Media Language Theory Pack Five: Postmodernism/Baudrillard

 Postmodernism/Baudrillard

Select a scene from a film with a critical postmodern element:

Film: The Matrix

The Matrix is filled to the brim with postmodern elements. For starters, the film's central premise revolves around the idea that our perceived reality is a computer simulation. The Matrix itself is already based in a hyperreal environment. This hyperreality, blurring of the lines between reality and simulation is a key characteristic of postmodernism. The narrative jumps between different realities and perspectives, using inertia, fragmenting the traditional storytelling approach. This mirrors the postmodern emphasis on multiple narratives. The film heavily uses "authenticity is impossible" as the very foundation of the Matrix is the inability to trust your senses and discern what is real. This immediately throws the idea of authenticity into the question since the stimulated world is so convincing.  

Media Language Theory Four: Structuralism/ Levi-Strauss

 Structuralism/Levi-Strauss

Select Two of the following clips and provide a paragraph Each applying the Levi-Strauss theory of Structuralism to the clip:

Clip C: They Live

First off, the purpose of this scene forces the main character, John Nada, to finally wear the sunglasses, which allow him to see subliminal messages and aliens all around him; this propels the plot forward. Structuralism argues that meaning is created through binary oppositions. In this clip, Nada is presented with the sunglasses represents "seeing" the truth, discovering the truth of our world for the first one, while Frank, resisting the glasses, represents blindness to the truth. This clip uses the functions to clearly explain ideas by showing that "seeing" represents awareness, and the ability to perceive the manipulative forces that are in control. On the other hand, "blindness" represents ignorance and conformity in being oblivious to the truth about our reality. This clear-cut binary helps the audience grasp the film's themes of hidden control and the importance of questioning our surroundings.

Clip D: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

 First and foremost, the purpose of the scene introduces the main antagonist. It dramatically unveils Doc Ock as the primary villain, establishing her ability and power almost instantly in the clip. In this clip, several binary oppositions take place. For instance, the film switches the traditional gender roles of the Spider-Man universe by portraying Doc Ock (who was created male) as female; this challenges audience expectations and adds complexity to the character. Since I have previously watched this film, I know that at this point, Doc Ock represents knowledge as she possesses a deep understanding of the collider and its implications, while Miles represents ignorance as he is completely unaware of the true threat. This binary opposite highlights Miles' journey of discovery throughout the whole film. The "to create identifiable character types" function is relevant here. The clear picture of each character's personalities helps the audience quickly understand their roles within the narrative. For instance, Doc Ock as the antagonist, a figure of fear and intellect.

Media Language Theory Three: Genre/Neale

 Genre/Neale

For each trailer, do the following:

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once:

Identify what you believe to be the film's genre- Action or Sci-Fi

Explain which of the five conventions would be best used to determine the genre, and why- 

 I believe narrative considerations because we could already sense that action will be involved in the film, therefore we will expect the narrative structure to include the set up, which introduces the main characters, the setting and conflict. We also expect to see the confrontation which escalates the conflict and the resolution, which resolves the conflict, shows the consequences, and delivers the climax.

Which elements of text genre subversion seemingly apply to the film, and how?-

Cultural effects because throughout the film we begin to see how cultural trends, Asian culture in specific, affect the style of the production. It will also allow watchers to make connections to their prior knowledge of Asian cultural trends and that will shape how they view the film.

Apply at least one aspect of genre hybridity to the film and explain how it's relevant-

Sci-fi action is the genre hybridity which offers a thrilling escape into different dimensions, where the boundaries of science and technology are pushed to their limits, causing us to question is certain things are even possible in the real world. Often, the fate of humanity is pulled into the mix.

Phantom of the Paradise:

Identify what you believe to be the film's genre-  Thriller/horror

Explain which of the five conventions would be best used to determine the genre, and why-

Character Conventions would be best used to determine the genre. Viewers can expect the film to deliver explicit character driven motifs based off the trailer. Since we can already see who the anti-hero of the film will be, we can make a judgement that the anti-hero will be the main character; and learn about the lead's tragic narrative journeys.

Which elements of text genre subversion seemingly apply to the film, and how?-

Social Context. The film draws heavily from classic gothic horror literature. Due to the Gothic horror roots, the characters are shaped to create representation that are relevant to the gothic horror literature. After doing some research, I have discovered that it takes heavy reference from the 1925 film, The Phantom of the Opera, therefore, the characters must be shaped to create the correct representation of the disfigured, masked composer who lurks in the shadows of a grand music hall. 

Apply at least one aspect of genre hybridity to the film and explain how it's relevant-

Horror/Musical is the genre hybridity. The film satirizes the music industry by using classic gothic horror literature, which represents gothic romance and tragedy; rock opera musical which has loud, expressive music, often used to comment on the narrative. This is relevant because it exposes the nature of fame and the shallowness of success in the music industry, one instance, the film often claims of the main character "selling his soul" to the music industry.

Electric Dreams:

Identify what you believe to be the film's genre- Sci-fi

Explain which of the five conventions would be best used to determine the genre, and why- 

Level of verisimilitude. Knowing that levels of verisimilitude is the degree in which a media product references the real world cam help us indicate that this film would be around sci-fi, fantasy and comedy. Only Science fiction and fantasy type films produce limited levels of verisimilitude.

Which elements of text genre subversion seemingly apply to the film, and how?-

Historical effects. By using common prior knowledge, viewers would know that computers actually became accessible to consumers as of early 1980s, and if we make the connection to the production of the film we can see that the film was released in 1984, in the peak years of when computers were commonly used. This historical event shaped the production of this film completely because it is based on the new coming of computers; since no one really knew much about them yet it creates a element of surprise throughout the film. 

Apply at least one aspect of genre hybridity to the film and explain how it's relevant-

Sci-Fi and comedy is the genre of hybridity. Often in sci-fi films fictional computers are featured, as seen in this film when the computer can speak for itself and have its own though process which heavily effects the narrative. Additionally, sci-fi often explores how technological progress affects society, showing how society reacts the upbringing of computers.

Media Language Theory Two: Equilibrium/ Todorov

 Equilibrium / Todorov

Identify at least one example of each of the following in the clip:

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Proppian characters: 

• The hero: Ethan Hunt
• The donor: Benji Dunn
• The helper: Luther Stickell
• The dispatcher: William Brandt

Equilibrium: A team struggles to remove an unwanted package off a plane, Ethan the protagonist, is needed to complete the mission.

Disruption: Benji, who works on the hacking, continues to mess up and struggles to make to correct decisions. In the process, Benji fails to open the correct door that Ethan planned on jumping into. Benji finally opens the correct door but nearly risks Ethan's life in the process.

New equilibrium: Ethan straps himself and a couple of parachutes to the wanted package and sends himself and the package flying off the plane. This originally was not the plan at first but he still managed to successfully get the package off the plane.

In media res: The action begins in the middle of the scene after Ethan finally appears to be jumping on the moving plane, which is something he should have done before the package made on board.

Multiperspective narratives: One of the opposing characters that were holding the package hostage on the plane, watches as Ethan sends himself and the package right off the plane using a parachute.

Through Equilibrium, in the first 6 minutes we were able to learn everything we needed to know about the characters, and make connection to Proppian characters. For instance, we could already tell that Luther is considered the "helper" in reference of Proppian in only his first dialogue due to him stating, "Benji needed my help". We could also see how disruption is presented as things do not go as expected with Benji's plans, as he has explained that already tried a plan A and B and both have failed. We were given a new equilibrium when Ethan appears with a last minute plan, which nearly failed because of Benji many failed attempts, but eventually became successful.

Media language Theory One: Semiotics/Barthes

 Semiotics: Roland Barthes

Examples of the each of the following in the clip: 

A Car Crash & A Harmonium, Punch-Drunk Love

Sign- the car crash and the harmonium.

Signifier- 

• The car crash that occurred after a silent moment of the sequence which could represent disruption and chaos. 
• The harmonium which is an instrument that plays gentle, romantic sounds, which could represent emotion or harmony.

Signified- 

• The crash could reflect the Barry's mental state as the scene goes from complete silence to utter destruction in moments.
• The harmonium suddenly making an appearance could suggest that even among all the chaos and destruction, love will prevail in the end.

Denotative meaning- 

• car crash: an instance of a car colliding with another vehicle or with an object.
• harmonium: a keyboard instrument in which the notes are produced by air driven through metal reeds by foot operated bellows.

Connotative meaning-

• car crash: to describe something or someone that has suffered ruin or calamity
• harmonium: to represent harmony, peace and intimacy

Code- the desk placed in the corner, the empty warehouse, the cluttered desk, car crash, and sudden appearance of the harmonium.

Semiotic is the study of signs and codes or sign systems and after analyzing the clip I realized that it heavily uses semiology. The scene would not be nearly as impacted if it only showed the car crash, therefore, by placing the harmonium (contrasting with the car crash), the sequence creates an unforgettable experience that would have the audience thinking back to it and make connections with the rest of the film. It also gives the audience a glimpse into Barry's complex character without using any type of dialogue. The isolated work place represented his loneliness and social anxiety, moreover the car crash represents his aggression filled emotions. However, the harmonium appearing represents his yearning for love and peace and most likely foreshadows that he will find love in the end.

Blog post five: Depth of Field

 

Depth of field 

1.  stills from existing media that demonstrate the following:

a. a still showing how deep is used to convey conflict, character, or development 

                                                                      Joker 2019

b. a still showing how shallow is used to convey conflict, character, or development 

                                                     Avatar: The Way of Water 2022

c. a still showing how soft is used to convey conflict, character, or development 

 

Harry potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009

2. stills you create that demonstrate the following:

a. a still showing how deep is used to convey conflict, character, or development 

                                    

b. a still showing how shallow is used to convey conflict, character, or development 

                                    

c. a still showing how soft is used to convey conflict, character, or development 

3. reflection

Creating the still photos presented several challenges, particularly in achieving stills for a soft focus. The main difficulty was in balancing the focus to make sure that the image was clear enough to be recognizable, yet soft enough to create the artistic effect. This really required for me to create a deep understanding of the camera's aperture and shutter speed settings, as well as the ability to manually adjust the focus. Another challenge was in selecting right lenses but since I only had my iPhone 14, I was limited to only a few default options. I was considering installing a lens app that places addon camera lenses but I wanted to see what I could achieve with just the default lens on my camera app. Additionally, I had be careful of the lighting conditions to avoid any harsh shadows or overexposure, which could destroy the idea of the soft focus effect. Despite all these challenges I believe I did okay to capture the soft focus look and the deep and shallow focus look.