His Dark Materials: Language and Representation blog tasks

His Dark Materials: Language and Representation blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'His Dark Materials: Language and Representation blog tasks' and work through the following tasks:

Language and close-textual analysis

1) Write an analysis of the episode - using your notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed reference to moments in the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots and movement, editing, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)


Camerawork, editing and sound: There are many medium shots but also close ups of the characters faces, specifically Mrs coulter when she kisses the other mans hand promising to get her job done.

Mise-en-scene: Mrs coulters attire when she wears something red maybe connoting her power and her makeup too. However with lyra she doesn't wear nice clothes and also doesn't wear makeup.

Narrative and genre: The genre is kind of sci-fi and also is very adventures as they go on many adventures and there are many things to do throughout only one episode.

You can access our notes from the close-textual analysis in a previous class here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to open this.

2) How does His Dark Materials fit the conventions of the fantasy TV genre?
  • Emotive, often quest-based narratives
  • Political narrative themes or social commentary
  • Iconography including magic, mystical creatures or similar
  • Often set in imagined worlds or time periods

3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do some of the main characters in His Dark Materials fit into? 
Lyra and will maybe being the hero, Mrs coulter being the villain as she is looking after lyra and kept a witch hostage and is hurting her to get information. 

4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)
The sense of mystery and suspense which makes the readers more interested and intrigues in what can happen next.

5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in His Dark Materials? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience? You can find reminder notes on all these narrative theories here - just scroll down to narrative. 


Representations

1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted? Think about Lyra and Mrs Coulter here.
I think women are represented as more powerful and superior as Mrs coulter is seen as a more powerful woman by wanting to take over everything and assert dominance, and with lyra she is seen as someone powerful and dominant as she goes ahead on quests by herself and is very independent and is okay with going on quests by herself.

2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials? Think about Will and Lee Scoresby here.
I think the roles are reversed when it comes to the men and the woman as Will is less dominant as is the one listening to the instructions lyra gives him and cooks and cleans.

3) How is age (e.g. teenagers; adults) represented in His Dark Materials? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people? Think about Lyra and Will plus the abandoned children they meet. Also think about Mrs Coulter and other adults.
I think the ages in HDM are both subverted and reinforced as children are seen to be more rebellious in their younger years however it is not normal for children to be out alone in random places and it can be dangerous at times.

4) How is race and ethnicity represented in His Dark Materials? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?
I think that the race in HDM reflects contemporary diversity as there are more people of colour however in DW majority are white, on the other hand Will may subvert the stereotype as he is seen as more sympathetic and some people would think he is more aggressive.

5) What representations of the world can you find in the episode - is it like real life? A fantasy world? Something from the past or future? Give examples from the episode.
I would say the representation is another world that is not real and a fantasy as it seems quite fake and not usual to be in a world wear people can fly and there are no adults.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mise-en-scene;stranger things analysis

Create a new blogpost called 'Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things analysis'.  1) Choose   THREE  aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. costume, lighting and setting) and write a short paragraph for   each  about the   denotation  and  connotation  and what is communicated to the audience.   Lighting: At the start of the scene you see a man running through a hallway with flickering lights which portrays a eerie affect. There also was a scene at the end of the video where the light bulb kept on flashing which makes the audience feel suspense. Lighting is a very important factor in this episode/scene as the genre is very science-fiction type so they added these effects where it is a scary and uneasy feeling to portray the genre and type of vibe hey wanted to give. Settings: There were a lot of dark settings where there would be dark hallways, dark houses, going home on a bike at night which makes the audience feel apprehensive. The scene where they wer...
Read more

Camerawork blog task

Image
  Blog tasks: 1) Pick  three  camera  shots  from the Doctor Who scene and explain what type of shot it is and what meanings or effect they have on the audience. 1 .In second-0:30 they put the actors face close up (CU) which allows the audience to see their emotional reaction and in this clip she is frustrated and felt left out. The director may have put the close up to show her facial expressions, and how she feels. This gives the viewers a clearer view of the character and their facial expressions as well as small detail that you might not be able to see from a far. 2 .In the second 0:53 they show the actors surroundings and the setting. It is shown to be a long shot which shows a lot of the background. This also gives the onlookers a wider perspective of the environment and shows us anything he director might want us to see and notice.  3. In second 0:23 there is a 2 shot which shows two of the actors and in the clip it is a medium close up. This allows ...
Read more

Denotation & Connotation task.

Image
  Denotation & Connotation blog tasks: advert analysis Create a  new  blogpost in your GCSE Media blog called ' Denotation and connotation '. 1) Write an analysis of the  WaterAid advert above  using denotation, connotation and analysis. What can you see? What are the deeper meanings in the advert? What does the advert communicate to the audience? How might an audience react after seeing the advert? Denotation: This printed advertisement consists of a young African boy stood in front of a rural suburban village(technical code).It also displays that the child looks malnourished and hungry(symbolic code).It also features a rustic back round(technical code) and the Water Aid logo on the top left(symbolic code) with the slogan(written code). Connotation:  The slogan is deliberately made large next to the little boy who looks emaciated to emphasise what Water Aid is trying to get across so its made clear what they want and what the underfed and vulnerable b...
Read more