Classwork for Ms Bird 21/09/09

The image that I have chosen to analyse is a classic symbolic poster which is representing the 60s.

The designer has used bright colours such as yellow, orange, pink and purple. These colours signify the bright colours which were often used by many 'hippies' in the 1960's.

There is a denotation in the picture of the green plant, the connotation is that it is a symbol of smoking marijuana in the 1960's. They have used this icon as it was very popular in the 60's and it was very new and common. It was also a social norm for the so called 'hippies' to smoke marijuana regularly.

In the top right hand corner, the denotation of this image is the mushroom. The conotation is that it is a symbol of magic mushrooms in which was also very popular in the 60's. The 'hippies' used to experiment with lots of different types of drugs but magic mushrooms where often taken as it a symbol of their freedom.

In the top, far left corner, their is an image of the peace symbol which is the conotation. The denotation is that it is a symbol of one of the main ideas and values of the 'hippies' in the 1960's, which was peace all around and with everybody. The image is an icon of peace.

In the middle of the bottom row, there is a image of a dove. The image of the dove is the denotation, however, the conotation of the image freedom. Freedom was another value of the 'hippies' in the 1960's a was used alot to signify their beliefs of freedom, peace and love.

On a whole, this image represents the main values and norms that were created in the 1960's by a sub-culture group called the hippies. I have chosen this image as there were lots of signifiers and images which relate to their culture.

Homework 30 second clip on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ_sFEvHsVQ&feature=related

In this 24 second clip of the TV Drama Skins, I'm going to anaylse the clip and write about how it uses codes and conventions. I'm also going to explain how the medium uses shot types and camera movements to signify their meaning to the audience.
At the time 0:10 in the clip, we see a close up of a girl with blood dripping out of her nose. The close up shot is used as it brings presence of the girls to the audience and we feel as if we are at the party. The red blood signifies danger in this context.
The genre of the TV Drama is teen drama. The teen drama relates to many current teenage issues for example alcohol and drugs. In this short clip, we get a taste of what the series is going to be based on and how the characters act.
At the very beginning of the clip, the director has used a 'wide shot' which gives a view of the party from behind and it seems very crowded. The wide shot signifies the whole of the party and the strange atmosphere in which the characters of skins have based themselves, in this case a house party.

08/09/09

In our Media Studies lesson today, we learnt about how different camera shots and movements can be seen as codes which have significant meanings to their audience.

For example, we watched a clip from the TV drama 'Grafters' Series Two and analysed the ways in which camera shots are used to empythase which characters and show different emotions and feelings. There was a 'close up' off one character which then cut to a 'two shot' off two other characters, this creats an act of opposition and shows the audience that there is obvouis tension between characters.

In the first few seconds of the TV clip, we see a conversation between two men walking up the road towards a flat and a tracking shot is used. This creates the idea of movement and intimacy with the audience as we feel like we are walking with them. The use of the 'Two Shot' draws the reader closer into the lives of the characters on screen and also gives the audience a sense of understanding.

Also in the TV drama 'Grafters,' we see that a reaction shot has been used in one paticular scene. This shot creates sudden impact of the event and the audience then realise what's really going on with the characters lives and the plot.