Tuesday 25 February 2014

Road Safety mock-24/02/14

Grade A

WWW: Excellent, concise application of theories/theorists.

EBI: Question 1 needs more specific reference to the techniques in the text.

LR: Write an additional paragraph (slow-motion, lighting etc.)

The road safety advert uses slow motion throughout the whole video from beginning to end. This is an original and effective approach to road safety as it emphasises the impact the car crash has on the family. Slow motion also allows the audience to focus on the facial expressions of the characters and also the actions of the male character, the driving is made apparent to us. The facial expressions enhance the equilibrium-Todorov's theory, as the audience are allowed to focus on the characters happy and smiling to shocked and worried and finally happy again when the male character is saved. The use of slow motion also has an emotional effect on the audience as we almost feel what the characters are going through.

The high-key lighting used emphasises the positive nuclear family. It represents and has the connotations of hope. Therefore when the daughter is dressed in wings and looks like an angel, she saves her father and represents hope and survival for the family. Essentially, high-key lighting suggests positivity and shows the family in a positive light.      

Monday 24 February 2014

GTA 5 Trailer mock exam






Plan B Print Texts: Interviews

Men's Health interview
The target audience for this article using a demographic scale would be a C1-D audience as the language is mostly slang therefore would relate to this audience. Using psychographics the target audience would be reformers and aspirers as it targets people who seek freedom and aspire to have a good physic. The Men's Health magazine is being used to reach a wide specific audience. The article does more than entertain, as well as being humorous it also informs by giving details of information of Plan B's nutrition regime and workout. This magazine allows audiences to view magazine articles which are also connected to Plan B. It also includes articles at the bottom which are similar and audiences 'might like.' The print interview uses quotes given by Plan B to show the realism of the interview with him. The narrative is used to tell audiences about Plan B's weight loss story and his inspiration.

Q Magazine
This interview targets a C2-E demographic audience as it uses informal and possibly offensive language to some audiences. Using psychographics the target audience would be Mainstreamers as Q music targets a wide stream audience with similar interests. The platform is being used in order to reach a wide audience and target specific people. The article entertains as well as showing the audience Plan B's live reaction to his music award through a video interview. The page allows viewers to post a comment at the bottom of the page, therefore participating and sharing thoughts on the subject. The video shows an interviewee who is standing on the left hand side with a mic and Plan B standing on the right who is being interviewed and asked questions. This makes it apparent to the audience that it is an interview. The narrative tells the audience about Plan B's reaction to his music award as well as showing footage live from the event.

Guardian interview
The demographic target audience for this interview is a C1-A audience as it uses formal language and The Guardian newspaper targets this specific audience. It targets Mainstreamers in terms of psychographics as The Guardian is a widely read newspaper by a mass audience. The Guardian is used for the Plan B interview to target audiences that it might not always appeal to. The newspaper usually targets a middle class older audience, however Plan B himself appeals to a younger audience. Therefore by appealing to a new audience, Plan B is possibly gaining more fans by making people aware of what he is doing and is used as a form of promotion for Ill Manors. The article entertains as well as informs as it gives information of Plan B's Ill Manors and includes names of the cast members and the running time etc. The bottom of the page allows readers to leave and share comments of their thoughts on the article. The interview includes quotes from Plan B and also information on his film. The journalist also writes about Plan B's background history, which is expected in a print interview. Narrative is used to describe background information on Plan B and also tells the story of how he came about making his film, Ill Manors.

Shortlist interview
This interview targets a C2-E demographic audience as it uses informal and possibly offensive language to some audiences. Using psychographics the target audience would be Mainstreamers as shortlist.com targets a wide stream audience with similar interests. This platform is being used to reach a wide and specific target audience who have an interest in Plan B. The article entertains and lets the reader know more about Plan B as a person as his answers reveal his type of personality. There is a place for audiences to comment on the article at the bottom of the page where it clearly states 'add a comment', encouraging people to interact with the article. The article is set out as a question and answer layout, making the print apparent that it is an interview. Narrative is used to tell the story behind Plan B's reasoning to make his song, Ill Manors and his intentions behind it.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Plan B on Radio One

Radio link-http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00pvgb9

Plan B had a radio one interview with Fearne Cotton on 7th March 2012. The interview focused on Plan's B career and upcoming Ill Manors movie along with his previously released Ill Manors soundtrack, rather than his celebrity image. Plan B spoke about his creative process when writing for the movie and that he cannot write a good script unless he is feeling creative and passionate about his words. He also mentioned his release dates for his album and movie several times with host Fearne. The fact that his Ill Manors single has made the radio one playlist means that his song is able to target a specific audience. The audience that listen to radio one would be an age from 16-34 and youthful. The radio channel also targets Mainstreamers as the music is quite modern and widely available, rather than music genres that are not played on most popular radio stations. As BBC are public broadcasters, their aim is to entertain, inform and educate. Therefore Plan B's appearance on radio one let listeners learn about Plan B more as person, rather than seeing him as a director/song writer/rapper. There were also opportunities to interact with the star himself and call/text into radio one and ask questions or leave comments.

Thursday 6 February 2014

MEST2 Progress report-30th January

Individual-
WWW: I have completed my drafts for my print cover and double page spread and also started the front cover on Photoshop.
EBI: Finish my front cover.
Next steps: I need to finish my front cover on Photoshop and start my double page spread.

Group-
WWW: Planner to film last weekend, however forgot tripod.
EBI: Make sure we are fully equip for next filming.
Next steps: Filming this weekend.

Filming dates-
Previous: 1st February
Upcoming dates: 8th February

Print research

1) Below are magazine covers that I have picked out that target an E4 audience and have cover lines that could be used for my own magazine as they relate to the serial killer theme.

The cover line 'He's got a way with murder' is a play on words about the character and a similar cover line could be used for my magazine.


The celebrity appeal of Sherlock Holmes targets an E4 audience as it has an interview with him inside. The detective/murder theme is also in my productions narrative. 

                                                           
The 'killer good looks' cover line could be used on my magazine cover as a play on words, which interests the audience.
                                                            
Although Doctor who is broadcasted on BBC, it would be popular with an targets an E4 audience due to the narrative. The interview with David Tennant could go on my magazine as Doctor who has similar themes to my narrative in some aspects. 
                                                             
The cover line 'find that perfect cut' could be used for my magazine. This magazine targets a female E4 audience. 

                                                             
2) This Supernatural souvenir magazine is a special collectors edition and can be purchased online. It celebrates six seasons of the show and contains 148 pages, packed with highlights from seasons, interviews with main stars, the shows creators and behind the scene specials.  

3) This Doctor who magazine cover has several key conventions:
                                                              
                                                         
1) The title of publication is Doctor who. It is written in bold in grey/white writing and blends in with the background.

2) The slogan is 'celebrating 50 years of adventures in space and time'. The '50 years' is emphasised as it is in a larger font and a different colour to the white writing. This slogan catches the readers eye and sums up the magazine by hinting clues of what could be inside e.g. history from the show to now.

3) The central image is the main star of Doctor who. However it also includes two other characters on the side. The fact that Matt Smith is in the middle suggests his importance is greater than the characters beside him and as he is more well known in the show, it catches readers attention more.

4) The main flash/cover line is 'the day of the doctor'. This is written in large white bold writing on the main characters chest, making it more eye catching for the reader. Another line above it is 'the doctor's past comes back to haunt him'. This could relate to the slogan of celebrating 50 years of Doctor who and shows the magazine will include history related context of the show.

5) This Doctor who magazine includes 12 collectors anniversary art cards, 9 downloads of Doctor who audio adventures and a chance to win Doctor who blu-ray ray dvds, books and cds.   

6) The main colour scheme for this magazine cover is white, black, gold and red. The white writing emphasises the boldness of the writing and helps it stand out. The red and gold colours are eye catching together and red connotes the detective theme. The black/grey background creates mystery for the main character as his facial expression looks mysterious too.

7) Along the right side of the magazine, the name checks show what is included inside the magazine and what prizes readers have the opportunity to win.  

8) The language on the cover has a lot of repetition of the word 'doctor'. Although the show is called Doctor who, the main star is a doctor also, therefore the show Doctor who is more likely to stick in the readers mind. The language is short and snappy and easy to understand.

9) The font is mainly bold for the title of publication and flash/cover line. These are the most important pieces of information for the reader as it tells them which magazine it is, and the cover line hints what is going to be inside the magazine. The font is small for other information which is not as important e.g. competition chances. 

10) Competition opportunities are listed on the right side of the magazine where a chance to win Doctor who dvds, books and cds are available inside the magazine. This is important as it gives readers an opportunity to interact with the magazine.

11) This magazine cover does not directly state 'you' to the reader when showing a message to them, however the competition inside shows readers they have a chance to win.

12) The barcode is placed at the bottom right side of the magazine and shows a clear price and issue number for readers information.

13) The real target audience for this magazine is everyone from the ages of 13 and above of as it is a pre watershed show which is suitable for families. I believe that children from the age of 15 however would read this magazine up to the age of late 20's. 

Ill Manors synergy

1) Ill Manors website-http://www.illmanors.com/#scene-0

The key features of the website are the different sections available to look at. This includes: the trailer, synopsis, Ben Drew, stills, videos, buy now, links, reactions and album.

The trailer allows viewers to gain an insight of the film and engages audiences with the storyline of the film as they gain a glimpse of it. If they find it interesting, they will be more likely to see the film when it is released. The trailer benefits audiences because they can see whether they actually would be interested in seeing the film, if they did not watch it an paid to see the film in cinema and ended up not enjoying it, then it would be a waste of time and money.

The synopsis is a brief overview of the films narrative. It mentions main characters and themes in the film. These are included to hook the attention of audiences, as they gain a deeper understanding of the characters in the story line.

The Ben Drew section gives viewers of the website background information of the director himself. It includes past history of his career and mentions his main stars in the film. It also mentions his Ill Manors song which was released after the 2011 London riots. This gives viewers more of a backbone about Ill Manors and Ben Drew as a director as well as a person as it tells his story and the reason for what he did, this interests viewers.

The still images show shots of characters from the film. Most of them look as though they were taken when shooting the film as characters are shown in relevant scenes, costume and make up. This is making clear most of the main characters and most others in the film. If viewers recognise an actor and are a fan, then they are more likely to be interested in the film and would want to find out more about it/watch it.

The video section allows viewers to have a short, yet further insight on the two main characters Ed and Aaron. As we hear from the characters ourselves, the interaction is more interesting rather than reading about them and they tell us more about the character personalities in the film and the reasons for the way they are.

The buy now, links, reaction and album are all used as synergy for Ill Manors. The buy now lets viewers know the dvd is available on blu-ray, download and on demand. The social media links to Twitter and Facebook allows audiences to see other peoples views and comments on the film. The reaction section is slightly bias as it shows positive reviews from famous singers such as Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys and newspapers such as The Sun. These reviewers all interest different ages of audiences. Finally the album provides links to iTunes, amazon, play and HMV. This is a quick and easy way for viewers to access purchases and support the film and Ill Manors album. The website makes use of synergy in order to attract and almost convince viewers of the website to support the film. This is through watching the film, buying and downloading soundtracks and joining the relevant Ill Manors social media.

2) Jonathan Ross interview


The target audience for the Jonathan Ross and Plan B interview using a demographic scale would from C1-A. This is because the show tends to appeal to a higher demographic audience and has guest celebrities starring on the show for talk show interviews. Using psychographics, the audience would be Mainsteamers as The Jonathan Ross show has a large, wide audience and appeals to everyone as it is humorous. The Jonathan Ross show broadcasts on ITV on Saturdays at 9:35pm. This means that it is post watershed as it contains adult humour and strong language, unsuitable for children. Saturday nights are usually spent with family relaxing. In the interviews, Jonathan Ross talks about celebrities lives, careers and what they are currently doing. Audiences with an interest in these celebrities will be interested in knowing the answers to his questions to find out more about Plan B.

3) Soccer AM interview


Using a demographic scale, the target audience for this clip is a C2-D audience. The show appeals to sport fans and audiences from a lower scale would be more likely to have the time to watch the show. Using psychographics, I believe Soccer AM targets reformers as a lower demographic group would be anti-materialistic, but aware of good taste as reformers are. Soccer AM broadcasts on Sky Sports 1 on Saturdays at 10am. In the interview they speak about Plan B's chosen career path and his past history. Also his achievements and where he plans to head next in terms of his music career.

In both interviews, Plan B is presented as quite laid back and easy to have a conversation with. In both he takes jokes light heartedly and makes jokes himself, so does not take the interviews and formally and serious. More of the fun side of Plan B was shown in the Soccer AM interview as clips of him were shown from Adulthood which gave them something to talk and laugh about. The Jonathan Ross interview was quite short and mostly formal.

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Ill Manors Film Research

1) The institutions involved in the production of Ill Manors was BBC Films-main production company for film, Film  London Microwave-in partnership with BBC and supported by Skillset, this unique programme offers opportunities for production and Aimimage-schedule and budget management, negotiated all deals with cast, crew and suppliers, arranged financing of the tax credit in advance of production.

2) The budget was £100,000 (£453, 570 in box office).

3) To raise finance, the distribution right to Ill Manors was sold to Revolver Entertainment in April 2011. It was also funded by the three institution companies involved, BBC Films, Film London Microwave and Aimimage.

4) The target audience for Ill Manors is teenagers/young adults who face similar issues and problems that characters in the film do. This is because they can relate to the situation and therefore the film is aimed at them as they face similar day to day struggles. 

5) The main distributor of Ill Manors is Revolver Entertainments. In order to raise funds for the film Ben Drew sold rights to the company in April 2011. Revolver Entertainments was founded in 1997 and has releases independent films and documentaries since.  

6) Ill Manors was promoted on The Guardian's website on 3rd May 2012 for it's trailer and revealed by Empire magazine's website on 8th May 2012 for the Ill Manors poster. Digital Spy promoted Ill Manors by two other film posters on 18th May and 7th June 2012. Also, the premiere of the film was on 30th May 2012 in London and released to 191 cinemas in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

7) I will be comparing Ill Manors with the big budget blockbuster Taken 2. I will first talk about the main similarities. Both films were released in the year of 2012. Ill Manors starred already famous Plan B and Keith Coggins, while Taken starred stars Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace. Both films include similar scenes of drugs, sex and violence and have background stories that involve prostitution. This is interesting because Taken represents prostitution on a larger scale where it is accepted and people do it for fun, whereas Ill Manors shows it as something that has to be done rather than an option or choice. The main difference is obviously the budgets for the films. Ill Manors budget was £100,000, but raised £453, 570 in box office. Taken 2 production budget was $45 million, a massive difference. The Ill Manors distributor was Revolver Entertainments, Taken 2 was Fox. Ill Manors genre was British drama, Taken 2 was Action. The total running time for Ill Manors is 121 minutes, Taken 2 is 91 minutes.      

8) The trailer for Ill Manors contains enigma codes that hooks audiences into the narrative. During the trailer it asks 'But what influences..the choices you make?'. This is indirectly talking to the audience as it is trying to engage them into the trailer. At the start of the trailer Kirby says that he has kept Chris in business every since he was small. This diegetic sound hooks the audience in and makes us want to find out more. The non-diegetic sound of the narrator (Plan B) is played and engages the audience as he is talking directly to us and introduces himself as the narrator.

9) The trailer for Ill Manors shows scenes of the film therefore reveal some of the plot and give the audience an idea of some of the themes for the scenes.

10) A 15 certificate involves strong language and violence, however not a huge majority is shown. Drug use is allowed, although it must not be encouraged to be taken. Sexual content is allowed but if sexual violence is shown, then it must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification. An 18 certificate involves very strong language and violence which is likely to be continued throughout the entire film. Sexual activity/context is also shown. Blood, gruesomeness and explicit sex scenes are shown. Ill Manors is an 18 certificate and contains context from an 18 certificate such as strong language, violence and real  sex scenes therefore is suitable for ages 18 and above. 

Ill Manors music video


The Ill Manors soundtrack album was released by Atlantic Records.  The track was released in the UK on the 25th March 2012, directed by Plan B. It hit number six on the UK singles chart in October 2012 as the song won the Q Award for best track. The response from critics was mostly positive.

MEST1 Questions

1. Media Forms: What techniques does the video use to establish the setting and engage the audience?
The camera movement is very fast paced and shows several panning and tracking shots. This is used to show the story of the video as it moves in chronological order. The fast paced movement adds to the feel of  the video as it has an aggressive feel and strong/angry message. There is a range of establishing shots, medium shots and close ups used to help establish the setting as well as the characters in the music video. The characters are especially important in this video as it shows people like David Cameron and Nick Clegg (Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister) but in a negative representation. This video is clearly therefore against them. As this is shown at the start, it helps the audience establish what the video may be about. The sound is both diegetic and non-diegetic which engages the audience as we can see Plan B rapping his own original piece of music while others in his video are dancing to it.

2. Media Representations: How is gender/ethnicity/age represented in the video?
The Ill Manors video presents a lot of male dominance as it shows a higher ratio of males than females. It shows males in a 'remake' of the London riots which gives a message that they were the main gender to lead the London riots, not females. This therefore gives them a negative representation. Females are still shown in the background causing disruption/violence/smoking, buy are not at the forefront of the video. Both white and blacks are strongly represented and shown throughout this video. This again creates a negative representation of both ethical backgrounds, as the violence and terror is caused by them in the video. They are also shown outside council flats, showing where they live which represents Council House and Violence (CHAV). The Ill Manors video shows a typical teenage stereotype, as the teenagers are the rioters and the police are the defenders. It represents the young to be clueless and disruptive while elders try to stop it. Medhurst's theory of stereotypes said that they are a shorthand for identification, they can carry judgement and therefore can be negative. In this case, teenagers are a shorthand for violence and negative representation which are shown in the Ill Manors music video. Dyer's theory of stereotypes can also be applied. Dyer said that those with power stereotype those with less power. In this video we can see the police targeting and attacking youths, who have less power than the,. enforcing the stereotype.

3. Media Institutions: In what ways is the video typical of music videos and what values does it promote?
The Ill Manors music video is typical to those of regular existing music videos as it promotes angry lyrics of those who are have harder lives than others. In a way it shows Experiencers from Audience profiling-Values,attitudes and lifestyles as they are a median age of 25 and pour into physical exercise and social activities. The people in the video are seen smoking and socially hanging out together. The video is promoting the negative image of teenagers that everyone see's, foe example the 2011 London riots. However, the deeper meaning to the song and lyrics is that there is a reason behind what these youths are doing and what they have done. The video was made not for stereotypes to reinforce their view on youths but to see and have an understanding on the feelings of these youths and most are often misunderstood.

4. Media Audiences: Who does this text/ artist appeal to and why?
Ill Manors and Plan B largely appeals to youths and teenagers who are interested in this type of rap music and understand and agree with the lyrics of the song. This would relate to an audience of a C2, D and E socio demographic. This is because it is set in a low class area and presents those particular types of characters, therefore audiences can relate to it. Using Young and Rubicams Psychographics, this would mainly appeal to Strugglers as there are in the D/E demographic and buy alcohol and junk food. They have few skills. These are the type of people represented in the music video, therefore I believe this is the target audience that can relate to the song. 

Plan B Letter

To Plan B,

Your film Ill Manors has been extremely inspirational to study for A Level Media and really changing to watch. At Greenford High school we have been studying your film, watching your music video's, Tedx lectures and learning more about you and your success story and it has been moving to see how you not only changed your own life but helped so many others. Therefore it would be an honour if you could come into our school and talk to some of our students about your story in person as we are big fans!

Kind Regards
Vandna