Typography...Script...Typography...Script

Previously Unposted

As my media lessons have been split into focusing on coursework and my exam , these blog posts are starting to jump from one topic to another. I do apologise for this,as I am trying to update you (my audience) on what I am doing within each lesson.

This post is going to be short and sweet , as I am focusing all my attention this week on my coursework.

After deciding on a storyline for my coursework, I decided to push myself and aim to find a suitable font for my poster and DVD cover, whilst still writing up my script.


The deadline for the script (the pre-production) is closer than the deadline for the DVD Cover (post-production). However I thought that I would make things a little easier on myself by planning ahead and making sure I had all of the research I needed to create all of my coursework quickly and efficiently so that I would have time to make corrections if needed.

Taking a break from script writing, I decided to create a word document of all the fonts (Typography) that I could potentially use on my production pieces.After asking around my peers and both my media teachers I narrowed the options down to three . All 3 of these fonts I found on the website
www.dafont.com .

The reason I chose to use this site, is for the simple reason that the fonts are easy to download, there are a range of different designs to choose from , and you can even try out the font in the title that you want.

Below are the 3 fonts that I have to choose from for my production pieces. The links show my film title in the 3 fonts that I chose.

http://www.dafont.com/kiss-me-quick.font?text=Losing+Reality
http://www.dafont.com/from-me-2-you.font?text=Losing+Reality
http://www.dafont.com/alertse.font?text=Losing+Reality

Exam Practice: Avatar Analysis

Previously Unposted 

As a class we all watched the full film together, and our homework was to write up a detailed analysis of the official trailer( found on YouTube). 

This is not the full essay that I wrote.. I have written out snippets of my answer from the start, main body and ending of the essay.  In the original essay I included a lot more detail and print screen images from the trailer to back up my analysis.  Originally the essay is around 19 paragraphs long , which typed is around 3 pages of A4 .

My teacher made up the title to help ease us into exam questions and answers. This was originally set as homework, but it was also used for individual revision purposes, setting us up for the exam.  

Because I have only posted snippets of the essay , to show where there would be more paragraphs I have placed a long line of dots E.G. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................

As this is is not a  previous post , I do welcome any comments on my work and I hope it helps you to understand analysis better, the film a little bit better , and even how to construct an essay. 

So here it is folks .. the essay  :) 

Watch the following trailer and analyse everything that you can see from the starting credits to the ending credits, using media terminology.

The trailer that I am going to be analysing is the Avatar Movie HD trailer. Within this essay I am going to be analysing the trailer, commenting on the visual codes, genre, characters and settings/Mis- En-Scene.  I will also be analysing the Persuasive techniques of the trailer, the music used and how the clips of the film are structured together.

Even before the film clips actually start the two company logos that are producing the film are flashed on the screen. This is to show the audience who is responsible for the making/producing of the film yet does not take up any of the actual film trailer or the time.

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The next part of the trailer shows an army of soldiers, running down a ramp that is connected to a gigantic spacecraft, and in the middle is the main character. All of the soldiers are wearing gas masks which, again hints that they are not on planet Earth. It also hints that this is the main characters mission. This is a persuasive technique because the soldiers give a sense that there is going to be a fight/battle/war within the film and this entices the action lovers out there to watch it.

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The clip below shows a giant piece of technological machinery, which is similar to a bulldozer, crashing through a forest and knocking down all the trees and foliage in its path. This conveys to the audience that there is a considerable amount of destruction within the film Avatar.

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 From about half way through the trailer till the end there are short and snappy persuasive techniques to make the audience want to watch the whole film. The very first one that flashes across the screen is the directors name ‘James Cameron’. The next 5 techniques are names of famous films that he has directed and nearly everyone has heard off/ seen. This is a persuasive technique because if the audience liked his other films it may make them want to watch Avatar. All of the film titles are split up by different clips from avatar that are showing a lot of action, destruction and violence. The backgrounds are black to make the information stand out more and to make the font look more futuristic to tie in with the genre of the film.

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Overall the avatar film trailer is persuading the audience to what the film throughout, from start to finish by using techniques such as the colour schemes, lighting, and distinctive snapshots of the movie.

Extra Coursework Research

Previously Unposted 

Research 

True Story Films 

• Flowers In The Attic 
• 8 Mile 
• Born on the 4th July 
• The Social Network
• JFK
• Saving Private Ryan 
• To Catch A Killer
• The Blind Side 
• The Lovely Bones 
• Titanic 
• Pearl Harbor 
• Brace Heart 

True Story Books 

• Flowers In The Attic Series 
• The Boy No-one Loved
• Against All Odds 
• Exploited 
• Shattered Dreams 

Codes and Conventions of True Movies/ Films.

• ·         Drama/tragedy
• ·         Sometimes a happy ending
• ·         Based on real time events
• ·         Mostly starts from the past and pans out over the time of the event
• ·         Crying/Kissing/Hugging
• ·         Emotional/plays on the audiences emotions
• ·         Tend to have a long screen time.
• ·         Focus on the ‘victim’
• ·         Opens the audiences eyes to the bigger picture of what actually goes on in the world
• ·         Shows the audience a different perspective 

Courswork: DVD Analysis

Previously Posted on 11/3/13

As extra research I also analysed the film's DVD covers as well for comparison.  These are shown below(From top to bottom)

1) The Blind Side

2) The Lovely Bones 

3) Titanic

DVD Cover Analysis of The Blind Side

DVD Cover Analysis of The Lovely Bones

DVD Cover Analysis of Titanic

Coursework: Poster Analysis

Previously Posted on 11/3/13

Below are the three posters that I analysed for my coursework research. The 3 posters are (From top to bottom) 

1) The Lovely Bones

2) The Blind Side 

3) The Titanic

The Lovely Bones Poster Analysis

The Blind Side Poster Analysis

Titanic Poster Analysis

  

Print Images: Analysis

Previously Unposted 

As a way to help us analyse print based images, My teacher gave the class an activity where we were given 5 DVD covers , and we had to identify the main icon within the image and the explain why it is the main icon/what makes it so iconic. 

The list of DVD covers that I analysed is : 

The Hurt Locker 

The Vow 

The Departed

The Bounty Hunter 

Avengers Assemble

The Hurt Locker- The main icon present that I can identify is the explosion at the top of the DVD Cover. This is iconic because you can see the light of the fire and the black billowing smoke that covers half of the scene being shown. Another icon is the types of transport being shown such as the army vehicles being shown. This is iconic because the colour of them and the actual form of the vehicle hints at the army being present within the film.  The genre of the film in my opinion is action/war purely because the scenes that are shown on the cover hint at a lot of different events taking place and the picture of a clock at the bottom of the cover shows that there is a time limit for the plot, and also hints that it is going to be a fast paced film. Also the use of the explosions in the background and the men wearing soldier uniforms gives away the idea of a fight/war happening, so yes it is easy to identify the genre.  The genre is also an important message to the customer as it will attract an audience that loves that certain genre. The actors’ names on the front are also important because it lets the audience know who stars in the film and whether they will enjoy the film based on their reputation etc. At the bottom of the cover there is a star rating that shows the audience how critics rated it on a scale of 1-5 stars. This cover has a 5 star rating which tells us that the film must be a really good film and that is a possible 'must see'. Overall the most important consumer message that the cover shows is the star rating and the genre, as the rating makes the audience want to see it and the genre would also appeal to a certain type of audience which is who it would be targeted to.
 
The Vow- Within this DVD Cover, the icon that stands out the most to me is the poster of both characters and the way they are positioned. It shows that they are a couple or at least going to be and that they are in love, which is shown through the facial expressions of both characters. The genre is romance/ or rom-com and you can see this through, again the facial expressions but also the colour of the background as it is bright and cheery. The film title also hints at the genre through the actual words. This is because 'THE VOW', hints at a marriage/ love/romance. The border also shows the genre through the colour, pink to highlight fairy-tale and the actual design which has little flicks which are made to look like vines to also make it look 'girly'. The words in the corner of the cover say ‘Inspired by true events’ which could also mean that the genre is true story as well. This shows that the genre is easy to find, however it could be either one or both.  The genre of this particular film is vital as the cover portrays a very ‘lovey-dovey’ scenario/film sequence, so it is targeted towards a very select audience (mainly girls/women who like chick flicks). The actors names are important to because they are the main characters, which mean you, would have to like them to watch the film. However, they could be new to the film industry and never been heard of before so the names on the front would help to further their career.
 
The Departed- Straight away, I can see Leonardo Di Caprio on the cover, which is an icon because, even though his name is on the cover, his face is very distinguishable. The only other icon that I can identify is the landscape of a bay with tall buildings, which hints at a place within the USA. I would say it is New York because of the shape of the buildings. Looking at it, the cover doesn’t really convey the genre of the film, which, in my opinion, is a good thing because it makes people curious to know what the film is about. However the colour used for the characters faces, shows that the film could be set in the past or, as I originally thought, a gangster film. The use of the buildings ties in with my gangster thought because most films of that genre have been centred around New York or America in general. The quote at the bottom of the cover tells the audience that the genre of the film is crime. This then ties in with the facial expressions of the characters, which tell you that the one on the bottom left is a detective of some sort due to the hint of clothing we can see. Overall the genre of this film is not very easy to identify if you don’t look hard enough.  With this DVD cover, the genre is not the main message, but the actors are. This is shown through the well know actors names going first and the names are all in one place in a list, which draws the audience’s attention to them. The quote and the star rating are also important on this DVD cover as it shows that the film is a ‘must see’ and it gives away the genre of the film.

The Bounty Hunter- The generic icons on this DVD cover would be the main characters as they are well known /famous and are easily identifiable from their looks. The other generic icon is the fire ball in the background which hints at an explosion through the red/orange/yellow light that shows there is a fire and the smoke that it emitting from the car. Looking at the background I think that the film is an action/comedy film because the background stands out as being happy and cheerful. The background also makes the characters look slightly cartoon like, which again shows the genre is a comedy or it could suggest the age of the film through the graphics not being merged properly. Also the characters faces give it away, as in my opinion it looks like they are trying not to smile. Another factor is that the actress ‘Jennifer Anniston’ tends to star in comedy/chick flick films. However generally looking at the cover, the genre is not really reflected other than the use of the explosion and the handcuffs around the actors wrists. Again on this cover, the actors names are the most important as they convince the audience whether to buy it or not based on whether they like them or not.  The quote at the bottom is also another important factor in conveying messages as it tells the audience the genre of the film, but without actually saying what the genre is.  ‘From the director of Hitch’ also gives the message that if you liked that film you will like this as well. It also gives the message that maybe the film follows the same route that the ‘Hitch’ did.
 
Avengers Assemble- There are many different icons present on the cover of this DVD.  The main one that probably everyone will notice is the different superheroes at the foreground of the cover.  This is an icon because through the different appearances and the distinctive dress/weapons, for example we know which one is the Hulk due to the colour of his skin, the facial expression and his type of dress/ or lack of, and Captain America can be identified through the colours he is wearing and the shield he carries. Another icon is the Empire state building at the very back of the cover, which shows that the film is set in New York.  The explosion to the right of the cover is also an icon because the colours and the fire ball, give the audience that impression. The parts of flying glass also help to boost that idea of an explosion.  As the genres of this film are fantasy/ superhero/action. This is shown through the use of all the marvel characters at the foreground of the cover. However there are other ways of figuring out the genre such as the use of the colours/lighting shows that the characters are cartoon –like or based on cartoons. All the debris at the foreground of the cover hints at the action/destruction which shows there is a battle/fight that ties in with the action part of the genre. The fact that all the characters are standing together in the middle of New York shows the fantasy side of the genre as, superheroes are imaginary and seeing them in New York is a fantasy. The message of the genre is conveyed very strongly through the image on the cover because ‘MARVEL’ is a very well know company and everyone knows that it is linked with superheroes. The use of the ‘MARVEL’ logo is also a huge selling point. However the actors names are also important in attracting the customers attention, because they are all well-known and would persuade the audience whether to buy it or not.

Extra Links

Previously Unposted

After yesterday's post, I remembered that I had a a few more links that helped me with my pre-production work. 

Pre-Productions- This is the work that has to be completed before any filming can be started. This stage includes, writing scripts and storyboards for the setting of the film and the actors.  The film idea also develops more within this stage.

http://www.shapingtruestory.com/ 

http://screenwriting.4filmmaking.com/script-rewriting.html 

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/ripper-street-episode-1.pdf       - This link here is from the BBC website. It is the first part of the 'Ripper Street' script. I used this link because it helped me with the layout of my script and it also showed me how to introduce new characters/ settings etc. I definitely found this link to be helpful .. and I hope you (my audience) do to :)  

Coursework: Links

Previously Unposted

To help me create the best possible coursework piece, I decided to do some of my own research by looking at different links on the internet to help me write my own treatment to pitch my film to the rest of my media class.

Below are some website links to the information that I researched.

The first link does not work properly, so you have to type it manually into your search engine. This one is a
a guide on how to write a script.

The second link does work and is a guide on how to write a treatment.

The last link is a step-by-step guide on how to create a storyboard.  (  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard) This link explains in better detail than I every could what a Storyboard is  :)


LINKS 
http://www.writersstore.com/how-to-write-a-screenplay-a-guide-to-scriptwriting
http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/how-to-write-a-treatment.html
http://writersgateway.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/8-easy-steps-to-create-a-storyboard/

Game Trailer Analysis

Previously Poster: 29/4/13


GAME ADVERTISEMENT-VISUAL , AUDIO AND TECHNICAL CODES

BIOSHOCK -INFINITE VISUAL CODES

•  USE OF COLOUR- the use of colour within the film trailer is a bit misleading because they are bright and bold whereas the action actually has violence involved. the colours used are dark and grim which hint at danger within the narrative and also show the action involved.
• CLOTHING- there only seems to be one woman in the advert that is dressed feminine by wearing a dress.
• 
  

TECHNICAL CODES

• CAMERA MOVEMENT- the camera movement is in first person point of  view , as if you are the character within the game, and the image is what you see.
• EDITING- When the action starts to 'heat up' the editing speeds up to show the action involved and to hold suspense.
• CAMERA ANGLES- this advert uses a lot of panning shots to show the setting to the audience. The shots are slow paced which shows the audience that this game is one of stealth and patience.

AUDIO CODES

• SOUND EFFECTS- The sound effects are shown through out the advert, mostly for the numerous explosions.
• MUSIC- the music sets the mood for the plot-line of the game.
• VOICE OVER- to start with the  female character is humming , and then and the main character starts to talk about the story line of the game, which is non -digetic sound. There is also a sound bridge where the humming carries on into the next clip and then turns into the music.

TOMB RAIDER
TECHNICAL CODES

•  TRACKING SHOTS- this advert uses a tracking shot because it follows the protagonist through the action of the game. This lets the audience get involved with the game/action.
• CAMERA SHOTS- the most common type of shot within this game advert is the close up shot to show the characters face and the facial expression.
• EDITING- when the  protagonist starts running through the ship the editing starts to speed up slightly to create suspense for the audience to see if she will make the jump or not.

AUDIO CODES

•  SOUND EFFECTS- the sound effects within this game advert are used to add drama/suspense to the advert ,which is a good way to appeal to the target audience. 
• VOICE-OVER- the voice over is the protagonist talking about herself and hinting at the story line of the game. The voice-over is non-digetic.
• MUSIC- the non-digetic music helps to make a dramatic effect and keeps tempo with the  scenes. 

VISUAL CODES

•  CLOTHING- the clothing that the protagonist is wearing are not really practical for the setting/situation that she is in, however this also makes her look ' sexy'/ 'appealing' to the audience.
• USE OF COLOUR- the colours used are dark and grim which hint at danger within the narrative and also show the action involved.
• EXPRESSION- the expression of the protagonist is serious and 'set straight' , which makes the character more 'realistic' and also hints at the plot line of the film.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPSVISUAL CODES

• CLOTHING- the clothing of the protagonist show that the game involves combat through the body armor and the khaki colours also hint at the fighting aspect of the game.
• GRAPHICS- these are showing different types of war e.g explosions, bombs,fighter planes, and also gun fighting. This also hints at the violence of the game. the graphics used are also very life-like and hint at war in the real world.
• EXPRESSION- the expressions of the protagonists are grim and stern, which shows that they are determined,and their minds are set on one thing, and one thing only. Their facial expressions also show that they are constantly thinking of the next 'move'  within the game they are going to make. 

TECHNICAL CODES

•  CAMERA MOVEMENTS- There are a lot of tracking shots used to follow the action and to give the audience a taste of the actual game. 
• CAMERA SHOTS- Within this game advert there are a lot of close-up shots used, because this allows the audience to see the action up close and shows a range of different things happening. 
• EDITING- Looking at the editing, it shows different shots happening in slow motion , which gives the audience the chance to watch the action with out getting confused. the editing also adds effect to the advert by adding a slight suspense through the slow motion. 

AUDIO CODES

•  DIALOGUE-The dialogue within the game advert is very informal and , also engages the audience , as the protagonists are talking at the audience. The use of the actual words sound similar to what army soldiers would say in combat/war.  The line 'guess who brought a jet to a gun fight' is also used as a reference from another moving image.  
• SOUND EFFECTS- The sound effects are used mostly for the graphics e.g the bombs , and the noise of the explosions. This allows the audience to have a close experience of what war sounds like, without being in a dangerous situation. The volume of the effects also hints at the sounds of war.
• MUSIC- The music within this game advert is non-digetic and is only played half way through the advert. The music type sounds rock and roll which adds a war like effect on the audience and it is also used as a way to show the audience that this is just a game.

Film Trailer Analysis

Previously Poster: 24/4/13

This task was to help us all with analysis of moving images e.g. film trailers.

The trailers that we had to analyse were :
Iron Man 3
Get Smart
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

This was a start up task that later was used as a revision task to make sure we still understood what to include within an exam answer.

This is my answer in a list of bullet points. I used this method to help me get the important pieces of information written down so that I could expand on them ,when revising .

FILM TRAILERS- VISUAL , AUDIO AND TECHNICAL CODES

IRON MAN 3

VISUAL CODES

• CLOTHING- the use of the Iron man costumes at the beginning of the trailer.
• ICONOGRAPHY- the use of the landscape and the buildings 
• IMAGES- The images within the trailer have been placed for a reason ( mis-en-scene)

TECHNICAL CODES

• EDITING- the editing is fast paced as it gets closer to the end of the trailer
• CAMERA MOVEMENT- panning shots are used a lot within this trailer 
• PRODUCTION VALUES- this trailer shows that the production values were very high for this film

AUDIO CODES

• MUSIC- The non-digetic music builds up suspense
• VOICE OVER- the main character seems to be a voice over to explain the plot of the film- this also leads into digetic sound and part of the dialogue 
• SOUND EFFECTS- sound effects are used to highlight the action that is happening within the trailer.

GET SMART 

VISUAL CODES

•  EXPRESSION- The expression of the characters is either grim/ serious or overly happy.
• GRAPHICS-The writing on the screen is the main actors names and the characters they play
• USE OF COLOUR- the use of colour highlights the genre of the film and the lighting changes throughout the trailer to show the time span of the film.

TECHNICAL CODES

• EDITING- the editing of the trailer is quite a slow pace to start off with but gets slightly faster as the trailer progresses to show the action involved.
• CAMERA SHOTS-within this trailer there are a lot of still shots used to
• CAMERA ANGLES- there are low camera angles on the characters to show authority and birds-eye-view angles to show the audience the whole picture.

AUDIO CODES

•  VOICE-OVERS- this is used to introduce the film and to add a little humour to the trailer
• DIALOGUE- the way the characters speak  introduce humour to the trailer and conveys the codes and conventions of the film 
• SOUND EFFECTS- these are used to highlight the explosions and the 'hi-tech' equipment used

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

VISUAL CODES

• USE OF COLOUR- using dark,dim colours highlights the genre of the film and also shows that there will be sadness and maybe even death.
• EXPRESSION- the facial expressions of all the characters seems to be very serious and in some parts scared.
• ICONOGRAPHY- the iconography used is the images of Hogwarts school and the images of London.

TECHNICAL CODES

• TRACKING SHOTS- there are a few tracking shots that show the action of the film, especially in the woods.
• EDITING- the editing in this trailer is apparent for the 'magic' and for the pace of the trailer as it gets faster towards the end to hint at a climate and creates suspense.
• GRAPHICS- in the sense that the title of the film , was shown bit by bit but by the typography of the first letter the audience could tell what film it was before reading/being shown the rest of the title .

AUDIO CODES

•  DIALOGUE- the dialogue hints that this is the ending, and it also shows the characters in their true light as well. It also gives away the genre of the film through the actual words that are spoken. A sound bridge is used to bring in music from the dialogue and to make both the scenes flow nicely together
• MUSIC- the music is non-digetic and also creates suspense for the audience.
• SOUND EFFECTS- the sound effects of the explosions and the 'magic' that was happening.

Exam analysis: exam questions

Previously Posted on 10/4/13

Even though we have been working on our coursework, some of the media lessons will be focused on the exam so that we balance the time taken to work through the course content in time for the exam and coursework deadlines.  

For this task my class was given two posters : Sex and the City 2 and The A-Team.

Below are my answers to the exam questions. To start with, we were allowed to just make a bullet point answer to the questions. Then for homework we were asked to write up the bullet points into full sentenced exam answers.  

All of the questions we were given , and my individual answers, are shown below. 

1) Analyse the two film posters commenting on: Visual Codes, Layout and Design and Genre Conventions

Sex and the City 2

Looking at this poster, straight away I can tell that it’s a romantic comedy/ 'chick-flick’ through the use of the colours. Even though there isn't any pink to hint at the romantic side, the colours are all bright, which suggests happiness. The use of the white clouds in the background hints at the comedy side of the film as it brings a light ‘airy’ feel to the poster which suggests ‘comedy’. The colour of the background shows that they are in the dessert, hinting at maybe a location in America, such as Las Vegas, as the title includes the word ‘city’.However the setting could also give the impression that the sequel involves the girls going on holiday or a journey to a hot country. The use of the light blue tones for the sky show that this film could have a happy ending and it also shows that the film is set in the daytime.  The use of the character’s, again shows the codes and conventions as they are all women, and looking at their clothing, very sophisticated, yet down to earth, which shows the romance side of the film.  The long, scarf that is shown floating in-front of the women makes the image look exotic and adds glamour to the image. Costume also reveals the body structure, which again, shows that the protagonists and even the actresses look after themselves. Looking at the characters facial expression and overall appearance tells the audience that there is going to be some fun involved as they are smiling and their body language suggests they are trying to attract male attention by standing  at an angle so that they can show off their ‘assets’.  All four of the characters seem to be within the 30-45 age categories which suggest the film is a comedy as, four women looking for love at that age is likely to be eventful.  Having the character’s located in the middle of the poster, draws the attention of the audience as the image is large, bold, and bright. The angle of the shot is a direct mod of address which makes the characters appear friendly and approachable.  Placing the characters in stages e.g. one in the foreground, shows how they rank in their friendship group, the film itself, or maybe even the popularity of the actresses playing them.  Having the most famous actress in the foreground brings in the attention of the audience, and it also shows how she could be the main character. The main protagonist is also making direct eye-contact with the viewer which allows the audience to relate to the women.The composition of the image also emphasises the closeness of the foursome. Placing the actresses names at the top of the poster, spaces out the information so it doesn't look ‘crammed’ with details, and also to let the images speak for themselves, and if the audience is still interested to give them that little bit more information.  The title is placed just below the image to, again, let the image draw the audience in, however, the number ’2’  suggests a sequel, and people already having seen the first  one, with automatically recognise the characters, without looking at the title. Inside the number ‘2’ the colours is a shimmery silver, which hints at a disco ball, which could mean this film involves a party or a location well known for parties. Having all the small print at the bottom of the poster shows it is a release date poster as it gives the audience all of the technical details and also the date ’May 27’. 

The A-Team

My first impression of the poster is that the genre of this film is going to be action. I can tell this through the use of weaponry shown. The facial expressions of the characters are shown to be set ‘straight’ and look serious, which shows that these protagonists are on a mission, and you cannot have a mission without action. The background also hints at the genre as it has dark, gritty colours such as the tones of grey and brown, which are commonly used within action films. The use of having bullet holes in the actual film title, again shows action, and also hints at danger and conflict within the movie. Assuming that the characters are called the ‘A-team’ then it could also suggest that, they are the ones being shot at/targeted within the film. The colour of the sky is light and brings the sense of a ‘happy ending’ or maybe even a little comedy within the film.  Looking at the characters themselves gives the impression that they are very mismatched. This is shown through the clothing as the character on the far right is wearing a smart business suit; however he looks completely comfortable with holding a gun at the same time, which also hints at the characters occupation and personality. The clothing is also significant in hinting at another genre within the film; comedy. This is done through the dress code, and also the facial expression as the protagonist is smiling/ has a cheeky grin on his face.  The character on the far left has a posture that just instantly tells the audience he it is completely natural to him to be holding a gun, and maybe to also be in the location that the film is set. Using ‘MR.T’ or the image of him automatically tells the audience what the film is without them even looking at the title. They know this through the body structure and the choice of clothing. In addition the hair style and the ‘gangster’ look.   Nowhere on the poster are the actor’s names, which tell me that the actors are recognisable to the audience that the names are not needed.  The tagline at the top of the poster  ‘There is no plan B’ shows again that they are on a mission, and that they are determined to succeed as they haven’t got any other plan. This also shows typical male behaviour, as generally men tend to have one plan about something and one plan only. In the bottom right hand corner of the poster there is a release date, however this poster could be called a teaser poster because there isn't much information, text wise, and there is no specific date of the film’s release. 

2a) Choose one of the film posters. Suggest two different audience for this film. Give brief reasons for your choice.

There are two main target audiences for the film Sex and the City 2. The first one is the female population probably aged 12 and over, but it would mostly target the age range that the characters appear to be (25-45). This is because the poster had a large image of four, attractive/ well known actresses, which would appeal to the female population who are the same age as the characters/actresses. Targeting a female population means that they would be able to easily relate to the characters and the situations that they are in. The female audience may also be targeted as they may have enjoyed watching these actresses on-screen and enjoyed the previous films they have been a part of. These people are likely to watch this film as the actresses may just be their favourite actresses or it could be that they are well known for playing parts in certain types of films. E.g Jennifer Aniston is well-known for acting in comedies and ‘rom-coms’. The second target audience for this film would be the fashion lovers/ fashion conscious audience, which may include a younger audience e.g.  female teenagers,  their boyfriends who may have been dragged along and even gay men. This audience would be targeted as teenagers are very conscious of the clothes they wear and designer labels, and the poster just screams fashion, through the protagonists choice of clothing. Gay men would be a good taregt audience as they are very into their fashion and are more in touch with their feminine side which suggests that they may also be able to relate to the protagonists emotions and situations.

2b) Using either of the film posters explain how the main audience for the film has been targeted.

As I mentioned above the main audience would be the female population, aged 12 and over, and females aged 25-45.  The poster targets this audience through the images used and through the codes and conventions of the film. The image target the female population as the protagonists shown are female. The use of the bright bold colours, are also more commonly associated with ‘chick-flicks’ than ‘guy films’ ,so more woman would be attracted to watch the film by the colours. Also the use of the shimmery colour within the number ‘2’ may also attract the women who like to part or the ‘girly-girls’ who like 'bling' and sparkles. Using the fact that there are no males featured within the poster, shows the audience that this isn't your stereotypical romantic-comedy and would attract females to watch something different. The main protagonist within the poster is holding , what looks like a large, flowing  decorative scarf, which shows that the characters are fashionable and this may attract the women who take an interest in fashion.

2c)What different uses are available to a range of audiences from different media texts? Refer to your own detailed examples.

Using the Uses and Gratification theory, I found that there are a number of different uses that are available to a range of audiences from different media texts. The first one is the information the audience gets. Through this the audience can find out about events and satisfies their curiosity. Personal Identity is another one as it allows the audience to find models of behaviour to copy. Using different media texts audiences are shown integration and social interaction through watching/reading the text they get an insight into social issues and allows the audience to also connect with others e.g. family by talking about the text. The last use is entertainment. This means that it provides escapism for the audience and they get enjoyment out of it. Media texts can also relax the audience and emotional release. 

3) With reference to your own detailed examples, explore the different representations of gender in the media today.

Within the media today, there are a number of representations about anything and everything and those representations are continuously changing, however this is not always the case when it comes to the representation of gender within the media. Representation means how something/someone is shown to an audience.it also mean re-presenting something in a different way than it has been shown before, which brings up the argument that nothing in the media is the truth as ‘the truth has been lost’ as Baudrillard states. Photographs are re-presentations of objects/people. This has happened a lot with gender.  Even though we are in the 21^st Century and women have gained the right to vote, and the right to equality, the media still represents them in the stereotypical way. The main representation of women is that, they should all be, Beautiful, Blonde, and Big-chested. Women are also portrayed as sex objects, for example in James Bond films the women are scantily clad. They are also shown as either flawed or living up to the ‘caring, motherly role’ just like Madonna.However it could be said that men are also portrayed as sex objects, as they are sometimes photographed with their tops off, showing their upper torso, which could be to entice an audience made up of women.Generally men are shown to be the ‘main bread winner’. They are also shown as muscular/ ‘fit’ and are made to look ‘handsome’. Men are also shown as rough and rugged, which hints at aggression and violence.Men are also photographed with stern/serious faces which tell the audience that they ‘mean business’ and that no-one should ‘mess’ with them. An example of this is ‘The A-Team’ poster I analysed above, where they are holding weapons and have serious expressions. 

Research Methods

Previously Unposted 

When starting to research my potential film idea my teacher gave me a list of research methods that could help me to find relevant information to help me with my coursework.

I decided to type up the list, in case I did lose the original. From this I looked at the research methods and added information about them to help me when I wrote my Bibliography in my report :) 

Here is the list that I typed up :) 

Research Methods

NRS

NRS creates new ways for the media to make money. They also create international commercials to help advertise media companies.

NRS Media, which used to be called New Revenue Solutions, was founded in New Zealand in 1991 as a consultancy firm. This company works in mainstream media and they have offices within Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom.

NRS Media has ensured that their media partners have achieved this sales goal. Our experience and proven performance will help you generate substantial revenues and profits, ensuring your first year’s success.

ABC

The ABC Media company is a company that specialises in selling a range of various different media channels that all work together to produce the same outcome. This company also provides brands and advertisers with access to millions of customers using digital networks, sales channels and many more.

BARB

BARB stands for the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. This company is the primary provider that measures the UK’S television audience. BARB covers all television channels that broadcast across all areas. For example: Satellite, Cable (both digital and analogue) and terrestrial.

This is a limited company that does not make any profit, and is funded by some of the major television programs and advertising companies. For example: BBC, Channel 4 and 5, ITV and TPA which stands for the Institution of Practitioners in Advertising.

Other types of broadcasters also contribute to the running cost of BARB by subscribing to the service that BARB provides. Some of these companies are: Advertisers, Publishers and Research specialists.

Coursework: The Briefing

Previously posted on 19/2/13 


The Brief  For my coursework I had to come up with a film idea. I had to create a pre-production and production piece. The pre-production was the option of either writing a script or creating a story board. The production piece was the same for everyone; create a DVD cover and at least 1 poster that conforms to the codes and conventions of your film idea.

I decided to create a script for my pre-production and a teaser poster and a DVD cover for my production tasks. I chose this option because I found through my practice task (see hobbit post) I was quicker at creating the script, and I enjoyed playing around with the dialogue, which means I can be more imaginative.

My film genre is going to be true story, because I wanted to show how not everyone has the perfect childhood and how they deal with these imperfections.  To ensure anonymity , I altered the characters names and the situations so more people could relate to the idea. I also thought about writing a disclaimer so that the audience knew that all characters names were fiction. I did some secondary research on the genre by looking at different true films such as 'The Blind Side, 'Titanic', and 'The Lovely Bones'.  I analysed film posters to get a better understanding of what my poster should convey, such as images/ typography to give the audience the correct image. Creating a mood board of true movie film posters/ DVD covers helped me to compare and contrast the types of colours/ layouts/ fonts used. 

For script assistance I studied different types of scripts (websites mentioned below) and used Google’s search engine to look at different types of script layouts. Relating back to my practice task also gave me inspiration.

These are the questionnaires that my focus group  filled in.

I undertook primary research through a focus group by asking them questions about my idea. I took note of their answers and adapted my work towards their responses. From this I decided to target my film towards the female population aged 12A and above.  

When I knew who my target audience was, I started looking at audience theories. The one that applies to my work is the uses and gratification theory because it reflects my text and the theory shows how an audience can relate to what they see, which is the way want my target audience to react to my film.

My focus group also came up with more true movies: 

• Anne Frank 
• Boy in the striped pyjamas' 
• Call the midwife ( TV Drama Series) 
• Life of Pi 
• Music of the heart

For more research I looked at the marketing campaigns and DVD releases for these titles for inspiration. As the Life of Pi has recently been released, I compared all the film posters and made notes on what made the poster eye-catching and the composition of the whole text.

Using the BARB website I found that call the midwife had a rating of 10.18 million viewers on 30^th December 2012 and 10.85 million viewers on the 3^rd February 2013. This hints that there is a huge audience out there that enjoy watching films/TV series based on real life. This research helps with my marketing campaign as it shows that I would have to persuade a wide audience range to see my film. 

Next I found different true story books for film title ideas. To help me decide, I wrote out a list of different titles that I came up with and narrowed it down to a top 3:

• Losing reality
• The reality of being me 
• Life is calling 

I added these titles to my questionnaire and the focus group helped me to decide on LOSING REALITY as the title. Once I decided on the title it was time to write my script! 

Here are some of the websites that I used to gather the research :

•    http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/writing/bbctapedsitcom.pdf   
• http://web.mnstate.edu/johnsdan/dtv/ScriptLayout/ScriptLayout.html 
• http://www.slideshare.net/EmilyCrow/the-lovely-bones-textual-analysis 
• http://www.imdb.com/list/2xHGLzvIkzA/
• http://www.imdb.com/
• http://www.rottentomatoes.com/
• http://www.filmscriptwriting.com/samplescripts.html  
• http://www.barb.co.uk 
• http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_8702988_handle-flashback-screenplay.html 
• http://www.scribd.com/doc/12721428/Professional-Screenplay-Formatting-Guide 

COURSEWORK:The Start

Previously Unposted 

Soon after submitting my work about 'The Hobbit', just after the Christmas Holidays, my teacher gave us a  2 hour introduction into our Coursework for the year.  Within these 2 hours we were shown

* PowerPoint's with information on 

*Booklets to guide us

* Templates

* Research links for websites

* Recommended books/newspapers

 *Examples from previous students work

*Examiners reports 

As a class we were also told that as homework we should go and research some ideas we may have about our coursework. 

We were also given a basic outline of everything that was expected of us to complete and a rough idea of how long we would have to work on the coursework.

Due to the amount of information that we were given, my class were told that our next media lesson would be our first official coursework lesson, where we would get the brief for our coursework and would be given the lesson to work on our ideas we may have and to have a one-on-one conversation with the teacher so that we could agree on a coursework idea and sign it on the brief as an official coursework idea. 

I will keep this blog updated on the progress I make whilst doing my coursework. 

Please Note: I will be updating this blog with posts concerning my coursework and my exam preparation :) 

The Hobbit: Extra Work

Previously Unposted
Hi everyone,

Following on from my post about my Christmas homework about 'The Hobbit', I decided to upload a photo of the mood board that I created to help me with the research :)

My definition of a  Mood Board is: a page/sheet (generally A4/A3 sheet of paper) filled with images (can contain some words ) that are all related to the same topic. Mood Boards can be created for anything and everything e.g. films, books, colours, make-up , superhero's etc. :)

The mood board I created consisted of images from 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord Of The Rings'.

Due to the film being highly publicized and a highly anticipated film release, it was difficult to find images that were not posters or book covers or even images that were not related to 'The Lord Of The Rings' franchise :) .