Summer Coursework

 1) Research: Fantasy TV drama extracts 

Clip 1: His Dark Materials

Narrative and genre: What is the story here? How is the narrative communicated to the audience? How does this fit the fantasy genre? 

From what I can tell from this scene James McAvoy, who plays Lord Asriel is revealing a plot line to Ruth Wilson, who plays the antagonist Marisa Coulter and  what is told to her is something that she's very surprised and seemingly angry at him about. The narrative in question is communicated to the audience using a fast pace as if the audience already knew about what Lord Asriel was about to reveal. This fits the fantasy genre as  most of the time , fantasy is a fast paced genre , switching between different plot lines and characters relationships.

Technical codes: What camera shots do you notice and what do they communicate to the audience? How is sound used to create atmosphere? What aspects of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) help to communicate meaning to the audience?

 There are a minimal amounts of camera shots used in this scene, these shots include a track/dolly , following Marisa Coulter in the opening of the scene. A wide shot , medium wide shot , medium close-up/close-up are also other shots used throughout the scene. There's the diegetic sound of their echoed voices and the non-diegetic sound of the  climax build during Lord Asriel's monologue which then settles and fades into an orchestra of trumpets which give the audience a sense of realisation. Mrs Coulter is dressed in a light brown pantsuit and dark brown chunky boots displaying how she is a serious and sophisticated character. Whereas Lord Asreil is dressed in plain jeans, gun in holster attached, a long sleeve top with collar; a navy blue jumper with collar, sleeves rolled up and chunky platform boots. His outfit conveys that he may like to be comfortable but is always ready and on guard because of that gun in his holster.  The lighting used is artificial using the lights on the walls surrounding them and the setting seems to be the bottom floor of  some type of storage room with  a ship in it, communicating an intimate feeling between the two characters. 

 

Representations: What representations can you find in this clip - does it reinforce or subvert stereotypes? How? 

In this clip the characters reinforce the stereotypes that men are violent and dominant  creatures whereas women are submissive to there violence inherently. This is seen when Lord Asreil pins Mrs Coulter to the wall by her neck. However during this interaction Mrs Coulter tells Lord Asreil to "take his hands off her" using an assertive tone , subverting the stereotype that woman are inherently submissive creatures. Lord Asreil responds rhetorically, "Why can't you just be who I want you to be?". This reinforces the stereotype that in men's eyes woman are nothing but a mould to them that they have to make and if you are not moulded then you are dismissed and labled as outspoken and or aggressive when all you do is speak your mind and be your own person.

Clip 2: Charmed

Narrative and genre: What is the story here? How is the narrative communicated to the audience? How does this fit in the fantasy genre?

The story in this clip seems to be a woman revealing the existence of supernatural forces to a doctor who doesn't think what she's telling him is real, he thinks hat it's a joke or a set-up by his ex-wife. The narrative is communicated by the suspenseful music that builds up to a satisfying climax. This fits well with the fantasy genre as its a fast pace and climactic genre always looking for a new story.

Technical codes: What camera shots did you notice and what do they communicate to the audience? How is sound use to create atmosphere? What aspects of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) help to communicate the meaning to the audience? 

The camera shots used were close-up (clock) , however most of the scene consisted of medium shots and medium close-ups. These shots communicate intimacy with the characters and the audience, making the audience almost feel what the characters are going through physically and emotionally. The non-diegetic sound of the background music creates this feeling of eeriness that creeps up on you, making the atmosphere quite suspenseful. The doctor is wearing his working uniform while the two woman are wearing plain black trousers, one wearing a black polo neck and the other a pink long sleeve, both wearing a black jacket. All of there outfits may convey that the man might've just come from work and the two woman were dressed in formal attire or maybe winter attire, conveying that it may be winter, considering the layers. The lighting is natural as all the blinds in the house are open, this may communicate that it's daytime , during the scene. 

Representations: What representations can you find in this clip - does it reinforce or subvert stereotypes? How? 

During the scene the man doesn't listen to the woman when they're trying to tell him something, he dismisses them and continuously suggests different things that may be happening. This reinforces the stereotype that men don't listen to the ideas of woman and continuously dismiss them. 

Clip 3: Shadow and Bone 

Narrative and genre:  What is the story here? How is the narrative communicated to the audience? How does this fit the fantasy genre? 

In this story the man is trying to find out if the woman is a prophecy come to life. This narrative is communicated to the audience by the man constantly questioning her "Are you the Sun-Summoner" "When did you get tested?". This fits the fantasy genre as the multitude of questions sparks and interest in the narrative catching the audiences attention. 

Technical codes: What camera shots do you notice and what do they communicate to the audience? How is sound used to create atmosphere? What aspects of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) help to create the meaning to the audience? 

The camera shots used where wide shots, medium shots and track. These camera shots communicate placement and setting (wide shot), and give a sense of intimacy where you can feel the emotions of the characters these actors are portraying( medium shots and track) to the audience. The non-diegetic sound of the background music that builds up to an intense climax as the music gets louder and louder creates a atmosphere that puts you at the edge of your seat constantly wondering what will happen next. The costume used on the on the characters are there to represent the divide between the two ranks of people. The people like the man in all black and the ones in the dark blue uniform are higher in rank as they're in clean and tidy uniforms separating them from the lower ranking people like the "Sun-Summoner" or the corporal who was injured. The lighting outside the tent is natural as it's day time , whereas inside the tent it's arguably artificial even though the light source is coming from inside her body the rest of the tent is dark. The props used are the tent, the bed that the corporal is laying on and the ring that the man uses to cut the "Sun-Summoner". All of these props create the setting and the type of show that Shadow and Bone is to the audience, reflecting it as a serious action show. The setting seems to be placed on barren land where they've set up camp communicating to the audience that between them setting up camp , the man being called corporal and the amount of soldier in uniforms everywhere, they may be at war. 

Representations: What representations can you find in this clip- does it reinforce or subvert stereotypes? How? 

In the clip there is an obvious power dynamic with the man in all black grabbing the girl forcefully and pulling up her sleeve. The girl looks quite uncomfortable as he does this, looking into her eyes without wavering, this reinforces the stereotype that men with power often don't have the human decency to respect other people and their boundaries. As he touches her with a room full of people watching and no one stops him; reinforcing the stereotype that if you have money, status and power you can get away with everything. The corporal also reinforces the stereotype of "the knight in shining armour" coming to save " the damsel in distress" as he jumps up to go and help the girl as if she can't fight them off herself is something does happen to her. 

Additional research: Optional

I Am Not Okay With This:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQVQHLEPZQM

Narrative and genre: What is the story here? How is the narrative communicated to the audience? How does this fit the fantasy genre? 

The story is about a teenage girl, Sydney, who is coming to terms with her fathers passing when odd things start happening to her that she can't explain, all while going through the struggles of being a teenage girl and an outcast. The narrative is communicated to the audience when the Sydney is in a store and all of the things on the shelves all simultaneously fall off, she's surprised by this evidently by her facial expression. This fits the fantasy genre as these seemingly weird things that happens to her seem like some type of superpower which is what fantasy is about.

Technical codes: What camera shots do you notice and what do they communicate to the audience? How is sound used to create atmosphere? What aspects of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) help communicate meaning to the audience? 

There's a  track that blacks in and out in the beginning  of the trailer conveying a dramatic effect to the audience, over the shoulder, wide/ extreme wide shot to communicate setting to the audience. In the first few minutes of the trailer Sydney is wearing a silk dress with blood plastered all over her, this could communicate that she went somewhere where she needed to dress up and something disastrous happened. Whereas in the rest of the trailer she's in a jumper and jeans, which may mean that she's just more comfortable in those types of clothes. The lighting is natural usually when the scene is outside however when it's dark its artificial light eg. television, street lamps and house lights. The setting is quite important as it's meant to look like a a girl in a small town going to her high school , living a normal life. So majority of the setting is nothing special and the props used are usually food or house hold things. The actors are all quite young however some of them are already made a name for themselves. 

Representations: What representations can you find in this clip- Does it reinforce or subvert stereotypes? How?

The main character , the Sydney is a lesbian, who's in love with her best friend  even though the audience can tell ,she hasn't completely figured herself out yet. This subverts the stereotype that woman always have to fall for men in TV shows however it reinforces the stereotype that lesbians who don't know that they like woman yet fall in love with their best friends.

2) TV  Drama Planning 

Title: Me and my mind

Logline – one sentence that sums up the plot of your TV drama and hooks people in (25 words or fewer): The teenage experience , comical, emotional but not all that simple. Being a teenager feels like the word is a roller coaster but how does she handle it?

Other successful TV dramas are similar to yours:

 I'm not ok with this and Daybreak

Narrative – what is the main storyline in your TV drama:

 The main storyline in my drama is how my main character navigates the normal hectic life of a teenage girl and the struggles that come with it , on top of the new powers that she gains.

Genre – how will your TV drama fit the fantasy genre?

 My TV drama will fit the fantasy genre because of the powers my main character has.

Narrative disruption – what will happen in your scene to develop the narrative? What will the audience learn about the characters or story?

 During my scene my character will interact with supporting characters that will help move along the narrative , such as having arguments with the characters and other things that seem normal for a teenager to experience , while also Incorporating the reveal of her powers. The audience will learn about her relationships with her best friend , supporting characters and her back story.

Information about the two locations/settings that you are using and why you have chosen them:

 I am using a house because it needs to feel like a life someone's living, realistic almost.

I am also using the park by the canal because I think I can get a lot of useful scenes out of it as it's quite isolating so I can get most of my scenes done without interruption.

Information about the main character e.g character type (hero/heroine) their desires, the conflicts they encounter etc.:

 The main character is more of an anti-hero who struggles with self confidence and peer pressure throughout the show. The conflict they encounter is choosing between her chaotic teenage life or moving on to something better where she could live her life in piece without worrying about people knowing about her powers.

Costume/props that you require for filming:

 costume for the actors , food/drink

How you are aiming your product at the specified family target audience:

I am making sure that there's no profanity , substances eg. drinking/drugs and sexual references. I am aiming for this to be rated a 12 or 12A