Analysing Stranger Things
Mise En Scene
C.L.A.M.P.S
Costume
Lighting
Actors
Make-Up
Props
Setting
- The Byers' home is consistently in dim lighting with a dull 80s interior along with their brown/grey clothing connotes the poverty and struggle they have in their life.
- Benny's Diner is a stereotype for a typical suburban diner - a quiet place to eat that has only a few loyal customers but is a town hub to converse and meet with friends (as seen with Benny and the old boys that sit together).
- Pathetic Fallacy throughout the woodland scenes, the rain and thunder tell the audience that something bad is going to happen or happening, keeping the audience tense through the mysterious moments.
- Torches shining in Eleven's face have connotations of sci-fi and discovering an alien (linking with ET).
- The yellow phone in the Byers home stands out from the other dull props in the house, highlighting this is an important prop as it is the only communication gateway between Joyce Byers and Will.
Camera
F.A.M
Frame - (Long shot, Extreme long shot, Medium shot, Medium close up, Close up, Extreme close up)
Angle - (Eye level, Bird's eye, Worm's eye, Low angle, High angle)
Movement - (Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Arc, Tracking, Crabbing, Crane)
- Mid shots of Jonathan and Joyce on the sofa highlights the closeness and togetherness they have in the situation they are in. Their relationship is strong.
- Extreme close up of phone shows the panic and the lack of control Joyce has in the situation.
- High angle of social worker with Benny highlights the Patriarchy.
- Majority of camera shots with the young characters are eye level to direct the audience into engaging with these characters. For example with the three boys to go on the mysterious adventure with them.
Editing
S.T.O.P.S
Screen Time
Transitions
Order of Narrative
Pace
Special Effects
- Sound effect of an electric bang on the phone connotes that Will could be in danger, thus panicking Joyce and potentially having the same effect on the audience.
- When Connie shoots Benny in the Diner, the pace of the cuts begins to increase to show the danger and panic Eleven is in now as she is being chased by Government authorities. This increase of pace has an effect on the audience as they don't want Eleven to get caught, urging her to be quick in her escape.
- Jump cuts in Nancy's room highlight the close proximity and the romance and intimacy that's blossoming between her and Steve.
- There are multiple narratives happening in the first episode underlining the typical conventions of Long Form TV Drama. (Steve and Nancy romance, Mystery of Will Byers etc).
Sound
M.C.D.O.V.E.D
Music
Contrapuntal
Diegetic/Non Diegetic
On Screen/Off Screen
Voiceover
Emotion
Dialogue
- Non diegetic contrapuntal song (White Rabbit Jefferson) starts after Connie shoots Benny in the Diner. Volume increases along with pace of shots as Eleven runs away to culminate an overall sense of panic.
- Africa Toto is contrapuntal as it is an 80s themed song and highlights the romance in Nancy's bedroom between her and Steve.
- Off screen sound of Benny washing his pans in the diner to on screen of Benny actually washing them.
- Diegetic dialogue when Benny says "You don't sound the same as you did on the phone", this portrays the suspicion Benny already has towards the situation which rubs off onto the audience too.
- On screen diegetic sounds of a mysterious creature breathing/communicating when Joyce is on the phone to what potentially could be Will. Causing confusion and mystery as the audience are unaware and not sure as to what is on the other end of the phone.
- Non diegetic Sci-Fi instrumental emphasises the tension when the boys meet Eleven and are unaware of what she is and who she is.
C.L.A.M.P.S
Costume
Lighting
Actors
Make-Up
Props
Setting
- The Byers' home is consistently in dim lighting with a dull 80s interior along with their brown/grey clothing connotes the poverty and struggle they have in their life.
- Benny's Diner is a stereotype for a typical suburban diner - a quiet place to eat that has only a few loyal customers but is a town hub to converse and meet with friends (as seen with Benny and the old boys that sit together).
- Pathetic Fallacy throughout the woodland scenes, the rain and thunder tell the audience that something bad is going to happen or happening, keeping the audience tense through the mysterious moments.
- Torches shining in Eleven's face have connotations of sci-fi and discovering an alien (linking with ET).
- The yellow phone in the Byers home stands out from the other dull props in the house, highlighting this is an important prop as it is the only communication gateway between Joyce Byers and Will.
Camera
F.A.M
Frame - (Long shot, Extreme long shot, Medium shot, Medium close up, Close up, Extreme close up)
Angle - (Eye level, Bird's eye, Worm's eye, Low angle, High angle)
Movement - (Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Arc, Tracking, Crabbing, Crane)
- Mid shots of Jonathan and Joyce on the sofa highlights the closeness and togetherness they have in the situation they are in. Their relationship is strong.
- Extreme close up of phone shows the panic and the lack of control Joyce has in the situation.
- High angle of social worker with Benny highlights the Patriarchy.
- Majority of camera shots with the young characters are eye level to direct the audience into engaging with these characters. For example with the three boys to go on the mysterious adventure with them.
Editing
S.T.O.P.S
Screen Time
Transitions
Order of Narrative
Pace
Special Effects
- Sound effect of an electric bang on the phone connotes that Will could be in danger, thus panicking Joyce and potentially having the same effect on the audience.
- When Connie shoots Benny in the Diner, the pace of the cuts begins to increase to show the danger and panic Eleven is in now as she is being chased by Government authorities. This increase of pace has an effect on the audience as they don't want Eleven to get caught, urging her to be quick in her escape.
- Jump cuts in Nancy's room highlight the close proximity and the romance and intimacy that's blossoming between her and Steve.
- There are multiple narratives happening in the first episode underlining the typical conventions of Long Form TV Drama. (Steve and Nancy romance, Mystery of Will Byers etc).
Sound
M.C.D.O.V.E.D
Music
Contrapuntal
Diegetic/Non Diegetic
On Screen/Off Screen
Voiceover
Emotion
Dialogue
- Non diegetic contrapuntal song (White Rabbit Jefferson) starts after Connie shoots Benny in the Diner. Volume increases along with pace of shots as Eleven runs away to culminate an overall sense of panic.
- Africa Toto is contrapuntal as it is an 80s themed song and highlights the romance in Nancy's bedroom between her and Steve.
- Off screen sound of Benny washing his pans in the diner to on screen of Benny actually washing them.
- Diegetic dialogue when Benny says "You don't sound the same as you did on the phone", this portrays the suspicion Benny already has towards the situation which rubs off onto the audience too.
- On screen diegetic sounds of a mysterious creature breathing/communicating when Joyce is on the phone to what potentially could be Will. Causing confusion and mystery as the audience are unaware and not sure as to what is on the other end of the phone.
- Non diegetic Sci-Fi instrumental emphasises the tension when the boys meet Eleven and are unaware of what she is and who she is.
Deutschland 83
Season 1 Episode 1 - 'Quantum Jump'.
This show emphasises verisimilitude to attract a mature audience interested in history.
- Binary opposite - Iron Fist and Hippie peace sign show the contrast between the power and control the East have compared to the freedom and peace the West have. (Dictatorship vs Love).
- Fruit bunch represents the variety of fruit the West can consume, representing the variety they have in their life.
- Green grass - Cement. Representing the lack of life the East have. Nothing can naturally grow because everything is being controlled by the Stasi.
- Colour vs Dull.
- Uniform - Army vs casual free jacket and white top.
This show emphasises verisimilitude to attract a mature audience interested in history.
- Binary opposite - Iron Fist and Hippie peace sign show the contrast between the power and control the East have compared to the freedom and peace the West have. (Dictatorship vs Love).
- Fruit bunch represents the variety of fruit the West can consume, representing the variety they have in their life.
- Green grass - Cement. Representing the lack of life the East have. Nothing can naturally grow because everything is being controlled by the Stasi.
- Colour vs Dull.
- Uniform - Army vs casual free jacket and white top.
Life in East Germany in the 80s
Overall Context of East/West Germany
- Germany was divided into 2 parts - Eastern and Western Germany. Including the Capital city Berlin.
- Western Germany (left side) was a capitalist modern culture that allowed space and freedom of speech to a certain extent.
- Eastern Germany (right side) was being controlled by The Stasi (secret police) and they wanted a structured society where people were monitored for what they do and say. People had to cautiously think about their actions otherwise there would be serious consequences.
- People were allowed to move freely between the two up until 1961. This closure of free movement meant that families were split and a 87 mile concrete wall was built to divide the two parts. Including 176 watch towers.
- There was part of the border called the Death Strip, anyone who entered would be killed immediately.
- Checkpoints were placed to allow mostly UK and US citizens through. The most famous was Checkpoint Charlie, used by Americans.
- The wall stood for a total of 26 years, before people became angry and critical of the wall. Even American president "Ronald Reegan" stated in a speech "Tear down this wall!".
- Many Eastern Germans protested after this which resulted in them tearing down the wall and destroying it using their own hands.
General Life
Residents of East Germany were being constantly surveyed and monitored, so they had to be cautious on what they said and where they said it. It was common for people to speak their mind at home in front of families where they were trusted but would agree with the system when in a public place or workplace. Examples of this would include watching western television at home but not mentioning it in school.
Economy and Shopping
Economically, the salaries in the East were very low but with common life essentials being cheap. For example everyone could afford bread and rent as it was deemed necessities to survive in Eastern culture (all equal, food and shelter should be affordable). This meant that anything outside of the Eastern culture was expensive, like if a shop received desired goods from the Western side, there would be a long queue to get the item as it was rare and everything wanted something different rather than the same selection they got regularly. People wouldn't even know what they were queueing for, they just saw a long line and assumed that it was something good. There was copious amounts of trading and back street dealing between teenagers and youngsters that would use their own prices to swap forbidden items. Items like chocolate, meat and butter were scarce.
Equality
As the Eastern culture wanted equality, equal rights were good during the time - women worked and child-care was available and affordable. There was no Unemployment, and even if people didn't have jobs, they would invent work to keep them from being idle.
Benefits that the GDR offered
Although the DDR/GDR (German Democratic Republic) controlled a lot of what citizens lives, they did offer many benefits which included: work, support, free health care, places in nurseries and schools and affordable houses.
Fun and Music
Music was censored as the government saw the lyrics to some music was used as dissent, so the only legal music was in German. If people wanted to listen to anything different they'd have to go to the 'black market' or street dealers to do so. Theatres was the most common leisure type.
Education
Russian was the main language taught in schools as it was the main tongue of Eastern Europe. Children were taught etiquette, simple politeness and teamwork.
Lack of Freedom
People wanted to escape the East as they felt like they were trapped and controlled by the government; they had to freedom to their life. Their work, their social life and what they said and did was monitored by the government, and one slip up would consequently result in major punishment. They wanted to escape so they could free their opinions and views without being scared of being punished or imprisoned.
Were there Anomalies
Yes, of course not everyone in the East had the same opinion of not liking the system. It was common to find people who enjoyed the structural lifestyle, as it gave them stability because the GDR gave out jobs, homes, childcare and other benefits.
- Germany was divided into 2 parts - Eastern and Western Germany. Including the Capital city Berlin.
- Western Germany (left side) was a capitalist modern culture that allowed space and freedom of speech to a certain extent.
- Eastern Germany (right side) was being controlled by The Stasi (secret police) and they wanted a structured society where people were monitored for what they do and say. People had to cautiously think about their actions otherwise there would be serious consequences.
- People were allowed to move freely between the two up until 1961. This closure of free movement meant that families were split and a 87 mile concrete wall was built to divide the two parts. Including 176 watch towers.
- There was part of the border called the Death Strip, anyone who entered would be killed immediately.
- Checkpoints were placed to allow mostly UK and US citizens through. The most famous was Checkpoint Charlie, used by Americans.
- The wall stood for a total of 26 years, before people became angry and critical of the wall. Even American president "Ronald Reegan" stated in a speech "Tear down this wall!".
- Many Eastern Germans protested after this which resulted in them tearing down the wall and destroying it using their own hands.
General Life
Residents of East Germany were being constantly surveyed and monitored, so they had to be cautious on what they said and where they said it. It was common for people to speak their mind at home in front of families where they were trusted but would agree with the system when in a public place or workplace. Examples of this would include watching western television at home but not mentioning it in school.
Economy and Shopping
Economically, the salaries in the East were very low but with common life essentials being cheap. For example everyone could afford bread and rent as it was deemed necessities to survive in Eastern culture (all equal, food and shelter should be affordable). This meant that anything outside of the Eastern culture was expensive, like if a shop received desired goods from the Western side, there would be a long queue to get the item as it was rare and everything wanted something different rather than the same selection they got regularly. People wouldn't even know what they were queueing for, they just saw a long line and assumed that it was something good. There was copious amounts of trading and back street dealing between teenagers and youngsters that would use their own prices to swap forbidden items. Items like chocolate, meat and butter were scarce.
Equality
As the Eastern culture wanted equality, equal rights were good during the time - women worked and child-care was available and affordable. There was no Unemployment, and even if people didn't have jobs, they would invent work to keep them from being idle.
Benefits that the GDR offered
Although the DDR/GDR (German Democratic Republic) controlled a lot of what citizens lives, they did offer many benefits which included: work, support, free health care, places in nurseries and schools and affordable houses.
Fun and Music
Music was censored as the government saw the lyrics to some music was used as dissent, so the only legal music was in German. If people wanted to listen to anything different they'd have to go to the 'black market' or street dealers to do so. Theatres was the most common leisure type.
Education
Russian was the main language taught in schools as it was the main tongue of Eastern Europe. Children were taught etiquette, simple politeness and teamwork.
Lack of Freedom
People wanted to escape the East as they felt like they were trapped and controlled by the government; they had to freedom to their life. Their work, their social life and what they said and did was monitored by the government, and one slip up would consequently result in major punishment. They wanted to escape so they could free their opinions and views without being scared of being punished or imprisoned.
Were there Anomalies
Yes, of course not everyone in the East had the same opinion of not liking the system. It was common to find people who enjoyed the structural lifestyle, as it gave them stability because the GDR gave out jobs, homes, childcare and other benefits.
Essay
How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed? What role does the use of media language, signs and signifiers have in constructing and presenting these representations as real?
In the first episode of Stranger Things, we are introduced to a multitude of social groups that the audience can relate to. The social groups found in the series include: American cops, teenagers and government officials and are all stereotyped in the American culture in which they are based in.
Firstly, we have a major change in representation with the Government officials. At the start of the episode the audience is falsely introduced to 'social services' that will come to Benny's diner and collect Eleven, a troubled, lost child. However, this representation is quickly changed when these people come to the diner and shoot Benny out of cold blood to get to Eleven. The audience is left confused regarding the situation and quite frankly saddened that Benny has been murdered. Benny was introduced as a kind, gentle man who took in Eleven and fed and gave her temporary shelter. The low-angle shots used when government officials storm into the diner create the representation of an in balance in power, like the officials are superior to anyone they come across. The negative representations the audience receive from these government bodies is an example of constructed realism as the audience understand straight away that they should fear these powerful figures.
Furthermore, another representation that is portrayed throughout the first episode of Stranger Things is that of teenagers. We see a group of nerdy male teenagers who follow a typical stereotype of young boys in an American culture. In private they enjoy fantasy board games for hours and hours, where they can escape into their own world, whilst at school, they enjoy science lessons but get bullied for their 'outcast' behaviour. The bullying scenes consist of medium/long shots and have the three main characters, Mike, Dustin and Lucas standing in a line whilst they are being picked on by two other boys. This scene is important as we focus on the three boys being bullied whilst the other kids just walk past and ignore it, just like today's society. So it can be said there is a representation amongst the bullying scenes of a stereotypical world where everyone just walks past the problems that other people have to face. This contrasts the boys, as they try and solve a major problem in the series that can have a devastating affect on the whole world.
Furthermore, another teenage representation we see is through Nancy Wheeler. She is initially portrayed as a sweet, innocent and smart student that sticks to the rules of not only school but society. However this representation quickly breaks down as she is introduced to Steve Harrington, a bad boy, sports hunk who whisks her away with his good looks and charm. Nancy then develops into a representation of a teenage girl who is being used for sex and her looks as she is peer pressured into things her conscience doesn't want to do, but proceeds to do it to boost her social popularity,
In the first episode of Stranger Things, we are introduced to a multitude of social groups that the audience can relate to. The social groups found in the series include: American cops, teenagers and government officials and are all stereotyped in the American culture in which they are based in.
Firstly, we have a major change in representation with the Government officials. At the start of the episode the audience is falsely introduced to 'social services' that will come to Benny's diner and collect Eleven, a troubled, lost child. However, this representation is quickly changed when these people come to the diner and shoot Benny out of cold blood to get to Eleven. The audience is left confused regarding the situation and quite frankly saddened that Benny has been murdered. Benny was introduced as a kind, gentle man who took in Eleven and fed and gave her temporary shelter. The low-angle shots used when government officials storm into the diner create the representation of an in balance in power, like the officials are superior to anyone they come across. The negative representations the audience receive from these government bodies is an example of constructed realism as the audience understand straight away that they should fear these powerful figures.
Furthermore, another representation that is portrayed throughout the first episode of Stranger Things is that of teenagers. We see a group of nerdy male teenagers who follow a typical stereotype of young boys in an American culture. In private they enjoy fantasy board games for hours and hours, where they can escape into their own world, whilst at school, they enjoy science lessons but get bullied for their 'outcast' behaviour. The bullying scenes consist of medium/long shots and have the three main characters, Mike, Dustin and Lucas standing in a line whilst they are being picked on by two other boys. This scene is important as we focus on the three boys being bullied whilst the other kids just walk past and ignore it, just like today's society. So it can be said there is a representation amongst the bullying scenes of a stereotypical world where everyone just walks past the problems that other people have to face. This contrasts the boys, as they try and solve a major problem in the series that can have a devastating affect on the whole world.
Furthermore, another teenage representation we see is through Nancy Wheeler. She is initially portrayed as a sweet, innocent and smart student that sticks to the rules of not only school but society. However this representation quickly breaks down as she is introduced to Steve Harrington, a bad boy, sports hunk who whisks her away with his good looks and charm. Nancy then develops into a representation of a teenage girl who is being used for sex and her looks as she is peer pressured into things her conscience doesn't want to do, but proceeds to do it to boost her social popularity,
Stranger Things Intertextuality
Stand By Me is from a children's perspective, and this scene links as it shows the children being rebellious walking on a train track during one of their many adventures.
The Goonies links to Stranger Things as again it's from a child's point of view and Dustin is compared to one of the main characters in the Goonies pictured on the right.
Eleven in Stranger Things is compared to the Alien in ET from the shots used. For example, this midrange shot which both contain a frightened facial expression as their faces are being lit up via a flashlight. In addition, another connection between the two are that Eleven attempted to be hidden from the government, like ET who is dressed up in a costume and hidden on the bike chase.
Introduction to Stranger Things
Stranger Things is set in 1983 and focuses on the story of a group children that search for their missing friend. During their search, they come across an unusual girl with supernatural powers. Throughout the series, the group find mysteries regarding their small town, including: government secrets, supernatural forces and people with powers.
Facts about Stranger Things
- Created by Ross and Matt Duffer (brothers).
- First aired in July 2016.
- The first season cost $6million per episode. There was 8 episodes.
- The show pays homage to ET mainly with links also to the Goonies, Gremlins and Ghostbusters.
- Set in a 1980s nostalgic theme.
- Winona Ryder who plays Will's mother is a famous actress from the 1980s. Showing further links from the show to the 80s.
- Rejected by most mainstream media outlets and networks.
- Netflix took on Stranger Things due to the risky genre which fits with Netflix's other programmes.
- Series 1 left on an unsolved mystery so it was a perfect way to entice the audience into watching the second series.
- Series 1 had a focus on boardgames, whereas series 2 focuses on Video Games.
- The character Eleven can be compared to ET.
Introduction to Long Form TV Drama
What is a TV Drama?
A TV Drama is a series of episodes that create a narrative and tell a story to an audience.
Network Television
- Access to everyone. Therefore there is more exposure, so the content must be conservative/viewer conscious.
- Examples of US Network Broadcasters are NBC and CBS.
- They are controlled by a federal regulation that moderate if the broadcasters are satisfying their advertisers.
Cable Television
- Started in the 1970s.
- Consumers pay extra for this service.
- The first US subscription cable channel was HBO.
- A difference between cable and network is that cable have the ability to take more risks with the content they show.
- For example, The Sopranos featured on cable in the 2000s and was a very raunchy show. The risk paid off, and The Sopranos won various awards.
UK TV Drama
- Compared to the US drama, UK's drama is more conservative and less risk taking. Therefore there hasn't been a challenge mounted to the US cable channels regarding long form drama.
- BBC and ITV has been successful with their soaps (Coronation Street/Emmerdale/Eastenders) and relied on the same drama genre. In the 90s a show called 'The Bill', focusing on Police, was highly successful, however the plugged was pulled in 2010. The show began in 1984.
Viewing On Demand (VOD) via Subscription
- Television viewing still dominates any other method of viewing in the UK. Although this could change in the future due to the rise of technology (Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets), all offering On Demand.
- 3/4 UK households have Personal Video Recording which allows users to record a programme and watch it whenever suits them.
- Streaming and Streaming on Demand is becoming much more popular. For example, the rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV.
- Netflix is the most used. 24% of the UK with 5 million subscribers.
Why do Audiences choose to watch Long Form TV Drama?
- The multiple episodes and series culminates to years of entertainment which overall creates and emotional connection/bond between the show and the audience. The audience will begin to feel emotions towards the characters e.g care for them, hate them etc.
- High quality narrative and storyline which engages audiences.
- Contains some of the worlds best writers and actors.
- Specific genres.
- Easy to follow narratives.
- Ability to catch up, record and watch on demand if an episode is missed.
Genres
- Horror
- Comedy
- Mystery
- Thriller
- Crime
- Drama
Themes
- Relationships
- War
- Location (Local Town/Pub/Football Club/Community/Village)
- Murder
- Family
Characters
- The characters in LFTVD must be interesting and relatable as this character will be watched for a plethora of hours so the audience must be engaged with them.
Factors for Successful TV Dramas
- High production values.
- An hour long episode per week.
- Familiar characters with a slow introduction of new characters that are interesting and relatable.
- Dramatic Cliff Hangers that keep the audience wondering what is going to happen next, and even ask people what they think too. This helps to spread word of the TV Drama and get more viewers. This can be over Twitter or through small chat at work.
- Various locations and scenes.
- Multiple small narratives within a large main narrative.
A TV Drama is a series of episodes that create a narrative and tell a story to an audience.
Network Television
- Access to everyone. Therefore there is more exposure, so the content must be conservative/viewer conscious.
- Examples of US Network Broadcasters are NBC and CBS.
- They are controlled by a federal regulation that moderate if the broadcasters are satisfying their advertisers.
Cable Television
- Started in the 1970s.
- Consumers pay extra for this service.
- The first US subscription cable channel was HBO.
- A difference between cable and network is that cable have the ability to take more risks with the content they show.
- For example, The Sopranos featured on cable in the 2000s and was a very raunchy show. The risk paid off, and The Sopranos won various awards.
UK TV Drama
- Compared to the US drama, UK's drama is more conservative and less risk taking. Therefore there hasn't been a challenge mounted to the US cable channels regarding long form drama.
- BBC and ITV has been successful with their soaps (Coronation Street/Emmerdale/Eastenders) and relied on the same drama genre. In the 90s a show called 'The Bill', focusing on Police, was highly successful, however the plugged was pulled in 2010. The show began in 1984.
Viewing On Demand (VOD) via Subscription
- Television viewing still dominates any other method of viewing in the UK. Although this could change in the future due to the rise of technology (Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets), all offering On Demand.
- 3/4 UK households have Personal Video Recording which allows users to record a programme and watch it whenever suits them.
- Streaming and Streaming on Demand is becoming much more popular. For example, the rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV.
- Netflix is the most used. 24% of the UK with 5 million subscribers.
Why do Audiences choose to watch Long Form TV Drama?
- The multiple episodes and series culminates to years of entertainment which overall creates and emotional connection/bond between the show and the audience. The audience will begin to feel emotions towards the characters e.g care for them, hate them etc.
- High quality narrative and storyline which engages audiences.
- Contains some of the worlds best writers and actors.
- Specific genres.
- Easy to follow narratives.
- Ability to catch up, record and watch on demand if an episode is missed.
Genres
- Horror
- Comedy
- Mystery
- Thriller
- Crime
- Drama
Themes
- Relationships
- War
- Location (Local Town/Pub/Football Club/Community/Village)
- Murder
- Family
Characters
- The characters in LFTVD must be interesting and relatable as this character will be watched for a plethora of hours so the audience must be engaged with them.
Factors for Successful TV Dramas
- High production values.
- An hour long episode per week.
- Familiar characters with a slow introduction of new characters that are interesting and relatable.
- Dramatic Cliff Hangers that keep the audience wondering what is going to happen next, and even ask people what they think too. This helps to spread word of the TV Drama and get more viewers. This can be over Twitter or through small chat at work.
- Various locations and scenes.
- Multiple small narratives within a large main narrative.
Summer Work
Year 13 Summer Work Timeline:
15th March 2011 - Now (Syrian War): An uprising against the president of Syria turned into a civil war. Over 350,000 dead and millions of refugees needing assistance.
12th May 2016 (Immigration Act) - Introducing new sanctions on illegal workers.
16th June 2016 (Jo Cox Assassination) - Labour part member shot and stabbed multiple times.
23rd June 2016 (Brexit Referendum) - 51.9% voted leave and 48.1% voted remain.
24th June 2016 (Cameron Resigns) - David Cameron resigns from his Prime Minister role due to the result of Brexit.
13th July 2016 (Theresa May) - Theresa May becomes Prime Minister.
4th August 2016 (Charlie Gard) - Charlie Gard was born with MDDS. He raised and exceeded a total of £1.3million to send him over to the USA for treatment.
8th November 2016 (Trump vs Clinton) - Donald Trump received more votes (306) from the public of USA than Hillary Clinton (232).
November 2016 (Football Sex Abuse Scandal) - Footballers spoke publicly about being sexually abused by managers, coaches and scouts in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.
22nd March 2017 (Westminster Attack) - A Terrorist drove a car onto the pavement of Westminster Bridge hitting pedestrians. Killing 5 and injury over 50.
22nd May 2017 (Manchester Attack) - A Terrorist suicide bombed himself at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester killing 23 and wounding 139.
3rd June 2017 (London Bridge Attack) - A Terrorist rammed people with a van on the London Bridge, then went on a stabbing-spree in Borough Market. 8 people killed and 48 injured.
8th June 2017 (General Election) - Conservative won with 297 seats. Labour 227 seats. Lib Dem 8 seats. Green Party 1 seat.
10th June 2017 (Queen's Birthday) - Queen Elizabeth's 90th Birthday.
14th June 2017 (Grenfell Tower Fire) - A fire broke out in a 24 storey flat in Kensington. 72 people died, 70 injured and 223 escapees.
19th June 2017 (Finsbury Mosque) - A Terrorist attack which involved a man from Cardiff ramming people down in Finsbury injury 8 and killing 1.
July - September (NHS Strikes) - NHS employees, mostly Doctors and Nurses strike due to contract disagreement.
October 2017 (#MeToo Campaign) - An online movement against sexual harassment and assault.
27th November 2017 (Royal Engagement) - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce they are getting engaged.
2018 (Windrush Scandal) - Political scandal. People who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation. 63 cases where people were wrongly deported from the UK.
Stats regarding Youth Aggression in London (between July 2017 and July 2018) - Drugs (38,222), Violence (278,135), Sexual Offence (22,287), Burglary (85,369), TOTAL CRIMES (903,940)
Forms and Conventions of a Music Video
Forms and Conventions:
- Performance
- Narrative
- Concept
A music video is an advertisement for a new song for an artists new album.
Music videos are normally 3-5 mins long, contain quick cuts, erotic imagery and computer graphics.
- Performance
- Narrative
- Concept
A music video is an advertisement for a new song for an artists new album.
Music videos are normally 3-5 mins long, contain quick cuts, erotic imagery and computer graphics.
Shelter
What Does Shelter Do?
- Gives people help and advice on finding homes and keeping them. Therefore, naturally the advert will be aimed towards the working class audience (D and E).
- Gets to the root of the problem.
The 2011 Shelter campaign ran for 6 weeks in hotspots for housing problems. It used direct mode of address (looking straight into the camera), dull and emotionless characters.
- Gets to the root of the problem.
The 2011 Shelter campaign ran for 6 weeks in hotspots for housing problems. It used direct mode of address (looking straight into the camera), dull and emotionless characters.
Media Vocab
The Big Issue
Magazine Language:
- Images.
- Colours.
- Power of Word.
- Logo.
- Font (Typography).
Social, Cultural and Political.
Masthead - title of magazine.
Plug - text that plugs a feature in the magazine.
Puff - a story that is given prominence.
Anchorage text - gives the main image meaning.
Skyline - text that runs across the page.
Banner - same as skyline just at the bottom.
Relies on advertising, sponsorship and circulation revenue.
Charity Ad
Charity Campaigns:
- Target Audience ABC.
- Using vulnerable human beings (children) as its not their fault for being in that situation.
- Plays on heart strings.
We are losing empathy, because heavy exposure to violence in the media. Numbs us.
Children are exposed to about 5 violent scenes a day, leading to the acceptance of violence and seeing the subject as a normal thing.
Therefore, charities have to make the adverts more extreme to hit the audience with effect
Generic Codes and Conventions of charity ads:
- Creation of sympathy (facts and stats).
- Creation of empathy.
- Shock - make you feel you have to contribute.
- Charity name.
- Slogan.
- Use of colour (dull dark colours to create the overall sad, damp mood of the advert).
- Web address.
Lucozade
History Of The Brand
Lucozade is a sports drink created 1927 in the UK by Thomas Beecham, and is sold all over Britain.
For the first two years it was called Glucozade, a spin off from the sugar based substance 'Glucose'.
However, in 1929, the company chose to change the name to Lucozade. Due to these minor changes, sales actuall began to increase.
When the company first began, they're target audience was those who were ill, therefore Lucozade was seen and produced as a medicinal drink. However, in 1985 the drink started to be consumed by not just those who are ill, but by everyone.
The company were mainly using the flavours Orange and Lemon for all their drinks, but by the turn of the new century, they adapted to a plethra of new flavours, including: Mango and Passion Fruit, Brazilian Guava, Lemon and Lime, Caribbean Burst, Raspberry and finally their original flavour, Orange.
Since 2003, Lucozade has focused on keeping the brand healthy through the production of various forms of Lucozade which include: Lucozade Sport, Lucozade Lite, Lucozade Elite, Lucozade Sport Low Calorie and Lucozade Sport Fit Water.
Analysing The Campaign
Lucozade used famous athletes Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain so they acted as role models to the 'young-ish' target audience and people looking at this adverts. These two figures would be heavily seen throughout the sporting industry, more specifically football. Therefore, it was important for Lucozade to hire two well recognisable iconic people from the sport.
Both Bale and Chamberlain are being used in the campaign to support the claim that Lucozade Sport drinks help sports participants across the UK improve their endurance performance, by drinking the soft drink instead of water. They recommend participants consume the drink before and during their sporting activities.
Steven Spinola, senior brand manager at Lucozade Sport, said: "The 'I Believe' campaign will reinforce and claim our belief that Lucozade Sport hydrates and fuels people better than water. Combining our scientific expertise with product innovation, athletes across the UK will be helped to reach their sporting potential through the consumption of Lucozade Sport."
A large part of the 'I Belive' advertisement is the integration of social media and the product. The hashtag "I Believe" was created to get the Lucozade drink trending on social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This mean that advertisement for the product would spread worldwide through the free, no cost use of social media. The personal pronoun, "I" makes the reader put themselves in the famous Gareth Bales shoes, making them boost their self esteem to do well and become a successful athlete. In addition, with the stern face he is pulling, the reader sees the 'want' in his eyes.
Lucozade have their own Facebook and Twitter page in order to grow their brand and advertise their products to the millions of users daily, not only in the UK and Ireland, but worldwide. On Facebook, the company has 610 thousand likes, on Twitter, nearly 45 thousand followers. And finally, newly on Instagram, 10 thousand followers.
Date of the campaign - the advert was first shown to the public on July 30th 2013. This was during the time that Gareth Bale (the main star of the advert) was pushing through a move to Real Madrid.
A year later in the week of 8th January 2014 the advert was banned because of the complaints about the product "hydrating better than water". It received a total of 63 complaints including one to the National Hydration Council, suggesting it broke advertising rules. So due to the small amount of complaints, the advert was banned.
Old Spice
Introduction to Old Spice:
- History - Old Spice, created in 1934 started producing women's products, called "Early American". Four years later, Old Spice turned to men's products and created a Nautical themed aftershave and other products. This theme stereotyped the typical man (being a sailor) having physical and mental strength to be out at sea, battling against the bad weather and away from family.
- Aims of the Campaign - Old Spice wanted to create a new target audience. Previously they were advertising to 40 - 60 year olds, but after assessing market trends, they targeted a new audience of 18-34 year olds. The aim of this advert is to portray to the male audience that the middle aged man can not only smell like the Bahamas, but become it. Hence why he is the volcano.
- Dates and Times of the Campaign - Advertising started around the early 2011 period.
- Use of Social Media - Old Spice is using all three of the main social media outlets. They have to in order to "keep with the times" and up to date to increase their sale numbers. Using social media has its advantages as its essentially free advertising. They are able to tweet, upload pictures or photos on an Old Spice account, and followers will see this and like and react to the products online. This could lead to future purchase from those followers, making them customers. On Instagram, Old Spice has 105,000 followers. On Twitter, Old Spice has 216,300 followers. Lastly, on Facebook, the company has a total of 2.6 million likes, a lot more followers compared to the other two. This is most likely because Facebook is generally used by the older generations compared to Twitter and Instagram. Furthermore, it's also fitting because the Old Spice brand is targeted/was targeted toward the older audience.
- Representations of males - Males are meant to be confident, in the best body shape, and most importantly; smell nice. The representation of masculinity in the commercials and print adverts was a key factor in the campaigns success. Being built with muscle represents the women's conception of a perfect partner.
- Representation of the brand - The brand is represented as a fresh, new modern fragrance for the usual middle age male users.
Minecraft
5 Important Stats about Minecraft:
- Multi-platform.
- Open sandbox.
- Started as an indie.
- 125 million copies sold.
- Created by Marcus Persson.
Critically and commercially successful. (people who judge and how many copies sold).
The game was created in the summer of 2009. By the first weekend, it sold 40 copies. In the summer of 2010, Mojang was set up. A company owned by Marcus Persson to help with the owning of Minecraft. January 12th 2011 - over a million copies sold.
Why its successful:
- Appeals to those with a creative mind as a sandbox game (infinite replay-ability).
- Appeals to those of all age ranges.
- Forging relationships - help social skills and teamwork.
- Multiple platforms.
- Not just one genre.
Video Games and Gaming
In class, we had a minute to name as many Video Games as we could individually.
After we made the list, we had to think of how to categorise the games.
This is the list I came up with:
- GTA (Grand Theft Auto) - RPG, Open World.
- FIFA - Sports.
- Skyrim - Fantasy, Open World.
- PUBG (Player Unknown's Battleground) - Action, Strategy.
- Cooking Mama - Simulation.
- Mario Kart - Fantasy/Sports - racing.
- NBA - Sports.
- Don Bradman - Sports.
- F1- Sports - racing.
- Just Cause - Action, Adventure, Open World.
- Far Cry - First person shooter, Open World, Action.
- UFC - Sports.
- WWE - Sports.
- Nintendogs - Simulation.
- FIFA Street - Sports.
- Minecraft - Sandbox, Open World.
- Fortnite - 3rd Person shooter, Strategy, Action.
- Rainbow Six Seige - 1st Person shooter, Action, Strategy.
- The Division - Strategy, Action.
- Assassins Creed - Open World, Action.
- Call Of Duty - 1st Person shooter.
- Battlefield - 1st Person shooter.
- Dead By Daylight - Horror.
- Watchdogs - Open World, Action, Strategy.
- Sims - Simulation.
Categories of games:
- Sports
- Sandbox
- Open World
- Fantasy
- 1st person
- 3rd person
- Strategy
- Role Playing Game
- Simulation
- Horror
- Action
- Adventure
Platform - different ways media is distributed.
Sandbox - creation/construction game.
The BBC
Radio 1:
This radio station focuses on providing young listeners with great entertainment, and a mix of new artists and songs which are trending currently. They say their purpose is to "entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech."
The target audience is 15-29 but also aims to younger teenagers. Programs such as Fire In The Booth on Radio 1 Extra provide the audiences with content from upcoming and trendy UK and US Grime stars.
Programs on this station:
- Nick Grimshaw Breakfast Show.
- Newsbeat.
- Greg James.
- Charlie Sloth.
- Pete Tong.
- 1 xtra's takeover.
Radio 2:
The remit of Radio 2 is to show mixed music with great speech service, targeted at a broad audience of over 35's. The station offers entertaining music programs and speech-based content including news, readings, arts, religion and current affairs.
Programs on this station:
- Chris Evans breakfast show.
- Jeremy Vine.
- Sarah Cox, sound of the 80s.
- Steve Wright Sunday Love Songs.
Radio 3:
This station is designed to offer a mix of music and cultural segments in order to interest their target audience of people aged over 55 years of age. It has a lot of classical and jazz music and has more relaxed themes in order to cater to its older audience. This station stays very true to the mission to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform and educate as well as being the most creative organisation in the world.
Programs on this station:
- Composer of the week.
- Afternoon Concert.
- Music Matters.
- Jazz Now.
Radio 4:
This station provides minimal music coverage and is designed to be a mixed speech service, with a wide coverage of news and other speech (drama readings, comedy, factual and magazine programmes). It is targeted at an ABC1 audience aged 34-39 year-olds. This station stays very true to the mission to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform and educate.
Programs on this station include:
- Midnight News.
- Shipping Forecast.
- Prayer for the Day.
- Weather.
- You and Yours.
- Six o'clock News.
Radio 5:
The remit of this station is to provide live news and sports coverage, to a target audience of mainly sports lovers from all ethnic backgrounds. It is seen as the main BBC station to bring listeners live and up to date news stories as they happen. Regarding sports, the station often has viewers ring up, or guests in the studio to analyse recent sporting fixtures.
The station has a multi-purpose to entertain, inform and involve.
Programs on this station:
- 5 live Breakfast
- 5 live Sport.
- 5 live Drive.
- Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy.
- Up All Night.
- Morning Reports.
Radio 6:
This radio station focuses on providing young listeners with great entertainment, and a mix of new artists and songs which are trending currently. They say their purpose is to "entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech."
The target audience is 15-29 but also aims to younger teenagers. Programs such as Fire In The Booth on Radio 1 Extra provide the audiences with content from upcoming and trendy UK and US Grime stars.
Programs on this station:
- Nick Grimshaw Breakfast Show.
- Newsbeat.
- Greg James.
- Charlie Sloth.
- Pete Tong.
- 1 xtra's takeover.
Radio 2:
The remit of Radio 2 is to show mixed music with great speech service, targeted at a broad audience of over 35's. The station offers entertaining music programs and speech-based content including news, readings, arts, religion and current affairs.
Programs on this station:
- Chris Evans breakfast show.
- Jeremy Vine.
- Sarah Cox, sound of the 80s.
- Steve Wright Sunday Love Songs.
Radio 3:
This station is designed to offer a mix of music and cultural segments in order to interest their target audience of people aged over 55 years of age. It has a lot of classical and jazz music and has more relaxed themes in order to cater to its older audience. This station stays very true to the mission to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform and educate as well as being the most creative organisation in the world.
Programs on this station:
- Composer of the week.
- Afternoon Concert.
- Music Matters.
- Jazz Now.
Radio 4:
This station provides minimal music coverage and is designed to be a mixed speech service, with a wide coverage of news and other speech (drama readings, comedy, factual and magazine programmes). It is targeted at an ABC1 audience aged 34-39 year-olds. This station stays very true to the mission to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform and educate.
Programs on this station include:
- Midnight News.
- Shipping Forecast.
- Prayer for the Day.
- Weather.
- You and Yours.
- Six o'clock News.
Radio 5:
The remit of this station is to provide live news and sports coverage, to a target audience of mainly sports lovers from all ethnic backgrounds. It is seen as the main BBC station to bring listeners live and up to date news stories as they happen. Regarding sports, the station often has viewers ring up, or guests in the studio to analyse recent sporting fixtures.
The station has a multi-purpose to entertain, inform and involve.
Programs on this station:
- 5 live Breakfast
- 5 live Sport.
- 5 live Drive.
- Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy.
- Up All Night.
- Morning Reports.
Radio 6:
The remit of BBC 6 Music is to entertain lovers of popular
music with a service that celebrates the alternative spirit in popular music
from the 1960s to the present day.
Its programmes juxtapose current releases outside the
mainstream, including music from the BBC Sound Archive. It should provide
context for the music it plays, and support live music and new artists.
Programs on this station:
- Chris Hawkins.
- Laura Laverne.
The sites that follow their PSB remits most clearly in my opinion are BBC radio 4 and radio 5 live. Radio 4 has taken on strong reputation as being a relaxing radio station with a variety of conversation to retain the same target audience year after year with very minimalist changes to their programs despite drastic changes in technology. Secondly, BBC radio 5 live has stayed true to it's sports fans by not adding things that do not fit with the sporting/news theme. They still have lots of interactivity with listeners through call-ins and expert analysis with guests after a sporting fixture.
BBC Academy Podcast
Preparation:
The BBC 1 Breakfast show will always be 'sketched' out, a basic structure is there, but its not strictly followed. Guests, competitions and interviews have to be planned out and revised before hand, and this changes daily for different shows. The intention of the show is to always make it 100% brilliant, to be entertaining, play great new music and be informative and to set up listeners for a great morning. Regarding guests, it works both ways. The BBC contact them and they contact the radio station. Or the production team may see them in the newspaper and know that they're 'in town'. Or the team will looking ahead into upcoming TV shows and films and invite guests onto the show who feature in those shows/films. If the guests are difficult, they simply wont be on for long.
Responsibilities of the presenters and producers:
Producers - need to have the ability to get on and understand each other and their needs. Thinking ahead of the show e.g going into a link after the next song, so for example a caller. Assistant producer will get the caller prepared, make sure they know what they're going to talk about and sound good. Also guests need briefing, telling them not to swear and not to mention specific brands. Another responsibility would be to make sure sound is good, so the person speaking has the correct volume. During the show, the team don't really talk to each other, they mostly check on what everyone's doing and making sure things run smoothly.
Team Dynamics:
They sit together in a small room, very close together, so team cohesion is very important. Getting on with each other as a team is really important to create a good vibe. Trust is also key. Because everyone's friends, they have a WhatsApp group to talk about what guests they want, and always share with each other what's trending, e.g the Grammy's.
How can you break into radio?
Get into a local radio station- working for free. Exposure to how radio works. Directly approach people in the industry and ask to get involved. Keep being persistent. There's many sectors in radio. Get as much experience as possible. Student radio. You don't have to be technically gifted. Finding topics that you like and that you like to talk about.
The BBC 1 Breakfast show will always be 'sketched' out, a basic structure is there, but its not strictly followed. Guests, competitions and interviews have to be planned out and revised before hand, and this changes daily for different shows. The intention of the show is to always make it 100% brilliant, to be entertaining, play great new music and be informative and to set up listeners for a great morning. Regarding guests, it works both ways. The BBC contact them and they contact the radio station. Or the production team may see them in the newspaper and know that they're 'in town'. Or the team will looking ahead into upcoming TV shows and films and invite guests onto the show who feature in those shows/films. If the guests are difficult, they simply wont be on for long.
Responsibilities of the presenters and producers:
Producers - need to have the ability to get on and understand each other and their needs. Thinking ahead of the show e.g going into a link after the next song, so for example a caller. Assistant producer will get the caller prepared, make sure they know what they're going to talk about and sound good. Also guests need briefing, telling them not to swear and not to mention specific brands. Another responsibility would be to make sure sound is good, so the person speaking has the correct volume. During the show, the team don't really talk to each other, they mostly check on what everyone's doing and making sure things run smoothly.
Team Dynamics:
They sit together in a small room, very close together, so team cohesion is very important. Getting on with each other as a team is really important to create a good vibe. Trust is also key. Because everyone's friends, they have a WhatsApp group to talk about what guests they want, and always share with each other what's trending, e.g the Grammy's.
How can you break into radio?
Get into a local radio station- working for free. Exposure to how radio works. Directly approach people in the industry and ask to get involved. Keep being persistent. There's many sectors in radio. Get as much experience as possible. Student radio. You don't have to be technically gifted. Finding topics that you like and that you like to talk about.
News Practical
Below are two Newspaper covers. The first one you see is an official Daily Mail front cover, and the second one is the cover I created, trying to replicate it.
1. The task we was given was to create an exact/similar copy of a Daily Mail cover in the early days of December. The target audience would be C1, C2, D and E readers, as they are the typical readers of the Daily Mail.
2. The research I undertook was for the general outlay and look of the Daily Mail newspaper. I looked for the typical colour, font and structure of the front page so I could
2. The research I undertook was for the general outlay and look of the Daily Mail newspaper. I looked for the typical colour, font and structure of the front page so I could
Bias In The Newspaper
1. Bias through pictures/graphic - camera angles, captions.
2. Word choice and tone in the body of the text.
3. Choice of writer (journalist) and sources - who is writing and what there beliefs are and who they have got their information from.
4. Where the article is in the paper - prominent or hidden.
5. Bias through omission or selection - whether an article is even published or not.
6. Choice of headline.
7. Use of names and titles (terrorist or freedom fighter).
8. Bias through statistics and crowd count (hundreds injured or only minor injuries).
Below are example of Bias in Britain's top newspapers; Daily Mail and The Sun. In the Daily Mail, we have the bias through statistics, stating that "tens of thousands" a number so large and quite clearly uncountable in the context of NHS meltdown, that it is obviously bias. In the Sun, we have bias through headline and through the pictures and graphics used. The fact that the headline contains the words "crash" and "wallies" adjacent to a 'low shot' picture of Corbyn illustrates how the Sun is aiming to be anti-labour and to portray the disasters of the Labour party.
2. Word choice and tone in the body of the text.
3. Choice of writer (journalist) and sources - who is writing and what there beliefs are and who they have got their information from.
4. Where the article is in the paper - prominent or hidden.
5. Bias through omission or selection - whether an article is even published or not.
6. Choice of headline.
7. Use of names and titles (terrorist or freedom fighter).
8. Bias through statistics and crowd count (hundreds injured or only minor injuries).
Below are example of Bias in Britain's top newspapers; Daily Mail and The Sun. In the Daily Mail, we have the bias through statistics, stating that "tens of thousands" a number so large and quite clearly uncountable in the context of NHS meltdown, that it is obviously bias. In the Sun, we have bias through headline and through the pictures and graphics used. The fact that the headline contains the words "crash" and "wallies" adjacent to a 'low shot' picture of Corbyn illustrates how the Sun is aiming to be anti-labour and to portray the disasters of the Labour party.
Screen Cast
Difference between Online Newspapers and Physical Newspapers
Here we have the front pages from the
Online News
Pros and Cons of online newspapers
Pros:
Pros:
- Free.
- Updated regularly (immediacy).
- Navigation (easy to find articles).
- Interactive (contributing comments).
- Can't be ruined.
- Can be edited.
- Convenient (don't have to go to the shops and buy).
- Notifications of breaking news.
Cons:
- Need an internet connection.
- Not available to those without technology devices e.g phones, tablets and laptops.
- Fake news.
- Comments can upset people.
- Older generation may have trouble accessing.
- Health hinder (strain to eyes and wrists, if using laptop/computer.
- Distracted by adverts and pop ups.
Newspaper Affiliation and Politics
Right Wing:
- Conservative supporters: UKIP (UK Independence Party), BNP (British National Party).
- Right Wing Newspapers: Daily Mail, Telegraph.
- 'You should earn what you work for and keep what you earn'.
- Believe in privatisation - healthcare and education.
- In favour of Brexit.
- Anti-immigration.
Left Wing:
- Labour supporters: Socialist Workers, Green Party.
- Left Wing Newspapers: Guardian, The Mirror.
- 'Spread the wealth - more equality'.
- Taxation of the rich to pay for the support of the poor.
- Pro-Europe, pro-immigration, pro-muliticulture, pro-gay marriage, women's rights and the environment.
"If you are left and want to change society, the media will always come and get you." - Owen Jones.
The 5 W's of Journalism:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
Roland Barthes
French theorist, philosopher and critic, Barthes died at the age of 64 on the 25th March 1980; born 12th November 1915. He's wide range of studies helped and helped the development of schools.
Roland Barthes developed the 5 code theory, which described the meaning of the text. He suggested that there will be one or more of the 5 codes, and that texts may be 'open' (interpreted in different ways) or 'closed' (there is only one obvious thread to pull on).
The 5 codes:
- The Hermeneutic/Enigma code.
- The Proairetic/Action code.
- The Semantic code.
- The Symbolic code.
- The Referential code.
The Hermeneutic/Enigma code (the voice of truth) - this code states that the story avoids telling the truth or revealing all the facts in order to drop clues in throughout to create mystery.
The Proairetic/Action code - this code refers to the deliberate restriction of the narrative and the way tension is built up and the audience is left guessing what happens next.
The Semantic code - this code points to any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning.
Tabloid and Broadsheet Newspapers
Codes and Conventions of Tabloid and Broadsheet newspapers:
Tabloid:
- Read by mainly those in categories C2, D and E.
- Large bold writing (normally the headlines).
- Humorous and metaphorical titles.
- Lots of colour compared to the black and white theme of broadsheets.
- Large images which take up most of the page.
- Advertisements (Cheap holidays etc).
- Known as 'Red Tops' as they literally have a red banner on the name.
- Mainly 'soft news' (reality, sport, celebrities).
- FACT: Average reading age is a 9 nine year old. (The Sun)
- The Sun, Daily Star, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Express.
- FACT: The Sun is the leading selling, 2nd is Daily Mail.
Broadsheet:
- Read by mainly those in categories A, B and C.
- Formal, high level language.
- Lots of writing, long articles (main part of the page).
- Less images (small images just to help with the story).
- Colour is very dull (normally just black and white with colour from small picture).
- Serious news, also known as 'hard news' (politics, education, economy).
- The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times and Financial Times.
Evaluation of Perfume Advert
The task we was given was to randomly pick a product and create a name, advert and slogan for it. Our product was a pre-teen perfume of which we came up with the name, "Agent Rainbow". Young girls between the ages of 10-13 was our main target audience as at that age they haven't or just started puberty and are not fully teenagers yet. Key selling points of our product was colour (through the balloons and party poppers) and the fact that the perfume was worn in bracelet form around the wrist; which would be ideal for the young girls as they see it almost as a 'cool piece of jewellery' to show off in front of their friends.
The Agent Rainbow team consisted of: Lee Wall, Molly Coppin, Olivia Smith and myself. We divided work well in order to have efficiency. For example, regarding research, each person got allocated a real perfume brand to research in order to help our brand itself. We then put together this research as a whole. Lee was the main director of Agent Rainbow, organising the scene for filming, the cast which was needed and also took a main role as the teacher in the advert. Molly was also responsible for this, working alongside Lee in the classroom scene helping him film and to organise the cast. Olivia, who organised props, created the storyboard and helped with filming, alongside Molly and Lee edited the final video and turned it into an advert. Myself, helped with organising and fetching props, making and filling in the shooting schedule, creating the slogan and producing this evaluation. In my opinion, I could have helped more with filming and maybe editing as I feel like Lee, Molly and Olivia worked really hard with that. But overall, I believe we all worked productively as a team.
We planned our sequence by talking with each other and listening to everyones idea's and coming up with an overall storyline for our advert. Then with the making of the shooting schedule, we knew then what to do, where to do it and how to do it. Also making a script and a storyboard was very useful in creating a successful advert.
The research which we undertook was on perfumes for younger girls which would be similar towards Agent Rainbow. Products such as Pink, Impulse and Hollister were researched in order for us to get an idea of how the pre-teen perfumes look and how they're adverts are created. The planning which was used was mainly creating shooting schedules, storyboards and scripts.
The initial feedback we received was very positive, people enjoying the advert and happy with the way it turned out. We didn't receive any negativity and people overall found the advert quite amusing and well produced.
Our product was wholly unique and creative and took on the challenge of creating a party in an advert. Along with the happy music, we pulled this off very well. The whole advert was pretty much how we wanted it and really the only improvement we would use is to add the slogan at the end of the advert, rolling across the screen.
From this task I have learnt that communication is key in order to produce a successful sequence. This is because if you communicate with the other members of the team, not only will the advert turn out better, but you will save time and make the process more efficient. Without communication, working in a team will be very hard and may cause problems creating a sequence.
Looking ahead, this learning will be significant because it means that when working in other groups, I will know that communication is key in developing a good, effective sequence.
The Agent Rainbow team consisted of: Lee Wall, Molly Coppin, Olivia Smith and myself. We divided work well in order to have efficiency. For example, regarding research, each person got allocated a real perfume brand to research in order to help our brand itself. We then put together this research as a whole. Lee was the main director of Agent Rainbow, organising the scene for filming, the cast which was needed and also took a main role as the teacher in the advert. Molly was also responsible for this, working alongside Lee in the classroom scene helping him film and to organise the cast. Olivia, who organised props, created the storyboard and helped with filming, alongside Molly and Lee edited the final video and turned it into an advert. Myself, helped with organising and fetching props, making and filling in the shooting schedule, creating the slogan and producing this evaluation. In my opinion, I could have helped more with filming and maybe editing as I feel like Lee, Molly and Olivia worked really hard with that. But overall, I believe we all worked productively as a team.
We planned our sequence by talking with each other and listening to everyones idea's and coming up with an overall storyline for our advert. Then with the making of the shooting schedule, we knew then what to do, where to do it and how to do it. Also making a script and a storyboard was very useful in creating a successful advert.
The research which we undertook was on perfumes for younger girls which would be similar towards Agent Rainbow. Products such as Pink, Impulse and Hollister were researched in order for us to get an idea of how the pre-teen perfumes look and how they're adverts are created. The planning which was used was mainly creating shooting schedules, storyboards and scripts.
The initial feedback we received was very positive, people enjoying the advert and happy with the way it turned out. We didn't receive any negativity and people overall found the advert quite amusing and well produced.
Our product was wholly unique and creative and took on the challenge of creating a party in an advert. Along with the happy music, we pulled this off very well. The whole advert was pretty much how we wanted it and really the only improvement we would use is to add the slogan at the end of the advert, rolling across the screen.
From this task I have learnt that communication is key in order to produce a successful sequence. This is because if you communicate with the other members of the team, not only will the advert turn out better, but you will save time and make the process more efficient. Without communication, working in a team will be very hard and may cause problems creating a sequence.
Looking ahead, this learning will be significant because it means that when working in other groups, I will know that communication is key in developing a good, effective sequence.
Club Advert Evaluation
The advert we had to recreate was the Club advert, but only the first half of it. My group consisted of Jack, Molly and Abby and myself. We managed the task with great efficiency, allowing everyone the roles they were comfortable with, whilst helping each other if needed e.g getting props or selecting the correct camera angle.
We planned our sequence before hand by grabbing screenshots of main points in the original advert and pasting them into a document, labelling the necessary camera angle and person needed in the shot. The amount of screenshots we used in planning was seven.
Factors in which we considered during the planning and shooting were roughly the same - such as the location, camera angle, props used and characters required. These were important factors as if any of these were incorrect, then the quality of the remake would be affected, we needed to make sure mainly that the factor of the camera angle was correct, so it was inline with the original. If the camera angle was slightly too high or low, it could've negatively effected our remake. We tried our best to reflect the same camera angles from the original into ours, and I believe for our first attempt of filming, we did well.
Improvements which could be made in my opinion was small things such as the correct hand the boy catches the ball in in the original. In our clip, Jack used his left hand whereas in the original it was his right hand - small things like this. However, it did not have a large impact on our overall outcome.
From others, we received an ameliorative response. People expressed laughter and happiness and were overall pleased with how our remake looked like the original.
I have learnt from this task that the camera angle is very important when constructing a video, especially if you want to remake. Therefore, looking ahead, I would like to make sure that the camera angle is correct/near enough for every shot.
We planned our sequence before hand by grabbing screenshots of main points in the original advert and pasting them into a document, labelling the necessary camera angle and person needed in the shot. The amount of screenshots we used in planning was seven.
Factors in which we considered during the planning and shooting were roughly the same - such as the location, camera angle, props used and characters required. These were important factors as if any of these were incorrect, then the quality of the remake would be affected, we needed to make sure mainly that the factor of the camera angle was correct, so it was inline with the original. If the camera angle was slightly too high or low, it could've negatively effected our remake. We tried our best to reflect the same camera angles from the original into ours, and I believe for our first attempt of filming, we did well.
Improvements which could be made in my opinion was small things such as the correct hand the boy catches the ball in in the original. In our clip, Jack used his left hand whereas in the original it was his right hand - small things like this. However, it did not have a large impact on our overall outcome.
From others, we received an ameliorative response. People expressed laughter and happiness and were overall pleased with how our remake looked like the original.
I have learnt from this task that the camera angle is very important when constructing a video, especially if you want to remake. Therefore, looking ahead, I would like to make sure that the camera angle is correct/near enough for every shot.
Impulse Perfume Research
Practical assessment autumn 1a from Great Baddow High School Media
The advert we picked was a perfume for pre-teen girls.
An advert is a notice or announcement in a public place promoting a product, service or event, or showing a job vacancy.
A similar example of a pre-teen perfume for girls would be Impulse.
Target Audience: The implied audience of this fragrance would be of the female gender and between the ages of 11-15. This is because the bottle clearly consists of the colour pink with flowers on it which are stereotypically linked to girls.
Language: The bottles lack language as a whole, but the images of pink flowers have connotations for young girls and females in general.
Representation: Young girls are being represented through Impulse as elegant, fresh and loving. This is mainly through the use of pink flowers which represents cleanliness and natural beauty.
The advert we picked was a perfume for pre-teen girls.
An advert is a notice or announcement in a public place promoting a product, service or event, or showing a job vacancy.
A similar example of a pre-teen perfume for girls would be Impulse.
Target Audience: The implied audience of this fragrance would be of the female gender and between the ages of 11-15. This is because the bottle clearly consists of the colour pink with flowers on it which are stereotypically linked to girls.
Language: The bottles lack language as a whole, but the images of pink flowers have connotations for young girls and females in general.
Representation: Young girls are being represented through Impulse as elegant, fresh and loving. This is mainly through the use of pink flowers which represents cleanliness and natural beauty.
Representations
The representation I have chosen for this task is black Americans. This falls under the Ethnicity category in the DR.CAGES acronym. Stereotypes of black, male Americans, would include something to do with drugs, violence, ghettos, shooting and getting arrested by police. 50 Cent's album cover in the middle can be seen as stereotype for young black American males. The top 3 images are of Kayne West, 50 Cent and Jamie Foxx, who started their careers being black American hip hop artists, and have had successful careers into other sectors of media too. Not only was all 3 famous for their music, but have been successful in TV, film, magazine and fashion.
Barack Obama, who appears at the bottom of those images, is a huge countertype for black Americans, becoming the first African American president in 2008.
Camera Shots
People who I worked with in this video: Calvin Godbold and Molly Coppin.
In this video, we as a group go through the different camera shots used in film and video making.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes are typical thoughts and feelings we as the audience have towards a specific group/theme. The audience will always understand them and who they are from actions/looks of the specific group and past experiences with them. It is a visual shortcut.
For example:
> Frenchmen - baguette, Paris, Eiffel Tower, garlic, arrogant.
> Scottish - ginger beard, skirt, kilt, fierce accent.
> Arabic - brown/black bushy beard, tanned skin, long white robe outfit.
> Urban Youngster - hoodie, knives, drugs, stabbings, violence, gangs.
Archetypes are the ultimate stereotypes. Archetypes can be colours, places or characters. Examples of this would include:
> Red - passion/blood/love.
> Green - earth/growth/environment.
> Wizard - has special powers.
> An island - represents isolation.
A countertype is a representation that challenges traditional stereotypes. Therefore, it is the complete opposite to an archetype.
A gatekeeper is a person who chooses what media is released to people.
Intertextuality - Using and referencing from other media.
For example:
> Frenchmen - baguette, Paris, Eiffel Tower, garlic, arrogant.
> Scottish - ginger beard, skirt, kilt, fierce accent.
> Arabic - brown/black bushy beard, tanned skin, long white robe outfit.
> Urban Youngster - hoodie, knives, drugs, stabbings, violence, gangs.
Archetypes are the ultimate stereotypes. Archetypes can be colours, places or characters. Examples of this would include:
> Red - passion/blood/love.
> Green - earth/growth/environment.
> Wizard - has special powers.
> An island - represents isolation.
A countertype is a representation that challenges traditional stereotypes. Therefore, it is the complete opposite to an archetype.
A gatekeeper is a person who chooses what media is released to people.
Intertextuality - Using and referencing from other media.
Steve Neale
Steve Neale is a media theorist and a British analytic philosopher and specialized in the philosophy of language. His theory is that genre is made up of certain repetition. His theory is that genre is made up of certain repetition and difference made in such a way that people know what genre something is by watching it, however, do not get bored because it is similar to another film. Such repetition allows people to categorise media into groups, like: horror, comedy, action, sci-fi.
(Steve Neale right in 2007)
(Steve Neale right in 2007)
Types of Audience
Intro to audience from Great Baddow High School Media
Demographic Profiling:
A - Lawyers, Bankers, Doctors.
B - Teachers, Graphic designers.
C1 - Office workers/supervisors.
C2 - Manual workers: plumbers/builders.
D - Semi skilled manual workers.
E - Unemployed, students, pensioners.
Mainstreamers - seek security.
Aspirers - seek security.
Succeeders - seek control.
Resigned - seek survival.
Explorers - seek discovery.
Strugglers - seek escape.
Reformers - seek enlightenment.
Niche Audience - very narrow group.
Stuart Hall - Reception theorist.
Audience Response:
Historical Competence
Living Area
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Cultural Experience
Gillette Advert
From the Gillette advert, it is clear to see that the implied audience is adult men, who are interested/looking for shaving products. The representation we get from the advert is that when using Gillette, men are able to accomplish many things people "perceive" as a necessity in life. For example: getting married, completing a race, doing well at job, having a baby.
Audiences - to generate money and attract the largest audience possible.
Demographic Profiling:
A - Lawyers, Bankers, Doctors.
B - Teachers, Graphic designers.
C1 - Office workers/supervisors.
C2 - Manual workers: plumbers/builders.
D - Semi skilled manual workers.
E - Unemployed, students, pensioners.
Mainstreamers - seek security.
Aspirers - seek security.
Succeeders - seek control.
Resigned - seek survival.
Explorers - seek discovery.
Strugglers - seek escape.
Reformers - seek enlightenment.
Niche Audience - very narrow group.
Stuart Hall - Reception theorist.
Audience Response:
Historical Competence
Living Area
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Cultural Experience
Gillette Advert
From the Gillette advert, it is clear to see that the implied audience is adult men, who are interested/looking for shaving products. The representation we get from the advert is that when using Gillette, men are able to accomplish many things people "perceive" as a necessity in life. For example: getting married, completing a race, doing well at job, having a baby.
Audiences - to generate money and attract the largest audience possible.
Analysing Images
Mise en-scene from Great Baddow High School Media
Settings & Props:
A. Spaceship, aliens, laser guns, space, planets, moon.
B. Hearts, candles, warm red/orange lighting, bed, rings, rose.
C. Blood, clowns, knives, guns, haunted house, ghosts, screaming, basement, dolls.
Facial Expressions & Body Language:
1. The facial expressions of the two men show that they are deeply looking at something; confused but focused on the object/person they are looking upon.
2. The body language of the white male, alongside the blood on his shirt, tells us that he is ready for a fight/already been in one or is currently in one. He looks focused and prepared to continue what he is doing. The black male (Morgan Freeman) on the other hand, looks more worried in his facial expression. He looks anxious probably for his fighter as he looks upon the opponent.
3. The body language (hands on his hips) and the fact that he's centered in the middle of the screen shows that this character is in charge of the soldiers around him. The stern look on his face suggests he has power and control in this image.
Positioning of Characters:
1. The fact these characters are sitting far apart from each other show that at the current time in the film they do not have a friendly relationship. The facial expressions on the man make him look guilty, and the woman next to him looks angry. Genre is either a comedy or a romance.
2. -
3. The characters are both mirroring the action of holding a gun, wearing the same suit and same glasses, suggesting they are part of authority/bodyguards. The guns they are holding aren't the typical gun used in modern films, therefore it must be of a sci-fi genre.
4. The characters are clearly not human- robot? This is because a beam of light/fire is coming into the back of it and it appears to be wearing some sort of robot helmet.
Settings & Props:
A. Spaceship, aliens, laser guns, space, planets, moon.
B. Hearts, candles, warm red/orange lighting, bed, rings, rose.
C. Blood, clowns, knives, guns, haunted house, ghosts, screaming, basement, dolls.
Facial Expressions & Body Language:
1. The facial expressions of the two men show that they are deeply looking at something; confused but focused on the object/person they are looking upon.
2. The body language of the white male, alongside the blood on his shirt, tells us that he is ready for a fight/already been in one or is currently in one. He looks focused and prepared to continue what he is doing. The black male (Morgan Freeman) on the other hand, looks more worried in his facial expression. He looks anxious probably for his fighter as he looks upon the opponent.
3. The body language (hands on his hips) and the fact that he's centered in the middle of the screen shows that this character is in charge of the soldiers around him. The stern look on his face suggests he has power and control in this image.
Positioning of Characters:
1. The fact these characters are sitting far apart from each other show that at the current time in the film they do not have a friendly relationship. The facial expressions on the man make him look guilty, and the woman next to him looks angry. Genre is either a comedy or a romance.
2. -
3. The characters are both mirroring the action of holding a gun, wearing the same suit and same glasses, suggesting they are part of authority/bodyguards. The guns they are holding aren't the typical gun used in modern films, therefore it must be of a sci-fi genre.
4. The characters are clearly not human- robot? This is because a beam of light/fire is coming into the back of it and it appears to be wearing some sort of robot helmet.
Vocabulary List
Types of Media:
TV
Radio
Social Media
Magazine
Music
YouTube
Films
Target Audience (DR CAGES):
Disability
Regions
Class
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
Sexuality
Genre (DISTINCT):
Describe
In Detail
Setting
Themes
Icons
Narrative
Characters
Textual Analysis - camera, editing, sound.
(CLAMPS):
Costume
Lighting
Actors
Make-Up
Props
Setting
Steve Neale - Genre Theorist.
Language
Industries
Audience
Representation
Semiotics - The study of signs and their meanings.
Denotation - What it is
Connotation - The meaning of it.
Example -Glee: Denotation=School, students, teachers, wheelchair, bright lights, stage, cast, theatre.
Connotation=Unity, togetherness, teamwork, happiness, different ethnicities/sizes.
Signs and Hints (Ghostship):
Actress wearing red.
Slow motion.
Music tempo decreases.
Everyone stands up.
Overview of boat.
Camera shots of wire, which is what kills them.
TV
Radio
Social Media
Magazine
Music
YouTube
Films
Target Audience (DR CAGES):
Disability
Regions
Class
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
Sexuality
Genre (DISTINCT):
Describe
In Detail
Setting
Themes
Icons
Narrative
Characters
Textual Analysis - camera, editing, sound.
(CLAMPS):
Costume
Lighting
Actors
Make-Up
Props
Setting
Steve Neale - Genre Theorist.
Language
Industries
Audience
Representation
Semiotics - The study of signs and their meanings.
Denotation - What it is
Connotation - The meaning of it.
Example -Glee: Denotation=School, students, teachers, wheelchair, bright lights, stage, cast, theatre.
Connotation=Unity, togetherness, teamwork, happiness, different ethnicities/sizes.
Signs and Hints (Ghostship):
Actress wearing red.
Slow motion.
Music tempo decreases.
Everyone stands up.
Overview of boat.
Camera shots of wire, which is what kills them.
- · BARB - Broadcasters Audience Research Board.
- · Binge-viewing- watching a significant amount of episodes consistently one after another.
- · Broadsheet- a newspaper with a large format, regarded as more serious and less sensationalist than tabloids.
- · Conglomerate- an organisation made up of two or more companies working together in order to achieve a common goal.
- · Connotation- what something could mean
- · Cultural Imperialism- promoting the culture or language of one country in another.
- · DAB- Digital Audio Broadcasting
- · Demographic profiling- dividing your market based upon age, race, gender and income etc.
- · Denotation- what we see when we look at an image
- · Diversification- when a company increases the number of/ the type of product in order to make it more diverse.
- · Google analytics- a service provided by google that monitors the web traffic of certain websites.
- · GRA- graphic arts
- · Horizontal integration- increasing the quantity of production in the same part of the production line.
- · Independent media- any form of media that is not influenced in anyway by political or governmental stances.
- · IPSO- independent press standard organisation in charge of regulating newspapers.
- · Media-watch UK- a pressure group formed to prevent the broadcasting of content that they find inappropriate.
- · Mise en Scene (Costume, Lighting, Actors, Make up, Props & Setting)
- · NRS- the national readership survey is a way to classify the audience demographic for the purpose of market research.
- · Participatory Media- is media where the audience can play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting and analysing content.
- · PEGI- Pan European Game Information which is responsible for regulation of video games as well as awarding age rating certificates to each one.
- · Piracy- the unauthorised use or copying of someone else's work which causes people to be wrongly credited for something they haven't worked for.
- · Psycho graphic profiling- dividing your market based upon different personality traits, values and attitudes etc.
- · Semiotics- the study of signs
- · Tabloid- a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet with an emphasis on celebrity stories and gossip etc.
- · Technological convergence- as technology improves so do the operating systems such as: TV's, computer's and smartphones.
- · Traditional media- The original forms of large-scale communication such as: newspapers, magazines, radio and direct mail.
- · Webcasting License- a webcast may be distributed to the public live or on demand.
·
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