10 D TELEVISION 0: SOCIAL CONTEXT

We start by watching a clip about Life in 1960's Britain.
We then open up the pdf sent to us by the OCR exam board on television in the 1960s compared with television in the 2010s.

02 MUSIC MAGAZINES: Q.4 TEST ON REPRESENTATION

Study the MOJO cover and the mark scheme (below).
You will be set a timed test in lesson time on the exam question. See if you can reproduce the answers effectively.
Q.4 Refer to Extract 1 in the insert. Analyse the representation of musicians in Extract 1, which is from MOJO magazine. (worth 5 marks)

10 C 01: LEGO VIDEO GAME: USES & GRATIFICATIONS Q.8

We watch some of The Lego Movie in class and note audience appeal. Many of the pleasures of the Lego video game are similar to those experienced by audiences when watching the movie. We think about the appeal to mass mainstream audiences, that is, family audiences with adults, teenagers and children.

To identify audience pleasures, it is useful to use Blumler and Katz's framework to discuss how audiences use texts (that means any media product) to gratify (satisfy) their needs.

PREP: Have a go at answering the exam question, using the answer guide to support you.

Question 8  is worth 10 marks. Write a page and half. Refer to theory. Below is the framework that the examiners refer to. Post your answer on your blog.

Above is the Examiner's mark scheme: what you should include.

To see more. open BBC Bitesize

To open the walk through of the Lego video game, click here.

10 D 01 LEGO VIDEO GAME: USES & GRATIFICATIONS

We watch some of The Lego Movie in class and note audience appeal. Many of the pleasures of the Lego video game are similar to those experienced by audiences when watching the movie. We think about the appeal to mass mainstream audiences, that is, family audiences with adults, teenagers and children.

To identify audience pleasures, it is useful to use Blumler and Katz's framework to discuss how audiences use texts (that means any media product) to gratify (satisfy) their needs.

PREP: Have a go at answering the exam question, using the answer guide to support you. 

Question 8  is worth 10 marks. Write a page and half. Refer to theory. Below is the framework that the examiners refer to. Post your answer on your blog.

To open the walk through of the Lego video game, click here.

Above is the Examiner's Mark Scheme for this question: what you should have included

 

To see more. open BBC Bitesize

FROM THE OCR BOOKLET

10 C : 01 PROMOTING MEDIA: LEGO

As the OCR have issued some more guidance about how they want us to answer questions, I am spending a little time at the start of the lesson updating you.

 
The main focus today is 01 PROMOTING MEDIA: LEGO. We look at how Warner created a synergetic release of the trailer ad break, video game and posters in order to promote The Lego Movie (2014). We have to know these three elements (rather than the movie itself) and answer questions on how they promote the movie and engage / attract / address audiences.

At each stage, we study the sample exam question and the examiner's report (how to answer the question). There are links to open in most of the points below.

1. PEGI: who are they and what do they do?
2. What is the Hollywood studio system? What is meant by Dalecki's 4S megafranchise model? We define synergy, spectacle, sequel and story. 
3. Why do film studios such as Warner and others of the Big Six release a portfolio of related products? What is cross-promotion?
4. We watch and analyse the Lego Ad Break. This is the background to it.
5. We view a walk-through of the video game
6. We apply Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications model of audience needs and behaviour to the Lego video game. This is explained simply in the article Why People Watch Television.
7. See also MediaKnowall 
   

 

1. We study the 5 Lego posters  of Emmet, Wyldstyle, Lord Business and Vitruvius
2. We view a walk-through of the video game and note what the audience pleasures consist of.
3. If there is time, we read the review by Stuart Beedie:
   "Today’s blockbuster franchises rarely exist simply to sell themselves – they double as advertisements for a raft of goods, from tie-in video games to personal appliances. A film studio is never just a film studio, but a small subsidiary of a conglomerate, with revenue to be raised by the many arms of the octopus..."

PREP Get to know a bit about The Lego Movie (2014) by watching the trailers or, if you have access, a bit of the movie itself. We will not be tested on the whole movie, but we do need to understand its appeal to its audiences.

For instance, it is really interesting to watch the Behind The Scenes of the Lego Movie 
which opens with the question: "What is The Lego Movie? Well...." then explains it.
Useful to note comments such as 

• "The whole world is created out of Lego bricks and populated with Lego figurines."
• "Emmet is just this normal guy who is thrown on this crazy adventure with some famous personalities."  
• "There were some big egos."
• "Like all my movies, Batman is the main character and this is no exception."
• "The cool part is, all these Lego worlds come together... there are superheroes, Ninjas, knights, pirates, a space dog, a space cat.." 
• "Wyldstyle, she's the most awesome kick-butt hero of all time, a strong role model for girls everywhere."

The LEGO® Movie Family · 2014 · PG

The first-ever full-length theatrical LEGO movie follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

Actors

Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman

Directors

Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

 

10 D : 01 PROMOTING MEDIA: LEGO

As the OCR have issued some more guidance about how they want us to answer questions, I am spending a little time at the start of the lesson updating you.

 
The main focus today is 01 PROMOTING MEDIA: LEGO. We look at how Warner created a synergetic release of the trailer ad break, video game and posters in order to promote The Lego Movie (2014). We have to know these three elements (rather than the movie itself) and answer questions on how they promote the movie and engage / attract / address audiences.

At each stage, we study the sample exam question and the examiner's report (how to answer the question). There are links to open in most of the points below.

1. PEGI: who are they and what do they do?
2. What is the Hollywood studio system? What is meant by Dalecki's 4S megafranchise model? We define synergy, spectacle, sequel and story. 
3. Why do film studios such as Warner and others of the Big Six release a portfolio of related products? What is cross-promotion?
4. We watch and analyse the Lego Ad Break. This is the background to it.
5. We view a walk-through of the video game
6. We apply Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications model of audience needs and behaviour to the Lego video game. This is explained simply in the article Why People Watch Television.
7. See also MediaKnowall 
   

 

1. We study the 5 Lego posters  of Emmet, Wyldstyle, Lord Business and Vitruvius
2. We view a walk-through of the video game and note what the audience pleasures consist of.
3. If there is time, we read the review by Stuart Beedie:
   "Today’s blockbuster franchises rarely exist simply to sell themselves – they double as advertisements for a raft of goods, from tie-in video games to personal appliances. A film studio is never just a film studio, but a small subsidiary of a conglomerate, with revenue to be raised by the many arms of the octopus..."

PREP Get to know a bit about The Lego Movie (2014) by watching the trailers or, if you have access, a bit of the movie itself. We will not be tested on the whole movie, but we do need to understand its appeal to its audiences.

For instance, it is really interesting to watch the Behind The Scenes of the Lego Movie 
which opens with the question: "What is The Lego Movie? Well...." then explains it.
Useful to note comments such as 

• "The whole world is created out of Lego bricks and populated with Lego figurines."
• "Emmet is just this normal guy who is thrown on this crazy adventure with some famous personalities."  
• "There were some big egos."
• "Like all my movies, Batman is the main character and this is no exception."
• "The cool part is, all these Lego worlds come together... there are superheroes, Ninjas, knights, pirates, a space dog, a space cat.." 
• "Wyldstyle, she's the most awesome kick-butt hero of all time, a strong role model for girls everywhere."

The LEGO® Movie Family · 2014 · PG

The first-ever full-length theatrical LEGO movie follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

Actors

Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman

Directors

Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

 

10 C: 02 MUSIC MAGAZINES

In the light of the OCR curriculum planner wording, we prepare for a possible exam task on analysing a music magazine cover. 
Using the MOJO Bowie cover:

Analyse representations in MOJO and discuss how they address its target audience

At the end of the lesson, we revise the Uses and Gratifications model of audience behaviour. We see how we can apply it to the Bowie cover.

PREP: Film companies release film trailers and video games that are linked to films in order to promote the film. They market a number of related products as a form of media synergy, with each product cross-promoting the next.

Watch the following in preparation for next lesson:

The Lego Movie TVtrailer and ad break
and Behind The Bricks

(The Lego Movie (2014) is the first-ever full-length theatrical LEGO movie follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop.)

 NEXT LESSON>>>> COMING UP

Read this interesting article about the synergy of the Lego movie franchise.

10 D: 02 MUSIC MAGAZINES: MOJO BOWIE COVER

PREP: Analyse the media language of the MOJO cover below. Use the terms that you have learned. 
Compare and contrast the cover with another magazine cover, drawing attention to the similarities and differences, and saying what the genre codes and conventions are.

The contrast cover can either be your own cover or another professional cover.

10 C: 02 MUSIC MAGAZINES: MOJO BOWIE COVER

Another practical lesson in class today using Photoshop to create your magazine covers with all the genre codes and conventions. Some top quality work is being produced.

PREP: Analyse the media language of the MOJO cover below. Use the terms that you have learned. In a future prep, you will be comparing and contrasting the cover with another magazine cover, drawing attention to the similarities and differences, and saying what the genre codes and conventions are.

The contrast cover can either be your own cover or another professional cover.

02 MUSIC MAGAZINES: NME COVER ANALYSIS

Here is an example of how to analyse the cover of the music magazine NME.

02 Q.4 MUSIC MAGAZINES 10 C

PREP : neatly mark the codes and conventions of the music magazine cover that you are given on the A2 sheet as modeled in class.
Helpful terms to use: 
LAYOUT
House style: consistent visual codes and written rules / conventions that define the particular brand image (for instance, a  busy cluttered / streamlined look, a header with a drop shadow, a recognizable style /font for the brand name)

Symmetrical and asymmetrical: evenly balanced / mirror images or unequal in layout; made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis; showing symmetry; regular and consistent / irregular; uniform / uneven.

Ratio of copy, photography and space: how cluttered, busy is the layout? Is there much negative space?
Masthead / banner: The title of the magazine or newspaper. It is usually placed at the top of the front cover for display purposes
Overline /running header: introductory headline in smaller text size above the main headline 
Caption: anchors the meaning of an image
Splash: main front page story. 
Cover lines : information about major articles given on the front page of a magazine   
Strapline: a subsidiary heading or caption in a newspaper or magazine. As in

"the strapline on the front page promised '13 pages of dramatic pictures and eye-witness accounts." A strapline can summarise what a brand stands for in just a few words.

It doesn’t have to be descriptive (although some are, like eBay’s “The world’s online market place”), but it should support the brand positioning and communicate what it is about.

Puff: words or phrases on the cover of a magazine used to boost status
Plug: Information about the contents of a magazine or newspaper given on the front cover 
Feature: A longer, more in-depth article.
Tag line: a short memorable line of cover text that sums up information
Pull quote: A brief phrase (not necessarily an actual quotation) from the body text to add emphasis and interest. A quote or excerpt that is used as display text on the same page to entice the reader, highlight a topic or break up linearity.
Talkie headline: a quote from one of the people in the story used as a headline 
Left-side third: A lot of important information designed to attract potential readers is placed in the left-hand side vertical third of the front cover page. This is in case the magazine is displayed in a horizontal shelving system rather than a vertical one.
Flush left: copy aligned along the left margin. Flush right: copy aligned along the right margin.  

IMAGES
Centre of visual interest (CVI): The prominent item on a page usually a headline, picture or graphic.
Choice of colour
Noise: A noisy image  is one where there are random or extra pixels that have degraded the image quality. 

Camerawork and mise-en- scène: positioning of the central image (mid shot, close-up, two shot), clothing codes, lighting and so on

CLASSWORK: You have made a sound start on music videos and now you move on to music magazines for the next exam question. You study the September 2017 and November 2017 editions (front covers only) of MOJO magazine, which are at the bottom of this post.

1. A sample exam question is 'Analyse the representation of musicians in Extract 1, which is from MOJO magazine' (6 marks, write one page), so today's work is to study how they are represented on the cover.

2. What you do in class: make a blog post with the title 02 MUSIC: MOJO COVER 2017, then copy the words 

'How representations on magazine covers reflect the social and cultural contexts in which they were produced'.

3. You then go online to research MOJO magazine. MOJO is handled by Bauer Media, so open the pdf to read what Bauer write about MOJO. Write it down / screenshot any useful bits for your blog. (In 2017, we are still interested in The Sex Pistols and the social disruption that they caused in 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. As figureheads for the Punk movement, they issued infamous challenges to the Establishment in their on-screen behaviour (such as the 1976 Grundy show incident), language and dress. Johnny Rotten's perfume brand and his TV appearances as the face of Anchor butter keep him in the public eye.)
 

4. You should then read about the people on the front cover, in order of their prominence on the cover. Open this link to get the information.Write down what you find out about The Sex Pistols first.  

1. Who were they?
2. Why did they shock the Establishment?
3. Look at the lurid colours used (pink and yellow) and link the MOJO cover to the way that the Sex Pistols used it.

5. Who are the Allman Brothers and how do they come across on the cover above the masthead (title)?

6. What kinds of other musicians feature?

02 MUSIC: MOJO MAGAZINE 10D

PREP : open this link and study the codes and conventions of the music magazine cover genre. No writing involved.

CLASSWORK: You have made a sound start on music videos and now you move on to music magazines for the next exam question. You study the September 2017 and November 2017 editions (front covers only) of MOJO magazine, which are at the bottom of this post.

1. A sample exam question is 'Analyse the representation of musicians in Extract 1, which is from MOJO magazine' (6 marks, write one page), so today's work is to study how they are represented on the cover.

2. What you do in class: make a blog post with the title 02 MUSIC: MOJO COVER 2017, then copy the words 

'How representations on magazine covers reflect the social and cultural contexts in which they were produced'.

3. You then go online to research MOJO magazine. MOJO is handled by Bauer Media, so open the pdf to read what Bauer write about MOJO. Write it down / screenshot any useful bits for your blog. (In 2017, we are still interested in The Sex Pistols and the social disruption that they caused in 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. As figureheads for the Punk movement, they issued infamous challenges to the Establishment in their on-screen behaviour (such as the 1976 Grundy show incident), language and dress. Johnny Rotten's perfume brand and his TV appearances as the face of Anchor butter keep him in the public eye.) 
 

4. You should then read about the people on the front cover, in order of their prominence on the cover. Open this link to get the information.Write down what you find out about The Sex Pistols first.  

1. Who were they?
2. Why did they shock the Establishment?
3. Look at the lurid colours used (pink and yellow) and link the MOJO cover to the way that the Sex Pistols used it.

5. Who are the Allman Brothers and how do they come across on the cover above the masthead (title)?

6. What kinds of other musicians feature?

BFI FILM ACADEMY APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

OPEN LINK HERE

PRODUCTION COMPANY IDENT

Production companies have their own idents, usually 10 seconds or so long, that state their name and have some visual message. At Claremont we can make these using Photoshop (for a still image), iStopMotion (for animated idents) or more complex methods using moving image such as Blender, iMovie or another platform.

In class, I show you a mix of a dozen or so that professional companies like C4 have made as well as a variety made by Claremont pupils from different years.

Your first step is to create a name for your production company then think of a visual that will be snappy and memorable. Film production company names often include words like studio, films, screen, pictures, cinema, reel, productions or similar, such as Limelight Entertainment.

Here is a website that contains a film company name generator in case you need inspiration. The visual should be linked to the name, so for example, Baby Bear Productions would have a paw print or baby bear. Crescent Studios might have a moon, and so on. You can use your own name or initials if that works for you.

The ident is likely to appear at the start of whatever practical production brief we are set, in the way that I demonstrate my pupils have already made.

PREP Continue exploring possible names so that you can progress to choosing one. Then decide what visual would work with it. It could be a still image (landscape orientation, please). If you are confident, you can go ahead and create your ident. We will also have more time in class this week to make further progress.

MUSIC VIDEOS CODES AND CONVENTIONS

As you have studied film language in Cuffs, you are now confident in identifying camerawork, editing, sound and  mise-en-scène. You can therefore use the same skills for our two music videos.

Today in class we analyse two aspects of media language in Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag 

We look at editing and  mise-en-scène.

1. We identify the ways in which the editing is similar to and different from Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi.

2. We deconstruct the setting, clothing, gestures and posture in both videos, noticing those elements which position each singer / audience as a member of a particular tribe. 

10 C MUSIC 02 SK8ER BOI

For Module 02 Music, we study a pair of music videos: 

Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag

Avril Lavigne Sk8ter Boi

We look at the media language, media representations and media audiences of these two music videos in class today. In the exam, we will answer a question comparing aspects of them (see below).
PREP MUSIC VIDEO CODES AND CONVENTIONS 

To prepare for the exam, we look at the media language of music videos, such as their codes and conventions below. For prep, copy the points in colour then add your own points in black.

1. Performance - the singer / band are seen to be singing and playing (including lip synching), to provide authenticity, so that followers believe in the talent and can see their star. Record labels sign stars and promote them  to ensure sales. Avril Lavigne sings throughout the video using a mike and draws a huge crowd of fans around her when she jumps onto a car roof in the street. She sings with great passion, energy and conviction, holding the mike close to her mouth. Close-ups show her every word (lip synching is a feature of music videos.) She performs for her fans and for her 'boyfriend' the sk8er boi who features in the narrative. Screens often feature in music video and the sk8er boi is videoing Avril Lavigne as he gazes adoringly up at her. She returns his gaze as she sings about 'we rock each other's world'. The performance element creates authenticity (fans have proof of her talent) because we see her sing.
2. Star - use of close-ups, sometimes direct eye contact with audience, to build relationship with audience
3. The visuals (what the star and other characters are seen doing) illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics (the 'story in the words'). Illustration = the visuals play out the story more or less literally; amplify = the words in the lyrics are only the starting point and the story develops in other directions; contradiction / disjuncture = the visuals do not interpret the words of the lyrics and may even show something contradictory.
4. The narrative usually features the performer in 'real life' situations but often with experimental types of film making such as hand-held, dramatic camera angles, symbolic codes and lighting
5. The visuals are usually cut to the beat of the music; the editing is often fast-paced; there is often use of montage, ellipsis and intercutting, stylish effects
6. Refrain - repeated chorus, sometimes with variations
7. Intertextuality - references to other media, films, performances, events

10 D MUSIC 02 SK8ER BOI Q.2

For Module 02 Music, we study a pair of music videos: 

Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag

Avril Lavigne Sk8ter Boi

We look at the media language, media representations and media audiences of these two music videos in class today. In the exam, we will answer a question comparing aspects of them (see below).
To prepare for the exam, today we look at the media language of music videos, such as their codes and conventions:

1. Performance - the singer / band are seen to be playing, to provide authenticity, so that followers believe in the talent and can see their star. Record labels sign stars and promote them  to ensure sales.
2. Star - use of close-ups, sometimes direct eye contact with audience, to build relationship with audience
3. The visuals (what the star and other characters are seen doing) illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics (the 'story in the words'). Illustration = the visuals play out the story more or less literally; amplify = the words in the lyrics are only the starting point and the story develops in other directions; contradiction / disjuncture = the visuals do not interpret the words of the lyrics and may even show something contradictory.
4. The narrative usually features the performer in 'real life' situations but often with experimental types of film making such as hand-held, dramatic camera angles, symbolic codes and lighting
5. The visuals are usually cut to the beat of the music; the editing is often fast-paced; there is often use of montage, ellipsis and intercutting, stylish effects
6. Refrain - repeated chorus, sometimes with variations
7. Intertextuality - references to other media, films, performances, events

PREP Get to know the two music videos by re-watching them, finding out about the performers and looking up the contexts in which they were produced. There are many guides to music video codes and conventions available. The sample question below is worth 4 marks and you would write about a page.