Clash

PREP Write freely about the house style of Clash music magazine. Your focus is on 'media language', that is, how the musicians are represented, layout, font, colour and so on.



The clash magazine has a very simple and orderly layout with minimal writing and the only writing being in large bold letters. This connotes a feeling of sophistication and makes the magazine seem quite serious. This also tells us that the reader is someone who takes their interest in music very seriously and is very appreciative of it. A large range of musicians are shown, each with different genres, showing that the magazine and its readers are very diverse.

The mast head is always in the top centre of the magazine and is written in bold and in most cases is white. This allows it to stand out and makes it easily recognisable for viewers because it stands out. The main splashes all consist of very well known artists such as: Travis Scott, Zayn and the 1975. Here the magazine is using celebrity endorsement, as the reader will be enticed by such well known artists.

Q9 The Lego Movie Ad Break

Analyse the representations found in the UK television ad break for The Lego Movie. [10]

There are a lot of different representations that are found in the Lego Movie ad break. Warner Bros have taken these commercials from famous companys such as BT, Premier Inn, CPR, and Confused.com, and have turned them into Lego animations in order to promote their movie. This is to mostly appeal to the older audience for these are trusted brands that many people might use anyway, and so changing them into Lego allows them to be more noticeable and remember able for the audience.

There is also a lot of humour representation throughout these ad breaks. There is not much direct humour used but through the representation of Lego instead of real life this brings around natural humour, that would appeal to a wide audience. This is boosted by the use of famous actors such as Vinny Jones and Lenny Henry.

The actual adverts for the movie appear to be conforming against the use of stereotypical gender representations. The character Wyldstyle is presented as strong and independent breaking the stereotypical norms for gender roles. This is further emphasised through the way the hero Emmet is portrayed. In comparison to Wyldstyle, despite being the hero, Emmet is represented as very timid and weak, being the opposite of male stereotypes, which is strength and bravery.

MOJO cover analysis

 Refer to Extract 1 in the insert. Analyse the representation of Jamaican Reggae music and

musicians such as Bob Marley in this MOJO front cover. (5 marks)

This magazine cover is very clearly showing a representation of Jamaican Reggae Music and this representation is quite happy, loving and exotic. This is evident in many ways such as the bright, stand out colours of red, yellow and green which are actually the colours of the Jamaican flag. It is also shown in the cover lines - 'From gang war to love' - it takes a political stance here showing pacifist ideas suggesting the idea that violence isn't necessary and that love resolves all. The magazine also uses a sans-serif font connoting an idea that it is more free-flowing and less restricted.

Typically, artist representations on MOJO magazine covers tend to be more momentous and less relaxed. But here we see Marley breaking these norms, he is shown with a large smile and wears very casual clothes reflecting his nature. We get a brief view more common representations of musicians in the skyline of the magazine that portrays an image of David Bowie.

Q4

The main-splash on this magazine is of a music artist and she is shown to be taking up most of the space on the page, she even overlaps the masthead of the magazine, this representing her as someone who is clearly very important. The magazine uses a black and white colour scheme for the portrayal of the artist. This hints at the fact that she is someone that is no longer as relevant in current times, and so the magazine is giving us an insight to her golden age.

The cover lines "My gift was born of tragedy" and "the agony and ecstasy of" give us an insight on Joni Mitchell. They tell us that she is someone who has had to struggle through a lot of things to reach the place that she is at now, this telling us that she is a very strong and independent person, who doesn't give up no matter the obstacle.

Q8

PREP
To revise the 'media language' question, you focus on the layout. It is a quick and easy question, worth 5 marks and only 2 examples needed. Please copy the question onto your blog and write the 2 examples taken from the recent Observer online. The answers below will help you.



Firstly there is use of a very simple and limited colour palette of deep blue and white, with black for the words. This connotes a feeling of maturity and also suggests that it is a very organised and formal newspaper.

This magazine also uses media language to create meaning in its layout. The observer is very organised in its layout. There is a white background, a limit of photographs, and the boxes are also organised in to neat columns, all of this connoting a feeling of maturity,.

Q9 Observer Values

identify all relevant articles or features that represent the newspaper's values:

1.  The major use of newspapers is to offer a sense of knowing
what is going on in the world.The Observer knows that its readers are serious and interested in international affairs. This is evident in hard news articles about.....  Politics/Labour set to call vote to topple Theresa May's government.

2. The Observer meets its audience's need for a range of cultural, sporting and artistic news. It provides these with... Music/2019 Brit award nominations topped by Anne-Marie and Dua Lipa - again

3. The Observer does not shy away from 'difficult' issues that could make uncomfortable reading, such as... Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe/Captive 'fearful' as she prepares for Iran Jail hunger strike.

4.  The Observer has sections which are designed to appeal to
different types of readers.The Observer reflects the diversity of its readership in articles on... US news/Trump vents fury over Russia stories and again threatens national emergency.

5.  Newspaper readership can still be used as a symbol of one’s

social identity. The term ‘Guardian reader’ connotes a certain

type of social attitude and The Observer  similarly reinforces

a set of social and political attitudes, and thus identity, in its

representations. For example, Observer  readers like to think

of themselves as open-minded and this is reflected in the

Observer’s practice of allowing both sides of an argument

equally to be put when the newspaper is clearly on one side

of this argument. There is an example of this in.... Schools/Sleep-deprived pupils need an extra hour in bed.

5.  The entertainment function of newspapers may take the

form of humour.  It may take the form of diversion into

a celebrity world of ‘glamour’. It may take the form of human

interest stories in which readers are invited to sympathise with

the subjects of the article. Newspapers further offer games,

puzzles, crosswords and the like. At the higher end, sections

such as the New Review in the Observer may offer the pleasure

of extremely well-written think pieces and literature reviews. An example of this is.... Music/2019 Brit award nominations topped by Anne-Marie and Dua Lipa - again

Q2 Practice

PREP: To revise for q.2 (4 marks), copy / paste each of the following descriptions into your blog post. Write either SB or TD at the start of each, to indicate either Avril or Wheatus. Some answers may refer to BOTH so put both initials.

This video is documentary style mostly hand-held camerawork, de-saturated colour and fast-paced editing. SB
This video has saturated colour, more controlled camerawork, slower-paced editing. TD
This video consists of mostly montage shots. TD
This video has more developed editing with cause and effect. TD SB
In this video, the singer values rebellion, which is seen in the narrative. SB
In this video, the singer values 'fitting in', conformity, albeit to an oppressive system, which is seen in the narrative.  TD
This video is set in LA, a big city, with its connotations of street credibility. SB
The mise-en-scene of this video is American suburbia with its connotations of conformity. TD SB
This video is intertextual in its narrative (=it makes references to high school drama). TD
In this video, the singer performs to camera. SB
In this video, real locations and 'everyday' costume for the performers connote a sense of naturalism. TD SB
In this video, there is a sense of linear narrative (a story is told, in the order it unfolds). TD SB

Q5

PREP 02 MUSIC & NEWS question 5: How is media language used to reflect the genre conventions of a music magazine? Make bullet points below the magazine cover.

• The group the all saints take up the majority of the page, and they are shown to be standing upright staring directly at the camera, showing that they are, similar the magazine, very serious and also very confident and have nothing to hide. This is emphasised in the tagline 'we didn't conform to the rules' showing they don't care what people think and they will do things in their own style.
• The layout in this magazine is very formal, almost like it is in columns.The cover lines are also then very balanced and in orderly positions once again connoting a feeling of seriousness.
• The colour scheme is very simple consisting mainly of black and white, this connoting a feeling of professionalism.
• This feeling of professionalism is further emphasised by the writing and font which is in serif sans and is orderly and neatly placed in places on the magazine, not overlapping anything.
• There are many different artists on the magazine each of being completely different style and different genders, this showing the diversity that this magazine offers for their audience.

Q1 Cuffs

Analyse how camerawork is used in the extract to create meaning. Refer to at least two examples from the extract in your answer.
Worth 4 marks.

A first example of where camerawork is used to create meaning is in the scene when the two female officers are patrolling in the town. Firstly a hand-held shot is used while following the officers, to make it feel more realistic, like you are there in person. Then there is a close up of shaded figures in a van watching, which gives the audience a sense that something bad is going to happen. The camera then switches back to the officers, showing their faces as they casually talk and laugh. This contrast is used to build the tension, and also make you feel more sympathy for the officers, as they are clearly completely unsuspecting. A truck then comes round the corner. There is a fast paced shot reverse shot between the truck and the surprised, panicked looks on the officers faces, this giving a sense of urgency and panic. Finally we see the truck break through the glass in the shop through the shop CCTV footage. This makes it seem more realistic as it is something that you might see in a news article in real life.

A second example of where camerawork is used to create meaning is in the car chase scene that follows. The camera is placed in the back seat of the police car, like you are there with them. You then see the car speeding down roads and quickly changing lanes, this uplifting the urgency of the scene. There is then also a bird's eye view shot, giving a view of a very familiar layout with all of the traffic, once again making it feel more realistic, but the also showing the many turns and obstacles that they have to speed through, which uplifts a bit of  a sense of heroism. There are then also alternating close up shots of the two characters faces, showing their emotional features. Jake looks panicked, which increases the sense of urgency , while Ryan is calm and focused which gives a sense that the situation is under control.

This is the part of the introduction showing the sort of time period in which it is set and where it is set, which in this case is England.

This photo is also part of the introduction giving a general sense of what the show is about, and what kind of class it focuses on. The scruffy, messy background and the, cheaper clothes show its mainly addressing the working/lower class.




This is a photo of all the main cast. The expressions on their faces make it seem like a typical 'friend group' which makes all of the characters slightly more relatable.



This photo is quite typical of a soap opera it shows people looking anxious and worried, this is to create drama and suspense in the show

Q1 Cuffs

How is sound used to create meaning? Give at least two examples (5 marks)

This section starts with the two police women walking along the pavement in a relaxing manner. In this scene most of the sound is completely diegetic. You hear birds, and the calm waves, these creating a calm sense. However, there is very quiet, but eerie background music playing throughout this scene, this suggests tension to keep the viewer action ready, and to warn them that something bad is going to happen.

Another example where sound is used to create meaning is when the four police officers are all sitting together in the cafe. There is only diegetic sound in this scene, like the clinking of cups in the background and the echoing music playing in the cafe. This is in the background from the police officers calm normal conversation. There is then a sudden break in to the calm with the women's panicked voice on the radio, this creates a large contrast to emphasise the fast paced, action scene that follows.

As soon as this next scene starts it is almost immediately followed by much faster-paced rhythmic music to connote a sense of urgency to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. There is also large screeching sounds from the car, which show how fast the cars are going and also shows the experience of the driver's this adding a sense of danger. These senses of danger and urgency are also emphasised with the background noise of the continuous screeching siren.

For this piece of work I would give myself a mark 4/5, for there are multiple good explanations of sound and how it creates meaning and good usage of significant words like 'connotations', however the meanings of each of them could have been a bit more developed.

Question 8

Exam Question: Analyse the use of media language to create meaning in the online Observer home page

There are a lot of different examples of use of media language in the front page of the Observer. Firstly the Observer categorises the different articles like features, sport and interviews. This will draw the reader to what type of articles they want to look at, meaning they are more likely to look at articles, especially ones they like, instead of having to search for particular ones, this also meaning that it will attract a larger range of readers.

The article also enlarges certain articles to give them more attention and meaning. For example one of the larger articles is 'can I forgive the man who raped me?'. This is very intriguing because there is no further back story, and it is just a simple question which will make the readers want to know the answer.

They also make the headings, short, simple and catchy, so it is possible for reader's to browse through and search for particular ones that interest them. One heading is 'my lifelong affair with photography'. This title is catchy because it will leave the reader with their own questions like why is this mans relationship with photography an affair, and so what else does he have going on in his life?

A final way in which this front page uses language to create meaning is the use of quotes. These quotes are generally peoples opinion, and so you may have your own opinion on the matter, whether you disagree with it or agree you will want to read it for you want to hear someone else's opinion.

Enigma review

We decided to use a box as our main prop and create a short film about it. We started by discussing our ideas for what we could use the box or any other props for. We decided to do a short sketch on how a box is delivered to to men. However, they do not know the contents of this box. Then as it turns out there is a head in this box. We started by filming the delivery man, wearing a wig, deliver a parcel. Then the two men investigate the box before opening it. To create the head in the box effect we cut a hole in the bottom of the box and had someone stick their head though and then surrounded the head in bubble wrap to hide the hole and only show the head. We then filmed a final scene where you see the delivery person without the wig, as it was supposedly a disguise looking through a door. Therefore, leaving it on an enigma.