P1: Media & Rep

 Friday 3rd November 2023

LO: To develop the language of media analysis.

Album Cover

Pop/Rock

Fans of genre/Music/Singer

Energetic, Loud, Confident

Shouting, Bright colours, 

In the first cover we see a man with tattoos and a nice necklace and watch, We can connote from this that this man is very wealthy as is he able to afford these luxuries, we can also connote from the fact that the man has child who clearly feels safe and both are very comfortable that it is a very calm and relaxed environment. While in the second cover we see that the woman has messy hair, is clearly shouting and has a very typically rocky motorbike, we can connote from this that this environment is far more chaotic and loud.

Thursday 9th 2023

LO: To understand the terminology and theory needed to analyse music videos.

Semiotics

 Silence Of The Lambs Camerawork

Close up of his face- Shows him as calm, creepy

high angle of him- shows him as powerful and intimidating

low angle of her- shows her and weaker and intimidated

POV Shot/High angle Shot of him from her perspective- Shows him as bizarre, sniffing, intimidating

Friday 10th November 2023

LO: To practise using the terminology and theory needed to analyse music video

Hayloft 2 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ZAVruZ63M

Mis-En-Scene

Movement and body language at the end is a perfect mirror of her father, showing similarities and her realisation of their similarities, The idea of an abusive father/parental figure in media is a popular convention that can relate to rock as it is a convention for rock to be intense and cover darker and typically emotionally upsetting topics.

Smoke everywhere suggests fire, chaos, the clothes hanging everywhere are all the same one her father wears, suggests she feels surrounded or trapped by him, desperately running through them trying to escape. Body language and expression suggest fear and panic. Again the idea of emotional stress and a dangerous and intense environment is a convention for rock as a genre. This use of smoke and an orange hue is very popular in films to depict chaos and it represents fire.

Camerawork

Low angle shot that  makes her look small compared to the house, making it seem intimidating, suggesting she is afraid or powerless. This kind of shot that shows the character compared to a much larger ominous being or object, making the character seem weaker and small is a very popular choice in media to represent fear or nervousness in the character. While making the enemy seem intimidating and scary.

Thursday 16th November 2023

LO: To practise using the terminology and theory needed to analyse music videos.

Gender-

Women, extremely sexualised, wearing very revealing clothing, sexual objects

Men, stereotypical, wearing suit, cheating

Sexuality-

Variety, but emphasis on heteronormative relationships

Ethnicity-

Wide range of ethnicity and representation, no discrimination, very inclusive

The Artists-

Sam Smith, High status, confident,

Riptide Music Video-

Indie Rock, likes to be different

This is America- Childish Gambino

Police brutality

Gun laws in america

School Shootings

Friday 17th  November 2023

LO: To research the set texts

Lil nas x- Sun Goes Down

Indie, Hip-Hop/Rap, Pop

May 21st 2021

https://genius.com/Lil-nas-x-sun-goes-down-lyrics

Song is about lil nas x being bullied and feeling uncomfortable about his sexuality and being scared to come out while growing up to a point he felt suicidal and that he found more comfort in strangers than his friends wanted "i pray that god would take it away from me".

Video is about his experiences and discomfort in his sexuality, showing the physical effects of this while the song shows his negative and even suicidal thoughts the whole time.

Lil nas x is shown as a god like being. Goes to younger him and sort of looks over him and supports him with his struggles, hand on shoulder, emotional support etc.

Radiohead- Burn The Witch

Art Rock

July 2018

https://genius.com/Radiohead-burn-the-witch-lyrics

Inspector comes to town that is cleverly shown to look very wholesome and sweet while the town prepares for inspection. As inspector goes around is revealed that many of the previously wholesome things are very disturbing and is eventually lured into a wooden statue that is burned with him inside.

The video suggests people being and unkind toward a new person in town. While the lyrics suggest a greater authority being almost threatening.

Lyrics suggest a very powerful and threatening authority, links to current affairs at the time, predominantly Donald trump various contraversal statements. May link to trumps prejudiced and negative view of foreign people.

Thursday 23rd November 2023

LO: To explore the purpose, form and conventions of music genre.

Burn The Witch

Camera Work:

Static camera, never moves

massive use of mid shots showing 2 or more characters

mid shots allow full vision of a character design and possibly intent.

Wide angles shows environment, town

Clever angles hide certain aspects such as the noose

Editing:

Static/Grainy effect similar to older cartoons

Stop motion animating suggests a retro theme

Mis-En-Scene

locations, town center, greenhouse, park

Costume: Townspeople wear fairly standard casual clothing, town leader seems to wear a robe of sorts almost cult like.

Props-

Friday 24th Nov 2023

LO: To explore the use of media language and conventions in case study videos.

Lil Nas X- Sun Goes Down

Conventions-

The colour palette throughout the song is fairly bright, especially in the prom scene where colours such as pink, purple and blue are very evident. This colour palette matches the Pop genre of the song

Intertextuality-

The representation of the prom and the high school environment as a whole was very american based and stereotypical, Large hallways, lockers everywhere, multiple stories. The prom was very typical in its display, bright lights. hired DJ etc. Another reference was the mention of Nikki Minaj as a very popular real world artist. Especially mentioned due to Lil Nas X's connection and history with her.

Main Themes/Ideas-

The idea of the music video was Lil Naz X showing his struggle and discomfort in his own sexuality when he was younger. This is evident through the song lyrics such as "these gay thoughts would always haunt me" and "send me a gun and ill see the sun". This juxtaposition between younger him and present him is evident through the visual language such as facial expression(Several close ups showing his discomfort/unhappiness).

Artist Portrayal-

When we see Present Lil Nas X at the start of the song he is shown as godlike, Walking on water, wearing all white, a typically holy colour. And seeming very powerful through use of low angled camera shots making him look powerful and almost all knowing. His position is similar to that of a meditive state suggesting he is extremely at peace with himself. We then see a use of cgi to have him control water, further suggesting immense power and control. The present Lil Nas X is also usually surrounded by purple which we can link to spirituality and creativity which match his profession as a music artist.

Thursday 30th November 2023

LO: To explore the contexts & representations in the list A video.

Presented as very confident and powerful, in the start, floating, seemingly omnipotent, low angle shows superiority, Confidence emphasised by comparing to younger version of himself as he is shown to be very unconfident, Crying in bathroom, upset with self etc. Seemingly godlike, almost teleporting around, Contrasted by fact that younger version is seemingly a very average and stereotypical american high schooler. White suit connotes holiness, realism of a closeted gay man in 21st Century.

Friday 1st December 2023

LO: To explore the contexts & representations in the list A videos

Alien keyring, feels isolated, prom scene all alone

Godlike, praying

Stanning Nikki Minaj

Typical teenage experience high school

Intertextual reference- typical galaxy/space sky in start, Taco bell, fast food culture.

Homophobia- Lyrics, talks about how he doesn't want to be gay due to homophobia

Prom- All straight couples, suggests heteronormative society.

in Sun goes down representations of the artist promote Lil Nas X through Sexuality, Culture and race, The showing of Lil Nas X as a closeted gay man reflects him as a person and his identity. In the line "These gay thoughts would always haunt me" we can clearly connote that he has not yet come to terms with his sexuality (at the time this music video is set, 2017) and seems to hate himself for it, "Pray god would take it from me". This represents the social and historical context of 2017, where people of different sexuality's and genders were not accepted as openly as they are today. This is emphasised by the prom scene (MES) where we see many heteronormative couples dancing while Lil Naz X is isolated, reflecting the heteronormative american society of 2017. While this is a very serious topic the music video itself delivers a far easier to process and less brutal representation, the music video and lyrics as a whole show his journey self acceptance and love, showing his values and beliefs. 

in Sun goes down representations of the artist promote Lil Nas X through Sexuality, Culture and race, The representation of race in Sun Goes Down reflects his life as a black man living in america. This is clear in the media language via sound, the lyrics state I had friends but they was picking' on me. Always thinking' "why my lips so big?" was I too dark?" while we see his character looking in a mirror and touching his lips. The Sound represents social context of 2017 america as racism and prejudice based on race was common and only beginning to be unacceptable. This also shows Lil Naz X"s values as he believes in racial equality.

Thursday 7th December 2023

LO: To explore the use of media language and intertextuality in case study videos.

List b- Linear Narrative, Expressionistic, Postmodern

Directed by Chris Hopewell, Jackknife

Xenophobia very evident in the country, Trump just been elected

Radiohead- Left wing, know for experimenting, 

Song was written mid-2000s, at the time referencing a campaign by the new of the world newspaper to publish the names and addresses of sex offenders.

Video interpreted in several different ways.

Criticism of authority, warning against groupthink

Warning about mass surveillance or threat to open discussion posed by the self policing users of social media

Attack on rhetoric of traditional values, used by right wing politicians,

Criticism of trumps policies

comment on european immigrant crisis

Based on the wicker man.

In style of trumpton, idyllic village who attempt to sacrifice outsider, 

Social commentary on the climate fear instilled by right wing politician.

Clear prejudice against those who are different through use of media language such as MES, inspector is excluded via his clothing and colour pallets, black suit compared to very casual wear of the other residents, Gallows, Woman tied to tree, sacrifice etc.

Mis-En-Scene- Town is presented as very idyllic and peaceful, blue sky, sunny, flowers, farming, natural, very bright, cute, clean seems like a very standard and "normal" town, very stereotypical representations for a rural town.

Rural life is depicted as very simple and positive, picking natural food, making food, no technology, easygoing, relaxed. Quiet, biggest concern is "inspector". Large idea of community and everyone communicating and being wary of outsiders and in this case sacrificing them.

Friday 8th December 2023

LO: To explore the use of ideologies & intertextuality in case study videos.

burn the witch- hurt anyone who is different

Aggressive viewpoint

Traditional values

Traditional country lifestyle

very happy

set in past

reveals something dark

Ideologies and viewpoints:

Juxtaposition of inspector in car and villagers doing their jobs, distrust of external authority.

Distribution of jobs in village conforms to typical gender roles.

Traditional band, festivities, and the shot of maypole suggests pageantry.

Name of inn is the speared boar, possible reference to lord of the flies, everyone capable of great evil

Mayors pride in gruesome events against officials shock

Shot of gallows covered in flowers, idealogical juxtaposition.

The intertextual references help communicate the social and political issues.

Trumpton & CamberWick green TV Series- Entire stop motion animation style is extremely similar, 70s Children TV Series, more based on camber wick green as characters and environment are essentially the same. Community values

The Wicker Man (1973)-  Sword dancing around woman tied to tree, horror, big wooden statue burned with officer inside, same idea of town being cult like and killing inspector. Masks

Lord Of The Flies- Inn name is the speared boar, possible reference, everyone can do great evil in right situation.

Hot Fuzz- Model Village, idyllic town but cult like, killing people

Migrant worker- picking apples, doing what told, look different to everyone else

Burn the witch by Radiohead uses intertextual references to represent their values, opinions and beliefs at the time the song/music video was released. A good example of an intertextual reference doing this is the music videos reference to Trumpton and  Camber wick Green. The animation style and design of theses 1970's children shows is almost the exact same as the music video, even an exact replica in some characters. Trumpton was also set in a town, similar to the music video. The music video for burn the witch is clearly inspired by these two shows, juxtaposed by the fact that these shows taught children community values while the music video shows almost the opposite. Additionally the reference to Trumpton may be a call out to Donald Trump and having a negative representation of something sharing his name suggests dislike of Trump and his extreme Xenophobic actions as president.

Another intertextual reference clear in the music video is the multiple references to the Wicker Man, a 1973 horror film in which there is an extremely idyllic town slowly revealed to be more and more sinister until they sacrifice the inspector that came to investigate a disappearance. This plot is almost exactly the same as the narrative of the music video and the statue at the end of both films are exactly the same and used for the same purpose, Human sacrifice. The idea of wearing masks and the sword dance around the girl tied to a tree are also direct references to the Wicker Man. Another Intertextual reference is to the Lord Of The Flies, the name of the pub in the town in the music video is "The Speared Boar" which could possibly be a direct reference to LOTF, in which the idea is that everyone can be evil given the right circumstance's, relating to the fact that the townspeople all look very happy and extremely idyllic but are revealed to be cult like and murderous. 

Another intertextual reference is the worker picking tomatoes possibly relating to migrant workers at the time the music video was released. We see that the workers immediately do what they are told (Waving when the old man waves his stick). Additionally they look different to all the other towns. This reference could relate to radioheads awareness and dislike of the imigrant worker situation at the time. 

The multiple intertextual references represent radioheads opinions, beliefs and values on the political context at the time the music video was released.

Thursday 14th December 2023

LO: To analyse the use of media language in case study videos

Connotations/ Denotations

Large statue, Sword Dancing, Sacrificing Inspector- Intertextual Reference, Wicker man, shows townspeople as evil and disliking unfamiliar people.

Name of pub "The speared boar"- Intertextual Reference, Lord of the flies, everyone capable of great evil, relates to evil townspeople.

Painting red symbol on door- The plague, Marking door, disease, negativity etc.

Idyllic town, perfect weather etc- contrasts the reality of the town and creates a mask for the evil of the townspeople.

Mistreatment of unfamiliar people and outsiders- A comment on political context at time of release, trump etc.

RadioHead- Burn The Witch

Xenophobia- The town clearly has prejudice against the inspector because he is not from their and is clearly different.

Individualism- Inspector is emphasised as an individual and different from the rest of the town

Globalisation- Lyrics of song suggests a greater power controlling everyone, music video suggests they have a personal authority that is unfairly enforced on the inspector.

Nationalism- Town cares about own community and dislikes outsiders

Globalisation- 

Lil Naz X- Sun Goes Down

Racism- Lyrics talk about feeling different

Equilibrium- Town existing, Rituals, 

Disruption- Inspector Arriving

Recognition- Townspeople dressing up the town to make it look nice

Attempt To Repair- Trying to sacrifice inspector

New Equilibrium- Town goes back to its "normality"

Music is more important than image

Politically motivated, educated and left wing

Radiohead:

Makes the town seem very idyllic using traditional representations, Beautiful weather, Very clean, Children Playing, everyone looks happy, Rural, Peaceful, Birds chirping- Peace etc. These stereotypes are used to show the fact that anyone can be xenophobic and it can be anywhere. Its slowly revealed that the town is more and more evil and xenophobic, ending with the town literally trying to kill the inspector because he is foreign to them.

Lil Naz X:

Very stereotypical representations of an american high school, looks VERY typical, Large hallways, Lockers, Traditional desks. Used to represent the environment as clearly and evidently american based.

First scene in video shows him as a sort of god, floating, manipulating water etc. Switches to very realistic representation of typical life, working, school etc.

Thursday 11th Jan 2023

LO: To explore possible questions and structuring exam answers.

Clear knowledge of what the question is asking, "intertextuality".

Accurately uses the intertextual references in the video.

Clear understanding of the meaning created/emphasised by the intextuality.    

How is intertextuality used to construct meaning in one of the music videos you have studied?    

Intertextuality is referencing a separate piece of media within a different media in order to create or emphasise a meaning or representation, while also being able to create things such as nostalgia and give a piece of media the ability to seem like another piece of media even if its totally different.

Intertextuality in Radiohead's "Burn The Witch" music video is used to express the artists opinions and viewpoints on the social, cultural and political context at the time the music video was made. Almost all of the intertextual references in this music video connote a negative opinion on the context at the time. Context such as Donald Trump controversial statements about foreign people, immigrant crisis and Brexit. An example of one of these intertextual references expressing the artists opinions is The Wicker man statue at the end of the music video, a reference to a 1973 film following an almost exact narrative as the music video. The idea of sacrificing the inspector in such a gruesome way simply because he is foreign to the town is a very clear comment on the social context of the world treating people poorly and having prejudice simply they are different. This idea is reinforced by actually being aware of Radiohead's opinion on this subject, making it very likely it is related. We can apply Todorov's theory of Narratology can be applied her as the music video follows a mostly linear narrative. Equilibrium was Younger Lil naz x feeling uncomfortable in his identity, the disruption was simply the god-like Lil naz x appearing and interacting with his younger self, Recognition is when Younger LNX is in the bathroom at the dance and god- like LNX supports him and encourages him, Attempt to solve is when younger Lil Naz X walks out the bathroom feeling more confident and dancing, And finally the equilibrium is Lil Naz X finally feeling comfortable in his own identity and sexuality, change is suggested by his eyes changing to that of the older , god-like LNX.

Another meaning constructed by intertextual references in Burn The Witch is the nature of British representation of community, especially in rural villages. The town in Burn The Witch is represented as very idyllic and replicative of older fashioned British towns. We can apply Levi Strauss's theory of binary oppositions in this representation, the town's idyllic and peaceful representation is emphasised by the binary opposition of country vs city, the town being so different from larger modern civilisations emphasises its effects, you could also argue that the representations of paganism and rituals suggest an opposition of modernism vs traditionalism.               

Unfished-  

Friday 12th January 2023

LO: To explore introducing theory in our exam answers.

Semiology- Barthes

Radiohead- Burn The Witch-

Denotations: Rituals, Bad meat, Noose, overall dark themes- Pagan rituals, cultic themes, old fashioned

Connotations:

Public execution, burning outsider similar to a old fashioned witch burning- Suggests that town has reverted back to much older beliefs and ideologies.

Lil Naz X- Sun Goes Down-

Denotations:

Camerawork- LIl naz x is always the one in frame, the main focus of the narrative

Connotations:

Younger him is constantly represented as isolated and alone- suggest loneliness and unhappiness

Narratology- Todorov

Radiohead- Burn The Witch-

Todorovs theory of a narrative being split into 5 sections is easily applicable to Burn the witch

Equilibrium: Town lives normally as it was

Disruption: Inspecot arrives in town

Recognition of Disruption: Town decorates and slowly reveals dark themes

Attempt To Solve: Trying to burn the inspector in the statue

New Equilibrium: Town returns to normal living, but is hinted that inspect is alive so further disruption may be possible

Lil Naz X- Sun Goes Down-

Equilibrium: Younger LNX is uncomfortable in his own identity, nervous around others etc

Disruption: Godlike LNX appears and begin viewing Younger LNX life

Recognition: Seeing him desperate to fix himself and hating himself (evident in lyrics)

Attempt To Solve: Godlike NLX appears and supports Younger LNX 

New Equilibrium: Younger is more confident in himself, more comfortable in his identity etc.

Gender Performativity- Butler

Radiohead- Burn The Witch- 

Female characters dress more feminine, given tasks such as decorating with flowers etc, Male characters given roles of power, Inspector, Mayor etc. Very typical gender roles performed

Lil Naz X- Sun Goes Down-

Lil Naz X represented as both masculine and feminine is not easily defined as doesn't follow typical applicable gender roles.

Postmodernism- Baudrillard

Radiohead- Burn The Witch-

Inn Name- Speared Boar- Lord of the flies, anyone can do evil etc

Wicker Man- Horror film from 70s, fear , horror, brutality, pagan rituals, suggests evil etc

Trumpton- Almost exact same animations style

Hyper reality of older ideologies 

Lil Naz X- Sun Goes Down-

Creates hyper reality of society being less accepting of sexuality and less of a focus on a personal building of person identity in historical context.

Identity- Gauntlet

Lil Naz X- Sun Goes Down-

His identity is clearly shown to evolve and adapt through the video narrative, his sexuality is represented as less accepted in the time music video is set but is far more accepted in the present. Online media such as this video allows Lil Naz X to represent his confidence in his own identity.

Structuralism- Levi Strauss

Radiohead- Burn The Witch-

Binary opposition's of good and bad, Inspector and townsfolk

Christianity and paganism 

                                                                                                        

Thursday 18th Jan 2023

Advertising

LO: To understand the purpose of advertising and the language used to analyse texts.                                                                                                                                                                             

Red- Blood, love, Seductive, 

Text- Hypnotic Poison- Magic, Witchcraft, Sans Serif

Clothing- Black- Witch, sinister

Perfume is right Centre, attracts attention, clear

Connotation- Perfume is so good, essentially functions as a love potion for anyone who smells it.        

                                                                                                                                                                      AIDA   

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Milk Ad

Attention:  Using milk as clothing, weird, bizarre, blue and white colour pallet.

Interest: Text- Tells about milk, positive etc

Desire: Primary female audience, secondary audience of men, male gaze

Action: Buy the milk         

  

                                                                                                                

Layout: 

Man is centre image, showing how he looks after using product, attractive

Typography:

Text on bottom- Sans serif font, simple, smaller, doesn't want to draw attention away from main image, meant to be a secondary interest after looking at first image. 

Language:

Direct Address- You

"precision" quality product etc

Imagery/Mis-En-Scene:

Close up static straight on shot, Directly looking at audience, all features in clear view, showing off how he looks after using product. Leather jacket- Cool

Colour:

Colour pallet of black and dark blue/grey, very masculine, serious colours.

Slogan/Brand Identity:

Slogan- The best a man can get- Target audience of men

Logo- Very simplistic sans seriff font, masculine

Colour Pallet-  Masculine, fits with target audience.

Advertising:

Lynx's new fragrance called click

Message

People counter with 1930- Suggests he has slept with 1930 people with help from lynx helping him smell good.

No matter who you are or what you look like, this fragrance will help you seem very attractive.

How have they constructed 

Main image central, showing smug expression, clearly portrayed as not a very stereotypically attractive male.

Plain background, emphasis on main image, portrays him as a regular and standard person.

Nigh club people counter (Mis-En-Scene)- Very suggestive, not immediately evident what is suggested when first seen, placed center bottom to draw attention to it but not take away emphasis from the main image.

Thursday 25th January 2024

Dirt

LO: To reflect and improve on analytical structure and content.

Direct Address- 

She is maintaining direct eye contact with viewer along with a very intense look and references to danger and poison and hypnotic themes gives a medusa esc feel for the advertisement along the cliche of people being able to hypnotise with their eyes.

Edited Gold/Yellow Eyes- Again referencing the cliche of hypnotism via the eyes by emphasising the eyes by making them an unnatural colour makes them seem magical and intimidating, makes her as a whole seem more enchanting and mysterious.

Serif black lower case text of brand at top-

Extremely simple font and size for the brand name in order to not take away the emphasis and eye catching capability of the main image while maintaining with the contrasting and dominant red and black colour palette. 

Clearly advertising that levi's brand can make someone suitably tough for any sort of intense situation, suggesting the message that wearing this brand will make you look and feel much stronger and boost your confidence, suggested by slogan. This message is clearly constructed by various placements within the poster. The clear mid shot used to him in a clearly intense situation but also showing a fairly calm expression showing that he is confident and tough in the face of whatever clearly uncomfortable situation he is in. The "toughness" is clearly shown via the Mis-En-Scene of him being extremely dirty, covered in mud, maybe bloody, messy hair, all of this suggests that he has potentially been involved in a fight and has won or at least has definitely been involved in an extremely violent and dangerous circumstance, linking back to the brands message off being tough in the face of such dangers.

Representation

LO: To explore how representations are constructed in advertising.

Friday 26th January 2023

Potential representation of a higher class as she is personally advertising an expensive skincare product so presumably she can use and afford it.

Shown to be a fairly young woman, 20s, very stereotypically attractive. Representation of young people

Female representation, sexualised, wearing little clothing, male gaze etc.

Dominant meaning: Buy this product so i can look as attractive as her.

Very stereotypical masculine/male representation, rough, aggressive, intense, uncaring, unfazed. Shown to be in a uncomfortable and intense situation but is still going on, victory etc. Slogan talking about toughness, male stereotypical representation of being tough and brave.

Suggests a higher class as main image is a very famous actor, tries to represent the higher class as compassionate and caring as is talking about getting rid of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Shown as fairly masculine stereotype, looking serious, mature, physically well

An older male, represented as mature, experienced, wise

Exam Set Texts

Dove: Beautifully Real Mums 2017

Unattainable images of "perfect" mums.

Pressure to be perfect, feeling inadequate.

being real is more important than being perfect.

Photography of realistic mothers lifes 

Established in 1957 in the us, released extremely successful cleansing bar, produces skincare and bodily healthy products.

Heavily promotes body positivity, making people more confident in themselves, no discrimination of gender, race, backgrounds etc

Previous campaign, ShowUs campaign, creates a huge collection of images containing a huge amount of diversity in age, ethnicity, disabilities and an overall inclusive version of "beauty" free for any media and advertisers to use. NoLikesNeeded- Create a more positive representation of beauty in social media.

Campaign includes promoting mothers self love and positivity, shames media representation of unattainable "perfect" mums. Promotes realistic motherhood and the beauty in it.

Have a product line that can compete in a market where J&J have 63.7% market shares

Enable real people to see themselves represented in adverts

Shot Type: Wide Mid Shot- clearly establish woman as a mother as shows her and all her children, shows chaotic nature of children, deep focus

Slogan: Real Life, Real Beauty- placed top right in order not to take away from main image, shown as an explanation for the ad, repetition of real reinforces purpose of campaign.

Typeface: Sans Serif- Clear, soft, easy to read, relaxed 

Costume- All dressed very casually and comfortably, realism of what would be worn at home.

Hashtag- Beautifullyrealmoms- allows a quick way to research and find out more about the campaign

Lifestyle- Motherhood, Middle class

Logo- Shows a dove, bird of tranquility and calm

Location-- In a home,, unidentified location, showing what an average day in the house is for this mother

Product- No product advertised, more focus on promoting the brand and its values, popularity 

Anchorage- RealLife RealBeauty- relates to the image, saying that this realistic representation is beauty and typical unattainable representation are negative. 'real" amplified by image

Colour Pallet- Soft, smooth, relaxed

Beauty Appeal-

Persuasive Language-

River Island: Labels are for clothes 

Founded in 1949, focuses on womenswear but has menswear and kidswear as less promoted sub-focuses. 

Bring new and original fashion to everyone without discrimination, promote inclusivity in their clothing.

Campaign includes promoting fashion with models of huge inclusivity of age, gender ethnicity, disabled etc.

Campaigns: Meet The Models, get a more personal look into the kind of people the models are, recorded interviews with casual questions to get a look at the models personality.

Large variety of representation, ethnicity, disability, gender.

Shouldn't be discrimination 

Shelter: A Home For everyone 2011

Found in 1966, helps people who fear for their homes or do not have anywhere to sleep or suffer abuse in their home,

Help everyone without discrimination, try and help everyone have a safe place to call home. 

Mortgage crisis in 2011, many people unable to afford their own homes, home prices plummet, causing sever economic repressions 

Awareness

Supporting people who fear losing their homes.

Friday 2nd February 2024

Motherhood- beauty, chaotic nature of children,  Asian, Happy family

Positive

Stereotypical single mother, stereotypes of children being chaotic and messy.

Media language such as the slogan and hashtag use the z method of how an audience observes a still image to order it in such a way that the viewer sees what the ads point/goal is, sees the ad itself, and then sees how to learn more.

Overall media language has been used construct the ad to match a realistic representation of motherhood, specifically a fairly soft tone that suggests happiness and peace. Language techniques such as Colour Palette, costume, typeface and anchorage create this tone.

Asian is an underrepresented group, especially inn beauty adverts that are predominantly dominated by white models.

Challenges dominance of celebrity culture, no models

Breaks down traditional stereotypes of motherhood and women in general.

👀

💋

Thursday 9th February 2024

Stereotypical views of mothers

Full attention to children, stay at home, dont work

Looked perfect, glamorised

Ideal bodies

Celebrity Culture- Extremely glamorised with perfect bodies, representation

Concept of motherhood understanding

Despite changing attitudes about parenting, mothers still seen as primary caregiverrs and held to a higher standard than male parents.

What do we associate with millennials

Those people are most likely to be mothers at the the time

First generation of digital natives

Constant stream of celebrities, idealistic body images, regardless of gender

Created by Studio BLVD

Diverse campaign that features people of various ages, gender, ethnicity and ability.

Challenging societal and global stereotypes by featuring underrepresented groups.

Wanted to show their clothes are for everyone.

Paired with anti bullying charity called ditch the label and created inclusive t shirts and sweatshirts.

Campaign Objectives

Challenge outdated stereotypes

Promote inclusivity and diversity

Celebrate individuality and not define individuals by their ability or stereotypes

Shot Type- Medium Long Shot- Shows clear disability in person and clothing

Slogan- Smooth Moves Only- Smooth suggest nicely fitting, satisfying, Smooth for movement in a wheelchair

Typeface- Bold Sans Serif- easy to read, slightly informal

Costume- Casual, Cool- relaxed environment, relates to "Smooth"

Hashtag- LabelsAreForClothes- promoting campaign, gives access to more info about campaign, shouldn't prejudice against underrepresented groups

Lifestyle- Disabled, in wheelchair, still positive, middle class, anyone can be fashionable

Logo- Bottom of poster, second thing to look at, identifies brand, unnecessary but still there, Website- more people shop online

Location- Plain red background, shootout set- tame, calm, clean, studio- suggests a model

Product- Clothing on guy- looks nice, promotes product

Anchorage- Smooth Moves Only-  Links to wheelchair- Labelsareforclothes- No prejudice against underrepresented groups

Composition and Layout- Standard layout for poster, reliable, looks clean and effective, Main image center, Logo at bottom, Slogan in center, draws attention, read top to bottom, see logo last

Colour Palette- Red- Romance, Smooth etc Black, White, brown- Darker colours, sleek, cool, calm, Gold- Money, status, power

Beauty Appeal- Natural beauty with disability- Proud, Well groomed- facial hair etc, conventionally attractive 

Persuasive Language- Direct Address- model looking at audience

 Typical Representations:

Skinny

Tall

Slim

No Imperfections

Some ethnic variation

Disabled model looking fashionable and proud, positive attitude despite disability, looks very happy and positively represented

Very positive representation, Looks happy, Looks conventionally attractive, described as smooth, positively complimented.

Stereotypes of conventional attractiveness, well groomed, well styled and fashionable etc, stereotypes of typical french men being romantic and smooth, enhances conventional attractiveness.

Media Language- Medium long shot used to show him in a wheelchair and show the river island product.

Disabled Groups Representations:

Weaker, Dependent, not represented at all, needing support etc

Thursday 22nd February 2024

Consumerism- Promoting the brand to buy clothes

Celebrity Culture- Jordan louche, famous basketball player, interests viewers, not a massively famous person, suffering from disability

Ableism- Features a disabled man on poster, looking happy, fashionable etc

Individualism- removes idea of individualism, everyone should be equal etc

Multiculturalism- French model on ad

Diversity more accepted, more equality among cultures

Millennials are digital natives 

Thursday 22nd February 2024

Analysis and Context

LO: To analyse context and codes and conventions in the shelter advert

Typical conventions of charity campaigns:

Close up shot

Eyes stare out- Direct Address

Washed out colour- Drab/harsh life

Direct Address- imperative of now

Logo/Brand- Reputable, Respected 

Very specific target Audience:

People who have homes that are at risk and are unaware of their rights and require support (Legal, financial, emotional)

Created by Amplify on a pro-bono basis

3 posters that depict different personal situations changing and struggling

All posters say "We can help"

Differences between charity and commercial adverts:

Commercial adverts target people in a comfortable financial and personal situation that can afford their product without worrying, being totally ignored by people who are struggling in their own personal situation. While charity adverts are directly aimed at people who are struggling and offering help, but being very serious and also trying to get the attention of more comfortably situated people through things like emotive language to help those who are less fortunate. Commercial adverts use media techniques to peak positive interest in audiences through techniques such as a strong colour pallet while charity ads peak negative interest and try to create empathy in audiences using direct address, muted colour pallet, close ups etc. Commercial ads aim to sell a product for that companys financial gain while charity ads try to ask for help from those who are able to support those who are struggling and are generally more selfless. Charity ads also tend to contain more text to explain in detail the unhappiness of those who are struggling to effectively evoke empathy in the audience while commercial ads are much more short and sweet, trying to quickly evoke interest in audiences for personal financial gain. Commercial ads also vary alot in their style and layout using a variety of styles and positioning in their ads to seem interesting and more fun while charity ads tend to be very similar in their conventions in order to be more serious and emotionally matching the upsetting topics they are talking about.

 

Challenge outdated stereotypes of homelessness

Raise awareness for their respective charity

Shot Type- Big Close up, shows entire facial expression, shows emotion of people, blank, unhappy stare, evoke empathy

Slogan- We Can Help- Constantly offering support to people who need, making themselves known

Typeface- Sans Serif- Very simple font, east to read, matches serious tone

Text- Targets specific personal situations in order to target a specific group of people who need that type of support.

Lifestyle- Struggling in their situation, lower or middle class, struggling and need support

Logo- Very simple, V is a house, relates to their goals to help those who are homeless, easy to understand, serious

Anchorage- "Where will we live" "They cant do that" and "I cant face it" relate to real life personal and specific situations of people who are struggling with homelessness

Composition and Layout- Main image and text central to image to evoke interest and empathy in audiences, text at bottom read second to understand goals and what they offer. Details at bottom for anyone interested to communicate.

Colour Pallet- Red, White and Black, very plain pallet, suggests serious tone, red could suggest negativity (Blood, violence, etc). Red contrast brings attention to text, important part of image

Persuasive Language- Big Close Up, shows in detail facial expression, feels personal, direct address in plain stare at camera, typical conventions of charity ads, Evokes empathy in audience for these people and make them feel inclined to support. Rhetorical question, urges audiences to consider, crates sympathy. 

Genre Conventions of charity ads- Close up, Blank plain stare, Direct address, Plain/washed out colours, Logo is very simple, serious.

Friday 23rd February 2024

Representation

People who are in struggling financial situations and are risk of homelessness, people who are generally struggling financially and are losing their home.

Very negative representation, shows extreme struggling, discomfort and desperation,  and how these circumstances dont need o be obvious in people for it to be very upsetting. Although, there is a negative representation to an extent but a positive idea is represented through the support offered by shelter.

Stereotypes of typical homeless people are challenged, people shown lack stereotypes such as, unkept hair, messy demeanour, ragged etc

Direct address, Rhetorical questions and Colour pallet are used to construct this negative representation of people who struggling with homelessness.

Social Duty- To feel sympathy for those less fortunate and support them, while a direct way to access and easily support them through the shelter system makes them feel even more obliged as its not difficult.

Social Inequality- Anyone can be victim and enter these circumstances where its typically thought that only lower class people can suffer from this.

Stereotypes-  Challenges typical homelessness stereotypes of being messy, unkept, ragged etc also typical shown to be older males. People in this ad vary in age and gender, further proving how anyone can suddenly be in these circumstances.

Individualism- 

Use of "we" gives a sense of unity, challenges general idea of being individual. But also supports idea that any individual can help themself.

Societal Concerns at time- Risk of homelessness, struggling financial issues, economic struggle

Technological Convergence-

Website link, search bar, modern alternatives to accessing support.

Thursday 29th February 2024

Exam Format

LO: To analyse representation and media language in similar adverts.

Q5: 10 Marks

17 Mins

Q6: 15 Marks

25 Mins

Could be asked to analyse ML or representations in one of the set texts, or in an advert from same genre: Fashion, health and beauty or homeless charity adverts.

                                                                                                                                              Homeless Charity Ads: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Genre Conventions:

Close up/ Mid Shots commonly used to show expression of people, feels more personal etc

Statistics used to show reality and severity of issue

Colour Pallet- Very washed out, darker, connotes negativity and unhappiness. 

Typeface- Sans Serif- Very plain fonts, easy to read 

Health and Beauty Ads:

Genre Conventions:

Close up- Shows effect of product by having stereotypically attractive model supposably using it

Colour Pallet- Very light colour pallet, beige, pinks, white, yellow etc suggests positivity

Direct address- Looking directly at viewer, showing off how nice these products look and how effective they are etc.

Typeface- Mostly mix of Serif and sans serif, connotes an element of status

Fashion Advertisements:

Genre Conventions:

Medium Long Shots/ Long Shots- used to show full body, focus on clothes, show off style etc

Direct Address- Looking at camera, Showing off clothes, model is typically stereotypically attractive.

Colour Pallet- Often varied depending on brand, collection, style etc

Typeface- Again varied depending on brand, style, collection etc, Uses more unique fonts to distinguish self from other brands. Predominantly Sans Serif used.

Representation- Predominantly female models. Stereotypical female beauty,

Friday 1st March 2024

Exam Structure

LO: To structure effective exam responses

The colour palett consists of blue, which could be a connotation of stereotypical masculinity and male stereotypes.

adhere to a dominant social group/audience

Physical abuse victims, predominantly female abuse victims, concerning female genital mutilation and disagreeing with it. Varied ethnicity.

Underrepresentation of Age, Disability, Social Class.

Negative version of reality constructed, one where there is commonly extreme prejudice and violence toward women.

15 marker-

10 marker - conlcusion

3 Paragraphs

Intro + Conclusion (Make judgement)

Homework- 

Explain how representations are used in advertising to promote the product. (River Island Ad)

The river island ad uses representations and product placement to create a positive brand image in order to convince audiences to buy more of their products.

A Medium-Long-Shot is used in this ad to clearly depict the model as a french man in a wheelchair, this already depicts River Island as a very inclusive brand or at least a very inclusive advertising campaign. The facial expression of the model clearly depicts happiness which clearly states a message that states that despite his disability, he is not held back whatsover and is like anyone else. This is also emphasised through his clothing and clearly well groomed features, suggesting he is extremely stylish and typically attractive despite his disability while also promoting the product, suggests that River Island clothing allows him to be this stylish despite his ailment. Additionally the fact that he is a french man suggests the brand is ethnically inclusive and further promotes their brand as positive.

These very positive representations of typically underrepresented groups in advertising creates a very positive brand image and represents very positive brand values and beliefs for River Island, this Significantly helps the brand sell their product and have very succesfull Financial gain through giving the customer a very positive peace of mind while buying the product, knowing they are supporting a very inclusive and body positive organisation rather than other fashion brand that conform to typical negative tropes of prejudice and only strive to have financial gain. While this advertisement is a commercial ad and the main objective is to sell their product for financial gain, their positive brand image created through their very positive representations makes the customer feel less guilty and makes them more comfortable and peaceful knowing they are supporting an inclusive and caring brand.

In conclusion, the River Island advertisement uses positive representation to create a very positive brand image in order to convince customers that they are supporting an inclusive and caring brand and therefore efficiently sell their product.

Friday 7th March 2024

Analyse how the Simon On The Streets advertisement (Source C) conveys values, attitudes and beliefs about homelessness.

n your answer you must:

• consider how media representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs in Source C
• make judgements and reach conclusions on how audiences may respond to and interpret these media representations.  

Simon on the streets advertising campaigns conveys its values, beliefs and values about homelessness through its extended use of Mis-en-scene and the Extensive symbolism behind it.

The use of barcodes on cardboard instead of an actual person and using mis-en-scene such as a blanket, water bottle, plastic bag etc to make it clear that the barcode is supposed to represent a homeless person creates and conforms to stereotypes of homeless people. The potential message behind this idea is that homeless people and homelessness in general has become such a standard that a barcode may stick out more to the public than a person, we can apply Barthes theory of semiotics here as we have a denotation of a literal barcode on some cardboard and a connotation suggesting that homeless people are no abnormal in modern society and this barcode sticks out more and it shouldn't. This clearly conveys Simon on the streets views on the societal issue of homelessness and emphasises why its such an issue through extensive symbolism through Mis-En-Scene.

Another representation of Simon on the streets clearly shown views and values is that this advertising campaign is clearly not a commercial ad and is instead raising awareness. This ad does not conform to commercial advertisement conventions whatsoever, the tone is set to be extremely serious and somber and contains a very muted colour pallet to represent reality. These actually clearly conform more to and support stereotypes of typical charity ads. This company is not trying to gain any monetary value from this ad but instead trying to raise awareness by sticking out and being interesting to attempt to help the societal issue of homelessness through donations, This clearly represents the values of Simon on the streets as they strive to raise awareness instead of attempting to sell a product and is trying to target a sympathetic audience who are able to donate and support the cause.

Another use of Mis-en-scene is in the environment and setting of the multiple advertisements, using a variety of locations and at different times of day, this represents homelessness as a constant issue, that despite the time, weather, location etc that homelessness is constant and never changes for the person unless we help them. This creates emotion in the viewer and uses this emotive language to attempt to reveal to the audience the reality and struggles of homelessness and represent it as a very real and very serious societal issue. This clearly reflects Simon on the streets values and strives to support the homeless and gain support.

In conclusion, Simon on the streets effectively uses Mis-en-scene and the creative symbolism behind to efficiently appeal to a sympathetic audience and secure their values of, ideas and beliefs about homelessness in modern society.

Analyse how effective the representations are in the River island advert (Source D) and the Dior advert (Source E)

In your answer you must:

• consider how media representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs in Sources D & E
• make judgements and reach conclusions on how audiences may respond to and interpret these media representations. 

in both the Dior and River Island advertising campaigns a variety of under represented groups are clearly represented positively in order to represent the respective brands values and inclusivity in order to create a very positive brand image.

In the River Island advertisement, the model is clearly shown to be disabled through the effective use of a Medium-Long shot to show the model, the product and the wheelchair, the models facial expression clearly depicts happiness, showing that despite his disability he is still happy and through the product placement there is a message of despite his disability that he is still very stylish and is not held back whatsoever while also effectively promoting the product as this still is a commercial advertisement. The model also being of french ethnicity also shows inclusivity and positively represents the brand, therefore the representations within this advertisement are effective as they positively represent underrepresented groups which creates a very positive brand image and represents their values in order to sell more of their product.

In the Dior advertisement the representations are possibly slightly less inclusive than the River island ad but still has varied representation, Their is clear ethnic variety through the use of a black model represented exactly the same as the white models. This subverts and rejects very stereotypical and racist stereotypes and represents a much more modern society view.  and clothing being very varied in its variety of suits and formal clothing to far more informal and casual wear. This suggests the brand may appeal to a variety of people, possibly people in different economic class. Therefore the representations in this ad are effective but slightly less so than the river island advertisement.

In conclusion, Both advertisements use effective representations of Race, Class and Disability in order to create a very positive brand image for themself and represent their very positive brand values in order to effectively sell their products as they are commercial ads that strive for financial gain.

Friday 8th March 2024

Case Study 3 Magazines- The Big Issue

LO: To research institutions and ideologies behind case study products.

Masthead:

Large, sans serif font, strikes out, first thing seen

Top of page, first noticed

Red- Intense colour, masculine etc

Top of page, typical, Attracts attention

Tagline:

Lighter colours, seen after masthead, gives you info

Sans serif, simple

Under masthead, read immediately after etc

Dateline:

Smaller, insignificant,

Darker colour, black to emphasise it on white background.

Top left, smaller, insignifanct, not much attention

Feature Article:

Black, Red, darker colours, intense, masculine,

Large serif font, emphasises it, smaller than masthead, bigger than everything else, gives order of viewing.

Top Right of page, seen after masthead, point of interest.

Central Image:

Direct address, looking straight at camera, confident, masculine

Mid Low angle shot, Shows muscle and makes seem powerful and stronger

Middle of page, focus

Cover lines:

Sans Serif, easy to read, large but smaller than feature article, order of viewing

Side of page, doesn't take away from from main image, 

White, Red, Black

Banner:

Very small, not normal for a banner, may not even be a banner

Red

Puff:

Black circle, abnormal shape, stands out,

Serif font on 'Style" to emphasise the importance and fanciness of it

Bottom right, Uses the z Order to be one of last things seen.

Top Central Masthead

2-3 Cover lines on central side of page.

Main image fills whole background.

Majority use of Sans Serif for masthead, cover lines, FA etc

 Usually very few puffs (1)

The Big Issue:

Launched in 1991, aim to transform lives of London homeless people, hand up not a hand out. Non Profit

Is a social enterprise that aims t unlock social and economical issues for million of people worldwide, Big issue offer jobs to those who are homeless or bordering on it, supporting communities and offering jobs that dont require qualifications. The big issue strives for social equality and justice. Vendors 

Big issue covers a large variety of topics ranging from very light entertainment things such as pets, games, events, etc and very heavy topics such as political toils, global issues, worldwide turmoil etc.

The big issue targets people of most ages, likely, people 14 onwards. The big issue targets people who are homeless and people bordering on homeless to sell their magazines in order to support them.

Big issue magazines in the uk are £1.75 for vendors to buy and £4 for the public to buy from vendors.

The big issue now uses mobile card readers to combat the generalisation of less people carrying cash due to covid and government recommendations. This increased sales by about 40%. Additionally can now be bought in some retailers and online from specific vendors.

Thursday 14th March 2024

Big Issue Readers:

University Educated

Interested in politics, popular and high culture

Limited disposable income

Socially Conscious

Mostly aged between 18 and 49

Slightly more women than men buy it.

Light hearted yet serious attitude, depending on global issues and severity     

Covers serious topics, a-lot of charity work, suggestions and advertisement.

Also covers much lighter topics, in order to come across as a less bleak representation/ attitude

Personal interview and description of a big issue seller, feel like the have a personal connection with their vendors and truly care about helping them.

Lots of inclusive representation, informs about many topics regardless of Ethnicity, Disability, age etc.

Targets a large age range, art competitions for kids etc.

Very varied cover design and colours, reflects attitude toward said topic.

Lots of political coverage.

Present alternatives viewpoint to other main mainstream magazines.

Friday 15th March 2024

LO; To analyse big issue covers effectively

Center image of Sophie L Morgan is infront of the masthead rather than behind it, more attention to main image, interests reader.

Very few cover lines, cover lines are placed at top of cover rather than centre sides.

Masthead is split into 2 and placed opposite sides of covers. Placed around main image, suggests that that IS the big issue.   

The masthead being split across the cover, therefore surrounding the main imagine, containing it, this suggests that the main image is the current big issue because the very large words "Big Issue" are surrounding it, in this example, the main image is Sophie L Morgan in a wheelchair, suggesting that disability may be a big issue or Sophie is a popular figure at the moment. Additionally, the cover lines are placed at the very top of the cover, this is very unusual as it does not match typical magazine cover conventions, This sets the Big Issue apart from other magazines and peaks interest in the reader as not only the cover lines but the whole cover is largely different to conventional magazine covers.

The colour pallet of the vast majority of the cover is white and blue, this could be simply because they are contrasting colours and makes the split masthead "Big Issue" Stand out more and emphasises it. There are not particularly any connotations of the colour blue that match the issues and tone set by other elements in the cover.

In the main image of Sophie L Morgan, she is posed in a very typically casual and confident manner, giving the impression she is very calm and sets the tone that she is going to cover a serious issue while remaining relaxed and casual, However, a pose like that is not typically expected from someone who is in a wheelchair, this could be challenging many negative stereotypes that wheelchair bound people are incapable or certain things such as poses like this that suggest confidence and calm.

The cover lines within the cover represent the content of the magazine as very serious and important issues that should be treated respectfully. Speaking of memorials, Climate activists and how the Big Issue itself has helped someone who was struggling with homelessness retire comfortably. This represents the magazine as a respectful and caring organisation that truly cares about the global issues it covers, this is emphasised by the fact that it covers how itself has helped combat homelessness and that it is taking action to help the world. These cover lines are very small and placed at the top of the cover, while also being massively overtook by the large and far more lighthearted Main image, colour pallet and Masthead. Suggesting that the Big Issue is a lighthearted and fun organisation that also has complex values and ideologies. 

Thursday 21st March 2024

The Big Issue

LO: TO analyse the use of intertextuality and multiple meanings.

message of the negative impact of war, want it to end

shown through use of "Still" suggesting its been happening for to long and should be stopped

Intertextual  and Cultural References:

Ghostbusters, modern ghostbusters film, all female team, female empowerment, culturally relevant.

Trump as green ghost, enemy, disgusting, greedy.

Big Ben, White house, Parliament- Suggests these women have global influence and popularity from depictions of landmarks from all over the world.

This cover depicts the at the time culturally relevant film of the new ghostbusters, which starred an all female team, opposing the original all male team and suggesting female empowerment, relating to the topic of this specific magazine, talking about 4 very influential and popular women in 2016 society. The idea of representing these women as the ghostbusters suggests they are very skilled, intelligent and brave. And then depicting Donald Trump as the green ghost, an iconic enemy in the ghostbusters franchise that is depicted as slimy, disgusting and greedy, but also as funny instead of scary. This represents the opinion of the Big Issue on trump, and matches the many contraversal situations that trump is associated with as well as describing him very negatively as many people would refer to him as slimy and/or disgusting well as referring to him as funny instead of intimidating. This suggests that these 4 very socially influential women are the "good guys' and trump is the "bad guy".

In the background of this cover we see landmarks from all over the world including Big Ben, the house of parliament and the white house, these are extremely famous landmarks and their placement suggests and references the global fame and influence all 5 of these people have, but through other elements suggesting that the 4 women have had a very positive influence while trump has had a very negative influence.

LO: To analyse the representations and ideologies constructed 

Friday 22nd March 2024

Pink is used to represent the queen, feminine, emphasises masthead.

Main image Clearly depicts the queen, very high quality photo, easily identifiable

Black background, in wake of queens death, black commonly associated with funerals and respecting and feeling somber about the dead. also emphasises the main images

Tagline- Bright and Green, very positive, green may suggest environmental health etc

Black masthead, again black often associated with funerals, respect

Subject-, very inclusive pronoun "our" sense of unity. Emphasise queens importance to the public, 

Main image- Both are represented as very serious as it is a very serious/sad subject.

Red & Blue, Right and Left wing

Will Payne physically in middle, suggests neutrality 

"our man" suggests he sides with TBI and their political bias. Supports and is with the reader/target audience of TBI.

Both people are physically on the side of their group

Big heads, comedic idea, reduces seriousness, makes audience take them less serious, could suggest inflated egos

Expressions- Rishi sunak is shown to quite silly and unprofessional while kier sturner is made to look much more serious.

Big heads are also intertextual references to the film "Carry on sergeant", along with the franchise, which contains much humour that is intentionally not funny.

Blue placed on top half of cover, suggest labor is superior, political bias of TBI

Titanic- suggests disaster, 

 Flaming recycling bins, makes Rishi sunak look villainous and that he is responsible, makes him look evil and destructive, Red masthead supports this, red connotes blood, violence etc, red used in the tagline "Truth, Reality and what comes next" suggests that the truth and reality that will come next is very negative and/or aggressive and violent. The weather surrounding the background, very cloudy and dark, suggests negativity or oncoming disaster.

"Rishi Sunak and the big oil gamble", The word gamble is very negative, suggesting he takes risks and cuts corners in order to get what he wants, suggests he is unreliable and would problematic and unsuccessful in power, along with his expression in this main image being very happy and unprofessional, suggesting he is careless and suggesting that he may even take pleasure in the negativity he causes, this could also link to the representation of him as a villain.

The train in the background of the cover represents one of rishi sunaks biggest financial failures, the HS2 transport system originally costed 37 Billion, but it was cancelled/scrapped by Rishi Sunak because the costs became to high, representing rishi sunak as a failure and unrelaible.

Analyse how the big issue magazine has used media language to express viewpoint and ideology on viewpoints at the time.

The big issue reflects a wide range of liberal viewpoints that combine with its very left wing ideology, it therefore has a biased viewpoint on certain global influential political icons, such as Donald trump and Vladimir Putin as well as at the time relevant suggestions that also relate to politics such as the Korean missiles also shown in the cover, all in all suggesting the heightened tensions between the 3 countries at the time this magazine was published, the child like illustration effectively shows the Big Issues viewpoint on the global politics at the time.

This cover has a very bright colour palette using pastel colours to suggest a common trope in children’s drawing, illustrating the political icons in these colours suggests very childlike attitude from all referenced political icons. Suggesting that these people are acting childish while in a very powerful positions meaning they are unfit to be in such a position. The small illustration of trump in the top centre of the cover is accompanied by the twitter icon and has dollar signs in his eyes, this is referencing the several controversial statements trump has made on twitter as well as representing him as greedy, a very negative attribute for a political leader. This illustration of him as well as the one of Putin in the bottom left corner being very small in size and undermined by the rest of the cover suggests they are weaker or irrelevant, generally insulting and making fun of their high position in politics. The illustration of the Korean missiles being very similar to fireworks plays into the very childlike representation of very serious political context at the time. The title/masthead “HAPPY” is the largest and most prevalent playing into of the childlike design of very serious current political situations, it is the largest element on the cover and can mislead the reader at first glance as it suggests a very different tone than the magazine actually is.

This cover very effectively uses media language such as colour palette, layout, language, style etc to convey the big issues viewpoints and ideologies.

Thursday 18th April 2024

Media Language and Representation Exam Questions

LO: To explore the exam questions and how to structure excellent responses.

     

The Big Issue positions its audience to share their viewpoints on homeless people, as very sympathetic and to affix a more positive representation rather than the extremely stereotypical misrepresentation and stigma around them being victims, worthless and negatively represented in general such as many mainstream media representations being shown as dirty, unhygienic and assigned only to a much older age range.

This is supported heavily by the tagline "A hand up not a handout" which clearly representes their values trying to affix a more positive and accurate representation of homeless people. Removing the dehumanisation and condescension from typical homeless aid organisations and replacing it with with The Big Issues outlook of shared social responsibility.

LEARN THIS

Friday 19th April 2024

Media Language and Representation exam questions.

LO: To explore the exam questions and how to structure excellent responses.

1.

The distribution of The Big Issue magazine is effective as it covers several areas of marketing and has evolved to adapt to a modern social market. The big issue is sold by vendors, who are able to accept card payments rather than increasing scarce cash in the modern world allowing for a larger market and more sales,  Magazines are also available online allowing for a larger audience. Big Issue magazines are also sold in stores, allowing even more sales due to convenience for the buyer/reader. The big issues adaptation to a modern magazine market makes it a very effective distribution model.

2.

The Shelter challenges typical tropes and stigmas about homeless people in their campaigns that predominantly subverts typical stereotypes when representing homeless people, showing a much wider range of age and gender that opposes the typical mainstream media representation of older white males that are clearly shown to be dirty and often "look" stereotypically homeless, Messy Facial hair, Poor hygiene, Raggedy clothes etc. Therefore Shelters alternative and overall more positive representation of the homeless varies largely and challenges typical mainstream media representations.

3.

Artists such as Radiohead may not choose to be in their own music videos for a variety of financial and/or personal reasons, from a financial standpoint it may be cheaper to have an animation rather than a flashy music video starring many people, A way in which a music video is made usually matches the idea or theme of the song so it may not feel appropriate or potentially feel more appropriate to have something alternative than having the artist themselves in the music videos, as-well as prioritising meaning in their video. Music videos that do not visually have the artist are often not live action but instead use alternative visual animation such as Radiohead's "Burn The Witch".

Value Transference- Adding value to the meaning of something

BTW uses intertextual references such as "The Wicker Man" and 'Trumpton" to express Radioheads beliefs and viewpoints on at the time very relevant social context such as immigration and xenophobia that were very controversial and apparent topics at the time BTW was made. Referencing these specific media texts emphasises what Radiohead is trying to say in their video by referencing relevant media texts.

Intertextuality- Repeated representations

France- romantic, handsome.

Men, sporty

Nike tick- Brand recognition, iconic etc

Celebrity Use- Marcus Ashford and relevant titles, social justice champion etc

Positive inclusivity representations

Positively representing under represented people/ groups

Government information campaign- monochrome photography

Big answer

Ad 1

Ad 2

Conclusion

Big Answer

Compare both ads

Compare both ads

Conclusion

    

Analyse how effective the use of intertextuality in the River Islands and Nike adverts

Intertextuality in both the River Island and Nike adverts are used effectively to enhance an emotive response from audiences, as well as create positive brand images and show their brands values and ideologies. But the River Island advertisement us more dependant on intertextuality, marketing their brand domain at the bottom of the ad, while the Nike ad is a very popular very recognisable brand just by seeing the iconic tick.

In the River Island ad, intertextuality such as the model used (Jordan Luce) being a famous athlete conforms and uses the intertextual reference of men typically being represented as sporty and physically fit and healthy, the use of a sports celebrity in any media text is also an intertextual reference. Jordan Luce is also a french man, we can apply typical connotations and stereotypes of french people being romantic paired with the darker red background that could suggest love and passion as another intertextual reference. The image is shot in a way that his wheelchair is clearly visible, pairing this with the hashtag Labelsareforclothes represents a very modern way of thinking  and subverts a typical outlook of disabled people being mistreated.

The Nike advert similarly also uses a sports celebrity (Markus Rashford), this further emphaises the idea of men being shown as sporty and physically fit. The mention of the place Wythenshawe is also a intertextual reference and creates a way for people from this city to personally relate to this ad. This ad also does not directly brand itself as "Nike" majorly whatsoever, instead the Nike logo is placed at the bottom as the intertextual reference of the nike logo itself is very iconic and well known globally, so much so that majorly branding themself with words in the ad is completely unnecessary.

In conclusion, both ads use intertextuality, however the River Island ad intertextuality is less apparent and is not needed in efficiently marketing the brand. While the Nike ad uses intertextuality very effectively and efficiently uses it to market their brand.