Textual Analysis

Forrest Gump



Visual codes:

• The way the children are dressed in this scene gives us an idea of the time period; they are all wearing rather old-fashioned clothing, which makes the audience realise that it is set in the 1950's. It is easy to tell who are the bullies and who aren't, as Forrest is wearing 'nice' clothes and looks pleasant and approachable, also Jenny is wearing a girly pink dress and is carrying school books which would suggest that she is a good girl, whereas the bullies are wearing typical 'mean boy' clothes that make them look mean and unpleasant. 
• Also, the leg brace gives away the time period as now-a-days there are many more advanced medical cures. When Forrest is sat at the bench, we realise time has passed and it is probably closer to the 1970's now, due to the clothing and general personal appearance.
• Forrest looks quite confused and upset at the start, as he is frowning. Jenny also looks the same, however the bullies seem happy and somewhat proud as they have smirks on their faces.
• It is set near a field, down a tree-surrounded path, until there is the flash forward and Forrest is sat at a bus stop. 
• There are a few colour connotations in this clip, for example: Forrest is wearing a blue shirt which symbolises calm and tranquility as he keeps his cool when the boys are bullying him. Jenny is wearing a pink dress which symbolises love and acceptance, as she helps Forrest during the bullying and accepts the way he is. 

Technical codes:

• At the beginning of the scene the camera is still, and there is a long shot of the bullies and a close up of Forrest and Jenny. This is so we can see what the bullies are doing and we can tell read Forrest and Jenny's facial expressions. The lighting is natural, and high key, and all the way through you can see the environment that they are in. The editing is relatively fast when the shot changes from the bullies to Forrest and Jenny.
• After this the camera tilts up when Forrest is on the floor and there is a moment of handheld camera movement. 
• When Forrest begins running, the camera tracks his movement and gives us a close up of his legs. 
• Soon it changes into slow motion as the braces break off his legs. As he speeds up the camera speeds up with him and it goes back into normal speed.
• When Forrest is talking to the lady on the bench, the editing is of a medium speed and there is a lot of close ups. 

Audio codes:

• At the beginning the sound is just diegetic, and we hear the sound of the bikes and stones crunching. Then Jenny and Forrest are talking and it is still diegetic, however it changes when Forrest begins running and we hear quite slow victorious music that speeds up as he does. 
• There is also a voice over while he is running and the voice over then turns into an actual scene of Forrest when he is older. 

The Vow



Visual codes:

• The way that the pair are dressed in this scene suggests that it is set in modern times, as the clothes seem rather up-to-date. Also the way that they have their hair also implies that it is set in the 21st century as they seem to be quite common hair styles for the present day.
• At the beginning of the clip, Paige looks rather confused and worried, whereas Leo has a look of mischief on his face. The audience can tell that Paige is confused as she raises an eyebrow and then her face completely drops when she realises that Leo is taking his shirt off, and the audience notices the mischievous look on Leo's face when he does not stop smirking. Towards the end we see happiness from them both as they are laughing and smiling although they are freezing cold.
• It is set at a lake in America, but the main place that we see the characters is the car. The car is a good visual code as it indicates that the film is set in quite recent times as cars only really became a big thing after the 60's.

Technical codes:

• In this clip, there is a large number of close ups. This is to show facial expressions and feelings, it is used when the pair are talking to each other so we can see how they feel about what they are saying, and hearing. There are also a few extreme long shots when the couple are in the lake, this is to show their setting and how they feel about that particular environment.
• There is a lack of camera movement as the camera is always still and focusing on something. This may be because it is quite a calm scene so there is not much movement needed. 
• The editing is of an average speed in this clip.
• Towards the beginning of the scene, the pace is quite slow as Leo and Paige are just talking, however when they run into the lake the pace picks up a bit as we see Leo rushing to get ready, and then running into the lake and picking Paige up.
• The lighting is a natural low key as it is set at night time in what seems like a rather secluded area so there are no street lights or lights from buildings. The only light is the moon, in this scene.

Audio codes:

• For the majority of the clip there is just diegetic sounds varying from talking, to the water in the lake. However, when Paige is contemplating going in, non diegetic music begins but we still hear the diegetic sounds at the same time. The volume of the music becomes quieter when they return to the car, and becomes more of a soft tune.
• There is quite a bit of ambient noise in the scene as we hear the lake water crashing and splashing, and we also hear noises in the car such as talking and movement of seatbelts and doors.

Audience Task

Balamory

1. The intended audience for Balamory is 0-10 year old boys and girls, all over the country. (There may also be an unintended audience who are the parents of the children).
2. Children watch Balamory for entertainment purposes and to kill time. Very young children do not have anything to do and so they spend their spare time watching television. Older children have less free time but still have time to watch television. Children may also watch it for information purposes. As they are young and still learning about the world, they will get positive information from TV shows, that will guide them in the right direction in life. Many childrens TV shows are about learning new things.
3. The programme is mediated as it makes us focus on specific characters in specific episodes. For example, if the episode is based around 'PC Plum', they will show flashbacks of him and he will always be the main topic of conversation with all of the other characters. It will be constructed so that the viewers only see the positive parts rather than any negative parts. This may make a child think differently to how they would if the programme had not been constructed and selected. 

Coming of Age.

1. The intended audience for Coming of Age is British teenagers and young adults, specifically from the ages 13-25 years, it is aimed towards both males and females. The intended audience is teenagers and young adults because they may be able to relate to it. There are a lot of jokes that teenagers would find funny and they would be able to empathise. I would say it is only really aimed towards British teens as the humour used is the typical British humour that people of other nationalities may not understand or find funny. 
2. This programme meets all entertainment purposes as it is funny and gives the viewers a chance to escape reality. It may also be a used for social interaction as it may be a talking point between friendship groups. 
3. This programme is constructed so that as an audience we only see the good parts, we do not see mistakes made by the cast or any 'bloopers'. If the aim of a certain episode is to make the audience dislike a specific character, we will be shown a lot of negativity towards that character coming from other characters and sometimes even the person themselves. 

Representation Task

AS Media Representation Task.
Class - Newspaper.
This article on the Daily Mail website is a good example of how class is represented in the media. The article is about Prince Harry's antics which were all over the media a few years ago; he was found doing drugs and sneaking into clubs. This article shows an unexpectedly negative representation of royalty as it is not the norm for Princes to do things that other young boys do. Members of the royal family are brought up with good manners and etiquette and it is very out of character for royalty to be found doing drugs or going to clubs. I have identified this through the use of negative language such as 'raged', 'staggered' and 'death'. The image that is used also led me to identify this as it is not exactly flattering, and it does not make him look positive, prim and proper 
like it should. 

Gender - TV Show.

This scene from 'Snog Marry Avoid?' represents both females and males. The representation of females is negative as it implies all women are self obsessed and fake. It shows a girl called Kate with fake nails, fake eyelashes, fake hair, and fake tan. This is not a positive or accurate representation of girls as not all women are like that. It also gives a negative representation of males, as when asked 'snog, marry, avoid?' almost all of them responded with 'avoid'. This is a negative representation as it shows men only look for good looks in a possible partner rather than personality, which is not solely true. While some men are like that, it is not everyone. After the 'make under', Kate looks a lot more natural and when the men are asked 'snog, marry, avoid?' again, they all either say 'snog' or 'marry' - this again implies that men judge girls on their looks. 

Age - Film.
The film '10 Things I Hate About You' represents many ages in different ways. It gives a negative representation of teenagers as it shows the main character Kat being moody and angry at her peers and family members. It also shows her sister Bianca being the typical spoilt daddy's girl, who goes in a tantrum when she does not get her own way. Finally it also shows Patrick who is an outcast that likes to cause trouble. These 3 characters are all negative representations of teenagers and none of them really have a great attitude until the end of the film. It also gives a negative representation of middle aged people. Walter (Kat and Biancas father) is very strict and seems to wrap his daughters in cotton wool to avoid them making mistakes and doing things wrong. Ms Perky is careless and not afraid to tell people the truth even though it may hurt them. She does not do her job correctly and can sometimes offend students. These two adults are also a negative representation of different age categories as they both do things wrong and do not consider the feelings of others.





Race - TV Show.
A good example of race being represented in a TV show is 'Little Britain'. In this clip an elderly lady is given a gingerbread man from a young girl - she is enjoying it until she finds out that it was made by an Asian child, and when realising, she throws up and is sick all over the child. This is a negative representation of the British race as it shows racism and ignorance. However it is quite a positive representation of the Asian race as it shows they are willing to do things for others and not just think about themselves. Another scene in 'Little Britain' that presents a negative image of the British race is on multiple occasions in the Fat Fighters club. Marjory, the club leader, asks Meera (a Hindu lady) to repeat herself whenever she says anything, this again shows negativity, racism and ignorance.





Sexuality - Film.
Sexuality is represented both negatively and positively in the film 'Bad Teacher' through two characters specifically. In this clip we see teacher Elizabeth Halsey cleaning cars seductively - she is heterosexual and has a strong sexuality as she isn't afraid to approach the new teacher Scott Delacorte and talk about her body. She gives a somewhat negative representation of heterosexuals with a strong sexuality, as she seems like quite a 'gold digger' and uses her body to play men. On the other hand, Scott Delacorte is a heterosexual with a weak sexuality as he seems rather awkward when talking to Elizabeth. He gives a positive representation of heterosexuals with a weak sexuality as he is naive and has good morals - he does not want to go out with Elizabeth as he recently split up with his girlfriend. This makes the audience like him as he seems vulnerable and down to Earth.