Assignment 1: Moving Image
We are learning:
what is required for the analysis of a moving image text
to understand the code and conventions of television
situation comedies.
Breakdown and Expectations
For this controlled assessment, you will be expected to
demonstrate the following (in no more than 500 words):
• Write about the typical code and conventions of the clip.
• Show understanding of aspects of media language (using
key terms).
• Say something about the way the characters are
represented.
• Consider the effect on the audience.
KEY WORDS
• FOURTH WALL: when filmed in a TV studio, a sitcom will
usually only show 3 walls, the camera and the audience will
therefore always occupy the fourth wall (voyeurism).
• HIGH KEY: very bright lighting which creates a glossy look that
can give a glamorous feel but may seem artificial.
• ESTABLISHING SHOT: to show the audience a change of
location, a still shot of the exterior of a location will be shown.
Mise en Scene
A French term meaning what is put into a scene or frame.
These aspects can communicate essential information to the
audience; how they are supposed to feel or react to
different media.
We are going to deconstruct different images today, looking
at what the mise-en-scene suggests about the narrative.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Settings & Props
Costume, Hair & Make Up
Facial Expressions & Body Language
Lighting & Colour
Positioning of characters/objects within the frame
Each aspect of mise-en-scene has
hidden meanings and sends signals to
the audience about how we are
supposed to feel at a certain point.
1. Settings & Props
Settings & Locations play an important part in
film-making and are not just ‘backgrounds’
Most sitcoms are filmed indoors, making them
cheaper to produce. Sets are built in a TV studio,
which gives a controlled environment and means
they can be used repeatedly.
Settings can manipulate an audience by building
certain expectations and then taking a different
turn
What do the props and setting suggest about
the narrative of this sitcom?
2. Costume, Hair & Make Up
•
Costume, Hair & Make Up act as an instant indicator to
us of a character’s personality, status and job.
•
It tells us immediately whether the film is set in the
present and what society/or culture it will centre
around.
•
Certain costumes can signify certain individuals i.e.
black cloak of a vampire, Spidey’s Spiderman suit.
•
In sitcoms, the way characters are dressed generally
appears realistic; why do you think this is?
What does the costume, hair and make up
suggest about the characters in this sitcom?
3. Facial Expressions & Body Language
•
Facial Expressions provide a clear indicator of
how someone is feeling
•
If someone is smiling broadly, we assume they
are happy but we may get a different feeling if
this is accompanied by scary music
•
Body Language may also indicate how a
character feels towards another character or
may reflect the state of their relationship
•
TASK: What meanings/emotions doe the
following image convey?
What meanings/emotions does the following
image convey?
4. Positioning of Characters & Objects within a frame
• Positioning within a frame can draw our attention to
an important character/object.
• A film-maker, producer or director can use
positioning to indicate relationships between people.
• TASK: What does the positioning in the following
images reveal about the characters/sitcom?
What does the positioning in this image reveal
about the characters/sitcom?
6. Lighting & Colour
Lighting & Colour can be used to achieve a variety of
effects:
• To highlight important characters or objects within
the frame
• To make characters look mysterious by shading
sections of the face & body
• To reflect a characters mental state/hidden
emotions (i.e. bright = happy, dark = disturbed,
strobe effect = confused)
High key lighting
Low key lighting
Take a look at this sitcom still – what does the miseen-scene suggest about the overall narrative?
1. Settings &
Props
2. Costume,
Hair & Make
Up
3. Facial
Expressions &
Body
Language
4. Lighting &
Colour
5. Positioning of
characters
within the
frame
Why do we watch Sitcoms?
Remember Blumler and Katz’s theory? Well, which
might apply to the use of Sitcoms?
To be informed and educated.
To identify with characters and situations.
To be entertained.
To socially interact with others - ‘the water-cooler
moment’.
To escape from daily troubles and woes.
Gratification – the opportunity to feel good about
themselves.
What is a ‘sitcom’?
• In order to qualify as a sitcom, a programme will need to use
typical generic conventions associated with the sitcom ‘code’.
–
–
–
–
Normally about the ‘real world’.
Usually set in domestic or work settings.
Operates in a confined society.
Most plots are created by a tension between two characters and the
situation (hence the ‘sit’) they find themselves in.
– The characters have aspirations and hopes that are unrealistic and
pretentious.
– The tension is never finally resolved, though temporary relief is provided
by laughter (hence the ‘com’).
– The audience will know that the same problem will resurface next week.
Sitcoms: the ‘conventions’
• Setting: most sitcoms are filmed indoors, making them
cheaper to produce. Sets are built in a TV studio, which
gives a controlled environment and means they can be used
repeatedly.
• Characters: small group of main characters appear in every
episode; other characters appear in supporting roles. They
appear quite often but their importance is only seen in
terms of how they affect the main characters.
• Lighting: while supposedly ‘realistic’ or naturalistic lighting it
is often high key and quite bright so the show will appear
more colourful than in real life. This makes the appearance
of the show seem more attractive. British – low key,
American – high key.
Sitcoms: the ‘conventions’
• Mise-en-Scene: the way the characters are dressed, the
décor and furnishings will all appear realistic; it is
something the audience can relate to and something that
they know.
• Editing: continuity editing is used; the editing of the
shots will seem to naturally follow the progress of a
particular scene.
• Camera Work: most will begin with an establishing shot
before being followed by a long shot or medium shot to
show us which characters are involved and what they are
doing. Most of the shots in a sitcom will be medium
shots, to focus the story and allow the audience to
understand the dialogue.
Task
• Create your own ‘research’ sheet
including the information about
the code and key conventions of
sitcoms.
• It should contain information (and
can be illustrated with stills from
sitcoms you watch) with
information about the code and
the key conventions.
• This should be presented and
printed as a ‘research’ board and
will be used as part of your
controlled assessment (shows
evidence of research into this
media).
Things to include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Setting
Characters
Lighting
Mise en scene
Editing
Camera work
Typical plots/storylines
Most sitcoms are filmed indoors,
making them cheaper to produce.
Sets are built in a TV studio, which
gives a controlled environment and
means they can be used repeatedly.
A small group of main characters appear in
every episode; other characters appear in
supporting roles. They appear quite often but
their importance is only seen in terms of how
they affect the main characters.
while supposedly ‘realistic’ or naturalistic
lighting it is often high key and quite bright so
the show will appear more colourful than in
real life. This makes the appearance of the
show seem more attractive. British – low key,
American – high key.
Stretch Activity
We say that we ‘watch’ a television programme but
we also hear it. There is dialogue, incidental music
and sound effects included in there as well. In many
sitcoms, there also may be ‘canned laughter’.
What effect on viewers would canned laughter have?
Plenary - What could we say about the following
for the general expectations of a sitcom?
• Setting
• Characters
• Lighting
• Mise-en-scene
• Camera Work
• Editing
How I Met Your Mother (Channel 4)
How I Met Your Mother is the hilarious story
of how hopeless romantic Ted fell in love
with the mother of his two children.
The flashback shenanigans begin when Ted's
best friend Marshall proposes to long term
girlfriend Lily which makes Ted feel unloved
enough to do something about it. Helping
him in his mission to find a ladylove is wellsuited toxic bachelor Barney and serving as
his main object of affection is feisty news
anchor Robin.
An older, wiser Ted narrates the story to his
two children as along with us, they try to
work out where their mother fits into all of
the bumbling, fumbling and general silliness.
What could we say about the following …
• Setting
• Characters
• Lighting
• Mise-en-scene
• Camera Work
• Editing
My Family (BBC)
Sitcom about a dentist
and his family. An
unusual request from
a couple whom Susan
and Ben met on holiday
leads to chaos in the
Harper household, and
Susan finally discovers
who Kenzo's father is.
What could we say about the following …
• Setting
• Characters
• Lighting
• Mise-en-scene
• Camera Work
• Editing