Task 2: Research Into Existing Products 1

Textual Analysis Overview

Textual Analysis is the process of taking apart a media text. It breaks down into an infinite number of sub-areas, but considered the most prominent four are camera work, sound, mis en scene, and editing. These four encapsulate several subdivisions of analysis.

For example:

Mis en scene is the internal aesthetic of any media text. Examples of this would be answering why a certain room has been lit in a certain way, why it has been shot at that time of day, why the production crew chose that furniture, why certain characters dressed alternatively to others, and others less or more groomed? These examples enquire about make-up, lighting, costume, scenery - all attributes of mis en scene.

Sound is generally divided into two main categories:

Diegetic Sound - sounds heard in the scene, for example a radio playing or a glass shattering, that the character's of the media text can supposedly hear as well.

Non-Diegetic Sound - basically everything else, such as special effects added in editing, the soundtrack, or a monologue.

These two definitions include the majority of audio, ambient or otherwise.

Analysis of Camera Work includes the denotation of a scene - what can be seen on the camera - to the connotations behind this image - and interpretation of why the camera is showing this image. An example of this would be an extreme close up of a character's eyes (denotation), used by the director to show this character's fear (connotation). Camera Work can be analysed in this fashion almost consistently, despite the plethora of camera techniques used. Some examples of these are:

• Medium Close Up - usually framing a person from the shoulders upwards
• Close Up - the frame would be around the outskirts of an actors face and head
• Extreme Close Up - showing only a small feature of detail, for example a mouth or pair of eyes

The list continues into more technical terminology, for example an Establishing Shot, usually filmed from a spacecam from a helicopter to literally establish the scenery. The basic other archetypes would be variations on Long Shots and Medium Shots. Others include Zooms, in which an image appears to come closer to the lense, Tracking Shots, literally using small rails or tracks fix the camera upon and thus give the impression of following movement, Crane Shots in which the camera is and pulled away or towards its focus using special equipmant, and Panning, in which the camera is swivelled vertically or horizontally to take in more from a fixed point. Literally hundreds of the aforementioned are used in combination in the modern film industry

Editing is the post production of any media text. Editing is why certain scenes end as they do, use of computer colouration and adding lighting, slow-motion, CGI - in general, Editing is any alterations made to recorded text, generally before its release.

This is the genetic composition of anything to be visually conveyed on screen, without exception.