LO3 Task 4 - Advertsing and Marketing - Video

LO2 Task 3 - Audiences Feedback

Work I need to complete for Unit 1

• Update LO3 Task 4
• LO3 Task 4 Video

LO4 Task 5 Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues

Impact and Effect on the Audience

Welcome to LO4 Task 5 where we will learn about the impact and effect on the audience, sit back and enjoy the lesson! Were going to learn about some more theory, such as Theodore Adorno and Tessa Perkins and how they relate to Life of Pi, enjoy!

The Hypodermic Syringe theory proposed by (Theodore Adorno 1930) denotes that the media have a negative impact on the audience, that the audience are affected by the negative messages and values they consume. The theory presents the idea that the audience do not only watch the film but are influenced by it. An active audience are more perspective than a passive audience, they tend to question the issues rather than copy their behaviour. They are able to filter out and adapt to content in the media, the theory about active audiences was proposed by David Gauntlett. Passive audience links to Theodore Adorno’s theory about the hypodermic syringe model, as passive audiences are not able to filter anything out and are more likely to be affected by the issues they see, and possibly even copy the them, they could copy such themes as; violence, sexual content, impact in terms of role models and representations and stereotypes. The violence presented in the film would have a negative impact on the audience; especially the passive audience wouldn’t be able to filter out the negative issues and likely to copy the violence. The violence present in the film, is a fight for survival which is understandable and less likely to be copied, but in the case of the start of the film when the animals are fighting, it isn’t needed, there is no reason behind it. Another negative impact of the film is at the very start when the protagonist at a young age is shown disobeying their parents rules by getting close to the dangerous tiger, this could influence a child to disobey their parents.  A positive impact of the film links to Carl Rodgers theory of “Role models”, the role model being the protagonist who is denoted as someone who never gives up throughout the most part of the film, even in the most hopeless situations, this would inspire the audience in a positive way. Another example of a positive impact proposed in Life of Pi is; the relationship between the protagonist and tiger, being a very supportive relationship who help each other out, this could be a positive influence especially for the younger audience.

Representation

The theory proposed by (Stuart Hall 1980) talks about mediation, meaning that representations are made on purpose for the purpose of entertainment and most likely to present stereotypes. Because the characters are fictional and generally not based off true stories, the characters have to have specific personalities pre planned and are generally linked to a stereotype by association. This links to the next theory proposed by Tessa Perkins (1979) and her theory about stereotypes, her theory states that not all stereotypes are incorrect, some are in fact true and prove that stereotypes can have an element of truth in them. She states that even though some stereotypes can be challenged, they are based off some elements of truth. There is one positive stereotype in my film being that the protagonist and the rest of the characters from the first part of the film, all live in India and are seen as ‘Exotic’ to the audience, this is positive because they are sticking to their religion and beliefs, which can be seen as inspiring. Also another positive stereotype would be that the male protagonist is going out and is part of the action even in the most hopeless situation; this can be seen as inspiring and also can be seen as the protagonist being presented as a role model. But also a negative stereotype could be that the protagonist who is of a different ethnicity is ‘pitied’, not because of the colour of his skin, but because of his situation, linking to Tess’s theory that some stereotypes are not all false or challenged because of the reasoning behind the stereotype. There are some stereotypes that are challenged such as that people of different ethnicity are seen as ‘dangerous’ this stereotype is challenged in this film, the protagonist is considerate and caring towards others and poses no threat, apart from when his life is in danger. Also the danger presented by the protagonist is overshadowed by the danger that the tiger in the film presents, compared to the vicious animal, the protagonist poses no threat. All these theories about ethnicity were proposed by Alvarado (1987) who stated that ethnicity connotes ‘exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied,’ Most of which are challenged in Life of Pi. 

Legal and Ethical

In terms of legal issues, copyright infringement is the use of content that is protected by copyright law, this specifically applies to content that is used without permission and can have certain consequences such as being fined and sued, depending on the severity of the infringement. This can be anything from infringing their right as the granted copy holder to reproduce, distribute, display or perform protected work or to make edits. The film would need to get copyright for all the songs and sound tracks in the film, a very popular song that was presented was Paradise by Coldplay, this was not in fact present in the film but shown in the trailer, this is to draw the audience in and raise awareness, they may not also of added this into the film because it would cost a lot more. Paying for the right to play a song in a film, even though it is only for a very short amount of time it can be very expensive and you only have the right for that specific use. Coldplay’s record label is called Parlophone; so that it is who 20^th century fox would have to pay for copyright permission for that specific use of the content. However for the sound track, Mychael Danna appeared in all the music and therefore their record label would need to be contacted for use of this content even if it was specifically made for this film only. The record label that would be contacted for Mychael Donna is Heart of Space records. These companies and their songs would be referenced in the credits.

In terms of ethical issues, there is only one type of offensive material being violence, this violence is the fight for survival which is understandable, but it is done in a very unnecessary way. The violence in the film has been used to assert their dominance which can been seen as offensive. In terms of any of the other offensive materials present in films such as sex, drugs and language, none of these are present. Because this film is aimed towards teenagers and the younger audience, it would not be suitable for that age range. In terms of the cultural aspects of the film, due to the religion of the protagonist and his family and cast, it wouldn’t make sense for the film to show drugs and alcohol, it would banned for the sake of their religion. So in terms of offensive material, the film doesn’t really focus on it because of the age rating being ‘PG’ and the cultural aspects.

Regulatory Bodies

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification; it is an independent and non-government body which classifies movies. The certificates awarded to the films depending on their themes and whether they contain offensive materials, ranges from Universal to 18 meaning only suitable for adults. The BBFC rates Life of Pi as a PG, the BBFC classify PG as parental guidance, it is rated this because it would not contain themes that are inappropriate for a child, but can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism. In terms of language, there may be mild language but nothing too serious, in the case of this film there isn’t any bad language. The age rating was never changed for the film, but there was quite a lot of controversy surrounding the issue, on online forums debates were going on from both sides debating whether the age rating should have been rated higher because of the graphic violence and adult themes. On online forums they have deemed the 12+ rating as correct. The difference between Americas and the UK’s age rating system would suggest that the age rating would change for the film, but there is no significant issues that stand out that would change the age rating, so it stays the same for the American rating system as well. The American age rating system is a voluntary system and the majority are parents, which is a smart move as they have both perspectives from the adult and child’s point of view.

ASA stands for the advertising standards authority; they regulate advertisements across all medias in the UK, they set rules for the different advertising platforms. In terms of the CAP codes for the poster, there are certain ones which adhere to the rule set. The first which adheres to the rule set is 02 Recognition of marketing communications, this states that the advertising needs to be clearly on display as an advertisement and doesn’t resemble anything realistic. In the posters the images are manipulated to look non-realistic and the name of the film is clearly labelled, and also at the bottom of the poster it states the details of the film including; the company that produced the film, the actors and the website details. Another CAP code which applies to the Life of Pi posters is 03 Misleading advertising which means that the advertising must not be exaggerated or distorted in any way to look any more appealing that it does. The Life of Pi poster abides by these rules by only showing content from the film and not adding anything not in the film. Any text used on the poster is simply opinion based upon the film; it shouldn’t influence any false advertising.
Thank you for watching, this is the end of LO4 Task 5 and the end of the course! You have now completed the course, you should be very proud of yourself. But remember don't waste your new found knowledge! Goodbye from me!

LO4 Task 5 Notes - Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Issues

Notes

• The impact our film has on the audience
• Legal issues the film has to address i.e. copyright permissions for sound tracks and music
• Age certificate - BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) and ASA (Advertising Standards Authority)
• Active/ Passive audiences
• Basic knowledge of representation - Men, women, sexuality etc.
• Legal and Ethical - Regulatory Bodies to your film and marketing

a.) the products impact and effect on the audience

Passive and Active Audience

Passive audience - Hypodermic Syringe Model (Theodore Adorno, 1930's) - media has a negative impact. Mass audience believe everything they see/hear. The media inject a passive audience with negative messages and values. Not only watch media products, but are affected and copy what they see. e.g. violence? sexual content? representation? impact/role models? - controversy. Mental stability and mind set of the audience specifically

Active audience - questions what they see, they are able to filter out and adapt to content in the media (David Gauntlett) They see it as a form of entertainment rather than something they would copy.

b.) relevant issues of representation

All representations are mediated (Stuwart Hall, 1980) Mediated - made on purpose
In media products, representations are set up and placed on purpose - stereotypes?

Stereotypes /countertypes (Tessa Perkins 1979) where a stereotype is challenged, not all are false, based on some element of truth. Are mainly negative, but some elements of truth, exaggerated and elaborated.

Women - Laura Mulvey 1975 - countertypes, in my film they are not seen as sexual objects.
Men -  Earp and Katz 1999) - "Equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence"
Alvarado (1987) ethnicity 'exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied.' - this stereotype correct, they speak with an accent, and dress to their religions and country's clothing. But 'pitied' is challenged, the stereotype is false or not shown in the film

c.) relevant legal and/or ethical issues

Legal - copyright infringement - use content (soundtrack, music) without permission from creator
Consequences - fined, sued - Illegally downloaded

Ethical - Offensive material? Racism, use of language, drug use, sexual references
Sensationalism? Graphic, sensationalises violence and gore
Censored? Re-edit, parts removed, bleeping the swearing and blurring the sex scenes

d.) role of relevant regulatory bodies

BBFC and ASA

LO3 Task 4 - Notes

Advertising and Promotion - Means marketing the film to create maximum awareness to a specific target audience

Advertising and Promotion

• Posters
• Social Networking
• Television adverts
• Radio
• In connection with other companies, they advertise for them
• Merchandise
• Word of mouth - relying on the hype
• Associated with a brand or company
• YouTube Adverts
• Newspaper and Magazine articles
• Interviews

When marketing a product, in this case a film specifically, there are many ways that it can be advertised and promoted including; posters, social networking, television and youtube adverts, radio broadcasts, with help from other companies (joint ventures), relying on the word of mouth of the public, newspaper and magazine articles and interviews.

Technological Convergence

David Gauntlett (2002) discussed the rise of the Web 2.0

This is the change in the internet being a static, one way form of communication to a two way interactive medium. The new Web 2.0 has become much more accessible to the audience and now is used as a platform to market products and connect socially. With the popularity of social media rising, now nearly everyone has a social media account, whether it is Facebook or Instagram. Due to the hype of the film it will be spread across all the social medias, whether they post a status about it or share the trailer, they are helping contribute to the marketing of your film. Also the audience can help by the word of mouth, they are helping by spreading the word to their friends and family, and they can tell their friends and family etc. even though it isn't as effective as other marketing techniques, it still contributes to the overall success of the film.

LO3 Task 4 - Distribution and Marketing

LO3 Task 4 – Distribution Channels

Hey it’s me Bradley and I'm back for more analysing media products! Today were going to talk about distribution and advertising leading on from last episode being 'Audiences.' Enjoy this episode and I'll be back for more in Task 5!

a.) Distribution Channels

The definition of distribution is split into two parts; the first being the media product being available to the audience and the second being the advertising and promotion so the audience is aware of the product. The more awareness the product receives the more revenue the company makes. The distribution of Life of Pi has been positively impacted by technological convergence, in the way that in the cinema, the production companies behind the films used to have to pay at least £100,000 to place their film in just one cinema, however recently due to the technological advance a hard drive is sent and linked up to the server, which supports all the projectors and only costs around £200. Also the ways in which the product is assessable to the audience has been made easier and allows for more awareness, meaning more revenue for the company, being 20th Century Fox.

There are many ways in which Life of Pi can be watched including; the cinema, illegally downloaded for websites such as Isohunt and Demonoid, the Sky Store, from online streaming websites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, also from app stores such as iTunes on iOS and Google Play on Android. These previously listed were digital medias, there also can be analogue methods such as VHS tapes and film reels, but they were too expensive and are not used anymore. As seen as Life of Pi is produced by 21st Century Fox owns Sky, it would be cheaper and in their benefit to put the film on the Sky store, that is a benefit of having subsidiaries working on different platforms, and this is the advantage of a conglomerate. Sky being a subsidiary of 21^st century fox would help create synergy because Life of Pi was showed on multiple platforms. Life of Pi is distributed over a wide array of platforms, ranging from the cinema, to smart phones that are multifunctional. Multifunctional technology is a benefit for the user; it allows all the uses to be found in one place, it makes for an easier and cheaper experience. From some of the viewing TV figures or revenue from Life of Pi being; worldwide box office profit being $607,987,022 and the total domestic video sales being $47,457,084 denoting that more money was made because of technological convergence, because it’s cheaper to distribute and advertise. Because of the current technology it is much easier and cheaper for their product to be distributed across all the platforms and also makes it easier and cheaper for the audience.

b.) Advertising and Promotion

When marketing a product, in this case Life of Pi specifically, there are many ways that it can be advertised and promoted including; posters, social networking, television and YouTube adverts, radio broadcasts, with help from other companies (joint ventures), relying on the word of mouth of the public, newspaper and magazine articles and interviews. In terms of the joint ventures used to create Life of Pi, 20th Century Fox went into a joint venture with Ingenious Media, Haishang Films and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. The posters that would be used to advertise Life of Pi would be on display at local cinemas, and up around public areas such as bus shelters and shopping centres, this would help to raise awareness of the film, especially the posters that are up on display in the cinema. In terms of social networking that was used to raise awareness of Life of Pi, an example would be twitter, leading up to the release about film they would be tweeting about the film and the characters etc. another example would be Facebook where the trailer for the film would be watched, shared and commented about so people can share their opinion. On Facebook a page was made specifically for Life of Pi and its release, leading up to the release of Life of Pi, posts were made about the films release and even mentioned a competition to win a holiday to the destination shown in Life of Pi. Another example of how Life of Pi would be advertised would be online reviews, sharing the film. This could be a positive and negative way of sharing the film, as depending on the opinion of the critique, it could create good or bad publicity for Life of Pi. But any publicity for the film is good, as even though some reviews may be bad, it is raising awareness which is what the producers of Life of Pi want. The review would increase the overall income of Life of Pi, being from an audience member, it makes the review more authentic and trustworthy, and it also proves the success of technological convergence with audience participation. The trailer for Life of Pi would be posted to YouTube where it can be watched, commented about, shared to other social media and rated. This was a successful way of marketing Life of Pi as the trailer got over 10 million views, raising a lot of awareness. Online reviews could be posted to YouTube as well, raising awareness even more and possibly encouraging people to watch Life of Pi if they haven’t already. All these advertising techniques would be used to attract a mass / international audience.

c.) Technological Convergence

David Gauntlett (2002) discussed the rise of the Web 2.0. This is the change in the internet being a static, one way form of communication to a two way interactive medium. The new Web 2.0 has become much more accessible to the audience and now is used as a platform to market products and connects socially. With the popularity of social media rising, now nearly everyone has a social media account, whether it is Facebook or Instagram. Due to the hype of the Life of Pi it will be spread across all the social medias, whether they post a status about it or share the trailer, they are helping contribute to the marketing of Life of Pi. Also the audience can help by the word of mouth, they are helping by spreading the word to their friends and family, and they can tell their friends and family etc. even though it isn't as effective as other marketing techniques, it still contributes to the overall success of Life of Pi. With current gen consoles becoming more and more popular, they are raising awareness of the things that they can do. You can watch Life of Pi on the consoles, you can access social media where you can converse about the film, you can access YouTube through the console, and you can play games on the console. With technological convergence you can access all these features in one place, meaning technological convergence makes it cheaper and easier to access the film and everything along with it. Technological convergence makes it easier and cheaper to access all the different media platforms and access all the features from all the different subsidiaries of 21^st Century Fox and 20^th Century Fox.

That’s all for this time, hope you enjoyed learning about advertising and marketing! Join me next time for Task 5 where we learn about ethical, legal and regulatory bodies.

Tutor Feedback for LO1, Task 2

LO2 Task 3

• 00:42:13 - This is the part in the film, the enigma, this denotes the protagonist escaping the sinking ship, this scene connotes action and fast pace, which would appeal to the target audience being teenagers and young teenagers especially the main gender being male. This narrative stage connoting the disequilibrium/enigma, proposed by Todorov (1997) this also links to the men being dominant amongst the chaos and the females are not present in the chaos. This also links to John Berger's theory; "Men act, women appear" in this scene the male protagonist is acting amongst the chaos while women just appear in the scene.

• 00:55:00 - This is the part in the film that denotes the tiger for the first time, this would appeal to the target audience because it connotes that the tiger is viscous and dangerous, appealing to the thrill seeking aspect of the audience. Also essentially a new important character has been introduced adding to the story to grasp a better understanding. This would appeal to the male audience. This introduces a binary opposition, proposed by Claude Levis Strauss (1958) in this specific case the opposition is human and animals, this denotes the tiger obviously holding more power in this circumstances and presents an imminent threat also linking to Todorov Narrative structures, this being the equilibrium.

• 01:32:46 - This denotes the first time in the film when the protagonist really connects with the tiger, this heart throbbing scene would appeal the younger audience, male and female audience being roughly half and half, so it would appeal to the female side of the audience spectrum. This links to Todorov's theory of narrative structures, this scene being the disequilibrium is balanced and the enigma has been solved, it connotes the threat and danger that the tiger imposed onto the protagonist has been withheld.

• 00:01:34 - At the very start of the film, it denotes a variety of animals in a zoo, ranging from zebras to tigers, this would appeal to all audiences but specifically the younger audience who react to bright colours and animals. This would appeal to both the male and female audience. This links to Todorov's theory; narrative structures, connoting the scene being the equilibrium, an enigma hasn't been imposed yet.

• 00:08:29 - This scene denotes a class room scene full of young children which would instantly appeal to the younger audience, specifically boys because the children are all boys, also there was an embarrassing event where the protagonist is shown up, this is something that we can all relate to and would appeal to. This could connote Carl Rodgers theory. "Ideal Self" since the protagonist is so relatable, this could connote that audience sees him as an idol and wants to be him.

Audience Profile for Life of Pi

Imaginary Entity

Jake is 15 ,he is very interested in films and gaming, but also likes indulging in reading. If ever missing search the cinema.

He is a movie buff and will snort derisively to the 'Film Noobs', he wont even acknowledge them, he will never talk to them again. He is currently studying for his GCSE's but finds that it is a better use of his time to expand his ever growing knowledge of the film world. All he talks about are films, his friends are starting to hate him, he's so oblivious. His mother is starting to get worried.

He is a very individual person and likes to stand out, he thrives in being the one that everyone turns to in their time of need. He is a walking, talking, breathing entity of film, I wouldn't be surprised if he one day he spontaneously combusted and all that was left was an SD card containing the files that depicted his life. He only turns to the outside in dire circumstances, that's when you know something is wrong.

Demographic Summary

NRS Stands for the 'National Readership Survey' is a separate organisation specialising in demographic information. It uses headings to evaluate the lifestyle of the demographics

Lifestyle is the lives that the demographics live; hobbies and interests and jobs

Spending Power is the amount of disposable money the audience has, after bills and necessities how much money is left to spend on films and clothes e.g. also includes the income, high and low income, depends on the job and all the responsibility

LO2 Task 3 - Audiences

Introduction

Hello it’s me Brad, I've returned for another episode sponsored by Education Wise. You are now about to learn about Task 3, specifying in the audience side of the production of films. You are going to learn that before the film is produced it is thought through to appeal to their target audience.

John Hartley (1987) and Ien Ang (1991) Theory

John Hartley and Ien Ang suggested that producers create invisible fiction or imaginary entities before creating a media product, this allows the producers to visualise their specific target audience, this helps because they know what to include in their film to appeal to their target audience and entice them to watch the film.

Imaginary Entity

Jake is 15, he is very interested in films and gaming, but also likes indulging in reading. He can always be found in the cinema.

He is a movie buff and will snort derisively to the 'Film Noobs', he won’t even acknowledge them, and he will never talk to them again. He is currently studying for his GCSE's but finds that it is a better use of his time to expand his ever growing knowledge of the film world. All he talks about are films, his friends are starting to hate him, and he’s so oblivious. His mother is starting to get worried.

He is a very individual person and likes to stand out; he thrives in being the one that everyone turns to in their time of need. He is a walking, talking, breathing entity of film, I wouldn't be surprised if he one day he spontaneously combusted and all that was left was an SD card containing the files that depicted his life. In his spare time he enjoys going to theme parks and out with his friends. He also has an unhealthy obsession with Disney.

Jake is interested in sports such as swimming and martial arts, he says that they are practical and releases the stress from revising for his exams. He also enjoys his family holidays where they venture around the world and visit exotic locations.

Gender

00:42:13 - This is the part in the film, the enigma, this denotes the protagonist escaping the sinking ship, this scene connotes action and fast pace, which would appeal to the target audience being teenagers and young teenagers especially the main gender being male. This narrative stage connoting the disequilibrium/enigma, proposed by Todorov (1997) this also links to the men being dominant amongst the chaos and the females are not present in the chaos. This also links to John Berger's theory; "Men act, women appear" in this scene the male protagonist is acting amongst the chaos while women just appear in the scene. This would influence the audience, as an enigma is denoted, this may influence the audience to tackle any problems they may face in their day to day lives, inspired by the protagonist and how he tackles issues.

00:55:00 - This is the part in the film that denotes the tiger for the first time, this would appeal to the target audience because it connotes that the tiger is viscous and dangerous, appealing to the thrill seeking aspect of the audience. Also essentially a new important character has been introduced adding to the story to grasp a better understanding. This would appeal to the male audience. This introduces a binary opposition, proposed by Claude Levis Strauss (1958) in this specific case the opposition is human and animals, this denotes the tiger obviously holding more power in this circumstances and presents an imminent threat also linking to Todorov Narrative structures, this being the equilibrium. This would influence the audience to become more enthralled in the film, as the target audience would be interested in things such as violent video games and violent television shows, they would become desensitised to the violence and this would entertain them. This could influence the audience’s hobbies and interests, influence their lifestyle.

01:32:46 - This denotes the first time in the film when the protagonist really connects with the tiger, this heart throbbing scene would appeal to the female audience, as seen as the split between male and female is roughly equal, it has been presented to entertain the female audience. This links to Todorov's theory of narrative structures, this scene being the disequilibrium is balanced and the enigma has been solved, it connotes the threat and danger that the tiger imposed onto the protagonist has been withheld. This would influence the audience to connect with any issues or people they are too afraid to; because the audience are mainly urban ventures they would deal with such things as relationship problems and family problems. This would influence the audience to be honest about their feelings and face any issues.

Towards the start of the film, the protagonist is denoted speaking to his crush; this would appeal to the male audience because they can empathise and really connect with this issue. This may even influence the male side of the audience to do the same thing, be more courageous and admit their feelings, this could also inspire them to be more honest about their feelings in general and be a more open person.

00:08:29 - This scene denotes a class room scene full of young children which would instantly appeal to the younger audience, specifically boys because the children are all boys, also there was an embarrassing event where the protagonist is shown up, this is something that we can all relate to and would appeal to. This could connote Carl Rodgers theory. "Ideal Self" since the protagonist is so relatable, this could connote that audience sees him as an idol and wants to be him. This scene also relates to age as well, as seen as the protagonist is presented at all different ages and developments of his life, presenting the theory of Carl Rodgers being the "Ideal Self" theory, as the audience would look up to the protagonist as a role model and learn from the decisions he has made throughout his life. This also could influence to deal with their problems more directly and learn from their mistakes more efficiently.

Age

00:37:22 - This scene denotes the protagonist walking out into the storm, this connotes danger and chaos, also this could connote the disequilibrium introduced by Todorov in terms of narrative structures. This would appeal to the younger audience, the teenage audience, as the chaos and action would appeal to the younger audience rather than the older. Because the younger audience (urban ventures are more likely to be entertained by violence, this could influence them to further their interests in violent video games and television shows.

00:02:03 - This scene denotes a variety of animals presented in a zoo, the wide range of animals would appeal to the younger audience, the beautiful views, bright colours and array of animals. This could connote peace and a nice engaging story, which links to Todorov's theory being narrative structure, this stage being the equilibrium; the problem has not presented itself yet. This could influence the audience to further their interests in narrative driven and compelling films.

00:28:53 - This scene denotes the male protagonist talking to his crush being female, this could connote that he likes her and love and peace. This could appeal to the teenagers because especially the girls are interested in a love story, it would entice them to watch it. This could relate to This could also relate to Claude Levis Strauss's theory being binary opposition, the opposition is gender, but in this case the roles are juxtaposed and the female has the power because she has something the male wants. As seen as the protagonist is talking to his crush, this would appeal to the urban ventures because they can empathise with the situation. This may influence the audience to be more honest about their feelings and confront any issues regarding crushes, because this is a frequent problem teenagers have. This would also relate to Laura Mulvey's theory of "The Male Gaze" because even though the women aren't dressed provocatively, this is because of the culture; they wouldn't allow women to be seen in such way. 

00:31:50 - This scene denotes the protagonist getting ready to set off on a journey and partake in a big change, this could connote confusion and mixed emotions. This would relate to the younger audience as they go through a lot of change throughout their lives, and will make this scene relatable towards them. This could relate to Carl Rodgers theory; "Ideal self" in the idea that, the audience will look up to the protagonist and really connect with him, as they respect him and understand what he is going through. This could influence the audience to be more courageous when it comes to partaking in their own journeys and changes, relevant to teenagers, these changes would be career ideas and choosing schools.

00:55:43 - This scene denotes the first time the audience see's the tiger, respectively a very important addition to the story because the tiger symbolises the protagonist, but the aspect that would appeal to the younger audience is the threat and violence that is connoted by the tiger. This would be the disequilibrium in the narrative structure put forward by Claude Levis Strauss, because of the threat and chaos connoted by the tiger. This connoting the protagonist facing his fears, could also influence the audience to do the same, as the audience is urban ventures it would allow them to tackle the issues in their lives such as relationships and career ambitions.

Lifestyle

NRS Stands for the 'National Readership Survey' is a separate organisation specialising in demographic information. It uses headings to evaluate the lifestyle of the demographics. I have decided that my target audience for my film in terms of the NRS are; settled suburban's, nest builders and urban ventures.

The film is for urban ventures, because of the violence and adult themes, it’s too grown up for a child so its perfect for a teenager. It is classed as settled suburban's and nest builders because at this age their parents buy things for their child, so in this case the parents would be buying the film for their family to watch. The lifestyle would be classed as urban ventures because; the protagonist is a teenager for the most part of the film, this would appeal to the audience because they can relate to the protagonist. As we see the protagonist at every stage of his life, from young to old, the audience is able to connect with him and see him as an "Ideal Self" and are influenced by the choices he makes and how the audience can learn from them.

As seen as this film is aimed at a mass or international audience, the film is mainstream and therefore would be very popular and would have a lot of hype associated with it, this would create spectacle. This would influence what the audience would socialise about and possibly even stimulate a conversation, because the audience are presented watching mainstream films they can be viewed as sociable people.

With all the technology present in the film appeals to the "Digital Natives" which links to the target audience being urban ventures. The film contains a lot of CGI to make the tiger appear, this creates verisimilitude. This also links to the audience watching the film to escape their everyday lives and indulge themselves in a fictional narrative. This theory was introduced by Dennis McQuail called the "Uses and gratifications" and in term of this example, its specifically called Escapism. This would link to the genre of the film being fantasy, action and drama. This would imply that the audience of this film would also be interested in other media products associated with films including; Video games and TV shows, relating to "Escapism." Also relating to the lifestyle of their audience, it could imply that they travel a lot, as Life of Pi includes beautiful scenery, the audience could spend their disposable incomes on holidays and travelling. Because the urban venture audiences are "Digital Natives" and because of the CGI and technology used in the film it would relate to their hobby of gaming, this would allow the audience to sympathise with the film and influence them to further their interests.

In terms of Denis McQuail urban ventures could also be described as watching the film for building their personal identity, as you see the protagonist at every stage of his life and see him make mistakes and learn from them, it used to teach the audience about morality and how to overcome issues. This could be related to that at this age they are very impressionable and can be influenced by all different things, since we see the protagonist at all different ages, he can be seen as a role model. This links to Carl Rodgers theory of "Ideal Self".

As seen as the audience is urban ventures they would be interested and influenced by their sports, such sports as swimming and martial arts are presented in the film, this would influence the audience to take further interest in these sports and be able to empathise with the protagonist. The swimming is seen when the protagonist is diving in the ocean to escape the tiger and martial arts are shown as self defence.

Also as seen as the audience are urban ventures ABC1 audience they would be able to relate to housing, as in the film a nice dethatched house is presented, the audiences parents would have highly paid jobs and would be able to afford such housing.

Spending Power

In terms of the NRS social grade my audience can be classed as ABC1, with generally quite a lot of disposable income to spend on hobbies and interests. In this side of the spectrum, the families are generally middle to upper class. But since it is in fact the parents and not the teenagers that will have the highly paid jobs and therefore have the disposable income, that means that the urban venture audience for the film would come from an ABC1 family. Therefore settled suburban's being the adults would have highly paid jobs and would therefore have high disposable income, and urban ventures have little to non income as they are teenagers.  

The fact that the audience for this film is generally upper class with quite a lot of disposable income to spend on things other than bills and the necessities, could imply that they have the money to spend on merchandise to do with the film, as seen as the film is very popular and mainstream, there are a lot of products associated with the film. Some examples of merchandise associated with the film include; t-shirts and tiger toys. This would relate to the spending power of the audience as they have highly paid jobs they can afford these items, and they are likely to also have children which they would buy these products for. It would be the audiences parents that would be able to afford these items. Also the film could relate to their audiences interests, because their audience may be interested in and donate to wild life centres or zoos, this relates to the film because one of the protagonists of the film is a tiger.

Since the audience for this film has generally quite highly paid jobs, with high pay and a lot of responsibility, they could watch this film because of Denis McQuail's (1972) theory of "Uses and Gratifications." Since these people have high responsibility jobs, they will watch the film to take part in escapism, to escape their everyday lives and indulge in the fictional narrative and forget all their responsibility and enjoy the film. The film contains a lot CGI which could signify that the film would be more expensive as more effort and time has been put into it, the film has a higher budget than other non CGI films. The ABC1 parents would be able to afford this higher priced film and also have money left over for merchandise.

Life of Pi offers the gratification building personal relationships, as the audience is ABC1 which contains a lot of people of higher class and important roles within their jobs; they are going to come into contact with a lot of important people. But before they are to talk about business they need to create a relationship consisting of common interests, this could be to do with; news, magazines and gossip websites, but in this case it’s the film. This is used for talking points and is used to create spectacle, specifically in this film being a very adventurous and action packed film. Also as seen as the target audience is teenagers/urban ventures. Also in terms of Denis McQuail's theory, the film offers the gratification escapism, as it contains a lot of CGI, even though the film creates verisimilitude; the film is that dense and indulging that it would allow the audience to escape from their lives to indulge in the fictional narrative of Life of Pi.

In terms of what else the audience could buy influenced by their spending power, since they are an ABC1 audience they would have highly paid jobs and may enjoy relaxing by indulging in reading, this would link to the book Life of Pi which inspired the film. This related to the theory of escapism, proposed by Denis McQuail, it would enhance the connection with the characters and story as well as prolonging the experience for the audience. As well as being able to buy the book, because of their highly paid jobs they would be able to afford going on holidays, but the location would be influenced by the locations presented in the film because of the beautiful views and culture. It would be the parents that have the highly paid jobs and would therefore would be able to afford such luxuries. 

Because my audience is ABC1 they would be able to afford all the things associated with the film including; merchandise, posters, sound track and because they have a highly paid job and high income they would be able to afford the more expensive aspects, like a tour of the studio and a holiday to the destination of the film. This would link to the audience because they have highly paid jobs they can sympathise with the cast of the film, owning a zoo and therefore also having a high disposable income and high pay. Also the audience can relate to the housing of the cast, as the protagonist is seen as having a nice dethatched house, which relates to the ABC1 audience because they would be able to afford such housing. It would be the parents that are the ABC1 and would therefore be the ones buying the housing, not the teenagers. But the teenagers come from an ABC1 family and would therefore would be able to reek the benefits of this.

That is all for learning about audiences! Join me next time for distribution channels!

Clips and Images for Task 2

• Shot type and angles can be still images
• Editing and micro-elements have to be clips

LO1 Task 1 Video

What I need to finish for LO1

• Add improvements to Mise en scene
• Write up of editing

Camera Work in Life of Pi

This shot denotes a bird’s eye view camera angle/ high angle connotes sub ordinance and vulnerability.  Even though in this situation the tiger would have the most power, this shot denotes the protagonist and tiger in similar situations connoting vulnerability, could also connote the possible danger that they both may be in because of the whale. The effect on the audience is that it builds tension and this may also create spectacle for the audience. This shot could also be denoted as an establishing shot, as it sets the diegesis and the scene. This shot also connotes the genre being action and tragedy. Even though there is an imminent danger present the soothing, calm colours connote peace and calmness.

This shot denotes a two shot; this is good at promoting the relationship. These shots are usually used when establishing power roles, being dominant and subordinate, in this case the two characters are equal, even though the tiger would normally being dominant. This is opposing the binary opposition.  This shot connotes the power balance between the two characters, it also builds tension for the audience because of the imminent danger the protagonist is in.

This shot denotes an over the shoulder shot which connotes looking from the protagonists perspective. This gives the audience the effect that they are looking through the characters eyes, it connects the audience with the film. This an example of what is in focus, the protagonist is in focus where as the background and all the characters are not in focus. This shot is also a crowd shot as it contains more than 3 people. This is an example of the male gaze introduced by Laura Mulvey, which objectifies women as sex objects. This creates the idea that women are subordinate and men are dominant, this idea is further devloped when the male character is in focus and all the female characters are not in focus, this creates a binary opposition. This sets the diegesis as it introduces new characters and shows the sort of society that we are in.           

Most of the camera movements in this film are the camera swaying from side to side to mimic the movements of the boat in the ocean. In this scene the camera movements denotes a panning shot, with a sweeping movement. This recreates the effect that you are seeing through the characters eyes, it can be used to introduce new characters or setting. In this case it is used to introduce a new character by panning up to zooming into their face, denoting a medium close up. This is used to show the detail on a characters phrase and empahsises their facial expressions.

In this scene the camera tilts up and down to establish the scene. This is used to show what the protagonist is looking at, so it allows the audience to interact with the characters. The camera also sways with the rocking of the boat and direction of the wind, to create verisimilitude. The tilting of the camera allows the audience to see the new scene and see all the danger and devastation, this connotes the genre of the film being action and that the narrative stage has reached its disequilibrium.

Tutor Feedback for Sound Analysis (LO1 Task 2)

Sound Analysis Life of Pi

Sound

The trailer starts by denoting the diegetic sound of the storm being the rain (00:13) and the waves these are known as Foley Sounds and are created separately using other means but they are natural to the story world and can be heard by the characters and audience. The storm connotes danger and chaos and this relates to the diegesis as the storm kills everyone apart from a few on the ship and leaves him alone with a tiger, it could also connote drowning and death, this also connotes the film genre being action which is shown through the fast pace and chaotic sounds. Next is the Diegetic sound denotes a Zebra panting for breath in the water (00:37), this connotes that the Zebra is drowning and possibly presents the connotation that the rest of the animals will die on the boat, it could also connote a life threatening situation or drowning. This also relates to the narrative style being Orpheus following the loss of something, this is the start of the loss and it is going to be followed through. The effect on the audience is that the story starts to grip them and the enigma/disequilibrium has just begun. On top of all the chaotic sounds there is the protagonist screaming (00:46) as he is launched into the water, this connotes that the character type is dominant but is in a vulnerable situation challenging the stigma. The next diegetic sound denotes a tiger growling (01:22) which could connote danger and chaos again and possibly connote that anyone near the tiger has their life threatened, this also connotes that a new disequilibrium/enigma that needs to be resolved and also links to the narrative style being orpheous and now we follow the protagonists new loss . this is followed by a drastic change in the music briefly connoting the enigma and possibly a more interest. The last diegetic sound is the voice over in the second trailer (00:17), it denotes the protagonist talking about his life story and explaining what has happened, this could denote that the story is very interesting and needs to be told or that the story is complicated and needs explaining, “Let’s see, where to begin”. The subtle tone to his voice connotes that the start of the story is peaceful and calm, being proved when he says “I was born and raised in one of the most beautiful places on Earth”. Connoting this film is going to be both aesthetically beautiful but also emotionally beautiful. The mode of address of which the voice over has been addressing is Parent to child as he talks very confidently but with a soft tone as if trying to explain a story to a child.

There aren’t many non-diegetic sounds to the trailer, but that is because the film is creating verisimilitude. The first non-diegetic sound denotes some incidental music which is slightly calming and subtle which adds to the subtlety and softness of the voiceover, this could connote that the storm is over and the enigma/disequilibrium has been resolved, the protagonist is safe, it also connotes calmness and peacefulness, this reinforces the genre being partly drama and the narrative style being orpheous. The last Non-Diegetic sound denotes the sound track being Paradise by Coldplay, this could connote that the film is very aesthetically pleasing and connotes a beautiful view, the lyrics aren’t be played but the up tempo and positive pitch connotes that the disequilibrium/enigma has been solved and the loss is being followed through, relating to the story following the loss of the protagonist being his family and watching him fight to survive. The song is popular as it is in the charts and even though the words aren’t there, everyone will already know the words and will be feeling happiness and hopefulness according to the tempo of the song.

My Minimum Tagret Grade

My MTG for CDM is: Merit/Merit

Life of Pi Trailer - Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sounds

Diegetic Sounds

-The Storm (Foley Sounds) - Connotes danger and chaos, could foreshadow a dangerous event
-Zebra panting for breath in the water - Could connote the death of other animals
-Sirens - Connotes danger and chaos and builds suspense
-Character Dialogue (Screams) - Connotes that the character is in danger possibly life threatening also connotes the character is scared
-Tiger (Growling) - Connotes danger and chaos
-Voice Over - Doesn't necessarily connote anything, possibly that the situation is complicated and needs explaining

Non-Diegetic Sounds

-Incidental Music - Slightly calming and subtle, may connote that the storm is over and the dangerous part is over, the character is safe
-Sound Track - Paradise Coldplay - Could connote that the film is very aesthetically pleasing and connote beautiful views

Peer Assesment Starter Task

Student name: Bradley Webster

Assessors Name: Alexander Campbell

Diegetic sound is sound that can be heard by the characters and audience, its sound that’s relevant to the story. An example of diegetic sound is the characters talking, the dialogue.

Correct- Diegesis is the Story world. Find examples of significant dialogue to analyse for your chosen film.

Non-Diegetic Sound is sound that cannot be heard by the characters and can only be heard by the characters. It can be any sound that is edited in, whether its music / sound track. It comes into the stage post production, it is added in when editing. An example of Non-Diegetic sound is the sound track being added in during editing.

Correct- the audience are the only people who can hear non- diegetic. Such as incidental and soundtrack. It also can be done in production and pre-production.

The difference between denotation and connotation is that one of them is describing what is there and connotations are what it suggests e.g. the image denotes a Red Heart, which could connote love or sympathy. Denoting is describing what you’re seeing and connoting is describing what that may imply.

Correct

The male gaze was talked about by…

Laura Mulvey 1975, in the way women dress to attract the male gender. Women are objectified and treated as sex objects. Women can manipulate men to make the women dominant instead of subordinate.

Life on Mars Task:
Non-Diegetic Sounds

- The Sound Track - Life on Mars by David Bowie - Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound
- Sirens - Connotations that the situation is dangerous and there is an emergency. Sound effects reinforcing the Enigma stage.
- Incidental Music
-Defibrillator
-Heart Rate Monitor
-Voice Overs
-Little Girl - "Where are you?" Connotes the innocence of the character and the unknown of the situation.
-Crashing Sound

Adobe Audition Introduction

3 things I have learnt about Adobe Audition:
- You can highlight specific parts of the audio and edit and manipulate that specific part
- The slider at the top allows you to zoom in and out of the audio making it easier to see
- Adobe Audition and Premier are Non-Linear softwares and the files can be arranged in any order

Microphone Testing - TASCAM

From practicing recording my audio I learnt that:

• Not to keep the microphone too close as then the microphone picks up your breathing and it takes over the speech so you cant understand what is being said
• Press record twice to start the recording
• Don't keep too far away as the volume doesn't get picked up as easily
• Record in quiet setting, like a recording studio as the microphone tends to pick up background noise
• Don't speak too fast or too slow, normal pace
• Speak more confidently no pauses or stutters, practice reading before hand

Things I did well:

• I found it easy to play back my recording and adjust the volume

Voice Recorders

Premier Task

LO1 Task 2 - Analysis of Life of Pi

Life of Pi - LO1 Task 2

I have been approached by education wise and have been asked to teach you about the media course, I am now teaching you task two of a four part course. I am analysing Life of Pi in terms of micro elements, purpose, genre, form, style and production.

Purpose

The purpose of the film is to entertain; it does through an interesting storyline, gripping character connection, building suspense and high budget action.  The type of audience is International and produced for the mass, it has reached such countries as America, United Kingdom and Taiwan. The film has been made for commercial gain and to expand their audience, earning them over $609 million in worldwide sales. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZEZ35Fhvuc

Genre

The genre of my film is classed as Action, Drama and Fantasy. Daniel Chandler defined genre as a 'type of category' and Barry Keith Grant states that 'all genres have sub-genres.' In this case my films sub-genres are action, drama and fantasy. This film can also be classed a hybrid of genres. 

Form

The form of my film is a feature film as it is a rather long film, having duration of 2 hours and 7 minutes. Based on the target audience being a mass and international audience, the film would be distributed on many platforms including; DVD, streamed through Sky Box Office, pirated website and illegally downloaded, downloaded onto a phone or tablet through App Store. It was also distributed to cinemas because it is a mainstream film produced for the mass audience, and also it would have appeared on Sky TV because Sky is one of 20th Century Fox's subsidiaries.  

Style

The style of Life of Pi is modern, although it uses CGI which may mean that it isn't real, although it drives the narrative and allows the film to have verisimilitude. The style of the film is classed as modern because it is set in the 21st Century and is made to appear modern through the era it is set in.

Content and Meaning

Sound

The trailer starts by denoting the diegetic sound of the storm being the rain (00:13) and the waves these are known as Foley Sounds and are created separately using other means but they are natural to the story world and can be heard by the characters and audience. The storm connotes danger and chaos and this relates to the diegesis as the storm kills everyone apart from a few on the ship and leaves him alone with a tiger. It could also connote drowning and death, this also connotes the film genre being action which is shown through the fast pace and chaotic sounds. Next is the Diegetic sound denotes a Zebra panting for breath in the water (00:37), this connotes that the Zebra is drowning and possibly presents the connotation that the rest of the animals will die on the boat, it could also connote a life threatening situation or drowning. This also relates to the narrative style being Orpheus following the loss of something, this is the start of the loss and it is going to be followed through. The effect on the audience is that the story starts to grip them and the enigma/disequilibrium has just begun. On top of all the chaotic sounds there is the protagonist screaming (00:46) as he is launched into the water, this connotes that the character type is dominant but is in a vulnerable situation challenging the stigma. The next diegetic sound denotes a tiger growling (01:22) which could connote danger and chaos again and possibly connote that anyone near the tiger has their life threatened, this also connotes that a new disequilibrium/enigma that needs to be resolved and also links to the narrative style being orpheous and now we follow the protagonists new loss. This is followed by a drastic change in the music briefly connoting the enigma and possibly a more interest. The last diegetic sound is the voice over in the second trailer (00:17), it denotes the protagonist talking about his life story and explaining what has happened, this could denote that the story is very interesting and needs to be told or that the story is complicated and needs explaining, “Let’s see, where to begin”. The subtle tone to his voice connotes that the start of the story is peaceful and calm, being proved when he says “I was born and raised in one of the most beautiful places on Earth”. Connoting this film is going to be both aesthetically beautiful but also emotionally beautiful. The mode of address of which the voice over has been addressing is Parent to child as he talks very confidently but with a soft tone as if trying to explain a story to a child.

 There aren’t many non-diegetic sounds to the trailer, but that is because the film is creating verisimilitude. The first non-diegetic sound denotes some incidental music which is slightly calming and subtle which adds to the subtlety and softness of the voiceover, this could connote that the storm is over and the enigma/disequilibrium has been resolved, the protagonist is safe, it also connotes calmness and peacefulness, this reinforces the genre being partly drama and the narrative style being Orpheous. The last Non-Diegetic sound denotes the sound track being Paradise by Coldplay. This could connote that the film is very aesthetically pleasing and connotes a beautiful view, the lyrics aren’t being played but the up tempo and positive pitch connotes that the disequilibrium/enigma has been solved and the loss is being followed through, relating to the story following the loss of the protagonist being his family and watching him fight to survive. The song is popular as it is in the charts and even though the words aren’t there, everyone will already know the words and will be feeling happiness and hopefulness according to the tempo of the song.

Mise en scene

Mise en scene is a micro-element that is encoded to create meaning and representation. Mise en scene is basically everything within the frame.  This includes; location, costume and makeup, props, colour and lighting and gestures, that reinforce the genre and represent certain themes.

There are two main locations within Life of Pi being his home village and the ocean. The first location denotes his home town being vibrant, peaceful and aesthetically pleasing, but also connotes that the scenery throughout the film will be beautiful. This affects the audience in a positive way and prepares them for a very emotionally evoking story. The fact that the first location is so beautiful, may possibly connote a contrast is to come in the film, to counter act that and catch the audience of guard. The beautiful scenic view also connotes the genre of the film being action, drama and fantasy, usually fantasy and drama having aesthetically pleasing backgrounds and compelling stories. This also links heavily to the narrative style being orpheous (following a loss) the loss is yet to come but all the peace and calmness prepares you for the loss that is to come. The vibrancy and life of all the animals, also represents the life and vibrancy of the characters and the fight that they have in them and their passion for life. When the family is moving half way across the world and transporting their zoo, it heavily connotes that their lives are going to change. The second location is the ocean, most of the film occurs in the ocean. The ocean connotes the freedom that the protagonist wanted; he wanted more control over his life, now he’s got the independence. But the ocean could also connote hopelessness and that his efforts to survive out there are futile. This also heavily links to the narrative style being orpheous this being the loss that is followed, the loss of his family and stability and structure. This represents the genre being partly action, as his fight for survival in the harshness of the ocean will be the action, and the beautiful scenic views will be the drama and fantasy. The sudden change from the protagonist’s home to the vast ocean builds tensions and is able to entrain the audience with more impact.    

  

There aren’t many costumes showcased in this film as for the most part the protagonist is set adrift in the ocean. At the start of the film, the denotation being traditional Indian clothing which are bright and colourful, the connotations being their passion for life and their passion for their religion, this connotes they are dedicated and loving people. This directly links to the protagonist not giving up in even the worst situations. It also links to the genre being drama connoting beautiful and vibrant views. The costumes reflect the diegesis following loss and where the film is set being India at this current point. The males and females at the beginning are wearing similar clothing connoting no differences. But this film contains the stereotypical representation of men and women, with the men being seen as dominant and the women being seen as subordinate. It also shows binary opposition of the two genders, one being seen as more important/powerful than the other. Also later on the film the protagonist wears nothing but a piece of clothing wrapped around him connoting the hopelessness of the situation, it also connotes the survival aspects reinforcing the genre of the film being action. The protagonist being the only character for the most part of the film, apart from tiger but that actually represents the protagonist himself, so generally there is no one to compare him to. The clothing the protagonist wears reflects the diegesis and the verisimilitude of the film. Later on in the film the protagonist is denoted as dehydrated and his skin becomes pale and his skin around his eyes and mouth looks dry and grey, this was added to create verisimilitude.

There aren’t many props used in the film as most of the film is set on a boat stranded in the ocean with scarce supplies. There are a few examples of iconography; this term means items that create stereotypical representations that become well known and recognised. In terms of handheld props there aren’t any at all, but in terms of things and objects being iconic there are some. The first example of iconography denotes the boat that the protagonist is stranded. This connotes the genre being tragedy very well as he is stranded and the boat his only saviour. This also has an effect on the audience, making them feel sympathy for the protagonist; it also connotes a helpless and vulnerable side to him also. It also connotes the narrative style being orpheous following the loss; the boat is a visual example as it actually is the focus of the loss and travels with the protagonist. The boat helps to create the diegesis and verisimilitude. The second iconography is the tiger; the tiger is a very iconic figure which the film revolves around mostly. Later on in the film we realise that the tiger wasn’t actually there and in fact is there to represent the protagonist, so in that respect it is very important to the narrative. The tiger even though is added in through special effects creates verisimilitude and helps create tension and the atmosphere throughout the film. Throughout the film this character is constantly developed as it becomes less hostile and more loving, this creates a positive effect on the audience and allows them to grow to love the character. The tiger also connotes the genre being tragedy and action, as the film follows the tiger’s loss and tragedy but also at the start the hostile aspect connotes the film as action.

Generally the film is denoted as very bright and colourful in terms of lighting and colour. The film encodes mostly high key light, which means bright and represents natural light being the sun. Relating to this film it could represent hope in hopeless situations, representing prayers and miracles which would be needed in this film. The light could also represent the survival aspect and resilience. This reinforces the narrative style being orpheous and connoting that there is always hope even in the worst of circumstances. The bright light and the fact that the protagonist is travelling connotes that he is searching for hope. It could also represent freedom, the freedom he wanted but no he is set adrift in the ocean all alone. There is a specific part in the film where low key light is encoded, during the night time it doesn’t connote hopelessness but it actually connotes optimism, as it is beautiful and inspiring. There aren’t many characters to analyse in Life of Pi; it mainly contains only one character. But his actions and gestures are usually forceful representing that he is having a fight for survival, sometimes his gestures are slow and energy consuming reflecting his situation and the diegesis.

Camera Work

This shot denotes a bird’s eye view camera angle/ high angle connotes subordinance and vulnerability.  Even though in this situation the tiger would have the most power, this shot denotes the protagonist and tiger in similar situations connoting vulnerability, could also connote the possible danger that they both may be in because of the whale. The effect on the audience is that it builds tension and this may also create spectacle for the audience. This shot could also be denoted as an establishing shot, as it sets the diegesis and the scene. This shot also connotes the genre being action and tragedy. Even though there is an imminent danger present the soothing, calm colours connote peace and calmness.

This shot denotes a two shot; this is good at promoting the relationship. These shots are usually used when establishing power roles, being dominant and subordinate, in this case the two characters are equal, even though the tiger would normally being dominant. This is opposing the binary opposition.  This shot connotes the power balance between the two characters, it also builds tension for the audience because of the imminent danger the protagonist is in.

This shot denotes an over the shoulder shot which connotes looking from the protagonist’s perspective. This gives the audience the effect that they are looking through the characters eyes; it connects the audience with the film. This is an example of what is in focus; the protagonist is in focus whereas the background and all the characters are not in focus. This shot is also a crowd shot as it contains more than 3 people. This is an example of the male gaze introduced by Laura Mulvey, which objectifies women as sex objects. This creates the idea that women are subordinate and men are dominant, this idea is further developed when the male character is in focus and all the female characters are not in focus, this creates a binary opposition. This sets the diegesis as it introduces new characters and shows the sort of society that we are in.   

        

Most of the camera movements in this film are the camera moving from side to side to mimic the movements of the boat in the ocean. In this scene the camera movements denotes a panning shot, with a sweeping movement. This recreates the effect that you are seeing through the characters eyes; it can be used to introduce new characters or setting. In this case it is used to introduce a new character by panning up to zooming into their face, denoting a medium close up. This is used to show the detail on a characters phrase and emphasises their facial expressions.

In this scene the camera tilts up and down to establish the scene. This is used to show what the protagonist is looking at, so it allows the audience to interact with the characters. The camera also sways with the rocking of the boat and direction of the wind, to create verisimilitude. The tilting of the camera allows the audience to see the new scene and see all the danger and devastation, this connotes the genre of the film being action and that the narrative stage has reached its disequilibrium. The focus being the boat, the protagonist and the tiger. The shot was in deep depth as everything was in focus.

Editing

SHOT REVERSE SHOT STRUCTURE

TIME CODE – 00:16:34 – 00:17:12

The transitions used are just a cut; it appears as though the transition is invisible. This shot reverse shot structure as well as the invisible makes it seem as though the audience are spectators, the juxtaposition between the two characters creates spectacle for the audience. The shot reverse shot structure connotes a conversation being held, usually between two characters and has a power in balance. In this case the binary opposition is between size and age; the protagonist is seen as the submissive character whereas the other is seen as dominant. The power in balance is shown by the high and low angles, high for the protagonist which makes him seem submissive and vulnerable and low angles for the man to make him seem intimidating and powerful. The shot reverse shot structure is usually used to present a conversation being held between two people, but also to denote the facial expressions and emotions of the characters, this is shown even further by the mid close up shot, and this helps to build tension and spectacle for the audience. This is also good at representing the personalities of the characters and establishing character roles.

CUT AWAYS

TIME CODE – 00:17:15 – 00:21:12

The transitions are called fades, this can also be called an eclipse which indicates a passing amount of time, this allows the audience to tell the difference between a normal cut and the cross cutting between two different locations, it shows the contrast between the two locations. Also the slow fade between the two clips, fades from the protagonist to an older protagonist narrating the story, the slow fade allows the audience to see how the child has developed and how he has developed power now he is older and bigger. The two events coincide and allow the audience to have more understanding, the cut away allow the story to be easily explained throughout. Also it still also the audience to feel as they are spectating and going on the journey with them, the protagonist explains the story to the reporter but it seems as though he is directly talking to the audience. Also it creates spectacle for the audience, because the audience are aware of what is going on and the contrast between the two locations, it allows the audience to become more enthralled in the film. It has also has the effect of allowing the audience to connect with the protagonist and witnessing his development and growth. The cut away connotes that the protagonist has lead a long and meaningful life that now needs explaining. This cut away could connote Carl Rodgers theory of the “Ideal Self” and “Ideal Partner”, in this particular case it would be ideal self, as the older protagonist is more of a role model to the younger protagonist, even though he isn’t aware, it could connote that he wishes to be older and be more respected. The two medium close ups denotes the similarities between the two characters but also how the character has developed.

EYELINE MATCH

TIME CODE – 00:22:22 – 00:23:20

The transition denoted is almost instantaneous, making it seem invisible. This has the effect on the audience yet again that the audience are spectating and are a part of the film. This as well as the action packed scene creates spectacle for the audience. At the start of the clip, the camera tilts upwards, establishing the characters involved in the scene and setting the scene, this also establishes the diegesis and narrative. The thing that the protagonist is viewing is the tiger approaching him; it then cuts to a mid-close up of the characters to highlight their facial expressions and emotions. The younger child is not scared or intimidated and is almost excited whereas the older brother is terrified and runs away. This connotes a binary opposition, the older brother should have more power and be more dominant and the younger brother should have less power and be more submissive, but as seen as the younger brother is fearless, it opposes the stereotypes, this theory was introduced by Claude Levis Strauss. Another theory also applies to this scene, the theory is about narrative structures, which means this would be the disequilibrium or the enigma, and this was introduced by Todorov. This disequilibrium is a shift in the balance indicating something is going wrong, at the end of the scene when the father approaches and pulls the child away, the enigma is resolved and the equilibrium is balanced. This disequilibrium creates spectacle for the audience. Eyeline match is perfect for presenting facial expressions and important events.

Pre-Production

Pre-production in terms of the film Life of Pi, this is the first part of the three stages in the Film Production Process, including all the planning, this entails; storyboards, writing the script, the casting and crew, audience research, assets, work plans, concepts, software's, location scouting and budget and legislation. In this case, the location wouldn't necessarily be needed to be scouted because most of the locations such as the ocean and the islands were produced using green screen and special effects. Casting for the film would be a key part of this stage, as in this film there are only a small amount of significant characters, therefore these actors would need to be carefully chosen to suit these characters and capture their personalities and emotions.

Production

The second stage of the Film Production Process is production, this entails essentially the filming of the scenes; this involves the directing, acquiring any assets likes props, sets and costumes. Props are not a significant part in this film, there are hardly any hand held props to hold, the real iconography is shown through iconic characters such as the tiger and survival objects such as the boat. The filming of the scenes would mainly consist of the characters being in front of a green screen and the background and sets would be edited in through post-production. Other parts of production are pyrotechnics, lighting by the director of photography, Chroma key, acting and recording audio. Lighting is a key aspect in this film as it helps build the narrative and the diegesis, it also helps set certain moods and themes. Pyrotechnics isn't as key in this film as there aren't any fires or explosions. Chroma Key is a key feature in this film; it’s how they tiger was produced and edited in and how most of the settings were produced.

Post-Production

The last stage involves post-production, which includes the editing. This can be anything from editing the footage, to editing the sound if it is too loud or too quiet and also gives you a chance to add any music. This would be the stage where you would add Chroma key, computer generated imagery and special effects. Transitions are also another key feature that would be added in, for example; dissolve, fade and jump cut. Green screens and special effects are a key part of this film as it helps create verisimilitude and helps set the narrative and diegesis, by creating the scenery and one of the protagonists. Also transitions are a key part of this film, they help set the mood and create tension and help enthral the audience and make them feel like spectators.