Representations of groups and individuals.

In class we saw how many groups we could come up with.
Ethnic groups
Disabled people
Age
Class/ status
Religion
Gender.


Racial stereotypes in the media.

We watched a documentary about racial stereotypes in the media and took notes on this.

Representations of media has changed racial stereotypes. The bulk of racial stereotypes came from America.
Post WW2 white people were targeted by the media because they were seen to be wealthy and upper class.
Ethnic groups were seen as peripheral, not powerful.

When people with dark skin were seen, it was said that poverty and ignorance was thought of.
Whereas, with white people, it was wealth and class.
Black people were portrayed as powerless, they had no voice.

African Americans were portrayed as violent, sexual ?
Ethnic groups are more financially empowered.
Media Enhanced Isolationism ?

In journalism, they are reduced to using stereotypes.
The ratio of airtime dedicated to black and white victims is 3:1
Mug shots are 4x more likely to be of blacks. Blacks are more likely to be shown in custody.
Whites 18% of the time whilst Blacks 36% of the time.
Black exploitation.
Stereotypes are exploited.

There are 4 negative Asian stereotypes
1. Cultural predators/ Parasites or mainstream cultures.
2. Taking American resources and giving nothing back.
3. Comic or sinister.
4. Offensive gags or jokes.





Every ethnicity has different stereotypes. Here are a few of them.

Asians are used as background characters in their own history.
The Asian is always portrayed as non-sexual.
Asian women are 'Dragon ladies'.

Native American
Good vs bad Indian.

Latin American.
Highly emotional temper.
Fiery, sexual schemes.
'Background noise'.
Illegal aliens/drug dealers.

Arabs.
Bombers.
Bellydancers.
Arab women, exotic/repressed.

The media suggests that it is okay to be racist towards Muslims.
There is a stereotype threat that all Muslims are terrorists.
The fear that one's behaviour will confirm an existing stereotype of a group with one identifies.

The Hypodermic Syringe theory - This suggests when we watch or listen to things we're just like a sponge, absorbing things and accepting them. Passively accepting and absorbing things through the media.

The Cultivation Theory - The repetition of stereotyping. Ideas we receive over a long period of time change our view of people.

 Are the media the cause of our views on race or merely the reflection ? 

I think the media do influence our views on race and religion. I think certain things are overdone by the media. The media sensationalize certain stories, make them seem much more dramatic than they actually are. Sure terrorism is a threat, but does that make every Muslim a terrorist or suicide bomber? No it does not. So, no i don't think the media are the cause of our views, but they do have some influence.     

Effect of Violent films.

Personally i don't see anything wrong with violence in films. I see how violent films could have a negative effect on people. I think the producers need to consider their type of audience. Then proceed to decide on the nature of the violence in the film. Producers should consider that maybe some members of the audience may have been through traumatic experiences, therefore i do think they should think carefully about the nature of the violence. I think they should tread carefully on grounds like rape and abortion. I think anything else wouldn't be a problem. My only reasoning for saying that rape and abortion should be treated carefully is because they are obviously very traumatic experiences to go through. And having to watch either of these in a film must be very disturbing, bringing back all bad memories. On the other side of that, i think the audience should look into a film before watching it, they need to decide if they're mentally stable enough to deal with watching it. An example of the negative effects violence could have is James Holmes, a 24 year old man who attended the screening of the last Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, in Aurora, Colorado, dressed as the Joker, he entered the movie, wearing a gas mask, Holmes then proceeded to set off an unknown gas and fired it into the crowded cinema. Holmes shot 12 people dead and injured around 50.  Not only was he dressed like the Joker, he also dyed his hair to match the Joker's. He was dressed in all black, including boots. He was wearing a stab proof, bulletproof vest, leg protectors. The works. In the 60 days leading up to the attack, Holmes legally brought four weapons at local gun shops an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, two .40-calibre Glock handguns and a 12-gauge Remington shotgun. Aurora police said he also purchased more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition on the internet, including 3,000 rounds for the assault rifle, 3,000 for the Glocks and 300 for the shotgun. In June, the owner of a gun range rejected Mr Holmes' application after hearing a "bizarre - guttural, freakish" message on his voice mail. Mr Holmes had told police during questioning that there were explosives in his apartment, and that officers had discovered chemical and incendiary devices linked by wires. Some of the injured were children, with the youngest a 4-month-old baby who has been released from treatment. Victims were being treated for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by Holmes.Moviegoers didn’t know what was happening and some thought the attack was part of the show. Then they saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke at the front of the cinema near the screen, pointing a gun at the crowd.Holmes was arrested shortly after the attack at 12:30 a.m. MDT at the multiplex theater at a mall in Aurora. 

Opening Title Sequences.

In class we watched opening sequences of some films. One was a horror/thriller. The other was a documentary.

The first one was Shrooms.
Shrooms is a horror.

Camera shots/angles/composition.
The main camera angle was a side view. There were no head on shots of the character. The whole opening title sequence was in medium shot. There was also an establishing shot of the castle.

Sound Fx/Music.
The sequence begins with heavy breathing, this starts before the scene. The music is sinister. You hear drums, this could symbolize the heartbeat ? Screaming can also be heard.

Editing.
The sequence is grainy. Some parts are in black and white, this makes the whole thing creepier. Parts of it are misty/ clouded. This gives the impression that this is all our character can see.

Characters.
The main character is a blonde female. American. In the opening title sequence there isnt a full view of her.

Credits/position/font.
The text is white, bold, on a black background. It is also centered, its big enough that you cant miss it.


Mise En Scene.
Sense of urgency/panic. We see a knife, then the blood. Dead birds. A child with a sack over his head. All these things are very significant.

Other.
 The opening sequence was very fast paced. It flickered to other clips of the film, which were all significant parts.

 Enigma.
We see the castle.


Another Opening Title Sequence we watched was 127 Hours.

Mise En Scene.
We see our character's swiss army knife. Climbing harness. His orange and drink he takes with him and the cafe's he passes.

Editing.
The screen is split into three parts, in each part there is a continuous stream of people. From that, it was like saying when he needed people they were no-where to be found. But when he isn't in need, there they are. When we first see our character, he is in silhouette. This gives it a sense of mystery because we dont see his face properly until he is in the car, driving.

Sound fx/ Music.
There is uplifting music in the background of this particular opening sequence. This creates a sense of energy and pace. It is also very vibrant. It goes with the rush of people.

Camera shots/angles/composition.
There are a few close ups, and extreme close ups. For example, when he is arranging his climbing harness, when he turns on the tap to fill up his water bottle. When he got the orange and the drink. The shots from inside the cupboards are clever. There is a shot from underneath the bottle, where everything is distorted. When he is in the car, driving, there is a POV shot, there is also a camera filming a camera, We see what our character is filming. There are multiple high angles from the dashboard when he is driving. When we see our character filming himself with his handheld camera, is it really shaky and unsteady. This gives a great sense of unbalance. The mirror shot of the bicyclists is done well. There is a birds eye view shot and lastly there is an establishing shot of where our character is.

Enigma.
We see our character getting his climbing harness ready. This is obviously very significant. Because he's going to go on a climbing weekend. He reaches up into the cupboard for his swiss army knife, but he cant reach it. He only misses it by inches. This is the most important part of the opening title sequence. If he had his swiss army knife, it would have helped him a lot in the situation he found himself in. He takes an orange and a drink with him, but on the way to his destination he passes multiple restaurants and cafe's where he could have purchased food and drink. Also he misses a call from his mother, because of this she isn't aware of where he is.

Characters.
Our character is obviously a climber. This is shown to us by the harnesses we see him preparing. An adrenaline junkie. He appears to like the high energy activities. He seems to be independent and like being slone. We can see this because he's went away for a weekend by himself. He may be single, he has to work to have the money to go away. He could be too busy for a relationship ?

Credits.
The credits are in white, bold, they're just thrown in, they aren't very noticeable. There was so much hype surrounding the film, the director's name wasn't really noticeable.

Other.
We see the hustle and bustle of everyday life, as the opening sequence goes on, he's driving peacefully to his destination. Away out of civilization. 

Camera Angles and Framing.

We looked at all the different camera angles and framing techniques, then tried them ourselves, here are the results :


   This is an Extreme Close Up.


   Close Up.









Medium Close Up.


  Medium Long Shot.

  Long Shot.

    Extreme Long Shot.

  Low Angle.

  Worm's Eye View.

  Point Of View.

  Two Shot.