http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc0UhOnxsow
LANGUAGE.
Cinematography- The episode has a range of shots in different sizes. The show starts with an establishing shot of the main character who is a little boy with a fish bowl on his head; walking to the rocket. The rest of the episode is a mixture of mid shots and close ups as the character flies past the different letters of the alphabet. The show also has some two shot in the second half of the episode when the boy meets up with the aliens. The alphabet episode has a lot of moving wide shots. At the end of episode when the song finishes in the background there is stars which is actually the letter of alphabet. The point of view of the shots are from the audience watching. The angle of the shots are very neutral which means that all types of children can relate and identify with. The camera movement is very steady which connotes that is reliable for children and they can watch an episode on a regular basis. The camera movement is very steady even though we are following an astronaut in space. the framing of the episode is an open frame as it is always moving. As the audience travels through space the different letters or characters are in focus to draw the attention of the audience, however when the spaceship is flying and there is nothing else then the ship in focus.
Mise-en-Scene- The setting of the program starts off on earth then after the count down launches into space. The program has a very short time period as it difficult to maintain the attention span of a small children. This is because the average attention span of a 3 year old is around 6 minutes; this means that a small child can watch a few of these mini lessons before they get bored or interested in something else. The symbolism in the short episode is very important as all of the characters look like they have just come out of a child's imagination; the character is a stereotypical representation of astronaut. The means that the child can easily relate the character. The atmosphere of the program is adventurous and happy, which in turn gives an emotional response of excitement. Body language in children's programs is very important as children are very impressionable. The body language overall is very innocent as the character is always looking straight ahead not really focusing on or looking at anything in particular. The body language of the other characters or aliens is like they are looking up to the little boy as a role model; they also follows where the letters pop up or where the character is going next. The character first sing the alphabet by himself then as the song instructs 'next time won't you sing with me' he sings it with his alien friends. This connotes an alliance of friendship and sharing. It is obvious that the centre of attention is the little boy as he is the one travelling through space singing the alphabet. The music that is played throughout the episode is very up beat and has a catchy tune which is great for young children and maintaining the attention span.
AUDIENCE.
Sesame Street has a direct and indirect audience this is because like most children's programs it needs to appeal to an adult audience. This is done by hidden jokes and sayings that children won't understand. The demographic audience for this program is 3-6 year old. This is because the format of the show is teaching young children important lesson such as the alphabet and counting. The show appealing to both a male and female audience. As there are both male and female elements in the episodes. The social class for sesame street is ABC1. The Psychographic audience is The Aspirer, The Mainstream and The Struggler; this is due to the fact that it caters to everyone's needs by having lessons on every thing. The audience readings for this program is a dominant reading as the audience should understand and agree with the different meanings of the episodes. The audience theory is the Hypodermic needle this is because the audience is brainwashed into learning basic lessons through cartoons and music.
VALUES AND IDEOLOGY.
The messages that the producers of sesame street are trying to convey to the audience are that learning can be fun. This because sesame street is all about making learning attractive to young children. Which can be difficult as the average attention span of a 3 year old is around 6 minutes.And that learning the important basic lessons can be portrayed in a fun and cartoon way.This is because children respond better to their favourite characters and similar characters better then adults in TV programs. Another message is that because the short clip is set in outer space it could be a indirect message to young children as it is teaching them to aim high and be the best that they can be. the last message is that children show follow their dreams, no matter how big or out of reach they are.
REPRESENTATION.
The representation of Sesame Street: Outer Space ABC's is an educational program from small children. It is was produced by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. The subject that is being represented in this episode is young boys as this is the basis of the character. However, there is a secondary representation of girls this is because astronauts aren't gender specific. Small boys and girls are represented through the main character as if you ask a young child around the age 4 or 5 what they want to be when they are older, the answers range from superheroes to fire fighters to princesses to astronauts. This is due to the brainwashing from children programs. The representation of race is Caucasian or western as there isn't coloured character. on the other hand though a lot of the other sesame street episodes have a massive range of races. The age that is primarily represented is 3-6 years old as this is around the age of the man character; the topic that is portray is the alphabet which also makes the age range 3-6years.
INSTITUTION.
Sesame Street is a long-running American children's show created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. The program is known for its educational content, and images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppet's, animation, short films, humour, and cultural references. The series premiered on November 10, 1969 to positive reviews, some controversy, and high ratings.
Joan Ganz Cooney (born Joan Ganz; November 30, 1929) is an American television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children's Televisions Network (CTW), the organisation famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street which was also co-created by her.
Cooney grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and earned a B.A. degree in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. After working for the State Department in Washington, D.C. and as a journalist in Phoenix, she worked as a publicist for television and production companies in New York City. In 1961, she became interested in working for educational television, and became a documentary producer for New York's first educational TV station WNET (Channel 13). Many of the programs she produced won local Emmys.
Lloyd Newton Morrisett, Jr (born November 2, 1929) is an American experimental psychologist with a career in education, communications, and philanthropy. He is one of the founders of the Sesame workshop, the organisation famous for the creation of the children's television shows Sesame Street which was also co-created by him, The Electric Company, and many others.
NARRATIVE.
The narritive conventions of Sesame Street include Genre, character, form and time.
GENRE.
The genre of sesame street is obviously a children program, with educational aspects to it. It also has Sketch Comedy, Puppetry and Animation aspects.Educational television or learning show is the use of educational tools in the form of cartoons and animations. Children's programs like sesame street are educational, ranging from dedicated learning programs to those that indirectly teach the audience about topics such as the alphabet and counting. Some series are written to specific morals or objectives behind every episode often explained at the end by the characters that learnt the lesson. A sketch comedy is made up of short comedy scenes or episode, called 'sketches'. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through a visual medium such as television. An individual comedy sketch is a brief scene or episode. It is now used widely in comedy and variety shows, talk shows and some children's television series, such as Sesame Street. Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets.puppetry in its most basic form is storytelling. It is believed to have originated 3000 BC. Puppetry has many forms but they share the same process of animating objects and making them perform. Puppetry is used in all societies across the world as entertainment, ceremonial rituals and celebrations such as carnivals. Animation is the process of creating motion and shape change, this is done by the rapid display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other. Animators are artists who specialise in the creation of animation. Animations can be recorded on either analogue or digital media. Sesame Street is a digital flash animation.
No comments:
Post a Comment