Work for Thursday 27th

In my absence I'd like you to do some research, ready for our next lesson which is on Friday.

We are moving on to look at media institutions next and I'd like you to research OFCOM.

You need to find out answers to the following. Write your answers down ready to show me:

• What do OFCOM do?
• Find out about three of the rules they suggest in their code
• Find out about two complaints which have been made to OFCOM, and what the outcome of each was

The OFCOM website will be useful but the information is quite dense. Don't be put off - you don't need to know all of it.

Have your research ready for Friday's lesson please.

Semiotics homework - moving image

Your homework is to write a semiotic analysis of a moving image text. This can be a music video or a film trailer of your choice. Use the notes you made in class aswell as your yellow booklet if you need help on any of the codes. Don't worry about commenting on sound in detail at the moment - we are yet to do this!

Alternatively, you can click Here for a previous blog post I have written on the codes you need to know.

Post your homework in the comments box below and include a link to your chosen video (which must be accessible via Youtube).

Here is an example of the type of thing I am looking for:

Music video: Example - Changed the way you kissed me



The narrative of this music video shows Example preparing for a gig, performing on a large stage and then winding down afterwards. It is filmed entirely in black and white, perhaps indicating that this is a more serious video showing the two sides of performance. It could also indicate that Example feels passionate about his music (as shown by various close ups) and that he feels he doesn't even need colour to show this.

At the beginning of the video we see a variety of close ups to show how Example is feeling before he goes on stage. These occasionally cut to aerial views of the crowd to show what might be in the back of his mind. As the music speeds up, the cuts between shots get faster to match the beat and mostly high angle shots are used to look down on the crowd. At 1.06 the camera pans across the crowd at eye level to show how excited they are about the gig. This is followed by low angle shots of Example as he sings, suggesting that he is the person with the power and the one that the crowd look up to.

The quick cuts and changes between angles reflect the chaos and atmosphere of a gig and the use of lighting also adds to this party atmosphere. At 1.30 there are close up shots of crowd members to further highlight their passion for the music and make the audience (viewing the music video) wish to be there. At 1.42 the music begins to slow down, as does the camera when it tilts up towards Example's face to show his tired expression after jumping around on stage. More high angle and aerial shots follow as Example crowd surfs and the camera pans across the crowd to show just how many people are there. At 2.00 Example is shown through a low angle shot in which he is held in the air bathed in light. This gives the impression that he is the most important person in the room and someone to aspire to.

As the music slows down again there are close up shots of Example interacting with the crowd to show how friendly and down to earth he is before the music quickly builds up and the cuts are fast paced and mostly focussed on action. An over the shoulder shot is used towards the end of the song to give us the same view as Example before it quickly cuts to a 'behind the scenes' shot of him winding down afterwards.

Post your video and analysis in the comments box at the bottom of this page. 

Virgin Media - Your airline's either got it or it hasn't

Theory: Feminism

As a perspective for looking at media texts, feminists would see most media output as being the product of a patriarchal or male dominated order aimed at disempowering women.

Feminism was the response to society’s assumptions that women should be subservient to men. Until the emergence of feminism women were treated almost as objects, passive agents in a male world.

The roots of the feminist movement extend to the eighteenth century but run through the Suffragette movement which fought for the vote for women in the early part of the twentieth century and the land girls and other women who moved into many male occupations during the Second World War.

The waves of feminism

•First Wave – early 1900s – political/social

•Second Wave – 1960s-70s – equal rights at work, abortion rights…

•Third Wave – 1980s – tackling negative stereotypes, pressure on female body image etc

•Post feminism – celebrates idea of powerful woman – no need for ‘movements’

Below are a few print adverts we looked at. Don't forget to be looking at the media critically from now onwards!

Have a look at the video below for a good explanation on Feminism and the way women are often presented in the media. 

Have any of you seen any adverts or found any good examples recently where feminist theory could be applied?

of both patriarchy aHasnd citalism 
 

Help with your audience assignment

Year 12

Below is an example of what I'm looking for in your audiences assignment. 

Audience Assignment Example: Closer Magazine

The ‘audience’ is a term used to describe the people who consume media texts. Many theories have been devised which seek to explain why we consume certain media texts.  Other theories deal with how far the media can influence our opinions or behaviour (known as effects theories).

I am going to use audience theory to analyse the UK magazine ‘Closer’. It is a celebrity gossip magazine aimed at a young female target audience. It offers a number of gratifications but also could be seen to effect audiences in a negative way.

Maslow

Closer magazine does not fulfil any basic human needs. It does not enrich the mind as the language used is quite simplistic and the topics covered do not provide any kind of education or creative opportunities. This means it cannot provide any self-fulfilment needs.  However it could be argued that it provides esteem needs. Many of the stories are negative and focus on problems in the personal lives of celebrities or seek to pick out their flaws. It could be argued that these stories boost readers’ self esteem by making them feel better about their own lives. They may compare themselves to the celebrities in a positive way.

 

 For example, this front page features stories about celebrities’  love life issues and a story about a celebrity’s problems with diet pills. Knowing that these celebrities have problems may boost your own self esteem. Other common stories are ‘Stars without make-up’ and stories about celebrities having cellulite or gaining weight.

Uses and Gratifications

Magazines like Closer can generate discussion and this can be used to develop personal relationships, especially amongst females. It is common for young women to swap magazines or flick through them in social situations. In the same sense they are often a source of diversion,it provides lightweight reading material with a large image to text ratio. It offers the chance to escape into the celebrity world and forget reality. Readers may also identify with the celebrity stories. The stories are always about the personal lives of celebrities rather than professional, and people may identify with their personal problems and feel ‘they’re just like me.’ The personal identity strand of the theory also suggests we compare ourselves with celebrities and often aspire to be like them. Closer offers a chance to do this. Finally, the magazine offers surveillance in the chance to catch up with celebrities, however the magazine is only useful for surveillance in the celebrity world as it doesn’t cover current affairs.

Effects theories

It could be argued that the magazine tries to inject messages into its audience and affects them in a negative way. The stories tend to focus on celebrities’ bodies, what they eat and how their relationships are going. The weight gain and loss of celebrities is scrutinized – see below.

This image from ‘Closer’ is Claire Richards from Steps, whose weight gain and loss is frequently documented by the magazine. The details of extreme celebrity diets are given. Women above a size ten are described as having ‘curves’ which seems to be a nice word for ‘fat’ and the ideal size seems to be an 8 – celebrities below this size are reviled for being too skinny or gaunt.

The front cover on the left demonstrates this. TOWIE star Billie’s weight gain is pointed out whilst Big Brother star Josie’s weight loss is demonstrated in an obviously airbrushed bikini shot. The focus is on bodies and relationships in all of the stories.

If readers start to believe that size 12 is too fat and that having a good body and relationship are the most important things, it could be argued that the hypodermic needle theoryapplies. Female readers are being made to think a certain way without questioning what the magazine says.

Some of the celebrities in the magazine could be viewed as role models. Social learning theoryargues that audiences copy the behavi our of role models. If this is true, Closer readers may try extreme diets in order to look like celebrities and this could encourage eating disorders. However according to temperament theory this may only be the case if it is in the reader’s nature to be effected. It’s thought that extroverts, for example, detach themselves from what they see and don’t try to copy it. Finally, if read by young girls the magazine could have a desensitisingeffect, where readers are no longer shocked by images of skinny celebrities and begin to think that what they are being presented with is normal.

Many journalists and celebrities have criticised Closer magazine for influencing its readers in a negative way, presenting stories in a misleading way and obsessively covering diet and exercise. This article from the Guardian is an example: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/29/closer-magazine

The article has been shared on Facebook and Twitter. The French edition of the magazine, published under a different licence, has been criticised by many opinion leaders for publishing topless photographs of Kate Middleton. However the magazine remains popular. This suggests that the 2 step flow model does not work in this case. The negative views of opinion leaders do not dissuade people from buying the magazine.