Assassins Creed Liberation

Demographics:

The protagonist or the character you play as is a woman that challenges the gender stereotypes as she is a presented as strong, powerful and violent. This could cause the game to be appealing to female gamer's as it could possibly feel empowering to play such a character and there are less games with female protagonists.Another demographic this could attract is people of a similar ethnicity to the protagonist as they are able to better relate and identify with the character this can be applied to the use and gratification theory as personal identity. "Liberation tells the story of Aveline; a female Assassin of mixed French and African heritage."

Psychographics:

This game and sequence in particular would appeal to fans of the assassin's creed franchise as many traits of the series that are beloved by fans are featured in this clip such as the satisfying and fast paced combat include special moves and assassinations another feature shown in the game play in the clip is the use of parkour to travel between objectives and hordes of enemies. Another psychographic that this game play would appeal to are people interested in the are of history in which the game takes place "Liberation is set in New Orleans between 1765 and 1780, in the period between the end of the French and Indian War".

Hypodermic needle theory:

The satisfaction from the combat and taking down all the enemies is a key part of the game play and the fact that they are slave owners increases the satisfaction having a large impact on behavior subliminally. Despite the fact we know killing is wrong the message that it is right in this game is irresistible and this makes the player and audience want to play more due to the satisfaction gained from this. 

Use and Gratification theory:

The game play seen in the clip can fit into 2 categories of the use and gratification theory, personal identity and Entertainment.

Personal identity:When watching the game play some viewers may feel a slight sense of personal identity and relatability to the protagonist Aveline as they may be able to identify with some of the struggles and experiences that she has and is fighting against for example racial injustice or sexism making the game feel more immersive or enjoyable for this audience

Entertainment: The game looks to be quite relaxing and not too challenging but challenging enough to be enjoyable and the fast paced combat and satisfying assassinations make for an immersive experience to get lost in and distract and reduce stress. The narrative also makes for an enjoyable game to distract yourself as you can get captivated in the dialogue and immersed in the characters.

 

The first editing feature I noticed was the rapid cutting on action during the shootout sequence. We see the editing cutting to coincide with different people popping out of hiding to take shot at Angel and when Angel shoots at the hanging pot plant to take out the old lady is with massive gun. The reason why they use this fast paced style of editing is to give the audience the sense of chaos and mayhem being caused in this typically quite little village. It creates this sense of chaos and confusion as we don’t know where the next attack on Angel will appear from so it keeps us on edge wondering if he will survive. It also makes the slower moments more significant such as when Angel throws a gun to Butterman and asks him if he still feels like he is missing out. This is an important moment (highlighted by the binary opposite of the change in editing pace) as this is when Butterman chooses sides and decides to work with his buddy Angel.

Use of terms

Use of specific examples

Analysis

High level analysis

One of the first stereotypes seen is of the teenagers wearing hoodies. This is seen as a very typical thing for teenagers to do and some may feel as though there is a threat, that these teenagers are thugs and out to cause trouble. However interestingly they follow the orders of Nic by spray painting over the CCTV cameras and going into the shop to take out the lady shooting at Nic. This challenges the dominant ideology that teenagers are rule breakers and unhelpful. 

However in the extract we see women fighting against our hero. Stereotypically women are represented as blond, fit, useless and needing to be rescued as they are characterised as ‘damsels in distress’. The women in this extract are old, ugly and plain. They are not sexualised in any way. They fight against Nic, the hero which women normally never do. Stereotypes are broken to make the film stand out and also stereotypes like this could also been seen as offensive these days.

The town is represented as being a typical English country town through a variety of methods. There is bunting throughout the high sheet, the town features classical old stone buildings and there is a village market set up in the middle of the square. The use of this stereotypical representation of country life is then challenged by the gun fight that breaks out between Nic Angel and the villagers who live there. By first setting up a stereotypical location the audience expects a very different scene to occur and are therefore more shocked with the fighting breaks out as it challenges our beliefs about representations.

Nic is shown as a very stereotypical archetype hero. He is powerful and skilful which we can see when he is fighting the villagers. His shots hit their target (eg the pot plant and beer barrels) and even though he is shot he is strong enough to carry on and eventually win. Having stereotypes helps to establish different characters and makes the narrative easy to follow. It also gives people a role model to look up to. He fits in with the stereotype that the hero will win and the hero is normally male due to the view that women are the weaker sex and this will appeal to the male audience.

16 marks 

Practice

Explain two ways in which the characters and/or events in the extract fit the action adventure/superhero

genre.  [10]

Explain how each of the following is used to create effects in the extract you watched (20)

• Soundtrack 
• Camerawork 
• Editing 
• Mise-en-scene 

Discuss the ways in which people are represented in the film Dark Knight. Make reference to stereotypes and representation theories in your answer. (20)

 Audience Task:

There target audience demographic will primarily be people from the age of 18 to 34 and the majority will be males this is due to the fact that the demographics for similar games such as dungeons of dragons show similar demographics with the most common age range being 20-24 being 24% of the total player base and the majority of dungeons and dragons players are male making up 60% of the players.

The psychographic audience for Dragonflame will be fans of other mythical, fantasy media products such as video games like Dark souls or film franchises like LOTR or harry potter or of course similar game products such as dungeons and dragons. This could also include people interested in mythology or complex challenging games.

 

The Hall theory can be applied to this advert as there was a lot of controversy surrounding this Nike advert upon release for the message presented by Colin Kaepernick to "dream crazy" some thought it was pointless and others agreed with and were inspired by the message and some held aspects from both arguments within their opinions on the message conveyed through the advert this fits into the three ways that audiences will respond to a media text stated in Halls theory. The reason some took a disliking to the idea to "dream crazy" is primarily due to there opinions on Colin Kaepernick the person Nike decided to be the voice of the advert due to his history of standing up for what he believes in "even if it means sacrificing everything" wich in his case was his professional NFL career for the San Francisco 49 r's when he kneeled during the national anthem to raise awareness for police brutality and social injustice. This action was met with a lot of backlash from some people in particular Donald Trump calling him "a son of a bitch" however his actions also caused other famous sportsman to raise awareness for police brutality in the same way this supports halls theory as some people can take offence to an idea or message however others can be inspired and support a message. This advert showed some of the same ideologies that Colin Kaepernick showed when kneeled for the national anthem as it tells you to dream crazy and stand up for what you believe in and this advert received a similar response in terms of being varied based on different peoples beliefs much like the response to his previous actions.

answer

Mise-en-scene:

Lighting 

setting 

props

colour

Sound:

Diegetic 

Non-Diegetic

Foley

Theories:

Propp- Character (hero, villain, done, dispatcher, false hero, helper)

Strauss- Binary opposition (good/evil, light/dark)

Dyer- Star theory

Todorov- Narrative (equilibrium > Disruption > recognition > repair > new equilibrium)

Culler- genre conventions

Narrative:

Diegesis

range

depth

story

plot

One way in which the characters in the extract fit the action adventure genre is that Nic Angel fits the classic archetypical role of the hero and tries to save the day, the reason he fits the classic role of the hero is that he is a police officer and all throughout the film he has shown his dedication to his role as a police officer trying to bring justice to the murders occurring within Sandford as he seems to be the only person trying to do something about it showing his good nature and desire for justice against evil, typical characteristics of the hero role in Propp's character theory. This makes it more interesting and enjoyable for the viewers as the mystery behind the killings is revealed we support Nic Angel as he attempts to stop them and uphold the law a key ideology behind his Character and role, as we realise that the village has been corrupted by a group of people that's ideologies oppose that of Nic Angel who represents good and we support him against the villains in this binary opposition between good and evil (the people behind the killings). Both of these are very typical in action adventure films. Another way in which the extract fits the action adventure genre is that the climaxing conflict of the movie is very dangerous and thrilling for the audience . This makes it more interesting and enjoyable for the viewers. It also emphasises how much danger the hero is in.

6.9/10

 Representation theory

Tim O'Sullivan- Ideology:

A set of ideas which produce a partial or selective view of reality. Ideologies are seen as beliefs that are widely held which are seen as common sense and become naturalised.

Richard Dyer- Star Theory:

Richard Dyer discussed the theory of ‘stars’ being constructed for media texts, and create their own unique selling points.
Think your Leonardo DiCaprio’s, Brad Pitt’s, George Clooney’s etc. 
Dyer posits that these stars are created and manufactured solely for financial gain, supposedly constructed to represent ‘real people experiencing real emotions’.
People can relate to the stars via their unique selling point, i.e. Lady Gaga appeals to a certain type of person. Thus creating the idea of hegemony (putting yourself in a stars shoes). Media industries use hegemony to promote their products to those groups of people. 

Throughout the years Robert Downey Jr. has amassed in fame through his role as Iron Man and the growth in size and popularity of the MCU between his roles in the earlier MCU films and Endgame his treatment has changed greatly. He is now somewhat the poster boy for the MCU and possibly the most popular recognisable face within the franchise therefore they have decided to put him as the main focus of the posters to try and attract a greater audience as it will make the poster more recognisable to a wider audience.

Levi Strauss - Binary Oppositions:

Ying and Yang, Kirk and Spock, Skywalker and Vader. All examples of characters representing binary oppositions. 

This is representation through contrast, showing two extremes of the same ideals, such as; good and evil, light and dark, men and women.

The theory of binary opposites is that all  narratives have  to   be driven forward by a  conflict that was caused by a series of  opposing forces, e.g. a hero and a villain,  until finally a sort of balance between  them, or a resolution is achieved

Good examples of Binary oppositions would be Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, De Jekyll and Mr Hyde or Batman and the Joker.

Bend It Like Beckham Analysis

 

• What stereotypical representations can you identify?

A stereotypical view seen in this clip is that women can't play football and can't make money from it like men

• What archetypes/stereotypes are there?

The strict Indian family not allowing their daughter to pursue a career in football as they believe that isn't a possibility

How are women objectified?

Her family want her to be obedient and not do what she wants to do.

 TDK scene analysis

In this scene when we are first properly introduced to the jokers character the scene starts off with a shot of the mob and gangsters as a threatening presence through their appearance and the mass amount of them. The control of the scene then shifts to Lau as he tells them that he has taken their money. After this we then cut to an over the shoulder shot of the joker walking into the mob's hideout the camera positioned as if to make it feel like we are walking in with him and through this perspective we are yet again reminded of just how outnumbered he is as we walk towards the crowd with him. As the Joker approaches the table one of the gangsters threatens him using one of his bodyguards as the gangster approaches him the joker asks the crowd if they want to see a magic trick he then proceeds to slam the bodyguards head onto a pencil vanishing the pencil into his skull this now gives the Joker a intimidating presence and gives him the attention of the gangsters for him to state his proposition giving him control of the scenario. Once he has the attention of the gangsters and is sat at the table giving his proposition to the mob to allow help him get rid of  Batman the Joker confronts Lau and disregards Lau's plan that gave him control or power over the mob initially by threatening this now gives the Joker further control over the Mob as doing so shifts the power to him giving him further persuasion for his plan.

The performance by Heath Ledger within this scene is amazing for presenting the Joker as unhinged and menacing through his out of control mannerisms and peculiar speaking patterns and the way he speaks to the mob fearlessly and quite patronizingly treating them like they are less than him. His physical appearance is also quite intimidating as his outfit represents his insanity and the way he slams the gangsters head on the table is very forceful and gives the audience a feeling of immense impact. The sound throughout this scene is a crucial method of creating impact and meaning for example the thundering slam of the gangsters head hitting the table to make the audience reallly feel the impact of the moment and present joker as a serious threat. As tensions increase throughout the scene between joker and the mob the backing music represents this constant unstable tension on the edge of breaking out into conflict by staying the same throughout the scene keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as at any time throughout jokers speech the music could change as it does when the joker insults one of the mob bosses and reveals the explosives in his jacket yet again now giving him supreme control over the scene.

Narrative:

Diegesis

The internal world created by the story that the characters themselves experience and encounter.

Story and plot

Story – all events referenced both explicitly in a narrative and inferred (including backstory as well as those projected beyond the action)

Plot – the events directly incorporated into the action of the text and the order in which they are presented

Narrative Range

Unrestricted narration – A narrative which has no limits to the information that is presented i.e. a news bulletin.

Restricted narration – only offers minimal information regarding the narrative i.e. thrillers

Narrative Depth

Subjective character identification – the viewer is given unique access to what a range of characters see and do

Objective character identification – the viewer is given unique access to a character’s point of view such as seeing things from the character’s mind, dreams,

fantasies or memories.

Propp's Character Theory

Propp argued that stories are character driven and that plots develop from the decisions and actions of characters and how they function in a story. He claimed characters could be classified into certain roles that progress a story.

 

• The Hero. 
• The Helper. 
• The Villain.
• The False Hero. 
• The Donor. 
• The Dispatcher. 
• The Princess.
• The Princess's Father.

Levi-Strauss-

Argued that meaning in narrative is based upon binary oppositions. He observed that all narratives are organised around the conflict between such binary oppositions.

• Good vs Evil
• Human vs Nature
• Black vs white
• Protagonist vs antagonist
• Humanity vs technology
• Man vs Woman
• Human vs Alien

1. In Paper man the main character would be the man that we first see and we follow primarily throughout the short film as his actions create the plot of the film. The Helpers would be the paper planes as they help the main character to his goal. The villain would be the boss as he presents an obstacle that the hero has to overcome to fulfil his final goal or get to the princess being the

2. Equilibrium- In the start the two characters are going about there typical daily actions (travelling to work)

Disequilibrium- This is when the man meets the woman for the first time

Recognition- Is when he realises that he loves her as she is leaving on the train

Repair- He sees the woman again across the road from his work building and attempts to throw paper planes across the gap to get her attention.

Restoration- Is when they meet again at the train station and feel a connection.

 

 

          

Diegetic- a sound that is in the world of the film and can be heard by the characters

Non-Diegetic- A sound that is added and isn't in the world of the characters and cant be heard by the characters and the audience can hear

Foley- recreation of everyday noises that are added to films

Voiceover- Narrations over a scene

Ambience- Background sound

 How does the trailer for The Dark Knight use film form to promote the movie and appeal to its target audience? [20 marks]

The target audience for this film is primarily fans of the superhero genre and fans of batman in other media forms for example previous batman films or the batman animated series or the comics as he is a well known character amongst the superhero industry however whilst this trailer appeals to this narrower audience it also attempts and succeeds to appeal to a wider audience. For example the trailer presents the film to be very gritty and dark and action packed this aligns with batman's character within the comics as his comics are often quite dark however this also appeals to fans of film in general or fans of the crime and action genres as through this trailer the film is presented to have common conventions of the two genres for example the fast paced narrative the explosions violence and guns and it is set in a city overrun by gangs and criminals (Gotham) and these conventions portrayed in the trailer appeal to fans of these genres creating a wider target audience. 

The trailer contains characters that Batman fans will recognize for example the Joker, Alfred, James Gordon and Luscious fox appealing to the fans of the comics as they get to see a live action adaptation of these beloved characters and they get to see them in a new form of storytelling via film this may create appeal as it makes for a more immersive experience.

The trailer also uses Dyer's star theory to promote and appeal to a mass audience. They show off the most recognizable actors a lot within the film for example they often show the high profile actors such as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman to try and get people to recognize them and promote the film. They do this by using camera angles and shots such as close ups to make sure the audience can see and recognize their faces.

As the main image attracting the audiences attention is the main character, Batman a recognizable figure to many appealing to a mass audience and the bat symbol above him the most stand out thing on the scene due to the brightest colors is the bat symbol another recognizable symbol correlated with Batman.

Another thing about the trailer that may appeal to people could be the dark lighting as it implies that the film will have dark tones and this may appeal to people who are fans of these themes within film.

The destruction displayed within the poster suggests that the film will have elements of action and excitement and it intrigues the audience to find out how and what causes the destruction.

In the bottom of the poster is the cast this may intrigue an even larger audience as the people that see the all star cast will be further inclined to watch the film as fans of the actors will want to watch it possibly even just because of the cast this supports star theory.

The symbology of batman:

• As a man limited, as a symbol an unstoppable force
• Never succumbs to his own darkness
• stands by his moral code
• Justice
• Chaos vs Order 

This article states that Batman is not only a man but a symbol, a symbol of order and justice incorruptibility that inspires the people of Gotham and the audience

The triumph of evil over good:

• "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
• Hope
• potential to change
• inevitable corruptibility 

In the beginning Dent is shown as a symbol of hope change and a to represent good but throughout the film his devastating change from good to evil through corruption of the destruction of the joker and the loss of which dent loves. This change signifies the unstoppable force of evil and that it can corrupt even the purest and best of people it also represents a lack of hope for Gotham and as stated as the subtitle of the article the triumph of evil over good.

The thin line between anarchy and order:

• Joker represents anarchy and chaos
• no goals except to create chaos and destruction
• what exactly constitutes cause for alarm

The Terrible Logic of Human Nature

 The dark Knight viewing

Narrative

In the beginning Gotham is presented as the crime infested city it is usually as the first scene is a bank robbery that the audience can assume is a typical occurrence in a city over run by criminals and mobs like Gotham this is the state of equilibrium within the narrative.

The disruption stage of the narrative is when the Joker is introduced and carries out various acts of terror on the people of Gotham and broadcasts this to the people and states that until Batman reveals his identity the terror will continue.

Propp's archetypes

The hero: Batman

The villain: Joker

The donor: Lucius Fox

The helper: Alfred and James Gordon

The Princess: Rachel Dawes

The false hero: Harvey Dent/Two Face

Dispatcher: Batman is sort of his own dispatcher

Strauss Binary oppositions 

Good/Evil

Order/anarchy

Insane/sane

Dark/Light

Genre

There are many aspects of different genres explored within TDK for example it shows various aspects of the crime genre and action genre and obviously superhero genres however it also shows characteristics of other genres that are potentially less recognizable such as the aspects of Neo-Noir within the style and themes.

Genre conventions

Conventions of the crime genre that appear in the TDK are the setting of a large population dense city overwhelmed with crime and criminals, the violence and weapons shown, the stereotypical Italian American mob family or gang and the opening scene of a heist. The conventions of the superhero genre within TDK are the gadgets that batman has and Batman's secret identity and a super villain adversary being the Joker.

Representation Women

The primary female character in the film is Rachel Dawes despite taking the stereotypical role of the damsel in distress within the story she is represented as quite smart compared to how most of the damsel in distress characters are represented.

Ideologies

A major ideology presented in TDK is the concept of anarchism presented through the character of the Joker as he disregards the figures of power within the film, such as the police. He seems not to take anything seriously as goes his iconic line 'why so serious' representing the way he feels about the world and the way he sees the world as some sort of playground for his destruction as he tries to overturn the figures of power within Gotham such as the police, the politicians and Batman the figures of order and justice throughout the film.

LO4 target audience

Mainstream magazine:

Empire magazine can be considered as a mainstream magazine as it is has content on movie, a wide ranging topic that many people are interested in and it is also "the world's biggest movie magazine". Empire magazine also usually covers the most popular films coming out appealing to fans of what the film is about for example in the issue in the image above the biggest and most appealing topic is The Batman a new film about a very well known character that has a lot of hype surrounding it.

Niche Magazine:

Classic Bike magazine can be considered to be a niche magazine as it covers quite a niche topic as it has content not about motorbikes in general but about classic motorbikes a more narrow and specific interest that is less popular among a mass audience and typically would have an audience of  age 40+ as they may prefer the motorbikes from when they were younger to new bikes and that may make classic bike magazine a more appealing option to subscribe to.

Demographics:

When the media producers study and define their audience based on key identifiers such as age, ethnicity, ethnicity, gender, hobbies, economic background etc. 

Psychographic:

The study of consumers based on their activities, interests, and opinions. It goes beyond classifying people based on general demographic data, such as age, gender, or race. Psychographics seeks to understand the cognitive factors that drive consumer behaviours

Rajar:

Stands for- Radio Joint Audience Research

recent demographic findings- In an average week, digital listening

accounts for 665 million hours; DAB has a

65% share of digital listening hours, DTV

7% and Online 27%.

Barb:

Stands for- Broadcasters audience research board

The most viewed programmes- The Queen, Death in paradise, Call the Midwife, Strictly come dancing

How it measures TV viewing- People based data and device based census data

Bauer Media:

Empire magazine- Their target audience are 3 quarters male18-40 year old passionate about film and see cinema as a form of escapism

Audience Task Fictional Scenario:

Eldritch Media have created a new fantasy card game “Dragonflame”. It is set in a fantastical world of medieval magic, warriors and monsters. It is a fairly advanced game with complex rules.

Demographic- Age 18-40 as complex and people of this age category will be able to better understand it and pick up on the rules faster, this age category will also be the ideal target audience as games similar to this such as Dungeons and Dragons have a majority demographic player base within this age. This game will also appeal to fans of other forms of fantasy media such as LOTR or fantasy video games such as Skyrim or Dark souls.