L06

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jul/31/isthedarkknightsuitablefo

The main point of view of The Guardian is that the film Batman The Dark Knight Rises should not be rated by the BBFC as a 12A but as a 15 due to the graphic and violent content featured in the video. I agree with the article that the film shouldn't be a 12A because anybody under the age of 12 can go watch this film with their parents. This isn't suitable because the violence and the graphicness could potentially scar the child.

Passive audience theory-Hypodermic syringe implies that media has a negative impact. Mass audiences believe everything they see/hear (Adorno and Horkheimer). In the 1940's and 50's the mass media were perceived as an extreme influence towards audience adapted behaviour. This was linked to the use of advertising and consumerism. This model does not hold much audience positivity, it is a good method for a producer, politicians and also towards the use of marketing. In 1957 Vance Packard looked at the relationship between advertising and media effects in his book 'Hidden Persuasions' He believed the media were conditioning people to want products and services with consumerism. If they're influenced by this then they will be influenced by graphic scenes.

When the 'mass media' demonise groups, people or products that they believe become a threat to society, values and interests. This is called Moral panic. Stanley Cohen (1972). The group/products are referred to as folk devils.

Anderson  (2007) says that high exposure to fast paced violent games can lead to changes in brain function when processing violent images, including dampening of emotional responses to violence. this is known as desensitisation which is a cultivation theory.

Blue planet

NRS-National Readership Survey
BARB-Broadcasters audience research board
RAJAR-Radio Joint Audience Research

1)Print, Magazines, newspapers and e-editions.
2)They join with other companies to conduct audience research.
3)Primary-Questionnare, focus goup and survey. Secondary-Web, Book.

Blue Planet 2- 13,449,000
Gender-60/40 Male-Female
ABC1-60/40
Ethinicty-White British-David Attenborough


Dennis mcQuail (1972) discussed four theoretical audience pleasues:
Escapism -Escape from reality
An example of escapism would be the film Star Wars because it is set in space which means that the audience feel like they're escaping reality when they're watching it.
Surveillance-find out info
An example of Surveillance is the newspaper the Daily Mail who report on recent events that have been happening. The audience will therefore find out information.
Build Personal Relationships-create conversations and disscusions with others
An example of a soap opera which builds personal relationships is Coronation street because the characters speak to one another daily because they live on the same street and regularly feature in arguments and conflicts.
Create your own personal identity-To help to create your own identity
An example of a magazine which helps the audience create their identity is the magazine OK because the magazine focuses on celebrities and the audience may see these celebrities as inspirational and copy their style.

L03 Theories of Representation

1) Male Gaze

Women are made for mens pleasure. In the notebook Noah builds a house for

2) Hyper masculinity  

Ryan gosling is strong and fit. An example of this when he builds a house for Ali.

3)McConnell (1995) hypermasculinity 

How the media shows us things about society-Hence re-presentation.

Key Theory 1-Tim O'Sullivan et al (1998)

For representations to work, there has to be a shared recognition of people and places. All representations therefore have ideologies behind them. Ideology refers to a set of ideas which produces a partial and selective view in reality.

It is only a partial view of reality in the Notebook because Noah builds Ali a house despite them not being together for 20+ years.

Key Theory 2- Laura Mulvey (1975)

Male gaze 

Women are objectified in media texts and passive objects 

Audiences are positioned to view the women from the point of view of a heterosexual male.

Stuart Hall (1995) Alvarado (1987)

Western/White cultures continue to misrepresent ethnic minorities as in the media due to underlying racist tendicies. Eg- non-white as the 'other', evil, barbaric, pitied, humoured. 

The antagonist in my film is the parents of Ali who are rich. This has nothing to do with race just the amount of money they have.

Key Theory 4- Earp and Katz (1999)

Men are often represented as having tendencies of pathological control and violence.

Edward said-Other cultures are 

l05 data analysis

NRS-National readership survey. Print products.
RAJAR-Radio joint audience research
BARB-Broadcasters audience research
VOD-Video on demand                                                                                              

L03 sound micro element

Diegeis is the ‘story world’/world of the narrative. How real the diegesis appears is linked to the level of ‘versimillitude’ which means the appearance of being real.

My product is set in 1946 in North Carolina. In the scene Noah and Ali are confrontational which connotes their love through their argument. They both have American accents however you can tell that Noah isnt as upper class as Ali. The sound effects used in the scene is the use of rain to create pathetic fallacy.

Diegetic sound is sound that is coming from the story. Music coming from radio or tv or band or jukebox is diegetic.
Dialogue and sound effects-Tone, accent, dialogue-words that are used and associated
Sound Effects-off screen sound-when you don’t see something you hear
wild track-sound that is recorded when filming isn’t taking place
Foley artists create sounds in the studio for health and safety.
Added to create meaning.
Sound motif-sound badge

Non diegetic music-I’ll be seeing you-scene when they’re dancing

L03 Narrative Theory

What is the difference between story and narrative?
Narrative theory:
Claude Levi Strauss-Binary Opposition-Good vs Evil
Todorov (1977)
A story is a series of events-plot. The narrative is the way it is communicated and the meaning behind it.
Narratology-To study a text through relative theory.

The product I am studying is the film ‘The Notebook’. The main plot is about a couple who fall in and out of love through the years despite parent disapproval and the war. Despite being in different locations there love never leaves.

Key Theory 1- Tim O’Sulivan et al (1998) All media texts tell us some kind of story. Through careful mediation, media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves (as a culture) these are ideologies. Ideologies are the beliefs and ideal values.

In my text the ideologies are that everyone should have one love that means more than everything else.

Key theory 2: Pam cook (1985)
The standered Hollywood structure should have
Linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution.
A high degree of narrative closure
A fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spatial and temporal coherence.
Realism- verisimilitude

The enigma in my film is that the main character Noah goes off to war without telling Ali amidst an argument which means they’re split up. They then have the enigma of finding one another again after the war ends.

Key Theory 3- Tzvetan Todorov (1977)
Stage 1- A point of stable equilibrium
Stage 2- This stability is disrupted by some kind of force, which creates a state of disequilibrium
Stage 3- Action directed against against the disruption
Stage 4- Restoraton of a state of new equilibrium.

The couple are in love. They fall out because ali’s Family disapprove and then Noah has to go off to war. Years later when Noah returns from war he starts to make a house for Ali whilst she is is engaged. When she learns of this she leaves her finance for Noah and they die together.

Key Theory 4: Claude Levi-Strauss (1958)
Binary opposition

The binary oppositions in the film I am studying are rich vs poor because Ali is from a wealthy family whilst Noah is a working class boy.

Key Theory 5- Vladimir Prop (1928)
All narratives feature stock characters and that audiences understand stories because of such features:
Villain/antagonist
Hero/protagonist
Helper/supportor (sidekick)
Princess (the prize for the hero) not one that is rescued or saved.

Ali is the princess because she is the prize for Noah after he builds her a house.

Key theory 6: Roland Barthes (1977)
Narrative codes:
Enigma code work to keep up setting problems or puzzles for the audience.
Action codes work inform the audience in terms of what is happening in the next shot/scene.
Always a close up insert shot edit

The enigma code in the notebook

Feedback

Shot Types

Medium close up-Draws attention to key character. Uses a narrow depth of field.

Medium Long shot-Shows the character and their key props.

Crowd Shot- To show the difference between different characters

Extreme close up-Gives the upended key information about the narrative or story and helps them solve an enigma. Used to show fear.

Wide shot/long shot-shows characters in key locations

 Close up-Draws attention to key character. Use a narrow depth of field

Extreme long shot-Used to show a character in a location before an enigma

Enabling shot-



Connotations of a low angle shot-
Strength
Power
Dominance

Two shot-Shows the relationship between two characters

Low angle-Protagonist

Dutch Angle/canted angle-
1-Unease
2-Disorientation
3-Add to the spectacle/action

Camera movement-How spectacle is created
Pan-left to right or right to left-sets the scene
Track-tracking movement/action
Tilt-Camera moves up or down-exaggerates movement and action

Connotations of a high angle shot-Subordinate

Vulnerable

L02 test

One way that products are advertised to audience's in the digital age is via the web so for example social media such as Facebook which is below the line advertising because not everyone will see it. Another way that products are advertised is via the television. For example in between coronation street an advert for a cleaning product will be shown. This is above the line advertising because it is viewed by a mass audience.

One channel of distribution which is considered successful is the world wide web because in the digital age most people use the internet and most websites have pop up ads; especially on social media. Advertisements for clothing websites such as pretty little thing often pop up and are noticed by the person using the site which gains profit for the owners of the site. Another channel of distribution is through print adverts such as adverts on the sides of busses for upcoming films such as 'Everything everything'. This is viewed by a mass audience because a lot of people use public transport and even if they don't it will be seen in cars when travelling past or when walking to work. This makes the person want to view the film based on what they've seen. Another channel of distribution is the VOD which is where TV shows are shown and you can watch them at any time. This reaches a mass audience because the public have to pay to use these services. An example of this is Netflix or Now Tv. Furthermore, because people are choosing to watch particular shows it is successful.

Feedback

Use more examples in horizontal integration. How apple advertise.

PLL

Genre-Thriller/Crime
Sub genre-Physcoloical, death, murder
Key theory:
Patrick Phillips (1996)
Barry Keith Grant-All genres have
 subgenres.
Branston and Stafford (1999)-
Helps to minimise risk and predict expenditure
Blueprint to success
Genre conventions make it easier to market and sell products
Rick Altman (1999) genre offfers pleasures

• Emotional pleasure: Happy, sad, nostalgic ect
• Visceral Pleasure: Gut response-excitement, fear, laughter ect
• Intellectual Puzzles: Makees the audience think

David Bordwell-Any theme may appear in any genre.

Theme-The ideas, concepts and ideologies encoded into a media text...

Enigma-Problem

The genre of thriller and crime helps market the product because people know what to expect when
they’re watching the show and the genre of crime and thriller is popular. The marketing material such as social media pages helps to market the product. This product creates intellectual puzzles and visceral pleasures in the form of fear. I agree that any theme may appear in any genre because thrillers such as pll sill feature relationships and romance.

The purpose of camerawork:
Involve the audience in the scene or narrative
Create spectacle (narrative)

Close up-used to show emotion

Feeatures of Pll:

• Humour
• Fire
• Casual clothes and makeup-denote average teenager
• school location and house location
• Game pieces-props
• Dark Hoodies

The dark hoodies and the fire reassure that the episode will be thriller based.

Genre

Macro ideas and elements are made ups of micro elements.
Codes and conventions-Things that make up a genre of a product. Genreric conventions-tropes
Mise en scene-Everything in the frame
Camerawork techniques
Editing techniques
Sound

Set in a range of locations-space-fear of the unknown
close ups of the faces-connote empathy for the character
props-planes
costume-space suits
colour-black
lighting-dark
voice over
fear
music-sad
gestures-putting outfit on
Fire
death
explosions
Technology-high tech

Key Words

Technological Convergence-The coming together of media technologies to provide new services for the audience. e.g. the creation of smartphone (apps, camera, microphone, bluetooth, touch screen)
Synergy-When a company cross promotes across different platforms to maximise success of a product.
Cross Media Ownership-When a media company owns a range of different sectors. For example Sony own music, phones, Video games.
Black Box Devices-Smartphone or Sky box. convergence culture-henry Jenkins 2006.

Technological convergence has changed advertising as products used to be advertised through the television and on posters only and now the internet and social media are used to advertise a product.

Above the line advertising-traditional or digital methods of advertising seen by Everyone.

TV adverts-Above the line advertising
Social Media-twitter, Instagram, Facebook -below the line advertising method
Billboard-Seen be everyone

Below the line advertising-Advertising that targets individuals only.

Task 2

The digital media product I have chosen to analyse is the TV show Pretty Little Liars. Freeform, originally ABC family make the show who are a subsidiary of Walt Disney Company. They use horizontal integration to advertise their products through tv adverts, posters and merchandise such as lockets and cups. The traditional marketing they do is through Ident because they advertise their show on the TV and through billboards and posters for each new series. They sell their product directly to Freeform which is a short, traditional distribution method. They use social media the most to promote the show, with Pretty Little Liars having its own twitter and Facebook account run by the producer. They use this to do question and answer sessions with the public which helps engage the fans. Each character also has a Twitter account where fans can tell them their opinion on the show. Every week before a new episode on the Tuesday a trailer of the episode to come is put on YouTube which builds up suspense for the fans. This is the main method of new media distribution channels. YouTube, Facebook and twitter do this as part of a joint venture as they are not owned the Walt Disney Conglomerate. Across all media platforms the same logo is used to establish the brand and the main characters are always featured as this is what the audience know and they’re ideal selfs to younger viewers. The house style is always dark and suspicious which relates to the genre of a crime and thriller show.

Starter

1) Billboards, newspaper, magazines
2) Social Media, TV, Radio
3) Web reaches a mass audience. Black box-Henry Jenkins. Smartphones share viral.

FEEDBACK

L02 Research

Traditional methods by sector-

• Print-Pop up shops, TV, Billboard,Radio
• Radio-Adverts in newspapers, billboards, Local buses
• Film-TV, newspapers, billboards, film trailers (cinematic), reviews in magazines, merchandise disc and sponsorship 
• Tv-Newspapers, billboards, Magazines, ads on tv (ident)
• Video Games- Tv ads, magazines-specialist genre, billboards,
• Music-Flyers, Radio, Tv, billboards, newspapers, specialist mags such as melody maker, Q, kerrang,merchandise and sponsorship endorsement 

Digital Methods-

• Print products are now advertised on Social Media-twitter, Facebook, snapchat, Digital billboard, website, exaggeration, apps, audience participation-Henry Jenkins-conversion culture-Pre 2005-couldn't share or comment on anything. 1995-2005-web 1.0-not participatory-texts, calls. 2005+ Web 2.0-can put own content online-facebook, youtube ect. Web 3.0-2012+-learns your preferences.
• Radio-Capital Fm Social Media-Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat filters to advertise competitions and new songs, Capital FM-Apps. Competition example would be summertime ball tickets.
• Films are most popularly advertised in film trailers for other films with the same age rating. For example Boss Baby was advertised when I went to see the emoji movie. Another popular example is the tv where brief film trailersare shown between shows.
• Tv-Tv is advertised through ident which advertises new programmes coming out on  he channel you are watching a programme on. For example, you may be about to watch eastenders and an advert for the recent drama ‘Trust Me’ will be shown. They are also advertised in television magazines including when they will be on.
• Video games are advertised on posters and billboards before a new release is due out. For example with FIFA 18. This will also be advertised on the TV showing some of the in game action. Another way these are advertised is on social media with pages such as FIFA 18 to follow to hear the latest news.
• Music-The most common place to hear new songs is on the radio such as Hallam FM. Spotify, a music streaming site is advertised on the side of busses also.
  
  
  

L02:Key Terms

• Advertising- Marketing, information to the audience, creating awareness,
• Distribution-How the product reaches the audience-channels-shop purchases, downloads, cinema
• Traditional-Pre-Internet
• Exam Question- Identify traditional methods of advertising, To identify new media/digital methods of advertising. To explain the differences between between these, To justify why they are both used to promote digital media products. 

Research

Key Terms

Imperialism-Emposing one cultures views on another cultures-Rupert Murdoch. Not healthy because his views influence everyone else because he owns so much media.

Conglomerate- Made up of companies- these are called subsidiaries. Largest Media conglomerates-News Corp/21st century fox. Warner, Viacom.

Independent- Not owned by another company, operates and makes products by itself.

Cross Media Ownership- When a company makes more than one type of media product by owning companies that make different media. IE films, radio tv.

Commercial-Makes a profit

Public Service Broadcaster-Funded by public money (BBC and TV licence fee, channel 4 also has some pb remit-Must educate, inform and entertain and cater for a range of audiences-paralympics channel 4)

Joint Venture-Works with other companies. (warp and film four)-Mutually beneficial

Words such as structure relate to the 'levels' of the conglomerate or where it fits in the 'Ownership Structure'

The Walt Disney Company-conglomerate
A subsidiary is Pixar

Two Ways this can be assessed:
The ways in which different subsidiaries owned by the main conglomerate or parent company could cross promote the main product made/the ways in which the affiliates or joint venture partnerships could cross promote the main product made through what is called horizontal integration. A conglomerate is also likely to be vertically integrated.
These ae the three seps of vertical integration:
Production
Distribution
Consumption

Vertical Integration Example:
Apple make phones
Distribute them through there stores
Consumed Online through there website

Horizontal Integration
Apple Store, iTunes, Apple channel on youtube

Unit 1 Starter Task