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Every school will have a different test on narrative - what you do will depend on your teacher and the narrative texts you have studied. Nevertheless, many teachers will have a test which incorporates short and/or extended responses. This will contribute 40/40 marks to your overall score for Unit 3 Media. It is work 8 per cent of your total Study Score for Media. Before the SACDuring the SAC- Allocate your time according to how much each question is worth.
- Highlight key terms in a question to ensure you know what it is asking, "Explain how camera techniques contributed to character development in one of the narratives you studied. 3 marks."
- Answer the question in your opening sentence, for example, "In the opening scene of Rear Window (dir. Alfred Hitchcock) camera movement is used to establish the character of LB Jefferies."
- After answering the question in a succinct sentence, go on to provide further detail. For example, "During the opening sequence, the camera pulls back into LB Jefferies' apartment. It moves across LB Jefferies' body and towards the cast on his leg which reads, 'Here lie the broken bones of LB Jefferies.' The camera continues to move around the apartment, revealing a smashed camera, a spectacular photograph of a racing car accident and various other prints, including pictures from a warzone. This camera movement contributes significantly to character development by implying that LB Jefferies is a daring photojournalist."
- In the closing sentence of your response provide a brief summary of what you have written, reiterating your response to the question. For example, "This is a clear example of how camera movement can contribute to character development in a narrative."
- Use clear language when answering questions.
- The study of narrative involves a great deal of terminology. Ensure you understand this terminology and use it appropriately when responding to questions.
After the SAC
- Think carefully about the feedback your teacher has given. What are your strengths? What do you need to do better?
- Collate all of your notes and revision material in a single folder. They will be invaluable when you need to revise for the end-of-year exam.
Narrative Questions with Sample Answers1. Characters are an important part of narratives. In one of the narratives you have studied, explain how one character was established and developed throughout the narrative. Your response should make reference to appropriate production elements, such as: camera techniques, acting, mise-en-scene and visual composition, editing, lighting and sound.
In the opening sequence of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, a number of production elements are used to establish the character of Marion Crane and the relationship she has with her lover, Sam Loomis. The camera descends into a dark, partially open window. The venetian blinds are closed. For a moment, the room is completely dark. As the camera pans left, the audience's first glimpse of Marion Crane, laying on a hotel bed, wearing white lingerie, legs crossed, looking up at her lover, Sam Loomis. A combination of acting, dialogue and music is used to establish these characters and their relationship. Despite meeting in a sleazy hotel room, the audience is encouraged to view their relationship as genuine rather than tawdry. The dialogue reveals that they are unable to be together because Sam is still paying his ex-wife alimony and living behind a hardware store in Fairvale. Marion is tired of their secretive relationship. "Oh, we can see each other," she says. "We can even have dinner - but respectably - in my house, with my mother's picture on the mantel, and my sister helping me broil a big steak for three." Sam professes a deep love for her, conceding that he wants to see her under any circumstance, "even respectability". Although dialogue is primarily used to establish Marion and Sam as characters, camera techniques and music also makes a contribution. As the scene progresses, Marion and Sam are often shown in the same frame, which contributes to a sense of intimacy and love. When Marion declares that she wants to marry Sam, romantic strings well and they kiss passionately. The mise-en-scene - Marion's costume - also makes a subtle contribution to her character development. The white fabric and generous key lighting suggests that the character is pure and chaste despite meeting her lover in a cheap motel during her lunch break. Throughout this scene, Hitchcock has used a range of techniques to establish the character of Marion Crane - including dialogue, acting, camera techniques, music and mise-en-scene.
2. Narratives often have multiple storylines. Describe how one storyline was established, developed and resolved in one of the films you studied.
In M Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, the relationship that David has with his son Joseph is an important storyline in the narrative. Throughout the course of the narrative, Joseph comes to believe that his father cannot be harmed and that he was 'put here to protect the rest of us'. Joseph's adoration of his father is demonstrated at several points in the narrative. Towards the beginning of the film, after David is involved in a devastating train wreck, Shyamalan uses acting to convey that Joseph cares deeply for his father. As David walks slowly from the emergency room of the hospital, Shamalan tracks him for a moment. The camera pans to the left, revealing Joseph who races from his seat in the waiting room and embraces his father. This combination of acting and camera movement establishes the love that Joseph has for his father. After Elijah Price suggests that David cannot be harmed and is a person 'put here to protect the rest of us', Joseph attempts to protect a girl from two older boys in the locker room at school. Afterwards, when they're talking, Joseph admits why he tried to protect the girl: "I thought maybe 'cause you're my dad...I thought I might be like you. I'm not like you." Throughout this scene, acting contributes significantly to the storyline. When David insists that he's just an ordinary man, Joseph appears distraught and visibly upset. This storyline is resolved towards the end of the narrative after David rescues two children from a home invader. Shyamalan resolves this storyline with minimal use of dialogue. Joseph walks into the kitchen where his parents are preparing breakfast and sits across from his father. A mid shot shows him filling a glass of orange juice. The audience sees a point of view shot from the perspective of Joseph. His father nudges a newspaper into frame. The camera tilts up as Joseph looks at his father, then back down to the newspaper. The headline reads: "Hero rescues two children, parents found dead in house." Shyamalan cuts between a mid shots of David and Joseph. Jeremy's eyes well up with tears. He looks at his father who nods and whispers, "You were right."
3. With reference to a scene from one of the texts you studied this year, explain how production elements contributed to audience engagement.
In the film Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock uses a range of production elements to engage the audience as Marion Crane flees Phoenix with the $40,000. The audience has already been encouraged to identify with Marion and throughout this scene, Hitchcock uses acting, music and editing to increase audience engagement with the narrative further. As she is imagining what Sam will say, she nervously adjusts her grip on the steering wheel and, pulls up at an intersection, resting her head on her hand. Hitchcock cuts from the mid-shot of Marion at the wheel of the car to a sustained point-of-view shot through the windshield. Several people pass in front of the car. Point of view shots are a very powerful way of encouraging the audience to identify with a character and engage them in the narrative. Hitchcock cuts back to Marion who still appears concerned. Cutting back to the point-of-view shot, Marion - and the audience - see Lowery and Cassidy pass in front of the car. As he passes, Lowery notices Marion and smiles politely. Hitchcock cuts to a mid-shot of Marion. Janet Leigh's acting contributes significantly to audience engagement. She smiles, clearly shocked. Hitchcock shows a point-of-view shot of Lowery as he turns and looks back at the car, slightly puzzled. Again, this point of view shot contributes significantly to audience engagement because it is like the audience has been caught in the act of fleeing with the $40,000. Herrmann's dramatic score begins suddenly. Deep and dramatic violins underscoring Lowery's discovery that Marion is leaving the city. Hitchcock cuts back to a close-up of Marion whose smile disappears. Audience engagement in this scene is particularly effective. Implicated in the crime, the audience desperately wants Marion to escape. Lowery turns away and continues walking. The audience is left with a sustained close-up of Marion as she continues to drive, face lined with apprehension. Throughout this scene, Hitchcock has used a range of production elements - notably point-of-view shots - to implicate the audience in Marion's crime and engage them in the narrative..
4. Reception context often influences audience engagement. With reference to one of the texts you have studied, explain how the reception of that text might influence audience engagement.
Reception context refers to the conditions in which an audience views a narrative text. It could, for instance, refer to the technology that is used to view a narrative. It's a very different experience watching a narrative on the screen of an iPod compared to viewing it in a cinema with surround sound. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight provides a good example of how reception context can influence audience engagement with a narrative. The Dark Knight had six scenes filmed on an IMAX camera. According to numerous reviews, the print screened at IMAX cinemas was more dramatic and engaging than the original.
5. With reference to a text you have studied this year, explain production elements - such as camera techniques and/or sound - were used to structure time in the narrative.
Throughout Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, editing is used on a range of occasions to structure time within the narrative. There are two points in the narrative when this is particularly evident. Midway through the film, Nolan uses a montage to show the process Bruce Wayne and Alfred go through when attempting to find fingerprints from a shattered bullet at a crime scene: first, the audience sees a series of shots as Alfred loads bullets into a cartridge and fires them into several pieces of concrete; Nolan then cuts to a close-up of a mechanical device scanning one of the bricks; cutting to yet another shot, he shows a computer monitor analysing the shattered bullet. This sequence of shots takes a complex procedure and condenses it into a few seconds of screen time.
Towards the end of the narrative, there is another example of how Nolan uses editing to structure time. As the city is being evacuated, Nolan shows a long shot of people boarding two ferries. He then cuts to a tighter shot of a line of criminals being herded towards the vessels. There is a midshot of an angry man in the crowd. "Hey, man! That ain't right! We should be on that boat!" Nolan then cuts to a shot of the boats at night after all of the passengers have boarded. Cutting to an aerial shot of the docks, the ferries are now leaving for the other side of the river. In fewer than four cuts, Nolan used editing to compress the passage of day to night.
Another significant point in the narrative when editing is used to structure time is during the resolution of the narrative when Nolan uses editing to flash forward, resolving various story lines. To ensure that Harvey Dent's remains a beacon of hope for Gotham City, Batman decides to take responsibility for the murders he committed. "I can do those things because I'm not a hero," he says. "Not like Dent. I killed those people. That's what I can be." During this scene, Nolan flashes forward, showing the repercussion of his decision. He cuts to a midshot of Commisioner Gordon delivering Dent's eulogy, "A hero. Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight shining." As Batman says the lines, "You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me.", Nolan once again flashes forward to a shot of Gordon destroying the Bat Signal. Using a voice over to provide continuity, this is another example of how editing contributes to the structuring of time in the narrative.
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VCAA Top Screen is an annual screening of the best work from VCE Media students. The films are screened at Federation Square and shown as part of the Season of Excellence exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. If you haven't had an opportunity to see Top Screen or Top Design, several students have uploaded their work to the internet: School Assessed Task: The CriteriaBefore you start planning your school assessed task, it's a good idea to understand the criteria that will be used to assess your media product. Criterion 1. Use of media equipment, applications and/or processes to present ideas and/or achieve particular effects.
Criterion 2. Development of a media production design plan.
Criterion 3. Understanding of media form/s, conventions and style/s appropriate to the media product.
Criterion 4. Development of an individual and/or distinctive product.
Criterion 5. Skill in the use of production equipment and/or facilities.
Criterion 6. Understanding of the management and organisation of the production process. If you are planning to achieve a good grade for the SAT, you need a meticulous and detailed production design plan. For a description of the qualities required to achieve very high results for each of these criteria, consult pages 24-29 of the VCAA Bulletin.
Production Design PlansThe VCE Season of Excellence is a great source of outstanding production design plans. These design plans are a good indication of the amount of work and detail that goes into a thorough production design plan. Power of Imagination - Video - Alex Clapp Through Her Eyes - Video - Alyssa Chhim 21:24 - Video - David Collins Everyday I Dream of Sneakers - Video - Sam Ayre Molly Jane - Video - Emma Rozsa Concrete Cage - Animation - Josh O'Keefe The Wrong Step - Video - Nicholas Rickard
Getting Started Your production design plan should be divided into the following sections: - Investigation. Collect and annotate examples of media texts that have inspired you. If you're creating a video, you might choose a film that has inspired you and write about its use of editing, mise-en-scene and camera techniques. Your investigation should incorporate research and an exploration of ideas or options.
- Concept. This should include a written and/or visual exploration of your ideas. It may include brainstorming, mapping, feedback, experimentation, reflection and evaluation. You might start by listing different ideas for your production. These might simply be words or visual images. Your inspiration can come from anywhere. Beneath these headings, begin to flesh out each of the ideas. When you’ve developed these ideas, you may discover that one or two of them have more merit than the others. Select these ideas and begin to develop them further, setting aside an entire page in your folio for each idea. Seek feedback from other people about these ideas and document that feedback in your folios.
- Intention. Your intention should include a discussion of your purpose, impact and the desired outcome of your media product.
- Audience. Your description of audience should cover their attitudes, expectations and knowledge.
- Media choice. Explain why you have chosen your medium over others, discussing its strength and qualities of this form of communication.
- Written planning document.
- Visual planning document.
- Depending on which medium you have selected, your production design plan should cover each of the following production design plan specifications:
- Film/Video/Animation: intention; audience; style and/or genre; storyline and/or outline of content; techniques of engagement; location and/or setting; dialogue, narration and/or interview questions; camera: framing, position and movement; edit details and transitions; lighting; music and/or sound effects.
- Radio/Audio: intention; audience; style and/or genre; storyline and/or outline of content; techniques of engagement; location and/or setting; dialogue, narration and/or interview questions; edit and/or sequencing details; music and/or sound effects.
- Photography/Images: intention; audience; method of presentation and exhibition; style and/or genre; techniques of engagement; subject(s) and/or topic; location; lighting; composition; techniques, for example, selective focus, filtration, manipulating contrast, use of specialty papers, toning, colouring, typography.
- Print: intention; audience; style and/or genre; techniques of engagement; content; typography; layout; presentation, including paper stock, method of printing; visual material such as photographs, illustrations, graphics; advertising.
- Multimedia: intention; audience; format; style and/or genre; techniques of engagement; method of presentation or exhibition; content; sequencing; screen design and/or page design; functionality and/or interactivitytypography; images and graphical elements, for example, photographs, tables, buttons, hotspots, links.
Production design plans are presented in a variety of different ways. Your teacher will tell you the way they prefer to have it organised - some schools use folios, others use folders with plastic pockets. How you organise your PDP will depend on your school and your teacher.
Ideas for Investigating- What do you like? Make a list of all the films, magazines, radio programs and other texts that you've found appealing. If you've already decided on a medium to work in, focus on that, listing examples of what you find interesting and explaining why you enjoy it.
- What do you want to make? Think of the type of media product you'd like to create. Maybe it's a fashion magazine or a horror film. Find examples of the type of media text you'd like to create. What are considered the best and most influential?
- Think about a media product that has influenced you profoundly. It could be a horror film, a magazine or an exhibition of photographs. Why did this media text engage you?
- Select examples of media texts that have inspired you and annotate them, explaining which aspects of the text appeal to you. For example, if you are investigating a film or television program, you might annotate stills to illustrate an aspect of colour grading or mise-en-scene that appeals to you.
- Investigate a media professional. Perhaps you're drawn to the work of a particularly director or photographer. Read as much as you can about this person, their style and influences.
- Think about the technology you have available to create your media product. What have other done with this technology? What is possible? Research and explore what the technology is capable of.
- Compare two media texts. Whether you're making a magazine or a film, collect two good examples of the media form and compare their use of different techniques.
Brainstorming ToolsHere are some great tools you might find useful when brainstorming and exploring your own ideas.
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Camera techniques are one of the most fundamental parts of cinematic narratives. Before you start writing about the films you are studying for VCE Media, you will need to have a handle on the terminology of basic camera techniques. In the VCE Media exam, students put themselves at a disadvantage if they attempt to describe scenes from the narratives they have studied using inaccurate terminology. In films, the way the camera is moved, makes a big contribution to the story. Filmmakers put considerable thought into how camera movement contributes to the narrative. Shot sizeShot size refers to how far away the camera is from a subject. There are six basic shot sizes: Establishing shots are often used at the beginning of scenes to establish the setting. At the beginning of a film, for example, you might see an extreme long shot of a city or rolling hills. Then, we cut to a closer shot of a street, building and finally the character inside. Extreme close ups are usually an attempt to draw the viewer’s attention to a particular detail. For example, the director may choose to cur from a mid shot of a character to an extreme close-up emphasizing something about that character’s appearance. Camera Angle Camera angle refers to the angle at which the subject is shot. Camera angle can have a particular effect on the audience. Overshot. The camera is positioned directly above the subject. This is often used in establishing shots, where the camera flies over city streets. Alfred Hitchcock used an overshot in Psycho when Norman Bates carries his mother out of her bedroom and down the stairs. High Angle. The camera is positioned above the subject, looking down at an angle. This angle makes the subject appear smaller, powerless and more vulnerable. Eye Level. This is the most commonly used camera angle in film and television. Whereas most other camera angles are highly stylised, an eye level shot creates a sense of normalcy and realism because this is how we see the world. In Jaws, Steven Spielberg used eye level shots to engage audiences, choosing to shoot characters in the water from eye level rather than from above. Cinematographer Bill Butler developed a box which allowed the water to lap up against the camera, effectively putting the audience in the water with the actors. Low Angle. The camera is positioned below eye level, looking up, to imply a sense of power and dominance. Undershot. The camera is positioned directly beneath the subject, looking up. Often coupled with point-of-view shots when the character is looking up at something.
Camera MovementDolly. A dolly is any sort of moving platform that a camera is mounted on. Professional camera crews often lay down tracks which the camera can be moved along. Sometimes, the camera is mounted in the back of a car. Skateboards, office chairs and supermarket trolleys are the dollies of choice for low budget camera crews. Dollies are often used in very subtle ways. Throughout the course of a conversation, for example, you may notice that the camera very subtly moves closer to the characters. In M Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, for example, there is a scene where two characters - portrayed by Bruce Willis and Robin Wright Penn - are sharing dinner at a restaurant. The camera gradually dollies in on the couple to suggest a rekindled sense of intimacy. Tracking Shot. The camera follows a moving subject. Pan. The camera turns horizontally when mounted on a tripod. Tilt. The camera tilts up/down when mounted on a tripod. Crane. The camera is mounted on a crane, helping filmmakers to achieve dynamic overhead shots. Handheld. Handheld camera movement is often used to achieve a sense of realism. Films like The Blair Witch Project, The Bourne Supremacy and Syriana. Handheld camera movement achieves a sense of realism partly because audiences associate this sort of camera movement with documentary film. Steadicam. A device that allows camera operators to achieve smooth, fluid camera movement. Zoom. The lens of a camera is used to magnify an image.
Focus
When composing a shot, filmmakers also consider what will be in focus. Depth of field is a term which describes how far the camera can see into the distance. Narrow depth of field is when only part of the image is in focus and much of the background or foreground is out of focus. Deep focus is when everything, even distant objects, is perfectly in focus. Orson Welle’s film Citizen Kane was one of the early films to use this technique. A pull focus is when filmmakers shift the focus from one object to another. Writing about Camera Techniques
Whether you are writing about character development or the point-of-view from which the narrative is presented, at some point you will need to make reference to camera techniques. Previous VCE Media exam papers have also asked students to comment on the use of camera techniques in narratives. When you are writing about camera techniques, ensure you use terminology appropriately and explain clearly how the camera is being used. Here is an example of something a student might write about camera movement in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight: "During the conversation between Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008), Dent asserts that the people of Gotham appointed Batman when they let 'scum take control' of the city. Nolan cuts to a midshot of Wayne. As he cuts back and forth between the two characters, the camera slowly dollies in on Bruce Wayne. The heroic theme the audience has come to associate with Harvey Dent plays softly in the background. Wayne smiles slightly as he listens to Dent talk. This combination of camera movement, acting and editing subtly conveys to the audience that Bruce Wayne immediately likes the District Attorney. This is reinforced towards the end of the conversation when Bruce Wayne says, 'Well, I'm sold, Dent, and I'm gonna throw you a fundraiser...One fundraiser with my pals, you'll never need another cent.'" Another example from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho: "As Marion moves towards the partially open closet, the camera dollies in towards the bed, showing an extreme close-up of the $40,000 stuffed in an envelope on the bed. Bernard Hermann's suspenseful score increases in intensity as the camera slowly pans to the left, showing a close-up of a an open suitcase draped with clothes. This simple camera movement and use of music conveys Marion's decision to steal the money. The camera cuts to Marion as she takes a shirt from the closet, turns back towards the bed and puts it on. As she does up the top button, her face is lined with concern and she looks intently towards the bed. There is a close up of the suitcase and a point-of-view shot of the envelop as she looks over her shoulder while standing in front of the mirror. Although she is clearly going to steal the money, the combination of point-of-view shots, editing and acting conveys her indecision." In M Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, a combination of camera movement and acting are used to convey that the main character, David Dunn, is unhappy with his marriage: "Towards the beginning of M Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, David Dunn rests his head against the window of a train, rubbing his eyes. Off screen, we hear a woman's voice: "Are you alone?" David nods. The camera pans left to reveal a beautiful woman. As she stows her bags in the overhead compartment, the camera lingers on her toned, tattooed stomach before panning back to David, it lingers on his expression for a moment, before tilting down to show him surreptitiously removing his wedding ring. This combination of camera movement and acting contributes to the character development of David Dunn, insinuating that he is unhappy with his marriage."
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