Media institution logo

This is the logo that I designed for my media institution. It is called 'Iridescent Innovations'. The definition of iridescent is 'Showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles'. I thought this was appropriate for an institution title because the fact that it shows 'luminous colours' suggests that the films are bright and interesting to watch; also, every film is seen by every person in a different way. The fact that the colours 'seem to change when seen from different angles' highlights the different ways in which audience members view the film.

I chose to design the logo in this way because the films that I would make under this institution would be indie films (similar to Submarine (2010), (500) Days of Summer (2009), About Time (2013)) and I went for an almost vintage look with an old-fashioned film reel and simple colour scheme.

Representation

What is being represented? How?

• Love is being represented in this trailer. It is first presented as a fairytale (Barthes). The trailer begins with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) announcing that she has the same music taste as Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in an elevator. This is a very realistic representation of love - it can spark in any place at any time with any random person. The film is based around fate, which is very mythical and fairytale-like (true to Barthes).
• Heartbreak is also represented in the trailer. Straight after the love is presented, Summer says 'I think we should stop seeing each other'. There are pieces of dialogue interjected into the trailer during which Summer says things 

Media representation

 

 

How does media represent women?

'Nuts' magazine presents women as sex objects. The focus of the cover is a half-naked Gemma Atkinson, whose body is touched up and pushed up to the idea of 'perfection', designed to taint men's minds until they think that this is perfection and degrade women who do not look this way.

The biggest feature on the page is 'Britain's 50 Sexiest Single Babes', with the tagline 'Gents - these ladies need you!' suggesting that women have no choice in their single life and need a man to survive. It also degrades women that don't look like those in the magazine.
The heading above 'Nuts' states 'Rosie & Kaylee's Valentine's Strip!' - pictures of naked women which are designed for men on Valentine's day, suggesting that women are there simply to please men.
The magazine is £1.60 which is cheaper than most women's magazines, suggesting that to look at women is cheap - women are cheap.

Poster Analysis - (500) Days of Summer

The movie '(500) Days of Summer' has several official posters. Each have different connotations.

The first poster is this one. This gives a clear hint as to what the story is about: a romance. However the tagline is 'This is not a love story... this is a story about love.' This hints that it is a love story with a twist. Linking with that is the picture, the main focus: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is leaning into Zooey Deschanel, showing his affection towards her. However, she isn't facing him, her leg is turned away and she is even looking in the opposite direction, despite her smile. This could suggest that she doesn't feel the same way about him, highlighting the fact that this is not a love story, as a love story generally implies that both characters love each other. The smile could be fake and implies that she is stringing him along; he feels as though she appreciates him. The colours are very minimalist and plain which contradicts what we get from the picture and tagline: white and dull blue-grey are very simple and straightforward, whereas from the picture/tagline we get that the plot is twisted and complicated. This is not your standard romantic comedy.

The second poster shows Joseph Gordon-Levitt, alone, sketching. He is the focus of the picture, suggesting that he is the main character. The giant yellow sun highlighting the title - specifically the word 'Summer' - suggests that the film is a happy, sunny one. The title is a play on words as the main character (other than Gordon-Levitt) is called Summer (Zooey Deschanel). This play on words is emphasised by the sun. There are lots of colours, in contrast to the above poster, which could suggest that the film is a happy-go-lucky and bright one. There are lots of pictures of a girl in the background, showing that there is a link between her and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character. What we don't get from this poster is that the plot is twisted and complicated - it seems a straight-forward and happy rom-com in which Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel's characters are romantically involved.

The final poster I will be analysing is this one. This shows Joseph Gordon-Levitt looking down at his t-shirt. On his t-shirt are pictures of him and Zooey Deschanel. This immediately makes us think that it is a romantic comedy, as in one of the pictures they are kissing and on another they are watching a movie. There are several pictures of Deschanel on her own, showing that she is the object of his affections. However, there is one picture which matches the first poster I analysed: Gordon-Levitt is leaning into her and she is looking down, avoiding his gaze. In the biggest picture we see them looking at each other though neither looks particularly happy and they are standing relatively far away from each other, in contrast to the other pictures where they are in close proximity to each other.

Representation - Action and Rom Com

Action movie:

This picture represents an action film. The car is the main focus of the picture, showing that the movie revolves around a race or car chase. The building in the back could be any number of things, for example a bank - there could be a robbery which requires a quick getaway. It also shows that it is set in a city or town, which is relevant as most action films aren't set in the countryside/field.

Colours: Blue is seen as a masculine colour, suggesting that the main character is a male. The stripe on the car shows that it is a sports/racing car.

Chick flick movie:

This picture represents a chick flick. There is a kiss print and two bars of soap on a tissue. This is very representative of a girl who cares about her appearance. Immediately we see the kiss print as it is the only colour in the picture. This makes us think of lipstick/make-up in general and points us in the direction of teenage girls, whom this movie would probably be based around. The soap and tissue represents cleanliness: again, girls who care about their appearance.

Colours: White is the prominent colour in this picture. White represents purity and cleanliness, which ties in with the idea of girls caring about their appearance. White could also represent innocence. The stain on top of the white suggests that her innocence has been tainted; perhaps the movie centres around a good girl turned bad. Pink also suggests girlishness, or can be associated with make-up (lipstick) and therefore represent falseness, or a mask disguising the person underneath. This gives a whole new storyline.

Narrative

Action code:

• Cycling on the bike
• Checking the time and jumping out of bed - is he late?
• Sprinting through the street
• Cutting the line to get coffee - how can he jump the queue? His relationship with the coffee girl?
• Talking on the phone as she walks - who is she talking to?
• Spilling the coffee
• Typing a message: 'It's here!' - why do they call her 'It'?
• Rushing to do work - why are they all nervous of her?
• Questioning the message on the coffee
• Answering the phone - who is Bob?

Enigma code:

• Who is the woman?
• Who is the man?
• What is the relationship between them?
• What is the relationship between the guy and the coffee girl?
• Why is he in a hurry?
• Who is the guy who he trades shirts with?
• Why is everyone so nervous around the woman?
• Why do they call her 'It'?
• Who is Bob and why are they going to his office?

Key characters:

• Sandra Bullock - the boss. A wealthy, important woman who is confident and causes fear in her employees
• Ryan Reynolds - the assistant. Dresses nicely, suggesting he has a good wage. A step beneath the boss. Friends with the other employees
• The coffee girl. Clearly likes Andrew (Reynolds) as she puts her number on the cup
• The friend who gives Andrew his shirt. Good friends as he is willing to do something for him

Cultural code:

• Gym equipment in her house - she can afford luxuries
• In bed alone - he has no partner
• Checking her appearance - she is vain/cares about her appearance
• Wearing a suit - he dresses nicely for work, has a high position
• Stylish kitchen apartment - wealthy
• Doesn't have to queue/pay for coffee - friends with the coffee girl
• Crowded street - has a high-end job
• Talking to a writer on the phone about Oprah - posh, important job
• Shouts at co-worker - higher in the hierarchy than him
• Group message to all co-workers - they are all close friends
• Immediately lists things that she needs to do - busy job

Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs. With semiotics we have denotations and connotations. A denotation is what we see when we look at an image - simply what it is. A connotation is what we understand from this image, so what the image could mean.

This poster is for hit TV show Glee. Straight away we see a couple (Rachel and Finn). This is a denotation. The couple are larger than most of the other characters and in the centre of the poster. From this we can tell that the main storyline revolves around these two characters. This is a connotation. We can tell that they're in love as they are staring into each other's eyes; Rachel  has her hand on Finn's leg; he has his hand on her face; his mouth is open in a way that suggests he is singing to her.

On the right we see one of the biggest characters (Coach Sylvester) on the poster. The fact that she is bigger than the rest suggests she holds power over them. We see that she is the 'villain' as she is pulling the plug - literally - on their show, causing the 'e' in 'Glee' to blow out and smoke. This suggests her storyline - she tries to stop the Glee club throughout the show. The fact that she is in uniform and is blonde makes the audience think back to Nazi times - she is almost a dictator.

To the left we see the other biggest character on the poster (Mr Shue). He is dressed like a typical teacher, and the fact that he is smiling and leaning back with his hands in his pockets suggests that he is the laid-back, cool teacher - the exact opposite to Coach Sylvester. Typically enemies stand on opposite sides of the image, which suggests that they have conflict throughout the show.

At the back of the poster is a girl, Quinn, higher than the rest, suggesting she believes she is higher in society, almost like a 'queen bee'. She is also in uniform, just like Coach Sylvester, showing that she is a follower of the villain and therefore enemy to the rest of the characters.

Sitting on the 'G' of 'Glee' is another woman (Miss Pillsbury), presumably another teacher due to her formal attire, staring at Mr Shue with her hands over her heart. Her entire body is turned towards him showing that she can't help herself, and there is a look of desire on her face. This automatically gives away the main storyline of her character - she is irrevocably in love with Mr Shue.

The other four characters on the poster are members of the club - we can see that they are united in some way as they all, along with Finn and Rachel, are dressed in shades of blue. Each are very different - there is a male in a wheelchair (Artie), a clearly homosexual male (Kurt), an Asian goth (Tina) and an African-American female (Mercedes). Each have clear storylines that we can see just from the poster.

Genre connotations

The opening scene of The Woman in Black sets the tone of the rest of the movie. The genre of the movie is horror/thriller, which is clearly depicted in this scene through use of colour, action and sound. The scene is dingy and darkly-toned which is usually associated with horror movies. The dinginess also suggests the time period; there are no electric lights in the room, so it is assumed that the movie is set quite a long time in the past, most likely the middle-to-late 1910s.

The music - a haunting, high-pitched song - fades in gradually. Soft piano tunes are associated with little children. This association probably stems from nursery rhymes having a soft, soothing nature to send children to sleep. The idea of sending children to sleep heavily foreshadows the coming events of the scene: the three girls in question all stare at something unseen by the audience before rising to their feet and walking to the windows in unison with blank looks on their faces. They then proceed to throw themselves out of the window, killing themselves. This gives a deeper meaning to the nursery rhyme-type music.

Genre

The opening sequence of Now You See Me begins on a street in America late at night. As it cuts through several small scenes, the setting changes to inside an American office during the daytime, then on a boat on the ocean around late afternoon/evening as the sky is just starting to colour, and finishing inside at a magic show. The theme of the opening sequence is magic, as all four short scenes show magicians of some kind.

Icons used in the opening sequence include a pack of cards, a wallet, a tank of water and chains. The story is told of four individuals who use magic as a hobby or a job. The narrative suggests that the characters' stories are likely to intertwine.

At certain points of action, a heavy drum beat fills in pauses between dialogue, dimming down only to hear the speech. This creates a tense, action-filled atmosphere, suggesting the pace of the rest of the movie.

mise en scene: Costume: all main characters dressed in an item of black clothing.

actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher

props: pack of cards, spoon, wallet, small billboard, fish tank and water tank, chains and cuffs.

Film opening