This is England Representation of Era

In this is England there is a various representation of England. The country is represented in all different ways through various different means.

First of all, some of the characters in the film offer representations of the typical lifestyle in England at this time. All of them offer representations of working class life and poverty as we see them all in working class domestic settings such as council estates and run down houses. This offers the representation that there is a large amount of working class citizens in England and also that a lot of people are struggling to makes ends meet. Lines of dialogue in this film also represent the struggle to makes end meet in England and one of these was when Shaun talks about his trousers to his mum, Cynthia. Shaun says ‘look at the size of them’ talking abut his pants that do not fit. This represents England as having a poverty problem because Shaun, our main character who we are supposed to care about, addresses this issue directly so we as the audience are forced to identify with this issue. In addition to this, England is represented as a working class heavy environment through the mise-en-scene of this film.  The film is dense with props such as cars from the 1960s and this represents England as working class because these cars are not new, the people depicted in the film would not be able to afford cars from the era.

However, England is also represented as multicultural in this film and this done through other characters such as Milky and Mr. Sandhu. 

Narrative, Games, and Theory by Jan Simons

19. ‘As Roland Barthes wrote ‘narrative is international, trans-historical, trans-cultural: it is simply there, like life itself’’ interesting because it shows that even though games and films are different, they are similar through components such as narrative as it flows through all sorts of mediums.

20. ‘performances by players in interaction with each other and virtual gameworlds give rise to ‘telltale events,’ which would retrospectively make good consideration (Mateas, 2004).’ Simmilar to films as they have iconic moments.

21. ‘We might say that, unlike literature, games are not about the other, they are about the self. Games focus on self-mastery and exploration of the external world, not exploration of interpersonal relationships (except for multiplayer games’ different from films because, even though the audience can relate to film characters, there is heightened level of self actualisation in video games.

Film Structure: Narrative and Narration by Warren Buckland.

17. ‘A narrative does not consist of a random series of events, but a series of events related to one another in terms of cause and effect’ interesting because this can relate to a majority of game narratives, especially heavy rain.

18. ‘although the chronology of pulp fiction is an extreme example, its complexity evidently did not detract from the film’s huge popularity’ interesting because, even though narrative is everything in forms of the game having a purpose, it can be twisted and distorted so the film still has quality. This is similar to games as other elements other than  narrative (Gameplay) can contribute to a better game.

Narrative in Video Games by Patrick Holleman

1. '"When's the first time someone's going to write the Moby Dick of computer games? People around the world are going to go 'Wow, it doesn't even matter that it's a game, that's classic- that's classic tale." -Chris Metzen, VP of Creative Development, Blizzard Entertainment. Interview, Day to Day' interesting because it shows the convergent nature of ludilogical studies by referring the modern industry of video games to the more classic concept of literature.

2. 'There are ages like, like Tetris that are not intended to be art in the usual sense, and they can be studied simply as games, focusing on what game design ideas and programming mechanics make them entertaining. Other games, however, have elaborate scripts, voiced characters, and dramatic music; these are elements common to other forms of art like films or plays' interesting because it further shows the divergence of ludological studies and also because it defines key elements of video games and almost characterises them. This is further shown through the quote 'should games be studied ludologically or narratologically?' as it defines video games by their structures.

3. 'Whether or not video games can be art, they must nevertheless have their own form of criticism that assesses them for what they are, not what other thing they are like' this is interesting because it is contradictory to earlier points made in the article, this suggests that even though video games are intertextual with other media texts and types of media, they also should be definitive and have their own  conventions and factors.

4. 'The study of traditional games-ludology-studies the common ideas in traditional game design, like the use of chance, how players take turns, and how the players drive the action of the game to win. Like traditional games, video games do have a number of common rules and strategies. Consider how common "headshots" and the "zerg rush" are outside the games that coined their terms" This is interesting because it suggests that video games are that big a medium that they have their own specific and memorable moments similar to a a famous movie scene like the shower scene in psycho.

5. 'On the other hand, video games don't really owe as much to chance; in fact randomness in video games can be perceived as thwarting skill and cancelling out fun. But the biggest difference between traditional games and video games is artificial intelligence, which only video games have' this is interesting because it suggests how video games are different to traditional games by suggesting randomness plays a part in video games, and suggests another difference in artificial intelligence, which connotes the ever evolving nature of video games and ludology as video games have ether own new components, such as AI, that are unique to them.

6. 'in a game environment are controlled by a piece of programming that requires no input from a player. This programming knows what to do and requires no player-prompting or random initiation, but it is limited in its role to being a background factor in the game' this is interesting because it shows the nature of video games as the game, and the player are controlled, by this background AI, however the background AI is limited to being in the background, suggesting a balance in video games and a sense of focus on behalf of the player, as they are the factor in the foreground.

7. 'In a traditional traditional/tabletop game, the players and chance are responsible for everything that goes on in the game; but this is not so in most video games' This is interesting because, it not only shows a difference i video games and traditional games, it characterises video games as 'most' suggesting a unity in video games as a medium.

8. 'video games have a discrete game world, not created or operated by any player. This is the primary design feature that separates video games from their traditional counterparts' Interesting as it suggests a difference and a form of evolution in video games and it shows the different dimensions in video games and the technological advances in video games that the game can operate and function, without the player.

9. 'some portions of video games narratives are exactly like books; the player reads them without interacting except to turn the 'page'. Some narrative segments in video games are exactly like movies; the player watches them without doing anything except pausing and unpausing' this is interesting because it fits in exactly with my essay title, and how video games are similar to films. Although, some narrative segments in games mean the player has to interact more directly, such as the cutscenes in LA Noire.

10. 'In a videogame, on the there hand, the player is presented with a world that can be accessed largely at their own discretion'  Interesting because it states a sense of freedom, that you don't get with other mediums, such as film.

11.' specifically this elaborately constructed world which makes videogames not just unique, but also enjoyable' Interesting because it completely agrees with my argument, that video games are unique as a medium.

12.'the world of the game is also- simply by its nature- a narrative element: setting. Setting in games is so uniquely expressed that we can say with certainty that narrative in videogames is at least different from other art forms' interesting because it suggests that different things are prominent in video game narratives than other narratives, such as setting.

13. ''it is not possible to venture into a secret area of a book or a movie, to have the pleasure of finding something which never even flashed before the eyes of other viewers, who are reading the same book or watching the same movie at the same time' interesting because it suggests that there are more dimensions to a video game narrative the there is a film one. External factors that are exclusive to how much a player plays the game and explores may affect the narrative and this kind of thing cannot be done in a film.

14. 'The first unique approach to character in video games is that video game characters can be customised' Interesting because video games shape the video game experience to you, something that goes far past a character from any film being relatable.

15. 'There is the talented jerk character; their personality is atrocious but they are so useful the player puts p with them. There is the ne'er-do-well friend, who is very likeable but practically useless; carrying this character through the game is often a burden, but the story is more interesting with them in it. And then there are characters who are simply awesome in ability and personality, and payers hate to see anything happen to them' Similar to films in a way as video games have characters that make a narrative that are almost archetypal or stereotypical.

16. 'These are fictional people with whom players have a practical--not just voyeuristic-- relationship; in what other form of art is that possible?' Interesting because it leads to the point of depth that a video game goes with the character/audience relationship and suggests that the player feels actively involved with the character. Also, similar to film as both are regarded as art forms.

Research Video Games

Academic texts:

Nick Lacey book, Narrative and Genre.

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2014/feb/21/writing-video-games-can-narrative-be-as-important-as-gameplay- Grant Howitt.

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=narrative- Media know all.

Nick Lacey Narrative and Genre.

Memento Essay (Genre)

There are many elements of Memento that could easily be considered as typical of the Noir genre, one of which is the use of motifs throughout the movie. This allows the director Nolan, in a film about struggling with the memory, to test the audiences memory and immerse them in to the movie in a more interesting way:

'Nevertheless, various critics have sought different unifying features: motif and tone (Durgnat, 1970), social background and artistic/cultural influences (Schrader, 1971 [sic]), iconography, mood and characterisation (Mcarthur, 1972), vista style (Place & Peterson, 1974), the 'hard-boiled' tradition (Gregory, 1976), narrative and iconography (Dyer, 1977), a master plot paradigm (Damico, 19780, conditions of production (Kerr, 1979), paranoia (Buchsbaum, 1986…) and patterns of narration (Telotte, 1989)' 

A perfect example of this is the similarity of two scenes, the first time (so the last time) the audience see Leonard and Teddy visit the derelict industrial building (or 'fucked up building' as Teddy would choicely put it) and the last time we see Leonard and Teddy in the derelict industrial building (so somewhere around the middle of the movie), where the  slow panning wide shot of the cars approaching the derelict building is almost identical, in the first instance the car being Leonard's pick up truck and in the second instance it is Leonard in the Jaguar pulling up next to pick up truck, the pick up truck becomes, somewhat, a motif as it is a reoccurring idea and it symbolises the idea of memory's unreliability. The fact that Leonard left the truck there signifies his struggle with memory and its reliability and also it tasks the audience in a way as it makes them use their memory to remember that Leonard left his truck there, also making them feel in a similar boat to Leonard.

Another element of Memento that makes it fit into the Noir genre, outlined by this article, is how different it is:

'A key feature of all these essays, articles, chapters and books is an acknowledgement of the heterogeneity of the films, and hence the potentially problematic nature of the 'phenomenon' the term 'film noir' has been used to label' 

This applies to Memento as its unique narrative structure defies genre conventions of the thriller, mystery genre, which in fact plays right into the Film Noir genre as it has heterogeneity, meaning it is various and different, a key component in the film Noir genre and a problem as defining a genre and heterogeneity don't go hand in hand.  

Playing Games With Audiences Why Sky Want You To Make The Atlantic Crossing

This article was written by Steve Connolly in a 2012 edition of Media Magazine.

The article explores the sky channel, Sky Atlantic, and what qualities it has and its downfalls. It also takes an informative approach in exploring the maintenance and construction of a channel such as Sky Atlantic.

The article aims to answer the following questions:

• Why do the audience pay for channels such as Sky Atlantic?
• Who watches a channel such as Sky Atlantic?
• How do these types of Channels work?

The article states that audiences pay for this type of Channel because of 'exclusivity'. It goes on to say 'the key thing here for audiences is that Sky Atlantic is a paid-for service' meaning that those who pay for sky atlantic are the only ones who view what Sky Atlantic has to offer. 

The article also goes on to talk about how Sky Atlantic is 'chasing a different audience'. It talks about how  there are 'older, wealthier people' who 'don't feel catered for by mainstream TV' such as 'The X-Factor'. Also, it offers two TV Case studies in The Borgias and The Wire as it suggests shows such as The Borgias, 'are generally complex, adult, sometimes difficult pieces of work which will appeal to these kinds of people' and how 'A show like The Wire requires its audience to be literate, focused and generally 'stick with it' in order to enjoy what it has to offer'. 

The article also goes on to talk about how Sky Atlantic works. It discusses how 'Both Sky Atlantic and the Sky Platform are owned by the broadcaster BSkyB' and how 'The Sky Platform Carries BSkyB's own channels as well as other channels who pay a fee'. Furthermore, this article uses the BBC  as a case study by exploring how they pay an annual '£10million' 'carriage fee'. 

Genre Essay

For my essay I have chosen to analyse the film trailer for the western/revisionist western movie Unforgiven. This movie hit the big screen in 1992 and has some iconic factors with a western movie along with some factors that challenge the western genre and in turn making this film a revisionist western.

Firstly, the majority of the shot types used in the film trailer are traditional to a revisionist western because they are close-up and revealing. A lot of the shots used are close ups which allow the audience to focus on the character and connect with them because we can see their feelings through the heightened view of their facial expressions. This in turn conforms to the genre conventions of a revisionist western because they are very character based, in oppose to the all out action theme of a traditional western movie.

The mis-en-scene of the Unforgiven film trailer is extremely traditional and conforms greatly to the genre conventions of a western movie. However, there are some challenges against the western genre. The settings are what you would expect to see! The settings include a vast baron desert/wasteland setting and a saloon/bar type setting which are extremely typical settings and characteristics for a western and revisionist western movie to the point that there is a sense of intertextuality with every other western movie! The costumes used are also very typical of a western movie. Throughout the trailer we are bombarded with the traditional cowboy hats and leather waistcoats. We also see the sheriff brandishing his star shaped sheriff's badge. These costumes are all typical to a western genre and just cowboys in general and they let us know that this movie is a western. The women in the trailer are mostly dressed very differently to what you would expect in a western movie. In a patriarchal genre such as westerns Women are usually seen as second class and as trophies, the better your woman the better man you are. To denote this the women are usually dressed loosely and provocatively. There are women dressed like this in the trailer but there screen time is minute and they are dressed like this to adhere to the dress code of their profession. The women in this movie trailer however are dressed to the full wearing long dresses and shirts buttoned up to their necks. By doing this the Unforgiven film trailer challenges the genre conventions of a western movie because dressing women in this way shows them in a different light all together. The props used in Unforgiven are also very traditional of a western movie. The majority of props used are guns from the civil war America era such as revolvers or a 'spencer rifle', there are countless horses seen and the American flags in the town setting connote patriotism which is a big theme in western movies, due to the fact they are usually set around the time of the American civil war. These props and costumes are all a form of iconography. The cow boy hats and guns are all iconic to western movies and revisionist western movies. One of the stars and directors of the movie, Clint Eastwood, is a form of iconography also because he is iconic to the western genre. Even the characters are iconic. In every western movie we see a sheriff type character.

The characters in the Unforgiven film trailer are a mixture between conforming to the western genre and its characteristics and going against them completely. There are the traditional western characters such as the sheriff and the bad guy (or guys in this case) and characters such as the damsel in distress. There is also a traditional character of a revisionist western, however this character does challenge the genre characteristics of a traditional western movie, in William Munny with him being the retired police officer going back to do 'one last job'. This doesn't conform to the characteristics of a traditional western because the men in those movies are depicted as killers and are happy about that. However there are some very different and unexpected characters in this film trailer. The first are the women, who challenge the police and voice their opinion. This is practically unheard of in the traditional westerns such as 'the searchers'. The other character is Ned Logan, Clint Eastwood's black partner. This was unseen in any western because the time when these films are set are usually around the civil war era when black people were seen as second class citizens. By including such characters in the trailer and giving them such powerful roles, Clint Eastwood (also directed the film as well as starred in it) goes against the genre characteristics entirely.

The iconic props and characters in this trailer have their own connotations that go against or conform to the western genre characteristics. The sheriff character in western movies signifies law and order and the villain character in the trailer signifies injustice. This is a classic binary opposition in the western genre. However, in this particular trailer this binary opposition is challenged with the sheriffs being described as 'killers' and as being the signifiers for corruption. This binary opposition is supported by the sheriff character having his badge half covered under his jacket. This signifies that the corruption and injustice has over clouded what is right. One ideology that conforms in this trailer is that honour is of upmost importance to a man. Clint Eastwood's character William Munny coming back to do one last job in the name of honour. Another binary opposition that challenges the western genre characteristics is the one of man against women. With the western genre being traditionally patriarchal, this trailer challenges this binary opposition by making the women strong characters who voice their opinion and chase the villains out of there town by throwing rocks at them. This signifies that women are as equal as men and can do what they can do. This binary opposition can be taken further by looking at it as inferior and superior, men being the superior and women being inferior. This challenge of characteristics is supported by the strong women shown in this revisionist western trailer and Morgan Freeman's character Ned Logan. He also signifies equality, however he does it in a way that says everyone is equal not just men and women but people of every race. This is signified through him being black which is something that is rarely seen in western movies.

X Factor

My guilty pleasure is the X factor.

I think the X Factor appeals to a middle aged stay at home mum/dad target audience. The X Factor is a talent show (whether everyone is talented or not isn't down to me) that airs on a Saturday and Sunday night. I don't think this text is absurd for me because I am a mainstream audience member and this show seems to tick all the mainstream boxes. It airs on a family brand TV channel and it is very popular and well known. I think the X Factor is a secure programme as well so I don't see it as a text I wouldn't usually consume based on the audience type I am. However, compared to the texts I usually consume (Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead) it is very different but ultimately it fits into my audience category. I think I take a preferred reading to the X factor because I get behind all the sob stories and I laugh at all the funny contestants, which is what I think is the encoded reading of the X factor. Using the uses and gratifications theory the X Factor entertains me but I have a deluded personal identity to it. When watching the X Factor I, along with many people I am sure, aspire to be able to sing like the high flyers of the competition. Now in reality I can't but it is nice to have the fantasy of a weekend!

Elvis: Don't Cry Daddy

For my media diary week four, I have chosen the Elvis song don't cry daddy as the text that changed my life.

This song has changed my life numerous times because my dad used to play this song of a Saturday night when me and my two younger brothers were younger. Although the song is about a negative experience, this song has positive connotations for me because it reminds me of my dad. This has changed my life because when I am down or upset my dad is usually my first port of call, if I am not able to go to my dad however, I always listen to this song because it reminds me of him and helps to turn my frown upside down!

Breaking Bad Season Two Episode Nine

Foy my media diary week three I have chosen Breaking Bad Season 2 Episode Nine because in this episode Walter, who is unhappy with his boring job and bland life, makes a lot of money, all be it illegally, but a lot of money non the less. I think the audience for this particular episode are a Struggler, Cowboy, Group B type of audience.

I think the Struggler would be the audience for this episode because they seek escape with there media and in this episode Walter (Heisenberg) does just that. He makes serious money and starts to see more to life than his boring job and bland life (which I think is symbolised by his car).

A Cowboy type audience member would be the audience for this programme for this episode because basically it illustrates there needs in life. As I have already said, Walter makes a big amount of money, six hundred and seventy thousand dollars I believe, which is something can relate to and identify themselves with, as in the uses and gratifications theory.

This episode has the group B type audience because in the programme Walter is a teacher, any teachers watching this episode, who may or may not enjoy there trade, can relate to the stresses and difficulties Walter faces in his job. To further this, if there are teachers who watch this who do dislike their job then they can take inspiration from Walter who does something about it, hopefully they will do something different than Walter but the principal is the same.

The typical audience member for this episode would be a thirty to forty year old male, who thinks is job is degrading or doesn't challenge them enough. They probably see themselves as intelligent and academic. They will probably have wives and a family and will be of working class. They will also probably be well educated and probably be interested in politics.

Breaking Bad Season One Episode Two Review

After the first episode in season one of the world renound Breaking Bad I was left deflated. I think the main point for any pilot episode is to fabricate the charcters and give them a story and I don't feel Breaking Bad's pilot episode did this. The only character i seemed to find out about was Walter himself and that was it, all the other charcters seemed one dimensional. Episode two not only rectifies this problem but it goes on to expand on characters more than you would expect a second episode to.

Characters such as Jessy Pickman and Skyler White really came out of there shell. We saw Skyler show herself as the caring wife and saw  Jessy as the idiot junkie that the creators of Breaking Bad wanted him to be portrayed as. Also, we saw his feminine side behind the whole gangster exterior.

As well as this, we saw more into Walter's personality and how he deals with serious situations. He also gained some convidence whilst he was talking back to Skyler, which was beatifully done by the way. The story took a good twist with Jessy meeting Skyler and with with Walter choosing to keep 'Crazy 8' alive.

To conclude, Episode two of Breaking Bad sets the season up to actually watch from here on and it gives the audience something to use and think about when going forward with the tv show, granted this should off been the aim with the pilot episode but it is never late than never!

Game Of Thrones Season Three Episode Nine Review

Game Of Thrones Season Three Episode Nine Review

To start off, this episode of GOT warmed your heart, had it in your mouth and then ripped it out of your chest and stomped on it repeatedly whilts you watched. Now that that is out of the way, on with the review.

This episode is probably the best episode of GOT ever. This is because of how much suspense and shock this episode creates. We have the wedding of Edmure tully to one of the prickly Lord Walder Frey's daughters. All be it we dont know wich one and knowing lord Frey it wont be his comeliest of daughters. Quick annoctdote, Walder Frey was played brilliantley by David bradley. Also, the beautifull Daenerys conquers the great city of Yunkai with only three people and Bran and Rickon have that lovely heart felt moment when Bran tells Rickon that they have to part ways. And what about Jon and Arya getting so close to their family again but loosing it at the last minute. These reasons make the episode so good bacause they really show off the vastness of the programme and in the same respect they all really come together in a way.

Right, the wedding. This scene will go down in television history as one of the biggest shocks ever, I am sure of it. Firstly, the moment when Talisa tells Robb about them calling their baby Eddard after Robb's late father. Don't worry it was fine to cry at that moment. Then the Red wedding happened. Talisa and her baby are brutally murdered, robb is shot repitatvely with arrows and so is Catelyn. Being the noble determined starks that they are Catelyn grabs Lord walder Frey's wife and threatens to cut her throat if Lord Frey doesn't let Robb go. He refuses and Catelyn cuts the girls throat, Robb gets up and gets killed. Then the Catelyn gets her throat cut. Basically it is a bloody mess. But the acting was immaculate. Well doen to the actors invloved.

This episode changed the way I will look at GOT forever, it shocked me to the core and still made me excited for the next episode. In my opinion this is the best bit of TV ever and I can't wait for next season.

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