Psychoanalytical film theory

One of the questions psychoanalytic criticism wants to address is the formal nature of cinema in relation to the subjective nature of the human mind. For example, the great post-Freudian psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan would use the term ‘lack’ to describe a state of desire that cannot be satisfied. Does cinema too often create a cinematic world that denies this lack and generates plenitude – a satisfying, clearly comprehensible cinematic experience?
This isn’t only an issue of narrative expectation; that events will end happily, that the baddie will be vanquished, the couple brought together. 

As Rob White proposes in The Cinema Book, commenting on the psychoanalytic dimension to semiotician Christian Metz’s work: “As the spectator settles into immobility…the spectator, ignoring the actual situation of film going (being part of a group in an auditorium) as well as the artificiality of cinema’s narrative techniques (camera movement, editing, lighting, mise en-scene etc.) succumbs to a lascivious, covetous, furtive belief.” This is the belief “in his or her principal role in observing, and by extension in controlling or directing the narrative progression of the film.”

Psychoanalytical film theory is an approach that focuses on unmasking the ways in which the phenomenon of cinema in general, and the elements of specific films in particular, are both shaped by the unconscious. Whose unconscious? This is where things get a little tricky. The unconscious studied by psychoanalytic film theory has been attributed to four different agencies: the filmmaker, the characters of a film, the film's audience, and the discourse of a given film.

1. The Filmmaker's Unconscious. In its earliest stages, psychoanalytic film theory compared films to dreams, slips of the tongue, and neurotic symptoms as films were considered to be manifestations of a filmmaker's unconscious. This kind of psychoanalytic film theory is somewhat out of fashion today.

2. The Character's Unconscious. Another application of psychoanalysis to cinema studies focuses on the characters of a given film and analyses their behaviour and dialogue in an attempt to interpret traces of their unconscious. This approach, when it first appeared, was immediately attacked by skeptical film critics who pointed out that fictional characters, insofar as they are not real people, have neither a conscious nor an unconscious mind to speak of. However, the psychoanalysis of film characters quickly found new credibility with the next stage in the development of psychoanalytic film theory--the analysis of the audience's unconscious as it is prompted and shaped during a film viewing.

3. The Audience's Unconscious. The audience-focused approach will often focus on the way in which the behavior and dialogue of certain characters can be interpreted as manifestations of our unconscious, insofar as we come to identify ourselves with them when we visit the cinema. Thus, as we sit quietly in the dark and forge our psychic bonds with this or that character, we unconsciously project our own fantasies, phobias, and fixations onto these alter-egos. Whenever they inevitably say or do something that even tangentially touches upon one of these fantasies, phobias, or fixations, we derive unconscious satisfaction or dissatisfaction accordingly.

4. The Unconscious of Cinematic Discourse. This is the most recent version of psychoanalytic film theory more or less abandons the character-centered approach altogether, focusing instead on how the form of films replicates or mimics the formal model of the conscious/unconscious mind posited by psychoanalysis. Thus, for example, the psychoanalytic film theorist might focus on the way in which the formal procedure of editing will sometimes function similarly to the mechanism of repression by cutting out a crucial, emotionally charged moment which, though unseen, will continue to resonate throughout the film. Here the unconscious that is unveiled belongs neither to the filmmaker, nor to a character, nor to an audience of viewers, but rather to the film's own discourse. The unconscious is thus conceived as an organisation of hints and traces of meaning residing within the audio-visual language of the cinema.

My film on the other hand can be read in terms of symbolism and psychoanalytical film theory as although it states that the character conscious state of mind is not so in fashion and used as much to this day, I still, feel as though in terms of personal identity, my target audience may concentrate more on their "alter egos" and how they somewhat create their own fantasy, phobia or fixation from the realism and inevitability of my plot. As instead of satisfying the audience, my film ends on a new equilibrium leaving the audience on a cliff hanger where they almost end it themselves in their own imagination of what the would want to happen or what they think should happen, as as a part of the cinematic discourse unconscious, by cutting a crucial and emotional element within my film I believe that we (audience or filmmaker) have mor a unconscious or unconscious state of mind.

Marxist film theory

Karl Marx...

• was a german philosopher
• wrote Communist Manifesto (political pamphlet) in 1848
• history of society is history of class struggles
• marxist film criticism based on his theoretical ideas
• marx liked realist texts
• marxist critics are wary of how cinema supports dominant ideology
• the marxist film theory is one of the oldest film theories ever studies

concepts of marxism and ideologies in film...

• individual matters can make a difference to the world
• an individual can improve him/herself
• good will triumph
• effort will be rewarded
• financial comfort and stable marriage is the best reward
• criminal will return to crime scene
• evil will be exposed
• corruption exists in isolated cases
• don't do drugs, drink, or meddle with things you don't understand

My short film links to this theory and society as it is about bullying, a struggle many young people go through that sometimes can continue later on in life. However,  certain messages like 'the good will triumph' and 'effort will be rewarded' don't link to my film at all as by the end with the new equilibrium as the audience, we don't improve as an individual or get something good from it as it is simply a strong message that I would like to get across.

Film Review Final Draft

This is my final film review. From before I felt as though I still had a lot more to offer and that there was still a lot of black spaces that I needed to fill. Firstly, applying to the feedback about the "plain border" I decided to add a green stripe at the top, grey and block stripes along the sides and bottom and an arrow shape pointing towards my article in the bottom, left hand corner. With these borders I now feel satisfied that i have managed to add enough colour around the side to make it seem much more livelier attracting more of an audience. Below the border at the bottomI have also added page numbers, this is because this is very essential information that every magazine article should have, therefore I included it. I kept the font the same for my page numbers to reinforce the house style of my products. Secondly, I the felt as though the space at the bottom on the right was very bare, so to prevent this I added a bright green stripe, keeping with my colour scheme, to make it seem as though there was a lot more going on. I then overlapped sell lines over the top of the green box, I used white and blacks fonts that contrasts with the green. Furthermore, I decided to include a sell line because I felt that my film review lacked in something really interesting, so I added information that implies that if you sign up to a certain website, you are able to seen "never seen before footage" from behind the scenes. I did this because, after doing my primary research for my short film and it's film review, I realised that behind the scene interviews and exclusive footage is really significant as it is very interesting for the audience to see especially if they are fans and are really keen on the main product, in this case my short film. To conclude, I feel that overall  have produced a much more sophisticated and professional product compared to my first film revue draft. Also,  I have learnt that my audience feedback is really important and plays a big part when making my film review as without the criticism I wouldn't have been able to correct myself and improve in some areas.

Film Review Draft 2

This is my second draft and I feel that I have made a huge improvement. After processing my audiences feedback on my previous draft, I can now say that I have taken into account what they have said and have tried to satisfy their needs. Firstly, I was told that my film review was lacking in information and text as a whole and that it looked rather plain and boring. To prevent this I have added a quote to my primary image at the top. I did this because in my last draft I felt as though if someone was to look at it, they wouldn't know what is it about by looking at what is there as it was very limited before. Now, The images give off a lot more, for example, I have added the quote "pulling someone down will never help you reach the top" as I feel that it is very inspirational. For my target audience, being someone that may have or still are experiencing bullying being the victim was to read this, i feel as though they would know straight away what it is about and that they may relate to the quote themselves as though it is addressing them. However, the font this time is sans serif, black with a white highlighting background. I decided to have separate from the rest because I feel that it is very important as it is a inspiring and memorable quote. I have also added  "review" sections so my audience, target or oppositional can see what other people have said about it. Lastly, everything else I have kept the same because beforehand I had a series of positive feedback, however, I still feel there's room for improvement.

Film Review Draft 1

This is my first ever draft of my film review. Firstly, I wanted to keep a subtle and simple colour scheme so I decided to include the colours white, black and green in order for them all to contrast with each other helping significant information stand out. For example, the masthead is bright green, although it is bright, it isn't too in your face as it blends with the greens in the picture. To also help specific texts to stand out I overlaid a white font on black, and then black on white to make it clear for the audience to see and read. Furthermore, I have chosen to use a serif font, this is because in my short film I have also used a serif font for the title, credits and other texts. The repetition of this simple yet effective font has heaped me produce a house style within all my products by using the same fonts and colour schemes. I feel as though it is very professional to do so as it will help my work become more recognisable because my aim is for them all to look similar and therefore rememberable. Secondly, the main images on my film review is of course another important element. My Primary image at the top is what I wish my target audience to see first, hence why my title is also there so straight away then get a grasp of what it may be about, who is in it, and what it is called. However, I still feel as though they won't definitely know what it is about, which is something I want to work on for my next draft. However, I have also included secondary images on my film review as I feel that the images are a very significant part of it as it is natural for everybody to be drawn in my the images with it being the first things they look at. I decided to include an image (the one at the bottom) from behind the scenes, in this case I caught the main character of my film looking at the camera. Although I am happy with the images, I still feel that my film review is lacking in something, so I decided to make a questionnaire and go around and ask different people what they think, tho enabled me to get an honest opinion on it.

Questionnaire...

1. What do you like about it?

Nathalie - I like the colours used as it isn't too in your face but it still stands out, if that makes sense. I also like the images and how it shows who is the protagonist in your film, this may vary your target audience by attracting a younger audience.

Michael - I like the choice of font. It is very calm and prevents it from looking really busy and messy.

Paige - I like how you've decided to add a black column on the right had side because it makes it a bit more colourful and livelier instead of it all being plain black. 

Ellie - I like the colours used.

George - The variety of different images, it provides a lot to look at.

Chloe - I think the information if really interesting when you start talking about being in the directors shoes and your opinion on it all, and then an interview with the main character of the film. 


2. What did't you like? What would you improve?

Nathalie - I think it is a bit plain and that you could add something else on it, I would perhaps add more information or images.

Michael - There's a lot of blank spaces that could be filled.

Paige - I think you could add more colour to it to fill the blank spaces.

Ellie - I don't like the emptiness.

George - I don't like the blank spaces around the edge, maybe you could add a border.

Chloe - it looks quite plain, there isn't a lot going on.


General Feedback...

"I really like the style but at the same time I feel that it lacks in colour, there's a lot of blank spaces that you could fill with important information or more pictures."

"I like the font, I feel that it really suits the genre. However, there are a few black spaces which you wouldn't see in a real magazine"

"I love the use of images and how you have pictures of behind the scenes with the main character operating the camera. It's interesting to see!"


This feedback has made be realise that I am on the right track yet there is still a lot I need to do to improve, for example, fill the blank spaces, more information and more colour. With this feedback I can now move on to produce a better film review. 

Ancillary Task - Final Film Poster and Textual Analysis

This is my final draft of my film poster and this time I have done it landscape. I made it quite similar to my other draft in terms of font and house style, however, as part of my feedback on my first draft was to add more information on it as it looked very 'dull'. I began to look and analyse other film posters and I noticed that they all had blocking text situated somewhere on the poster. 

Firstly, I decided to overlap two photos of the two girls who are playing the same person in my short film. However, the main focus is on the younger girl as we can see that the light is much brighter on her face, which implies that she is the most significant character as she portrays 'Nina's' childhood and her terrible upbringing. So the message is almost a if this is what we see behind her face, behind the appearance there is a lot more to her. It also gives off a similar impression as the 'don't judge a book by it's cover' as it's as if you shouldn't judge a person by their appearance as there may be a lot more behind it. I have kept the names the same at the top as these people are the main actresses within my short film. 

The title on the other hand, I decided that this time I wanted the title to go across their mouths as though her name and her appearance takes over what is actually her life and/or her past. In the present tense scenes with the counsellor and Nina in my short film, we only see what nina looks like and at the end we find out her name... This links to the poster as well because so far we can only see what she looks like and what her name is. As seen before on my first draft, I decided to keep the 'Unseen, Unheard and Unwanted' as people said that these words were very powerful on my previous draft so therefore, I have kept them on this draft as well. I feel that after my target audience has seen these three words it gives a clear realisation of what the film is going to involve. 

Also, the blocking text I have included this time makes my film poster look more professional as now it is complete unlike my previous draft looking 'dull' an 'empty'. The blocking text is used to tell the reader who it is produced by, who stars in it, and who's edited it... etc. These may also help the audience recognise someone who stars in it, although this is not the situation for me as mine is a short film for a2 media so unfortunately there are no big stars in my film!

lastly, I have kept the house style the same as this sans serif white font is what we see in my short film also. I wanted to keep this font the same throughout the making on=f my short film and my ancillary tasks as it helps it look professional and neat. On the other hand, the blocking text is in a completely different font which is still white but a serif font which contrasts greatly with the rest of the text. This specific text is in a different font because whilst researching blocking text on film posters I realised that the same or similar font was used on pretty much every film poster. So to keep and follow this convention I decided to keep a similar font on my own film poster to help it look professional. 

Feedback 

Paige - "It's good and I like how there's a layered picture because it adds effect and makes it look as if the film will be better quality I don't really know how you could improve it because it's really good already"

Ancillary Task - Film Poster Draft 1

This is my first draft for my first ancillary task. I chose to produce a film poster for my short in order to help publicise it. Firstly I used a picture of one of my two main actors in my film, Alexandra Wright plays the young Nina. I feel as if the younger the actor on my short film poster the more impact it has on my target audience in terms of the way they may feel towards her. Having a child on my front cover ay also attract a wider audience as everyone has been in her situation, everyone has been a child and knows what it's like. Whereas if I had an older person perhaps in their 40s then it might not attract as many people as some of us might have not lived that moment yet. I also edited my short film poster on Pixlr as that is what I have used throughout my As coursework whilst making magazine front covers, an article and a contents page, so I know how to use it and that it is reliable. 

I started with the main image and I added a layer on top of it to give it the darkness around the edges and corners. I felt that this dark colour contrasted greatly with the main girl in my picture and pinks and bright blues she is wearing, most importantly, I felt that it juxtaposed with my plot. I also used this dark black and greys to my image simply to enhance the visibility of my text.

I then went on to think about my text. Firstly, I decided to use a white font as it portrays the young girls innocence and it also contrasts really well with the dark background to help it stand out to attract the audience. I also used a sans serif font because I wanted to keep a house style as this is the font I used for my text in my short film for the title and credits... At the top I began with short snippets of information containing the main actors names to give my target audience an insight to as who stars in my short film. I then moved on to the title, one of the main attractions of any film poster. I continued to use a white sans serif font to keep up the house type of my short film, however, I used a slightly different font as it looks like as though it has been coloured in even though it hasn't. I picked this font because I felt that the little affect of it has a significant contribution to my interpretation of the innocence of the child influenced by not only the white font but the style. Above my title I have a tag line, where in this case if three powerful words that are said in my short film by the little girl describing how she feels. "Unseen, unheard and unwanted" all sound similar and one by one get more powerful leading up to the 'unwanted", and to think this is what that little girl is thinking makes the audience engage in the plot more and it will hopefully make them want to watch it to find out really what's going on in the little girls life. 

Overall, I like what I have done for my first draft and I will proceed to gather feedback from my target audience in order to know what to add, subtract or change in order to make my short film poster more appealing. 

Photos for Poster/Magazine Article

Auteur theory

The term auteur originates from France which translates as author, which also means that a director's film reflects their creative vision. The Auteur theory was introduced in the 1950s by French film directors like Francois Truffaut who advocated a focus on the contribution directors made on the style and form of film, he quoted...

"A true auteur is someone who brings something genuinely personal to his subject instead of producing a tasteful, accurate but lifeless rendering of the original material"

An auteur is a film maker whose style and practise is distinctive which creates a signature status for them. It is also a film maker who has a personal, signature style and keeps creative control over his or her work. making any film or in this case a short film where the director is the auteur but it would not be possible for them to create the whole production on their own, instead they collaborate with others and team up with, writers, cinematographers and actors, however, the director is still an auteur in a sense that they everyone and everything in the production.

The auteur theory is good for thinking about erectors and your own approach, it also draws our attention towards what is different between film, rather than what is similar. 

Auteur theory focuses on...

• Individual stylistic features
• How texts are determined by artist' creativity
• How texts emerge as part of an artists body of work.
• The product of an individuals imagination 
• Film as art, not just a piece of entertainment 

Jean Luc Goddard - "your camera movements are ugly because your subjects are bad, your casts act badly because your dialogue is worthless; in a word, you don't know how to create cinema because you no longer know what it is"

I agree with Goddard, as I feel that someone can't simply make a film or a short film just by watching films and learning from them. They have to have some sort of creative aspect about them with an open mind in order to even come up with that initial idea in the first place. 

Overall, I feel as though I have used the auteur theory really well as I have been creative as a filmmaker by having the subject matter about bullying which is something serious. Although it is not a personal subject matter as I have not gone through this myself neither the bully or victim, however, I feel that I have portrayed my own opinions of bullying. The short film ends on a disequilibrium where nothing is solved and I feel that the not so happy ending was a more realistic approach to the situation and that my target audience are more likely to walk away with an opinion of their own. Whereas if the situation was solved and the bullying stopped by the end of the film, the audience may walk away feeling satisfied which defeats the idea of the films purpose and main message that I want to get across.

Mistakes

This is a video I put together of the mistakes made whilst filming. To start with I was oblivious of the time and effort gone into filming due to not everything turning out the way you want it to. For instance, like in this video, the actors especially the youngest was very hard to direct and get her to do exactly what I wanted her to do, and due to them being friends and not professional actors, laughing was a serious matter. I managed to work around these obstacles to create my short film that had professional looking acting in it compared to what you can see in the video of bloopers. However, even in feature films with hollywood stars there is always mistakes made so this experience put me into practise for any other upcoming projects as I truly built on my directing skills. 

CHANGE in plot/script

NINA

~Scene 1~ Nina is sat on her bed watching TV when she suddenly switches the TV off and looks out of the window, which leads on to the flashback 

*transition to indicate flashback*



~Scene 2~ Walking along the street with cheat cuts for change of clothing of young Nina with voice over

Voiceover:  The sun comes up every morning, just like I walk along this street every morning. I am loveable. I am wanted, and that glimmer of sunlight that essence of nature. The sun, it is as bright as a scared child's night light. That's what makes all the difference, it not only gives me hope but, it tells me that someday, my summer will come.

*Happy flashback*



~Scene 3~ Flashback of young Nina playing in the park with her friends (fuzzy filter to establish that it is a flashback)

Friends and Nina:  Singing ring a ring of roses with high pitched laughter



~Scene 4~ Back to the street but Nina is dressed slightly more maturely to look older



Voiceover: It all comes back. Every word, every hurt, every moment. How could you ever understand where I come from? You can not hear or see or feel. You won't remember my story because you haven't walked my path, you haven't seen what my eyes have seen. My past defines me so this is who I am, I am
Unseen
Unheard
Unwanted
That is what I am, if even I am anything

*Slightly sadder flashback*



~Scene 5~ A flashback to the park again but this time Nina is sitting on her own and her so called "friends" are leaving her/making fun of her. (over the shoulder shot of Nina of the swing and friends in the distance)

(Sad, quiet music?)



~Scene 6~ Back to the street but now Nina is much older but she is still walking, this emphasises how her life is very repetitive.

Voiceover:  I still don't understand the purpose of my life, the purpose of my footsteps walking the earth everyday. My existence is invisible. In the end what we regret most is the chances we never took, but how can I take a chance if those chances are improbable, or an illusion to my eye.

*flashback*



~Scene 7~ Final flashback to Nina being picked up from school by her mother.



~Scene 8~  back to Nina on the street, she's about to approach her house, she receives a number of hurtful texts (texts appear on screen) and as the last text reads "turn around go on, do it i dare ya" Nina slowly turns her head to see what is behind her...




~Scene 9~ As she turns round if flashes forwards to Nina in her bedroom again like at the beginning before we get to see who was behind her. There is a close up of her eye wide open and in shock.

~END~


I changed my script and plot due to time and going over, I also felt as though my plot was a bit too confusing with a load of different character within a short amount of time, therefore, I decreased the number of characters also enabling me to keep within the time limit. 

Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, Equilibrium

The equilibrium, disequilibrium, equilibrium theory by Tzvetan Todorov is a conventional narrative structure use in many mainstream film narratives. This structure appears in five stages:

1. A state of equilibrium (stability) at the start

2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action (disequilibrium)

3. A recognition that there has been a disruption

4. An attempt to repair the disruption 

5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium (stabilised at the end)

For example, if I was to use this narrative structure on a short film called ReMoved, which was initially what influenced me to make my short film. 

Firstly, at the beginning we see stage 1 where the narrative is stable and we see the mother smiling and the young girl tidying the house. Suddenly we see stage 2 where the mother walks into the kitchen to see what appears to be her husband or boyfriend, who sharply looks at the little girl to then begin a fight or row with the mother. We then see the young girl dress what appears to be her baby brother which suggests that she has big responsibility as her parents may not be the best. We the have stage 3 which is clearly shown when we se another shot of the girls mother and father fighting again to then see the girl struggle multi task, as she tries to feed the baby, do the washing and her homework, as though she is taking the mother role within the household, at this point there is a definite recognition that there has been a disruption. This is a significant stage within this short film as it then continues when we see the little girl ask her mother why she doesn't want her, which is heartbreaking to see and hear from a young girl, it then continues again to see her and her little brother being put into a foster home, yet the two are both split up from each other. Moving on to stage 4 in attempt to repair the disruption we see the young girl trying to settle in a foster home where her foster parent tried to cheer her up by surprising her with new clothes. Although this is an attempt to stabilise the situation, things are still not the same as it is clear that the young girl misses her little brother, she gets moved into yet another foster home due to not settling in. Finally in stage 5 the situation is stabilised as we see the little girl looking out of the window to then see a car pull up, to then see her little brother get out of the car for them to be reunited again which is very heartwarming to see.

However, in my short film I wanted to experiment so I have decided to end mine on a disequilibrium where we don't see the situation resolved. So, in my short film stage 1 will be where we see the girl walking in to the counsellors office to get help which is the situation stabilised. Stage 2 will be when the girl doesn't reply to what the counsellor is asking her so we know something is wrong. Stage 3 is when we know something is definitely wrong as we see a flashback of the girl when she was younger as we hear a voiceover of he talking about how she feels. This then continues when we see a further flashback of her being bullied by her friends and being left out. Stage 4 will be when we see her back to present time with her in the counsellors office as we hope the situation will be fixed and repaired. Stage 5 will be slightly different and instead of the problem being resolved, the problem gets worse as it is payback on the other character (counsellor) as it turns out that the counsellor was the bully when they were younger. 

Editing - Colour Correction

I filmed a scene with my actors Lexi and Nathalie on different days so the weather was very different on everyday. Planning was not very successful either due to the unpredictable british weather. As you can see above I filmed my actor Lexi when it was very sunny so this affected the colour and quality. I uploaded the footage onto FinalCut Pro and it was then that I noticed the difference between this footage and my other footage where I had filmed on days where it was not so sunny and instead it was getting dark. On FinalCut Pro I selected the footage that I wanted to edit and I clicked on the colour correction which enabled me to change and play around with the exposure, shadows and highlights. I needed to edit the colour as the picture was very bright so it did not match my theme and atmosphere of my short film, the bright colours may connote mixed messages to my audience.

I then tried to match the colour up to another screen shot of my short film. I got two pictures up side by side so it made it a whole lot easier of me to correct the colour and make it seem as though it was all filmed on the same day. I played around with the exposure and then I was able to match it up with my other footage of my other actor Nathalie. I matched the colour up as best as I could and above is a picture of my footage after I had corrected the colour to match it up. Now I have sussed how to correct the colour I had keep it consistent and professional. 

Feedback on Short Film

I left my short film on the screen of the Mac I was using and everyone in my class watched it and below is some of the feedback. I felt as though gathering feedback and criticism from people in my class rather than my close friends gave me more of a reliable and truthful feedback to take in and work on.

"The music used fits really well and the opening shots are really effective due to their high quality. Really good range of camera angles and effects of the text helps build a sense of variety."

"I like the music in the background as it suits the theme of this film. The music the  audience in suspense as the story unfolds. I like the use of the tracking shots, it gives this short film a professional feel."

"Very well edited, the shots were well constructed and flow together nicely. I love the concept of the character ageing. I think you've portrayed this very well by keeping similar clothes/location. The music fits well, well done."

"I like title and how it comes up, however, maybe some narrating at the beginning although it is also effective how it is already."

"The end is slightly confusing, could make it a little clearer. The camera shots and music all work really well together and there is a clear symbolisation of the flash backs."

"I like the use of music, especially the heartbeat at the end."

"Perhaps use a quick cross fade between actresses"

Updated footage

Deconstruction is a philosophy form of philosophical and literary analysis derived from Jacques Derrida's 1967 work of Grammatology. Philosophy implicitly relies on a metaphysics of presence where intrinsic meaning is accessible by virtue of pure presence. 

Deconstruction denies the possibility of a pure presence and thus of essential or intrinsic and stable  meaning - therefore there is no absolute truth or unmediated access to "reality". Nor is any reading more valid than another. 

Whereas, for my text the reading would be multiple reasons, people are free to interpret it in their own way. For instance, if people would relate to the situation as they have lived a similar life when they were younger, or they might have felt the same at one point in their life. Other people may interpret it in a way to raise awareness of bullying or child neglecting.

Uses of Gratifications Thoeries

The uses and Gratifications theory assumes audience members are active. Developed in the 1940's by Paul Lazarfield, in response to growing criticism f the two-dimensional nature of the Bullet theory, claims that texts are open (to interpretation) and that consumers have power over the media, rather that the media having power over them. This 'bottom up' theory suggests that people re responsible for picking and choosing which media content they consume and if/in which way they may be influenced by it. Just as the name suggests, each person has the power to decide which media texts they will consume for their own self 'gratification' or satisfaction. An example of this is how many television programmes are axed even after only a few screenings of episodes, if the ratings or circulation statistics are low. Therefore, society is in control of the media they consume. Audience members may stop consuming particular media texts by simply switching the television off etc. However, the flaw of this theory is that it assumes the media has little to no influence whatsoever on the individual. 

Films are used by audiences to fulfil certain needs and desires they have. John Fiske notes that genres 'embody the crucial ideological concerns of the time in which they are popular.' Genres reflect and reinforce the hegemonic values of society. For instance, whether the film genre is horror, zombie, or rom-com the audience may like it as they may have identification with the protagonist, perhaps because they could be a love interest or a hero. Or on the other hand, if a woman watches a rom-com they may feel escapism from their 'everyday boring life' to a more utopian, a perfect world in which they live happily ever after. Although, a man may watch a action or a zombie film then it may be testing his masculinity, for instance if you scream and cover your eyes. Furthermore, rather than emotional values, physical values are also significant when it comes to the genre and individuality of a film. For example, crying at a rom com which would enable you to release built up emotions, or laughing at a comedy releasing endorphins that makes us feel good.

Technology

My Genre

The genre of my short film 'Nina' is drama. It is drama because it is about an emotional journey of a young girl that consists of flashbacks of abuse and bullying with a dramatic plot twist at the end. Although, throughout the short film it consists of dramatic moments of human conflict through the use dialogue and action drawing in the audience. My short film starts off with a girl in her late teens (Nina) showing her as she walks into a counselors office. The counselor asks her numerous questions but gets no hope in reply from Nina, when suddenly a question asked by the counselor triggers remembrances of her past leading into a flashback. The flashback starts with Nina at the age of 6 walking along a street in her school uniform, we hear a voice over of her voice, suddenly we get a happy flashback of her playing with her friends. In goes back to Nina walking along the street again but slightly older, there is another voice over that again leads into a flashback but this time her friends are longer friends and are picking on her and walking away. Again, it goes back to Nina walking along the street but older to emphasise how monotonous life is, we hear yet again another voice over using bigger words to portray her maturity. For the last time we see another flash back but this time it is more aggressive and we see her mum abusing and shouting at her, Towards the end it is set at present and we are back in the counselors office and the counselor asks for the final time what her name is, she responds with 'Nina" and then we establish that the counselor was once the bully who gave Nina misery. Overall, we can see that my genre is more of a tragedy if you condensed down the genre of drama, tragedy is brought upon us by the emotional journey of Nina and the human conflict and as it is a drama the audience can sympathise with the characters/character.

My Audience

I have researched and thought about the type of audience my drama short film would attract. I have come to a conclusion that my audience would be wiling to watch and appeal to the heightened emotions that consists in the short film. I researched why my target audience like to watch drama films and the response I got was; "I want to get all weepy over something, I’ll look at real life instead of someone’s idealised version of it." This is the ideal audience for my short film as it is about an emotional journey of a young girl who fights through the emotional pain and flashbacks of her past, therefore, it is good that people want to see real life situations rather than an idealised perspective of someone or their life. I also want my target audience to prefer to watch something different, not something that you can predict the end before it has even happened. My short film has a plot twist right at the end, on which here I have incorporated Todorov's narrative theory, here I broke the conventional narrative and ended it with disequilibrium where there is a disruption of the equilibrium; the structure. I am hoping that this keeps my audience engaged and want them to watch it again or to recommend it to family or friends. I also found feedback from a middle aged person who said, Something original, "it may have been done before but it should be unique as to not seem too cliché. It would be nice if they could relate to my own situations." As my short film may have been done before or something similar, I still want people to feel that they can relate to it if necessary. To some people it may help express their own feelings and actually help them, to also show they're not alone in their situation. Overall, my audience would be of any age in any situation as it is about a young girls life but her life situations is what attracts the older audience. My audience could be from the ages 12 to 19 and relate to the abusive and bullying that consists within the storyline, or as an older audience they may relate it to their past. 

Research Methods

I will be using different research methods for my A2 Media such as:

• Primary research

Primary research is research I will carry out myself. For example; interviews, questionnaires, surveys, textual analyses or even the internet. Advantages of using primary research are that the researcher can focus on both quantitative and qualitative issues, the researcher has control over how the information is collected and controls the search design to fit their needs. However, disadvantages of primary are that it may be very expensive carrying out research compared to secondary research as for things like questionnaires it will cost for all of the paper used and for any equipment needed for any other experiments.

• Secondary research

Secondary research is research that I use that someone else has carried out, so you're looking at existing research rather than primary research where you collect the research yourself. For example; search engine, websites, books, magazines or journals. Advantages of secondary research are things like the ease of access to many sources of secondary data and low cost. However, the disadvantages are that it may not be specific to researchers needs, the researcher may not get the full version of the research to gain the full value of the study. 

• Qualitative research 

Qualitative research is research concerned with peoples ideas, opinions, thoughts and feelings. For example interviews, observation, sampling, and questionnaires. Qualitative research is strong for;portraying perspectives and conveying feelings and experiences, the ability to embrace both verbal and non-verbal behaviour, to penetrate fronts, discover meanings and reveal the subtlety and complexity of cases or issues. However, difficulties and weaknesses can be things such as; it can take time to negotiate access, assemble a sample, develop trust and rapport, and find out what is 'going on' or what people are thinking.

• Quantitative research

Quantitative research is identification of patterns and trends, for example; more woman than men read 'vibe'. Quantitative research can also be things like  surveys and customer questionnaires to help firms improve their products and services. It's about asking people for their opinions in a structured way so that you can produce facts and statistics to guide you. To get reliable statistical results, it's important to survey people in fairly large numbers and to make sure they are a representative sample of your target market. Quantitative research is a good method of research as it can tell you things like; what type of people are your best customers, how many people are interested in buying your product or service, and the needs of your target market. A disadvantage is that a large sample of the population must be studied; the larger the sample of people researched, the more statistically accurate the results will be. 

Male Gaze

What is the male gaze?

The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented.
For feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:

• How men look at women
• How women look at themselves
• How women look at other women

the male gaze is so pervasive in advertising and the media that it is assumed or taken for granted. Females are shown offering up their femininity for the pleasure of an absent male spectator.

Gaze and feminist theory

Laura Mulvey coined the term 'Male Gaze' in 1975. She believes that in media, the audience have to 'view' the characters from the perspective of a male. The male gaze occurs when the camera puts the audience into the prospective of a heterosexual man. For instance, it may linger over the curves of a woman's body. Laura Mulvey's essay also states that the female gaze is the same as the male gaze. This means that women look at themselves through the eyes of man. For example, if a celebrity or model is shown and has a good, healthy body that they show off, women may look up to them as a role model, inspiration, or jealousy. However, alternatively, if a woman is not happy with her body it is almost cruel for her to think and to desire to be beautiful just to be satisfied or appreciated by men/a man. This is a common occurrence as it is seen in a lot of films where there is a slight camera shot or angle where it outlines the beauty of a woman or women, this sight is enjoyed by both men and women, and the same thing can occur when a man is presented and a man himself looks upon him in terms of inspiration or even jealousy.

However, male gaze or the feminist theory will not be used be used within my short film as the genre really doesn't suit it. My short film is about a realisation of how some people live their life's and what they have to go through, it is also about the desperate strive for escapism from certain feelings and thoughts through the protagonist of a young girl. Clearly, we can see that the male gaze will not be happening.

Textual Analysis of Short Film - Cargo

Stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect the precious cargo; his infant daughter. The storyline is very effective as we normally don't see babies and zombies put together in films, but here it is done very well. The fathers tactics to ensure that his daughter will be safe is very clever and heartwarming. The storyline is very unusual but works really well. The plot is a simple equilibrium, then something dramatic happens (disequilibrium) and then is left to a new equilibrium at the end. This theory process was brought upon by Todorov creating a convention for short films where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. I want to try and keep this convention so it helps my short film become more recognisable making people want to watch it and to be engaged within the storyline. However, I don't want it too similar as i feel that it would make by short film too basic.

Firstly, looking at the camera work and the use of different shots and angles that we can see that it is at a very high level making it look very professional. There are several close ups used, for instance, at the very beginning there is a close up of a wound on someones arm helping establish that they have been involved in some sort of car accident. After establishing that his wife/girlfriend has turned into a zombie, we have another important close up of a bite mark on his (the fathers) arm, this is dramatic irony creating a tense and dramatic atmosphere as we know that because he has been bitten by a zombie, he will eventually turn into a zombie. These close ups are bitterly important as they help the audience discover a crucial aspect of the short film. Furthermore, there is also a meaningful shot that starts with a shot of the mans face to then slightly zoom out to reveal him holding a baby who begins crying. Here the cargo is the baby because she is so precious, this zoom out shot reveals the baby for the first time creating a big impact on the audience as babies and zombies are not typically or usually put together in the same genre/film. Also, we can see that there is a use of a shallow focus when the baby is holding the map and looks up at her father who is out of focus and blurred, but we can just about make out that he is staring into the distance. The shallow focus shot emphasises on the baby looking up at her father, which creates a sense of innocence and fear we feel for the baby. More toward the end there is a similar shot but a racking focus shot when the baby makes a noise and the father turns around, just as it focuses on him it reveals his eyes that appear to be white making it obvious that he has turned into a zombie. This shot almost makes the audience 'gasp' as it is very dramatic and sympathetic when it reveals him as a zombie with his daughter behind him on his back. Lastly, there is a wide angle shot towards the end just before he gets shot. This shots is almost like taking a last breath and the use of the wide shot revealing the scenery and the balloon he has, it brings together a sense of sadness and empathy. 

On the other hand, the characters involved we can see stick with the conventions of short films, for instance, there is only two main characters, the father and baby, and then other small characters that helps establish the storyline, for example, the mother seen right at the beginning. This small cast would have helped keep the budget very low and also helps keep the plot and storyline simple and not confusing. 

Secondly, both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used within 'Cargo' helping with it's professional look. In 'Cargo' there is tense music that would have perhaps been composed to fit the short film, for instance, the music builds up and up when the man is fighting trying to escape from the car with the zombie trying to attack him. This music helps set the mood and atmosphere as without it, it would sound rather boring. The music suddenly stops when he finally escapes from the car, this is done as if to let the audience know that he is safe and free from the zombie. In this example of non-diegetic sound the music sets the mood and is very essential in order to keep any film looking professional and realistic. On the other hand, diegetic sound was also used, for example, the baby's cry, the zombie noises, and the sound of blowing up the balloon. These diegetic sounds may have been recorded separately or with a sound boom whilst filming. Diegetic sounds are a must when making any kind of films as it is just natural to hear them, unless it is a silent film. The sounds of the baby's cry and the zombie noises bring a sense of realism to the short film. Therefore, when filming and editing my short film I will ensure that I will definitely use both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds to help my short film to look professional and realistic. Furthermore, in my short film I am also going to be having a voiceover of a young girl. To ensure that it will sound professional and clear, I am going to record her voice on my iPhone 6 as to me it is the best equipment I have available. 

Thirdly, although it may not be noticeable but lighting is essential when filmmaking. Through experience of filmmaking whilst being on set for a feature length film (On A Prayer) and a short film (The Marauders)I have noticed that lighting is used in almost every scene, even then when lighting is not used, the natural light is (to create shadows). it is hard to tell what lighting they have used as we are not able to see what is going on behind the scenes. However, from what I have learnt from Darron S Cook and experience from being on set, I have realised that the more light the better (unless a dark set is the aim) as it brings out the colours more, especially in peoples faces. As it being quite difficult to find the equipment to create this lighting effect I will try by best with the natural light resources I have got to ensure my short film looks as professional as can be.

When you watch a film or short film you don't realise how much effort goes into it, for instance, you don't realise that the producers, directors... etc, would have had discussions and/or meetings about the costumes, props, location...etc. The location would have been picked to suit the storyline and the costumes and props would've been allocated to them and the actors might have been asked to bring specific things. In my short film, I will have in mind of what I want my actors to wear and I will inform them with further notice of what I want them to wear/bring to help bring my thoughts and creations to life. 

lastly, editing is the last stage of filmmaking. In 'Cargo' it is mainly jump cuts that are used, however, there is also uses of blurs. For instance, at the beginning when the father is waking up after the accident the blur is used to imply he is waking up and it is to show his eyes adjusting to the light. In this case, I will intend to use mostly jump cuts as it appears to be the most easiest and professional option, as I do want to do all that I can to ensure that my short film will look as professional as it can.

Textual Analysis on Student Short Film - Paralysis

The film trailer is about the journey following a mother's quest to cure her possessed son.
Although this is a very different genre to my short film, I was still able to analyse the creativity of it and the use of different camerawork techniques. 
Firstly, I strongly like the different camera shots as I feel as though they help the film trailer look ver professional. For example, I like the shot near the beginning at around 43 seconds in, where we see the title boy in bed. There is a close up of his face expressing his worried facial expressions, also a tripod isn't used here and it is a little shaky, however, I feel as though this is very significant as you see this a lot in films, especially, horror and action. Shortly after this at 52 seconds in, we see the young protagonist looking at a book, the shot is a high angle shot looking looking over the boys head. The silhouette of the boys head contrasting with the lightness of the book emphasises what he is doing helping it make it clear to the target audience what he is doing. The range of different shots whilst he is looking through the book help portray what the director/producer is capable of when producing a film trailer. Lastly,towards the end we begin to see a range of wide shots of the boys to help establish the location and background. Although these wide shots are flashbacks within the film, the forest setting and the abandoned looking place help portray a contrast with the rest of the film, emphasising the possessed protagonist within the storyline.

On the other hand, looking at conventions of short films, we can see that this student short film has followed the convention of having a small cast. However, quite a lot of locations are used as opposed to my own short film. You could argue that a number of locations are used because it is a trailer for a film, but to prevent confusion and to keep it clear to the audience, fewer locations should be used as if the target audience get confused they are likely to stop watching it. The following of conventions in the trailer would've helped keep a small budget as there is a small cast and the talent were most likely unpaid as it was produced by a student, also although there was a number of different locations, they were mostly outside, this would have obviously been free to use as would the school and house location/setting.

Sound is very important in this film trailer. For example, he uses non-diegteic sound; glitches which are used to help create a scary and tense atmosphere helping engage the audience. Along with these glitches we see a sudden white glow above the image happening at the same time as the sound f the glitches. This suggests that perhaps the producer/director made r downloaded the sound from youtube and then added it onto his editing of his film in the post production stage. The sound matching the image helps create a professional look also helping it stand out from others. There is also a use of non-diegetic music put over the top of the film image. This music helps set an atmosphere as without music it would be rather boring! Therefore, when producing my short film I will ensure that I definitely include non-diegetic sound, one being music for sure as I know it will help set a tone to it whilst engaging the audience bringing an understanding of what is happening. However, due to my short film having a complete different genre, I will still try to incorporate a non-diegteic sounds, perhaps a heart beat? that will bring a sense of drama and threat upon the character and audience rather than a thrill.

Secondly, lighting is a significant part to think and plan about when preparing and filming. A lot of the lighting used in this film trailer is probably natural light as some scenes are quite dark, although this may have been done on purpose as it has a very dark and thrilling atmosphere. Natural lighting is specifically used towards the end where the protagonist is seen outside in a forest surrounding and then followed by a dark muddy area outside. I figured that these shots would have been filmed during the day before it got dark so he could use the natural lighting as due to a low budget, supplying enough light to film in the dark would have been expensive to either hire to buy. Lighting is an important thing to think about she it comes to filming and planning my short film. With no budget, I plan to use nothing but natural light, this is why most of my short film will be shot outside to be it easier considering it will be the first short film I have ever attempted to produce, direct, edit... all by myself!

Textual Analysis of Short Film Posters

Starting Footage

This is my starting footage for my short film "Nina". Here, we can see that it obviously isn't finished and is far from it, however I have started to film and edit and it is coming together. I am overall happy with the beginning with the title. To do this I left my camera (Sony NEX 7) to record the sky, I left it on a hard surface so prevent it moving. I then uploaded it to FinalCut Pro and modified the  speed by x8, to give me fast forward look of the sky. This fast motion was a must as I wanted it so it implied the time going by and the whole concept of my short film is the flash backs and initial idea of the time and what moment happened at what time (in her life). I have also decided on a house font, I have used a font called 'Condensed' which is available on FinalCut Pro. I feel that this font really suits my theme and my initial concept of my short film, as it is very sharp and bold getting straight to the point, however, I used the colour white to resemble her innocence. Overall, I am really proud and happy of the beginning of my short film as I feel all that I have incorporated has enabled it to look very professional.

On the other hand, I am not happy with some of the shots, for instance, when there is a pan of 'Nina' which follows into a tracking shot, I don't like the lighting presented as it does not match the rest of the other shots. The lighting was caused by the sun giving it a bright effect which is essentially not what I wanted. Therefore, to fix this problem i will arrange another shooting day with the actor and fix my problem. Furthermore, I have asked people for advice on the initial footage I have so far, and what most people picked up on the most was the 'text messages' and that they thought it was good except the second 'LOL', most thought it was not needed and 'looked silly'. Therefore, to fix this I am going to change it from 'LOL' to 'no wonder u hav no friends'. This casual text tone, for instance 'u' and 'hav' makes it more realistic as this is the language some people use in text messages.

Lastly, I have instrumental piano music over the top of my short film and I feel that it works really well, especially when the title appears on the screen as that is when we first hear the music. Without realising, it has created a bigger affect on my short film and the feedback from my friends was very positive as they said that it helped make it look more professional, which was my aim.