Page 194 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

PRODUCTION ELEMENTS

Thanks in large measure to computer special effects, science fiction also
relies heavily on the production element of movement. For instance, in The
Matrix (1999), Neo’s spiritual evolution is demonstrated through his ability
to defy the laws of gravity that limit human beings. Neo discovers that he
is able to dodge bullets and leap across vast expanses of space.
Movement is also a central production element in musicals. In the
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’s film Top Hat, dance plays a role in
the narrative, moving the plot from one stage to the next. As the couple
move together, they discover that they are in love.
Some forms of movements appear in a genre with such frequency that
they acquire new meanings, independent of any individual presentation.
An example is the “perp walk” in TV news reports, in which the television
camera tracks a suspect walking into jail, surrounded by police officers.
Journalist Ray Suarez notes:

More than merely a visual cliché, the perp walk has helped to collapse the
distinctions between suspect and criminal. My voice in countless narra-
tions said all the right words—“accused” and “alleged” and “according to
police”—but the pictures said “guilty,” “guilty” and “guilty.” The visuals
became part of our nightly melodrama, our dispatches from the war zone,
flashed to an increasingly suburban audience. 15
These staged events consistently involve particular groups, reinforcing
cultural stereotypes. Suarez continues: “In my experience, the ‘perps’ trot-
ted out for the press are mostly black or Latino, and usually poor—reinforc-
ing the image that television has painted of crime. . . . White middle-class
or wealthy suspects often have lawyers to stand between them and the
humiliation of the walk.” 16

Angle

Angle refers to the level at which the camera is shooting in relation to
the subject. The choice of angle can affect the audience’s attitude toward
the subject.

• A person filmed from a high angle looks small, weak, frightened,
or vulnerable.
• A person filmed from a low angle appears larger, more important,
and powerful.

Angle can also serve as an indication of the point of view of the
presentation. For instance, Rugrats (Nickelodeon), a cartoon about a

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