Yr 10 GENRE & REPRESENTATION

GENRE & REPRESENTATION

We start with the BBC news about current film awards BBC News and Entertainment
We examine issues relating to the Golden Globe awards:

• the target audience for different Golden Globe nominations, such as whether American Hustle is mainstream drama (American Hustle won three awards)
• why audiences select certain films by director (e.g. Martin Scorcese; Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor in a comedy or musical for The Wolf of Wall Street.)
• the biopic and historical film as genre (Steve McQueen's historical tale 12 Years a Slave received the top honour of the night, winning best film drama.)
• mainstream / niche
• national / international / global
• awards ceremonies as marketing tools

Analysis of representation using Ricky Gervais's Extras, episode with Orlando Bloom, in which Gervais plays struggling background actor Andy Millman, who just wants to land a speaking role that will launch him into stardom, but doesn't have much luck because of his lousy agent Darren Lamb (co-creator Stephen Merchant).

• How the lighting in the first part constructs the two central characters as figures in a light-hearted, feel-good romance with a guaranteed happy ending
• How the lighting changes from high-key, intense colour suitable for drama to cold, harsh light suitable for reality television when the cameras pull back to reveal that the first part was a TV drama being filmed in a courtroom set.
• How the protagonists are constructed as lawyers through the wigs, gowns, collars
• How the two protagonists have equal importance because of the frame composition: they are positioned in the frame in symmetry, taking up equal space.
• How Orlando Bloom is constructed as jealous and rude through dialogue (" On the set of Pirates of the Caribbean they ignored Jonny Depp and said 'Who's that loser; we want Orlando!") , self-important (framing of Bloom surrounded by fans, writing autographs) and assertive through body language (leaning on wooden jury rail into the jurist's space), insecure yet arrogant (close ups of him smirking, stroking his own face).
• How Ricky Gervais is represented as fighting failure, dismayed by his friend Maggie, struggling to gain her support through shot-reverse-shot (CU of reaction shots such as eye rolling as Maggie lets him down)