Monday 29 September 2008

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3Aw0Z1y9aAQ



Media Language: Wilhemina's surrondings are peaceful this can be conotated through the dull lighting and subtle colours used such as browns. The colours set a calming mood. the salon that she is at is very professional, there is just Wilhemina and stylist and therefore it's very quiet.
Betty's surrondings are bright and loud they don't seem soo relaxing as there are too many people, the lighting in the room is very bright, the way they're dressed they don't look as a professional salon, to busy and colour scheme very bright and does not match from anywhere.
Betty's clothes are bright and colourful, they have floral prints, they clothes are not so smart they seem more casual, there is no colour contrast.
Wilhemina's clothes are subtle dull colours, mostly browns conotating sophistication, the colours all match and her clothes are very simple, she looks smart.
Editing techniques used: jump cut from wilhemina to betty this is done to signify the different types of lifestyles they both lead also difference between 'beautiful' and 'ugly'.
the begging of Ugly Betty she looks dull this is to symbolise the change that occurs by her makeover.
The salon Betty goes to shows how colours clash doesn't look so clean, property maintained symbolic to Betty's status; shes not so fortunate as comparison to wilhemina.

Genre: Ugly Betty is a series drama.

Representation: Ugly Betty's beginning starts with her in her house looking like a tramp this is to emphasis how she feels, after she comes out of the salon you see her all dressed up this is to represent how she feels and how if she put a bit of effort it is possible for her to look 'beautiful'. the women in ugly betty's salon says 'we need the big tweezers' this is to represent how it takes time for her to look pretty.

Audience: Ugly betty is targeted to mainly women as it contains many issues and debates that occur in day to day women's lives. i would recommend the average age to be 15-40. this episode may be more effective and appealing to women who feel less confident in themselves and who look at ugly betty as a role model.

Ideology: ugly betty at home is portrayed as working class citizens where as looking at wilhemina she seems to be from a higher class this can be symbolic from the sort of clothes thy wear and the salon's they go to.

Tuesday 23 September 2008

My Objective Targets

AO1: Focus on all the key concepts.
to do this i am going to the get some key clips from youtube of Ugly Betty and do a maigrain analysis of them. i will do minimum 2 and try to cover all key concepts through all them.

AO5: i have only researched the important things to do with my topic.
i order to do better and succeed in completing this assesment objective i am going to research in more detail about my topic. i will find out more information on it, such as, where the intital idea came from, how much does it cost to make each show and so on. i need to look at the social and historical issues araised by my topic as well or any other relevant information.

AO2: i have not done SHEP analysis on my topic, neither have i connected any theorists to my work.
this is needed to be done in order to complete this assessment objective to the best of my ability. i will need to look at theories in context to my research and topic.

Thursday 18 September 2008

A Brief Summary

Ugly Betty is orginally an American television comedy-drama series which stars famous celebrities as America Ferrera in the title role, along with Eric Mabius, Vanessa Williams, Ashley Jensen, Becki Newton, Rebecca Romjin and Micheal Urie. The series was first shown on septmeber 28, 2006 on ABC in the USA and on Citytv in Canada.
It follows the life of the unglamorous and good-natured Betty Suarez (Ferrera), and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City fashion magazine Mode.
The series is an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty, La Fea ("I am Betty, the ugly"), written by Fernando Gaitan (who is also author of Cafe, con aroma muer).

It is adapted into a New York City setting by creator/developer Silvio Horta and co-producers Salma Hayek and Ben Silverman, whose production companies Silent H, Ventanarosa and Reveille respectively partnered with ABC Studios to create the hour-long program for U.S. audience.
Hayek has appeared on the show as Sofia Reyes, in addition to playing a cameo role as an actress on a fictional telenovela watched by the main character's family in the pilot episode.
On February 16, 2008 ABC picked up Ugly Betty for the 2008-09 television season.

Marc. St. James (Michael Urie)


Real name: Michael Lorenzo Urie, aged 28 years old. His occupation; an actor, producer and director. In 1998, won Dramatic Interpretation Award for Confessions of a Nightingale by Charlotte Chander. While he was still a student he performed in a world premiere of Love and Happiness, 2001. He also played the central character in stage play 'WTC view' and in the film adaption. He's currently finishing a short documentary film. He's on board of plum productions and is the casting director.














He and the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by Esemble in Comedy Series 2007 and 2008. During 2007 and 2008 Urie hosted TLC's Reality-based Series 'Miss America Reality Check'. He is still in touch with his theatre roots.

Justin Suarez (Mark Indelicato)














The youngest star of ugly betty is aged 14. he is an american actor and singer. he trained at the actors center; Philadelphia, takes vocal lessons at Dupree School of music; New Jersey and hope to continue his proffesional career in acting and singing.


He started his career on main stage at Philadelphias Walnut Street theater at the age of 8. he was featured in a episode of the Disney channel original series 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody'.






Film Career:


  • 2003- Disposal


  • 2003- Hack


  • 2004- Chappelle's show


  • 2006-Ugly Betty


  • 2007- The Suite Life of Zack and Cody


  • 2008- Illegal Superman











Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton)



Fullname: Rebecca Sara 'Becki' Newton, aged 30. She began performing musicals and plays at local theatres and studied at uni of pennsylvania then she graduated with BA in european history. She then moved to NY and landed several roles in television commericals. She also featured as writer and host for a celebrity interview show called 'Movie Junky'.
















She currently plays role of Amanda Tanen in comedy drama series Ugly Betty.

Her film Career:

  • 2001- Burly


  • 2003- Cold Case


  • 2003 to 2004- The Guiding Light


  • 2004- The Men's Room


  • 2004- P.S


  • 2004- American Dreams


  • 2004- Law and Order: Special Victims Unit


  • 2005- Charmed


  • 2006 to present- Ugly Betty


  • 2007- August Rush

Christina Mc Kinney (Ashley Jensen)






Real name; Ashley Samantha Jensen, aged 39. Her first big television role was as an eccentric secretary Rosie McConnicly in final series of BBC comedy 'May to December', in 1996. She played a daughter of glasgow criminal in BBC drama 'Down Among the Big Boys'. Ashley then appeared as Fiona Morris in a BBC1 soap opera 'Eastenders' she starred in BBC2/ HBO tv programme 'Extras'. For her work in the first series of Ugly Betty, she received Best Televison Comedy Actress and New Comers Awards at 2005 British Comedy Awards.







In 2006, she recieved two British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA nomination for her role in 'Extras.' Her role in 2007 earned her an Emmy Award nomination.



In september 2006, she appeared in Ugly Betty. Jensen us also the narrator of Channel 4's 'Embarrasing Illnesses and Embarassing Bodies. She appeared in number of films. in 2007, she narrated the UK film 'Taking Liberties'. She also appeared in 'Tristram Shandy: A cock and bull story' in 2006.

Hilda Suarez (Ana Ortiz)











Ana is aged 37; she is an American actress and singer. The daughter of Angel L. Ortiz, first Puerto Rican city councilman in Philadelphia City Council. As a child she originally dreamed of becoming a 'Ballerina'. She studied ballet for 8 years, until the pain of ' en pointes' forced her to pursue a different style forcing her to persue a career outside the world of ballet. She switched to singing, and attended a 'High School of Music' and art and performing arts in new york city and then uni of arts in Philladelphia before making her professional stage debut in regional theater production of 'Dungerous liasons.' She joined the LAByrinth Theatre Company on television- she appeared in NYPD Blue, Dr.Quinn: Medicine woman, Commander in Chief, Boston Legal, ER, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Over There and her first full-time series role Kristin and Everybody Loves Raymond. In addition to appearing in Ugly Betty she's also an active face in films including star roles in king of L.A and tortilla heamus.


Originally ortiz had auditioned for 'Betty Suarez' role but obvoiously didn't get it.

Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius)






His full name; Eric Harry Timothy Mabius aged 37. In school he was voted 'Most Dramatic Boy', after school he persued studles in film. He married his girlfriend Ivy Sherman in January 2006, they had a son born in june 06. Mabius's career beganin 1995 with 'Welcome to the Doll Houses'; an art housed movie, followed by 'Shot Andy Warhol', 1996. His biggest film role was in 'Resident Evil'. As for television he appeared on Chicago Hope, Millenium Popular, The O.C, and short lived series Eyes. He was a guest star in CSI: Miami.











As of 2006, he appears in Ugly Betty; as Daniel Meade. After the success of Ugly Betty he was named one of the sexiest men alive by People magazine. Mabius made an apperance in Pro Barack Obama music video by Will.I.Am; 'We are the ones'.

Betty Suarez (America Ferrera)










America Ferrera- play's Betty Suarez.


She is 24 years old. America is the youngest sibling of six, she was born in Los Angeles, Calafornia; at the moment she is working towards earning a degree as well as acting.


She first started acting at the age of 8 in school plays and community theater. Since she was 7 years old, she landed herself a role in school production of Hamlet, she knew she wanted to be a performer. Her mother did not help much in her acting career in her youth age; she wanted her to persue other interests. Her long time boyfriend; since college is a film director; Ryan Piers Williams.

She entered the movie industry in July 2002 with a TV movie caled 'Gotta Kick It Up' for Disney Channel. The same year she ade her film debut in the indi sleeper hit 'Real Women Have Curves'. She kept up her appearances in the media industry by doing both televison 'touched by an Angel' and film 'The Sisterhood of the travelling Pants' and 'Lords of Dogtown'.


In 2006, she landed the lead role of 'Ugly Betty' Ferrera herself coined the term 'Bettification' to describe the process of creating her onscreen persona.


For her wonderful role in 'Ugly Betty' in 2007 Ferrera won Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in Television Series- Comedy/ Musical. On 28 Jan 07, America Ferrera won the Prestigous Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Female Actor in a comedy series.


In 2007, Time magazine chose Ferrera as one of the top artists and entertainers in 'Time 100: the most influential people in the world' issue. She won Imagen Foundations Creative Achivement Award; Sept 07. She also won the Pimetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress- comedy series for Betty Suaraz in Ugly Betty. She wrapped filming on- the sisterhood of the travelling pants 2.

Her film career:

  • 2002- Real Women Have Curves,
  • 2002- Gotta Kick It Up ,
  • 2004- $ 5.15/ hr
  • 2004- Darkness Plus Twelve
  • 2004- Plainsong
  • 2005- How the Gracia Girls Spent Their Summer
  • 2005- The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
  • 2005- Lords of Dogtown
  • 2006- Steel City
  • 2006- Planet H2o. 'Waterworld'.
  • 2007- Muertas
  • 2007- Hacia La Oscuridad
  • 2007- Towards Darkness
  • 2007- La Misma Luna
  • 2008- The sisterhood of The Travelling Pants 2
  • 2008-Tinkerbell
  • 2010- How To Train Your Dragon.

Television:

  • 2002- Touched by an Angel
  • 2004- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  • 2006 till present- Ugly Betty