Film Studies - My Left Foot

Film Studies  - My Left Foot

The film my left foot is a perfect example of the views from a famous Russian media theorist called Vladimir Propp. He identified 32 categories of action and over 30 character types who have a specific function within a narrative piece. Some of those function are:

1.    The Hero - who seeks something.
2.    The Villain  - who hinders or is in competition with the hero.
3.    The donor  - who provides some kind of magic or helps the hero.
4.    The helper  -  who aids the hero in his or her quest.
5.    The heroine  - princess who acts as a reward for the hero.
6.    The dispatcher  -  sends the hero on his/her way.
7.    The false hero  -  disrupts the hero’s quest and hopes to gain praise.
8.    The princess/heroine’s father  - who rewards the hero for his/her efforts.

In the film My Left Foot the characters have a number of different rolls to play and fit into the functions of Propp’s theory. Christy Brown played by Daniel Day Lewis is the main character in the piece and suffers from cerebral palsy. He could be considered as the hero in this film. He simply seeks to be accepted equally in society but the film is set in a very poor Ireland in the 1940’s – 1950’s were people with a sickness are looked upon as being inadequate or a cripple. Throughout the film Christy saves the family in a number of different ways. He helps his mother after falling down the stairs, he saves the money from burning in the tin, he helps to steal coal for the family and by the end of the film, he is making a lot of money from his work.

The villain in the film could be considered as a number of different people or the disease that Christy suffers from. Christy’s main obstacle he faces is his crippling disease (cerebral palsy). He is in constant battle from day to day to communicate with his family. At one point we learn that Christy’s father can’t even understand his own son due to his illness.  On the other hand the character Eileen played by Brenda Fricker was portrayed as having her own interest at heart more so than Christy’s. She came across as being very miss leading and at one point she tells Christy that she loves him and in doing so lets him believe it could be real love. Later on in the film we learn Eileen is engaged and due to get married to a man called peter.

The donor function can also be applied to Eileen. She may of lead Christy to believe that love could blossom but without her help and speech therapy Christy would have been unable to communicate and realize his potential as an artist and writer.



The helper function could be applied to almost every character within the film. His whole family especially his mother believed in Christy’s ability and they all chipped in to include Christy in everyday life as much as possible. His siblings included him in games of football, his father stood up for him and brought him to the pub on his shoulder and his mother always believed that Christy had something special. Eileen could be considered as the main helper due to the fact she specialized in helping people who suffer from cerebral palsy.

The heroine function could be applied mainly to Christ’s mother. She is Christy’s backbone throughout the film. Christy’s father was a typical male for that period of time in Ireland and he demanded to be respected in his house even if it was by means of violence but Christy’s mother was always on hand to defuse the situation. At one point in the film Christy’s mother refers to Christy as being her heart thus showing her strong love for her son. At various points in the film Christy suffers set backs such as depression and difficult living conditions but Christy’s mother pulls the family through and at one point she single handedly begins to build a room for Christy at the back of the house. The rest of the family comes home and they all chip in with the work. At this point of the movie the family seem to be at their happiest.

The dispatcher function could be applied to a combination of Eileen and Christy. Although a lot of people helped Christy throughout the film, he had to work extremely hard to over come a crippling disease. We could see from an early point in the film that Christy was extremely determined with great strength and drive. With Eileen’s specialist knowledge of how to help people with cerebral palsy and Christy’s hardworking attitude they both managed to over come Christy’s sickness and release Christy’s full creative potential.

The false hero function is the most difficult to apply to any character in this film. No one really benefits a great deal from Christy’s new found fame apart from Eileen but towards the end of the movie Eileen and Christy are both happily in love with their partners. It could be argued that Eileen was considered to have taken the credit for Christy’s work at the exhibition but at no point do we really see Christy or his family having any issues with this.   

The princess is Mary, we learn very little about Mary until near the end of the film. Christy asks her out on a date and she turns him down at on point but later in the film we learn she stayed to watch Christy’s exhibition of work. After the exhibition Mary joins Christy in a showfer driven car and they go to have a picnic on a mountain over looking Dublin.

Film Editing Definition

Film Editing Definition

Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling. Film editing is the only art that is unique to cinema, separating filmmaking from other art forms that preceded it (such as photography, theater, dance, writing, and directing), although there are close parallels to the editing process in other art forms like poetry or novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the "invisible art" because when it is well practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not even aware of the editor's work.

Film Studies - Editing Techniques

Film Studies  -  Camera Shots

As part of my film studies class I reviewed all the different techniques involved in editing from the early days of movie production to the present day. I covered all the different camera shots used in film production and how different shots can convey certain emotions and feelings.

1.     EWS (extreme wide shot) This is a wide camera shot and generally used to set the scene of the film.

2.     WS (wide shot) A wide shot takes in a lot of the environment and can include the actor/ actress.

3.     MS (mid shot) A mid shot is generally used to show the subject from the waist up while taking in some of the environment. It is often known as the cowboy shot in westerns.

4.     MCU (medium close up)  A medium close up is a shows the subject half way between a close up shot and mcu. Less of the environment is included and focuses more on the subject.

5.     CU (close up) A close up shot is used to convey expression in the face of the subject. It is a very effective way of showing emotions from the subject.

6.     ECU (extreme close up) An extreme close up generally focus on the eyes of the subject. This shot is used widely in horror movies to show extreme fear and emotion in the eyes of the subject.

7.     Cut-In. This shot is used to show something other than the main point in the film. For example a cut-in maybe used to focus on concealed murder weapon or something secretive.

8.     CA (cut away) A cut away shot is used generally to show something other than the subject within the film. It can be used to show something other than the main plot.

9.     Two-shot. A two (or more) shot can be used to show more than one specific subject in the shot.

10. OSS (over the shoulder shot) This shot is often used to convey a dialogue between two subjects.

11. Noddy shot. This shot generally contains one subject nodding to the camera to give the impression that he/she is listening.

Basic Editing Techniques

Basic Editing Techniques

The four basic ways an editor can transition from one shot or visual element into another are :

1.    Straight cut  -  An instant change from one shot to the next. The last full frame of picture for one shot is immediately followed by the next shot.

2.    Dissolve  - a gradual change from one shot into another. The end of the first shot dissolves into the beginning of the next with a slow fade.

3.    Wipe  - a line moving across the screen at some angle removing the image on screen and replacing it with the next shot as the screen unfolds.

4.    Fade  - A gradual change from a solid black screen into a fully visible image. The screen can fade in from black or fade out to black.

  

Cutting

CUTTING

The art of editing is based on how the editor cuts the pre-produced film into the scenes to tell the story. An editor may have hundreds of hours of footage to view before deciding where to cut. There are 6 general factors an editor must consider before determining when and where to cut.

1.     Information  - The editor will cut were a scene or subject presents new information.

2.     Motivation  - An editor will cut were the film present motivation to cut. For example the viewer may feel the need to learn something new in the shot.

3.     Shot composition  - The editor can only control the cuts within a film. The director determines the camera angle and where the camera points. The editor then has to get the most out of the footage he is given.

4.     Camera angle  -  Editors have strict rules to follow when cutting between shot. Camera angles can throw the viewer off if the rule of thirds isn’t followed correctly.

5.     Continuity  -  Editors must keep the scenes and cuts smooth to allow the film to flow and the edits should be unnoticed by the viewer.

6.     Sound  - As well as movie clips the editor has to work with sound clips attached to most movie clips. Keeping sound in sync with the movie is extremely important.

Advantages and disadvantages of New Social Media

Advantages and disadvantages of New Social Media

A media theorist called Marshal Mc Luhan believes that the type of media used to portray a message can have a huge impact on the final out come of the desired effect. Ever changing methods of getting your message online is becoming easier and easier on a daily basis. Everything from the News, Smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Youtube, Myspace and emails are growing at an extreme rate. The ease of access to these vast communities of online users can have its advantages and disadvantages. Everyday people of all ages, cultures and race access the Internet to source information on any number of subjects. At the touch of a button users can access un-moderated information to almost anything. One main advantage to the general public is it highlights increased transparency in governments and ruling organizations. This brings us back to Marshal Mc Luhan’s theory. Anyone can access the internet and post false and misleading information for the world to see. The medium carrying the message being the internet cant always be 100% accurate because of its availability to the public and therefore can have serious negative effects. The internet may not be the medium for carrying 100% accurate information in some cases but it allows the public important access to add their own information and views.

New social media such as Skype has transformed the lives of many people, companies and family’s. People are now able to communicate with each other via video and audio link from all over the world with the touch of a button. With Skype being completely free companies and people have saved huge amounts of money on international calls and conferences. Many family members are now able to contact each other on a daily bases, were as before a five minute phone per year would have to survice. With the invention of the Smartphone the internet is now more portable than ever. The Smartphone has been described as a miniature computer in your pocket and it is consistently opening up new avenues and opportunities for people to access every type of social media available on the net.

Marshal Mc Luhan’s theory comes into effect a lot more with the disadvantages of new social media. Misleading and false information can easily be available on the internet through various unregulated mediums such as youtube, facebook, twitter, blogs etc. There are very little regulations in place to moderate information uploaded to the internet and therefore sorces can be often biased and unreliable. The internet has also been cause for a number of cases of online bullying and child abuse such as pedophile rings contacting children via social networking sites. A new wave of videos and websites have been uploaded to the internet by terrorists for purposes of propaganda and recruitment. These sometimes graphic images/videos are often posted on many social networking sites that children regularly use and can have huge impacts on their lives. The ease of access to violent, gruesome images is all to easy. 

People’s privacy of personal information is also undertreat from hackers, spam and respectable companies who all want to access your information to suit their needs. Hackers can access credit card information and important personal details in order to commit fraud and steal money from bank accounts. Spam mail is a consistent annoyance on the Internet and is accounted of 90% of mail sent per day. Respectable companies eagerly want your information in order to better their selling points and to entice you to purchase their products. The frightening this about this is people willingly release personal information on to various websites on a daily bases. Everything from credit card details, address, phones numbers, names etc.

With this virtual world interesting us so much it is extremely had to balance a real lifestyle and virtual life online.

Applying media theories to media text.

 Applying media theories to media text.

In this section of my blog I will be applying some media theorist’s views to certain areas of media text. One such article is the medias coverage of the late Jade Goody, her life story and how she became a household name almost over night. A lot of people may think that Jade Goody’s first step into the lime light was on Channel 4’s reality Tv show Big Brother, but in fact like most contestants chosen for the show all have had some insight in one form or another of trying to sell themselves publicly. Jade Goody appeared on many televised talent shows before big Brother was even thought of. 

When jade Goody stepped into the big brother house it marked the beginning of the end within a matter of weeks. She was caught up in everything from public sexual humiliation, racist’s slurs, to being renowned as completely clueless and the unfortunate circumstances that lead to her death. Within a matter of weeks the media had completely shredded everything Jade Goody had stood for and the public were engrossed with the new allegations produced by the media on a daily basis.

Jade Goody’s story interested the public because it fitted perfectly into the catorgies of news that so interest the public. A theorist called Mc Shane set out 5 central tenets that journalists tend to follow to make a news article captivate the audience. Jade Goody’s reported antics in the big brother house suited all 5 catorgies.

Mc Shane

      1.    Conflict – Jade was the centre piece of the show and constantly being televised     crying, fighting and arguing with other housemate and the media portrayed her as if this was her everyday day behaviour on the outside world.

      2.    Danger to the community – Jade wasn’t exactly a danger to the community as such but when she was caught up in the racial slur with fellow house mate Shilpia Shetty it caused quite a stir between many Countries not to mention communities closer to home.

      3.    The unusual – Jades clueless attitude to life itself made her unusual. The famous phrase “ginger minger” was broadcast by the media on an hourly basis.

      4.    Scandal – The awful, un-romantic pictures of jades carry on with a fellow housemate conducting sexual acts for the world to see.

      5.    Individualism – once the media tapped into the unfortunate circumstances of Jades fight with cancer, they began to portray her as a hero and roll model only months after slating her every move.

Applying media theories to media text.

Another theorist called Dutton gave 12 of the most significant news values from the work of Galtung and ruge (1973) that can be applied to Jade Goody’s life in the public eye through the media.

1.     Frequency – The media printed a new story on Jade Goody on an hourly basis in order to sell papers. Over a matter of weeks she turned from villain to hero with amazing contrasting stories printed by the same newspapers.

2.     Threshold – Reality Tv was just taking off at the time of Jade Goody’s involvement in the public eye. Big Brothers ratings were through the roof and the media locked on to this in order to sell papers. This contributed to the fact that millions of people were effected by what channel 4 televised and what the media wrote about Jade.

3.     Unambiguity – Almost every single person in the world could relate to Jade Goody in one way or another. She was a simplistic girl next door, with feelings and worries like everyone else.

4.     Meaningfulness – Jade Goody’s story involving the racial slurs and her rise from villain to hero had major impacts across the board in both senses. Her unfortunate death has risen huge awareness of the dangers of cervical cancer for women today.

5.     Consonance – Jade Goody lived her life no different to any other average girl and the media wanted everyone to familiarise themselves with her so that the public would want to read their articles and buy their papers.

6.     Unexpectedness – the unexpectedness of Jade’s cancer fight was a whole new turning point for the media and how they would portray her. If they continued to slate a young woman fighting for her life it could easily cause public up roar, so did they take the easy route out?

7.     Continuity – Jade’s story has become world renowned and without her even knowing, she created a legacy that she will be remembered for in rising awareness of the dangers of cervical cancer.

8.     Composition – Again Jade’s time in the big brother house and all the controversy surrounding her certainly added to the value of composition news, not to mention when the news broke that she had cancer. 

9.     Reference to elite nations – The only way jades story comes into this value is were Jade was accused of racial abuse against famous Bollywood actress Shillpa Shetty. This caused a lot of upset between nations and people of different race and cultures.

10. Reference to elite persons - The medias involvement in Jade Goody’s life transformed her into the elite person covered in every news story. Her husband Jack Tweed only got a mention because of her fame and when he was accused of cheating on her.

11. Personalisation – Jade Goody’s whole big brother experienced televised daily for the world to see.

12. Negativity – The medias coverage of Jade Goody and the reports that where published out-weigh the bad over the good by a large number. For weeks upon end the media printed and reported shock story after shock story.