Amy HolmesFirst Ice Essay

In your own edit of ‘First Ice’, analyse the signs, codes and conventions.1. List the signs2. Show how they produce codes3. Explain their relationships and how these are conventions or not conventions

In our edit of the first half of the poem ‘First Ice’ we combined three shots containing pieces of visual information represented within the lines of the poem through the use of signs. We mainly relied on the use of Mise-En-Scene and Cinematography to put across the codes we wanted our audience to translate.

In the first shot we see a young girl on the phone. She is positioned within the left two thirds of the shot and the angle is slightly above her to make her appear young and vulnerable because the audience feels as though they are raised above her and could overpower her easily. The shallow depth of focus blurs out the wall behind her slightly, but we can still see that is dull and grey and presumably quite dirty, implying that she is very isolated and alone from the lack of life around her. Her clean appearance contrasts to the grimy looking wall and implies that she is out of place and doesn’t belong there. Her appearance and the jewelry she is wearing signify that she takes pride in both the way she looks and the way she presents herself to others. The bright colours of her coat, hair and nail varnish also contrast against the sombre

background; implying both that she is in a foreign environment, and also connoting to her youth. The big fur hood she is encased in reveals that she is outdoors and that it is cold, adding to the sense of vulnerability as she has nowhere to shelter. The fact she is holding the phone to her ear signifies that she is either trying to get through to someone/make a plea for help, something implied by her obvious misplacement with the area she is in; or that she is receiving some kind of news. Her eyes are fixed on the ground in concentration and her facial expression is very stern and solemn, signifying that she is having a very serious conversation.Her eye suddenly widen and look up, signifying she has heard something that has disturbed/unnerved her. This is then followed by a use of editing which causes the screen to flash black for a few seconds, connoting that she is absorbing the impact of the new she has heard and perhaps even signifying that her mind becomes blank for a second as she cannot decide how to react.

As the scene continues, the girl receives a piece of news that has a large emotional impact on her. She lowers the phone slowly implying shock and that she is struggling to know how to react. Her mouth hangs slightly open which also implies shock and her lips appear pale, signifying innocence and a childlike/vulnerable quality to her. The hood of her coat begins to slip down over her eyes as if it is sheltering her from the impact of what she has just heard and covers her eyes to shield her. As she lowers the phone her hand remains close to her body as if she is trying to encase her emotions and hold herself together. At the same moment the wind begins to pick up and blows her long hair out chaotically around her, representing the news hitting her

hard and possibly connoting that she is becoming restless and agitated. She covers her mouth with her hands signifying she is trying to contain her emotions and stifle a gasp of shock. We used editing to convert the footage into slow motion which can connote to her confusion/panic or even signify her struggle to keep herself calm and conscious as she processes what she has been told.

In the final shot she raises her other hand to her face and attempts to warm then by breathing on them and intertwining her fingers. Her hands appear soft and delicate, showing no sign of any labor or hardship and signifying that she is just a typical young girl. The shot is positioned closer up to her hands and the lower half of her face, making her appear small, soft and delicate. The way she conducts the movement in her hands signifies that she is perhaps quite distressed by what she has heard and is using her pushing her hands together in an attempt to hold herself together mentally and emotionally. The editing continues to run the footage in slow motion, making the movement appear slow and shaky which could connote to her reactions and emotions.The lighting featured in all three shots is not particularly bright or harsh and therefore creates a cold and numbing atmosphere, reflecting the news she is receiving.The depth of focus begins to become more and more shallow until there is no longer any focus at all, leaving just the girls blurred out figure remaining on screen. This could signify something good in her life fading out and makes her appear incredibly vulnerable and alone.Throughout the scene there is very little actual camera movement in each shot; this is something that could signify a contrast to the girls life as the image remains still

whilst the girls life becomes chaotic and out of control as the news she receives turns it upside down.

In conclusion, we used a combined number of media techniques to present signs, codes and conventions which the audience of our interpretation of the poem ‘First Ice’ can easily translate to understand what is happening to the girl featured in it. We used mise-en-scene to signify she is in an unfamiliar environment and that she is receiving news via phone which seriously shocks and distresses her. We kept the camera angle slightly above her and maintained a close up to her face the entire time which made her appear delicate and vulnerable. We also used very little movement to create a contrast between the shot and the emotions she is portraying. Finally we used editing to control the speed of the scene in order to signify the impact of the new hitting her and how she struggles to control her emotions and cope with the situation she has found herself in.