SPIDERMAN ANALYSIS

Identify two ways in which the narrative (characters and events) in the extract fit the AA genre

This extract is a hybrid of two genres; action and adverture and superhero's. This extract is from the classic super hero film: Spiderman. This scene shows speed and motion as it is a chase scene. There is speed as the police and Spiderman (protagonists) are chasing the car hijacker (antagonist) down the busy streets of New York. Another example of speed and motion is when Spiderman swings from the tall skyscrapers of New York using the webs attached to his wrists. We can tell it is his first time as numerous times he nearly falls or bashes into nearby buildings. This is another example why this film fits into the AA genre as it also has suspense and jeopardy when he is swinging from buiding to building and then the speed and motion for the speed of the police chase.

This extract also fits into the AA genre through the characters. I think that the characters in this extract fit in well when the Action and Adventure genre and it is clear to see the protagonist and the antagonist. So it is clear to see from the start that spider man is the protagonist (hero) as he ticks all the boxes of being a hero in the AA genre. We can see he is the protagonist as he has impressive super powers that enable him to climb vertically on skyscrapers walls and swing from building to building with speed and agility by using webs just like a spider does. Another way to tell that he is a hero is because he doesn't use any violence necessarily as he hasn't gone out to kill the villain but to help him fall into the hands of the law (police). Having these characterists helps him fall into the classic superhero character. On the other hand it is clear the see the antagonist in this extract, the villain is the one to shoot Spiderman's uncle after hijacking his car in a way of escaping and being able to steal his car. This is a key code of being an antagonist in the AA genre as he has killed an innocent pedestrian and then trying to escape from the police, when this happens it is very clear to tell who is the antagonist in the extract. Having a hero and a villain shows that it fits the theme of being a 'good vs evil' film and this is another key element of being an action and adventure film. The protagonist always wins which is another key element of the AA genre as the hero always wins. At the end of this extract we see the antagonist go into a pile of rubbish and the car stops which lets the police catch up to him and that wouldn't of happened without the hero; Spiderman.

COMPARATIVE ESSAY: SO FAR...

A comparison of how women are represented in fragrance advertisement from the 1920s, 1960s and 2013

Bourjois Mais Oui (1920s, France)

My first advertisement for ‘Boujois Mais Ouis’ creates a representation of a woman who is glamorous, elegant and upper class.

By targeting the consumer it says at the top ‘it’s you’ which shows aspiration and how it can drag the audience into buying the perfume. The brand messages stem partly from the French name as although Elizabeth Arden is an American brand, a French name connotes sexiness, glamour and sophistication.

This advert is also very feminine by putting the background at a pastel pink.

This advert is from the 1920s, I chose this advert because it targets the consumer to share the fantasy of the woman by buying this perfume.

The big hair, tiny waists and the out-going dresses are very elegant which is saying that if you buy the perfume you will be shown as a very elegant woman and of high class.

Dana Ambush (print, 1965)

This advert contrasts with the Bourjois advert because the women in the adverts are represented in different ways. The word ‘ambush’ positions the woman as a sexual predator who can trap a man into falling for her.

The word ‘ambush’ means to make a surprise attack on someone or something from a concealed position and the graphics clearly express an ambush. On a denotive level, the woman is represented as hiding behind the statue in a concealed position.

On a connative level, by hiding behind the statue she represents herself as a warrior in the art of war (that is, the battle to seduce a man and win his heart) as she intends to trap men through her beauty; one of her weapons is her fragrance which is her lure. This shows that if you wear this fragrance you will embody the qualities of this woman and gain self-confidence.

The statue the woman is hiding behind is the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike. This ties in with the slogan ‘from the goddess of fragrance’. The victory the woman has is the battle of the heart and she won it by seduction, by wearing this perfume.

This advert was created in 1965, which was during the feminist era when women considered themselves more on an equal footing with men in all areas including dating and sexual equality. The woman is represented as powerful and able to make men do what she wants. Goddesses in mythology made men do as they wanted because they had powers and could control them. This woman’s smile and eye contact shows her confidence with the consumer and is an indication of her self-assurance.

This contrasts with the Bourjois advert in which the woman is turned away from us and is almost in a dream world of her own and not confronting the target buyers. Although we cannot see what she is wearing, her hair is short and sleek unlike the Bourjois model who certainly couldn’t undertake any action packed adventure in her extremely elaborate bouffant evening hair style. Natalie Portman takes the self-confidence to a new level because of the way she represents herself with her posture- being very loose and free but also very strong, her hair is very loose but also tidy which also shows self-assurance as she knows her hair will get wet from the water of the fountain but she is confident she can still capture a man into falling for her.

Miss Dior Advert (2013, France)

For my third and final advertisement, I chose the moving image Natalie Portman Miss Dior: ‘La vie en rose’ advert from 2013. This advert has very similar qualities to the other two and even though it is recent, it still shows the elegant and assertive qualities that each other advert embodies- it is still using all of these qualities.

This moving image advertisement stars Natalie Portman to be the model which is using celebrity endorsement. Natalie Portman is a well-known woman for her beauty and also her

The first screenshot I chose from the Miss Dior ‘La Vie En Rose’ advert is when she is by the fountain. I chose this because she is having fun and she is not worried about getting her hair wet because she’s got the ‘Dior’ perfume to help her. She is also wearing a strapless black dress which shows how she can gain elegance (even though it’s going to get wet) by wearing this perfume.

The second screenshot I chose was when the beautiful Natalie Portman walks down the stairs in her elegant ball gown, with her hair neatly done. This moment is almost like a Cinderella moment as she is walking down the stairs in her ball gown with her man waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. However, she is holding her shoes which show that she is laid back and ready to not walk slowly but skip down the stairs to get to her prince charming. This shot looks like it’s almost through pink tinted spectacles because her gown is a very light pink and the walls are washed with pink and everything looks very light and appealing to the eye. This is basically saying that if you get the Miss Dior perfume your life will be seen through pink tinted spectacles.

In my final screenshot, it shows Natalie Portman in black and white whereas the perfume bottle is shown in colour. This ties in with the name of the advert ‘La Vie En Rose’ which means ‘life in pink’. This is saying that if you buy this perfume your life will turn into a light pink, a relaxed colour and not be dull in black and white.

The name of this particular advert is called ‘la vie en rose’- this means ‘life in pink’ which ties in with this moving image advert very well because everything seem to be a light pink; the walls, her dress, flowers and the color of the actual perfume. It’s almost as if they Natalie Portman is telling you to see things through pink tinted spectacles. Pink is a very feminine color and as she is representing this color she also lures the man in by her beauty and her scent.

ADVERT 1; ADVERT AND ANALYSIS

PHOTOGRAPHY RECAP

In Wednesday's media lesson we were asked to do some photos for our advert. These are not my final images but they are test shots that I took, however I do like a few of them which I may consider using. I used my iPhone 5 camera whilst Flo rode her pennyboard down the triangle in a red checkered shirt and her skort. Ryan and Eddie also did this for me in their school uniform just to get a feel on whether I will choose a boy or girl target audience. It was quite hard to capture good photos whilst the riders were on the actual pennyboard. As I said these are not my final shots but attached are a few I may consider using.

I have also attached a thumbnail of all the photos I took on Wednesday's lesson.

MY PLANS FOR NEXT WEDNESDAYS SHOOT FOR MY OWN FRAGRANCE ADVERTISEMENTS

Next Wednesday I plan on taking my test shots for my fragrance advertisments.

For my first shot I plan on going to the woods with a pair of denim shorts, white vest, red chekered shirt, white vans, Dr Dre beats and possibly a guitar. This advert will be quite 'indie' as it will be in the woods and very casual and my target audience will be teenagers.

My second advertisment will also be a quite 'indie' theme as it will be a girl riding a pennyboard and wearing the same as in the first shot, I will take this on the triangle as the road is easier to ride on and where I can't get anycars or things that may clutter the background.

HERO ANALYSIS

We watch the AA exam extract from Hero and analyse it using the exam questions:

1. mise-en-scene, camerawork, sound and editing

PREP Watch the extract again at home LINK HERE and write up aspects of the analysis on your blog.

The close up shot was the shot that mostly caught my eye. You get close ups of Jet Li and Donnie Yen’s faces which deepens the battle and the overall experience for the audience. It deepens this fight scene because we get a closer look at their faces which makes their real emotions and facial expressions more visible which means that the audience are able to relate to the characters better.

The main aspect of mise-en-scene I chose was the weapons that Jet Li and Donnie Yen are using. These weapons are a clear code for battle which immediately sets the suspense and jeopardy mood for the battle. The type of weapons they are using are very authentic and cultural and stereo-typically Chinese which gives us a clue to where the fight is and what kind of warriors these men are and what exactly they are fighting for.

The diegetic, metallic sound of the weapons hitting each other makes the battle sound more authentic as you can actually hear the sounds of the battle happening. It also deepens the battle because it makes it sound more realistic, helping to engage the viewer.

The main piece of editing that caught my eye was the slow motion of the raindrops. This creates a sense of suspense but also adds to the atmosphere. The slow motion of this allows the viewer to actually see the raindrops falling into bowls. This also creates a sense of peace and beauty in this calm environment.

SOUNDS IN SERENITY

In the film Serenity the music is used to create many effects which a sci-fi should excel on and Serenity defiantly did this. For my first at which the use of sound creates an intense atmosphere, begins right at the beginning of the scene when the rebels are getting ready as they are about to undertake the mission of going to raid the factory in a remote yet futuristic city. The sounds that were being played were the sounds of weapons and tools being bashed together and the sounds of welding and cranks. Behind all of this is a bit of simplistic music with percussion to give it that sense of jeopardy along with that beat it give it that sense of tension that something big is about to happen and it’s all leading up to a precise moment at which it will strike. Going back to the point of the sound of weaponry we can hear the sounds of the different sort of guns being loaded into a box on the ship and the metallic sound over powering the music behind it. This makes the viewer feel as if they are preparing for something and makes you not want to mess with them as they mean business.

Later on in the scene is that part when the rebels are frantically flying away from the invaded city and the sounds of the machine guns being fired are over powering the sound of the heavy beat be played alongside it. Abbreviating this point even further the different sounds of the guns firing also adds to the spectacle of the fight scene and gives it the sense of conflict between the heroes and villains as the rebels are facing threatening danger and are in jeopardy and the music signifies this extensively.