Friday 24 April 2015
Friday 17 April 2015
News Representation
News Representation
Germanwings Plane Crash
This is the report on the BBC News YouTube channel for the Germanwings plane crash. The video starts off with a voiceover report talking about how the scientist crews have been out salvaging pieces of information from the crash that could solve the case.
Thursday 26 March 2015
Audience Analysis
Audience Analysis
Target Audience - Early teens to 30s/Predominantly male - We know this because of an existing fan base of the original film. Also the action genre can be identified due to the explosions, giant monster attacking the city and the halo jumpers coming from above.
PIES
- Personal: Actors names at the top of the poster so the audience can identify to them as they may have seen them in something else before.
- Information: Information about the subject can be acquired from the poster, someone who is interested in the film.
- Entertainment: A teaser for the film attracts the audience as they want to see what the film is about due to the enigma codes such as why there are HALO jumpers, what happens to Godzille and what happens to the city.
- Social: This is a well known film and due to the famous actors in it such as Bryan Cranston who is famous for his performance in Breaking Bad. People could feel left out if they didn't watch this as it can appear as a conversation topic.
PON
- Preferred:
- Personal: Actors names at the top of the poster so the audience can identify to them as they may have seen them in something else before.
- Information: Information about the subject can be acquired from the poster, someone who is interested in the film.
- Entertainment: A teaser for the film attracts the audience as they want to see what the film is about due to the enigma codes such as why there are HALO jumpers, what happens to Godzille and what happens to the city.
- Social: This is a well known film and due to the famous actors in it such as Bryan Cranston who is famous for his performance in Breaking Bad. People could feel left out if they didn't watch this as it can appear as a conversation topic.
PON
- Preferred:
Tuesday 24 March 2015
Media Theories
Media Theories
Pick and Mix Theory
This theory suggests that audiences are sophisticated and use texts to satisfy their own particular needs. They pick bits out of the text that they can relate to and are appropriate to them and their lives and ignore the rest.
Values, Attitude and Lifestyle
If the producer knows which values the audience prioritise in their lives, what attitude they take on the topic and what lifestyle they lead, they will be able to address this. The use of certain themes and conventions throughout the text can gratify the audience by getting to grips with the audience's VALs (Values, Attitude and Lifestyle).
Innovator - These consumers are on the leading edge of change, have the highest incomes and such a high self-esteem and abundant resources that they can indulge in any or all self-orientations.
Thinkers - The high-resource group of those who are motivated by ideals. Mature, responsible and well-educated professionals. Practical consumers and rational decision makers.
Believers - Low-resource group of those who are motivated by ideals. Predictable consumers who favour local products and established brands.
Achievers - High-resource group that are motivated by achievement. Successful and work-oriented.
Strivers - Low-resource group of those who are motivated by achievements. Values similar to achievers but have fewer economical. social, and psychological resources.
Innovator - These consumers are on the leading edge of change, have the highest incomes and such a high self-esteem and abundant resources that they can indulge in any or all self-orientations.
Thinkers - The high-resource group of those who are motivated by ideals. Mature, responsible and well-educated professionals. Practical consumers and rational decision makers.
Believers - Low-resource group of those who are motivated by ideals. Predictable consumers who favour local products and established brands.
Achievers - High-resource group that are motivated by achievement. Successful and work-oriented.
Strivers - Low-resource group of those who are motivated by achievements. Values similar to achievers but have fewer economical. social, and psychological resources.
Audience - Key Words
Audience - Key Words
Target - The audience that is addressed by the text.
Appeal - How the audience's gratifications are addressed/met.
Attract - What elements are used to attract the audience, e.g. famous actors.
Position - The different perspective the audience take on the text due to the technical conventions. The producer would include conventions and common themes that run throughout the genre to ensure this response will be met.
Respond - Whether the audience's response is preferred, oppositional or negotiated.
Encode and Decode - The producers encode the messages within the text for the audience to decode them, therefore extracting the meaning
The example above demonstrates these elements in the following ways:
The example above demonstrates these elements in the following ways:
- The target audience could range from mid teens to early 30s as the stars in the video are also of this age and therefore a relation can be established.
- The excessive portrayal of money and an extravagant lifestyle can appeal to the audience and inspire them to live the same way or achieve this status. This could achieve the gratifications of the audience by almost fulfilling their dream virtually.
- The audience almost feels part of the event and within the party due to the handheld camera and rapid succession of shots with the use of straight cuts. The audience are addressed directly by the artists as they are looking into the camera and therefore a sense of involvement is established.
- The negotiated reading for this text would be the audience sympathising with the artists and addressing their lifestyle with a neutral mindset.
Tuesday 17 March 2015
Case Studies - Age/Ethnicity/Gender
Case Studies
Age - Bad Education
- A young teacher is represented as a pushover and and awfully organised.
- An immediate comparison between him and an old teacher is made within the first minute of the show. The old teacher has her class under control.
- The main character, the young teacher, can be classed as the Geek stereotype. We know this from his awkward behaviour when he interacts with the students.
- Also the mise-en-scene can tell us he fits in to this stereotype. We know this from what he is wearing and his behaviour around the students. He is being blocked by the students who are taller than him.
- The first shot shows him pulling up in an old, dirty car. His attire is informal and messy, he is wearing a hoodie (with his hood up), a shirt that is untucked and grey jeans. Not an outfit of the stereotypical teacher.
Ethnicity - Stormzy - Not That Deep
- This music video for a British grime and rap artist called Stormzy. He is a 21 year old British, black male.
- The representation of these males is significant for the generalisation of the age range and race they represent.
- The majority of the males in the video are black and British. This is significant because it can generalise to the larger population that fit into this stereotype, age range and class grouping.
- The beginning of the video shows them riding bikes around an empty car park, the mise-en-scene tells us they are within the working class/underclass boundaries.
- Mise-en-scene including their clothing and performance.
Gender - Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents
Thursday 5 March 2015
Stereotypical Race Representation
Stereotypical Race Representation
In the show The Big Bang Theory, the main Indian character Raj is represented as a Geek. We know this by his performance and the mise-en-scene that is framed within the scene. His fashion sense is clearly randomised and we know he has very few social skills and experience because of his dialogue in this scene. His friend Leonard tells him he thinks it's good for him to get out of the apartment from time to time which tells us he rarely leaves the safety of his own home, therefore connoting few social skills and little experience with people. The conversation topic also tells us that they are classed under the Geek representation for males as they are talking about the Indiana Jones films. The manner in which they are talking about these films is significant as they are very enthusiastic and know the specialist knowledge and vocabulary from the show. They also sound educated and well mannered. Although the negative representation of the Geek side of Raj is present there is also a positive representation that he is a nice person, well mannered and also relatively positive. This representation can be seen as negative because it could represent the whole American Indian community can be classed under the Geek stereotype. An audience that has no experience with this group of people will assume this is the same for all people within that group.
In the music video All of Me - John Legend we can see a positive representation of a black male. We can see from the mise-en-scene that he is a well groomed and dressed man who clearly cares about his appearance. This could break the stereotype of most of the people that fall into this group as other forms of media such as films can represent the black male population as being thugs and gangstas. We can see from the mise-en-scene that he is a higher class, wealthy male. We know this from his big house and
In the music video All of Me - John Legend we can see a positive representation of a black male. We can see from the mise-en-scene that he is a well groomed and dressed man who clearly cares about his appearance. This could break the stereotype of most of the people that fall into this group as other forms of media such as films can represent the black male population as being thugs and gangstas. We can see from the mise-en-scene that he is a higher class, wealthy male. We know this from his big house and
Thursday 26 February 2015
P.I.E.S Examples
P.I.E.S Examples
Personal Identity - Skins Season 1
I chose skins as an example for personal identity because I can identify to some of the characters in the show. I feel I can relate these characters and their attitudes to people I see in society. I feel the characters represented in this season can be associated with people's attitudes and behaviour in the community I live in.
Information - ISIS News Article - BBC News
Thursday 5 February 2015
"This Girl Can" - Representation Analysis
"This Girl Can" - Representation Analysis
This video represents women in a positive way. The representation of the women in this video is more relatable to the target audience than in mainstream media such as magazines that feature models which are extremely glamoured up and photoshopped. I think this is significant because the audience will be able to relate to the women in the video. This is more accurate to society and therefore it will appeal to more of the population. The women starring in the video are not all slim, young models and therefore disagreeing with the common representation in media forms such as women's magazines targeted at the same audience.
By the use of snappy, witty slogans the advert relates with the audience and builds a connection with them. This way the target audience will feel more invited to engage with the stereotype that is portrayed in the video. The cultural references in the video relate to this common conception of the population. As a lot of women in the targeted age range in the population, around 20+, are overweight or trying to be healthy this ensures the video will appeal to them. Enjoying exercise is the main theme of the video and therefore if the women that are being targeted are also trying to stay fit this video may encourage them to do so.
This video represents women in a positive way. The representation of the women in this video is more relatable to the target audience than in mainstream media such as magazines that feature models which are extremely glamoured up and photoshopped. I think this is significant because the audience will be able to relate to the women in the video. This is more accurate to society and therefore it will appeal to more of the population. The women starring in the video are not all slim, young models and therefore disagreeing with the common representation in media forms such as women's magazines targeted at the same audience.
By the use of snappy, witty slogans the advert relates with the audience and builds a connection with them. This way the target audience will feel more invited to engage with the stereotype that is portrayed in the video. The cultural references in the video relate to this common conception of the population. As a lot of women in the targeted age range in the population, around 20+, are overweight or trying to be healthy this ensures the video will appeal to them. Enjoying exercise is the main theme of the video and therefore if the women that are being targeted are also trying to stay fit this video may encourage them to do so.
Friday 23 January 2015
AS Media Report
AS Media Report
My research has helped me work on my pre-production in a variety of ways. The main feature I needed inspiration for was the layout of the magazine. I chose to base my magazine layout on the magazines I had researched (Total Film and Empire) as it provided me with adequate information on what audiences like. As I wanted to target an audience within the socio economic groups C1 and B. My research on Filmmaker magazine provided me with ideas of what different varieties of audiences like, for example a more neutral layout is preferred for a higher class audience; the upper class and upper-middle class. The main image was a struggle to replicate in my magazine covers as most of the films being showcased on the front of these magazines were extremely high budget, famous blockbuster films. I had to improvise on the main image and hint at what the film could be about with the colour scheme, appearance of the main image and the cover lines. The language used in the cover lines would also tell the audience about the film. I struggled to create short and snappy, yet informative cover lines. I wanted them to inform the audience about the film and the content of the magazine but also not take up too much space and aim to invite the reader.
The data I got from my survey also helped me as I found out what the audience I am aiming at liked in a magazine and what they were interested in film. By asking the participants' age and a variety of questions about how much they are willing to spend on films I could take from this what socio economic grouping the audience will fit into. I can also find out how much the focussed audience enjoy films and how interested there are in them. I based my idea for my magazine covers mainly off Empire magazine. I used this magazine brand as I felt it portrays the showcased film the most clear out of the magazines I had studied. I also felt the information and colour schemes were all interlinked and I felt these were the most effective in persuading me to read the inside content. My choice of the colour scheme was basic and I thought this was significant as too complex colour schemes can come across as cluttered.
Due to the theme that I am following for my magazine I will be using these strict, bland colour schemes because I think anything more extreme will distract the reader and exclude it from the magazine theme. I also thought the imagery for these magazines could be simplified but still portray the same message. From researching these magazines and comparing what I had done to them I could find imperfections in my work and correct them. A deeper analysis of the magazines allowed me to pick out conventions in the main image as well as the cover lines and masthead. An example of this would be the main image in my first magazine cover, I took this image basing my ideas off magazines I researched. When shooting the image I had to take into account everything down to the stance and the facial expression of the subject. Many images were taken and the final one was the best out of the bunch.
This strict theme of boldness and strictness was carried through into the magazine double page spread I made. Due to the magazine continuation, the same target audience was addressed; therefore the same colour scheme and the same imagery to go along with it. I tried to ensure the colour schemes and layout remained similar because otherwise the two pieces would look as if they were from separate magazines. As there is no age set on my target audience specifically I thought using the colours red, white, black and red would ensure gender neutrality; therefore not restricting the audience. Comparing this to other magazines I have studied such as Empire, they use colour schemes that suit the theme of the week's magazine specifically. I have done the same with mine as the colours black and white represent the sharpness and boldness of the character shown in the magazine whereas the red can portray connotations of blood, danger and anger; which also ties in with the connotations of the Hitman theme.
As some of the language in the articles can be seen as more mature I think the target age range for this magazine will be set at around 13 and upwards. I don't think there is a specific cap on my age range because as long as the reader is interested in the topic of the article then they will be interested in the magazine. I tried to make the layout as clear as possible while also including enough information and images to fill out the page. I didn't want to leave any white spaces where information could have been included. The reuse of the image from the front cover deserves to be mentioned as I think it can be controversial. Through many magazines that I have researched, by the likes of Empire and Total Film, they have replicated the main image from the front cover of the magazine on the inside. Although some may feel this is a lazy feature I think it is good as it refreshes the audience's memory of the topic they are reading about but also gives them something to recognise. I think the idea of the image from the front cover appearing in an article gives that article a sense of significance also; if the image is good enough to be on the cover then the article must be good.
I included a lot of text on the two pages and by doing this I could have ended up repeating myself a lot. I took inspiration from various magazines and different sources to ensure I would keep variation in the content of the articles. The articles ranged from talking about the release of the film to personal opinions about the film. I think this is a significant feature because it allows people to get involved in the magazine and project their personal opinion. If I were toq compare my double page spread to the one I researched there would be similarities and differences between the two. I took inspiration from the magazine I studied but by using my own creative knowledge and other sources I combined the different features to make my magazine. I chose to change some things I didn't like from the original draft and I changed the layout a fair few times as I found different sources and what I thought I liked differed from time to time. I also needed to change certain aspects of the double page spread because it needed to suit both the magazine theme and the target audience.
The representation of the character in the images is specific to that character as he is playing a Hitman. Therefore the suit portrays the formality and the seriousness of his job. Also the colours schemes signify the sharpness that the Hitman has to ensue to do his job properly. I think the font used in the articles are significant as they also portray this clean-cut Hitman's nature. I think this representation doesn't suit any stereotypes in modern day society in terms of the audience reading it and this is because it is a movie character. Although we can't compare this to a real stereotype we can compare it to the stereotype of a Hitman in movies or other forms of media. I think the reasoning behind the consumption of this media would be for information but also out of personal interest. I feel people would read this magazine out of personal interest for the subject of the film or possibly to be social with their friends about the topic. Information about the movie can be found inside the articles so it could be read for information about the topic.
I think some of the strengths in my magazine are the layout, the articles and the colour scheme. I think this because it is what makes the magazine so easy to read and more aesthetically pleasing to look at. Also I think the layout is significant in attracting the reader because it provides them with a base idea of what the article's theme is, for example in my magazine the layout is sharp and clean; this relates to the connotations of the Hitman. Overall, these aesthetic features all combine to convey the connotations of the magazine and I think they do it well. I think the underlying message is portrayed well due to the layout and colour scheme among other features.
Due to the theme that I am following for my magazine I will be using these strict, bland colour schemes because I think anything more extreme will distract the reader and exclude it from the magazine theme. I also thought the imagery for these magazines could be simplified but still portray the same message. From researching these magazines and comparing what I had done to them I could find imperfections in my work and correct them. A deeper analysis of the magazines allowed me to pick out conventions in the main image as well as the cover lines and masthead. An example of this would be the main image in my first magazine cover, I took this image basing my ideas off magazines I researched. When shooting the image I had to take into account everything down to the stance and the facial expression of the subject. Many images were taken and the final one was the best out of the bunch.
As some of the language in the articles can be seen as more mature I think the target age range for this magazine will be set at around 13 and upwards. I don't think there is a specific cap on my age range because as long as the reader is interested in the topic of the article then they will be interested in the magazine. I tried to make the layout as clear as possible while also including enough information and images to fill out the page. I didn't want to leave any white spaces where information could have been included. The reuse of the image from the front cover deserves to be mentioned as I think it can be controversial. Through many magazines that I have researched, by the likes of Empire and Total Film, they have replicated the main image from the front cover of the magazine on the inside. Although some may feel this is a lazy feature I think it is good as it refreshes the audience's memory of the topic they are reading about but also gives them something to recognise. I think the idea of the image from the front cover appearing in an article gives that article a sense of significance also; if the image is good enough to be on the cover then the article must be good.
I included a lot of text on the two pages and by doing this I could have ended up repeating myself a lot. I took inspiration from various magazines and different sources to ensure I would keep variation in the content of the articles. The articles ranged from talking about the release of the film to personal opinions about the film. I think this is a significant feature because it allows people to get involved in the magazine and project their personal opinion. If I were toq compare my double page spread to the one I researched there would be similarities and differences between the two. I took inspiration from the magazine I studied but by using my own creative knowledge and other sources I combined the different features to make my magazine. I chose to change some things I didn't like from the original draft and I changed the layout a fair few times as I found different sources and what I thought I liked differed from time to time. I also needed to change certain aspects of the double page spread because it needed to suit both the magazine theme and the target audience.
The representation of the character in the images is specific to that character as he is playing a Hitman. Therefore the suit portrays the formality and the seriousness of his job. Also the colours schemes signify the sharpness that the Hitman has to ensue to do his job properly. I think the font used in the articles are significant as they also portray this clean-cut Hitman's nature. I think this representation doesn't suit any stereotypes in modern day society in terms of the audience reading it and this is because it is a movie character. Although we can't compare this to a real stereotype we can compare it to the stereotype of a Hitman in movies or other forms of media. I think the reasoning behind the consumption of this media would be for information but also out of personal interest. I feel people would read this magazine out of personal interest for the subject of the film or possibly to be social with their friends about the topic. Information about the movie can be found inside the articles so it could be read for information about the topic.
I think some of the strengths in my magazine are the layout, the articles and the colour scheme. I think this because it is what makes the magazine so easy to read and more aesthetically pleasing to look at. Also I think the layout is significant in attracting the reader because it provides them with a base idea of what the article's theme is, for example in my magazine the layout is sharp and clean; this relates to the connotations of the Hitman. Overall, these aesthetic features all combine to convey the connotations of the magazine and I think they do it well. I think the underlying message is portrayed well due to the layout and colour scheme among other features.
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