Micro and Macro Elements

Micro

·        Mise en scene

·        Sound

·        Editing

·        Cinematography (angles, movement, positions)

Macro

·        Narrative

·        Representation

·        Audience

·        Genre

 

Hegemony

Hegemony is the spreading of dominant ideologies through culture, through media platforms etc.

An example of hegemony is the view of dominant males and women being in lower roles, with less significance (the domestic stereotype - having to stay at home and look after children). 

After this technique is repeatedly used in the media, people generally start to believe it and follow it as a perspective. 

Example:

1960's 'Flash' advertisement. The hegemonist view of male superiority and women as domestic housewives was especially used during the 1960's and 70's. 

 Flash is a cleaning product, and a woman is stereotypically being used, shown as a house wife, being the one carrying out cleaning.

This advertisement shows that after 50 years, the domestic representation of women is still being used in cleaning product advertisements.

Representation of Ethnicity in TV Drama

Clip taken from 'EastEnders'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heA414lv6gc

Clip taken from 'Compulsion'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzlH70WpO3c&list=PLlmwxYjllyYozkpd5FDZokVfF3yX_mD_w

Clip taken from 'Doctors'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03f5yc9/Doctors_Series_15_Control/

Mice-en-scene

The dominant in this shot is the protagonist as attention is first drawn to her. This is because of a number of things including the shallow depth of focus, where the girl is the only object in focus, therefore stands out more than objects in the background. This means that the depth of field is shallow. Also, her size is superior over other objects present in the frame, as well as the lighting being focused on her; her face is lit up which accentuates her expression, and makes the rest of the shot appear gloomy and not as bright. This is part of the lighting key, which in this shot is mostly high key but with some aspects of high contrast. Lastly, she is the dominant as the colour she is wearing, red, stands out. 
There is colour symbolism in the shot also, where red, the colour of blood, connotes horror and gore, linking to the scenery she is in, a grave yard, connecting to death. Red contrasts with the rest of the colours in the shot since it is a bright assertive colour, compared to the dark and dull colours in the frame, such as grey and brown. 

The camera shot is this still is medium shot as the character is shown from the waist up. Medium shots mean that the camera is quite close to the action, and close enough to see the characters emotions, as well as her body language. The angle is neutral because the shot has been taken at eye level (most shots are taken at this level). The frame isn’t very dense since it is quite simple - there is not much in the frame, accept one character and one main object, the grave stone, which is also the subsidiary contrast, as the audience turn their attention to this object second (after the character). The fact that the object is in the frame suggests that it an important component and it establishes the relationship between the character and her surroundings. The frame is moderately loose as the character has room to move around within the shot. 

In terms of character position, she has been placed close to the left edge of the frame which, although she is the dominant, lowers her significance as this area is farthest from the center of the screen. The reason for this placement is that it could be trying to create a sense of disorientation, as the shot looks uneven. Her staging position is full-front, giving a sense of intimacy, since the protagonist is looking in the direction of the audience, inviting their complicity. The composition is quite diagonal based as the gravestone is turned at an angle, suggesting tension or anxiety, which links with the expression of the characters face. 

Shot types from TV Dramas

Establishing Shot

'Downton Abby'

Crane Shot

'Eastenders'

Point-of-View (POV) Shot

'Orphan Black'

High Angle Shot

'Downton Abby'

Canted Angle 

'Waterloo Road'

Deep Focus

'Eastenders'

Over Shoulder Shot

'River City'

Shallow Focus

'River City'

Close Up

'Orphan Black'

Head-On Shot

'Homeland'