Ethnicity

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following: 

• Camera shots - angles, movement and composition
•  Editing
•  Sound
•  Mise en scène
• 
  

Camera Shots


At the start of the clip there is a long shot of the coloured man, wearing a suit walking, from the way he is walking he comes across quite camp and shows he has a feminine nature. This wouldn't normally be associated with the ethnicity group he is from. This is supported when the coloured man in the suit says to the dreads man that he 'looks good'. However there are a number of over the shoulder shots between the two coloured men.


During these shots you can hear their conversation and during this conversation the coloured man with the dreadlocks is talking about weed which is associated with coloured people and their ethnicity group but the man in the suit disagrees with the man with the dreadlocks and he comes across very nervous when weed is mentioned this shows that although the two men are from the same ethnicity groups they both have different jobs and lives now even though they had the same background. These shots also allow you to see that they have the same colour skin. This could therefore then mean that they are from the same ethnicity group because they are of the same race. Just after this shot you see the typical hotel cleaners in their uniform. However in the long shot you can see that the cleaners are staring to strip for the man on the left. Just before this long shot there is a close up of the money on the table. 

Therefore these two shots are linked to show the importance of the money because it shows that the two girls are from the same ethnicity group. The cleaner on the left hand side in the picture then begins to stop stripping, this then shows that they are from two different ethnicity groups because one believes what they are doing is right and the other believes its not. The audience will know that the cleaners are from the same ethnicity group because they have the same accent. The audience will also then know that the cleaners are foreigners due to the way that they are speaking during the close up of them when they are first introduced speaking about the man in the room paying double for double.

• • 
    
  Mise en scène

• 
  

The setting of the first scene being a swimming pool/ spa area supports the idea of the coloured man in the suit having a feminine side because women would normally be associated with spa areas. The lighting used is also very bright and fun showing that it is also feminine because a masculine setting would be dark and spooky.



The chefs towards the end of the clip are seperated with different chef costumes, one group has white and the others have black. This could suggest that the people in the white chefs uniform are all one ethnicity and the people in the black are another ethnicity, meaning that they are split into different ethnicity groups. During the conversation at the start of the clip the man with the dreadlocks has a very strong Jamaican accent therefore showing clearly which ethnicity he is, where as the man in the suit hasn't really got an accent but because in the conversation the man with the dreads talks about how it used to be it suggests that they are from the same ethnicity because they were brought up together. When the cleaners start to strip for money it suggests that they come from a very poor ethnicity group as they are willing to strip for a man they do not know just to get some money. 

Sound

Dialogue throughout the clip represents the different ethnicity of each character. The two mean at the start are both talking about their appearance which could show they are from the same ethnicity group. However the man in the suit is portrayed to be posh, whereas the other man comes across quite common. This shows that they may be from the same ethnicity but have different backgrounds and different life styles. The two cleaners have the same accent, meaning that they are from the same ethnicity. The music playing while the cleaners are stripping shows to be a different ethnicity group to both the cleaners and the man sitting on the bed. This is because the cleaners accents are different to the peoples accents in the music and even though you do not hear the man sitting on the bed accent due to him being Japanese his accent would also be different to the music. Towards the end when the two chefs speak, the one in the black has a different accent to the one in the white. This shows that they are from different ethnicity groups because they speak differently. The man at the start of the clip with the dreadlocks uses a lot of slang words and says the word 'ganja' which is a stereotypical word associated with his Jamaican ethnicity group. 

Editing 

There is a shot reverse shot at the start of the clip, allowing the viewers to see the two men are from the same ethnicity group because of the colour of their skin and also because the shot reverse shot keeps the conversation flowing the viewers can see that they are also from the same ethnicity group because they are talking about the past and what they both used to get up to. During the shot reverse shot there are eye line matches  which supports the idea that the two men in coversation are of the same ethnicity but now have separate lives and jobs. 

13th February- Homework

Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices. To what extent would you agree with this statement, within the film area. You may make reference to other areas in your answer. For example: 

• Film 

• Music

• Newspapers 

• Radio 

• Magazines

• Video games.

In the film industry marketing, distribution and good production practices are massively important. Marketing, production and distribution are ways of making the film popular, if this is not done correctly then the film will not be very popular. Therefore this is a very important factor that companies have to take into acount when making a film. It can be said that successful media products depend on all three(marketing,distribution and production companies) in a equal way as they are all as important as another but it could vary. 

A well known large film company is Disney. When making Disney films marketing and distribution are the key to making the film a success. The film company Disney has made over 158 films since it came about in 1923. When the first animated films were made, For example: The lion king, Disney became very popular. As the audience for Disney films is children it has more of a wide range audience because all children will like animated films and the films will stay popular for a very long time as children are born. Disney films then became available for children all over the world. For example: Robin Hood was a wide world film as it was shown in sixteen different languages. This shows just how important distribution of a film is. 

Marketing for Disney is very easy because they have their own shops, television channel, clothing and radio station. Therefore films can be can be advertised on the Disney channel which is watched all over the world, as the channel is there own company the distribution of the film is easy. Disney use viral marketing as they promote their films online making it appeal to their audience and allow people/children to see from everywhere as its on the internet. This is a reason why Disney are so popular because it allows the audience to be up to date with new films as they are advertised all across the internet. 

Although Disney shows that distribution and marketing of the film is a highly significant reason for films becoming a success the producion practices could been seen as more important. This is due to the fact that the better production practices the film has the better the film will be because of the budgets the production practices will have. Therefore the quality of the film will be massivly better and the film will become more popular as more people will want to watch a very good quality film. Also using well known/higher level production practices can make your film more popular because the viewers will know about previous popular films they have made and want to watch the new films because they know the films will be good and will appeal to them. 

Overall a good, quality, well known production practicies are more important when it comes to successful media products depending on marketing, distribution and production practices. 

Digital distribution- Homework

Question 2: To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied? Candidates must focus on the following media areas: Film?

Digital distribution is a very positive affect of the marketing and consumption of media products in the media. This is due to the fact that there are many advantages when using digital distribution. The main advantage is the alternative of sending film files over the computer instead of carrying 20-25 kg tins of film to cinemas. Another advantage is its cost effective by being cheaper in the long run and overall digital distribution makes the process a lot quicker and a lot less stressful. 

Main actors/actresses/characters or the directors of the film can be interviewed on air, on television, on the internet or even shown on movie news channels. This will increase the amount of consumers because if people like a certain character they will want to go watch the film because he/she is in the film. This is because it will create excitment for the viewers if they like one of the actors/actresses.  

Marketing the film is also affected by digital distribution. For example the development of the internet has allowed film trailers to be promoted all over different websites. Such as: YouTube. This is a positive affect for the marketing of films because it allows the film to be seen more worldwide and gets more of the public wanting to see the film as it will be advertised more frequently all over the internet. Trailers are also advertsied on Television through adverts, this also gains more public wanting to watch the film. The marketing being done in this way allows loads of people going to watch the film because they want to know what happens and then as a result of this people will start to spread the word, known as 'word of mouth' to friends and family, making them watch the film or trailer and then increases the number of 
consumers watching. 

On the other hand there are also a limited amount of disadvantages with digital distribution. For example when the films are sent by files insstead of be delivered by tins of film, it is possible for the files to be hacked. In this case films are then put online illegally/on illegal film websites. Therefore this will decreadse the companies profit of the film because people will watch the films online, illegally instead of paying to watch the films at cinemas. Since the development of digital distribution producing DVD's it is currently a lot easier and faster to download films illegally and upload them all over the internet.