Textual Analysis

Unit 1: Textual Analysis

Textual analysis is the close analysis of media texts in order to interpret the meaning(s) created by a director.

To help analyse media texts, we can split it up into 4 microelements: Cinematography, Sound, Mise-en-scene & Editing.

Task 1

Your task is to define/write examples of the following key terms:

CINEMATOGRAPHY (write examples/what are the connotations?)

Shots

o   Close up: Used to emphasis how important ` character/object is.

o   Medium shot: Used to empathies’ the characters movements and gestures

o   Long (full) shot: Is used to show the entire object or person and its movement.

o   Establishing shot

Angles

o   High angle: Makes a character seem vulnerable and puts the viewer in a position of power

o   Low Angle: The low angle shots make the subject seem powerful and strong.

o   Aerial shot: Birdseye view usually used to establish location

o   Dutch Tilt: A Dutch tilt is a camera shot in which the camera angle is deliberately slanted to one side. This can be used for dramatic effect and helps portray unease, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness

Camera Movement

o   Pan: moving the camera from one side to another

o   Tilt: Moving the camera's lens up or down while keeping its horizontal axis constant.

o   Zoom: Zooming is one camera move that most people are probably familiar with.

o   Arc shot: a shot that circles the subject it adds drama as it is complicated and engaging.

SOUND (define these terms)

o   Diegetic sound:

Diegetic sound is a noise which has a source on-screen. They are noises, which have not been edited in, for example dialogue between characters or footsteps. Another term for diegetic   sound is actual sound.

o   Non-diegetic:

Non-diegetic sound is a noise, which does not have a source on-screen, they have been added in. For example music, voiceover, sound effects.

Non-diegetic sounds are often used to add drama to moments that would be silent without it.

  Parallel sound:
Parallel sounds are sounds that match a scene, e.g. a happy scene will have happy music and laughter.

o   Contrapuntal sound:

Contrapuntal sounds are sounds that do not match the scene, e.g. a happy scene will have sinister music. This is effective, as the audience immediately know something bad is going to happen.

o   Sound bridge:

Sound bridges are when music or sounds continue into the next scene. It creates smooth transitions from scene to scene.

         MISE-EN-SCENE

o   Setting

o   Costumes

o   Make-up

o   Props

o   Lighting & colour

o   Facial expressions

o   Body language

EDITING (define these terms)

o   Continuity editing: The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.

o   Shot/reverse/shot: shot after shot like a conversation.

o   Cut: A transition to combine shot and scenes together.

o   Jump cuts: A type of cut

o   Cross-cutting: Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place.

o   Transitions: A film transition is a technique used in the post-production   process of film editing and video editing by which scenes or shots are combined.

o   Cross fade: To make a picture or sound appear gradually.

o   180-degree rule: the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object.

Task 2: You will watch a clip of The Avengers Age Of Ultron and textually analyse the first 3 minutes, using as many key terms as possible. Remember to consider the connotations – WHY have these decisions been made, what are the associations?

In the avengers age of ultron the sounds that the specific clip included where parallel sounds, for example the type of music, which is also non-diegetic sound, which played with each scene in order to make the scene more interesting and dramatic. The editors also included diegetic sounds, such as the car sounds, the noises that the actors/characters would make, for example lines they may have in that scene, they also included the combat/ fighting sounds, for example explosions, gun sounds and sounds of blunt objects hitting stuff.

They also included different shot types and editing, for example they used handheld filming to show panic, they included a wide shot to show the setting of the scene, they used a close up shot to hand holding to emphasis the relationship between two characters, they also used panning and over the shoulder shots to show looks and conversations between characters. The editing the scenes but using cuts, such as the continuation cut, that is conveniently and strategically placed to show the movement of the scene and the movement of each and every character on screen. This type of editing also shows progress and development in the scene between the characters.

The Mise-En-Scene within the clip showed the lighting and coloring of the different scenes, for example in the enemies layer the lighting in scene is more dark and is represented by darker colors such as a dark shade of blue, whereas in the fight scene, which is set outside, is much lighter and brighter, however it still has a dark and eerie undertone, which makes the scene and the story more dramatic. This is also exaggerated by the set weather in the scene, the cold and misty undertone representing winter and representing the coldness of the enemies. This is also shown through the setting of the clip, which is in a forest. The costumes make up and props are pretty self-explanatory as they are apart of each character, as each costume and prop represents each avenger, for example Captain America and his shield and Thor with his hammer. The make up however can show the struggle that the hero’s have gone through, for example if they have cuts and bruises.