Analysis of Anna Karenina opening sequence

Analysis of Anna Karenina opening sequence

Anna Karenina is a British drama film which was directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Tom Stoppard from the 1877 novel of the same name which was written by Leo Tolstoy. The film follows the life of married aristocrat Anna Karenina as tragedy ensures as she becomes involved in an affair with Count Vronsky. The film was produced by Working Title Films in association with StudioCanal,and was released in the UK on the 7th of September 2012.

Sounds

The opening sequence of the film features non diagetic orchestral music which connotes a classical tone or feeling allowing audiences to establish that the films setting isn't contemporary. As the scene progress one can hear the diagetic sounds of the russian language, this allows audiences to instantly identify the setting of Anna korenina as russia. Not only this but with the orchestral music playing in the background audiences can establish that the setting is in fact "old Russia". Furhtermore the orcestral music connotes an afluent setting and allows audience to generate an idea of the class of the characters they're about to be introduced.

The music eventally fades into a more sombre to fit in with the sad scene the audience can currently see; a woman weeping. This emphaises the sad tone of the scene and allows audiences to feel empathy towards this character, however no speech is uttered durng this scene; this may have been the case to engage audiences in the narritive of the fillm, to carry on viewing the scene as it progress'.

As the opening sqeuence progress' we the audience can see a toy train driving, this train is overlayed with a real train likewise with the sound. At first audiences can hear the sounds of a toy train but it is then overlayed by a real one to convey a transition of location successfully.

Mis en scene
The film uses a traditional theatre like stage which features a floral, regal pattern. The use of such a feature connotes how the film is set as if its a play at a high end theatre. In additon this floral stage further reinforces the idea of afluence as previously established by the classical music. In terms iof costumes the characters we are introduced to wear  puprle formal dresses, corsets and luxious items such as jewelery, fur and gilded clothing. From this audiences can establish not only that the film is a period as evidenced by the classical and formal fashion but the costumes also convey the characters wealthy status as items such as fur and gilded clothing were very expensive, even the colour purple conveys the characters socail class as wearing the colour purple bears connotations of extravagance and being of royal status.
In terms of props one significant prop is the note written in decorative handwritting which further establishes the period setting of the film and also conveys how these characters are wealthy since during the time which the film is set education was very exclusive to those of upper class so to be able to write such a note in such a decorative way one would have to be educated.

Additionally as the opening sequence progresses we the audience can see Russian type on one of the walls of the set this further indicates that the narritve will be based in Russia.

Camera angles/editing
The opening sequence feautres a numeber of camera angles to engage the viewer such as many tracking and panning shots to change from location to location following the many set changes in the background which further explores this theatrical theme. This causes scenes to be much more busy and show the transition of time successfully. Moreover through editting in the opening sequecene one can see footage of a toy train which match cuts to a real train; this conveys a shift in time and location.

Audience theory questions

Audience theory questions

1. Do you agree with Stewart's point regarding self determination of audiences?

Yes I agree with Stewart's point to an extent based on my own viewing experience and consumption of media texts. Stewart's point claims that rather than being turned into zombies audiences are capable of a high degree of self-determination in the nature of response that they make to the products offered to them. To an extent I agree with this as evidence by my  previous viewing experiences I find that when I consume film I always allow myself to take a step back from said film and question some of the messages and representations that are depicted.  This I believe is caused by my social and cultural experiences as I have been privileged to be brought up in a family that encourage critical and analytical thinking.


Furthermore I have found that I seem to enjoy films that according to the BFI statistical yearbook would appeal more to certain social groups such as the Kings speech which may appeal more to the AB audience and also Johnny English reborn which has more of an appeal to DE audiences . This may evidence how I am to respond well to a film without any particular outside influences. However I do find that I disagree with his point in some ways for example upon learning that Johnny English is considered a DE film I find that it has almost lost its appeal to me; the thinking behind this is that unfortunately DE may be considered as "simple" and the people who watch them reflect this idea hence my response to Johnny English which used to be very positive has been altered. Furthermore I have found that through my past viewing experiences my response to a film or television may sometimes be constructed by film critics and journalists. For instance say if a film generally receives bad reviews and I were to watch it, I would find myself entering the cinema with the intention of responding to it in a negative way. I believe that Stewart point ignores the influence of people on ones self determined response to a media product offered to them. Stewarts point claims that audiences are far from being turned into "zombies" however I feel that this may be an exaggeration as audience may feel that they must respond to a media text in a certain way due to the people around them such as friends and family or due to word of mouth.

2.Hall's idea about audience positioning identifies three ways that audiences can respond to texts using your three case studies, identify a preferred, negotiated and oppositional reading and explain your reasons ?

Oppositional - A Good Day to Die Hard
Oppositional reading refers to the user of the text finding themselves in conflict with the text itself due their beliefs or experiences. One may suggest the film A Good Day to Die Hard may have such a response by a feminist viewer evidenced by its trailer. In the very first opening sequence one can see a woman drive in on a motorcycle and dress down in her underwear, this may have been implemented to appeal to the male viewer however this sort of imagery can be considered as objectifying women and may encourage a resistant reading to a feminist viewer.

Negotiated - Warm Bodies and skyfall
This refers to audiences going through a negotiation to allow them to accept the way in which the text is presented. One may suggest the the films skyfall and warm bodies may have such a response as warm bodies is a romance film however the protagonist is a zombie something that is usually depicted as evil; the viewer my struggle to adjust to this change and may have to adjust their idea of zombies to enjoy the film. The same can be said for skyfall to the classic James bond viewer. Bond has been typically depicted as this clean and smooth type of agent however in the film skyfall he is depicted as more of a violent and flawed character. Viewers who have seen previous bond films may have some trouble coming to terms with this change as the character has been around for a long period and this sudden switch of character may cause some to alter their viewpoint to get the most out of their viewing experience.

Preferred- Skyfall
This is when the audience interprets the text as closely to the way in which the producer of the text intended to. One may argue that skyfall may also fall into this category since the film features many elements and moments that are reminiscent of older james bond films such as fancy cars and locations, therefore audiences that have past James bond experience may find little to challenge

3.Audiences respond to texts in many ways. Gender, situated culture and cultural experiences can all affect how we consume a text.

 A) How can your gender affect how you respond to a text?
Gender can affect how you respond text via stereotypes and upbringing i.e being a male viewer myself it is considered that I should respond well to texts that feature themes such as action and good vs evil and the damsel in distress; themes that are generally marketeted towards the male viewer and I find this is the case as I find myself consuming texts such as action films such as Die hard and comic books which rely on these themes to drive narritive. I feel this is the due to sterotypes and upbringing, in our society males are stereotyped as tough whereas women are stereotyped as being more in tuned with their emotions; because of this I've been trained from birth to fit in with this ideal with the texts that were read to me at a young age generally depicting a man or prince saving the day and "gets the girl" therefore I am more inclined to enjoy texts that use this archetype as it was essentially the only text I was exposed to. This may affect other male viewers in the similar way as male viewer have been trained from birth by this idea that the male gender is the tough hero via old texts such as fairy tales and other media texts such as many action and thriller texts which normally features male protagonists. This "social training" has the effect of causing male viewers to consume  and respond to them well more action texts whereas the female viewer who due to stereotypes has been brought up to be more emotional may disapprove of the violence seen in action and thriller films and respond much more in a positive light to such texts such a romance as said genre deals with more emotional themes which they have been "trained" to understand as good and norm. The same can be said for the male viewer they may disapprove to the emotional themes of romance text as being emotional may "get in the way of this tough manly man" ideal.

B) Why would  you choose to go to a cinema (situated culture) as opposed to watching a film at home?

One may feel more inclined to watch a film in the cinema rather than consuming a film at home because of how cinema going has become more like an event to be shared with others rather than by ourselves, this may link in with the uses and gratification theory presented by Katz and Blumler, more specifically the idea that audiences consume text for social interaction and integration. We as an audience want to gain a sense of belonging and are constantly seeking a basis for social interaction and this is what cinema going offers as we are around many viewers who are all interested in consuming the same film. Not only this but watching film in cinemas enable us to connect with our family and friends as we have sort of conversation starter that we can relate to i.e "what did you think of the film".
  
C) Can you think of a text where you gained 'cultural knowledge' which shaped your expectations? Was that part of the reason why you chose and enjoyed that text?

Texts  that I believe I gained cultural knowledge from was the film City of God and the video game Max Payne 3 as they have shaped my views of Brazil by depicting favela's and neighborhoods and crimes that may or may occur in Brazil. From these texts I am able to establish a generalised view of life in Brazil this is more specifically aimed at City of God since it is loosely based on real events. However this factor werent exactly the reasons why I enjoyed and chose the texts since I believe I chose and enjoyed these texts due to word of mouth.

4) How do converged websites apply to Gauntlett's idea of a 'pick and mix' audience?

Gaunlett's idea states that a pick and mix audience use a a web page and pick some aspects of them and choose the aspects that suit it at that time and ignore other aspects of said text. The next time they explore the webpage they may pick and mix a different menu which is aided by the various formats to do this. This idea links in with converged site as audiences an explore these sites and pick their preferred type of media to consume.

5) To what extent do you believe in the effects model and the uses and gratifications model?

 The uses and gratification model assumes and active audience rather than passive and emphasises what audiences do with media texts rather than what the media does to audiences.Katz and Blumler disagreed with earlier theories which placed the audience as a passive mass who could be influenced and would act upon messages communicated by the media. The theory also suggests that individuals and social groups use texts in different ways and the audience is no longer viewed as passive reciever. I agree with this theory in some ways as we as viewers react and respond to texts depending on our upbringing and environment, however can be said that audience can be easily influenced by the media i.e a lot of media conglomerates that own large shares in the media are western and can influence those who do not share these western ideals to conform to this idea via the mass amount of depictions of the western lifestyle as the only lifestyle.

  

6) McQuail believes audiences use texts for 4 different reasons. Can you identify these features in the marketing materials from your case studies?

 Entertainment and diversion- The film A Good Day to Die Hard would fit in this category as evidenced by its over the top action seen in its trailer. Audiences are more inclined to relax and allow themselves to get immersed in the action of the film and escape from their pressures and problems.

 Personal Relationships - The film warm bodies may fit in this category as evidenced by the comment by a user on YouTube "finally a zombie film to show your girlfriends LOL". This may evidence how this consumed by audiences as date film furthermore the films trailer features many elements and themes that would be considered as appealing to the male demographic such as action but also features elements of romance which may be more appealing to the female demographic. This may also reinforce the idea that this film is the perfect date film and would fall in the personal relationships category as it caters to both genders thus bringing them together.

Personal Identity - The film skyfall may fall into this category since James bond serves as a role model for male viewers with his dangerous and exciting life depicted via skyfalls sponsorship of products such as Ashton martin cars a product that not only connotes how exciting bond is but also emphasises his masculinity. Male audience members may compare there life with Bonds and seek out this exciting life.

Information/Education - None of the films I have done a case study on my fit into this category completely however Skyfall and Die Hard may fit in this category since they depict a range of exotic locations such as russia and may allow the viewer to gain some cultural knowledge.

7) What is audience fragmentation? How has it changed the composition of audiences and the texts that are available to them? Has the internet influenced this in any way?

Audience fragmentation refers to the ways in which audiences engage with media, and how the idea of audience is in the digital era is changing. The ways in which media convergence, user generated content and social networking have changed the audience are often thought about in terms of audience fragmentation. The composition of audiences has been influenced by new technological developments such as the internet and social networking sites and content sharing allowing audiences to engage and interact with each other much more conveniently. Furthermore the development technological advancements has caused the structure of audiences to break up and form much more smaller and niche audiences due to the amount of content avaliabe to viewers nowadays with developments such as on demand viewing and downloads.

8)What is 'push' and 'pull' media? How has the internet shaped audience behaviour in relation to 'pull' media?

Push Media - Producers push films at us and we receive and consume them passively.

Pull Media  - Whereby we decided what we want to do with the media and access it in ways that suit us

When large media companies such as  Google and News corp bought "DIY" media institutions  like Youtube and Myspace, the relaxed approach to copyright immediately ceased with the sites becoming more visibly corperate by removing illegally posted material on YouTube and myspace via the Gracenote software. This has shaped audiences to become smarter with the content they upload not uploading copyrighted content or including in their videos to make sure they are not removed, however it is also known this has also caused audiences to be much more "creative" with their piracy or uploads for example uploading mirrored videos.

 

Audience Tasks part 2- How have audiences have been contructed for these films

How audiences have been constructed for these films?

 Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies is an american romantic comedy released in 2013. The film follows the zombie R and a young woman named Julie and how their eventual romance develops throughout the film.

Age

From my understand from viewing the marketing campiagn of warm bodies one could assume that the film is marketed towards the 15- 24 year old demographic. This can be evidence by the use of featuring teens as the central image and central protagonists on the posters as they offer to the  teen viewer characters which they can relate and connect to. Furthermore the poster also features the "ideal looking teenager" and therefore younger audiences will be much more attracted to see this film on the basis of watch an "attractive" actor.  In addition in the films other posters it features language that isn't to be used by an older audience such as "hot" and"bros" and lexis

 that would be considered as taboo among an older audience but would be acceptable among younger audiences such as "sexy". From this one could suggest that warm body marketing campaign mixes slight sexualised imagery and more slang and colloquial language to appear relatable and more appealing to a younger audience (such slang and colloquial language can be consider much of a thing found in the speech of someone younger).

Other posters

Moreover the film is a comedy, this may evidence my prediction of its target demographic as according to research found on the BFI statistical yearbook comedies such as The Hangover part 2 and The Inbetweeners movie. See Audience Tasks part 1 post

Gender

From watching the trailer for the film one could assume that the film has constructed a male audience whether this is intended or not its up for debate. One could assume this via the very action like themes that are seen within the trailer such as many scenes which inolve guns and comic violence; from my research using the BFI statistical year book these sort of features appeal to the male audience as men preferred action films such as Captain America, Mission Impossible - Ghost protocol, and transformers dark of the moon than women. (See Gender section of Audience Tasks part 1). Additionally after watching the trailer I found a two comments on you tube that I believe to further evidence the point of the film appealing to the male audience more as seen on the right.From my understanding the first comment"finally a zombie movie to show your girlfriends. LOL" may evidence how this film can appeal to the male audience,it serves as a film in which both people in a couple can enjoy since it features themes which can be considered as themes which are consumed by both male and females,i.e. mixing romance with action. Whereas the second comment,"Just watched it, it was so good, could have had more action scenes but hey, im a dude", may evidence how action theme appeal to men as this male viewer has mentioned how he liked the film but it needed more action.

Furthermore one may also suggest that this film may also appeal to the female demographic as evidenced from my research on the BFI yearbook, "films such as Bridesmaids, Jane Erye, One Day and the Twilight saga Breaking dawn part 1 had a much greater share in the female demographic." Whats significant about these films is that these films all share a romatic theme to it. This may evidence that the female demographic the romance genre which also happens to be the genre warm bodies may fall into.

Social Grade
From my research on the BFI yearbook one could speculate that perhaps Warm Bodies may appeal to a more DE audience as from my findings I have noticed that films that are popular among DE audiences such as Fast and Furious 5 and Johnny English Reborn are either action films or comedy films. This genre can be stereotyped as a genre which is simply for escapism and allows audiences to "wind down" and immerse themselves in the narrative. The same effect can be applied to Warm Bodies; it features a fantasy like narrative with over the top action and comic elements which allow audiences to be sucked into these worlds, this as an effect may appeal more to the DE audience and not the AB audience since from analysing the films which were popular among said audience i.e. Jane Eyre, Kings Speech, One Day, Senna and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I have noticed that these films are either biopics or have a sense of grounded realism in contrast to the fantasy films which may be enjoyed more by the DE audience.

Characteristics and values

One may assume that audiences that may view this film may be zombie fans with its zombie romance themes and fans of the twilight series since this film bears the similar theme of "girl meets classic horror monster boy and fall in love". However some may argue and say that people who watch this film may be in fact hate the twilight series as evidenced by the tongue in cheek marketing campaign that is clear parodying the twilight books and monster romance genre as evidenced by the two posters on the left. Notice how the Warm Bodies poster adopts the pose on the twilight poster and subverts it signifying how this product can be considered as a parody of twilight.




Skyfall
Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film produced by Eon productions  and was distributed by MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2012. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and features Daniel Craig as James Bond.

Age

One can suggest that the film may appeal to the 15- 24 audience with its action themes. (as previously mentioned, the action genre perfomed very well to 15 - 24 year old demographic: source BFI statistical yearbook) However due to the legacy that James Bond holds among its audiences one may also suggest that these films would appeal to those who managed to watch the original Bond films when they were younger i.e the 40 and up cinema goer.

Furthermore notice how on the film poster for skyfall on the right it feature quite a dull colour scheme which may connote a sense of gritty realism to the film rather than using an array of over the top explosion graphics to convey a more action like title. This colour scheme adds some sophistication to the film and makes the film seem more mature and grounded in realism; features that according to the BFI yearbook appeal to older audiences with films such as Kings speech, Sherlock Holmes: A game of thrones and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy managed to attracting a mass audience of cinema-goers in the 45- 54 age group. Most of those films use a dark colour pallete to convey grittyness and ground their films more in reality to appeal to their audience.

Gender

From looking at the skyfall marketing campaign and the products that associate themselves with the film one may assume that the film is directed at more of a male audience featuring Daniel Craig on most of the graphics as bond" the ideal man"; looking tough and powerful with his big gun (phallic symbol) and expensive cars. He serves as a model that all men need to aspire to be" and as an effect man may be inclined to watch the film to see their model in action and to see how they can alter themselves to be this perfect man. Moreover the film features numerous amounts of sponsorship and product placement from other products  and brands which are known to target the male demographic such as Aston Martin,coke zero and Heineken. This may clearly signify how this film is directed towards the male audience as it heavily features products that are believed to be very masculine. Additionally this point can be further evidenced with the image below a luxury car with a james bond graphic on it. Cars are stereotypically known as something that appeals to more of the male audience with shows such as top gear which evidence this trope.

Also the film is has action themes which according the BFI research appeal more the male demographic as previously mentioned, however a more female demographic may find skyfall appealing because of the actor Daniel Craig. Some within said demographic may be more inclined to watch the film to see an "attractive actor" Craig perform.

Social grade
From my research on the BFI yearbook one could speculate that perhaps Skyfall may appeal to a more AB audience. Although it features action themes which may be more appealling to those of a DE audience, the action seen in the film is much more grounded in reality in a sense and features very little over the top violence that DE audiences may enjoy however the film may appeal to DE audiences as the character Bond and the values he holds may seem appealing to said audience in the form of a role model.

Characteristics and Values 
One may assume that those who may watch this film are the bond type of person, those who live on the edge and seek thrills and danger however one may argue that those who see this aspire to be these thrill seeker characters. As evidenced by the products which associate themselves with the bond brand such as Aston martin cars which are known for their speed and luxury. This aspect of speed may be appealing to those who want to seek thrills in their life. By associating the bond brand with these cars this conveys how the bond brand is for those who want thrills in their life.


A Good Day to Die Hard
A Good Day to Die Hard is an American action film directed by John Moore which was release in 2013.It is the 5th installment in the Die Hard film series and features Bruce Willis reprising his role as John Mcclane.

Age
One may already assume that this films target demographic would be 15- 24 year olds since since the film falls into the action genre which according to the BFI research is found to be very appealing to said demographic. This can also be evidenced by the tagline on the on the films poster "yippee ki-yay mother russia"  which is a play on Mcclane's famous catchphrase which does include some vulgarity. This insinuation may not be appropriate for younger audiences and thus evidences that the film may be more appealing to an older audience. However one can also argue that the film may have also have an older following to it i.e.  audiences who were old enough to watch the original Die Hard. 


Gender

After watching the trailer of a Good Day to Die Hard,one can establish that the film may be marketed towards the male demographic as it features oversexualised imagery of women and over the top action which are features that are seen in films such as transformers dark of the moon which according to the BFI yearbook was consumed largely by a male demographic (73% of male audiences consumed this film in contrast to the 23% of women in 2011).

Furthermore the offical website to the film further reinforces this idea of a male direction by playing various action clips in the background with a colour palette that consists of reds and blacks which are considered very masculine colours.

Social grade

From my previous research on the BFI website similar films to Die Hard 5 such as the fast and furious performed well among the DE audience. This may evidence the Die Hard 5 may appeal more to a DE audience as it features many themes that are similar and according to the BFI yearbook may be appealing to DE audiences such as simple action for audiences to enjoy for the purpose of escapism.

Characteristics and values
One may assume that viewers that may watch the new Die hard film may be viewers who watch films for the purpose of a "rollercoaster ride" rather than to be challenged or informed as evidenced by the trailer which features many typical action comnventions such as over the top violence. These viewers want to watch something they are used to and allows them to relax rather than to be constantly thinking about what is going on.