What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?
There are many types of technology available for large film companies now such as the use of 3d in cinemas and now also 3D can now be used at home due to the new technological advances of the new 3D televisions that are available for people to use in their own home. Also the technology in terms of producing the film has advanced massively with now the extensive use of CGI which helps to create amazing special affects throughout the film, this is only often used during large blockbuster like films as the use of CGI is very expensive if the company producing the film is thinking about using this type of technology wants to use in its most efficient dimension. Media technology is very vital in terms of the marketing of the film, as many people as possible need to know about the film release. Through the advancement of the media technology for example Facebook, Twitter, My space etc, it is easier for potential audiences to find about the film, this sometimes happens through celebrity endorsement, for example if one of the main stars tweets about it people will be more enticed to go and see the film as they feel that the actor involved in the film is personally approaching them over social networking sites.
Often official  websites go live online during the production of the film, these sort of sites are most probably set up by the marketing team involved with the film itself. These sort of sites include behind the scenes clips with the cast and crew, interviews with the director and producer, teaser trailers etc. But why do the company producing the film want to set up these kind of sites? Well there are a lot of premeditated fans of films due to the fact that big blockbuster films often involve very well known actor/actresses, these actors/actresses very often have a large following of fans behind them, who are likely to go and see the film just due to the reason that their favourite actors are involved in the film. An example of this is with the film Prometheus which is a high budget sci-fi film. The cast involved consisted of very well known actresses and actors such as Charlise Theron and Michael Fassbender,  both of these had a previous following from films they had participated in before. So with creating the site people get to realize what sort of crew is involved. This method of media marketing is fantastic as it is free in terms of the money aspect and also due to the sheer amount of people who use the internet daily it is a very efficient method in terms of really pushing the film in a successful direction. If fans can access such inside clips, the anticipation for the film will build massively and there will be a lot of hype created about the film without spending any money at all.
As well as the marketing team of the film itself that make the sites and blogs about the film, also very enthusiastic fans of the genre that the film will fall into also often create blogs containing their own opinion on the proposed storyline etc. This type of marketing has only just took off as the worldwide internet is now the centre piece of all that’s good in terms of technology. This is a great marketing  for the film as when people post their opinions and views online, other fans or critics tend to have a different opinion  on the proposed film this again creates a lot of hype about the film, this is called word of mouth marketing.
For small independent film companies such as Film 4, marketing  via the internet such as on Twitter, Facebook, My Space etc is excellent as it is very cheap and due to the fact that often these films have very low budgets they now by using this type of marketing can dedicate more of the budget to the production of the film instead of spending it on the marketing aspect. With the company spending more money on the production of the film, this should ensure the finished film will be as good as it possibly can be.
From the audiences point of view the continuation of digital media technology can be nothing but a massive bonus as they can now keep updated with when and where a new film will be coming out. Also they will be able to access more inside content about up and coming films, this should be of interest to the audiences if they are truly fanatic about the film that is going to be released in the coming period. A major advantage of the media technology is that the viewing experience for the audience will be increased dramatically, as the viewer will most likely be  a lot more informed in terms of the background and context of the film.

Age in monarch of the glen

Representation of Age in Monarch of the Glen
Age is vastly presented in TV dramas, as it defines each character showing authority and power of a certain character. In ‘Monarch of the glen’, the clip focuses on the character of Amy, Our first impressions of her are that she appears to be fairly young, wearing untidy, average looking clothing very much suited to the mise en scene in the clip which contains a farm looking scene. The other characters that are shown in this scene are/ look to be a lot older than Amy this is particularly displayed as the other characters are wearing drab colours, which suit the work that they are doing, in contrast to this Amy is standing out as she is wearing brighter, younger clothes, which makes the characters more identifiable with age. Also the non diagetic hillbilly music which is very upbeat is playing in the background; this may be due to the fact that this type of music sets in quite nicely with the farming scene and the older generation.
In the next scene we see a land rover vehicle, Amy is asked to drive it. As soon as the question is asked we can see a sudden change in her expression, she becomes a lot more nervy and anxious; we can see this through the close up shot from the camera. This influences to think that something is not right and Amy driving a vehicle is not a regular occurrence. This displays that Amy is most likely to be under the driving limit age. Throughout the scene the camera very much focuses on Amy as she is the main character in the scene and therefore the camera pans across with her as she enters the vehicle. The expressions and anxiousness of Amy foreshadows what may happen in the coming scene. The camera then focuses on the land rover leaving the farm yard and then quickly cuts to the other characters in the scene who are continuing their work. Suddenly we hear diagetic sound of tools banging together to create an almost very realistic vehicle crash affect. Due to the fact we cannot see the full extent of the crash; this in my opinion makes it more dramatic.
At this point the representation of age becomes more recognisable and clear. An element of authority is shown through age when the older characters in the clip go to retrieve Amy’s wellbeing. When the other characters arrive, Amy hides behind them which displays her to be a lot more vulnerable than the rest also this is emphasised by the height difference between her and the rest. The camera angle is disjointed and keeps reverting back to two shots and long shots.  This develops a rugged affect to the conversation as most of the characters seem to be in a state of confusion.
We are then introduced to another character to happens to be the Head teacher at the school she is supposed to be attending daily, he is dressed in a very smart attire including a blazer and a tie. Also he speaks in very clear standard English in contrast to the other characters in the clip as they have a more rough ragged accent which has been picked up through the farming days, this could bring forward another representation on social class and status. In this case the head teacher is displayed to be higher up on the scale.
There is then a jump cut from the where the crash took place to a room most likely in the farmhouse with the head teacher. The head teacher suggests a brandy this agrees with the stereotype of old age as this is what they are seen to want to drink by society.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios:

·        Universal Studios (also known as Universal Pictures), is an American motion picture studio, owned by Comcast, and one of the six major movie studios.

·        Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, and Jules Brulatour, it is the oldest movie studio in the United States of America

·        Its production studios are at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California.

·        Distribution and other corporate offices are in New York City.

·        Universal Studios is a Member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

·       Universal has a variety of subsidies including Universal Animation Studios, Focus Features and Illumination entertainment.

·       Universal Studios Singapore is located within the boundaries of Resorts World Sentosa on the island of Sentosa in Singapore.

·       The HQ of the company is based in Universal City, California.

·       Selected clips and footage shot by Universal Studios are available for purchase from the NBCUniversal Archives.

·       Films that they have produced in the past:  Despicable me, American pie, Nutty Professor etc.

Working Title Facts

Working Title:

·         Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983.

It produces feature films and several television productions, including films starring comic actor Rowan Atkinson. Eric Fellner and Bevan are now the co-owners of the company.

·         Working Title Films, the UK film production company behind box office hits including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shaun of the Dead, is to launch a TV division.

·         Working Title Television is a joint venture with NBCUniversal and will be based in London and Los Angeles. NBCUniversal is Working Title's parent company

·         The company released a modernised version of the children's novels, The Borrowers in December 2011 and Abi Morgan's adaptation of Birdsong in January 2012.

·         Although contractually allowed to produce any film with a budget of up to $35 million, on a practical basis, Bevan and Fellner consult with studio executive at Working Title's parent company NBCUniversal

·         The company produced a variety of films for PolyGram's London-based production company PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

·         A selection of films they have produced.

Green Zone March 12, 2010

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang August 20, 2010

Paul March 18, 2011

Senna August 12, 2011

Johnny English Reborn October 21, 2011

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy December 9, 2011

Sexuality represented in the clip

Is the sexuality of the characters easily identifiable?
The characters are clearly identifiable as the first camera shot we come across contains two young women, one of which is in the process of trying on a dress.  Our first impression as an audience of the two girls is that they are most likely very close friends who have probably known each other for a considerable amount of time, we may think this due to the fact that they are helping one another whilst in the scene. Next we realize that the narrators voice is one of the girls in the scene. The narrator states ‘She looked so beautiful’ this instantly makes us as an audience  reevaluate our perception of the two girls and therefore we feel as if the close friendship that we thought the girls had is more than that and that one of the girls is most likely physically attracted to the another. The narrator’s voice is part of the non diagetic sound in the scene, on the topic of non diagetic sound the pace of the sound in the scene recognisably increases dramatically to portray the passion in the scene.  Also the sound seems to display that one of the women beholds a slightly secretive sexual nature inside of her. The woman holds back, and seems to be rather nervous to ‘touch’ the woman, scared for the other to find out her feelings towards her friend.
Is the sexuality represented as being important in their life?
It appears as if the sexuality in the clip is a big part of the homosexuals life in the programme. In the late past when this programme was set, homosexuality was frowned upon massively by most people in society, this is why i feel the woman has to keep these secrets tight to herself so that she can be accepted into everyday society. In the next scene we see that the homosexual woman is painting in the garden with the other woman painting her body. With slightly paced shots of the woman’s body parts shows she is trying hard to hold back but is almost impossible. Going back to my point on sexuality being shunned upon, the man we see recognizes the sexual feelings the woman has and attempts to change her mind about the sexuality.
Are particular sexualities seen as more powerful, better, and normal? If so, how?
I feel that the prominent sexuality within the clip is the heterosexuality, as when the clip was set which was in the late past this sexuality was seen to be the norm and it was abnormal to go against this sexuality type. This was displayed with the heterosexual man being higher in the chain of authority with high angle shots making the woman look vulnerable and an outcast to society because of her sexuality.

What message is the clip aiming to portray about sexuality?
I feel that the clip is trying to portray how sexuality has changed in terms of people’s perception and also of society’s acceptance over the matter and how it has changed dramatically since for example 100 years ago where to be a homosexual was very much frowned upon. One thing that prominently stood out for me is the fact that no stereotypical images were displayed for example if lesbians were to appear in a programme in the present time it would be often expected that one of the partners would be butch and the other more feminine, on the other hand in this clip the producers have focused very much more on the aesthetic features of the women.

Gender portrayed in Hustle

Gender portrayed in Hustle

In this episode of the TV drama Hustle, gender is presented in many different ways with stereotypes being conveyed throughout. In TV dramas stereotypically we expect females to be rather over dramatic, likes shopping, perfect, make-up, clean and classy. The males tend to act like the alpha male, strong, have high paid jobs, and into football and rugby and usually. There are six characters that I am going to look at and analyse including their behaviour and appearance and whether I think it fits in with the general stereotype type of male and females.
In the first scene we see as shop which is clearly designer we can tell this due to the fact that there are very few items of clothing and the layout seems very orderly. Also the very few items that they do have all look very expensive in different kind of ways. Therefore we expect the type of customer to be a rich, classy female/male who knows what they want in life. Whereas when it cuts to the men’s club we expect to see the men laughing, drinking, smoking and joking and just generally having a laugh, with often taboo language being used regularly.
The first scene is in the designer clothing store, with back lighting, cream shades and chic dresses, then the camera pans onto an older lady who seems to look out of place with grey hair, piled up messily. She pulls out a dress which is out of her price range. The shop assistant is extremely condescending towards her, and only gets on with rich people, therefore wants this lady out of his shop as soon as possible.
Once the elder lady who is looked down upon by the shop assistant scurries out, the camera immediately goes to the other lady in the shop, called Sarah, who is part of the scandal which is about to take place. The camera starts on her ring, a huge diamond wedding ring. This portrays wealth, and the shop assistant skips over to her almost as if he is excited. This displays a very feminine side to the shop assistant and goes completely against the stereotype of the alpha male.
The next scene is presented with a ‘wipe’ editing technique, and the sound effects to go with it. This links to the idea that she is in a changing room. The shot is over the shoulder and mirrored so that the audience can see the back of the dress with the crystals and the reaction that the dress provides. I noticed that there was a slight drum roll after the shop assistant reveals the price, as to whether she was going to buy the dress or not. This is very clever from the editor as from an audiences position we are more than likely to nice this technique subconsciously without us really taking note of it.
On the other hand we are introduced to some more characters, which are in a different setting, of a men’s club with no female company. The surroundings are darker in terms of the colours in the mise en scene also in contrast to the very clean and sharp setting of the shop the men’s club comes across to be significantly more dirty and congested this may be due to the fact that there is often smoking and drinking occurring. Also it isn’t hard to notice the poor lighting. it isn’t very well lit. We see an older American man who would be stereotypically be classed as ‘posh’ as he was dressed well, with a silk handkerchief in his pocket. We later on realise that the well-dressed man is trying to con the other man, who is dressed in all black, and looks too scruffy to be in the men’s club. The American man is getting the scruffy man drunk in order for the con to take place smoothly.
The scene is swiftly changed by another ‘wipe’ edit, this time with a non-diegetic sound of a zip, which goes back to the designer store. The camera then focusing on the woman’s bag. The camera quality seems to have changed to a hand held camera, as it seems shifty and jerky, which portrays panic in the scene, and moves around with Sarah round the shop. The lady is screaming and is hysterical which matches the stereotype of a ‘typical female’. ‘My husband will kill me’, this implies that the ring is incredibility expensive and is the prize possession for the woman. She is playing the role as a typical ditzy, female blonde. Within this scene Sarah breaks the 4th wall, by quickly giving eye contact to the audience (camera). This then engages and involves the audience to be part of the chaos that is occurring.
IN the next scene we cut to the shop assistant frantically searching for this ring that Sarah has ordered him to find in turn for a cash reward, suddenly a man with blonde hair walks into the shop. There is then a slow pan up his body, with a low angle shot making him look higher in authority and the shop assistant looking vulnerable whilst scrambling to find the ring. Although the conman is dressed well, his accent is cockney which brings his status down, he is not a typical ‘business man’, as he is chewing gum, scratches his nose, and uses the term ‘bird’, for his wife. Although he is extremely streetwise and knows what he is doing and wants. He too breaks the 4th wall, by giving eye contact to the audience. The appearance of this man matches the stereotypes of the male gender in terms of his deep voice cockney voice and the fact he is chewing gum also the slang he uses matches up nicely with the stereotype. This man contrasts heavily with the feminine shop assistant which complements the scene nicely.

Representation of Disabilty in a touch of frost

Representation of Disability in a touch of frost.

When we first see Billy in the episode he is running away from the police. The police officers take him down as if he is not disabled in any way this suggest to us as an audience that he may be treated in society as no different to anyone else. The camera shot is a very fast panning shot whilst he is running through the woods, this displays action and the fast pace which everything is happening at. The producers may have done this in order to create tension in the scene. Also to add to this affect the length of the clips are very short and fast moving. The mise en scene in this specific scene is very much made up of a setting of the woods and there seems to be a wall of police officers chasing Billy.

The next scene is one in which Detective Frost is having a talk with Billy’s dad. Frost refers to Billy who is a down syndrome as mentally subnormal. Billy’s dad seems to object to this quite strongly. We can see this through his body language towards frost. The camera angle in the scene is very much from a tilted angle, almost as if we are eves dropping into the conversation. This gives us a sense that the conversation is supposed to be relatively secret.  This method is very clever from the producer as it is very subtle and most of the audience are likely not to notice it, but will subconsciously.  We also get the impression that the talk is intended to be secret due to the fact that the sounds of the characters voices are very quiet and subdued. This suggests that they don’t want Billy to hear.

The content of the next scene is very much focused on Detective Frost interviewing Billy trying to receive information about the disappearance of a young woman.  At the start of this scene we feel sorrow for Billy due to the fact that he seems very innocent in terms of the way he looks and sounds. It makes the audience feel as if he is a vulnerable character and doesn’t deserve to be quizzed like this. We get a sense of vulnerability from Billy due to the camera angle, as it is very much looking down on Billy as if to suggest that he is innocent and needs protecting. The cuts on Billy’s face also contribute to our feeling toward him. The producer may have done this in order to provoke sorrow for Billy the Character. Earlier in the episode I mentioned that the police officers in the woods seem to treat Billy in a normal way as they just rugby tackled him to the ground like any other person would be dealt with by the police if they had reason to believe they had committed a serious crime. But in this scene our view on this changes as an audience due to the fact that Detective Frost speaks to Billy in a very simplistic way which suggests to us that he feels that Billy is very much childlike and wouldn’t understand what Frost said if he spoke in complex language and grammar. So this shows us two very different ways in which Billy is treated in society. The camera shots in this scene are very much alternating between both Frost and Billy who is seen to be guilty in terms of the young woman going missing. The alternate camera shot are to show the audience Frost’s body language and feeling towards Billy. At some points whilst Frost is interviewing  Billy we can see that frustration is creeping in as Billy is not really helping by giving very simplistic answers to Frost’s questions.