levi straus - binary oppos

research and planning section 1a

Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making.

-       Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

Paragraph 1: Should be an introduction which explains which projects you did. It can be quite short.
Paragraph 2: Should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest something about your starting point with it- what skills did you have already and how were these illustrated. Use a detailed example.
Paragraph 3: Should talk through your use of that skill in early projects and what you learned and developed through these. Again there should be detailed examples to support all that you say.
Paragraph 4: Should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again backed by detailed examples, and reflecting back on how this represents a move forward for you from your earlier position.
Paragraph 5: Short conclusion

Over the two year media course we had to produce both a foundation portfolio of a school magazine and music magazine as well as an advance portfolio of a horror teaser trailer, film magazine – developing foundation skills further and a poster to advertise our trailer.

In the first year of AS coursework we researched existing music magazines and analysed each cover so that we could gain knowledge of particular layouts, fonts and key elements. We also compared each one to see which ones worked well and which ones didn’t. We noticed the ‘Mastheads’ and Photography first. We learnt that these were the most important and kept note of this for our own coursework. After analysing the covers of real media texts we then did the same for the contents page and double page spread. I analysed mostly mainstream mass magazines. For example, NME, Q, (more that I will find out)

section 1b media language essay

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of media language.

For our advanced portfolio we had to create a music video or film trailer of our choice. In my group we chose to create a music video of a mainstream genre. After researching and concentrating on the micro elements of music videos we found a song called fix you by Coldplay. We thought this would be an interesting project mainly because of the influential lyrics.

We applied the Andrew Goodwin Theory to our music video by creating actions which mirrored the lyrics for example; when filming we focused on her slowly walking through a dark alley way with a light at the end connoting freedom. This mirrored the ‘lights will guide you home’ lyrics. This also applies to the Saussure theory (signs to connote meaning).

We thought about camera angles thoroughly before filming because we wanted the audience to understand our meaning behind. We focused on the Stuart Hall theory – messages encoded by the producer and decoded by the audience. For example, at the beginning of the music video we used close up/mid shots in a small bedroom to show her feelings and emotions in her eyes. This connotes the feeling of being trapped or enclosed. As we moved on in the music video the pace of the song starts to increase.  We used establishing shots for this as she is running away from being trapped inside to the freedom of outside. This shows that she is fixing herself and connoting the lyrics ‘fix you’. This also links to Barthes theory of what we see and the meaning attached.

Her moved changes and she starts to feel positive. This is shown in editing and we added slow motion to her smiling and kicking the leaves in the air. We also used overlays to show who she used to be and where she is at now. This again applies to Saussure signs to create meaning theory.

We decided to use a black and white throughout the whole music video because it creates an impact on how she is feeling and gets rid of all the complications and distractions that colour can create.

The camera continuously focuses on her throughout as if the audience was watching her change.

section 1b essay plan

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of representation.

Example Essay Structure:


Paragraph 1 Intro: Which of your projects are you going to write about? Briefly describe it

Paragraph 2: What are some of the key features of the concept you are being asked to apply? Maybe outline two of the theories/ideas of particular writers briefly

Paragraph 3: Start to apply the concept, making close reference to your production to show how the concept is evident in it

Paragraph 4: Try to show ways in which ideas work in relation to your production and also ways in which those ideas might not apply/could be challenged

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

Para 1 –

in my first year i produced a music magazine cover, contents page and double page spread.

Paragraph 1

 

For our foundation portfolio we had to create a music magazine of our own genre. This involved a front cover, contents page and double page spread.

 

Paragraph 2

 

We began researching existing music magazines such as, Metal Hammer and NME. We analysed each cover so that we could gain knowledge of particular layouts, fonts and key elements. We noticed the Photography first, this was the most important and it was the first thing the audience will see.  I was mainly influenced by the magazine: Vibe, Q and NME. The reason for this is because the imagery straight away caught my eye. The front covers all have direct eye contact with the audience and this relates to The laura Mulvey – Male gaze theory.  This theory also applies to my magazine because of the vantage point and close up eye contact.

 

After analysing the covers of real media texts we then did the same for the contents page and double page spread. I analysed mostly mainstream mass magazines. For example, NME, Q, (more that I will find out)

 

I found that most Photography on the covers of magazines such as NME and Q have close up shots with direct eye contact. This immediately catches the audience's eye and attratcs them to the magazine.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of representation.

For our foundation portfolio we had to create a music magazine of our own genre. This involved a front cover, contents page and double page spread.

We began researching existing music magazines such as NME and Metal Hammer, we then decided our own genre in which I chose indie/pop. We anaylised many magazine covers so we could gain knowledge of particular layouts and imagery. Photography is an extremely important feature on the front cover as it attracts the audience eye straight away and draws the reader in. I was influenced by magazines such as Vibe, Q, and NME. These magazines all had close up shots of women with direct eye contact with the audience. I thought this worked really well and applies to the Laura Mulvey – Male Gaze theory. My imagery also relates to this theory because of girls make up, close up shot and positioning of the camera. I did this on purpose because I wanted the audience to connect with the model through her deep eye contact. This also applies to Tom Ryall’s Iconography theory.

My front cover image is an extreme close up with her leaning against a wall. This is very personal and enclosed however, through the use of the direct eye contact she is inviting the readier in and creating a relationship straight away. She has heavy black make up on which widens her eyes but is also surrounded my colour. This makes the cover vibrant and eye catching. I wanted to apply my magazine to Steve Neale’s theory. I wanted to make my magazine unique from the others by keeping it simple but still using the male gaze imagery theory. This works because men are attracted to the image but women also want to know how to look like that.

 

section 2B essay 2

HOW ARE YOUNG PEOPLE REPRESENTED IN CONTEMPORARY MEDIA?

 

 Ill Manors and Eden Lake are extremely similar because they exploit violence, drug abuse and bad language. They all represent the word ‘chav’ by using the stereotypes of their fashion, language and persona. However, Ill manors is trying to show the reasons why they riot and why they have been classed as ‘chavs’ whereas Eden Lake encode the stereotype and create a film where it may encourage youth or make people aware of what they’re like.

Youth are represented badly in the music video ill manors because of the riots and violence. However, Plan B (Ben Drew) wanted to prove to people that the youth aren’t like the stereotypes people seem to view them as. Plan B quotes in an interview ‘I genuinely want to change things. When you attack someone because of the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, or their lack of education, and you do it publicly and its acceptable to do that, you make them feel alienated.’ ‘Ill Manors says if you stereotype people as socially worthless then they will grow into those stereotypes’

It can act as a protest song because it can make people aware that the word ‘chav’; is derogatory and he wants to change the way people stereotype them ‘This is just the first step. Let me make my point first and raise the issue, and then if anybody wants to talk to me about how I think we can change these things im ready.’

However, he is being a hypocrite by blaming ‘rich people’ and alienating that class and blaming them for their violence. He is exploiting what they do and showing the public what happens and what these people are like which is making it worse. They feel in their eyes that society has made it very clear they don’t care about them.

The protagonists in this music video are the youth and Plan B; the antagonists are the government and seem to be the cause of the problem. The representation of youth in the video is portrayed badly because of smoking, gangs, rudeness and no respect for authority (the police, law and their environment). They live up to their stereotype because of their actions for example, violent towards the police and politicians. They look for trouble because of community centres closing and have nothing better to do; ‘what you looking at you little rich boy?’  Deviant youth is represented a lot through this video (Acland Theory 1995.)

 

Representations of youth vary through generations. The way in which representations are chosen is through the current fears of society at that time, what is perceived to be threatening to them (society). Youth representations are filled through the interests of the adult world.

The more violence seen in films the more likely we are to believe in its existence. Eden Lake would then make us believe that it is the lower class British youths that behave in this way and therefore develop negative and ideologies about them. This results in moral panic, through symbolic violence and follows cultural hegemony.

 

The Theory by Mcrobbie (2004 Symbolic Violence) is used in the film Eden Lake because it portrays deviant youth and highlights the contrast in social class. Cultural Hegemony (Gramsci Theory 1971) is used also because in the opening scene we are introduced to a normal couple who go away on a romantic holiday. They are the protagonists and at the start of the film the mise en scene overall is very vibrant and happy. This changes and becomes very dark when we are introduced to the antagonists (deviant youth) looking for trouble. They show animalistic characteristics because they are portrayed as wild animals in a forest hunting the couple. Before getting to know the gang the audience have automatically viewed them as stereotypical ‘chavs’ because of their clothing, body language, colloquial language and behaviour towards the others. (Giroux Theory 1997) we see them as the empty category. For example they reply rudely when asked to turn the music down. A waitress in a café describes them as ‘little terrors’ in a sarcastic way. Which is what some people may view them as before getting to know what they’re like.

 

Films like Eden lake create a moral panic on the representation of youth COHEN (1972) because this is what we believe is real and our views and opinions change after watching these films. We then ultimately judge and look down on the youth after what we seem to believe. The repetitive pattern of television mass produced message and imaged influences peoples understanding of the world. GERBNER (1986) (Cultivation Theory) television and the news are constantly reminding people of the bad representations of the youth and we then adjust to this and view them as the empty category.

 

answer for section 2B

After comparing different social groups over time I have realised that not much has changed apart from new technology, weapons and a new style of fashion has been introduced.

 

Quadrophenia is a 1979 british film about the mods and rockers. The main character Jimmy is intrigued by the common drug everyone uses and eventually becomes an addict. The drugs changes his personality and he drifts away from the group of Mods and ends up committing suicide. Drug abuse is still happening today and many problems are caused because of people losing control or overdosing. For example, the film Harry Brown was made in 2001 and is based on an elderly man (Michael cane) investigating on a large gang causing trouble which includes a scene involving heroin taking and the effects of it.

 

Riots are shown in the film Quadrophenia and this is another example of how this particular social group hasn't changed a huge amount over time. The mods have no respect for authority and fight back and start a riot. The lack of respect is still the same for example, the police, the elderly, parents and waitresses get abuse shouted at them. The scene towards the end the Mods throw deck chairs at the police and knock over the elderly on the beach during the riot. Jimmy swears at his mother and tells her to 'fuck off' as he gets kicked out of the house. Also in the café scene one of the Mods was told to put his legs down in which he replied 'piss off'.

 

In the film Quadrophenia the Mods wore green parker jackets, suits and had scooters. The Rockers wore leather jackets and had motorbikes instead of scooters. The rockers were seen as the dominant social group or the antagonists because of what they looked like and what they had. People today are still judged and stereotyped by what they choose to wear. We construct our identity by what we wear and how we act. Today we have many social groups for example, 'chavs' are stereotyped by their clothing. They wear hoodies and tracksuit bottoms. This was shown in the film Harry Brown because hoodies can come across intimidating and frightening. The Mods have now developed into 'chavs' and become more violent because they now have access to guns and knives.

 

Technology has impacted on social groups massively because now the television has been introduced we are now watching the news everywhere which is a constant reminder of the riots and crimes happening all over the world. Media is now everywhere as well; we are influenced by what we see and what we believe is real. For example, films and video games encourage young people to behave badly because they begin to think it's normal.

 

Overall, technology has had a huge impact on social ideologies and this has influenced them and changed their attitudes and behaviour.

post production section 1a question and answer

Paragraph 1: Should be an introduction which explains which projects you did. It can be quite short.
Paragraph 2: Should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest something about your starting point with it- what skills did you have already and how were these illustrated. Use a detailed example.
Paragraph 3: Should talk through your use of that skill in early projects and what you learned and developed through these. Again there should be detailed examples to support all that you say.
Paragraph 4: Should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again backed by detailed examples, and reflecting back on how this represents a move forward for you from your earlier position.
Paragraph 5: Short conclusion

·         have a specific point you want to talk about in each paragraph

·         You might also include a brief note of the example you are going to use to back up this point.

30 minutes to write at least 3 PEE paragraphs for the below question

Describe how you developed your skills in post-production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making.

-       Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

Over the two year media course we had to produce a music magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. In our second year we developed our foundation skills further and had to produce a music video or film trailer and a poster to go with it.  

After doing my final shoot for my Music Magazine ‘Pulse’ I had to edit my chosen images on Adobe Photoshop. Using this image manipulation program allowed me to crop my cover image to the size I wanted and increase the saturation and colour balance to make it more eye catching. I wanted to use similar colours and layout to the music magazine ‘Q’ because this magazine uses direct eye contact and bold vibrant colours. This caught my eye straight away and influenced me to create a cover that has the same impact.

The print construction software Adobe Indesign C55 allowed me to create a realistic product by manipulating the font and adding conventions of real media texts. For example, this programme enabled me to add buzz words and logos on my cover. I was influenced to do this by other music magazines. It also allowed me to increase the stroke on my font to make the outline thicker. As well as this, I could adjust the size and space of my font to how I wanted it. This allowed me to have some letters larger than others to stand out. I could also rotate my font in different shapes.

These skills helped me in the second year of my course when we had to create a music video or film trailer. Me and my partner decided to produce a music video after we researched more about them. After filming we were introduced to a new programme called Adobe Premiere Pro C55. This software allowed us to add specific transitions, sound effects, slow motion, fading and overlays. At first I found this programme quite intimidating but after developing my skills it became much easier. Out of the three programmes I found this one the most challenging but rewarding at the same time. I learnt how to link music to our video and fade the music in time with the motion of the video. This made it look professional.

Overall, these skills contributed to creative decision making because I developed my skills from the first year and this helped me to produce my music video. Using these skills allowed me to create projects in my own style.