Good Luck Lads!

Don't forget to get some sleep!

All the best.

Rep of Nationality

Practice questions 22.5.14

Answer all three questions.
Study the screenshots from the BBC Olympics website.

1. Analyse the extract commenting on:

• Visual codes
• Layout and design
• Language and mode of address

2.
(a) Identify two different audiences for this BBC website. Briefly explain your choices.
[6]

 (b) Choose one of these audiences. Explore how the programme appeals to them. [9]

 (c) With reference to your own detailed examples, explore the ways in which media texts are
constructed to target audiences. [15]

3. Using your own detailed examples, explore the impact of digital technologies on coverage of events.
[30]

Use this to help.

Audiences are FRAGMENTED.

Practice questions 21.5.14

Exams are 2 1/2 hours 

You should spend approximately 50 minutes completing your answer to Question 1.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

The number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each question or part question.

You are reminded that assessment will take into account the quality of written communication

used in your answers.

Study the two film posters for Winter’s Bone (2010) and Unknown (2011).

1. Analyse the two film posters commenting on:

• visual codes

• layout and design

• genre. [40]

2. (a) Choose one of the film posters and suggest two different audiences for this film. Give

brief reasons for your suggestions. [6]

(b) With reference to the other film poster, explore how audiences are attracted to this

film. [9]

(c) With reference to your own detailed examples, which must not include the resource

material examples, explore why audiences may respond differently to the same media

text. [15]

3.With reference to your own detailed examples, explore the representation of gender in the media

today. [30]

Conventions of games covers

after looking at a range of game covers from the same genre of game, that there was many conventions that are in each game cover.

Front Covers:

In an analysis of the front covers of sandbox games, we can see that the main conventions are:

- Protagonist in the centre of the frame

- Title of game shown

- The environment of the game in the background

- Form of weapon shown (iconic weapon)

- Enemy of the protagonist

- Logo of producer

- Platform of game in iconic place

- rating of game in bottom left corner

- bright colours (colour shown)

Back Covers:

In the back covers of sandbox games, the main conventions are:

- small description/ insight to what game involves

- between 3-5 images of game play/cinematic scenes

- range of in-game characters shown

- game details in the bottom 3rd of the cover

- creative scene to set the mood (example; joker with spray paint/ knife in water for far cry 3)

- Larger image in the cover that isn't in a frame

In the game image frames:

- unique feature of the game

- Characters in the game

- Action scene

- Enemy shown when obvious (example; joker in batman/ lizard in Spider-man)

Conventions of a DVD cover

Tagline – draws the audience’s attention by asking them a question.

Iconography – relevant to the genre or images of famous actors, or even places – because the audience may recognise them from other films.

Industry reviews – gives the film critical acclaim.

Sequel – audiences may have seen the first one.

Blurb or synopsis on the back of the DVD cover – wording is sensationalised mentioning actors names and giving information about the narrative. It also asks questions to the audience to create enigmas making them want to find out more.

Bonus features – the audience is getting inside information about the film, the actors, crew.

Awards – gives the film recognition to the audience. Audiences want to watch successful films.

The production company – audiences recognise them from previous films and give them an indication of the style of the film.

Director – audiences might recognise the name from other films they have made.

Film classification – may attract the audience to watch an older or younger film.

Screen grabs – gives the audience an insight into the film.

 

Conventions of Newspapers

The Construction and Mediation of Representations

A news photograph for example may appear to be presenting us with a factual image but it has been through a process of construction:

• the photographer has selected his/her position, lens, angle,

exposure and framing before taking the picture

• the picture editor will decide if the image needs to be cropped, enhanced or in any way altered before inclusion into the paper

• an editor will choose which, of the many available photographs of the image, will be the one chosen for inclusion in the newspaper and, importantly at this stage, the images

which do not meet the needs of the text will be rejected

Even then, further mediation takes place:

• Will the photograph be large or small? •     Will the photograph be     on the front page or, less visible, on page 8?

Placement choices like this, along with cropping and framing, act to focus the attention of the reader in a certain way.

• What headline and text will be used to accompany the

         photograph?

•    Will the photograph have a caption?

•    Will it be positioned close to another photograph?

Anchorage is basically used in media to attach meaning to something through either the matching of words to images or the juxtaposition of two images which construct a meaning.

For example in advertising, an image alone is polysemic open to a range of interpretations. To clarify what the image means and so to make the image relevant to the purpose of the advert, text can be added. Thus the image serves as the 'hook' while the text anchors meaning. This can be said also for photographs attached to newspaper articles. The same photograph takes on different connotations with different accompanying texts.

Selection

Whatever ends up on the screen or in the paper, much more will have been left out. Any news story has been selected from hundreds of others which the producers have decided were less interesting for you, any picture has been chosen from an enormous number of alternatives.

Omission is knowing about something but just refusing to focus on it or bring light to the facts.

In 2005, the New York Times knew about the Bush Administration using Telecom companies (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) to spy on Americans. The story was held back for over a year as the Times received pressure from Bush White House to kill the story. The Times didn't kill the story completely but they did wait until after the November 2006 elections before they actually reported on Bush Administration breaking the law

Mediation

Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing reality, but someone’s version of it. This may seem like an obvious point, but it is something that is easily forgotten when we get caught up in enjoying a text. 
If you see a picture of a celebrity kissing her boyfriend, you may find it unsurprising that the picture has been altered and does not show the reality of the situation, but in fact we should bear this in mind whatever we encounter in the media. 
The media place us at one remove from reality: they take something that is real, a person or an event and they change its form to produce whatever text we end up with. 
This is called mediation. You should be looking for this with any media text.

What the BBC classified as ‘riots’ in London become ‘protests’ in Beitounya

Conventions of a CD Cover

Everything on your CD cover for production needs to be considered and based on your research.

Cd Cover Analysis from Amy Harriss

Give consideration of the connotations of the visual codes on the covers and the intended effect on the target audience:
Costume.
Facial expression.
Colour.
Body language.
Graphics.
ALSO:
Note any links between the visuals ion the cover and the album content.
What are the creators inviting the target audience to do?

Cd covers from ealeya

Album cover analysis from KristyWright

Codes and conventions of album covers from albeni13

Conventions of Magazine covers

We have covered a lot of this already but some of you need refreshing.

http://dls-media-as-1314.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/facial-expression.html

The generic conventions of magazines cover from jenmcnulty

One Main Image that takes up most of the cover

• Usually the main feature article. - Studio photographs as opposed to a paparazzi shot, 
• usually in mediumclose-up or mid shot 
• - Direct mode of address.

Masthead or Title

• Has a trademark, a unique font. - Usually consists of one or two words.
• Fills the width of the cover, or is in the top left corner. 
• Positioning statement – how the magazine positions itself in the marketplace against the competition - Price and issue sometimes near to the barcode, date near title this is often (11pt size).
• Puff
• offers something else to the magazine such as free giveaways
•  Buzz words 
•  usually with the main feature article. Used to attract attention e.g. “EXCLUSIVE, FREE, PLUS” 
• Barcode 
• This will be positioned at the bottom right, or up the right side. Along with it will sometimes be the date/month of edition, price, website and issue number
• Coverlines 
• lines of text on the front cover designed to attract the audience’s attention and make them pick the magazine up and look inside. 
• Main Coverline 
• This is the largest text on the cover after the title and it anchors the meaning of the image. Usually a sub line in smaller text giving more information about the article. Other cover lines are usually one or two words with sub lines explaining them. Some are used to intrigue the reader. These must represent the stories inside. There are only 5 or 6 and they are positioned down the sides, framing the image, so the main image is not covered. These are usually in the same font to create a distinctive design.
• Strip 
• across the top or bottom containing lists of items which feature in the magazine. This conveys the magazine is full of interesting stories and the audience is getting value for money.
•  Colour – often a limited palette is used with a simple colour scheme adding to the distinctive design.

Conventions of a Film Poster

How To Analyse a Film Poster

When analysing any film poster you need to consider the following points:

Begin by identifying the film and date of its release.

• Types of poster: Identify which type of poster it is:

The Teaser poster -This poster contains basic information to whet your appetite. It often does not indicate much about the plot, but may have a picture of the stars, and the name of the film.

The main theatrical poster- This contains information about the production personnel, the stars, and the distributors.

Video/DVD release poster - This one comes out when the film is released on DVD/video and often has all of the above plus short, one line reviews from relevant publications.

Identify the Genre
eg an action film will nearly always have images of guns/weapons, a Romance will always have the 2 lovers in very close physical proximity... etc...

Character Poster – this one features the main character. Remember that the posters could be a combination of two types.

• Images of the key settings and the main characters. What is the title of the film? What can you say about the way in which the title graphics have been written? Who is starring in the film? Where are the stars’ names placed on the poster? Why? Describe the key images on your poster. Why have they been chosen? Write about the images used - stars, setting, colours, symbols, (mise-en-scene). What do they suggest/signify? What other pictures can you see? What is their purpose? What are the most important colours on your poster? Why do you think these were chosen? What do you think the film will be about? Who is the target audience?

• Narrative: What clues are there to the narrative? What can you tell about the genre of the film and the types of characters from their facial expression, body language, stance, appearance and position on the poster? What makes you say this? What impression do you get of the character/personalities from their expression, clothes, props. Is there an enigma being presented? Is the poster composed of a series of images (montage, lack of perspective) Is the key image a still from the film?

• Colours: What colours are used in the poster? Are they relevant to the genre e.g. horror posters generally use dark strong colours especially black and red to represent death and evil. Romance films tend to employ lighter pastel and warm colours such as pinks, purples and other warm shades. Are the colours on your poster important? Why? What clues do they give about the genre, and how do they attract the target audience?

• Layout: analyse how the images are laid out. Are they are blended in without any concern for real perspective or size relationships between people and setting? Why do you think they are laid out like that? Do you know what the plot, genre and/or theme of the film is? If so, how? Most posters are portrait or landscape in shape. What shape is yours? Describe and discuss the title, font, typeface and graphics on the poster. What style are they in and where are they positioned etc? has the poster been painted and printed or produced using DTP ( mention how improvements in technology have changed production values).

• Written Text: scan the poster's written text. What does film's title and its font look like and what does this connote? Is there a catch or tagline? What does it tell us about the action, genre and attitude within the film? Who do you think is the target audience for the film? How has the poster been made attractive to these people? Discuss the billing/credit block. What information does it include about credits and information? Do we get information about who is in the cast, who directed the film, which company distributes it and promotes it etc? Where is the certificate? What does it indicate about the target audience and the content of the film? Does the poster list a website? If not, why not?

•  What is the USP (the unique selling point) in each poster? What makes it different from other films? The plot, stars, themes, setting or characters?

• Don't forget GENRE

eg an Action film will nearly always have images of guns/weapons, a Romance will always have the 2 lovers in very close physical proximity... etc..

• Poster conventions in general

General colour palette/codes throughout is essential for the poster.

Pale blue backlighting and fluorescent greens here relate to sci-fi genre. Other conventions relate to thriller, action adventure.

Correct choice of font and arrangement of letters to engage the viewer.

Connotations of words used should relate to the genre.

'Their Flesh is his Fantasy'

Coming soon or release date - at the bottom of this poster:

• Icons of the film genre - Gun and Liam Neeson on a plane here:

• Have a main focal picture to relate to

• Large title like Saul Bass' design here:

• Age certification

• Tagline
• A tagline must spark a reaction out of the audience without revealing too much of the documentary. It must make them know enough to want to see it but not too much that they feel they know enough already. For example; 'Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Water'

• Awards
• You want to entice the audience to go and see the film so having awards on the film poster which the film has won will help the audience to be convinced to go and see the film.

• Quotes and Reviews
• Most posters have quotes from newspapers of film magazines which again entice the audience to go and see the thing being advertised.

• Directors Name
• Often the name of the director is on the poster connoting their importance in the creation of this product. If the director is well kwon then prominence of his name will help to attract the audience.

• 
  
• 
  

Glossary

De La Salle AS Media Studies Glossary

Anchorage - how meaning is fixed, as in how a caption fixes the meaning of a picture

Audience – viewers, listeners and readers of a media text. A lot of media studies is concerned with how audience use texts and the effects a text may have on them. Also identified in demographic socio-economic categories.

Binary Opposites – the way opposites are used to create interest in media texts, such as good/bad, coward/hero, youth/age, black/white. By Barthes and Levi-Strauss who also noticed another important feature of these ‘binary opposites’: that one side of the binary pair is always seen by a particular society or culture as more valued over the other.

Catharsis – the idea that violent and and sexual content in media texts serves the function of releasing ‘pent up’ tension aggression/desire in audiences.

Censorship – Control over the content of a media text – sometimes by the government, but usually by a regulatory body like the British Board of Film censors.

Code – a sign or convention through which the media communicates meaning to us because we have learned to read it. Technical codes – all to do with the way a text is technically constructed – camera angles, framing, typography, lighting etc. Visual codes – codes that are decoded on a mainly connotational level – things that draw on our experience and understanding of other media texts, this includes Iconography – which is concerned with the use of visual images and how they trigger the audiences expectations of a particular genre, such as a knife in slasher horror films.

Consumer – purchaser, listener, viewer or reader of media products.

Context – time, place or mindset in which we consume media products.

Conventions – the widely recognised way of doing things in particular genre.

Denotation – the everyday or common sense meaning of a sign.Connotation – the secondary meaning that a sign carries in addition to it’s everyday meaning.

Diegetic Sound – Sound whose source is visible on the screen

Non Diegetic sound – Sound effects, music or narration which is added afterwards

Enigma – A question in a text that is not immediately answered and creates interest for the audience – a puzzle that the audience has to solve.

Feminism – the struggle by women to obtain equal rights in society

Gaze – the idea that the way we look at something, and the way somebody looks at you, is structured by the way we view the world. Feminist Laura Mulvey suggests that looking involves power, specifically the look of men at women, implying that men have power over women.

Genre – the type or category of a media text, according to its form, style and content.

Hegemony – Traditionally this describes the predominance of one social class over another, in media terms this is how the controllers of the media may on the one hand use the media to pursue their own political interest, but on the other hand the media is a place where people who are critical of the establishment can air their views.

Hypodermic Needle Theory – the idea that the media can ‘inject’ ideas and messages straight into the passive audience. This passive audience is immediately affected by these messages. Used in advertising and propoganda, led to moral panics about effect of violent video and computer games.

Ideology – A set of ideas or beliefs which are held to be acceptable by the creators of the media text, maybe in line with those of the dominant ruling social groups in society, or alternative ideologies such as feminist ideology.

Indexical sign – a sign which has a direct relationship with something it signifies, such as smoke signifies fire.

Image – a visual representation of something.

Institutions – The organisations which produce and control media texts such as the BBC, AOL Time Warner, News International.

Intertextuality – the idea that within popular culture producers borrow other texts to create interest to the audience who like to share the ‘in’ joke. Used a lot in the Simpsons.

Media language – the means by which the media communicates to us and the forms and conventions by which it does so.

Media product – a text that has been designed to be consumed by an audience. E.G a film, radio show, newspaper etc.

Media text – see above. N.B Text usually means a piece of writing

Mise en Scene – literally ‘what’s in the shot’ everything that appears on the screen in a single frame and how this helps the audience to decode what’s going on.

Mode of Address – The way a media product ‘speaks’ to it’s audience. In order to communicate, a producer of any text must make some assumptions about an intended audience; reflections of such assumptions may be discerned in the text (advertisements offer particularly clear examples of this).

Montage – putting together of visual images to form a sequence. Made famous by Russian film maker Eisenstein in his famous film Battleship Potemkin.

Moral Panic – is the intensity of feeling stirred up by the media about an issue that appears to threaten the social order, such as against Muslims after 9/11, or against immigrants, or against ‘video nasties’ following the Jamie Bulger murder.

Multi-media – computer technology that allows text, sound, graphic and video images to be combined into one programme.

Myth – a complex idea by Roland Barthes that myth is a second order signifying system ie when a sign becomes the signifier of a new sign (2^ndyears only this one!)

Narrative code – The way a story is put together within a text, traditionally equilibrium- disequilibrium, new equilibrium, but some text are fractured or non liner, eg Pulp Fiction.

News values – factors that influence whether a story will be picked for coverage.

Non-verbal communication – communication between people other than by speech.

Ownership – who produces and distributes the media texts – and whose interest it is.

Patriarchy – The structural, systematic and historical domination and exploitation of women.

Popular Culture – the study of cultural artefacts of the mass media such as cinema, TV, advertising.

Post Modernism – Anything that challenges the traditional way of doing things, rejecting boundaries between high and low forms of art, rejecting rigid genre distinctions, emphasizing pastiche, parody, intertextuality, irony, and playfulness. Postmodernism favours reflexivity and self-consciousness, fragmentation and discontinuity (especially in narrative structures), ambiguity, simultaneity, and an emphasis on the destructured, decentered, dehumanized subjects! This is tricky!

Propaganda – the way ruling classes use the mass media to control or alter the attitudes of others.

Reader – a member of the audience, someone who is actively responding to the text.

Reception Theory (Hall) - Preferred Reading the interpretation of a media product that was intended by the maker or which is dictated by the ideology of the society in which it is viewed. Oppositional Reading – an interpretation of a text by a reader whose social position puts them into direct conflict with its preferred reading.Negotiated Reading – the ‘compromise’ that is reached between the preferred reading offered by a text and the reader’s own assumptions and interpretations

Regulation – bodies whose job it is to see that media texts are not seen by the wrong audience (eg British Board of Film Censors) or are fair and honest (EG Advertising Standards Association)

Representation – The way in which the media ‘re-presents’ the world around us in the form of signs and codes for audiences to read.

SFX – special effects or devices to create visual illusions.

Shot – single image taken by a camera.

Sign – a word or image that is used to represent an object or idea.

Signifier/Signified – the ‘thing’ that conveys the meaning, and the meaning conveyed. EG a red rose is a signifier, the signified is love (or the Labour Party!)

Sound Effects – additional sounds other than dialogue or music, designed to add realism or atmosphere.

Stereotype – representation of people or groups of people by a few characteristics eg hoodies, blondes

Still – static image.

Sub-genre – a genre within a genre.

Two Step Flow theory - the idea that ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population.

Uses and Gratifications – ideas about how people use the media and what gratification they get from it. It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives.