• Humans automatically stereotype as it is a way we control things around us 
• Media uses stereotypes to make things more believable
• We stereotype people in groups by the way they look, history of their religion or ethnicity and age
• In media stereotypes are used by the use of Mis-en-scene and dialogue 
• To make a characters stereotype stand out more they will put people around them that are seen as "normal" 
• The definition of stereotype is "a standardised, often simplified, mental picture or attitude that is held in common by members of a group"
• Our own stereotypes are built up by previous experiences with a certain person or influenced by the media such as that all gay people wear pink or most criminals are black people
• Throughout the years film producers have tried to change stereotypes such as the typical black man being seen bad by changing them in to a heroic character
• stereotypes can also be influenced by family and friends 
• stereotyping starts form a young age as we are told whats right and wrong and who we are aloud to be associated with. 

Representation of age- Assessment point

Discuss the ways in which the extract below constructs the representation of age using the following:

• camera shots, angle, movement and composition
• editing
• sound
• mise-en-scene

Here is an exemplar opening to this essay. Your task is to write the next section of the essay, focussing on the representation of age as constructed through the character of the maths teacher. 

Read my opening first before then continuing the essay. Begin with the sentence highlighted at the end of my opening and move forward from there. 

Exemplar Opening

This extract constructs representations of differing age groups.

At the very beginning of the extract a representation of middle-age is constructed through the character of the strict teacher. This representation is that of middle-age as possessing authority and power, with the character having control over other characters who are both teenaged and young adult.

A sense of enigma is created on this character's first appearance as we see a tracking shot of feet walking through tables from a low level. The absence of non-diegetic sound allows us to focus clearly on the noise of the character's footsteps. A cut to two teenage boys clearly shows them as behaving in a suspicious manner before we cut back to the feet steadily approaching. This juxtaposition constructs meaning for the audience as it becomes clear that the boys are keen to hide from the approaching adult, suggesting that he has authority over them. 

A series of quick cuts adds pace to the scene before we see the middle aged teacher's face for the first time in close-up. The use of a close-up allows us to see an expression that has connotations of enjoyment as he passes judgement over the boys. He puts the boys under pressure by asking where they were as everyone else was 'suffering the screening'. This dialogue, an aspect of diegetic sound, helps to further construct his character as being a somewhat disillusioned and cynical representation of middle age. The composition of the shot where he questions the boys gives him power as he is anchored in the centre of the shot with the boys either side of him. 

His character is developed through his use of sarcasm in the delivery of lines of dialogue such as when he finishes the first boy's sentence by saying 'holding his hair..' The actor's tone of voice, an element of mise en scene, is patronising and this character is developing into a very negative representation of his age group. His use of non-verbal commands, such as the clicking of fingers, and commands using the imperative tense, 'Give it!', ensure that the audience are aware of his authority, a fact supported through the character's costume with his suit, shirt and tie having connotations of power. Further interactions between the character and a young adult teacher reinforce his representation as middle aged authority.


A different representation of middle age can be seen at the end of the extract through the character of the maths teacher.

Compared to the strict teacher the maths teacher is influenced by what other people think. Just like the first time we see the strict teacher we see a low angle shot of the maths teachers shoes. we hear a non-diegetic sound of pop/rap music this shows that he is a teacher that has been influenced by the students or younger people around him.We see a long shot of the maths teacher and he looks uncomfortable we can also tell this by his use of dialogue asking a lot of questions letting us know that he is unsure about his new look.Two students make diegetic remarks towards what he is wearing "Sir tell us you robbed a year ten for that" and laughing at him from this we can tell that he doesn't have as much power and authority as the strict teacher does as the students were not scared to make fun of him. This remark also lets us know that he is at the age where he can understand a "joke" and has a friendly relationship with his students unlike the strict teacher who has a sarcastic, dry sense of humour and will take any jokes the students say about him the wrong way. We also find out that the maths teacher cares what other people think about him as there is a close-up shot of him looking worried and angry at the young girl that has made him dress the way he is. 

We then see a high angle tracking shot of the maths teacher running down the stairs to talk to the female teacher Miss Chowdri. From the way he approaches her we can tell that he is eager to talk to her and find out her opinion towards his new look she responds with that he "looks ridiculous" then walks away. The maths teacher looks on the ground and his facial expression looks disappointed in himself, from this we can tell that the maths teacher is still trying to find himself and fit in around the school amongst his colleagues unlike the strict teacher who is confident and belittles the younger teachers such as Miss Chowdri at the start. 

The maths teacher is then approached by the caretaker who laughs at him.There is a two-shot of the care -taker and maths teacher talking. The maths teacher looks annoyed and in a irritated tone repeats what Miss Chowdri just said to him agreeing with her statement "yes i know i look ridiculous". The care taker notices that the maths teacher is frustrated and it quickly turns in to a father and son like conversation with the care taker giving the maths teacher advice to '"concentrate on what he's good at" even though they are around the same age. Lastly we see a long shot of the maths teacher then walks off following after the care taker walking uncomfortably. 

What to do whilst the extract is shown

Remember to follow the approach I have been through with you in class when watching the extract.

Representation of age- extract from "waterloo road"

Watching the extract-the sequence used in the exam

The 7 areas of representation

Physical Disability / Ability

Disability tends to still be represented in terms of stereotypical characters.  For example:

• Physically Disabled / Disfigured – often shown as outsiders, unable to do normal things
• Mentally disabled – Often shown as strange, odd, childlike, outsiders
• Able Bodies / Minded – often shown as “normal” and “ideal”.

Characters with disabilities are often portrayed in TV Dramas as being outsiders, strange, unable to do everyday activities, immature, weaker than “able bodied, able minded” characters, less attractive etc.  Traditionally in films, villains were often given a disability or deformity to make them seem scarier or more evil.  Although our association of disability with “evil” has since declined, society often still links disability to weakness and makes disabled characters objects to pity.

If you get “disability” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify who is able / disabled in the clip?
• Are people with disabilities shown as different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours from people who don’t have disabilities?  If so, how?
• Is their disability represented as being important in their life?
• Are people without disabilities represented stereotypically as being normal / better / more powerful?  If so, how?
• Are people with disabilities represented stereotypically as being abnormal /weak/ pathetic?  If so, how?
• How do other characters in the clip treat the characters with disability?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about sexuality?
• Don’t ignore the able bodied characters as they need to be analysed too!

Ethnicity

The representation of people from different ethnicities has changed massively over the years.  This is probably because the population in Britain has become much more diverse recently and current society is much more used to mixing with people from all different cultures and backgrounds.  
Here are some examples of very negative generic stereotypes that used to be seen (and in some case still are) in film and tv:

• White people – often shown as good, pure, heroes, strong, or sometimes racist
• Black people – often shown as exotic, strange, tribal, criminal, poor
• Asian people (Chinese, Korean etc) – often shown mainly as intelligent, submissive (quiet and shy), nerdy, interested in technology
• Indian people – often shown as being poor, living in large families, very traditional, working in corner shops
• Middle Eastern people (arabs etc) – often shown as being terrorists, violent, aggressive, rich
• Immigrants – often shown as being a drain on society, criminals, illegal, bad for Britain, taking British jobs

People often note that in TV drama, people from particular ethnicities have storylines that all centre around their culture.  For example, Indian characters often battle with the clash between British culture and their traditional culture eg: arranged marriages etc.  They rarely have storylines that don’t have something to do with their ethnicity.  People also have commented that often people from minority ethnic groups (eg non white) are often portrayed in a very negative way.

If you get “ethnicity” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify what ethnicities people are?
• Are people from different ethnic backgrounds shown as different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours?  If so, how?
• Is their ethnicity represented as being important in their life?
• Are people from particular ethnicities portrayed as being better, more powerful, than others?
• Are people from particular ethnicities portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic than others?  
• How do other characters in the clip treat the characters from different ethnic backgrounds?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about ethnicity?
• Don’t ignore the white characters as they need to be analysed too!

Sexuality

Sexuality tends to still be represented in terms of stereotypical characters.  For example:

• Gay Men – camp, feminine, funny, outrageous OR very attractive, and sleep around
• Lesbian Women – Butch, manly, blunt, man haters

Despite changing equality laws and a wider acceptance of different sexualities within much of society, TV has always remained quite conservative as they are scared of offending their viewers.  Heterosexual (straight) characters are represented as the “norm” and homosexual (gay) characters are often represented as being different, strange, or separate from mainstream society.  Some critics say that when TV does feature gay characters, they are never just characters that “happen to be gay.”  Their sexuality always plays a key part in their storylines and they don’t seem to have any issues outside of their sexuality.  

If you get “sexuality” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify what the sexualities of the characters are?
• Are people of different sexualities shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours?  If so, how?
• Is their sexuality represented as being important in their life?
• Are particular sexualities represented as being normal / powerful / better?  If so, how?
• Are particular sexualities represented as being abnormal?  If so, how?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about sexuality?
• Don’t forget that “straight” is a sexuality too.  Don’t ignore the straight characters as they need to be analysed too!

Class and Status

The representation of people from different classes has changed massively over the years.  Up until the 1950’s, the upper classes were the class mainly shown on tv and in film.  This is because they were some of the only people able to afford to go to the cinema and own a television.  As more and more people from working class background watch TV, more and more TV programmes feature working class characters.  

Having said that, there are still some stereotypes associated with different classes:

• Upper Classes (eg Made in Chelsea) – often shown as rich, clever, snobby, very posh
• Middle Classes (eg My Family)– often shown as “normal”, good family values, well behaved
• Working Classes (eg Coronation Street) – often shown as poorer, less happy, less intelligent, but with strong community links
• Lower / Under Classes (eg Shameless) – often shown as being criminals, no family values, no community links, bad parents etc

People have often noticed that in many TV shows, people of different classes, don’t mix.  And when they are shown together, they are often shown as clashing and being very different.  

If you get “class” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify what class characters are?
• Are people from different classes shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours?  If so, how?
• Is their class represented as being important in their life?
• Are people from particular classes portrayed as being better, more powerful, than others?
• Are people from particular classes portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic than others?  
• How do other characters in the clip treat the characters from different classes?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about class?

Age

The representation of people of different ages has changed massively over the years.  Up until the 1950’s, there were really only two age groups shown in films and television (adult and child).  This was because that most children left school at a young age and went straight to work and became adults.  In the 1950’s more young people started staying in education and began leading very different lives from both children and adults and so developed the idea of the “teenager”.

Having said that, there are still some stereotypes associated with different ages:

• Children – often shown as being young, innocent, naive, pure, sweet, helpless, powerless
• Teenagers – Often shown as being aggressive, moody, lazy, criminals, hate school, 
• 20’s-30’s – Often shown as the ideal age for love, parties, fun, making money, being glamourous and attractive.  In films the heroes are often this age group.
• Middle Aged – often shown as being past it, unattractive, not aware of popular culture, uncool, boring lives, dominant over others, no real connection to their kids, grumpy.  In films the villains are often from this age group.
• Elderly – often shown as being unattractive, slow, weak, ill, confused, pathetic, powerless, not important, dependent on others.

If you get “age” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify what approximate age the characters are?
• Are people from different age groups shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours?  If so, how?
• Is their age represented as being important in their life?
• Are people from particular age groups portrayed as being better, more powerful, than others?
• Are people from particular age groups portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic than others?  
• How do other characters in the clip treat the characters from different age groups?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about age?

Regional Identity

Regional Identity refers to the part of the United Kingdom someone is from.  It could refer to a general area such a “north” or “south”, a country such as “English” or “Scottish” or specific towns such as “London” or “Manchester.”

There are several regional stereotypes widely seen on television:

• Scottish – often shown as being money obsessed, won’t pay for anything, drinks a lot of alcohol, loves the outdoors, wears kilts, eats haggis, quite aggressive and violent
• Welsh –Often shown as living in the middle of the countryside, with people making jokes about them “shagging sheep”
• Irish – often shown as living in the countryside, working in rural areas such as farms, being very religious, being good at dancing and singing, very friendly but less intelligent
• English – often shown as being racist, obsessed with beer and football living in London.  Sometimes the stereotype goes in the opposite direction of showing English people as very rich, posh, happy, living in castles and being very “royal.”
• London – There are 2 main stereotypes of Londoners.  One is that they are often shown as being rich, posh, snobby, upper class, Hugh Grant types from central or west london.  The other is that they often shown as being from north, east or south London, poor, common, lower class, criminalistic, violent “Kidulthood” style
• Manchester / Newcastle / Liverpool – Often shown as being “chavs”, wearing fake designer labels, or tracksuits, drinking a lot, being aggressive, uneducated, criminals
• Essex – often shown as being glamourous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid
• Yorkshire – Often shown as living in rural countryside, with rolling hills and cobbled streets, being quite old fashioned
• Cornwall / Somerset – Often shown as being “backwards”, living in rural areas, working on farms
• South England – often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle class jobs such as managers etc
• North England – often shown as being poorer, bad weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever, doing working class jobs such as builders etc

If you get “regional identity” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify where the characters are from within the country?
• Are people from different areas shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours?  If so, how?
• Is their regional identity represented as being important in their life?
• Are people from particular regions portrayed as being better, more powerful, than others?
• Are people from particular regions portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic than others?  
• How do other characters in the clip treat the characters from different regions?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about regional identity?

Gender

Gender Identity refers to whether the characters are men or women.  It could also include transgender, transvestite, and androgynous characters.

There are several gender stereotypes widely seen on television:

Male Stereotypes

• Traditional masculine man – often shown as being muscly, strong, brave, heterosexual, working in manual jobs such as building, plumbing etc.  They are often aggressive, tall, and dominant over women, works to provide for family, does no cleaning, cooking or childcare
• New Man – Often shown as being less masculine but still heterosexual, very peaceful, looks after the family, stays at home to look after family, does cleaning and cooking etc, shown as equal to women
• Gay Man – Often shown as being very feminine, weak, working in jobs such as fashion or hairdressing, bitchy, etc

Female Stereotypes

• Traditional feminine woman – often shown as being girly, likes pink, wears dresses, does feminine jobs such as working in fashion, hairdressing or stays at home to look after the children, needs a man to cope, weak, scared of things, needs rescuing, pure and innocent
• Sexy woman – very flirty, dresses in a revealing way, more powerful than traditional women, uses men to get what she wants, no loyalty to other women, bitchy
• Lesbian Woman – Often shown as dressing in a masculine fashion, doing masculine roles, hating men, looking masculine

It is important to remember that not all characters will fit into these categories and you may have characters that are mixtures.  All you need to do is work out what the technical elements say about them.  If you get “gender” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip:

• Can I identify what gender the characters are in the clip?
• Are people from different genders shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours?  If so, how?
• Is their gender represented as being important in their life?
• Are people of different genders portrayed as being better, more powerful, than others?
• Are people from different genders portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic than others?  
• How do other characters in the clip treat the characters of different genders?
• What is the message the clip is trying to portray about gender?

How your section A exam response will be marked

Make sure you have an understanding of how your essay will be marked in the exam - here is information I have previously posted for your reference...

Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation (Unseen moving image extract)

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of X using the following:

• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise en scène.

Candidates will be assessed on their ability to understand how representations are constructed in a media text through the analysis of different technical areas. 

Assessment will take place across three criteria:

Explanation/analysis/argument (20 marks) 

Use of examples (20 marks) 

Use of terminology (10 marks) 

Candidates’ work should be judged on each of these criteria individually and marks awarded according to the level attained. It should be noted that it is possible for a candidate to achieve a different level for each assessment criterion.

General Mark Scheme

Level 1

Explanation/analysis/argument (0-7 marks)

Shows minimal understanding of the task

Minimal understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct the extract’s representations

Of minimal relevance to set question or a brief response (under one and a half sides of answer booklet).

Use of examples (0-7 marks)

Offers minimal textual evidence from the extract

Offers a limited range of examples (only one technical area covered)

Offers examples of minimal relevance to the set question.

Use of terminology (1-3)

Minimal or frequently inaccurate use of terminology.

Some simple ideas have been expressed. There will be some errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar which will be noticeable and intrusive. Writing may also lack legibility.

Level 2

Explanation/analysis/argument (8-11 marks)

Shows basic understanding of the task

Basic understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct the extract’s representations

Some relevance to set question.

Use of examples (8-11 marks)

Offers some textual evidence from the extract

Offers a partial range of examples (at least two technical areas covered)

Offers examples with some relevance to the set question.

Use of terminology (4-5 marks)

Some terminology used, although there may be some inaccuracies.

Some simple ideas have been expressed in an appropriate context. There are likely to be some errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar of which some may be noticeable and intrusive.

Level 3

Explanation/analysis/argument (12-15 marks)

Shows proficient understanding of the task

Proficient understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct the extract’s representations

Mostly relevant to set question.

Use of examples (12-15 marks)

Offers consistent textual evidence from the extract

Offers a range of examples (at least three technical areas covered)

Offers examples which are mostly relevant to the set question.

Use of terminology (6-7 marks)

Use of terminology is mostly accurate.

Straightforward ideas have been expressed with some clarity and fluency. Arguments are generally relevant, though may stray from the point of the question. There will be some errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar, but these are unlikely to be intrusive or obscure meaning.

Level 4

Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)

Shows excellent understanding of the task

Excellent knowledge and understanding of the way that technical aspects are to construct the extract’s representations

Clearly relevant to set question.

Use of examples (16-20 marks)

Offers frequent textual analysis from the extract - award marks to reflect the range and appropriateness of examples

Offers a full range of examples from each technical area

Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question.

Use of terminology (8-10 marks)

Use of terminology is relevant and accurate.

Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Television drama terminology

Camera shots

Establishing shot
sets up/establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects.

Master shot
film recording of a dramatised scene from start to finish from an angle that keeps all the players in view. 

Close-up
Where the camera tightly frames a person or objects features

mid-shot
A shot taken at a medium distance

long shot
shows the entire object or human figure

wide shot
Camera is positioned to observe the most action in the performance

two-shot
two people can be seen together

aerial shot
shot taken from a height such as a plane,helicopter or a person on top of a building

point of view shot
Shows what the character can see

over the shoulder shot 
shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person.   

Angle

high angle
When the camera looks down on the subject

low angle
camera is positioned low on the vertical axis, a low angle is anywhere below eye line looking up.

canted angle
A camera angle that is deliberately slanted to one side.

Movement:

Crane 
A Camera shot that rotates vertically around a subject or character. It is often used to mark the end of a film.

Depth of Field

The distance between the nearest and furthest objects in a scene that appear focused in the image.

Dolly
A tool used to create a Tracking Shot. It is a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails to follow a subject.

Hand-Held- 
A technique used in film production where the cameraman holds the camera in his hand. It is useful for creating Point of View Shots, as it captures the movement of a character running away from danger, for example.

Pan- 

A rotational camera movement around one point. It gives the effect of a person turning their    head horizontally.

Reverse Zoom- 
Opposite of a Zoom. The camera moves away from the subject, allowing the audience to see more of the background.

Rule of Thirds- 
A technique used in photography that splits the shot up into nine pieces. Some believe that it creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition.

Steadicam- 

A brand of Camera Stabiliser Mounts. It mechanically isolates itself from the cameraman's movement, making it useful for creating a steady shot.

Tilt-  

A camera movement that rotates vertically around one point. Can give the effect of a person nodding.

Track- 

A camera shot that follows a character or subject through movement.

Zoom- 
A technique used in film editing to get closer in on the subject. However, it creates a distortion in the proportion of the shot.

Cutting:shot/Reverse shot - 
a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

Eyeline match - 
a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing.

Graphic match - 
a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different spaces, or two different compositions in which objects in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically

Action match -
refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action.

Jump cut - 
an abrupt transition from one scene to another.

Crosscutting -
A technique in film editing in which shots of two or more separate, usually concurrent scenes are interwoven.

Parallel editing - 
Parallel editing (cross cutting) is the technique of alternating two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations.

Cutaway - 
a shot that's usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject (eg. this cat when the main subject is its owner), a close up of a different part of the subject (eg. the subject's hands), or just about anything else.


Insert -
An insert shot is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot. Inserts core action already covered from the master shot but emphasise a different aspect of that action due to the different framing.

Other transitions 

dissolve
an act or instance of moving gradually from one image or scene in a film to another.

fade-in
an image is made to appear gradually.

fade-out
an image is made to disappear gradually.

wipe
which an existing picture seems to be wiped out by a new one.

superimposition 
to put one image on top of another so that both can be seen

long take 
an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace, usually lasting several minutes 

Diegetic and Non Diegetic- 

Diegetic sound is the sound that is in the scene whereas Non-Diegetic is the sound over the scene such as backing tracks.

Synchronous/Asynchronous- 

Synchronous sound is the sound that gets used for movement, an example being Footsteps represent a person walking. Asynchronous sound is the sound that is not matched with a visible source on the screen to try and represent emotion and can make the film seem more realistic.

Sound Effects- 

These are effects to try and represent an action such as a knife can represent a stabbing.

Sound Motif- 

Technique used to create a theme or mood.

Sound Bridge- 

can be a carry over song from one scene to another.

Dialogue- 

Dialogue is where there is a conversation in the film.

Voiceover- 

This is where a person is narrating but the person cannot be seen.

sound

Mode of address/Direct address- 

Modes of address can be defined as the ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text. Can also be a character talking to the audience.

Sound Mixing- 

Where multiple sounds are mixed into one.

Sound Perspective- 

Sound that can create realism in a film.

Soundtrack- 

A recording accompaniment of a film.

Score- 

Musical notation with each instrumental and vocal parts also referred to as sheet music.

Incidental music- 

Music used to enhance a particular atmosphere and is used as background music.

Themes and Stings-  

Themes are recognisable as a melody and can be the same song for a specific programme. Sting is a short segment of a piece of music that indicates a regular part of a show.

Ambient Sound- 
Background noise to represent a scene such as wind, water, birds etc.

Mise-en-Scene

Product Design: 

overall look of a filmed event and it is one of the key creative roles in the creation if motion pictures and television. 

Location:

Studio:

Set costume Design: 
The setting of a scene and the objects (props) visible in a scene. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood, which has physical, social, psychological, emotional, economic and cultural significance in film.

Costume and Make up: 

Costume simply refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs, costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions between characters. And the Make up establishes the time period, reveal character traits and signal changes in character.

Properties:

Lighting: 

The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence an audience’s understanding of characters, actions, themes and mood.

Colour Design: 

Early films were shot in black and white but the cinema soon included color images. These images were initially painted or stencilled onto the film but by the 1930s filmmakers were able to include colour sequences in their films. Apart from the added realism or glamor that a color image could provide, colour is also used to create aesthetic patterns and to establish character or emotion in narrative cinema.