Erins Media Studies Blog

Water Aid Advert: Claudia sings sunshine on a rainy day Water Aid context Established in 1981 as a response to the United Nations campaign for clean water, sanitisation, British advert primarily aimed at British people. Set in Zambia. Closeups positions us directly with her. The use of extreme closeups is to make us like or dislike something and here it is used to make us like her. Shot with lots of buckets shows just how much they need - surrounding one fountain. Lots of work needs to be done to get them the water they need. Bright pink flowers vs dull pink shoes. Positive compared to other charity adverts - progress and positivity. They are grateful and joyful for the resources they have been given from Britain. Advert: Preferred - Sympathetic to those in poverty/those in need in Africa. Get them to donate. Dominant - Opposition - Disrespecting African people by stereotyping them as poor and impoverished. Romanticising poverty. Stereotyping black people as ...

Introduction to charity advertising: What is the purpose of a charity advert? - Inspire someone to do something for the benefit of the charity e.g. donate money How do they work? - Uses empathy and sympathy to get the audiences to feel their pain and be inspired to help make a change - Distressing imagery What mode of address do they take? - Sad and serious tone  - Rhetorical questions - Imperative language What conventions do they demonstrate? - Narrative overtone - Middle class - Celebrities - Emotional slow music How do they position the audience? - Privileged - should help - Guilty / 'guilt trip' NSPCC Charity Advert Black and white images connote it is a sad/depressing time. Imagery of toys and cribs to express how young and vulnerable the children are. Distressing imagery of a child crying - close ups high angle shots to emphasise  they are helpless and weak. Positions us as the abuser looking down at the child - we are guilty. The use of 'beg...

Identity - David Gauntlet Gauntlet believes that despite many negative perceptions of the media, audiences are not passive and are capable of constructing their own identities through what they see on television. Subcultures are an example of this. One theory that can be attributed to him is the 'pick and mix' theory. Audiences can pick which ideologies suite them and can completely ignore the elements of the product they don't agree with. Additionally, he writes there are now many more representations of gender than the traditional 'gender binary'.

Can a stereotype be a good thing?   Stereotypes are not a true statement - therefore they portray a false image even if that image is not bad. Anchor Spreadable Butter Groups represented - Elderly (Old women), Children (Girls), Teenagers (Teenage Boys), Jamaican, British, Smart Technology (Posh woman), Family, SecondGeneration Immigrants.  Old people confused by technology - cluttered mise-en-scene enforces this during the mid shot. Teenagers - Sarcastic, rude, hoodie = rebel. Binary opposition between young and old.  Butter represents family and the ideal of bringing people together. Humour within the family is the ideal family. Jamaican accent - kind/soft accent to enforce that they're sharp tongued but funny. All of these things appeal to a variety of audiences e.g. E lderly,  Large families,  First Generation elderly immigrants,  Second Generation immigrants Pot Noodle - You can make it Groups represented - Working class,  bla...

Media theorist Stewart Hall studied representation. Representation - The ways in which a media product instructs the world and aspects in it including social groups, individuals, issues and events LINDT LINDOR "Do you dream in chocolate?" Analysis Soft lighting - romance, relaxation, sexual desire, relaxed - chocolate makes you feel like this Voice over - relaxing, mellow, soothing - chocolate is these things Chefs - exclusive, rare, elite, luxurious  Lone woman closeups - having a kind of erotic relationship with the chocolate. Blissful face - savour the feeling and emotions. Layering/melting transition intertwines all these aspects as well as symbolic of chocolate. Gold and brown colouring - idea that the chocolate is a luxury and a sort after commodity Stereotype - Repetition of a commonly held belief about a certain group of people Richard Dyer - the Role of Stereotypes An ordering process A short cut (for producers) A reference point (for audiences...

Representation/Reception theory - Stuart Hall Representation -  The ways in which a media product instructs the world and aspects in it including social groups, individuals, issues and events The study of representation looks at: 1. The group, place or issue on which a media text is focusing. 2. The technical devices the media text uses in order to present these groups or issues. 3. The message about the group or issue being created within the text.  4. The impact the message has on the audience. Reception theory  Preferred reading  - The 'right' reading of the text. what the producer wants. What you should think. However many producers often put multiple meanings into a text. Hall categorised audience response into three different categories. These can help us to understand if the audience sticked to the preferred reading or if they decide to make their own decision as to how to decode the text.  Dominant reading - The audience agrees with t...

Ideology John Berger - media theorist Adverts operate under the impression we are living an imperfect life with flaws - adverts suggest we can solve these flaws with their solution. Ideology - The beliefs and values of a media text. The message/moral. Producer - Individual who creates a media product Dominant Ideology - the set of ideas or culture that is most common or widely accepted in society. This can change over time.   Advert Analysis Implies the eyeliner is easy to use and the resolution to a problem this is shown in the use of the word "now" when describing the product. Reinforces dominant ideology that women have to "keep your eyes in line" and wear makeup. Direct address to the audience through use of "you". Advert has a friendly tone in the writing to imply it's on your side. "No caking. No flaking. No running away." - the product won't let you down it will work and you don't have to run from using it. ...

Advert Analysis Stereotypically beautiful and physically fit woman in the centre of the advert along a line in the rule of thirds grid.  Following the Z-line rule we are first drawn to the phrase "are you" which is then cut off by the rest of the phrase by the image of the woman before completing the phrase "beach body ready". This connotes that the woman is the 'beach body' we should be aiming for because if we do not look like her we have failed. The bright yellow colour not only draws attention to the image but also has connotations of the sun and sand which is related to beaches.  A Proairetic code is used in the rhetorical question and the 'Weightloss collection' right next to the  end of the question.

Binary Oppositions - Claude Levi-Strauss Structuralist Binary opposites - two concepts, messages or values presented in direct contrast with each other e.g. day and night

Semiotics - Roland Barthes Semiotics is the study of meaning. The sign is anything that can have a meaning. Within a sign we find two meanings. The signifier is anything that creates meaning (e.g. tree, cat, light). When a signifier is said an image is created in your mind - this is called the signified. KEY TERMS: Codes - any element of a media language that creates meaning for the audience. Hermeneutic (enigma) codes - something within the media product that creates mystery or suspense Proairetic (action) code - something within the media product that suggests something will happen Symbolic codes - something within a media product which creates a deeper meaning for the audience Referential code - where m edia products make sense but only through its reference to other media products

KEY TERMS: Z-line - Following the rule of the eyes, looking in a 'Z' at an image Rule of thirds - Dividing the screen into thirds, focal points created, salience kept in ideal position. Headings and Subheadings -   Serif font - 'Fancy' font with the small additions. Sans-Serif font - 'Basic' font without the small additions. Often bold and informal. Lexis - Choice of language. Specific type of language used in a media product, can imply target audience. Mode of address - The way the media product speaks to the audience Advert Analysis Background:  Procter & Gamble launched Tide in 1946 - traditionally heavy usage washing. Became a brand leader in America and remains a leading brand. Marketing research revealed that P&G was a trusted company so they put their name in lots of their adverts. Used radio and print adverts to build familiarity - continually used the 'loved' and 'adored' ideology of their mascot the housewife. Ver...

Advert An alysis The woman and her clothing is the main focus of the image. She is sitting in a bright red dress in a set that is a very bland beige colour. This makes the dress stand out against the background and draws attention to her clothing showing that the advert is for clothing. The French elegant writing implies sophistication and 'high end' designer clothing because France is considered a fashion capital of the world and has a highly regarded fashion industry. The colour red also links to this french name because red is often associated with passion and France is often called the 'city of love'. Advert - What is an advert/what is the purpose of an advert? - To make an item or idea appealing to a certain target audience and raise awareness about this item/idea. Builds association with the company e.g. happiness and positivity What forms can they take? - Print, TV, Radio, Social Media, Billboards, Bus stops, Films, Cinema, Product packaging, Mail, Spo...

Self-Evaluation Task Specifications: • Contain NO dialogue • Include sound effects that you have recorded yourself and NO music. • Not rely on performance (facial expression, dramatic movements etc.) to create meaning • Rely mainly on cinematography and editing techniques to create meaning • Include at least  3 empty shots, 2 low angle shots, 2 high angle shots,  and  3 extreme close-ups . Evaluation: I think overall our short suspense sequence project turned out well. We managed to implicate all the required shots (see task specifications above) in our storyboard and film those shots. We managed to assemble them in a loose following of the storyboard and overall our short sequence made sense. We included a range of shot types and thought carefully about the purpose of our sequence picking a spot reflective of the emotions and themes (suspense and tension) we were trying to convey.  The main downfall of our project was that it had no sound. This w...

Lesson 1 MAIN MEDIA BLOG : lr-media.blogspot.com Task:  20-30 second suspense sequence builds atmosphere and creates suspense 3 empty, 2 low, 2 high, 3 ext closeups no speech - Waiting - Art block - Shots walking to bench - On bench shots - Close ups on background objects - Close ups - nail biting, finger tapping, phone message Key Term Definitions: Editing - Changing something to fit your needs, assembling and reduction of materials Shot duration - length of the shot Shot - Uninterrupted sequence of footage Mise-en-scene - Everything in the shot Low-Angle shot -  Below looking up at the subject - power/status High-Angle shot -  Above looking down at the subject - weak/vulnerable/powerless Shot Type - Distance between the camera and the subject Long Shot - When the camera is a long distance from the subject Close Up - When the camera is filled with the subject - identify and emphasise Audience Positioning - Where the audience is in relation to t...

My name is Erin Horler and this is my pen portrait! This has been made so you can get to know a little bit about my favourite things in the form of 'Top 5' lists. Enjoy! :) Top Five Films - Spirited Away - Alien - Reservoir Dogs - The Nightmare before Christmas - Spiderman Homecoming Top Five TV Shows - Rick and Morty - Game of Thrones - Luther - Futurama - Community Top Five Animes - Terror in Resonance - Parasyte: The Maxim - Bleach - One Punch Man - Naruto Top Five Videogames - Overwatch - The Binding of Isaac - Borderlands 2 - The Wolf Among Us - Don't Starve Top Five Directors - Quinten Tarantino - Stephen Spielberg - Guillermo del Torro - Alfred Hitchcock - Martin Scorsese Top Five Albums - Gorillaz, Demon Dayz - The Heavy, House that dirt built - Tyler the Creator, Flowerboy - Glass Animals, How to be a human being - Florence and the Machine, Lungs Top Five Film Posters