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Meaning in texts

writing a text

Here is a useful study guide for meaning in texts and for your own thoughts about the conventions you use in your production. It is also a useful anagram for exam on genre preparation

When answering questions about codes/conventions you need to use the CEPEA model as explained below.

CEPEA stands for: C = Convention E = Explain P = Purpose E = Example A = Audience C is for CONVENTION A convention is a feature common to the genre. It can be something technical (high-contrast lighting), something narrative (set in the wild west) or something symbolic (the full moon). Features like lighting, costume, setting, colour, shots, edits, music, props etc are common to all films - these are CODES. When these codes are used in a certain way again and again in a certain genre they become CONVENTIONS. This is why codes and conventions are often commonly referred to together. Each genre uses the code of stock characters but the stock characters change across genres and become particular conventions of that genre. P is for PURPOSE It’s the Directors purpose. What message(s), story and/or value(s) are they trying to deliver in the media text? A is for AUDIENCE How does the convention communicate meaning to the audience and what is the audience being told?

CEPEA helps us to remember to ask THREE important questions of any media text we study: 1.) What’s the Convention being used? 2.) What was the Purpose of the text (the director’s intention)? 3.) What understanding do we as an audience gain (meaning) from what we see? – Can you explain what we’re seeing and supporting it using relevant examples Example of CEPEA in its MOST basic form:  (C) – A convention used in teen films is the montage. (E) – This is generally a series of images or sequences that develop some form of the narrative in a shortemed time span, usually overlaid by some popular song keeping in the spirit of the film and audience. (P) - The purpose of a montage is to show a significant development in the story or characters over a passage of time in the shortest way possible. It can be particular to the teen genre as it shortcuts the physical or emotional development of the teen characters. (E) – An example of a montage in Bring It On is when the cheerleading squad are working hard on their own routine and learning new dance techniques. It condenses a space of three weeks’ work into three minutes. (A) – Montages help the audience understand the sudden development of the cheerleading squad from unoriginal frauds into talented cheerleaders who have made an original new routine. If a montage was not used it would take a larger portion of the 90 minute film and would considerably slow down the narrative which would not appeal to the audience, who prefer instant action and change.

Use this acronym (CEPEA) to guide your in-depth answer, however you will need to develop your own style towards answering these three important questions to obtain Excellence this year in all of the Achievement Standards.


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the mise-en-scene  the musical score  the editing codes  the cinematography || **films are a form. ** ** They draw upon our curiosity and our need for stories on character motivation and story resolution. They stimulate us to ask of the film what idea( other than the obvious story) what premise... ** **what..... is ** **happening here? Films may challenge our perception. From more than one reading we start to see more in a film. **

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A sense of meaning in feature narrative is designed into the representations of character performance, the use of sets that demarcate historical settings and in the decisions about use of space and time in the the films's execution. A close view of representations and editing structure reveals the intention of directors' visions. ====== = ** Directors make use of film language - the visual and movement forms, the symbols of culture and the integration of designed ideas with the flow of a story in time and space. ** = = ** A narrative takes place over 90 - 120 **minutes =

** Try three viewings of any film you choose for this assessment and report what happens to you. Then you move to some written tasks. ** **Then you shall ask: e.g for the placements in the mise-en-scene, Why has the director placed these ** particular <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;"> props for the ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">character here? Or, why is the ** <span style="color: #2e2323; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">lighting <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;"> subdued here? Or, In what ** <span style="color: #1f1919; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">time <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">(setting or era ) and in what space ( architectural or dimensional) does this narrative occur? And, is the time continuos in progression or are there flashback? Are there compressions? Is time elliptical or chronological for most of the film structure? You go with questions. Try and enjoy some e.g ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">Why that music? Why that ** <span style="color: #372f2f; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">cinematography <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">? Why that editing ** <span style="color: #191414; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">rhythm <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">? ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">Understanding of the parts of film form that go to make up the whole film leads us to deeper reading of narratives or other film genres. **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #d42b2b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14.82px;">Key in feature narratives is, What people? What realities? How do we engage with the film form? ** Film form http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/Mark2000-722793-film-as-art-2-ctvu-101-form/

Film **Form decision include:**=

= <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 9px;">portrayal of character performance See. mise-en-scene. = = = = and setting  = = For style, including, choice of genre. See the example. The Fight Club = = . <span style="background-color: initial; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">[|Year 12 Film Studies - FM2 American Dream Comparative Study] <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> (8)  = =<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">http://filmmiddleschool.wikispaces.com/narrative+structure =

__Film form: codes and conventions__

narrative wide reading <span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Narrative Conventions** **<span style="color: #ae2929; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">see narrative structure ** = for editing ( see narrative structure ) = ||


 * see Auteur ||  ||