Media text- this is any media product we wish to examine. Every description or representation of the world, fictional or otherwise, is an attempt to describe or define reality, and is in some way a construct of reality, a text.
Media language- it means the way in which a text is constructed to create meaning for a reader or viewer of the text. All media texts are constructed; someone has made decisions about how they should be constructed so that the form matches the content and with a particular audience in mind. Media language includes:
- mise en scene
- editing
- camera work
- sound
Media representation- how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups.
Media industries- how the media industries' proccesses of production, distribution and circulations affect the media forms and platforms.
Media audiences- how media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences interpret and respond to them and how members of audiences become producers themselves.
MEDIA
L- language
I- industry
A- audience
R- representation
Representation- Refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.
DIRECTOR- JOHN FAVROW
The 1967 jungle book film cover/poster is constructed in a very childish way which is a result of the colours used and how the animals have been used. Whereas, compared to the new film covers which are much more realistic. in the new covers, the colours used are more muted and unsaturated colours which make it realistic and in the 1967 the colours are very bright and saturated which portray to the audience that the life at the jungle is seen through ''rose tinted glass'' however that's not realistic as the jungle is a place of many dangers and challenges. However, the old cover uses the ''rose tinted glass'' view as the targeted audience is kids therefore they wanted to portray the ''jungle book'' as a very happy and positive movie, however the new covers portray the fact that the movie is now suitable for adults too as it is not that childish as the old cover.
The new covers make the film look more serious therefore it is suitable for teenagers 15-16 whereas the old cover looks like it is made to show that the film is only suitable for kids.
The new cover uses technology such as photoshop to make the cover and the mise en scene of the cover look much more realistic.
Why the accent of britiish people is used for film villains
The british accent is preferred for film villains because it makes them appear less trustworthy, expert claims and can be used for deceiveing characters.
Alvaris theory
- pity
- exotic
- humorous
Character representation
- The
character King Louie, who seems to some viewers to offer a racialized
portrait of jazz culture that conflates (compares)“swingers” (presumably African American
jazz musicians) with monkeys.
- Louie, the
Monkey-People’s,
orangutan
ruler. Wants
to
learn how to make fire so that he can be like a man. This could easily be
interpreted through a racial lens; the monkeys could be depictions of Africans
wanting to learn how to be “civilized” equals of the white man.
- The
representation is further reinforced through the use of African American
accents (however) the role was played by an Italian American
- Social
context: America was a segregated society during the 1960’s where Black people
were actively fighting for Civil rights (equality)
Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text. It is the interconnection between similar or related works of literature that reflect and influence an audience's interpretation of the text. Intertextual figures include: allusion, quotation, calque, plagiarism, translation, pastiche and parody.
Imperialism
The characters which were friendly and nice were used in way of representing the Birtish whereas the unfriendly characters were representing the Indian and the indian culture.
Accents and culture used
In the 1967 movie the accents used were african-american accents however in the 2016 movie this was changed and the accents used were american therefore the representations avoids any association with black identity as the 2016's movie accents were american and gangster like accents.
The voice in the 2016 trailer and movie as a whole has changed in a more aggressive way which is represented by the way in which the characters talk in. For example when King Louie says ''humans are forbidden here'' which was said in a very high tone, aggressive and frightening way which is contrasted to the 1967 trailer as in the 1967 original production/version the voice and how the characters were talking was in a very calm and nice way.
social context- accents , absence of female representation
cultural- race, accents
Comparing the 1967 and 2016 versions of
Walt Disney`s Jungle book (posters and film trailers), using media language
discuss how the representations of the characters have changed.
You will need to explore the changes in
social and cultural contexts and impact of technology as [art of your essay].
To begin with there is a lot of differences of the media language used in the 1967 cover and the 2016 cover. There is also social as well as cultural differences which are very significant.
Firstly, the 1967 jungle book film cover/poster is constructed in a very childish way which is a result of the colours used and how the animals have been used. Whereas, compared to the new film covers which are much more realistic. in the new covers, the colours used are more muted and unsaturated colours which make it realistic and in the 1967 the colours are very bright and saturated which portray to the audience that the life at the jungle is seen through ''rose tinted glass'' however that's not realistic as the jungle is a place of many dangers and challenges. However, the old cover uses the ''rose tinted glass'' view as the targeted audience is kids therefore they wanted to portray the ''jungle book'' as a very happy and positive movie, however the new covers portray the fact that the movie is now suitable for adults too as it is not that childish as the old cover.
The new covers make the film look more serious therefore it is suitable for teenagers 15-16 whereas the old cover looks like it is made to show that the film is only suitable for kids.
The new cover uses technology such as photoshop to make the cover and the mise en scene of the cover look much more realistic.
Secondly, the representation of the characters has changed significantly. For example, the representtion of the snake Kaa which is played by Scarlett Johanson has changed through the time preiods of the 1967's cover and 2016's. In the 2016`s trailer Kaa, which is a female character is seen as a much more frightening character than it was in its representation in the 1967's trailer.
Compared to its 1967 animated classic in 2016, Kaa is represented as an enormous snake who tries to eat the man-cub Mowgli and is as well a supporting antagonist.
In Jon Favreau’s new adaptation, Kaa is a temptress, luring Mowgli (Neel Sethi) with knowledge and the promise of protection.
The audience first hears Kaa before seeing her. It’s vaguely menacing. Her voice is very affectionate as well as luring therefore that's why it was choosen to lure Mowgli into the trap, by using Johansson's voice (Kaa). Whereas, firstly in the 1967`s trailer, the snake is a male character therefore turning in into a female character for the 2016`s trailer is because there has been an absence of female characters which has been recognised by most of the audience. Therefore this was the solution to this problem, so the primarily male cast was balanced out by adding female characters.
In the trailer of 1967, the snake was much more animted and looked inherently sillier therefore it did not represent danger. However in 2016, the size of the Kaa has changed significantly which is the main reason to make Kaa look so terifying and dangerous, as well as because of her luring voice which is very suspicious and it`s the new tool in order to hyptonize which is its main aim.
Although Kaa has been an integral part of all of the previous adaptations of The Jungle Book, the character has undergone modifications in the past. Originally in Kipling's book, Kaa was depicted as an aide or mentor to Mowgli. In the film adaptations, however, possibly owing to a Western prejudice against snakes, Kaa became an antagonist. This consideration of snakes as vile and conniving largely stems from the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. In the story, Satan takes up the form of a serpent in order to trick Eve into eating the apple from the knowledge tree in the Garden of Eve. The subsequent downfall of the paradise has given rise to the association of dangerous, seductive and morally impure women with snakes.
As we know that Kaa is best known for her infamous attempts to kill Mowgli using his villainous powers of hypnotism and constriction. Central to Kaa's treacherous villainy is his alluring personality, cool composure, and seductive voice. Luring his prey, he attempts to entrance Mowgli before going in for the kill.In reimagining Kaa as female, Disney seems to be highlighting the snake's seductive qualities. Choosing Scarlett Johansson, who is known as something of a sex symbol, is presumably an attempt to add a sultry dimension to the snake's already alluring persona. Johansson herself said on Disney's website, “Kaa seduces and entraps Mowgli with her storytelling. She’s the mirror into Mowgli’s past. The way she moves is very alluring, almost coquettish.” Kaa is more of a multi-layered, complex character than an entirely evil one, explains director Jon Favreau.
But by making a sinister character female (and even more intimidating than ever), Disney may open itself to the criticism that it plays on a harmful subconscious association between female sexuality and evil intentions.
As said, Riksha was the only other female character which was used in order to balance out the female and male cast. However, Lupita's Raksha was the matriarch of Mowgli's wolf family, and a maternal figure who sacrifices for her brood. Therefore these two female portrayals in the male ensemble, then, are in firm opposition to one another. In this way, the film reinforces a stereotypical dichotomy: women can either be conniving seductresses or pure maternal figures.
As a result, despite the ethnically diverse cast, there is no actual diversity within Favreau’s version because there are no actual identities.
However what we can clearly see is that in 1967 movie the accents used were african-american accents however in the 2016 movie this was changed and the accents used were american therefore the representations avoids any association with black identity as the 2016's movie accents were american and more gangster like accents.
In the 1967 movie the accents used were african-american accents however in the 2016 movie this was changed and the accents used were american therefore the representations avoids any association with black identity as the 2016's movie accents were american and gangster like accents.
The voice in the 2016 trailer and movie as a whole has changed in a more aggressive way which is represented by the way in which the characters talk in. For example when King Louie says ''humans are forbidden here'' which was said in a very high tone, aggressive and frightening way which is contrasted to the 1967 trailer as in the 1967 original production/version the voice and how the characters were talking was in a very calm and nice way.
Part b
Discuss how these films were marketed and the value earned by the company. Using media language discuss the effects of technology on targeting an older audience in the 2016 version.
Marketing of the Jungle book film
- Sean Bailey, president of production for Disney, called JB16
‘one of the most technologically advanced movies ever made’.
- The world premier, like a red carpet
- Poster
- Games
- Snapchat
- Bloggers
- Celebrity endorsement
- Social media was used with largely, facebook, twitter, instagram campaign along with youtube and viral marketing campaigns.
- Social media adverts
•Do Something
Remarkable – The Publicity Stunt
•Pre-Roll
Video Advertising
•Be Smart
With Press Events
• Let
your viewers experience the story
•Video
Marketing
• Create
a visually compelling & functional sub-site
• Make
your Facebook Page Interactive
• Use
social competitions & quizzes
• Using
Celebrity & Brand Partnerships
•Using
Memes
& Other Forms of UGC
The Jungle book firstly produced in the 1967 was the most successful movie of all times ever. It had massive success and even today, it is more successful and famous than the new 2016 release. This could have been because it is older and more people have watched it and due to its marketing and advertising too. For the new 2016 release, there has been a lot of modern and advanced technology used such as Photoshop and graphic programmes.
The total budget for the film was $4,000,000 however it grossed $141,843,612 and it was produced in the USA. it was shown in many other countries such as the UK, Germany and Sweden however it was most popular at the country it was made in- USA. It was estimated to be the 29th highest grossing film of all time in the USA.
The production of the Jungle Book (1967) did not use much marketing, other than adverts, posters and cinema sign as a result of the lack in the technology in these times, unlike nowadays where the technology is much more advanced. In the 1967's there was not a lot of competition especially in the animation industry which helped to make it such as popular movie.
In comparison, the 2016 movie was marketed much more. It used the social media websites such as Facebook, instagram and twitter to make fan pages. Moreover, the production company hel a fan event where sneak peeks were spread and some of the actors were introduced too, where they also held many teaser trailers to make the fans excited and interested in order for them to watch the film. The Disney parks got involved too in marketing the film as they had sand models of characters from the film in ''Animal Kingdom' (one of the Disney theme parks). This lead to the release of pictures on social media which made it more and more popular and known as social media is used by nearly everyone nowadays.
Re-visualizing every shot in the movie to create a roadmap: MPC used a combination of digital filmmaking, motion-capture, and video-game production tools to allow the filmmakers to view in real-time virtual sets and elements to be composited later. Next, they filmed a single human actor, Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli, in native stereoscopic 3-D on a series of sets, pieces of sets, and on green-screen and motion-capture stages. The ultimate goal was to combine his image and movement seamlessly with sophisticated, photo-real, character animation and background animated elements producing what eventually evolved into a stunningly photo-real "animated" movie. This explains some of the technology used for the production of the movie.
The atmosphere and mise en scene were drastically changed for the new production of the 2016 movie. Compared to the 1967 movie, where the movie was basically an animation with childish representations of the characters and voices who were very humorous and calm the 2016's production was a much more serious version of the original film. The aspects which were changed were the mise en scene, colours used and the voice of characters.
Firstly, the colours used changed into more darker, unsaturated colours which created a duller and more sinister mise en scene that was effective as it attracted more people to watch it and especially men. Furthermore, most shots that are seen in the 2016 trailer are of dull and dark places which build up tension and make the atmosphere and mise en scene look more mysterious and frightening too. The main colour used are dark green and black. Black is classified as a mysterious colour and is used in order to hide and cover something which imploies that there is a barrier which links to the Jungle Book movie a s there is a barrier in the jungle where humans are in reality forbidden however Mowgli is still there. Also, it connotes fear and evil which is also created by the places of where the shots are taken which conveys pesimism and a lack of hope in the atmosphere. This can link to the fact that there is no hope for Mowgli to survive in the jungle however this can only be proven right or wrong once watched the movie. The black is a powerful, strong and sophisticated colour which symbolises the characters of the jungle book especially Shere Khan as he is a powerful and dominant character who is ruling the jungle and everyone obeys him.
Whereas the dark green colour is used to portray the dangerous nature which the jungle consists of and also has connotations of jealousy. However, on the other hand is evokes the feeling of peacefullness. The fact that the green colour is used to create the sense of peacefulness suggests that it portrays the other side of the jungle, the peaceful and calm side of it. The two colours: black and green are both used in order to portray the two contrasting sides of the jungle. The dark, sinister and dangerous side of the jungle and its
peaceful and calm side.
