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Introduction: Media Language.
-The construction of meaning within a film trailer is very important as there may possibly be little dialogue. This means audiences rely on other elements such as intertitles, editing, camera and mise-en-scene to become familiar with the storyline or get to know the characters.
Paragraph 1.
-I used signs to encode meaning which my target audience can then decode.
-I had to research there interests in order to understand them.
-My audience was you adults aged 15-25.
-I felt at this age, people are more likely to engage with fast-paced crime based films rather than older people.
-I understood that by having a young female victim, my audience would be able to engage with and relate to her better than somebody else.
Paragraph 2: Saussure.
Sign, Signifier & Signified...
-I used signs to encode meaning such as similar colours throughout the trailer to connote ideas such as red for blood and danger.
-This was used at the end of my trailer, signifying a disastrous ending to my film.
-Each character wore dark colours to reinforce the idea that they struggle to escape a bad situation.
-Over the shoulder shot literally suggests he is watching her but also that he has power and control over her possibly because of gender.
Paragraph 3: McMahon & Quinn.
Technical Codes.
-We use different codes to convey preferred meaning.
-Technical codes - use of camera, composition of images and framing - Series of close-ups towards the end of my trailer to build up to a dramatic ending - typical of the genre.
-Audiences are able to identify technical codes that reinforce a genre.
-The audience will build them selves up for a catastrophic ending, something that will be revealed if they watch the full film.
Paragraph 4: McMahon & Quinn.
Symbolic Codes.
-Also suggest that we use element of mise-en-scene to carry cultural meanings which can be put together to tell a story.
-Prop - digital clock - close ups and extreme close ups - time counting down.
-Although still unclear, the red numbers connote danger, typical of the genre, suggesting that the nearer the clock gets to its countdown, the more danger the victim faces.
-The clock also symbolises control and the need for everything to fall into place - this is disrupted in my film, suggesting a bad ending.
Paragraph 5: McMahon & Quinn.
Written Codes.
Use of words to anchor a preferred meaning.
-The title of my film appears at the end written in red, representing a digital clock, these two element highlight the same themes.
-'Zero Hour' - time running out, about to face death - stereotypical of the genre.
-Semantic field - 'late', 'time', 'running out' - all suggest that the victim will face a life or death situation depending on whether she is found in time - left for the audiences own interpretation until they see the full film.
Paragraph 6: Stuart Hall.
-Dominant Reading: Women are weak and can't have any power or control.
-Negotiated Reading: Women can be strong in some situations but don't know how to show this power because of male superiority.
Oppositional: Women are strong characters but this idea is opposed in the trailer - they do have power.
Conclustion.
-Overall, I feel that media language is used in numerous ways to construct meaning and connote different ideas to my audience. I did this to keep my audience engaged with my trailer and most importantly, to ensure that my trailer is successful and clearly interpreted.
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