1. Melinda
Smith
16537529
Media
Analysis,
101719
Tutorial
Presentation
Report
Alice
in
Wonderland
(2010).
Source:
IMDB
(2010).
Tim
Burton’s
recently
released
adaptation
of
the
story
Alice
in
Wonderland
diverts
from
previous
portrayals
of
this
narrative,
extending
and
altering
its
focus
to
more
greatly
reflect
current
contexts.
In
order
to
create
discussion
around
this
film
in
its
broader
social,
cultural
and
media
contexts
we
may
investigate
the
filmic
choices
that
have
been
made
and
how
these
are
reflected
in
the
specific
elements
of
the
film.
Through
a
process
of
decoding
and
deconstruction
we
may
come
to
understand
that
“the
reader
is
as
important
as
the
writer
in
the
production
of
meaning”
(Hall,
1997,
p.33)
and
that
we
actively
interpret
a
matrix
of
different
elements
according
to
cultural
and
individual
qualities
as
part
of
the
‘media
matrix’
(Dallow,
2010).
In
order
to
explore
these
themes
we
may
focus
in
on
one
character
in
particular,
the
Mad
Hatter,
and
more
specifically
on
the
qualities
and
themes
that
surround
this
character
and
why
he
is
the
main
focus
of
the
2010
film
adaptation.
It
was
mentioned
in
the
class
discussion
that
there
are
two
strands
of
thought
relating
to
this;
the
role
of
the
character
and
the
role
of
the
actor.
The
character
can
be
described
as
crazy
and
erratic
and
this
was
described
by
the
class
as
reflecting
the
current
social
context,
while
his
eccentric
dress
and
individualistic
style
was
also
described
as
reflecting
social
and
fashion
trends.
This
shift
in
character
focus
was
also
identified
as
an
attempt
to
be
new,
while
it
may
also
be
related
to
the
concept
of
Alice
as
being
worn
out
and
of
greater
relevance
to
the
context
of
the
original
novel,
rather
than
the
current
context.
This
shifting
focus
reflects
what
Shohat
and
Stam
(1996)
refer
to
as
how
“perception
itself
is
embedded
in
history.
The
same
filmic
images
or
sounds
provoke
distinct
reverberations
for
different
communities”
(p.163).

2. Melinda
Smith
16537529
The
second
strand
of
thought
relates
to
the
actor
Johnny
Depp
and
concepts
of
commoditisation
and
meta-­‐narratives.
As
Depp
is
a
well-­‐known
actor
his
image
can
be
said
to
be
of
much
greater
value
than
the
relatively
unknown
Mia
who
plays
Alice.
As
he
is
featured
in
several
other
films
and
has
developed
a
high
Hollywood
status,
this
actor
also
carries
with
him
a
meta-­‐narrative,
a
series
of
ideas,
themes
and
connotations,
which
form
pre-­‐existing
expectations
that
will
influence
the
way
we
relate
to
and
interpret
this
character.
Similarly,
the
director
Tim
Burton
also
has
a
set
of
texts
which
he
has
created
and
that
are
associated
with
his
name.
It
is
by
investigating
questions
such
as
these
that
we
may
examine
films
on
their
structural
level
to
better
understand
how
and
why
particular
filmic
choices
are
made
and
their
implications
more
broadly.
Another
layer
is
added
to
this
when
we
consider
the
range
of
films
that
Burton
and
Depp
have
worked
together
on
in
the
past,
including
Charlie
and
the
Chocolate
Factory
(2005)
and
Edward
Scissorhands
(1990),
and
which
have
created
a
set
of
expectations
regarding
the
individualistic
and
expressive
nature
of
the
character
of
the
Mad
Hatter.
This
matrix
of
discourses
and
the
associated
ideas
reflect
the
way
that
films
“tell
us
about
current
ideologies
of
media
culture
and
consumer
society”
(Dallow,
2010).
Charlie
and
the
Chocolate
Factory
(2005).
Source:
Show
Biz
Spy
(2009)
Edward
Scissorhands
(1990).
Source:
Kaminski
(2009)
As
we
interpret
images
we
are
actively
decoding
through
associations,
where
“much
of
the
meaning
potential
in
visual
communication
comes
from
metaphorical
association”
(Machin,
2009,
p.186).
This
is
evident
as
we
deconstruct
the
signs
within
a
specific
scene
from
the
film,
the
Tea
Party,
which
reflects
the
first
time
that
Alice
and
the
Mad
Hatter
interact
in
the
film.
In
the
discussion
we
identified
cinematic
techniques,
such
as
the
large
and
centred
size
of
the
Mad
Hatter,
who
often
stares
out
to
the
audience
with
large
eyes-­‐
an
image
that
is
enhanced
with
the
layering
of
3D.
Colouring
is
also
important
and
his
bright
orange
hair
and
make-­‐up
causes
this
character
to
stand
out
against
a
grey
background.
The
camera
also
seems
to
follow
this
character
and
shift
and
change
in
a
way
that
reflects
this
upside-­‐down
world,
which
in
turn
reflects
the
very
nature
of
the
film
watching
experience
as
we
allow
ourselves
to
be
pulled
into
this
filmic
world.

3. Melinda
Smith
16537529
Alice
in
Wonderland
(2010):
Tea
Party
Scene.
Source:
Disney
Movie
Trailers
(2010).
We
also
briefly
discussed
the
qualities
of
3D
as
it
attempts
to
make
this
medium
of
film
more
dynamic,
new
and
engaging
in
order
to
immerse
audiences
in
the
story
and
forget
the
very
structures
and
forms
through
which
we
are
actively
constructing
meaning.
There
is
a
paradox
that
exists
in
3D,
where
this
layering
attempts
to
make
this
experience
more
real
as
we
engage
with
rather
‘unreal’
worlds.
Peter
also
described
the
role
of
3D
as
part
of
broader
political
discourses
as
cinema
attempts
to
remain
ahead
of
home
viewing
experience.
This
rivalry
is
evident
in
the
recent
advancement
of
television
to
3D
viewing
and
remains
a
dynamic
and
continually
developing
element
of
these
visual
media
forms.
It
is
important
also
to
note
the
processes
of
globalisation
that
take
place
as
this
typically
Hollywood
Disney
texts
is
interpreted
and
decoded
by
different
cultures;
as
well
as
on
an
individual
level.
As
Hedetoft
(2000)
notes,
“Contemporary
cinema,
like
all
other
types
of
visual
mass
communication,
is
increasingly
embedded
in
discourses
of
globalisation”
(p.278).
Notions
of
globalisation
are
relevant
to
this
film
because
of
its
international
release
and
its
interactions
as
an
originally
British
story
with
an
American
director,
a
British
Premier,
and
Australian,
American
and
British
lead
actors.
Familiarity
with
Hollywood
films
allows
us
to
deconstruct
this
film
according
to
norms
and
cues
and
means
that
with
this
set
of
pre-­‐existing
images
and
ideas
“a
spectator
comes
prepared
to
make
sense
of
a
narrative
film”
(Bordwell
&
Thompson,
1993,
p.90).
These
films
reflect
American
values
and
ideas
but
have
also
been
adapted
by
audiences
to
their
own
culture
through
interpretation.
Through
processes
of
globalisation
there
is
a
cultural
matrix
that
is
created,
which
consists
of
different
layers
and
relationships
between
cultural
elements.
Some
of
these
may
include
the
personal
way
in
which
we
have
come
into
the
meaning
with
the
story,
whether
it
was
being
read
the
story
as
a
child,
as
well
as
the
way
that
this
story
has
been
referenced
and
integrated
into
all
other
types
of
media
and
the
cultural
sources
and
roles
of

4. Melinda
Smith
16537529
these.
Burton
himself
was
quoted
as
saying
“I
knew
more
about
[Alice
in
Wonderland]
from
listening
to
music
and
bands
and
other
illustrators
who
would
incorporate
that
imagery
into
their
work”.
It
is
important
to
investigate
these
and
how
they
have
contributed
to
our
interpretations.
This
may
be
an
interesting
point
for
further
research
and
discussion.
Therefore,
there
are
many
discourses
at
work
within
this
film
and
these
interact
within
a
social,
cultural
and
political
matrix.
By
creating
discussion
around
specific
elements
of
the
film
we
may
come
to
understand
the
different
levels
and
relationships
between
these
and
the
active
processes
of
perception
and
globalisation
within
this
dynamic
and
constantly
developing
media
narrative
form.

5. Melinda
Smith
16537529
References
Bordwell,
D
&
Thompson,
K.
(1993).
Film
Art:
An
Introduction.
4th
Edn.
New
York:
McGraw
Hill.
Burton,
T.
(1990).
Edward
Scissorhands.
US:
Twentieth
Century
Fox
Film
Corporation.
Burton,
T.
(2005).
Charlie
and
the
Chocolate
Factory.
US:
Warner
Bros
Pictures.
Burton,
T.
(2010).
Alice
in
Wonderland.
US:
Walt
Disney
Pictures.
Dallow,
P.
(2010,
March
9).Celluloid
Fantasies.
From
Media
Analysis:
Lecture
Week
2.
Dallow,
P.
(2010,
April
27).
From
Visual
to
Virtual.
From
Media
Analysis:
Lecture
Week
9.
Disney
Movie
Trailers.
(2010).
Alice
in
Wonderland:
Tea
Party.
YouTube.
Retrieved
from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBmLViALjhk.
Hall,
S.
(1997).
‘The
Work
of
Representation,’
pp.15-­‐64
in
Stuart
(Ed.)
(1997).
Representation:
Cultural
Representations
and
Signifying
Practices.
London:
Sage.
IMDB
(2010).
Alice
in
Wonderland:
2010.
The
Internet
Movie
Database.
Retrieved
from
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2237566464/.
Kaminski,
D.
(2009,
April
4).
Tim
Burton’s
Alice
in
Wonderland:
Movie
Trailers.
Hollywood
Actor
Prep.
Retrieved
from
http://www.hollywoodactorprep.com/blog/wp-­‐
content/uploads/2009/07/edwardscissorhands.jpg
Hedetoft,
U.
(2000).
‘Contemporary
Cinema:
Between
cultural
globalisation
and
national
interpretation,’
Ch
17,
pp.278-­‐297
in
Hjort,
Mette
&
MacKenzie,
Scott
(Eds.).
(2000).
Cinema
and
Nation.
London:
Routledge.

6. Melinda
Smith
16537529
Machin,
D.
(2009).
Multimodality
and
theories
of
the
visual,’
pp.
15-­‐64
in
Jewitt,
C.
(Ed.)
(2009).
The
Routledge
Handbook
of
Multimodal
Analysis.
London:
Routledge.
Shohat,
E.
&
Stam,
R.
(1996).
‘From
Imperial
to
the
Transnational
Imaginary:
Media
Spectatorship
in
the
Age
of
Globalisation.’
In
R.
Wilson
&
W.
Dissanayke.
(Eds.)
(1996).
Global/Local:Cultural
Production
and
the
Transnational
Imaginary.
NC:
Duke
University
Press.
Show
Biz
Spy.
(2009).
Michael
Jackson
Didn’t
Inspire
Johnny
Depp’s
Willy
Wonka.
Show
Biz
Spy.
Retrieved
from
http://www.showbizspy.com/article/188675/.