Media Key Words

Naturalistic Mise-en-scene: Type of mise-en-scene- the cinematic world and its objects follow assumed laws of nature and society and have  consistently logical relationships to one another.

Linear Narrative: Linear narratives follow a straight line- starting at the beginning, moving to the middle and proceeding to the end. 

Narrative Disruption: When something happens within the narrative that changes the course of action.


In the video 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack, why would you describe the miss-en-scene as naturalistic? Why would you then describe the mise-en-scene in Fatboy Slim's 'Ya Mama' as less naturalistic? 

The video for 'Unfinished Sympathy' is more naturalistic then that of Fatboy Slim's 'Ya Mama' as the urban setting is made up of normal looking people going about their everyday lives. The clothing of all performers is what is to be expected of people in that area of LA in the 1990s. However, in 'Ya Mama', the atmosphere is more theatrical as there is a sense of the narrative being staged. Even the costumes of the three men at the beginning is non-naturalistic as they wear stereotypical 'hillbilly' costumes which, along with other subtle objects throughout the video, suggest the main cast are 'backwards' people even using cassette tapes and watching Tom and Jerry, a 1940s cartoon. As the video progresses, chaos erupts at the local market, which is also shown to be a 'backwards' society due to images such as hand painted signs using simple advertising terms such as 'this could be your cake' at a cake stall. Even the police station, which is meant to be a place of authority, has a handmade sign which is spelt wrong- 'Polis Stazion'. This enhances the sense of comedy, making it non-naturalistic as it pokes fun at the 







In the video 'Ya Mama' by Fatboy Slim why would you describe the narrative as linear? Why would you not describe the narrative in 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive  Attacks as linear? 






At what point in 'Ya Mama' is there a narrative disruption? Explain the event and how this disrupts the initial equilibrium of the scene.






In Massive Attacks 'Unfinished Sympathy' what do you see in the video that implies a world of different stories?

Media Terminology

Media Terminology

Social Realism: The realistic depiction in art of contemporary life, as a means of social or political comment

Postmodernism: A late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.

Intertextuality: The term intertextuality refers to the process of creating references to any kind of media via another media text. In other words intertextuality essentially means for a type of media (film, television, music etc) to pay homage to another media text.

Narrative: A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

Diegesis: A narrative or plot, typically in a film.

Ideology: A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Unfinished Sympathy- Massive Attack

Unfinished Sympathy- Massive Attack

The purpose of music videos is to promote the artist to the target audience and to reflect who they are as an artist. The song 'Unfinished Sympathy' by  the British band Massive Attack was produced in 1990 and released on February 11th 1991 by Circa Records. The genre of the song is 'trip-hop' but features a string section and various orchestral elements as well as the vocals of Shara Nelson who stars in the video. The lyrics show Nelson to be longing for someone in particular, while she is wary of being hurt as she has been in the past. 

The video was directed by Baillie Walsh and uses one continuous shot filmed from 1311 South New Hampshire Avenue to West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The first shot is of a street gang which highlights the gang culture present in 1990s LA, as the group of 5-8 men are real gangsters rather than actors. The gang is made up of a mix of ethnicities, showing that the community  in the video are all of the same low social class regardless of the colour of their skin. One of the men holds the lead of a pitbull who wears sunglasses and a collar with spiked studs on.  

60 Second Film - The Night Before

Plan B- ill Manors

Plan B- ill Manors

The song ill Manors by Plan B was released on 23rd July 2012 as the soundtrack to the film of the same name, also directed by Plan B. The genre of the song is hip-hop and protest, focusing on the events of the London riots and reasons behind the actions of those involved. The lead single even won the Q award for Best Track in October 2012. 

Throughout the music video, an urban setting is used featuring tower blocks, council estates and car parks. This reflects the dull perspective that Plan B takes, as he criticises modern society and exposes the reality behind the veneer of tourist London. The bleak backdrop is also in keeping with the urban genre and is representative of the emotions that those living in this state are feeling. In a scene from the video, Plan B looks over the city of London and nearest to him is run down council estates with smoke rising- suggesting the area is contaminated with pollution. In this area, the lighting is grey and plain; however, beyond the smoke a golden light shines on the tourist hub of London. This suggests that that part of London is clean and taken care of and is in it's own bubble, isolating the areas around it and alienating the  people. The smoke acts as another division between the two, showing that although the two areas are close enough to be seen from each area, they are split into two completely different worlds.

London is also an ideal location for Plan B's social commentary to take place as it is the centre of British politics which the song makes multiple references to- 'We've had it with you politicians/ You bloody rich kids never listen', making it the perfect setting for a protest song as it is at the heart of political decisions. The video includes pictures of politicians such as David Cameron and John Prescott which shows proof of the existence of people in power who make poor decisions and are therefore blamed by Plan B's target audience. There is a backdrop of political issues throughout the video which appeal to the alienated audience that Plan B reaches, giving them a voice in a society that has never listened. As much of Plan B's audience may live in London, they may directly affected by the problems that he discusses in his video and so they would be able to relate to it as it is their everyday life.

In the gif from the video shown above, a man throws an egg on John Prescott- a politician. This shows the disrespect those over looked by the higher powers have for politicians, as they have the power and authority to make a difference, but they don't. Prescott then violently responds, proving that disrespectful actions are the only way of people living in these foul conditions getting attention from the politicians. This is an extreme downscale of the effects of the London riots, when people started to cause chaos all over London and in some other cities in the UK, they finally were responded to, even being talked about internationally. The scene cuts to Plan B punching towards the camera, suggesting that people will respond violence with violence, causing an endless cycle and rift between the different groups in society. 

The stereotypical costume of youth is used in the video; including tracksuits, hoodies and caps. Plan B uses this to present the youth as the people who face the issues and alienation shown in the video, as a Guardian article after the 2011 London riots described the hoodie as a 'criminal cloak for London's looting youth'. The artist dresses his cast in the recognisable outfit of a deviant youth in order to appeal to the young people of today whom he targets, along with the genre of the song that appeals to those with similar opinions to him. The costumes used such as bandanas, caps and scarfs also are effective in obscuring the identity of the performers; this links to the 2011 London riots where unprivileged teens used clothing to hide their identity while committing crimes such as theft, arson and violence. Many of the performers even wear gloves, suggesting they are about to commit a crime or already have as gloves stop fingerprints from appearing on objects touched during the crime which would lead the police to the criminals identity. The excess coverage of the clothing also allows for the groups to appear as a faceless mob rather than a collection of individuals, making it relatable for viewers who live a similar lifestyle.

The costume used also reinforces the genre of 'hip-hop' as tracksuits commonly appear in music videos of the same genre. Plan B uses an array of  exaggerated stereotypes to present the youth in his song 'ill Manors' through both the lyrics and the visual impact of the video. He uses this exaggeration to present how, when there is a moral panic, society is quick to blame the youth whom they fear; however he questions the validity of this fear.


The music video for the song 'Shut Up' by Stormzy features a cast who wear tracksuits and caps as shown below:

Plan B also uses props such as mobile phones to further enhance the fact that those facing these issues are the youth who tend to be savvy with modern technology. A girl is even shown to use her mobile phone to record a fight; Plan B may have included this clip to present the less obvious issues that occur in society such as 'happy slapping'. He exposes the grim reality of the lives of the type of people shown in the video. By accepting the fact that people like himself have done wrong such as committing crimes, his opinions become more respected as he takes the different perspectives into account and states the reasons why people act the way they do without denying that people like those shown in the video are at fault. Plan B uses props such as cigarettes to add to the image of a defiant and rebellious youth, as well as baseball bats and pit-bulls to perceive this group as violent.

The music video contains a mix of races but the majority of people shown are black. This may be in reference to the London riots which were triggered by the shooting of Mark Duggan, an unarmed black teenager killed by a police man in 2011. This led many people to believe that it was because of his race that he was shot without showing signs of serious violence, and all throughout London riots began which soon spread into other cities in the UK. Plan B uses references to the London riots throughout his video, even including real footage from the riots. He uses his song and music video to prove that, although people of a low social class do commit violent acts, there are reasons for this that make them not responsible for all of the blame. In multiple clips, teens are shown to be holding red flares which turn the lighting red. The purpose of red flares in general is to call for help, which suggests that the teenagers use them as a cry for help aimed at those who have the power to make a difference as they currently are made to feel alienated from society. 

Editing Using Premiere Pro

Editing Using Premiere Pro:

For our first editing project, we were given a variety of video clips as well as the soundtrack 'Oops Upside Your Head' by The Gap Band. We were tasked with editing these videos together with the soundtrack playing throughout, as demonstrated by our teacher and YouTube tutorials. We were challenged with matching the clips with the beat of the music and cutting down the clips to fit our personal preference. We also learnt how to add a title to our videos which I placed right at the beginning.

When carrying out these tasks, I easily grasped how to effectively match the beat to the actions of the people in the video clips. As there were an array of clips that showed people on hover boards flipping upside down, I was able to show this clips when the lyrics were 'upside your head' on several occasions. This worked well to show how the lyrics of the music coincided with the videos. However, when I added a title on to the beginning of the video, I played it back and the beat was now out of sync with the actions in the video. Having the title appear for a few seconds before the video began but when the music had started meant that the music was now a few seconds earlier than the video. To overcome this problem, instead of having the title appear before the video began, I placed it on top of the first clip and in the corner with the video still visible so that the video and music began at the same time and the title faded after a few seconds.

I think that the synchronization of the beat and the actions in the video clips was successful as they worked well together and had a continuous theme. To improve it, I would like to work on the transitions between each clip to make them flow into each other which I could do by learning how to use transitions on Premiere Pro.

Media language use of camera

Basic Camera Shots:

Extreme long shot- (Establishment shot):

ELS are used to introduce a setting, usually the exterior of a building before the action takes place in a room. This makes the viewer believe that the action is inside of the building shown in the ELS when in fact it is filmed in a film set. The purpose of an ELS is to show the viewer where the scene is taking place and what time of day it is to give them perspective.

Long Shot:

Long shots are used to stress the environment or setting of a scene, they typically show the entire object or human figure. Usually, they are used to move from one scene into another without talking as it is the entrance into a scene that then may be followed by a mid shot of the same person.  

Mid Shot (Medium Shot):

Mid shots are shots taken from the waist up; they are commonly are used for dialogue sequences. They allow for the character's expressions to be shown as well as their movement and gesture. Mid shots are important for the viewer to be able to get a sense of the character and their intentions through their body language and emotions. This shot is general and all-purpose so generally used in films. 

Two Shot:

Two shots are when two people are in the frame; they are used to establish a relationship between two characters. It shows how they act around each other, their body language towards each other  and the distance between them. This basic camera shot is commonly used in interviews or when presenters are hosting a show. 

Close up:

Close up shots are when a feature or object takes up most of the frame. They are used to focus on detail such as facial expressions which may be important to the plot line. On a person, a close up is generally of their face, as it is what conveys their emotions the most effectively. Close-ups can also be used as a cut-in.

Extreme Close up:

Extreme close ups fill the frame with only a detail of the subject- for example, someone's eyes. This is not enough to show the emotions of someone unless in very dramatic scenes. This shot shows extreme detail so is used to focus on something in particular. 

Point of View:

Point of view shots are used to show the intentions of the character. They show what the character is looking at and generally is followed by a shot of the character's facial expressions to show their reaction to what they are looking at. These have the intention of captivating the audience as they are able to see from the character's perspective. 

Over the shoulder:

An over the shoulder shot is when the back of the shoulder and head of a person is used to frame the image of the subject the camera is pointing at. This is usually used when two people are having a discussion or when someone is creeping up on the character whose shoulder is shown. This shot also establishes the distance between the characters or what the character is observing. 

High angle:

A high angle shot is where the camera looks down on the subject from a high angle, a cinematic technique used in many films. This can make the subject appear vulnerable or powerless when paired with the right mood and setting, as they appear small and the camera towers over them. 

Low angle shot:

A low angle shot is a shot from a low angle- below eye line- looking up. This shot is used as it has a psychological affect on the audience, making the subject appear strong and powerful. Low angle shots give a sense of authority so are frequently used in political advertisements as many people look up to those in power. 

Basic Camera Movements:

Tracking (back):

A tracking shot from the back is where the camera follows the subject it is recording which would otherwise leave the frame. The camera is mounted on a camera 'dolly' that is then placed on rails- like a railroad track; this ensures the smooth movement of the camera. The camera is then pushed along the track while the image is being filmed. 

Tracking (front):

Tracking from the front is when the camera is in front of the subject and moves backwards while the character moves forwards, rather than the camera following the character from behind. A 'dolly' and rails can also be used to make the movement smooth when the camera is pushed along the track.








Sideways tracking shot (crab):

A sideways tracking shot, also referred to as a 'crab shot', is the same as tracking but is films the side of the subject rather than the front or back. This is often used to follow the movement of a character or an object. This allows for the audience to keep pace with the action.








Arc:

An arc shot is where the camera circles its subject. The subject is typically still and the camera provides the motion, tracking around the subject. An arc shot is often used to reveal different components of the area in which the subject is standing.








Pan:

Pan shots are where the camera sweeps around the scene, they can be used to establish a scene or location. They can also be used to track movement long a horizontal surface or to shoot characters moving to and fro in a room. Pan shots can be used as point of view shots; when a character has entered a room, a pan shot of the room can be used to see through the character's eyes.






Tilt shot:

A tilt shot is a simple movement of the camera upwards or downwards on an axis. An upwards tilt shot is often used to create a sense of height or power, similar to a low angle shot. This shot can be used with a point of view shot, enabling the audience to follow the character's view of the action of object. Downwards tilting can be used as an establishing shot, tilting down from a tall landmark to the characters.


(Tilt- upward)



(Tilt- downward)