Media awards

Labrat

Mise en scene

The mise-en-scene is very important and used effectively in this production. We see a young teenager in front of the camera narrating his story in the past tense in normal teenage clothing in the form of a video diary, as if we are watching his personal "vlogs". This helps us the audience to identify with him very easily and as the narrative develops makes his retelling much more personal and intimate with the audience, effectively suturing us into the narrative with great ease.

The teenager then changes his costume to a stereotypical lab coat which is a great use of iconography and prop to highlight the importance and significance of chemistry in the narrative as we then go on to see a variety of shots of chemistry props.

Through the mise-en-scene, we the audience are immediately able to identify the atmosphere and genre of the production which is a serious drama.

Cinematography

The cinematography is also well used as there are a variety of close ups such as the close ups of the character and the props when he is in the chemistry lab. This helps to easily show the focus of these objects from the character's point of view and also again sutures the audience into presenting their entire focus on the objects. Through the use of close ups on the character we are able to easily see his emotions through the actor's facial expressions and makes the production a lot more emotional and easy to relate to.

There are also a variety of medium shots which are used to establish the setting and as in the frame the medium shots, there is a balance between the focus of the character and setting. This is very effective as also a transition between close ups but more importantly it shows the character's emotions through the actor's actions, such as when he is reading in the library but throws away the book which shows the audience his sense of frustration.

Editing

The beginning of the narrative used a lot of continuity editing to easily display the seamless flow of the narrative to the audience. However, near the end this editing turned into a sort of montage sequence of shots of the chemical props and condensed the events of a long period of time (like an experiment) in a short amount of time. This montage showed the audience an idea of a type of opening sequence to their production and helped to added a sense of grandeur.

The most commonly used cuts and transitions in this production were simple straight cuts. The simplicity was used very effectively and makes the narrative flow seamlessly. There was also the use of fade outs and fades in which helped to signify the idea of a flashback and added a certain uniqueness to the narrative as we saw shots of the past whilst the character narrated from the present.

Sound

There were a variety of diegetic and non diegetic sound used in this production. For example, there was the use of diegetic sounds of the birds overlaying the shots of trees helped to set the setting and calm atmosphere. This was then followed by non-diegetic music which was also soft, calm and peaceful. However, the use of these two created a contrapuntal mood and atmosphere as we see a lot of frustration and emotional anguish in the character which is completely opposite to the music used which although does create a serious mood, it is unusual to see calming music behind this narrative, which is very effective in grabbing the audience's attention.

Trace

Mise en scene

The mise-en-scene is also used effectively in this production. We first see the variety of establishing shots of London to immediately help set the setting and the location of the narrative. We then see a medium shot panning shot of a mysterious body lying down in a cramped space. This helps to set the genre of mystery and drama to the narrative and immediately creates a variety of enigma codes for the audience to try and solve. The process of adding these enigma codes sutures the audience into the narrative. The shot then changes to show a medium shot of two young teenagers sitting and talking. There is the use of iconography and props such as the mobile phones which help the audience to identify with the idea of youth. There is also another variety of props used to signify this youthful cast such as skateboards and hoodies and cigarettes, which could essentially connote to the idea of violence and rebellion.

Through the mise-en-scene, we the audience are immediately able to identify the atmosphere and genre of the production which is a serious and mysterious drama.

Cinematography

The cinematography is also well used as there are a variety of medium shots and tracking shots. The tracking shots help to keep the characters and actors in focus and centre of the frame, it is this focus that helps to keep the audience's attention to the narrative and characters. There are also a variety of medium shots which are used to establish the setting and as in the frame the medium shots, there is a balance between the focus of the character and setting. We see a lot of establishing shots used which is effective especially in the Las Vegas scenes, as we see a lot of different iconic settings and locations to a certain culture and location. This helps the audience to identify much more easier to the settings.

Editing

The beginning of the narrative used a lot of continuity editing to easily display the seamless flow of the establishing shots to the audience. The most commonly used cuts and transitions in this production were simple straight cuts. The simplicity was used very effectively and makes the narrative flow seamlessly. 

What was unique about the editing in this production was that there were also the use of cut to black, this was especially effective when the cut imitated the idea of one of the character covering the body's face, and was shown through the fact that the actor covered the camera. 

The opening sequence used to introduce the characters was also unique as this was in the form of a montage. The montage sequence started off with a blur off and introduced each character with a close up and edit of their shot. There was also the use of multiple quick cuts which was parallel to the music and again helped to create the sense of urgency and haste.

Sound

There were a variety of diegetic and non diegetic sound used in this production. For example, there was the use of diegetic sounds of the dialogue between the two characters, what's unusual is that there is no diegetic sound used to overlay the establishing shots as there is complete silence. However, this could also be effective in the sense that it creates a "deafening silence" and keeps the audience guessing and expecting something. 

This was then followed by non-diegetic music which was very fast and with loud sounds. The use of this created a parallel mood and atmosphere as we see a lot of movement from the two characters which helps to immediately establish the idea of haste and urgency. Finally, the production finishes with diegetic classic swing music in the Las Vegas scene which is again parallel to the setting and "juke box diner" feel.