Highly sexualised, she has her tongue sticking out whilst licking a lollipop this is seen as a seductive expression. The female body's language is almost swayed and standing in a feminine position. The female is wearing red which has connotations with lust and love but is also strongly linked with prostitution.
The girl is seen playing with her hair this suggests that she's not that intelligent and also suggests that she is a confused character.
She is also licking a lollipop very suggestively which promotes the idea that she is a playful character and maybe enjoys a bot of mischief and attention.
The male- GTA
The male has a scruffy stubbled beard which suggests that he is tough man and has maybe been in prison also links to the idea that he doesn't care about his appearance.
The man is seen wearing gloves so that it could mean he is ready to fight and get his hands dirty.
The man is looking very aggressively at the camera which highly suggests that he is ready to confront anyone over anything.
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House of Cards: Chapter 1
House of Cards uses a number of different media techniques in order to portray different representations of the main characters, location and politics.
The mise-en-scene of Chapter 1, gives a strong representation of the main character, location and politics. The main character Frank Underwood is seen as a quite sinister character and through mise-en-scene this is further proven with the low-key lighting throughout the whole episode. This represents a sense of mystery and suspense which all conform to the conventions of a thriller. Frank Underwood is always dressed smart and slick this accentuates how politicians are dressed and are portrayed. Frank Underwood is also looking for revenge and is a power hungry character, this is represented through setting as most of the plotting and scheming occur late evening/night this represents a sinister atmosphere as well conforming to a political thriller conventions it also shows how sinister Frank’s character is. An example of this would be when Frank shatters the plates in his house this can represent the power struggle Frank is going through as he was cheated from being State Senator. Another example of corruption is when Frank blackmails Peter to work for him with no questions asked.
In, HoC, there is a use of dull and muted colours and with low-key lighting. The dull muted colour offers a sense of realism towards the audience as HoC portrays the corruption and power struggles within Washington, which is unknown to the public/audience. The low-key lighting conforms to the genres of a thriller and in HoC case the genre hybridity of a drama/thriller.
Also mise-en-scene has a part to play in the character of Zoe Barnes, who is an ambitious reporter working for the Washington Herald. Zoe’s life has a vast contrast from Frank/Claire’s life. She lives in a messy apartment with paper and work scattered everywhere this suggests that she doesn’t care about her appearance. When Zoe first meets Frank she was wearing a revealing V-neck to try and sway Frank. This suggests that Zoe will do whatever it takes to get where she needs to be.
Peter Russo is a corrupt solicitation, who is involved in dark matters such as drugs and adultery. Peter becomes one of Frank’s pawns when he gets arrested for drink driving. Through mise-en-scene it showed Peter’s situation through dull/muted colours also when Peter was arrested it was set in the night, which gives it a more sinister feeling.
Another significant part of Chapter 1 is the sound used throughout the episode; there is a use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound within the episode. More significantly diegetic sound is more predominant, this usually occurs from Frank when he is narrating what’s happening within the episode and what he is planning. Frank looks directly at the camera almost if it’s a conversion between Frank and the audience. Despite this there is still non-diegetic sound in the episode, which is mainly the background music, this is more mysterious and it adds to the tension of the episode, it also gets your blood pumping and heart racing through the music. With the background music it conforms House of Cards to a political thriller. During the presidential elect winning party, there was a lot of patriotic music but Frank’s voice was more noticeable. During the episode the characters voices override the background music.
The editing of the show gives us a strong representation of the character, Frank Underwood. The pace of the editing varies from scene to scene however it all adds up to paint this character, Frank, as a vicious and vengeful character. In an argument between Frank and his wife Claire, there is the use of shot reverse shot. The cuts and changes are very quick to suggest that this argument is heated and this shows the tension in the scene. This represents not only Franks but also Claire as characters that will not back down and will fight until they get their own way. There is also a very similar example that shows Zoe Barnes as and ambitious and arrogant character. In the scene where she is handing in the Education Bill, she is constantly interrupting her co-workers and there for the shot pace is very fast as the camera goes to the co-workers then is instantly back on her as she always has something to say. This shows that her character will make sure that her voice is heard as she want to make it to the top. In the title sequence of the show, there is a series of sped up establishing shots of the city of Washington DC. This represents the setting of the show as a very fast paced and busy establishment. This also sets the tone for the show itself
Moreover, the camera work also does a good job in the representing of characters in the show. There are many close-up shots on peoples faces in order to show emotion. Peter Russo is portrayed, through the use of camerawork, as an untrustworthy character. In the scene where his meeting is interrupted but his secretary posing as the president elect there are close up shots to his face and we can see that, even though we know he is lying, he keeps a strong, straight face. This immediately show the audience he is manipulative and not to be trusted. This is also reinforced in the scene where he lies to his secretary saying that he was alone the night before. This is a heated scene which uses the shot reverse shot at a fast pace. This shows that he wont crumble under pressure also. It also show that Christina, his assistant is quite a doubting character and is sceptical of his actions. When Russo is finally caught and called out by Frank he becomes worried and paranoid and agrees to everything Frank says. This shows him to be a pushover character being easily controlled by Frank. In the scene where Frank is told that he will not be made Secretary of State there is a close up shot, which shows his slight change is emotion. The change is enough for the audience to know he is hurt by the decision however it also shows him go from neutral to hurt to angry in a matter in a second showing he is ready to fight for his position.
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Discuss the similarities and differences of UK Soaps and US Long form dramas
UK Soaps are shorter in length
UK soaps are lower in budget
US dramas have a formal attitude whereas UK Soaps are quite urban
Record notes on how technology has influenced the production, distribution and exhibition of long form TV drama.
A film print costs about $2000, a digital disk less than $100.
A 90 minute movie is usually over 8,000 feet of film. If you’ve ever looked through developed film stock, it’s amazing how many frames it takes to advance a scene. Modern reels of film come in 2000 ft. lengths, so that’s almost nine reels of film per movie, and many movies last longer than 90 minutes.
On the shooting end of digital, you no longer have to stop “filming” to reload film magazines, you just keep on shooting
Digital (streaming)
•In just a decade, Netflix has grown from a video service with seven million U.S. subscribers to one that reaches 93 million people worldwide.
•When Netflix first launched in the late 1990s, it distributed DVDs – mainly films – by mail. The convenience of the service disrupted the existing film rental industry and eventually led to its demise.
•during the early 2000s, advances in compression technology – coupled with more homes gaining access to high-speed internet services – allowed large video files to be easily streamed over the internet.
•video streaming services such as Netflix (what I call “portals”) deliver programming “on demand” via the internet, viewers can choose what and when to watch instead of watching “what’s on.”
•Subscription TV therefore offers significant benefits to terrestial TV.
•Netflix (originally a US company) provides services to 43% of the US market, it has developed its global market with a presence in 190 countries.
•Its popularity is achieved by providing high production content in several TV serial genres. This includes complicated serial dramas (“House of Cards”), action series (“Daredevil”), horror series (“Hemlock Grove”).
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•Task 4 what is the comparative production costs of a typical UK Soap e.g. EastEnders compared to an episode of House of cards
House of Cards have a larger budget hen typical UK soaps such as EastEnders. For one episode of EastEnders it costs around £141,000 to produce whereas House of Cards costs around £4.5 million ,which is increasing over time,. This is a tiny amount compared to House of Cards vast budget.
House of Cards is available in 4K and HD. Also House of Cards actors are more well known and have higher wages then EastEnder actors and actresses.
Synopsis
Genre conventions of a Thriller: The intensity of emotions they create particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.
Narrative Techniques of a Thriller
- Plot twists and turns
- Flashbacks
- Misdirections
- Making the audience work
Characters
President elect Garrick Walker,
Linda Vasquez Chief of staff, woman, latino tough as a 2 dollar cheque
Frank/Francis Underwood -House majority whip – keep the sludge moving.
Clair (Frans wide)- shady, direct, cold, ruthless, own ambitions and for her husband
Washington Herald: Zoe Barnes- willing to go against the law, very ambitious
Recently elected secretary of state Michael Kern –
Peter Rousseau - drink driver,solicitation, use of controlled substances.
Christina Gallagher assistant
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Conventions of Drama
Exhibits real life situations with realistic characters, settings and stories
Portrays journeys of character development
Intense social interaction
Purpose of a dramatic story line is to move the audience
Heart of drama is the conflict
Conflicts include inner/outer realistic struggles depicting hardships, difficulty and pain
Audience can relate to the characters
Structured with climaxes and anti climaxes to keep the audience emotionally attached and the tension ongoing
A form realisation at the end/happily
Conventions of Political Drama
- Corruption in politics and congress
- Realistic
- Power struggle
House of Cards do conform to these conventions such as the corruption in congress as Frank was falsely promised senator and also when Frank blackmails Peter to work for him.
There is a power struggle with Frank as he is trying to reach the top.
This offers a sense of realism
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Task 7
Write a 500 word synopsis of House of cards
You are expected to decode the narrative from watching the film
At least three narrative (strands) exists, describe theme as part of the synopsis.
Describe the Genre of the film
Identify the main characters and their character role hero/anti hero, protagonist/antagonist
Frank Underwood is an ambitious democratic congressman and the House Majority Whip.
The show starts by introducing Frank Underwood who is the main protagonist and it shows an injured dog and how Frank gives a dark metaphor about pain whilst strangling the dog. This shows Frank is willing to do anything when needed.
The story moves on to the successful election of President Garret Walker, Frank then introduces other main characters throughout the party. Whilst still having a direct mode of address with the audience.
Frank helped and ensured the election of President Garret Walker, who falsely promised to promote Underwood to Secretary of State. However Walker and Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez, a Latino woman, go against that promise and instead appoints Senator Michael Kern. Frank angered with the decision and infuriated with the betrayal of Walker and Vasquez. This is due to the amount of help and effort Underwood gave the two and they went against him. With this feeling of betrayal and regret Underwood as this is a stab in the back for Underwood so he and his wife Claire, a ruthless CEO of an environmental company, make a pact to destroy Kern and for Frank to become president.
Frank needed to gather his own team to do anything he wants with no questions asked.
Whilst this was occurring, ambitious reporter for the Washington Herald, Zoe Barnes comes into play as she makes her resources available she becomes one of their pawns. Zoe Barnes is looking for her big break and thought she had found it with Frank.
Another pawn for Frank and Claire is Peter Russo who is an unfaithful solicitation
