Tuesday 12 May 2009

...Media Mock Exam...

Advert: Lynx Dark Temptation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZZiXU9Z98&feature=channel

Media Forms:
The high key lighting, with diegetic sound shows a medium shot of the main protagonist spraying himself with the product advertised. Also, the setting of the shot is in a bathroom whereby, this is the location were men usually grooming themselves after a quick wash. When the man locates the spray down on a surface it allows the audience to see what the text is mainly about. What’s more, the reflective shot of the protagonist in the mirror states that he is happy and almost confident after spraying him self with ‘Dark Temptation’.
The soundtrack in the text relates to the advert itself. For example: “The Sweet Touch of Love”. This links to what is being shown in the screen, which is called parallel sound. It is implying that the new fragrance ‘Dark Temptation’ is the sweet touch of love as if males were to wear it they will attract love from the opposite sex.
The lighting is mostly is high key, which signifies happiness throughout the advert. By the end of the advert the slogan appears on the screen, with the colour of the text being brown which refers chocolate as chocolate is brown. As it is aimed at men, it may be a link that the slogan is written in capital letter and it is bold as men are seen to be strong, big and brave. However, the bit in white which states; “New Lynx Dark Temptation” is that particular as the new product is pure white which has a connotation of purity.
Uses hypo-der-mic needle model is used, as it is persuading the target audience to buy this specific product. It is injecting their target audience with information what if they buy and use this item it will guarantee them to get the attention from females.

Representation:
The text is represented to be a patriarchal society as it shows men are in control and in power. This can be shown throughout the text were the women stop doing what they are doing and run towards the window to see the main protagonist walk by. Also, the advert shows that it is attractive to all types of women and not only the pretty and attractive ones, as the women reading her book outside the book store or library is instantly attracted by the dark temptation smell of the male. This can be linked to Binary Oppositions as the Whore Vs Virgin.
Moreover, it also represents men being a desire to women as females are dependent on men as they need them constantly. This can be shown in the long shot where two females are all over the man in the cinema and also when the man walks pasts and sprinkles the chocolate of the two female’s ice cream, this can indicate that he is going to make them feel better, near enough excited. It can also show that women have more of a sweeter tooth than men.

Institution:
The main institution is a well established deodorant spray specifically aimed at males. The advert can maybe be on during the hours of 6pm-9pm. This is because; these hours are most popular and are mostly likely to be viewed by a wider audience rather than in the day time. Also, the adverts main aim is to promote the product and make it seem desirable enough for the audience to purchase it. By, having the advert being advertised at prime time helps as it can attract a wider audience which may increase sales as more people would be aware of it.

Audience:
The audience for this product is obviously targeted at males at all ages. This can be due to, the way the advert has been promoting the product throughout. It has been seen in such a way, that very male may want to purchase this merchandise due to the female attention they may receive whilst wearing the chocolate scent. However, it can also be attracted by women as they may be appealed to the smell, which will encourage them to purchase the product for themselves or maybe a present for a male.

Tuesday 21 April 2009

...Analysis Of Spooks...

Media Audiences:

The opening sequence to Spooks have many different techniques that can appeal to a weekday mainstream audience. A way which this is shown, is the different types of shots that are being used within the trailer. Also, this can be targeted at a target market as males and females will be able to watch the programme.

Media Institutions:

From looking at the trailer, we as an audience can see that BBC is trying to educate us as well as entertain and inform and as a result the programme will be doing them three during the extract. Also, during the programme BBC will be teaching the audience something.

Media Forms:

The opening of the programme, is shown of a young female skipping with the use of non-digetic sound. This can arise enigma codes within the audiences point of veiw as they will be thinking who the girl is and why she is doing what she is. As this create suspense and mystry it makes the veiwer want to watch more and therefore get tuned into watching the programme all the time.

Media Representation:

Whilst looking into the trailer, we can see that every character is doing their own thing, for instance: the girl skipping and the mother cooking and calling for her son 'Adam', who is obviosuly doing his own thing. What's more, we can also see that their are two undercover spies that are looking at everymove the women is doing and reporting to someone, who seems to be after her or wanting to know what she is doing all the time. This can show a patrichal society as men are seen to be controlling and in power of women.

Tuesday 3 March 2009

...Analysis Of Film Poster - Hit Man...


The Hitman text is targeted at males who prefer playing action games and for people who own a play station 2 games console. The game is rated 18 and over, which shows that this game may contain blood gore and violence. The cover of the game has a central image of a half dressed female with a gun shot in her head.

This heading is ironic, as it says ‘Beautifully Executed’. This copy is ironic, as it connotes the female as a beautiful person but executed, this related to the gun shot to her head, the bruises on her face and the fact she is half naked. This shows she either has been raped or has been murdered. The colour of the game cover had one main colour, which is red. Red connotes love, blood and violence, and this is exactly what the game cover contains.

The love connotes to the sexy image of the women lying, and the blood and violence links to the gun shot and her damages to her body. The front cover of the game makes women feel inferior and link to her being a sex object. Within the game her role may have been as a female prostitute and she could have been beaten up by her pimp, this could affect players mentally, as they may give the same representation of females in reality as in the game. The text also raises enigma codes as it leaves mystery to the audience wondering; why she was shot? Why she was executed?

Monday 9 February 2009

...Analysis Of Music Viedo - Akon 'Right Now'...

In this brief analysis I will be looking at the music video Right Now by Akon. Whilst analysing this video I will be following the use of MIGRAIN.



Media Language
The use of the main singer 'Akon' walking in the beginning with security behind him indicates to the audience that he is in control and has power over others. Also, with the use of bouncers either side of him shows that he is an important individual. During the video he wears a suit, whereby the propps change to being a casual t-shirt when shot changes to the beach. Whilst the shot changes you can see the change in colour from being low key lighting in the dark club to high key lighting on the beach. This can show that the situation is more relaxed and he has got what he wants, in the case of the girl. Whilst the shot changes to the beach, text appears up on the screen leaving the audience with various rhetorical questions and the use of Barthes theory of raising enigma codes of 'why is he saying this?' 'What is the main narrative is behind his song?' etc. Whilst the text appears on the screen it shows flashbacks of the club and the beach at the same time showing that he’s thinking about the past. With the use of the beach it shows happiness as the propps are brightly coloured. The use of the back shot is a reminder of how things were. The women in the video lives in an estate and she’s not as wealthy as Akon himself. There is also a shot where a women is acting promiscuous towards Akon on a bed. The audience know that she is promiscuous due to her actions and the clothes that she is wearing.

Institutions
The song itself was written by the Aliaune Thiam (Akon) he was born in 1977 whereby his stage name was introduced.

Genre
The genre of the text is a music video which is promoting a song. The song in which it is trying to promote is by Akon.

Representation
The video represents a man who obviously reminiscing his past with his ex girlfriend. The women in the video is being represented as sex objects. The text also represents the two lives’s (binary opposition) that he can choose to live; the good happy side or the bad side. In the text it is shown that the good side is not the most enjoyable side and that the bad side is the happier side (richer and poorer)

Audience
The type of audience this music video may be targeted may perhaps be males and females. A vast majority of the audience being young from 18+. The music video may be in use of audience theory, uses and gratification: the audience may watch this as it may relate to the own personal relationship. The preferred reading of the text would be males as they maybe able to relate to the situation that Akon is talking about. The oppositional reading would be females as they may be feeling that men are degrading them due to the lyrics of the song such as “I wanna make love right now”.

Ideologies
The music video may have the use of propp’s theory. Good Vs Evil. The dark lighting in the club then switches to the high key lighting of the beach could represent good, and the dark lighting in the club representing badness. Also, Barthes theory of enigma codes can be used, when the text appears across the video which can have an influence upon the audience. This can arise enigmas as in why these questions are being said? It also can represent male dominancy in life (patriarchal society) as Akon has the option to pick the lifestyle he wants with women. Laura Mulvey’s theory can be related to this text because of the lyrics that have been said and the actions which have taken place. Lyrics such as “I wanna make love right now” can suggest hat women are only needed for their sexual attributes. Also, women are seen to be sexual objects.

Narrative
The narrative of the music video is a dual narrative where it shows Akon in two different lifestyles that he could be in. The dual narrative could represent the two minds that he is in; whether to take the good side or the bad side.
The narrative follows almost a non-linear narrative which shows the story of Akon and which girl he wants to be with.

Monday 24 November 2008

...Cross Media Case Study...


In this brief analysis I will be looking at the opening sequence of the film ‘Kidulthood’ (directed by Menhaj Huda) and will be studying the opening in a deeper depth. The genre of the film ‘Kidulthood’ is Drama as the film follows the life of teenagers in school and the actions of teenagers in Today’s society. The opening sequence follows a non-linear narrative which straight away raises enigmas in the audiences mind.

In the beginning of the opening sequence there is a lot of cinematography used which enables us to concentrate on a certain character or prop. For example in the opening sequence there are a number of medium shots which jump from one to another which show the audience a new character. This represents that the film will be a very fast paced film and also as there is more than one character being shown, that there will be more than the one narrative in the film. This distinguishes to the audience that the narrative is going to be about the representation of teenagers in school life. This also raises many enigmas in the audience’s mind as they may be thinking how are these characters? What is going to happen to them? How are they linked?

The lighting that is used as a backdrop outside when the students are in the playground is very dark, gloomy and grey. This could represent that almost a storm is on its way and is coming to haunt the teenagers that are in the school. Also, it can represent that in this school there is no happiness or love, it is all hate and turmoil. This links to an audience of teenagers at school as they may be going through some of the situations that are going on in the film. This could give a false and negative view of teenager’s life, as not all teenagers are that shown in the opening.

The setting of the opening is in a high school were there are teenagers are smoking drugs, bullying and sexual intercourses. This immediately represents the characters as rebels or ASBO’s which makes the audience think, is this what the characters are going to get in trouble for. This links to an audience of A and B social class for surveillance purposes. An upper class professional would watch this opening and say, is this what Today’s society has come to? This gives a false, stereotypical view of students at high school as most high school will not allow there to be any sort of behaviour like that.

The language that the characters use in the film is colloquial. The characters are talking amongst their mates in slang. This represents that the film is based in an urban rural environment where children have been brought up to talk in slang. This links to an audience of teenagers as they can relate to the language used by the characters in the production; personal identity.

In the opening there is a shot were a boy (Sam) in a blue hoody walks up to a girl, spits at her and then swears at her. This represents that the Sam is the bully and the girl is a innocent girl who is just being picked on n school. This links to an audience of teenagers who may be getting bullied at school and don’t know how to deal with. This reinforces Levis Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions and the in every narrative there are always elements of good vs. evil.

There is a significant medium shot in the opening were the teacher is telling the students to get to lesson and supposedly the main protagonist (Trevor) stops and stares at him, the teacher then looks away as he is scared. This shows a representation that at this school the students are in control of the teachers and hardly do not get into trouble due to this reason. This is then significant to an audience of teachers so that they are aware of what students can be capable and what to do if they react in a certain way. This scene assumes that students have the dominant power in that society and have control over their superior power within their environment.

In conclusion, I think that the opening to Kidulthood is very interesting and raises many enigmas for the audience and grips them into watching the film. The use of making the film start with different narratives make it harder for the audience to understand what is going to happen however if they chose to watch on then they will find out

Monday 17 November 2008

...How Is The Opening Sequence Of Two TV Dramas Used To Establish Narrative?...

In this essay I am going to be analysing the two opening sequences of “Desperate Housewives” and “Footballer’s wives.” “Desperate Housewife’s” is a comedy drama series created by Marc Cherry which was released on October 3rd 2004. “Footballer’s wives” is a TV drama series created by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus which was released on January 8th 2002.

In the opening sequence of “Desperate Housewife’s” there are a range of medium and long shots which show scenes from the previous series to show the audience what happened previously if they did not see it. This was done so that it captures the targeted audience of females who have never seen the programme and to introduce them and keep them up to date with the new events that are taking place. This follows a linear narrative which means that the scenes are linked together chronologically so that the audience keep engaged and interested and have to watch the programme to see what new events happen next in the programme.

Similarly, in the opening sequence of “Footballer’s wives” they also have a number of medium and long shots which introduce each character in the programme to give the audience a feel of what each character is about and what part they have in the programme. This is done to attract the audience into watching the programme as they will feel that they know a basic introduction of the programme. It follows a non linear narrative so the audience are unexpected of what scenes are going to appear next on screen and raises enigmas in the audience mind they may then watch the programme to answer their questions.

Furthermore, in both “Desperate Housewife’s” and “Footballers wives” there is a voiceover through out the opening sequence which help the audience follow what is going on the screen. This could represent that we as the audience are apart of the voiceover and that we are looking over on what is happening in both environments of the programmes; fourth wall. The audience being the fourth wall suggests that we are included in the narrative and it’s almost a secret for us that we have to keep in because we cannot tell the characters in the programme.

In both opening sequences there are medium shots of women that are living in wealthy lifestyles. This represents that the women are living in luxury of superior roles. This links to a female audience of A and B socio demographics via personal identity. This reinforces the theory of feminism as in the programme the women are the dominant sex in society. This then suggests that the programme is based on feminism and how women can be the dominant sex in society by challenging the stereotype of a patriarchal society. This make the narrative slightly different for both programmes as most media texts are base upon a patriarchal society; it has only been quite apparent for women having power.

Moreover, in “Footballer’s wives” there is a high angle shot on a women which focuses on a women in a bikini in a swimming pool who narrates the opening sequence. This represents that the women in the programme have a bit more power and they know everything that is going on in the programme. This links to a male audience as they may feel that the women narrating maybe acting in the programme. This proves Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze by women being objectified as sex objects.

In addition to this “Desperate Housewife’s” title sequence has a shot of a cartoon form re enacting of events of Adam and Eve, and Eve eating the apple rather than Adam. This represents that Eve being a female was the dominant sex as she ate the apple. This links to a female audience as they may watch the programme to re ensure themselves of having power. This also, suggests that programme is going to be primarily about females and how they are the dominant sex in society.

In conclusion, I think that the two opening sequences which I have chosen both have different narratives as one is a linear and one is non linear. However, they both try to put the same message across to show that women are the dominant sex in society.

Tuesday 28 October 2008

...Self Evaluation...

Attainment - 1

I would say my attainment is Excellent reasons being because, when I conducted my GCSE examination results for Media Studies I achieved an B one mark away from an A. Therefore: I think I put in all my effort to achieve the best for both me and the teachers satisfaction.

Effort - 1

I would say my Effort is Excellent because, I tend to do all my tasks set to me and hand it in on the deadline given, with the best of my ability.

Punctuality - 1

My Punctuality is also Excellent as I attend all classes on time and give a positive attitude towards learning new things.

Submission And Quality Of Homework - 1

The submission and quality of my homework, I would say is Excellent as every peice that has been given has been completed to A Level standard. Also, one or two peices have been given a Merit.

Ability To Work Independently - 1

I think that my ability to work independently is Excellent this is because, I think I produce well standard work when I work independtly, Also, I know I get most of the work done with a great standard of quality.

Quality Of Writing - 2

I think my quality of writing is Very Good, but can get better. This is because, I do present my work in a clear manner and include paragraphs and punctuation etc.

Organisation Of Media Folder - 1

I think the organisation of my media folder is Excellent becuase, I have divided it up into 3 different sections for the 3 different teachers that I have. Also, all my work is in order and all worksheets are up to date.

Oral Contributions In Class - 2

I don't necessarily contribute in the class much. However, When I know and am certain that my answer is correct or my point is vaild I do not hesitate to araise my hand and get more involved.