-Short Term 12 Analysis-

Short Term 12 is a 96 minute linear drama presenting social realism. It was directed by Denson Daniel Cretton.

It is a touching film which portrays the life of being in care realistically. The film enables the audience to easily connect with the characters and feel personal to them. This is partially done by the camera shots used. We are close up and personal, giving us the sense of involvement in the lives of the characters. 

Alongside with the camera shots, there are other visual codes such as the plain colours throughout the film. This could be a way of expressing the lack of colour and liveliness the under privileged children in the film have. This makes us emphasise and sympathise with the children, further intriguing us into the film. 

There are also a number of audio codes used in the film, these consist of the instrumentals used. I personally noticed the type of music change with the characters feelings, this puts emphasis on the emotion being presented or suggested. Furthermore, there is often a suspenseful feeling in some of the instrumentals, this builds tension which engages the audience. 

Although this film is a drama, there are also strong aspects of romance and sometimes slight comedy. I think the fact that the mood of the film changes drastically so quickly is good because it keeps it interesting and also may be relatable to many watchers who have experienced the realism of the situations in the film. A prime example of a quick switch of mood can be when the two main Characters, Grace and Mason, who are careers and also in love, are sitting on the sofa and go from being happy drawing each other, to having a deep conversation when Mason is feeling distant to Grace, to them kissing, to her panicking and stopping then going to sleep. Another example could be from the scene at Mason's parents anniversary when he proposes to Grace and they are joyful, to the next morning when they get the phone call telling them that her dad is being released from prison in a month. These scenes are not only touching and interesting but they also portray the struggles in a relationship and in life, rather than the typical Hollywood, perfect lifestyle. 

I really liked the film and found it so insightful. One of my favourite scenes was when one of the children, Marcus, was rapping his own lyrics about his mother. The lyrics seemed like they were actually real and like they were actually coming from his heart. It really made me feel close to Marcus and have so much sympathy for him and it allowed me to be understanding to why he may have a short temper. I also found it clever how the film started the same way as it ended, with Mason telling the new member of staff, Nate, a story, and then them all having to chase Sammy. 

Id also like to pick up on the advertising poster for the film, although it is not strictly the film. I think the poster is cleverly misleading. This is because the scenery is so neat looking, for example the trees are perfectly proportioned. This is completely opposite to what the lives of the characters are actually like. I found it amusing and very clever how there could be a hidden metaphor in the poster which could be representing that things may look great on the outside, but inside they are not great at all.

-WEEKLY NEWS ep.3-

"The eldest child is probably smarter than their siblings" 

Being the youngest out of all my siblings, this headline caught my eye immediately. I find the article overall very patronising and not factual. 

The article consists of theories as to why the IQ of siblings usually drops in chronological order. One of the theories was that the elder siblings teach the younger siblings what they know, which improves their understanding and knowledge. As much as I can understand this theory because 'practice makes perfect', I do not agree with it. 

Another theory was that the eldest child gets the parents full, undivided attention when they are an only child, before they have any more children. 

I think the headline was over exaggerated. This is because one of the only statistically proven points in this article was that the difference in IQ amongst the tested children came out an average of 1.5 points drop. This is not as drastic as expected from the headline.  

-Crash-

Crash, a film by Paul Haggis, is a drama based on a real life event. It presents the lives of different ethnicities, races and class to us. It uses stereotypically views to show us how the different categories are viewed. Although there are different groups, I think race was the main focus of the film. 

The film starts by introducing us to all the main individuals of the film. However, the characters are introduced in a representation of their stereotypes. This is to make us view the characters in a certain way and possibly provoke us to agree with the stereotypes. A prime example of this could be the scene where the black men are complaining about stereotypes against them but then hypocritically car-jack the white couple. However, soon we discover the two men are not murderers. This is shown when they do not kill the white man or the Chinese man. 

The plot twist of this film astonished me. Paul Haggis cleverly used the character who wasn't even a suspect and the most trusted character in the film, the young, white policeman to actually be the murderer. I think that was a good idea because it sends the message that we should not judge people based on their race because anyone can commit a crime, regardless of their skin colour. 

I think that message was successfully presented in Crash, especially at the end. The scene that caught my eye was the white woman telling her maid that she is her best friend and how she was there when she needed her most. 

I love how Paul Haggis tried to demolish stereotypes and suggest that all races are capable of the same feelings and actions.

The audio codes used in this film were subtle but very powerful in my opinion. The first audio code I heard was the quiet and suspenseful instrumental at the beginning. The use of this sound was good because it didn't give much away but it was really intriguing and drew me in to listen to the clear voices of the characters. The use of clear voices was great because it allowed the audience to be introduced to them well and actually understand their thoughts at that moment. 

However, I think the most powerful audio code was the soundtrack of "Sense Of Touch". It gave me goosebumps. Although it wasn't in English it was easy to tell the song was meaningful. Regardless of knowing the songs words, it enabled me, and perhaps other people who have watched this film, to look over how discriminating stereotypes are. 

The main visual code I think stood out was how a lot of the film, including the beginning was in the dark. The setting was night-time. This is a dramatic effect which possibly could give a viewer chills. I think darkness adds to the mysterious effect and creates more tension and suspense. 

Overall I think the film was a successful, well put together film. The storyline was interesting and the messages given were powerful. I previously stated how I think race is the central focus of the film. I think that Paul Haggis was very smart with this focus because he didn't only present black and whites people, he also introduced us to other European races. 

Representations Of Children

Children are represented typically by the media as vulnerable and dependent on others, specifically their parents.

 However, recently, there has been numerous videos and pictures plastered over social media which happen to disagree with the typical representation. 

These videos consist of little girls wearing provocative clothing and tons of makeup, talking or singing about boys and only caring about what they look like. Prime examples of these would be Sophia Grace and Honey Boo Boo. There is also an advert where girls dressed as little princesses are swearing talking about gender stereotypes and how women are downgraded. Although I understand and agree with the message of the advert, to have little kids saying what they did appals me. This is done on purpose though. The producers or directors knew that young girls speaking like that is likely to get a large audience. These representations are dangerous because of the increase of young children using social networking. The girls watching these videos are more easily influenced due to their age and therefore may start acting like what they see. 

It is not only young girls that are represented poorly in the media and over social media. Boys are often represented as violent. Even the toys targeted at boys provoke a violent nature, e.g. Guns and swords. This may maintain the stereotype of boys are the dominant ideology and are more empowered, even just amongst children. Furthermore, boys are also recently being shown as "growing up too fast". Again, there are videos of young boys singing or talking about all the girls they get etc. This suggests that being a 'womaniser', 'galis' or 'player' is acceptable so long as you're a boy. This allows boys to grow up disrespectfully. This again is influenced upon them due  to how much access they have to social media now. 

Overall, I think that children are sometimes represented negatively in the media, or in a way that will provoke them to act in a certain nature as they are growing up. However, I do not disagree that children are still represented as pure, innocent and sweet. I do see countless amounts of videos and pictures everywhere where children are acting incredibly adorable. But, although this may be correct, we all know that the children acting in the opposite way, perhaps rebelliously, are more likely to gain a larger audience, therefore it is what we may hear about or see more of. 

-WEEKLY NEWS ep.2-

My immediate thoughts when I saw this article were what anyone would expect. However, after reading the article I became more understanding. 

In the article it is established that this woman has a mental disorder called BIID, which stands for Body Integrity Identity Disorder. This is when someones idea of how they should be does not match their physical form. In this case, Jewel, the woman who the report is about, always had been unsatisfied with the fact she could see. She always felt uncomfortable and had the mindset that she should be blind. This is probably strange to most of us, however, pyschologists have managed to have full understanding of Jewel's situation. 

The 30 year old woman had such a strong desire to be blind that she got a 'sympathetic psycologist' to pour drain cleaner in her eyes. Following this event, which Jewel stated to be extremely painful, she was rushed to hospital, agaisnt her wishes, where doctors strived to save her vision. To Jewel's joy, there was nothing that could be done to save her eyes, which were stated as permanantly damaged. 

Although Jewel's eyes were permanantly damaged, it took 6 months for her to go completely blind. Ms Shuping told an interviewer how every morning she would wake up hopeful but be enraged when she opened her eyes and could still see. Overtime, Jewel started realising the damage was taking effect. She was elaborated the day she woke up and could not see anything. 

However, not all was so good for Jewel Shuping. She had told her family that she had lost her sight accidentally, but they soon learned the truth and disowned her. Although she has lost her family, Jewel has had full support from her husband who is registered legally blind, through natural causes. 

The news headline was very eye catching and is likely to provoke someone to read the full article. The headline could be percieved as misleading due to the fact it did not state that the woman has a mental disorder. This is done on purpose because if it did state the fact she suffered of BIID in the title, readers wouldn't be as shocked or amazed by the event, therefore decreasing the amount of views.

I can bring myself to comprehend why Jewel done what she did and understand her statement of "This is not a choice, it's a need based on a disorder of the brain." I do not think she should be judged too harshly for her actions because I think you cannot fully know what someone is going through untill you live in their shoes, but I do understand why some people would see what she done as outrageous. I'm sure there are plenty of people who think she is ungrateful for the blessing she had of sight, and I undrstand this, however, similarly to my previous point, I think unless you suffer with BIID, you cannot judge her or feel her pain.