Intertextaulity

Intertextuality in South Park - Two Days after tomorrow

There's a twist on this episode of south park where the creators idea of global warming is a myth and it mixes in with the idea of the original film The day after tomorrow (2004). 
By doing this the producers can reproduce the idea and put in a funny twist as the film as the genre of south park is comedy and the film is based on action, this lighten ups the mood of things and makes it less serious which could portrait the directors idea of disbelief upon this subject and to share his views to the public that the idea global warming is just a joke.

Overall the use of intertexuality between these for South Park is simply a mockery and provides a humorous aspect for the viewers, for example in this scene it imitates the scene in the original film but in a funny way. 

The uses and gratifications the audience would gain entertainment is something to talk about in terms of social interaction and also makes the overall film more interesting. It could serve as a gateway for the audience to watch the film that's being referenced or to re-watch it, either way it's a gain for both the film makers/organisations.

Scenes in simpsons that uses intertexulaity may make audiences feel clever that they've noticed it similar to an easter egg, however doing so may have other reasons such as for the director it would be easier to do so in terms of the creative  process.

Intertextuality may also be used as a advertisement for the particular show or programme, which may be beneficial for both parties as the specials of Simpsons may be remembered longer and for the other party, they get more expose of the thing they are referencing allowing new comers to watch it.

Exhibition

Exhibition

Marvel age of ultron was available to watch across most cinemas in the UK including imax 3D. It is available to watch on Blue-ray and DVD and only on Sky Movies for online streaming services at the moment.

Platform such as DVDs and Blu-rays allows every household to own the movie therefore it gives the audiences a chance to watch it again if they really enjoyed the film. It also benefits the producers because it gives them another chance to advertise the film for example as TV adverts on ITV, and for those who've missed to chance to watch it in the cinemas are able to watch it.

Sky Movies is a ideal 'platform' for this film because the majority of Movies on sky movies are entertainment and action etc therefore the film will be more suited for sky movie audiences.

Peckhamplex shows most of the latest films and costs £4.99 for an all day ticket. 3D tickets are £5.99.

How we consume film has changed, nowadays it is more of a passive activity, during the viewing process most of us are isolated. Compared to the classical times viewing a film would be seen as a social reunion, it was something special people cherished, not because of the content of the film but the gathering of people together to watch a movie, this has declined over the years due to the improvements of technology mainly the transition between analogue to digital, this has also caused a stir between those who have been with film since the very beginning and for the modern take on film to be influenced to mostly being digital this means that the audience of films has also changed dramatically, leads me to the point of using mobile devices to watch movies online. The current generation are known to be more computer illiterate, watching on the big screen has become a platform for watching movies whereas it used to be the sole platform. Mobile devices can stream many movies directly to their devices therefore the attitudes and environment has also changed.

Representation Theory

The whole idea behind the representation theory lies between how certain actors are represented in film and how the audience perceives this information. The whole process revolves around audience judgement.

Richard Dyers theory is to withhold the stereotypes it has to be maintained, an clear example would be the video game GTA5, the entirety of the game plays in the point of view of a male character, the way you choose to deal with females is entirely up to you, the freedom given

Andy Medhurds, a media theorists justifies that stereotypes are solely used as an shorthanded way for identification to the audience, this in some cases can be used as a way to focus on the plot rather than prolong the character introductions. This can be seen straight off in the beginning of the film breakfast at tiffanies, although this has been talked about as it being very strongly racially discriminating, it provides a quick insight for the audience to understand what this character is and where he stands. The Asian character is seen to be wearing glasses and acting very clumsy, this solidifies that the character is Asian through generic stereotypes simply by visually representing it so therefore this can be a powerful tool to serve as character introductions although it can be controversial.



The male gaze theory is another sub category of such, in some films woman are portrayed as sexual objects solely to entertain an audience, these female characters are introduced in a distinctive way which may allow the audience to understand their specific role in the film, or in a more generic way, it is done to please a heterosexual male audience.

Aside from the contextual side of representation theory, a more grounded distinction to why it is used could stand as simply providing uses uses gratification to an audience, this can be merely for entertainment purposes, diversion from reality, personal identification such as relating to the story line and surveillance which the text could be studied to see how a particular group is portrayed.

Auteur theory

This theory was mainly based from Astruc's elucidation of the concept of caméra-stylo, which holds that the director is seen to be more like a ‘author’ of the movie which he/she is directing rather than the writer. This is largely because the director oversees the visual and audio of the film and by doing this they are able to build on the mood and portray the message of the film better, than maybe the writer themselves. This brings words to life and therefore makes the director have a larger impact than the writer of the screenplay. It originated from the french criticism of the late 1940’s of the value system and is viewed as Auteurism. These Critics invented the concept as a way of distinguishing French New Wave filmmakers from studio system directors. The Auteur theory now also is applied to directors of video games, as well as producers of popular music.

An Auteur is referred to as singular artist who controls all aspects of a collaborative creative work, a person comparable to the author (writer) of a novel or a play. An example i'll be using is the director Micheal Bay.

There are both supporters and non-supporters of the Auteur Theory. Those who support the theory argue that the most cinematically successful films will bear the unmistakable personal stamp of the director. Those who do not support argue that this Theory takes away the value of the writer/ author of the screenplay, novel.

Auteur theory applied to

Reception Theory

The Reception theory originated from literature; however, it was properly adapted in the 1970's by Stuart Hall. The theory looks at how the reader responds to a text, and the type of response. The reception theory emphasises that the meaning of a text is formed between the audience and the text.

Stuart Hall brought in the encoding/ decoding model of communication, which expresses how the sender encodes a message via the text, and how the audience decodes this information. The audience does not passively accept the information in the text, but rather, have an interpretation and response to the information, unlike, in the Hypodermic syringe model where it is believed that the audience wholly accepts a message with no negotiation. Messages can be decoded by the audience in three different ways; dominant, negotiated or op-positional.

A dominant response is that where the receiver accepts and agrees with the message, an oppositional response is completely rejecting the message and opposing it. However, a negotiated response is that where the receiver questions the message, but doesn’t reject the message. It is suggested, that the way information is decoded by a person, is based on that individual’s cultural background, or individual experiences, and therefore, those with different cultural experiences may have very different responses and interpretations.

The text’s meaning is constructed via these responses and is not within the text itself. Meaning, the reception is significant in determining what the text is. The mood of the viewer could also effect the interpretation of the film, if they are showing the least interest this could effect the overall information being persevered hindering them from uncovering a deeper and encoded message.

Analysing MES American Film unit 26

                                                                       Maze Runner

This screenshot is from the film 'Maze Runner', In the opening scene flashes of dark and light is used to create a mood of fear and chaos, the disorientating light, paired with the fact that the lift is designed to look like a cage, gives the sense of vulnerability and isolation. The position of the camera is also vital, by using a high angle shot it gives the audience a sense of fear as if something is going to pop out which makes us sympathise with the character. The POV shot used further on in the scene is effective in building tension. From Thomas’ point of view we see the speed of the elevator cage rising faster and faster, building more tension as the speed increases. We don’t know when or where the elevator will stop and we are waiting for the moment that the tension breaks. The element of expectance increases the fear factor of this scene. 

This scene is shot using a extreme long shot, by doing this it shows the audience how big the maze is compared to them but them being all grouped up in the centre shows us that they are not afraid to face it and they are ready to take on something big. 

The use of the colour blue portraits tranquility but the image shows a man who is in danger of life, this contradictory could suggest the fate of the characters in the movie as it could also hint the iconography of their doom. However because this is a big close up shot the audience does not know exactly what is going on therefore it could bring a sense of mystery and suspense towards the film. 

The use of the colour red suggests to us that he is in danger 

In this screenshot it represents the idea for one for all and all for one, this makes the audience feel betrayed because at one point they treated him nicely but he got turned on by all of them showing that he is a threat of some sort. The use of high angle also makes the protagonist feel weak and also makes the character feel isolated.

Tracking is also used to follow the protagonist, this makes the audience able to relate to the settings and characters.

Genre Theory

Genre Theory

The expectations an audience has when viewing a trailer, this can start of even with the slightest connotations such as the title of the film itself. Steve Neal 'genres are instances of repetition and difference' the repetition of things come with the audience have an expectation beforehand of what the film will be about (overall conventions), a modern example would be the movie 'Fast and Furious', the audience will expect to see violence, guns and vehicles a similar plot line in terms of the equilibrium of the action and protagonists having a happy ending. The difference will be each sequel having a new struggle such as a new villain. Aside from the plot, a consistent difference seen in these particular movies is the changes in locations, this is usually done to not bore the audience and provide the refreshing new such as insights on cultural differences.



Finding and maintaining balance between the two is vital to attract an audience, this is because slanting too much towards the left  (repetition) will wash out the film seeing as it will get repetitive and the plot, easy. When the difference is challenged and made to look genuine this makes the audience grip onto their seats.
However the audience is reassured due to the nature of its genre having a predictable development therefore they will gain satisfaction mostly through catharsis (release of repressed emotions).