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.