Psyco Stills.

In this post I am annotating a few stills from the film 'Psycho' made in 1960 to show an understanding of the signifiers within it.  

The first two stills show the shower is clean and white. this shows innocence and a sense of purity, this make us think of a normal everyday scene, it gives us a feeling safety and security, so it makes us feel like nothing could ever go wrong. The second still shows us that the women is enjoying her time in the shower, she seems to be happy and content, this makes us feel convinced that nothing bad could happen as it is such an innocent scene.

The next couple of stills show a dark image approaching in the background, this gives a feeling of insecurity and intrusion and as it contrast's with the white shower room, just as the white symbolizes innocence and purity, the darkness symbolizes evil, it also symbolizes something wrong or not right, it makes us feel scared and worried for the girl in the shower. Darkness also has an association with death, this makes us really worried for the girl as we feel she be hurt in this next scene. the fact that we can see the dark figure and we can tell that something bad is going to happen, this causes suspense and that makes the audience really intrested to the point where they are on the edges of their seats, because the murderer knows what will happen, the audience knows what will happen but the victum doesn't and it drives the audience crazy but they love it because it is so intresting. 

The next still show the women in the shower seeing the dark figure and screaming, this is not a good sign, it releases any doubts we had that the dark figure could possibly been something harmless now we know she is in danger. 

 

The next still is of the dark figure holding a knife, this shows us she is going to get hurt and the dark figure intends to hurt her. this scares us as we don't know who the dark figure is, it makes us feel insecure as it could be anybody this frightens us.

The next still is of the women in the shower reaching out, this shows her last hope as she reaches out to grab on to anything or anyone to help her. telling by her facial expression this shows the fight is over and shes dying and she knows she has no hope but she reaches out anyway just encase it could help her. 

The last still image from the movie psycho i will be annotating today is of the drain in the shower, this is flushing the blood down and symbolizes the loss of life or waste of life, as she was a very young women who could of done anything with her life and all of her personality and talents have just disappeared as she dies and the drain symbolizes it all going down the drain. This gives the audience a feeling of despair and makes us feel sad for the women and angry at the dark figure, this makes him the villain.

great expectations and pleasantville poster and annotations

Great expectations

This is the first scene in the opening, this picture shows a copy of the great expectations novel by charles dickins. This scene shows the audience that this film is based on a novel, the camera shot is over the shoulder as its looking at the book from the side of someone. The voice gives the idea of someone telling the story to us, and the way the narrator speaks is that of a first person veiw as if it was getting told from a diary or from the very person who is the boy in the novel.

 

this shows the setting of the film in the moors, at the time this film is set, there were alot of prison islands out to sea around briton, the moors were near the ocean. this area of the moors shows the area to be desolate and that there is no one around. There are also hanging posts in this part where the boy runs across, this gives us the idea that there will be criminals involved within the story. the wind is quite strong and coastal areas usually are windy.

This shows the boy walking into the graveyard, the camera shot is a medium shot and it looks as if its like someone is watching the boy walk into the graveyard. The setting is gloomy and the graveyard give the inclination that the boy is in the company of dead men, the gravestone that has the boys parents name on it shows the boy is alone.

ths shot is a close up of the boy as he is getting shaken by the criminal, the criminal is doing this to try to steal what the boy has and gets an apple. the close up of the boy shows his reaction when he is getting shaken up and down. the chains on the criminals legs act as proof that the man is a criminal and the ragged prision clothing shows that he has been in prison for a very long time.

this scene shows the aged face of the criminal as he quickly eats the apple he stole from the boy. the face of the criminal could show the fact that he has been locked up for a very long time. the manner in which he eats the apple shows that the man either the man hasnt had much more than prison food for a very long time or that he is starving after escaping prison.

key media concepts:

• Audiences:
  Mass media organisations exist to attract audiences and make money. We need to consider the way the audience interprets a text, this may depend upon race, gender, age or the class of the individual. 
  Another factor is the context in which the individual consumes the text (e.g. at home or school). Media industries may construct texts, control their circulation and target certain groups but the audience also constructs the text as they take their own meanings and control their own consumption.
• Representation:
  When we look at media texts we will consider the way in which individuals, groups and ideas are presented by the mass media.  Attitudes and beliefs might be reinforced or challenged by representations.  The mass media have a powerful influence on the way a society thinks about particular groups or issues because they present over and over again certain images and assumptions while excluding others.
• Ideology:
  An ideology is an often unconscious set of ideas, which influence the way we think about the world.  We often describe them as common sense ideas that make life workable but this should not disguise their ideological function: the formation of limits on ideas.  When we look at texts we will consider the dominant ideologies that are conveyed and identify where a dominant ideology is being challenged.
• Institutions:
  Institutions that create media texts must be considered.  A film produced by Warner Brothers will have different opportunities and resources to a small film company.  A local newspaper will have a different focus to a national newspaper.  It is important to consider the social, political and cultural context in which the organisation operates.

Forms and Conventions:

• Language:
  When we deconstruct a text we look at the language: the codes and conventions through which the various media texts convey their meaning.
• Narrative:
  Different media texts tell stories in different ways.  The study of narrative is concerned with how the story gets told.  Who is telling the story, to whom, for what reason and with what techniques?  We will be looking at patterns of narrative.
• Genre:
  The concept of genre is concerned with an audience’s expectations and understanding of the construction, style and content of a particular media text.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

key film language terms:

180 degree rule:

When shooting a scene that switches between points of view you must not cross the line that divides it into two halves.

Continuity Editing:

Editing that is consistent in its presentation of the world to ensure the audience can make sense of the narrative.

Cut – away:

A shot of any length showing something that is in visible range of the preceding shot.

Cut in:

A close up of an object or other small part of the preceding shot.

Cross-cutting :

Cutting repeatedly between two locations.

Deep focus:

All aspects of the screen can be seen.

Eyeline match:

Allows the audience to see where the character is looking.

Graphic match:

A cut emphasising something similar in the first and second images, usually by placing them in a similar screen position.

High key lighting:

Used to make the lighting seem realistic/natural

Jump cut:

A cut that the audience notices.

Low key lighting:

Creates a contrast between light and shadows

Match on action:

A cut between two angles on the same action.

Panning shot:

The camera moves slowly across from side to side

Pulling focus:

This changes the subject of focus.

Rule of thirds:

The screen is divided by two imaginary lines and the intersections are where the audience will focus their attention.

Selective focus:

Some aspects are vivid others are blurred

Shot-reverse-shot:

The point of view alternates between two opposite positions.

Tilt shot:

The camera moves up and down from a fixed axis

Tracking shot:

The camera follows the action, moving along tracks