Self Evaluation

• Attainement - 2 - I feel that i have learnt alot of new keywords throghout this term, and also how to apply them. I have alor understood different thories and concepts from those within the media.
• Effort - 2 - I try my hardest in the lessons, and stay focussed most of the time. Although taking more time out for homework would help.
• Punctuality - 1- i am always one time
• Submission and quality of homework - 2/3 - although i feel the work i do is up to standards, i have been behind on a recent piece of homework due to needing to balance my workload better
• Ability to work independantly - 1/2- i am able to work on my own well, although i can work well within a group i prefer to rely on myself.
• Quality of writing -2 - i think my writing is at a good standard, as i try to be formal in my work as much as i can , and i use keywords when appropriate.
• Organisation of blog - 3 - i think my blog is clear, and the work is easy to find, but i ahvent put as much organisationa skills to it as i should be.
• Oral contribution in class - 1/2 - i contribute when needed, and put my point across without over riding anyone else.

Three Achievements -

• i can use key terms when appropriate
• i can use a balanced argument on ideas
• i have a good undertanding of theorists

Three targets of improvement -

• remember to use as many key words as i can
• refer to audiences of the media text
• put a better structure to my work

Obsession - Review

This Horror was 'Goosebumps' on steriods, and definataly my favorite film of the year.

The protagonist was your stereotypical helpless girl kidnapped by the villain. Using Action codes, such as seeing the back of a man watching her, gave the audicence an inclin that someone was coming for her, revealing the storyline to the audience. Having long shots at the start of the film showed how the princess was a free spirit and had nothing holding her back, but as it continued, when she got kidnapped, using close up's connoted how drastically her life had changed, and how the villain was suffocating her with her capture.

This film served its purpose on giving the audience a scare, and even forced me to look over my shoulder a few times in the dark.

Who's Bad - Review

This new teen comedy was a definate 'im falling off my chair crying on the floor' hilarious. The laughs didnt stop from beginning to end, your classic teen movie with an updated feel.

The protagonsit is your sterotypical geek, with typical denotations, used through props, such as, thick black glasses, big school bag, and the snorting look on his face. The geek ultimately cannot get a girlfriend or get 'laid', and aspires to be like the 'cool' kids at school. Using a binary opposition, and enigma codes throughout the stroyline, keeps the audience wondering what the outcome may be, and if the geek becomes one if his idols and seek a girls intrest.
Having non-diagetic playful sound through the movie, creates the impression that the experience is a lively and comical one, reinforcing the conventions of the genre.

Effects of The Media

Does Watching Violence Produce Violence?

Arguably, yes watching violence does produce violence but to a certain extent. Personally, i believe that it can, whether the comsumer is aware of it or not. On one hand, the consumer may see violence in film, and intending to or not may copy the 'moves' that they have seen. On the other hand, the media content may act as a catharsis for the comsumer therefore not reinacting the content. Also, over time violence has been desensitilized over time, being a result of violence not affecting the consumer as much.
one example for watching violence, causing violence is:

• The murder of Jamie Bulger.Two teenagers, after watching a violent film 'Child's Play' copied scenes from this film. They kidnapped a young boy - Jamie Bulger, and reinacted the voilence from the film on the child. After hitting, kicking and puching the young boy, they eventually killed him, before they put him on train tracks as if to make out that the muder was accidental. They were caught and convicted.
• Drabman & Thomas's study - they studied a group of 9-12 year olds where they were led to belive that they were monitoring two children younger than them. They found that children who were subjected to more violent TV then they were slower to summon adults help when an argument/fighting broke out between the two children.

Do Images of Skinny Models Have An Impact?

Personally i do believe that images if skinny models do have an impact, as girls/women see that this is how women should look, as it may be the main look that the media show. Having these images posted in the media, girls/women are forced to look at them - leading them to think this is what they have to conform to, making them believe that they aspire to be like them.

Over time, images of skinny models have caused moral panic as numbers of anorexic young girls have increased, saying that the cause of this is beecuase of females portrayals in the media.

• The size '0' ban - skinny model are not a good role model for women in general. Models who are a size zero, are not allowed to participate in runway shows.
• Daily Mail suggested that 'super-skinny models drive 7 year olds into anorexia', girls as young as 7 year olds, are being treated with eating disorders. Dr Jon Goldin said 'the images we see in the magazines, on catwalks and in the media are having an impact', 'our patients talk about it. You see them looking at magazines and talking about what they see and the problems are starting at a younger and younger age.

The Golden Age Of Hollywood - 1930/40's

The Golden Age of Hollywood was when the silent period ended, and many silent stars could not move with the times and make it to sound.
In these decades the development of gangster films, musicals, news-paper reporting films, historical biopics, social-realism films. light hearted comedies, westerns and horrors grew.

Warner Bros produced resolute narratives, social-realism films and realisitic gangster films, for the sound era. These films ultimately reflected the decline of the countries confidence with authority and social traditions.

Universal produced escapist entertainment with horror films. They won the Best Picture in the second Academy Awards Ceremony with 'Quiet on the western front'.

By the end of the 30's musicals were in decline, audiences lost interest as these films had over exposed song and dance which ultimately sacrificed plot and character development. Audiences bypassed the opportunity to watch musicals and favoured to watch gangster films, comedy film, horror and western films. Warner Bros saw this as an opportunity and decided to produce their own musicals, and they were a hit as audiences fell in love with the original surrealistic choreography.

During the 40's the film industry started to produce films that related to the society around them, or ones that drew then away from real life, for example they created, escapist entertainment, reassurance and patriotic themes. Some films include: Casablanca, Mrs. Miniver and Foreign Correspondent.


Fimls Produced by Studios 1930/40's:

MGM
Hell's Angels
Anna Christie
The Big House
Dance, Fools Dance
The Great Ziegfield
Captains Courageous

RKO
Cimarron
B-movie
Babes in Toyland

Paramount
Popeye The Sailor
Im No Angel

Vladamir Propp's Seven Spheres's of Action

A Miricle of Grace - Kate Kerrigan
A Miricle of Grace is a novel about a woman called Grace, who finds out that her mother, Eileen, has terminal cancer. Eileen is forvever writing lists on sticky notes to prioritise her life, and this is where Grace has most of her communication with her mother. This is a sotry of a mother-daughter relationship that has to overcome different obsticles in life- sometimes together and others individually.

The Villian- in this novel, it is not a person who is the villian it is a disease - cancer.

The Donor- The donar is also not a person, is is a hospital band, Grace dinfs this assuming its hers, but infact is is her long-long brother that she never knew about. She finds him and he comes to visit his mother at her bedside.

The Helper- in this the helper is Grace's long lost brother that comes in just at the end and puts her mothers and her life into perspective.

The Princess- the princess is Grace's mother, who may not over come the cancer but Grace does evrything in her power to make sure her mother is happy in her last few months.

The dispatcher- The dispatcher is Eileen's sticky notes, this is the only thing that Grace has that can help her understand what her mother thinkk, from there she can do the things that need to be done for her mother.

The hero- The hero is Grace, she does not save her mother from death, but save her frmo the hurt she had carried with her all her life. By restoring the faith that she would see her son again, that she gave up so may years ago.

The False Hero- The false hero is Eileen's friend, that has a good realtionship with Eileen that Grace never had. Grace relied on her mothers friend to be there for her when Eileen needed her most, but in the end the friend was no use, and soon disapeared.

Hollyoaks

In This Episode of Hollyoaks, Newt, Anita & Lauren arrive at a cottage. Sparks are flying between Newt and Anita, and an unsupected visiter Gaz turns up and suggests they plat truth of dare.

This episode in a mild linear narritive as most of it takes place in chronological oder, but a snippit at the beggining gives an insight as to what is going to happen later on in the episode. This is also a multi-strand narrative, and is common in the soap genre, for example, Coronation street and Eastenders.

The protagonist changes depending on what storyline it is, in this episode it is clear who the Protagonist is as Newt is the first person you see, and the first voice that your hear. At the begining of the episode the camera is in a point of view shot, where the audience can identify with him as they can see his actions through his eyes. The audience can see this is his role as the point of view shot uses his voice as a voice over which tells a story- his story.

At the start of the episode, the action code is a story being told by the protagonist about an unintential murder. From this the audience assume that there is going to be a murder during the episode. Anger continues through the episode so the audience expect it to happen anytime.

At about halfway through the episode an enigma is shown through a shot of someone looking onto the house where the teens are staying. From this the audience know hat someone is going to challenge them, but at the same time the audience do not know exactly who it is.

Equilibrium
The three teens are happy in the cottage away from thier parents, they can do whatever they want, and they are surrounded by friends. They have a supply of food, water and alcohol!

Disequilibrium
An unwamted guest truns up at the cottage, everyone is unhappy as he irritates and antagonises them. Gaz ends up trying to force Anita to kiss him, but Newt comes in and puches him- Newt and Anita make a run for it into the woods, and the whole gang split up.

New Equilibrium
Gaz is 'taken care of' lying in hospital, the gang are relived to ahve him off their backs but are still upset as newt is held responsible to Gaz's attack. Everyone is safe back at home where they belong.

Equilibrium, Disequilibrium & New Equilibrium

Bring It On - All Or Nothing
E- The protagonist is the head cheerleader, her boyfriend is captain on the football team, and her family is not short of money. Her life is perfect! Going to a all white school, having blonde hair and blue eyes- she fits in perfectly.

D.E- her life gets turned upside down when her father looses his job and has to relocate- to a promedently 'black' area. She no longer fits in and her old friends made her promise never to cheer again. But she cheers with the new school, but her old school find out and are not happy, to make it up with them she goes to ptom with her boyfriend- the new school find out and kick her off the team. She dumps her boyfrend after finding out he cheated on her.

N.E- The new school accept her aplogy and let her cheer with them in a competion with other schools, including her old one. They end up winning the competition with them, she gets a new bofriend and she is happy again.

Stuart Little
E- a mouse gets adopted by a human family, he is happy to finally belong somewhere, but still not totally fitting in with his 'brother'. His size is a probblem as his new family get him geifts that are just too big for him to use, such a bike.

D.E- the family cat tries to get rid of him- by setting up a deal with some other mice pretending to be his fake biological parents to take him away, and start a new life away from the Little's. Stuart is unhappy as he loved his adoptive family. He realises that something is missing in his life- and that it was the Little's.

N.E- Sturat finds out the truth as the mice feel bad for what they have done and goes home to his adoptive family, after a chase breaks out between Stuart and other cats, but the family cat helps him out and they make it home safe. The Little family are all happy to have Stuart back.

27 Dresses
E- the protaginist goes to alot of weddings becuase she enjoys them - even going to two on the same night to keep the brides happy. She rely's on her fila fax to schedule her life, and cannot do anything without it.

D.E- a collumist finds out what she does and looks through her fila fax, making an article on her, but is upset when she fins out because he has fallen for her.. Her sister is marrying her boss- a secret love intrest of hers, but she ruins the engagement.

N.E- She makes up with her sister and boss, and the pair start things over. She realises that she has fallen for the collumist, declares her love for him and another wedding and gets married to him in the end, and everyone is happy.

Marley & Me
E- a happily married couple, everything is good in thier lives- they have good jobs and a nice house

D.E- the wife wants a baby, but to put this off the husband buys her a puppy instead for her birthday, but the puppy causes alot of trouble and doesnt listen to commands. The cause of break down for the marriage, they have children and causes more stress on the marriage.

N.E- the children get older, so does the dog and finally is under some control, but the dog dies. The family realises that they have lost a vital part of the family and they had to be patient eoth the dog and he ended up being part of the family.


7 Pounds
This narritive implies that the protagonist was once happy even though the audience do not physically see it.
At the begining the protagonist is portrayed as not a nice character, but then the audeince realise that is was a false pretense and he is making up for a car accident he caused. He kiled 7 people, and therefore tries to help 7 individuals.
At the ed he dies saving someone, so there is no closure and he doesnt have a new equilibrium at the end- he remains miserable.