Macro– Genre, narrative and representation.

Micro– Semiotics, iconography, mise en scene, sound, camera, editing etc.

Macro elements – Genre 

Genre refers to the category in which the media text can be put into. This might be multiple genres or no genre.

Questions to ask:

• What genre or genres does this text fit into?
• How do I know this text fits into that genre?
• What does this connote to this audience?
• Is this pushing any boundaries of genre?

Case study : Donnie Darko

• What genre is Donnie Darko?

Horror/ Thriller/ Adventure

• What tells you that Donnie Drako is that genre?

The visuals from the trailer and the colouring of the scenes. Furthermore it shows that there are mysteries to uncover, and that Drako is the one to solve them.

• Who is the audience of Donnie Darko?

Young adults/ adults.

• What does those connote to the audience?

There are going to be disturbing/ difficult to watch scenes. From the trailer, it showed very quick, sped up scenes, which adds to the thrill.

• Are there any conclusions that we can make?

Macro elements- Narrative

Narrative refers to the way in which the media text tells a story (or part of a story). This might be explicit or implied.

Questions to ask:

• What is the narrative (or narratives) of the text?
• Are there any narratives that are missing?
• What does this connote to the audience?
• Is this pushing any boundaries of narrative? 

Case study: Gregory Crewson

• What is the narrative of this photo?

there is an empty looking street with just one car on the road and a door to car is open. The traffic lights are amber and it seems to be early is the morning.

• What tells you that this is the narrative?
• What does this connote to the audience?
• Is this pushing any boundaries of narrative? 
• are there any conclusions that we can make? 

Macro elements- Representation

1. All info is presented and then re-presented by the media. How ‘truthful’ is this?
2. All things act as a representation of other similar things. How are they representing these things?

Questions to ask:

Case study- Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines.

• What is the information being represented in this text?
• How is the info being represented +/-?
• What does this connote to the audience?
• Is this pushing the boundaries of representation?
• How might audiences act (react) after seeing this representation?

Micro elements: Semiotics – related to the field of linguistics.

• 3 types of sign:
• Icon- a sign that physically represents what this stands for.
  • Index: a sign which implies some other object or event- an implied sign.
  • Symbol- A sign with a conventional or arbitrary relation to the signified- a learned sign.

Questions to ask?

• What visual signs are represented in the photo?
• How could viewers interpret such signs?
• How did the image fit into history?
• How was this photo symbolic at the time of it’s capture?

Iconography; particular range or system of types of image used by an artist or artists to convey particular meanings. For example,in Christian religious paintings there is iconography of images such as the lamb which represents Christ or the dove which rfepresents the holy spirit.

Mise en scene

Questions to ask:

• How do the various elements within the scene build up the overall ‘messages’ of the image?
• What do various elements denote and connote to the audience?
• How do these factors contribute to the overall narrative? 

Lighting/editing/ camera angles

• How is this image well lit? Does it alter the way we may perceive messages?
• Why has the image been editing:? How is this changing how we interpret the visuals?
• How do camera angles provide us with a means to analyses? 

 

Aperture– hole within a lens, where light travels through into the camera body. The can be increased or decreased depending on the amount of light you want to allow into your image.

ISO– The level of sensitivity of your camera to available light. the lower the ISO number, the less sensitive it is to light, while a higher ISO number increases the sensitivity to light.

Shutter Speed- length of time a camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. If the shutter speed in fast, it can help to freeze action completely. If the shutter speed is slow it can create an effect called ‘motion blur’.

Photography Task:

 

 

 

Basic Introduction to Photography

 

Framing and composition

Photography is a basic process which means that rules do not have to be followed. However, there are basic guidelines that most photographers follow. Especially when it comes to framing and composing an image. When analysing an image, look for where things have been placed and more importantly where it has been left out.

Lighting

Lighting of photography is important because light is a fundamental element process of photography. Lighting is usually either high key, where there is a lot of lighting in the photo, or if it is low key where there is not a lot of light. It helps connote certain things about mood, tone and themes of the photo.

Focus

Deciding what is focused om a photo can change the entire perspective of the subjects. By changing the camera lens aperture, a photographer is able to get more or less to focus. This is referred to as having a shallow or deep depth of field.

 

 

Ansel Adams

• American photographer
• B&W landscape photos of the american west especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calender’s posters and book.

Don McCullin

• 9 October 1935- British photojournalist, particularly recognised for his war photography and images of uber strife.
• His career which began in 1959 has specialised in examining  the underside of society and his photographs have depicted the unemployed, downtrodden and the impoverished.

Mario Testino 

• Born 30 October 1954- Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer.
• His work has featured internationally in magazines such as Vogue, V magazine, Vanity Fair and GQ. He has also created images for brands such Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, Chanel, Estee Lauder and Lancome.

David Bailey 

• Born 2 Jan 1938- English fashion and portrait photographer
• Captured and helped create the ‘Swinging London of the 1960’s’ and a  culture of fashion and celeb chic. The three photographers socialised with actors, musicians and royalty and found themselves elevated to celebrity status.

Gregory Crewdson 

• His photographs usually take place in small-town America, but are dramatic and cinematic. They feature often disturbing and real events. The photos are elaborately staged out and lit using crews familiar w motion picture and lighting large scenes using motion picture film equipment and techniques.
• He is renowned for his photography of tableau :a group models or motionless figures representing a story or a scene from history.

Vivian Maier 

• Took more than 150k photos during her lifetime, primarily of the people and architecture of NYC, Chicago and LA. (street photography)
• During her lifetime her photographs were unknown and unpublished and she never print many of her negatives.]
• A critic in the Independent wrote that ‘the well to do shoppers of Chicago stroll and gossip in their department store finery before Maier, but the most arresting subjects are those people on the margins of successful, rich America in the 1950’s and 60’s.

• Portrait photography consists of taking photos of an individual or a group of people.
• The focus is usually on the face, although there have been exceptions
• Portrait photography is supposed to connote the mood and tone through the expression on the face/faces.

David LaChapelle

• Published the first picture of the Beastie Boys
• Took the last picture of Andy Warhol
• Left school at a young age and went to New York.
• Went back to high school to do senior year and discovered his love for photography and art.
• Has worked with many celebrities- including Florence and The Machine.
• Started off with basic black and white photography
• Did a lot of nudity-based photography
• Concentrated more on the human form
• Artistic photography
• Works on very elaborate sets
• Has evolved from taking photos to shooting videos

Things to consider:

• Lighting (too much/too little)
• Fast shutter speed (to capture motion)
• Wide aperture (to compensate)
• Native ISO (balanced)
• Fill flash (on/off camera and diffused)
• Reflective light

Dramatic portraits on a black backdrop (without needing  a single light), a garage is a go to spot. Simplest and most makeshift looking setup. While you can accomplish this setup on overcast days, sunny days help increase the brightness of everything outside the garage- increasing the catch light in the model’s eyes. The daylight acts as a giant reflector, which hold under the subjects chin to soften shadows.

For portraits like this you will want to use a focal length of at least 50mm or longer. Anything wider angle will lead to distortion of the subjects features.

Photography Studio Setup

If the background lights are too bright, there is a lack of contrast.

Background lights are just right. Background is pure white. Contrast on subject is good.

Portrait Pictures

In these photos, we used various forms of lighting in order to gain different portrait pictures. We used 3 point lighting, however we experimented with different forms of lighting in order to see different angles of the face.

D-Day- Robert Capa- 1944

This photo was taken during the D-Day landing during the Second World War. This soldier in the image was named Huston Riley, a 22-year-old, Private First Class soldier, who’s landing craft was shelled by Nazis. The craft landed in water so deep that he had to walk along the bottom until he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, so he activated his Navy M-26 belt life preservers and floated to the surface. He then became a target for guns mowing down his comrades. After being struck several times, it took the soldier about half an hour to reach the Normandy shore. Robert Capa took this photo of Riley in the surf and with the assistance of a sergeant who helped him, later recalled thinking why there was a cameraman on shore. Apparently, Capa spent an hour and a half under fire whilst the men around him died. A courier then transported his four rolls of film to LIFE’S London offices and the magazine’s general manager got the images on the June 19 issue. However, most of the film, showed no images after processing, and only some frames survived. The remaining photographs have a grainy, blurry look that give them the sense of action, which preserves our memories of these events that took place.

The frame and composition of this picture is set around Riley and his chaotic surroundings. He is the center of the image and what is going around him shows the dangers of his situation. This was taken during the center of a brutal assault. This shows the realistic and scary effect of the World War II. It is almost like this picture is showing Riley’s story, but also shows many other soldiers stories. This photo is mainly displaying the importance of what is happening to the soldier, as there does not appear to be anyone else surrounding him, however, the photographer is not necessarily leaving out his surroundings.

However, this picture is not focused on anything. It is quite blurred as it is capturing the jarring movement of what was going on in that moment. The focus-point in a picture can change the perspective of the subjects. Therefore, because nothing is in focus, it makes the viewer of the photo curious, as you want the picture to be in focus in order to truly know what is going on. Therefore, it makes the picture have a sort of mystery to it. It is also because, you are aware that there were most likely bullets flying everywhere which meant the photographer was unsteady and unstable while trying to get the shot.

The photographer obviously used natural lighting while taking the picture. From the context, it appears that it was most likely daytime when it was taken. However, from the picture being in black and white, it creates a very gloomy, melancholy theme in addition to the events going on in picture, it is clear why this is the theme. The dark theme of the picture adds to the dark theme of Dooms Day.