Ideology

Ideology is a system of beliefs and ideals presented by the media to an audience. They can be about politics, minorities and a general view on how people should be living, among other things. These ideals are called Dominant Ideology, and will appear in a variety of media texts such as newspapers, soaps, advertisements and films.

The Sun's ideology is of a right wing government

Ideologies come in opposite pairs, called binary oppositions. The ideology that opposes the dominant ideology is mainly seen as bad in the Medias eyes or is stereotyped in some way. Below is a small list of some binary oppositions:

Dominant	Binary Opposite
White	Black
Fat	Thin
Rich	Poor
Christian	Muslim
Healthy	Unhealthy
Logical	Emotional
Man	Woman
Straight	Gay

These dominant ideals are seen a lot of the time in Hollywood movies - American disaster movies usually end up with the white male American winning the day whereas the women are in their domestic place.  Romantic comedies usually end up with the straight white male getting the emotional woman. Indie films often subvert these ideals, and have the film based around a minority.

Evaluation Questions

These are the four questions that I will answer after I have made the finished product:

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Branding

The brand name that my production company is working under is “Robot Dreams”. I chose this name because the sorts of films I plan on making do not follow traditional mainstream patterns, and like the question “What do robots dream of?” I want to make the audience do more than just take in the film, but actually question it, and come up with their own views of it. Below is the logo I will be using:

Props list:

Here is a list of props that will be used in the short film:

Uniform which will be worn throughout and includes:

-          Blazer

-          White polo shirt

-          Plain black trousers

-          Black shoes

-          Black bag

Posters used in the real world:

-          Rock Night @ the Red Lion

-          Rules and Regulations

-          New Law

Bike that will be used in the dream world

Props that will be used in the laboratory:

-          Music equipment

-          Laptop

-          Syringe

-          Tubes

-          Monitoring pads

Progress Diary: 25th October

Storyboard

Project Diary: 24th October

Shooting Plan

 This shooting plan is a rough outline on what and how the filming should go, the shots refers to the shots in the Storyboard.

Why I chose this brief (Short Film)

Film pitch for OBEY

The pitch contains details on plot, location, character, music, camera and audience. Here is it filmed:

And here is the slide show:

 

(This is the music that I referred to in the film pitch, this is the song I am going to take inspiration from and not use.)

Location Images - The Real World

In the short film, the real world is a run down and oppressed society, so I wanted to have dull colours and worn down walls, as well as fences and signs to create the feeling of being trapped.

Internal Monologue Script for Obey

This is the first draft of the script. I may add to it or change parts depending on how well they work.

“It’s always the same. It’s been the same for as long as I can remember, all these rules – these regulations. Everyone just gets up, goes to work and sleep, and for what? ‘All for the good of our triumphant nation.’ I am Civilian 9823457. I used to have a name, but that was taken away along with everything else. Music, games, sport – anything fun was torn down as part of the ‘Liberating Efficiency Revolution.’ Naturally there was a resistance; people weren’t going to take it lying down. They were all killed. My mother included. I only know all this from my dad. He’ll tell me stories, stories of the past – before the ‘machine’ took over and when there was nature all around, where things would grow.”

A Brief History of Short Films

Representation in the media

Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist, says that representation in the media is profoundly important in the way that people are shown/ not shown to the world. For example Gypsies are represented as thieving, antisocial and scum by right wing newspapers such as the daily mail and because of its huge readership, most of Britain will share this view which isn’t truthful to all gypsies and makes their life harder as they are put in such a bad light, in which they have little say over.



A stereotypical view of gypsies

As well as representing groups and people in a bad light the media can also do the opposite and show people in a better light such as this documentary of Hitler, shown in German cinemas and created by Leni Riefenstahl. This film shows Hitler in a positive and victorius light  which helped him gain so many followers.

I may use this style in my short film to make the government be represented in a positive light even though it isn't in order to make it feel like the people are being forced to accept and praise the system they are in.

Narrative Theory – Characters

In a typical Hollywood film, all characters will follow one of seven character types, dictated by Propp’s Character Theory. They are:

• The Hero: The main protagonist who has to go on a mission and save the day. (Usually male)
• The Helper: A character who accompanies the hero on their quest.
• The Mentor: The character who teaches the hero a valuable lesson and is usually depicted as old and wise.
• The Prize: Acts as a reward for the hero after they have saved the day.
• The Dispatcher: The character who sends the hero on their journey.
• The Villain: Tries to gain riches and power as well as getting rid of the hero.
• The Blocker: Tries to stop the hero from continuing his journey.

Below I have created a table with this theory using characters from Harry Potter to show how it fits into a Hollywood film:

My film will not follow this theory, as there is only one character properly shown, and they are not on a mission so whilst they are the main protagonist like the hero is, they do not have any of the characteristics that the hero does.

Narrative Theory – Narrative Structure

Traditional Hollywood films will follow specific narrative structures that are known as either Propp’s or Todorov’s (There are slight differences between the two but they follow the same pattern). Todorov’s theory is this:

1. Equilibrium – Everything is normal.
2. Disruption – Something happens to disrupt the equilibrium.
3. Recognition of disruption.
4. Attempt to repair disruption.
5. A return to equilibrium or a restoration of a new equilibrium.

The short film that I am creating will subvert this narrative structure and will not follow the typical Hollywood storyline. If it had to be compared to Todorov’s theory it would start off with an equilibrium, which soon gets disrupted and the narrative ends there, making it an open narrative, where it leaves the audience to question what happens next. [Check back here Philip!]

Location study - Dream

The location for the dream sequence I have decided will be in a local wheat field because the colours are very vibrant and brings to mind a core image of nature. This will be a great place for the protagonist to feel free in and experience life like a child, which he has missed because of the society he lives in.

Update: Turns out the field was cut between writing up about the location and taking the actual pictures. Here is the location as it is now, and I shall try and find a new location that is natural. 

Character profile/Actor list - Civilian 67520

I will be acting as the protagonist, Civilian 67520, and the only character seen fully by the audience 

A 17 year old boy who lives with his dad, his mother passed away due to opposing the system. He has a couple of friends the same age as him, who spend their time throwing rocks around and just imagining (recreational sports and entertainment are banned as they distract people from working to the goal of a “better future for all”). His school clothes consist of plain black trousers, blazer and shoes. He doesn’t like the society that he is in from what his parents have told him and doesn’t try as hard as he could at school because of it. Spends most of his time daydreaming, a habit he got from his mother – “They can stop anything except what happens in your mind, they can’t stop you dreaming.”

Genre study – Sci-Fi/Drama

The genre that my short film is contained in is that of Sci-fi/Drama. It incorporates parts of the Sci-fi genre such as technology dealing with the mind and the typical dystopian future with the over lording government and the restrictions set on the general public whilst showing raw human emotions and feelings that are seen in the Drama genre.

Notable examples of other media texts that share similar premise and themes:

V for Vendetta – Great Britain has been made into a fascist state, with the government controlling what people watch and the news they hear whilst banning certain religions and entertainment.

Strange Days – Involves the idea of memories and emotions being able to be stored on disks and how that can affect people.

Nineteen Eighty-four – The government invades personal privacy and no one is free from the “Big Brother” the highest rank of the society which controls all.

Target Audience - The Overachievers

The Overachievers are university students aged 19 – 24 who take subjects such as politics, psychology and sociology. They spend their free time with friends at places such as cafes, libraries and small theatres/galleries. They get involved with political protests as well as the student union at their university. They watch documentaries on the television as well as quiz shows such as only connect and university challenge.

Audience Research

By using Facebook, I was able to ask a wide range of people the questions from my questionnaire. These are the questions that I asked:

From the responses I got, the general audience for the film were:

-          They were 18 – 24.

-          They hung out with their friends in their spare time.

-          Their favourite genres were sci-fi, drama and comedy.

-          They watch films about once a month.

-          They enjoy getting into the films that they are watching.

-          They like talking about the films after they’ve seen it.

-          They listen to rock and hang out in shops such as H&M, HMV as well as Cafes.

Using this information I shall create a mood board of my target audience.