep your distance from me in no way lessens my affection for you all your efforts to try and keep me from you are going to fail". To which Hazel replies "look ah I like you and I like hanging out with you, everything that I, I can't let this go on any further". This dialogue connotes romance and heartache as the two characters are falling in love but are both suffering from a terrible illness. Another example of dialogue that is denoted in this clip is the rest of their conversation.
Augustus "why not?"
Hazel "because I don't want to hurt you"
Augustus "I wouldn't mind"
Hazel "no you don't understand"
Augustus "I do understand"
Hazel "no you don't"
Augustus " no I know what your trying to say. Hazel I'm saying I wouldn't mind, it'd be a privilege to have my heart broken by you"
Hazel "Gus I'm a grenade, one day I'm gonna explode and I'm gonna obliterate everything in my wake. And I dunno I just feel like it's my responsibility to minimise the casualties"
The conversation overall reinforces the connotations of love, romance and heartache. The mode of address all the way through this clip is peer to peer as they are speaking to each other quite informally and like they are both equals. Again in this clip binary opposition is very clear as Augustus is very emotional and in touch with his feelings and shows them where as normally a stereotypical male wouldn't do this.
This clip from the movie 'The Fault in Our Stars' again only contains diegetic sounds. Some of the sounds denoted are the dialogue, the eggs hitting the car and the house, the sounds of the three friends laughing and finally the car alarm going off. All of these sounds connote fun and friendship although, they also connote anger as they are annoyed at the girl who broke 'Isaac's' heart. An example of dialogue from this clip is when Hazel asks Isaac:
Hazel- 'so how're your eyes Isaac?'
and Isaac replies by saying:
Isaac- 'They're good they're just not in my head that's the only problem'.
This connotes fun and humour as although he is now blind because he has had to have both eyes removed he can still joke about it.
Mise en Scene is a French word that means everything within a frame. Everything within Mise on Scene is encoded which means that it was embedded on purpose and it is meant to be there.
The location is the diegesis. All the locations in 'The Fault in Our Stars' are realistic as they are places that ordinary people would go to in day to day life. The locations in the film do create verisimilitude as they are real locations. Most of the locations are normal everyday places such as a persons home and the park. Another location in the film though is a hospital which creates verisimilitude as the target audience may have family that are in the hospital which means that this is a normal everyday place too. One final location in the film is Amsterdam where the two main characters and one of the parents went on a holiday. This creates verisimilitude as many people do this on a daily basis. The main location of this film though is Indiana, Indianapolis in America this creates verisimilitude as it is a location that really exists which means that the target audience may live their or may have visited but even if they haven't then they have heard about it.
In this clip the scene is a restaurant in Amsterdam, the restaurant connotes romance and young love. It also connotes a form of freedom for the two main characters as it shows them on their own with out having to be monitored like they usually are. Also with the air of freedom that is connoted it make them feel like their actual age because they are on a date like any other normal teenage couple. This is realistic in the diegesis or the story world as it is a real place and so does create verisimilitude for the audience.
The two main characters are acting loved up and excited in this clip. One of the main characters is also acting quite shy as she has never been on a date before but as it progresses she becomes more open. This reinforces stereotypes as most women are portrayed as submissive and shy whereas men are more dominant. All of this connotes happiness and excitement as they are having a great time and they are trying things that they have never tried before such as the champagne or 'the stars' as they call it. This connotes that they are falling in love with each other, this is also shown as Augustus tells Hazel that he loves her in this clip.
The two characters are in their best dress in this clip as they are on a date. Hazel is wearing a blue dress and her oxygen tank, and Augustus is wearing his suit (as you find out later on in this part of the movie it is his death suit). The oxygen tank is iconography as it stands out in the movie and it helps people to recognise what the film is. This connotes that they want to look their best for the exciting date that they are going on. This also connotes that Hazel is really ill as we know as she has to wear and carry her oxygen tank all the time as she cannot breathe otherwise. This all creates verisimilitude for the audience as the suit and dress remind people of their first dates or how they wanted their first dates to be. The make up worn by the characters is natural for the lighting and connotes neutrality and also that it is worn everyday and creates verisimilitude.
The props denoted in this clip are champagne glasses. This connotes that they are on their date and that it is a special time as they are drinking champagne and not wine. This could also connote that it is their first date (if you haven't seen the movie that is). This creates verisimilitude for the audience as it reminds them of their first dates and how nervous and happy they were to be there. These are the only hand held props in this clip that are denoted. The champagne is also an example of iconography because as the waiter serves them he tells the young couple about Don Perione and what he said after he invented champagne. He tells them that he said: 'come quickly' he said, 'I am tasting the stars'.
This relates to the title of the film and also connotes the romance between the couple.
The lighting denoted in this clip from the film is low lighting. Low lighting normally connotes suspense and mystery but not in this clip. The connotations of the lighting in this clip from the film are love, romance and also happiness.
Oneshot type that is used during this clip is a Medium Close-Up. The shot denotes Hazel reading out Augustus's eulogy. This connotes that Augustus is going to die soon and she is reading it so that he gets to hear what she is going to say at his real funeral. The shot type connotes Hazel's emotions and feelings and makes the audience feel included in the diegesis and also makes them feel the same emotions that she is feeling at that moment in the film. A Medium Close-Up is used also in this clip to show Augustus's emotions as it is his 'pre-funeral' the one that he has arranged himself so that he can hear what the love of his life has to say and also his best friend. This clip also relates to binary opposition as Augustus the male is showing his emotions where as a stereotypical male wouldn't do this. Augustus again reiterates that the audience is included in the diegesis as they feel the same emotions that he is feeling in that moment in time. The narrative stage that this connotes is both an equilibrium and a disequilibrium as although it is a sad part in the movie it is also a happy part as he gets to hear what two of the most important people in his life have to say about him before he becomes worse. It is also an equilibrium as it says in the film that this was one of Augustus's good days. One of the angles used in this clip is a low angle as it shows Hazel reading the eulogy which connotes that she is the stronger one or the more dominant one as she isn't the one who is dying. This is another example of binary opposition as it shows the female lead as the stronger more dominant character, where as the male lead is the weaker one that is dying although, it is originally thought that she would be the weaker character and lose the battle to cancer. This links in with the narrative type again as it is a disequilibrium as the audience knows that Augustus is losing the battle. Another shot type used is a Crowd Shot as it shows all three of the friends partway through as Hazel is reading the eulogy. It denotes Augustus and Isaac listening intently to what Hazel is saying. This shot connotes respect as they sit silently throughout her speech. One more shot type that is used is an Extreme Close-Up this is used to connote the emotions shown on Hazel and Augustus's faces whilst the eulogy is being read. It also connotes sadness and hurt and the audience can relate. A shallow depth of field is used in this clip as you can see the emotions denoted on the lead characters faces and this then connotes the way that they feel about each other and how much Hazel doesn't want to lose Augustus as he is the love of her life and she is his.
In this clip only two types of editing have been used and these are:
Insert Shots- a close up shot that is designed to draw the audience's attention to something that was only part of the previous shot.
Shot Reverse Shot Structure- Juxtapose two images in order to create a link between them. This is used between conversations (dialogue between two characters). Shot reverse shot structure links in with binary opposition.
The insert shot denoted is when Hazel gets out the piece of paper that she has written Augustus's eulogy on this is also a close up as it zooms in onto the paper. This connotes the importance of the eulogy as it means a lot to both Hazel and Augustus as he is the one that arranged the 'pre-funeral' this is because he knows that this could be one of his last good days (if you have watched the film then you will know that it is!). The shot reverse shot structure is denoted when there are cuts between seeing close-ups of Hazel and Augustus's faces and also the crowd shot of all three of them in the clip and it creates that link between them whilst Hazel is speaking. This connotes that again the speech is very important and again very emotional for all of the characters in the clip.
The Production Process- One example of pre production for this film would be location scouting as it is set in many different places and even two different countries which are America and Amsterdam. Location scouting would also include finding all the different buildings and parks that they used during filming. The places used would have had to be rented or they would have had to gain permission to use them. An example of one of the locations scouted is the 'Anne Frank Museum' in Amsterdam as they go all the way through the museum and they were trying to keep all the same locations as what the author 'John Green' put them as. Another example from pre production would be finding the cast and crew. The producers would have had to audition and choose the cast. An example of production is filming the different scenes, this means that both the cast and crew would go to the locations that had been picked during pre production to film them. An example from the film would be when they filmed the scene in Amsterdam and they are on their date, as they go through many different locations and obviously many different camera sequences. Another example of production would be recording the audio, this means that the dialogue will be recorded for the different scenes in the film. One final example that would be part of production is the wardrobe designers and the prop designers creating the illusion of a prosthetic leg because the main character doesn't really have one, in post production they would edit this so that the audience cant tell that this isn't real. This is because there could be something that gives it away and by editing this the audience wont be able to tell whether it is real or not. An example of something that would be done in post production is the editing of the footage this means that things will be edited in and out to make the film run smoother and also make it longer and shorter depending on how long the film is meant to be. One final example of what would happen during post production is adding any music or extra audio into the film this will be done in specific parts of the film to help the mood of the diegesis to be set. An example of when music has been added into the film is when the Hazel and Augustus are in Amsterdam and they are on a boat going along a river and the soundtrack 'Boom Clap' is being played over the top of the movie to create verisimilitude and show the mood of the scene. The song that is denoted connotes love as they are a young couple who have just got together and are going on their very first date whilst on their very first holiday together. Well thanks for watching again guys and see you again soon!
The purpose of the film that I have chosen is to entertain. The Fault in Our Stars is entertaining as although it is a sad and moving movie it has funny parts throughout such as when three of the characters, Hazel, Augustus and Isaac egg a girls house. The girls car alarm turns on and her mother comes out and Augustus makes a joke about their cancer. This movie was made for a mass audience as 20th Century Fox is large company that caters for everybody and it is a mainstream company
Genre
Daniel Chandler (2001) 'Genre means type or category'
Barry Keith Grant (1995) 'All genres have sub-genres'
This movies genre is a romance as the two main characters have a connection and fall in love. I guess this movie could also be classed as a drama as one of the main characters dies and it is about cancer. The sub-genre is romantic comedy or rom-com this is because funny things happen throughout when the two main characters are together or with friends.
Form
My movie is a feature length film as it has a duration of 2hrs and 13 minutes. The Fault in Our Stars would have been distributed online by streaming and also on DVD and Blu-Ray, it also aired in the movie theatres or cinema before all of this. The target audience is mass and it was for young adults and teens.
Style
Modern- present day, 21st century
Old-fashioned- set in the past
Nostalgic-
Futuristic-
creates 'verisimilitude'- appears realistic
Content
Meaning
Production Process
hall theory-
Narrative- Todorov- 5 key Stages in a narrative- only going to look at three (common structure)
- beginning - equilibrium 'balance' (everything is fine)
- middle - disequilibrium 'unbalanced' (problem, enigma)
- end - resolution 'new state of equilibrium' (never the same as the first state of equilibrium)
Kate Domaille " every story ever told can be fitted into one of eight narrative types"
Archilles: the fatal flaw that leads to the destruction of the previously flawless or almost flawless person.
Candide: the indomitable hero who cannot be put down
Cinderella: the dream comes true
Circe: the chase, the innocent and the victim
Faust: selling your soul to the devil may bring riches but eventually your soul will belong to him
Orpheous: The loss of something personal, the gift that is taken away, the tragedy of loss or the journey that follows the loss
Romeo and Juliet: the love story
Tristan and Iseult: the love triangle, man loves woman unfortunately they are both spoken for.
Levi Strauss
Binary opposition- contrast
Stereotyping- example gender- male vs female dominant vs subordinate
' The male gaze' - the way males see females. She believes that women are 'objectified'
The fault in our stars has a little of this.
Content and Meaning-
Denotation- describe what you can see and or hear
the image denotes a red heart
a red heart is denoted
the denotation of the image is a red heart
Connotation/ Signification- what does it mean? what does it imply? what does it suggest? what does it infer or represent? what is the deeper meaning?
therefore connotes love
love is connoted in this image of a denoted red heart
the connotation of this red heart symbolises love
The denotation of the image is a red heart and a connotation of this is love.
Connotations need to link to either the narrative, the genre or the representation (the representation of people/characters and places)
sound-
Diegesis- the story world, world of the narrative- could be based on versimillitude (can appear to be real) location- realistic or fictional
Diegetic- is natural to the diegesis- natural to the story world- the characters and audience can hear it.
ambient sound- sounds that are natural to the atmosphere or environment
dialogue- key conversations that the characters have
sound effects-
Non-diegetic- only the audience can hear the sounds.
voice over- can be diegetic but are normally non-diegetic
Incidental music- the music that is used to reflect the mood of a scene. can comment on the pace and the pitch.
Music- plays over the top. can be diegetic if there is a radio on in the scene.
Mise on scene-
mise on scene means everything within the frame.
the origin is from the theatre.
is a French word.
encoded- embedded on purpose
always link mise on scene to:
stereotypes
narrative
genre
Things that need to be included:
Location
Costume/ Make up
Props
Colours/ Lighting
Gestures - significant movements
location is the diegesis. is it realistic. does it create verisimilitude? what does the location suggest? The Fault in Our Stars is set in Indianapolis, Indiana
costume- something you have been told to wear. they are encoded to represent something. to create verisimilitude for the audience.
props- something that is handheld. short for property. significant props in the trailer.
what types of iconology are in The Fault in Our Stars
colours and lighting- create moods and emotions
- lighting - low key lighting or high key/natural lighting.
- low key lighting is encoded when the scene or location has shadows or low light. Mystery/suspense. sometimes foreshadows something bad. fear of the unknown.
- high key lighting is encoded when the scene/location is bright and well lit. connotations- something is won.
Gestures- refer to body movements of a character. they are used to connote
star persona
gender stereotypes
genre of music`
locations and iconography (2-3 examples)
characters and acting gesture (protagonist v antagonist)
costume and make up (protagonist v antagonist)
props (2-3 significant props)
lighting and colour (high key or low key examples)
Instruments- connotes music creations
The band or singer
Secluded place - personal
Outdoors- stage
trailer- This Is England- Iconology
- DR Martens
- braces
- the whole costume
- the tattoo of a cross on the middle finger
- shaved head
- old settings
-alcohol
-big glasses
- small and rundown areas
costumes
low key lighting
characters
blood
secluded places- characters cannot escape
camera work-
editing-
Production Process- examples of pre-production, production, post-production
I have used all of my key terms in the right way. Ownership of 20th Century Fox Introduction:- Hi, my name is Sammie and I have been asked by Education Wise to Produce a series of educational resources for level 3 Media courses. The company chosen is 20th Century Fox.
Key Terms:-
Conglomerate- is a company that is made up of many other different companies.
BBC and Virgin are examples of conglomerates. BBC is a PSB (public service broadcaster) and doesn’t make a profit as this is not their aim, where as Virgin on the other hand, does work for a profit.
Subsidiaries- the smaller companies that are within a conglomerate.
Independent- this is a company that isn't owned by any other company, they are operated by themselves and make their own products.
Cross Media Ownership- this means that a company owns more than one type of media.
Synergy- this is related to cross media ownership as when a company owns more than one type of media product then their products can be cross promoted.
Commercial- makes a profit- most companies exist to make money.
Public Service Broadcaster- funded by public money- (BBC and TV licence fee, Channel 4 also has some PSB remit)
Joint Venture- Warp and Film Four, 20th Century and DreamWorks).
The company 20th Century fox is owned by Rupert Murdoch. The company is owned by a large CONGLOMERATE called 21st Century Fox although originally it was a subsidiary of News Corporation or News Corp. News Corp owns a number of SUBSIDIARIES which are other companies that the conglomerate owns. News Corp owns many other companies such as the obvious one Fox and others include Sky, National Geographic, Star TV, Talk Radio and The Sun newspaper, although Fox is part of News Corp it is also a conglomerate in itself as it owns other subsidiaries. The company is a Cross Media company as they create more than one kind of media product. This means that when one product is released it is normally advertised through Cross Promotion on the companies other platforms, this is also known as 'SYNERGY'
Operating Model Horizontal Integration- is when companies such as subsidiaries of a conglomerate or parent companies work alongside each other to cross promote media products. This is an effect that creates 'Synergy'.
Vertical Integration is where a company can produce their own product and also distribute and exchange these products. (Exchange means that the audience consumes and buys the product.) Vertical Integration ONLY applies to a conglomerate, this is because Independent companies can only produce products but then need help in distributing and exchanging them. 20th Century Fox produces and owns mediums that allow audiences to consume and exchange.
Film Production process:
Pre-production-
Pre-production is everything that happens before the actual production of any media product. This is where you plan how you want the production to go.
Things that would be planned before the production are:-
Script- outline of the story
Storyboard
Audience research
Cast and Crew
Assets- equipment
Filming schedule
Concepts
Location scouting
Budget
Copyright and Legislation
Production-
Things that happen during production are :-
Filming the scenes
Directing the Cast and Crew
Acquiring any Assets that are needed- props, sets, costumes, make-up- prosthetics, animatronics
Pyrotechnics
Lighting
Directing of Photography
Chromakey- (can either be blue or green)
Recording any Audio
After Production-
Things that happen after production are:-
Editing footage
Adding audio/ music to the footage
Manipulating the chromakey
Adding any transitions (dissolve, fade, jump out)
Adding CGI (computer generated imagery)
Adding SFX (Special features)
Products 20th Century Fox produce many different types of media for mass mainstream audiences. They also have different subsidiaries as 20th Century Fox is a conglomerate in itself. All of these products can be cross promoted as they have five different subsidiaries in total which are :
Fox TV- this subsidiary specialises in TV shows. Fox TV is known for many of its shows such as American Dad, Family Guy, Glee, New Girl, The Mindy Project, House and Bones. All of these shows have very different audiences and so Fox TV is for a mass audience. American Dad and Family Guy are aimed at a more mature audience as they are not suitable for family watching. Glee however, is more family friendly.
Star TV- this is 20th Century Fox's Indian Media and Entertainment company. This channel broadcasts in 8 different languages. a couple of their media products are The Buddy Project and SuperCops vs SuperVillains.
Sky- Sky sells many different products and has its own movie and TV show channels. They also produce their own technology and have their own broadband. Sky play 20th Century Fox movies on its channels and also play their own TV shows such as, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Flash, Zoo and Ray Donovan. Again all of these programs are aimed at very different audiences.
The Sun- this subsidiary is their newspaper which is aimed at a mass audience.
Talk Radio-
National Geographic- this subsidiary produces documentaries, these are for educational and entertainment purposes. Many people watch these and are made for a mass audience, Some of these documentaries are, In the Womb, Killing Lincoln, Abandoned, Are you Tougher Than a Boy Scout, Unlikely Animal Friends, Banged up Abroad, Inside Combat Rescue, Eat- The Story of Food, Caught in the Act, Drugs Inc., Border Wars, Leader of the Pack, Survive the Tribe, The 90s- The Last Great Decade.
Market Position
20th Century Fox are a very popular company and are also one of the biggest in the world as well as belonging to 21st Century Fox it is also a conglomerate and owns 5 different subsidiaries which are listed above. This company uses vertical integration as they can produce their own products, distribute them and also exchange them, this is different to most other companies especially independent ones as they work on horizontal integration as they can only produce a product. The company's net worth as of May 2015 is $11.3 billion and in British pounds it is £725,582,067,252. We can tell that 20th Century Fox is one of the best in the world as they are above other companies such as Paramount and Universal.
Competitors The main rivals of 20th Century Fox are Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, DreamWorks, CBS Corporation and also Disney. All of these companies are considered competitors as the products they make are all films and TV shows but they are all in competition with each other as their productions are all aimed at different audiences.
Disney is one of 20th Century Fox's Rivals as their movies and TV shows are all aimed at children and young people, and also do more animation than anything else. 20th Century Fox however, makes a wide range of different productions for a wider audience. This is one of the reasons why they stand out.
CBS is also a rival of 20th Century Fox as they produce similar products. CBS mainly produce TV shows which means that the main competition is with CBS and Fox TV as they have to compete for their audiences.
Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros are all competitors as they all make a large range of different movies for different audiences.
