Spooks Opening Sequence

Media Audiences:


The opening sequence uses a number of enigma codes to appeal to a weekday mainstream audience. To start of with we are shown a girl skipping on the street. We no nothing else about the girl. Who she is? Where she's from? What significance she has to the programme. Moreover, We are shown a male and a female (possibly a couple) sitting outside another couples house in a car watching their house. Why are they doing this? What are they up to? What do they have against the couple? Furthermore, they're not speaking in english but a whole other language. We are given subtitles so we know what they are saying but we are left pondering upon why it is that they are not speaking in english but a foreign language. Other ways in which the opening sequence appeals to a weekday mainstream audience is the characters habits. Both characters are half dressed and presumebly late. This could reflect the mainstream audience in their day to day activities. Therefore, this wouold make them want to watch the programme and they feel that they would be able to conform with the characters. Additionally, some characters are seated in fancy sports cars and this may attract the attention of the programmes target audience. They would be interested in the veachile and would view the programme to see what its all about. Why are the characters in this car? Are they secret agents? Criminals? or jus really rich!? This would most probably be targeted at audiences of an age bracket from 14 years and older. This is due to the fact that it does not seem so explicit therefore a wider range of audiences could view the programme.





Media Institutions:


Before the opening sequence even opens we are made aware of the institution which in this case is the BBC. If the BBC is airing this show on their television network then it most probably not nonly entertains the audience but informs and educates them too. This suggests that there may be some sense of realism within the programme.



Media Forms:

The codes and conventions of a typical opening sequence are used in order to draw the audiences attention into the programme so that they are hooked after the first two or three minutes and continue to watch the programme. This particular opening sequence draws the audience in with the use of enigma codes. I have mentioned the enigma codes above in the Media Audiences section. The audience will want to continue on watching the programme as they would want to know why is it that all these things are occuring within the programme. Furthermore, the narrative plays a key role in the opening sequence as we want to know why it is that intitially the man lies to the woman. Also, the woman appears to be materalistic as she asks the man what he got her for her birhtday. He replies by saying "dont worry. I kept the receipt". This suggests she may be abit controlling and always thinks that she knows what is best. Both characters are fixing up the kitchen now. Why? Prehaps they had a late night. They are probably a young couple. Or may be they are rebelious. Moreover, why did that couple in particular ruin the lives of the other two people seated in the car (who we are yet to find out if they are a couple or not). This may be a case of good and bad.

Media Representations:

The location is represented as this quiet, suburban street which may be located in a small tranquil town.In the opening sequence, a small girl is displayed on the screen skipping on a rope by herself on the street, the character is stereotypically represented as an innocent young child, one that couldn't possibly bring any harm to an individual. The couple in the opening sequence are also represented as a young, happy couple. The female is represented as this happy-go-lucky, carefree character who is in a good relationship. The man is represented as a somewhat corporate type character but at the same time retains that stereotypical label of an 'average Joe'. This is shown as he isn't a completly organised man as he doesn't look completly formal, for example when his wife says he's wearing different socks, plus, judging by his clothes, he refuses to wear a tie and has his top button undone, thus showing us an 'average Joe' character.This young, friendly couple are contrasted with another couple, however the couples are nothing alike. This particular couple also seem to be in a relationship but a loveless relationship, this is shown when the woman tells the man that the young couple still love each other. There is also this potentionally offensive stereotype that this couple may be considered to be 'terrorists' this is because they speak in foreign language which obviously means english isn't their first language. They speak very vaguely of their past about how 'they' destroyed their world and are prepared to destory 'our' world. One can only deduce that this couple lead an entirely different life and came from a third world country.There is a clear contrast between the two couples shown here as the director has produced a reflection of reality as these couple may infact lead very similar lifestyles that people could very easily feel connected with even if one of the couples has a rather extremist ideology on society.

MEST 1 Questions to Use When Analysing a Text; Answers

Straight away from looking at the image one would think that the woman is being portrayed as a sex object. The mise-en-scene's connotations are that the background image is red and the colour red connotes danger, blood and murder. The woman is the dominant image of the picture. This suggests that she has a major role or part to play in the video game. To add to this there is a gunshot in her head which further supports her dominaniton as a main character. The bullet in her head shows that she is obviously dead. The line "beautifully executed" shows that the murder was accurate and planned. Though, this shows that the murder had no pleasure in killing her and wanted to get the murder done and dusted with, therefore indicating the person who killed her is a hitman. Since the dominant image of the picture is a woman, we can infer that the target audience for this video game are predominantley males. Teenage males to be more specfic. The target audience may enjoy the image/ picture since there is an attractive woman on the cover and this may persuade them to go out and buy the video game. The image is eye-catching and this would attract the audience to view the picture. The video game 'Hitman' most probably would come under a gangster/ action genre. The woman shown as the central image relates well to the genre as the male dominant characters in these types of video games and even movies have attractive ladys acompanying them. This re-inforces the idea of patriarchy. The respresentation of the woman is obviously unfair, innacurate and sexist as she is being protrayed as a sex object. 'Cidos' is the institution that distrubted the video game and this is shown on the picture/ image. The text is being distrubted through games consoles and the consoles that the game is available on are all enlisted at the bottom of the picture/ image. These are playstation 2, xbox and PC. Theres an 18 certificate on the image/ picture which shows what age group is suitable and appropriate to play the video game. Nevertheless, people below the age group would most probably purchase the product because they would want to conform with others.

Music Video Analysis

"Straight Outta Compton" serves as rap group N.W.A's debut video single and was pivital in creating the genre commonly known as "gangsta rap". The video starts off with producer Dr.Dre warning the audience that they are about to view hardcore African-American street culture during that time (early 90's). Each rapper is then exposed to the audience via a verse and during their performance take the audience on a walk through their "hood", Compton,CA. The rappers' reputation as street gangsters is demonstrated through their clothes (e.g. baseball caps), their flashing of guns and their "pimped" out cars. Furthermore their street credibility is boasted by the police chasing them throughout the entire duration of the video. This video primarly targets the grades D/E/F audience bracket as they are most likely to relate to the situations surrounding the rappers. For example, running from the police, thieving, murder and other forms of criminal activity. The video is mainly targeted at males as there is not a female in sight and most of the lyrics are masculine and male orientated. (E.g. in the last verse lead rapper Eazy-E claims he doesn't "give a f*** about a b****" because he "ain't no s*cka").

Analysis of a clip from "Superbad"

"Superbad" is an American comedy film that was released in the summer of 2007. It falls under the sub-genre of a teen-movie and deals with typical teenage high school issues such as maturing, sex and drugs, much like other movies that come under the same category. For example "American Pie", "John Tucker Must Die" and "The Girl Next Door" to name a few. The film proved to be a critical and commercial success and it is the highest domestic grossing high school comedy of all time!

Narrative:
The narrative of these types of movies is predictable. The protagonist of the film almost always serves as an underdog. He falls for a girl much higher up in the high school social ladder, therefore in order to get her to notice him he trys to impress her in a number of different ways. For example, purchasing alcohol. There is a narritive moment in any type of film and in teen-movies it is what can be considered as the funniest part of the film. This is when the main character usually makes a fool out of himself. After some struggle and more often than not at a party, the guy manages to get his girl in a 'happily ever after' ending.

Characters:
All three characters portrayed in the clip are common stereotypes found in most teen-movies. Fogell is the Geek, Seth is the Rebel and Evan the protagonist (underdog). Their roles are represented through their actions and behaviour. Seth is aggresive and loud. It is clear that he asked Fogell to get a fake ID therefore presenting him as the ring leader of the trio demonstrating his rebelious nature. Fogell gives into pressure and tends to 'mess up' to a certain degree. This is shown by him purchasing the fake ID and using a fake name with an excessivly high exaggerated age. Evan's role is not depicted greatly though he is represented as being calm and hopeful and breaks up any tension in the group. This indicates he may have the lead role.

Iconography:
The iconic elements associated with the movie in this particular clip include drugs. In this case the drug being abused is alcohol. The 3 boys attempt to use a fake ID to purchase alcohol to give to the girl that Evan is 'in love with' and by doing this Evan would 'impress' her to a certain degree. Furthermore, the 3 boys appear to be standing outside of the school building. This represents the fact that they are teenagers from high school. From the fact that 3 boys who are in high school have purchased a fake ID to buy alcohol, viewers can connote they may be buying the alcohol to get girls drunk in order to sleep with them. This brings up the the idea of Sex (another element associated with the movie). Also they may be committing all these actions at a House party (another element associated with the movie).

Setting:
The setting of the scene is just outside of a highschool building. This shows that the characters are definatley teenagers hence the film being categorised as a "teen-movie".

"Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" - Film Poster Analysis

In the theatrical poster for the film “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” there are a number of connotations that the audience can gather. The Mis en scene involves Harold and Kumar in broad daylight behind a steel cage in orange jump suits. This suggests that somewhere in the movie the dynamic duo is arrested and put in prison – hence the sub title of the film – “Escape from Guantanamo Bay”. The title of the film is revealed and illustrated in two different sizes. “HAROLD & KUMAR” is blown up and one would easily be able to read their names from a distance, though the sub title – “ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY” is written in a smaller font. This emphasises the importance of the characters in comparison with the location in which the film is set it.

The characters are both represented as ethnic minorities of Asian decent. This advocates that the film would probably predominantly target those of a similar nature.

Both characters share parallel impressions on their faces. They are both expressionless. Moreover, the fact that Kumar has one of his hands on the steel cage, represents their escape from the jungle prison land that is recognized as Guantanamo Bay. Both characters also have rough hair, meaning that they were potentially harassed during their time in the prison.

The lighting of the film poster appears to be rather bright. This implies that the movie does not have a dull moment in it, and even if the pair are faced with unorthodox positions (such as being put in prison), they always manage to turn things around and pull through indicating the situations that they are put in to are never took seriously.

Towards the bottom of the film poster (in even smaller print), a message reads “this time their running from the joint”. The use of “this time” signifies that this film is a sequel to a previous in a Harold & Kumar series.

Cross Media Case Study

‘Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay’ is a 2008 action adventure comedy film that serves as a sequel to its predecessor ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’. It primarily targets audiences that are infatuated by cannabis and/or those who are of an ethnic minority (in particular of Asian origin) living a western lifestyle. This is because Harold and Kumar are clearly from an ethnic minority living in a foreign land and therefore audience members who are too, would find it easier to relate to some of the predicaments the twosome find their selves in (Such as smoking marijuana). The trailer brings a sense of catharsis to the viewers as it depicts the sub-conscious feelings of many United States citizens towards the Asian community. This is portrayed by the constant use of labelling and stereotypical behaviour demonstrated by the American people to their Asian counterparts in the film presuming that all of them are terrorists. One example of this occurring in the film is in the second scene that we are shown. An elderly lady sees Kumar and pictures him with a turban and long beard, obviously assuming that he is a terrorist. She then proceeds to scream out “Terrorist!” which has a massive effect on the rest of the travellers who then break out in a frenzy hoping to escape from an expected explosion. Harold’s character is not protected either from the conventional American views towards those of any ethnic minority. As Harold is of East Asian decent, he resembles the visual of a Korean, and is therefore labelled as one by the airport security. Consequently, he too with Kumar is taken into custody and it is thought that “North Korea and Al-Qaeda are working together” to destroy the United States as they were/are both enemies of the patriotic nation. Vicarious living is also addressed in the trailer and is illustrated by Harold and Kumar’s wild and exaggerated behaviour leaving the viewer contemplating on how astounding it would be if they were in a similar position! An example of this is when Harold and Kumar break out of jail and find themselves at a nude “bottomless” party that they somehow ended up in.

There are a number of camera shots and techniques used throughout the trailer. The most common of these camera shots would have to be the “slide shot”. The “slide shots” are used to introduce a variety of different scenes from the film. They are used in conjunction with the background music as they are both fast paced and racy. This matches the mood of the film, as there never seems to be a dull moment in it. The first scene of the film that we are introduced to in the trailer is the potential turning point in the narrative. Harold and Kumar are on their way to Amsterdam, but at the airport, Kumar is stopped and searched for a random security check. He finds this offensive as he feels that because of his brown coloured skin and Indian origin, he is being labelled as a possible terrorist by airport security. This demonstrates alleged racial profiling by the American people in their own country towards those of a South Asian decent, as they supposedly portray all of them as terrorists. Around half a minute in to the trailer, we are then made aware of the distributers, publishers and producers of the film which in this case happen to be New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.

The film appears to explore a number of settings from the jungle prison land of Guantanamo Bay to the carefree party land of Miami, Florida. It also gives a comical insight in to how prisoners situated at Guantanamo Bay are really treated. This is given exposure when one of the guards asks the troublesome pair if they “like to spoon?” Once the main plot of the film is touched upon in the trailer, a slight insight is given in to what the main characters are like. Harold is depicted as the typical Asian student, clever and cautious ensuring that he does not find himself in troubling situations. Kumar appears to be the opposite of what stereotypes would label Asian students as. He is not that bright, and seems to always land the duo in to dangerous yet exciting adventures that they both have to find a way of escaping from.

Self Evaluations

Attainment: 2
I would give myself a 3 for my Attainment level as i feel my work could be in greater detail and done to a better standard. I will ensure that I improve upon this point in the near future. Also I have missed one or two lessons which will set my media knowledge back a couple of lessons.

Effort: 2
I would give myself a 2 for my Effort level based on the fact that I complete all tasks set on time and tend to contribute hear and there when involved in class discussions.

Punctuality: 2
I would give myself a 2 for my Punctuality level due to the fact that I am almost always in minus 1 or two lessons. Plus I have never been late for any Mr. Bush Media Studies lesson this year and i intend to keep it that way.

Submission and Quality of Homework: 2
I would give myself a 2 for the Submission and Quality of Homework that I submit. The reason I have given myself a 2 rather than a 1 is because even though my work is completed to a reasonably good standard it could be better. Also all work should be handed in on time and admitedly I have failed in doing so on previous occasions.

Ability to work Independantly: 1
The reason I have given myself a 1 for my Ability to work Independantly is because I feel that I simply work much better alone in comparison to working in a group, particularly in Media Studies. This is because I thoroughly enjoy the subject and prefer to put my own idea's to work rather than other peoples. Also, in my opinion one can produce more in depth and detailed research when working alone in comparison to when working in a group. Furthermore, I believe myself to be a confident person when working alone as oppose to working in a group due to my lack of communication skills.

Quality of Writing: 1
I would give myself a 1 for my Quality of Writing. I believe my work is most of the time in great detail and when done by hand extremely neat. Also, as I am an English Literature student therefore my vocabulary is brilliant.

Organisation of Media Studies folder: 2
I would give myself a 2 for the Organisation of my Media Studies folder. This is because all my work done in lesson and out (homework) is all in there. I gave myself a 2 instead of a 1 because everything is in the folder, but not compiled together neatly.

Oral Contribution: 2
I gave myself a 2 for my Oral Contribution. Although I tend to contribute in class discussions, I feel that I do not put enough emphesis on my point when needed and this is why I deserve a 2 as oppose to a 3. Also, I do not contribute in every lesson which I actually should be doing.

WWW (WHAT WENT WELL):
- We were fully introduced to the Media Studies subject for AS Level.
- We've had the privalige to set up our own blogs.
- We have the opportunity of being taught by Mr. Bush. The man that actually introduced Media Studies to Greenford High School.

EBI (EVEN BETTER IF)
- We start our practical production earlier than planned. (It's the most exciting task you get to undertake in the Media Studies course period.
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