Theoretical induction: a week long introduction to A-level media studies

Iconography in the trailer to Lightyear (2024) - how do iconographic features construct meaning for the audience?

Iconography - The visual motifs or repeating features of a media product

Iconography can only work as a referent. It needs to be able to refer to something to make sense. This can be other media products, events, social movements, absolutely anything!

So, the way in which we make sense of the world is through our awareness of the other! Let’s come back to this later!

• The assembly of giant robots resembles the assembled stormtroopers in Star Wars, providing the audience with the recognition that this will be a sci fi film
• The iconography of control rooms, long corridors and spaceships are all indicative of the science fiction genre
• The fast paced editing connotes action and adventure. This is confirmed through the MES of his spacesuit and confident pose and square jaw, all inferring an all American hero
• The iconography of the big green tentacle connotes danger, and signifies to the audience that this film will feature peril not present in toy story. However, we code switch to the iconography of comedy, with an embarrassed buzz flicking the tentacle away.

How is montage utilised in the opening credits to Death Note to construct complex meanings?

Editing - How separate shots are arranged to create meaning

1. Montage – how combining shots creates meaning
2. Montage – literally just French for ‘editing’ 
3. Montage – Assembling footage to demonstrate the passing of time, eg a training montage
4. Montage – a specific, Soviet form of editing to construct poetic symbolic designations through assembling footage

• A MS slowly zooming from a CU of an apple being held cuts to a serious young man standing on top of a building. The apple is a clear signifier of sin, and standing on top of a building is iconographic of isolation and an outsider status, and infers that this show will feature outsiders 
• A panning shot explores a group of bizarre looking aliens before cutting to a rapid fire montage of the same eye in ECU, connoting stress, anxiety, danger, and a protagonist pushed to the edge 
• A number of biblical references and iconography are utilised. The MES of an apple, the riff on The Creation of Adam, and the symbolising of temptation all infer religious aspects. This ties in to the major themes of the TV show. 

How is the audience positioned in the first class dinner/3rd class party scenes in Titanic?

Positioning – how the audience are placed or situated by a media product

But actually, the producer is desperately using every technique to position or place you within the narrative

But are we up close and personal or far away? Which character are we positioned with? And do we want to be there?

• In the above deck 1st class dinner sequence, the audience is positioned at the the table with a range of fancy people, creating an uncomfortable and intimating mode of address. This is emphasised through the MES of cold heartless stares, and the montage of shots cutting backwards and forth. The quick montage from different points of view helps position the audience to understand the awkwardness of being in a social situation and not knowing where to look. The audience is positioned as jack throughout the sequence through the use of over the shoulder shots and BCUs of his face, helping to align the audience with DiCaprio. Finally his attractive features help to appeal to the target heterosexual female audience. 
• However in the second sequence, we are positioned with rose, and invited to share in how overwhelmed she is. This is emphasised through the use of rapid fire montage and a series of highly leading close ups of the band playing instruments. Contrary to the cold, high key lighting of the above deck sequence, the low key, intimate lighting of the dance party creates a warm and inviting mode of address. 

How does mise-en-scene encode polysemic interpretations in the video for This is For by TWiCE?

Mise-en-scene - 'put in scene'. The elements that have been included within any given shot.

Polysemy - many meanings

This is for - connotations of inclusion and for everybody. Grammatically confusing, forcing the audience to consider who the song is for… 

• The MES of the washing line is reinforced through the colour white, which has connotations of purity, freedom, and the inability to do wrong. However, it also reinforces a stereotype of women staying at home and doing housework. The constant refrain of ‘ladies’ here may construct a traditional and even misogynistic viewpoint…
• However the washing line is completely ignored throughout the video, and the performers choose to wear outlandish outfits, made out of confusing materials such as binoculars 
• The title of the song connotes an ideology of women coming together. This is reinforced through the MES of the dancers dancing in formation, connoting that they are all together. This is reinforced by the homogeneous casting of the band, who all have similar, stereotypically beautiful bodies and features.
• However, the focus on beauty and bodies reinforces the message that only women who look a certain way can be empowered through the message of the song 
• The washing line is connotative of working class identity, and suggests that the audience/consumer is on the same level as the women in this video. However, this is totally up to interpretation
• The MES of the black and white cat connotes the street, of urban life, of being ordinary and down to earth. However, the cat looks on at the girls through a pair of binoculars, connoting the fact that Twice are the main focus, and reinforces the idea that their audience should empower themselves and spire to be like their heroes
• The cat is a symbol for freedom. It lives a life separate to the hard work and toil of the dancers, and seems to drift from rooftop to rooftop, living a life of leisure. The MES of certain feline facial expressions and hand gestures made by the performers resemble a cat. Rather than simply a cutesy affectation, this connotes a need to live a life free from stress and turmoil, and that we are all formed of many diverse elements.
• The train station setting has connotations of moving on and drastic changes in people. However the train station is largely empty aside form the performers, suggesting that these performers are the only ones moving on with their lives, providing an invitation for the audience to move on. However the subway is also a ‘universal experience’ relatable for the young city dwelling working class target audience, providing a relatable address. 
• Another example of a relatable setting is on the streets themselves. Streets have connotations of movement, of being seen and seeing others, and being in public. This suggests that TWiCE are confident, assertive people 
• The MES of the bee brushing against the camera lens, breaks the fourth wall, and reminds the audience that they are participating in a false reality. It serves as a literal and symbolic distractions from the women and their dance routine and their lives. However the women keep dancing, connotative of the need to keep going no matter what. 
• A shot of a train rapidly going past sees the MES of two band members pulling cheeky faces and ruining the shot. This symbolises a break from reality, for seriousness and hard work, and suggests that life is complex
• The grey brutalist setting of the top of the building actively draws the attention of the audience to the glamorous and wonderful costumes of the dance

How does The Star use a hierarchy of media language in order to construct a persuasive address for its target audiences?

Layout and composition – how the placing of elements of media language create meaning

A ‘hierarchy of meaning’ can be constructed through image size, positioning, and selection of elements

• The paper takes a hyperbolic address, presenting an exaggerated version of the world to draw the attention of the target, older audience
• The MES of science fiction figures targets a stereotypically male audience, and an older audience. It presents a humorous parody that deals with the end of the world. 
• Lexis - the choice of words
• There are very few words on the front page, and the lexis of what is there is simple, and targeted at a lower reading age audience
• Boff - an old fashioned word for nerd. Informal, and once more reinforces the older target audience. With references to film catchphrases, and the iconography of sci fi films, the paper deliberately excludes a younger target audience 
• While the AI story is clearly the most important, a secondary story features model/actor Sydney Sweeny half naked and staring at the camera. Her inclusion targets a heterosexual middle aged audience. Sweeny is often cast in highly sexualised roles, and her body resembles a classic pinup model, and this potentially will appeal to the target audience. The Tesco advertisement at the bottom of the page lacks the colour and excitement of the stories, constructing a hierarchy where the ‘news stories’ are of a higher significance. Adverts are essential for ensuring revenue. The choice of the advisor reinforces the fact that this newspaper targets a working class audience 
• The lexis ‘boff’ suggests a working class audience of lower intelligence. Simple language is used, and the headline story is dealt with in an amusing way. This unserious address reassures the audience that this serious situation is not one to worry about.
• The actor Sydney Sweeny is referred to by her first name, an informal address constructed through familiarity. She is sexualised through nudity and the MES of her seductive facial expression. Only her body and her sexuality are important 
• A persuasive, manipulative and misleading connection is constructed between the splash image of Sweeny and the audience. By constructing a reality where this woman is solely a sexual object, the audience are encouraged to engage with and to buy the magazine