MIGRAIN analysis: Genre

1) What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important?
The news broadcasters were given to use as an explanation of how visual iconographies works with different types of images and videos to indicate a certain genre.

2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?
Sit-Coms and Soap-opera were used to compare two different genres but with similar narratives but different genre codes to represent the genre.

3) What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies?
For example in action movies, the protagonist (the heroes) are portrayed to be looked as a lone-wolf. But in disaster movies, there is a group of different protagonist with different personalities and skillsets to work together and solve a certain task.

4) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell?
These examples can be categorised to the Bordwell "Grand Theory":

Period or Country
Director/Star
Technical process
Style
Series
Audience

5) List three ways genre is used by audiences.
One way is using known knowledge which is collected from past movies and tv shows that follows the same genre, to predict where the storyline and narrative goes.

Another way is to use a shared characteristic within the genre type.

Finally is the use a certain piece of knowledge to have a certain type of expectations for the film/tv show.

6) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.
The range of production quality (graphics, marketing, actors, scene)

The relevancy to the media and audience.

Marketing to hook the audience in.

7) What film genre is used as an example of how genres evolve? What films and conventions are mentioned?

Using the Neal theory, producers have been able to add a uniqueness to their art, the audience sometimes feels that there is a piece of repetitive that goes on through different types of genres. One example is the gangster genre. The genre code follows the same sort of principle.

Read Media Factsheet 126 - Superheroes: A Genre Case Study and answer the following questions:

1) List five films the factsheet discusses with regards to the Superhero genre.

• The Avengers Franchise
• The X Men Franchise
•  Spiderman
•  Guardians of the Galaxy
•  Agents of Shield

2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?
The hero genre was made with the idea to relate with a certain type of ideology or values. To use it as a piece of propaganda in the old days. For example in the 1940s, Superman was first presented as a hero, battling Europeans which was portrayed as the main antagonist. Especially when WWII started they used the hero genre to push propaganda and different values and ideologies. But this has evolved to now being to most famous genre out there.

3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?
Schatz's theory can be broken down into 4 different parts.

Innovation: Starting a whole different visual and story code.

Classical: The genre is seen in its prime state (Climax point). Where it shows the true definition of the genre.

Parody: The genre became really famous and was is replicated. For example, DC started the whole trend with the hero genre with superman and batman. Marvel made their own parody with spiderman and the avengers.

Deconstruction: The genre is experimented to go beyond the meaning of the hero genre.

General:

Breaking Bad by Vince Gilligan

1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

This is the most critically acclaimed TV series out there. It is one of my favourites and thanks to media it made me go through some crucial episodes to analyse it. There is a lot of information that is being decoded by us that we cannot see, which makes this a really good show to analyse.

 

2) In what context did you encounter it?

My parents are movies and series enthusiasts. They recommended this series for me because I recently finished a series called "Better Call Saul". The series follows on the same universe and story-line of breaking bad.

3) What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?

From different media sources and reviews. This was critically acclaimed from many sources so I had really high expectations.

4) To what genre did you initially assign the text?

In the beginning, I assigned this to be a piece of Crime. But later it turned out to be crime and drama.

5) What is your experience of this genre?

I love drama and crime because its one of the genre that makes me feel awake. Its some of my favourite genre's because the producers make a really good job to make me and the audience to have a perspective in the protagonist view.

6) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?

The text matter mainly concerns with the sense of "breaking bad". Meaning not following society order and law and becoming a new person. It does also goes into the subject of drug dealing and family issues.

7) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?

This text sets the bar of what a crime and drama genre should be. It pushes the limit of how it should be while experimenting with new concepts like adding some elements of thriller and horror.

8) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?

In the beginning, I had really high expectations due to it being really acclaimed by media sources and my own parents as well. n the first couple of episodes it kinda disappointed, it didn't really hook audiences in due to the story and introductions not really introduced yet. But after a couple of episodes, my expectations keep getting higher and higher.

9) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)?

The use of formal generic labels is rarely shown. Each episode there is a new story or narrative that adds on to the plot. The only repetitive is when they are making the meth, but it is rarely shown in the series.

10) What generic labels have others given the same text?

The generic labels that are shown are the location, but still, it is kept in a minimum view.

11) Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?

The conventions of the text get changed every episode. One day it could be a different theme or sometimes it could be a different location or showing a different icon. But the most recognisable one is the iconography of breaking bad is the drugs.

12) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

It stretched the crime genre really far. It combines with drama as well which enables the audience to relate to the text.

13) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

The text departs throughout the series. The producers made it really clear when the main character (Walter White) starts changing character with the use of iconography and different costumes and makeup. In the beginning, Walter wore lighter colours, had more facial hair... But through the episode he starts fading into darker hues of colour to his clothes, start to lose hair to reveal more facial feature which in return shows more dominance, and the attitude shows that he has started to break bad.

14) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?

It reminds a little bit of mystery and horror genres.

15) What familiar motifs or images are used?
Similar motifs are greediness, secrecy and life and death.

Mode of address
1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?

This text is mainly aimed at audiences to teenagers. This text is mainly based on the dark humour and crime type, this fits perfectly with the teenagers age group and above.

2) How does the text address you?

This text does relate to me because of the character a certain type of personalities. About staying one step against everyone and making time last.

3) What sort of person does it assume you are?

It really goes into the first-person view. The series makes the audience relate to their situations and makes them be put in their shoes.

4) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?

Mainly in the lower class of life, Male.

5) What interests does it assume you have?

Making money with limited time.

Relationship to other texts
1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)?

I would the references that are made is an unknown personality type, like the people that are has a two-sided personality and has secrets.

2) Generically, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely?

Mainly the text that follows the same universe like Better Call Saul or El Camino. But some other texts are for example "Prisonbreak" which same the same kind of personality traits like Walter, or crime genre which follows the main protagonist as the villain.

3) What key features are shared by these texts?

That they all have this one common trait. Staying one step ahead of the antagonist and having a secret side of their personality.

4) What major differences do you notice between them?

The main difference is how the narrative shifts into different codes. For example in the text like prisonbreak, it introduces the characters and the narrative early on so it can hook the audience. But with breaking bad it takes time to introduce the narrative and characters.

Reception Theory

Reception Theory

  1. What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the RBK 50 Cent advert?

We first have to analyse the mise-en-scene to help us apply our meanings to the three keywords. On the last post we have analysed the different mise-en-scene in this image. The preferred meaning is what the producers wants the audience to see, to apply the producers meaning to the audience. On first glance we can analyse the picture of the fingerprints, the rapper 50 cent with his quote and the Reebok logo. So if we can put ourselves in the producers shoes we can analyse the meaning, which is to buy Reebok shoes. 

So now that we understand the dominant reading we can now adjust the preferred meaning with our own. One negotiated meaning could be about the quote on the advert. The quote is a motivational text,a text which kinda influences the audience. But some audiences might say that the quote might not fit with the advert. This could be also known as polysemy because there is multiple meanings that the audience can interpret.

The oppositional reading can be analysed by rejecting the preferred meaning. One oppositional meaning that the audience can interpret is the fingerprints on the right side. Some audiences might think the fingerprint is cool and fits with the advert, but some audience might think that with the celebrity rapper and the fingerprints on the piece of paper, that it relates to criminality and violence.

2) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the advert of your own choice that you analysed for last week's work?

The main meaning that the producers wants the audience to interpret is that, Porsche is a fast car. This is the dominant meaning because the way Porsche wrote the advert. How they wrote helps a lot with analysing the main meaning. 

With the main meaning we can now adjust our view for the negotiated reading. Some audience might agree with Porsche that it goes fast and it looks really good. But may claim that it's too expensive to buy, don't need a car. They agree with the main meaning but have counter claims for these meanings.

The oppositional reading we can analyse for this image is that some audience can interpret that the car is suggesting that it promotes driving fast and recklessly. Some oppositional reading also could be that they don't need a car. The oppositional reading is rejecting the main message and seeing the opposite side of the message. 

3) How useful is Reception theory when analysing media products? 

When producers makes advertisements for their products is really important that they have good reception theory. This is to give the audience a meaning to the audience for it to be interpreted in a good way. Some examples of bad reception theory in adverts are adverts that could be interpreted in a bad way, where the preferred meaning is the over shadowed by the negative meaning. The producers wants the audience to see it in a positive light so they can buy their products and get sales. But if the negative meaning is dominated over the producers intentions, it could ruin sales, leave the company in a bad light or even get cancelled by the audience.

Reading a image

Reading a image

1. Analyse this RBK 50 Cent advert using the key media language you learned today: denotation, connotation, colour, pose, framing, composition, size, type of shot, subject matter, setting, lighting.

To decode this image, we have to use several keywords to understand the meaning of this. We can first use icon, index, and symbol. I can see the uses of both icon and index in this image. You can see the RBK logo on the bottom right so this means it's using endorsement to promote their clothing brand with a celebrity rapper. The picture of the fingerprints on the form gives me a connotation and index meaning about filing a criminal report or something with criminality involved.

I can also analyze the composition and how the image is setup. The framing of the image so the rapper takes up half of the image which makes the audience focus on him more. I can also pick up the lighting of the picture. The low-key lighting, with the close-up shot on the rapper, shows more shadows and detail of his facial expression, which can give a more serious feeling to the audience.

    2. Next, analyse a print advert of your choice using the same key words.

This is a advert from the 1990s advertising about the "Porsche 993 Turbo"

What struck me first is how the image is set up, how they use the kind of typography to catch the attention. But also how the image of the car is setup. You can see that the type of angle the picture and the blur in the background show that the car is going fast and wants to show how it looks like from behind. Which also shows the main message of this advert, the connotation. It shows that this car goes fast and looks good as well. But also how the text in the bottom is used in more of a bold, modern sans serif font that catches the attention of the audience.

What is also the main subject matter? is the text at the bottom. The text that reads "kills bugs fast.".They have the text big and bold with the typography of sans-serif font which makes the title more known, the black background which makes the text pop. The main message of this advert is that cars go fast, especially with text below that says it can go 0 to sixty in seconds, and describing the specs for the car.

Semiotics blog task

Semiotics

English by Tarun Thind

• What meanings are the audience encouraged to take about the two main characters from the opening of the film?

The short film encourages the audience to see them in a bad light. That they look like they are apart of the gang and a part of the lower class of the society. It is showed by their behaviour, the way they clothes and their situation that they are in.

• How does the end of the film emphasise de Saussure’s belief that signs are polysemic – open to interpretation or more than one meaning?

At the end of the short film, it gives everyone the narrative on what's really going on and gives a clear message. In the end the characters were deaf and had to act they way that they act because of how society works. Society see's them as gangsters, low life's that has nothing to do. But what they actually are is two deaf people trying to live in society which makes life really hard for them.

On the theory of semiotics

• What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign?

the signifier and signified. The signifier meaning the thing that does the communication, for example a picture of a dog. The picture of a dog is just a dog so it communicates you that it's a dog. The signified is the mental concept of it. So if we take the picture of the dog the signified could mean cute, cuddly, mean, aggressive.

• What does "polysemy" mean?

Meaning there two or more meanings in one particular sign.

• What does Barthes mean when he suggests signs can become ‘naturalised’?

Naturalised meaning there is a dominant meaning, like a myth. For example a picture of a women with training clothes has a dominant meaning of her going to the gym or the woman working out in the gym. So it has a main meaning but could have other meanings as well but it is overshadowed by that main meaning.

• What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?

Barthe's made these 5 narrative codes so they can give a better understanding to different narratives. There 5 codes but you don't need to use all of them at once, you mainly use 3 but you can use all of 5 of them.

• The first one is Hermeneutic code or 'enigma code', which is anything that is left as a mystery or unexplained. It raises questions from the viewers which can give a better understanding or leave some confused.

• Second is Proairetic code or ‘action code’. Its a order of events that happends that can suggest the future. For example a character which puts water in a coffee jug and puts it in the coffee machine, the proairectic code suggests that the character is going to make coffee.

• Next is Semantic code. Text that has a deeper meaning to it. Basically its connotations its has the same definition so you can say its the same thing.

• Then there is Symbolic code which is anything that symbolic. For example it could be a statue, a item, the lighting, etc...

• And finally there is the cultural code. Which is any meaning that is learned from a external source. For example a traffic stop lights up green, you wouldn't green was go unless you learned it from someone else.

How does the writer suggest Russian Doll (Netflix) uses narrative codes?

• Russian Doll is about a female character that is stuck in a time loop, when they die to go back to a certain point of time. Its just like the movie groundhog where there is a time loop as well. The magazine suggests that you learn the narrative pretty early on because of the different camera shot which shows different objects move through linear time. But also the title can show a symbolic meaning. Russian doll meaning more versions of yourselves inside of you, so people can read and analzyse different  codes to give a better understanding of the narrative.

Icon, Index and Symbol

Find two examples for each icon, index and symbol

Icon:

Index:

Symbol:

• Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?

Icons and indexes are so important in media texts because it help and makes the audience understands what it wants to represent. It help with the narrative and gives the intended message it want to give instead of leaving the audience confused.

• Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing?

Because symbols might give the wrong message to some audience. Some audience might take it offensive because they have their own meaning.

• Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) where the producer has accidentally communicated the wrong meaning using icons, indexes or symbols. Why did the media product fail?

In April of 2017, Pepsi posted a add of the famous celebrity Kendall Jenner giving a can of Pepsi to police officers in a protest type of environment. This ad failed horrible and very controversial to a lot of their targeted audience. This was because people felt like Pepsi used the protests, riots as a way to earn money out of it instead of focusing on the important issues.

Additional Semiotics terminology

• The new Media specification identifies further semiotics terminology that could potentially appear in an exam question. Read this document with semiotic terms and definitions to become a true semiotician. 
• Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10c9M_BAuH8_vgy1AK-Hu-Tjqgglcpgne/view?usp=sharing

My Media consumption

 Newspaper

• Haven't been really interested in the newspaper so I don't read them at all
• I do read online news. Mainly the Norwegian news vg.no. It has everything I need in a list on also tells the news about my country which is interesting.

Magazines

• I don't read any magazines but I have been thinking to get MensHealth magazines because I'm really into health and fitness.

Television

• I usually spend 5 to 7 hours a week watching TV. It depends if there are any sports matches on or trying to binge-watch a series.
• I mainly watch TV in the afternoon. That's when it's not being used by my parents and can finish up any series I am currently watching
• I mainly don't watch on TV programmes but all I do is watch the daily news and spend time on the sports channel to pick up on any news that has happened this season.
• I watch mainly by myself or with my brother.
• No, I don't really do that because I mainly watch on live streaming services like Netflix

Radio

• I don't listen, I mainly use music streaming services like Spotify for my music. The radio gets heavily clouded with advertisements and music I don't like so I avoid it most of the time

Film

• The latest movie I have seen in the cinema is a movie called "TENNET".
• I watch films through Netflix and Amazon prime most of the time. But sometimes I watch films from Norway through a website called "NRK" which is the national TV service owned by the government, kinda like BBC.
• Mainly with my brother but sometimes we have movie nights with the whole family
• We either take turns to find a movie we want to see or all of us tries to find a movie we can all enjoy
• Mainly watch films through the TV but sometimes when I'm alone I watch it through my PC or phone

Online

• I go through the internet 90% of my day, it's basically a part of me.
• I access it everywhere. Through my PC, Through my phone. Mainly when I'm home but sometimes at school to check up on some few things.
• I mainly go through YouTube, Twitter, Reddit and sometimes other websites to check up on my friends if they are online or not.
• Mainly for entertainment. When I'm bored I access this website so I can have some fun. But I also use it to see what's going on around the world and check up on my friends.
• Play a lot of online games with friends. There is a whole community out there that I enjoy to play with friends.
• Primarily I use my PC but when I'm outside it's my phone that gets me through the day
• I mainly use Twitter a lot because it gives me more information about certain topics that I follow.

Reflection

• I feel like if I learn more about different types of media and how to use it efficiently, I see myself being more interested in different topics around the world
• If I spend more time on different types of media, for example, newspapers, magazines, television programs. I can my habits of going through a different type of media change throughout my life
• I will probably spend more time on different newspaper and magazines and watch more TV programmes. 

First Blog Task

First blog task

1.)  Media has always been a hobby of mine. And it goes well for my Computer Science course as well

2.)  I studied in Norway and the system is a lot different then the U.K. In Norway I studied what is called Advanced General studies with technology. Meaning I study advanced math, science, social studies, entrepreneurship, technology studies.

3.)  Didn't take GCSE so I can't answer this question

4.)  I'm aiming for A. I'm very interested in media and always have been. I've always seen it as a hobby so studying in my free time is always fun and won't get bored with it. So I'm expecting to achieve high.

5.)   My main goals in life are to study Computer Science at a University and become a Software Engineer. I've been planning this for a long time and because of the subjects I choose, if I do well in all three subjects then I will have no problem achieving my dream

6.)  I feel like the biggest media story of 2020 is the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been going throughout this year and it's always changing. I mean the first thing that would probably come up to your mind when you think of 2020 is the pandemic and the different kind of situations we have been in. And the media has been a big aspect of the pandemic. The media treats pandemic as if its the world ending situation but what the truth is, the pandemic as a lot smaller then the media portrays it.

7.)  Well for me I use vg.no mainly because 1 its Norwegian and 2 it's really easy to follow. It has all the main news of the world and I get to see what's going on in my home country. But regularly I use twitter and TV to also see what's going on but it could be heavily clouded with fake news and stories that are not important.

8.)    The last film I watched was a movie called "Robin and the 7 Hoods". Its a movie made in 1964 which stars the famous singer Frank Sinatra. Its about two different gangs building the biggest casinos to take over New York.

9.)    I've recently watched Breaking Bad and I have to say It's my all-time favourite.

10.)  Well, I'm on my computer most of my day. I still do other things like exercise, meet with friends, spend time with family and school work but I would say I am online for like 6 to 8 hours every day. Depending on how much free time I have.