Macro and Micro Elements

Micro Elements

• Mise-En Scene
• Cinematography
• Editing
• Sound

Macro Elements

• Narrative
• Genre
• Representation
• Audience
• Industry

Common Factors used in Genre

Horror

• Victims
• Blood
• Weapons
• Murder
• Demons
• Ghosts
• The unexplained
• Atmostpheric music
• Prolonged violence
• Chase Scenes
• Suspence
• Hidden identities

Crime Drama

• Police
• Guns
• Baddies
• Mysteries
• Forensics 
• Twists
• Authority
• Chase sequences
• Moral dilemas
• Drugs
• Gangs

Romantic Comedy 

• Love
• Hurdles to overcome
• Unrequited love
• Cringe
• Childrens

Representation

'The description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way' 

Understanding representation is all about understanding the choices that are made when it comes to portraying something or someone in a mass media text. 

When looking at representation:

What kind of world is being constructed?

How are steretypes used as shorthand to represent certain groups of people?

Who is in control of the text? Whose idea and values are expressed through the representation?

How will audiences respond to the representation in the text? Who is the audience of the text?

Narrative Structures

The Three Act Structure

1. The narrative is set up establishing where the action is taking place
2. main character is faced by obsticle
3. all subplots are resolved and the main character achieves there goal

Todorov Structure

1. equilibrium
2. action disrupts the equilibrium
3. quest to restore equilibrium
4. narrative moves to climaxkl
5. equilibrium restored

Short Film Analysis

'Gridlock'

Mise-en-scene

Snow fall (cold, gloomy atmosphere), business man, anchorage shot of mans mouth, glasses, exec car, pills (stress, prescribed).


'Over Slept'
Cinamatography

POV running, camera movement when walking into station, close up of hands when he helped up the girl, low angle of his feet when putting on shoes, lots of panning.
Static shots when talking to girl, could be showing that he was calm when he was with her, and forgot about his troubles.

'There's a party everyone will be there'
Sound

cut in sound track when kid was smoking weed, sound effect of the kettle, no diegetic sound into diegetic, sound bridge of phone ringing,  

'The Lunch Date'
Editing

cutting between the two people when they where sharing the salad - showed the connection, not revealed that she was eating the wrong salad until the end, slow pace at the beggining - pick up after collision, editing helps to play on stereotypes, slow pace and black and white makes the film seem older than it is, lots of fades to black.

Macro Analysis 

'Panic Attack'
Genre

Survival/apocalipse films, amature footage, sci-fi- special effects - robots - spaceships, action - handheld camera - exposions - public panic - fast editing

'Crackerbag'
Representation

Enclosed in her own world, children where alone, single parent familys not working,