The Godfather, Michael kills Sollozzo.

This scene begins with an establishing shot of the restaurant and it cuts to a close up of Michael. Their are mostly diegetic sounds within this scene that build tension as Michael turns from the good guy to the bad guy when he kills Sollozzo.

The camera is mostly fixed on close up shots of Michael within the scene so that he has constricted space and is trapped within the frame, portraying his fear throughout the scene. The audiences emotional response is linked to Michael as through out the scene as we either see the world through his eyes, sharing his experience , or the camera is on him. However we get wide shots of Sollozzo, signifying that he has a lot of space within the scene and he is not fearful and is the dominant one. A close up of Sollozzo shows his nervousness when he twitches his eye, this tells the audience that Michael may think that Sollozzo knows he is up to something when he says he needs to go the toilet, but it also asks questions such as, is he actually onto him?

Diegetic dialogue in Italian builds tension as we have to rely on facial expressions to convey emotional feelings of the characters. We are not part of the mafia so the conversation is confidential, this adds to the crime/gangster genera.

Edward Sissorhands, Reception Theory.

Directed by Tim Burton, Edward Sissorhands is a variation of the classic horror theme exemplified by the story of Frankenstein, where a ‘monster’ or ‘outsider’ enters into what appears to be a peaceful community and disrupts the calm.  However Burton manipulates the horror genera and on my occasions inverts the audience’s expectations by presenting a mixture of horror, comedy, romance and fairytale. The choice of teen favourites Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder for lead roles evidently suggest that this is a film aimed at the teenage market, of any gender, who typically enjoy horror, comedy, and romance. In the Income/Status model they would come under class E, The lowest level of income for example, the unemployed and students. The income status model is unreliable. It’s about anti-establishment, which teenagers can identify and latch onto this is why they find it appealing. The lifestyle categories that the film mostly appeals to, if any is rebels because Edward Sissorhands tries to bring his world into everybody else’s and is so different. It is designed to look like a horror film visually but is really a love story of how a monster or outsider brings his world into theirs and becomes an equal, however it can also appeal to groupies. Mainly because it has one of the biggest film stars as the main role therefore they can talk about his character in social situations. The lifestyle categories don’t really apply as it is hard to find one for this film so in that respect they are weak.

 

The preferred reading of the film is that the encoder wants the audience to feel sympathy for Edward throughout the film while also willing him on to fin in, in the society because he is so different. for example the audience appears to have sympathy for Edward when Kim is talking to him about why he robbed the house and he simply replies with ''Because you asked me to''. Evidently we know as a preferred reading Edward is harmless. At the beginning of the film for example, all of the houses are identical therefore showing that Burton is mocking the ‘perfect’ outlook that everyone has in society. He is also highlighting how everyone conforms and this empathises just how different Edward Sissorhands is to everyone else.

 An oppositional reading may be that Burton is wrong to mock society and how he portrays it within the film because in their opinion that’s normality.  They will understand that the film is trying to bring this so called ‘monster’ into a somewhat peaceful environment however they ignore the preferred reading. In the cultural aspect if you grew up with an aggressive personality then they will identify as being symathetic but ultimately reject it. They may think that Edward should be more aggressive. There are also the type of people who understand the message of the film however if they are conformist and think he should just act and dress more normally.  

Someone into the gothic culture may take an oppositional reading because they may see the main message of the film but just think that Burton is stereotyping people a bit much, however isn’t it true how we stereotype people and generally the people who are outsiders fit in less?

Homework 2

The Mainstreamer. – Coronation Street.

 Coronation Street appeals to the mainstreamer, as it has no other category to go into. It has a plot line that most people can follow and the characters are all linked family wise therefore family’s can relate to things that happen within the shows. It’s very popular and gives people things to talk about within their own social groups. The constant change of the storyline always draws peoples attention making it more interesting and difficult to stop watching, unlike other soap operas where you can follow one storyline and that’s enough.

Aspirer. – America’s Next Top Model.

 America’s next top model is linked mostly to the Aspirer. The audience follows contestants competing to win a modelling career. The aspirer would watch this show as they have something to gain at the end of the competition; it also gives them a sense of hope that they could win the competition too. The show is filled with fashion and beauty tips helping the aspirer to fit in with what they wear.  The whole concept of the show is to stand out, be unique and this is why it is perfect for the aspirer, as they can be the centres of attention.

Explorer. – The Little Mermaid.

 The little mermaid would draw the explorer’s attention because we follow Ariel through out the film that wants to explore the land rather than under the sea. It’s a very unique film and aimed at the explorer who wants to explore new places and experience new things.  By following her character through the film the explorer can imagine themselves in her shoes.

Resigned. – Saving Private Ryan.

 People who would typically enjoy and would watch this film more would be the resigned, this is because of their era they can relate to war films a lot more than we can, due to World War experiences they can empathize more with the characters within the film and have more of an effect on the resigners oppinions rather than anyone else’s.