Technical Camera Terms

My group took a DSLR Camera outside to take photos to try and create a story with them by using mise-en-scene and different camera techniques. We tried combining the camera techniques to make it more effective. Some of the techniques we used are high and low angles, two shot, close-up and long shots.

I have learnt that combining a couple techniques will make the photo more effective in telling a story. Next time I do a shoot, I will try to not make the images so blue as it is a sad, melancholy colour.

My image that uses mise-en-scene for meaning

The genre of Western and Country is shown through mise-en-scene. It can be shown by costumes, lighting, acting and proxemics, makeup, props and the setting. The hat and boots connote the wild side of country music for example, cowboys and are a convention of the genre. This could also be shown through the “Wild West” setting. The brown colours of the lighting create a rustic style.

As media producers, we encoded this costume with the style of Country and Western. We wanted the audience to decode this and it is exactly what they had done as they had been given an organic, chill, calm, happy, romantic, quiet and relaxed vibe from him. This meant we had succeeded in producing the right costume for the genre.

This sheet shows all the poses we made our model stand in. We referenced the costume from our mood board we had made. Most of the pictures came out well, such as him looking into the distance to make him look mysterious. Despite this, I would have made some improvements, for example the lighting is very bright. It would’ve been better if we added a brown filter to make it seem like we were in the “Wild West”. Also, in a few images, he could’ve put his guitar in a different position instead of holding it the same.

 

This is the final image I have chosen. The outfit clearly shows the genre of Country and Western by the plaid, cowboy hat and the guitar. This image seems to work better than the others due to the position of his face and the expression he’s showing. In our reference image, it shows the country singer looking into the distance with a straight face which shows mysteriousness. Our model has done that which makes this image the most effective.

Overall, it’s really important to use mise-en-scene as it defines the genre. If we had dressed our model in a polo shirt with jeans, it would be more towards the style of pop. Also, if the lighting was dark colours, it would give the image of a punk or metal genre. This would’ve given the wrong impression to the audience.

So… Hello Media Studies!

What I hope to learn

In Media Studies, I am hoping to learn more about Photoshop skills. This will benefit me in producing my magazine as I will know how to edit photos effectively. In my recent lessons, I have been learning about Blumler and Katz. This will help me develop my magazine as I now know the different ways in which media is used.

I am also hoping to gain confidence and team working skills as I am lacking on being able to talk to new people. This will help me in the future during interviews or presentations.

Skills I already have

I have very basic Photoshop skills but I would like to develop them and try more complex tasks. I also know how to post updates on a range of media sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Print Media that communicates meaning

Tour posters are encoded with signs and symbols which are used to engage an audience that are able to decode it from the font, to the image. The poster shows which audience she wants to appeal to due to her pose and use of colours. For example the font she used stands out big and bold, which suggests she wants to push her poster out to her audience. The denotation of this poster is the triangle on her arm. The connotation of this is that her fans would understand the theory behind it.

In my magazine, I will need to use fonts and colours carefully in my magazine as it needs to draw in the correct audience. I will also need to add a big centrepiece to show what I’m advertising.

So… I’m a ‘Media Prosumer’!

I’ve learnt that media is used in different ways. There are four ways media can be consumed including social interaction, information, entertainment and personal identity. This was theorised by Blumler and Katz.

I use media for entertainment as it is easy to access for enjoyment. Media can be used to socialise with friends with common interests, also it acts as a personal identity as it is what you enjoy to watch, listen or read. Finally, media is a good source of information as news sites are online.

Putting media into different categories has made me realise that some forms of media are different to others. In order to gain an audience, I need to understand the different ways people use media. I have to use my findings out to suit the needs of people in order to keep them attracted, entertained and informed.

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