Questions on New Media

1. How do the texts show changes in the ways the audience relates to and uses media? (8 marks)

The directors of both of the media texts have chosen the same advertising technique to promote their media products. Both media texts are films and they are advertised through the use of trailers. Creating a trailer for a movie is a convention and it is done by near enough every film maker, it generally aims to reach the mass audience to increase popularity of the product and gain more profit. The trailer of the movie, 'The Social Network' conveys the public relation with the media to be of one which is concerned about mainly social networking, creating a friends circle and being involved with your social life through the internet - Facebook.

2. Is social networking having a profound effect on the ways in which society relates to itself and the media. (12 marks)

Black Hollywood

Thinking back in time to the era of the new and fresh occurrence of Black Hollywood, it is quite apparent that it has moved on drastically from the state of it’s original starting point. From a black woman (Hattie Mcdaniels) playing the role of a maid in Gone With The Wind directed by Victor Flemming in 1939, now it is very common to see a role of an accomplished, independent black actress for example Halle Berry in Perfect Stranger who plays a role of a journalist. The movie was directed by James Folly in 2007.

It has been nearly a century of the rise of Black Hollywood. Many changes have taken place since the years of black actors being depicted in a negative manner. In the early years of Black Hollywood, many stereotypes generally negative about black people were reinforced and strengthened in the movies made. However some of the stereotypes such as the ‘Mammy’ was not particularly negative nevertheless it still had a strong effect on further degrading the position of black people in society. In other words, they were constantly being seen as lower in status and inferior to white people. ‘Mammy’ was a jolly over sized house worker and this stereotype was dominant in the history of black women for quite a long time. It can be argued that certain stereotypes about black people, such as being involved in violence and crime still exist and are being portrayed in the movies made today such as Crash directed by Paul Haggis in 2006 which includes two main black actors as trouble makers.

In conclusion, there has been changes in Black Hollywood since it’s emergence and discrimination and prejudice is no longer evident in any movies made today however it can be said that some stereotypes of black people still exist today in the world of media.

Black Hollywood essay

4b) A dominant representation is one which is repeated across the media over time and so are the values that it carries. Discuss.

"Within the logic of its narrative patterns, blacks tend to be depicted either as the source of social problems - threatening to disrupt moral equilibrium - or as the passive bearers of social problems - victimised into angst-ridden submission or dependency" (Kobena Mercer). How true is this statement made by Mercer? Are all representations of black people negative in the media? Has there been any positive changes in Black Hollywood over the decades? The United States has a history of ruthless black slavery which has taken effect in how black people have been represented in Hollywood since their independence and emancipation. Black slavery ended in America in 1865 however it still did not stop the discrimination towards them. Media texts such as movies and dramas directed throughout the history of Black Hollywood till date communicate a range of representations and reinforce certain specific stereotypes time and time again.

Travelling quite far back in time in the era of Black Hollywood at it's most degrading point, racial prejudice and subordination between the whites and blacks was evident throughout society and this was conveyed overtly in media products which 'seemed' to include black actors. The reality of these black actors was that they weren't actually black. In the year of 1915, Birth of a Nation directed by D.W Griffith was released, it starred white actors with painted black faces. This was, shockingly so now, normal then. The main roles were played by white actors painted black however the extras were real black people. This showed the immense differentiation between the whites and blacks, it also illustrated the class system of whites being at a higher position than the blacks. This ties in with the theory of Karl Marx. Referring to the historical context the bourgeoisie being only the white people at that period of time and the proletariat who were the black people. Black people were generally exploited through hard labour work that they carried out which then reflected in the movies. Gone With the Wind was released in 1939 and directed by Victor Fleming. Hattie Mcdaniel, a black woman, played the role of a maid in the house of a white family, in other words she played the role of a 'slave.' This reflected the society at that time (Monaco)

Skins: Questions

1. Tony's representation is of a typical teenager who 'leads' the whole group of friends consisting of different stereotypes and a minority of counter types. The stereotypes range from a promiscuous girl to a Muslim guy in a thobe with an accent (usually Northern accent). Nevertheless the focus remains on Tony, the main character. In the beginning there is a close up shot of Tony in his bed, with a expressionless face. He is covered with a blanket which has a naked man and woman printed on it. This straightaway conveys the mentality of Tony which is evidently of a teenager who likes to be involved in sexual activities. The opening sequence has shots of all different sizes which illustrates the morning routine of Tony. This is to

Codes and Conventions of radio adverts

Codes and conventions for a radio advert

- Average length approx 30 seconds

- What channel

- Qualities of the product

- Narration on a form of a voiceover. To show what its about (outline only)

- Posed questions that will be answered in the show

- Music is included at the back / different sound effects

- Voiceover inter cut throughout

- Advertisement should intrigue audience

- Make them want to find out more so state some special original qualities of the product

- Scheduling info at the end always goes title. day. time, channel

- Slogan of the product

- Sometimes humour in scripts

- Usually the tone of voice goes louder towards the middle of the advert then fades out towards the end

- Majority of the times it is women who do the voice over

- Poses questions to the audience - 'Are you searching for a make-up product which suits your exact needs and requirements?'

Battle: Los Angeles - Questions and answers

1 Compare and contrast the two texts with reference to the representation of conflict? (8 marks)

The trailer transmits an eerie feeling of the view of the world which is portrayed in the movie. In reality the trailer is an exaggerated reflection of the current issues and affairs in the world today as already there are many occurrences around the globe in different countries which are resulting in dangerous conditions for the people to live in for example natural or manmade disasters. The trailer clearly illustrates high levels of destruction, chaos and disintegration of cities, countries and maybe even the whole world; almost like the world is coming to an end. The damage which is caused by the aircrafts which are supposedly controlled by unknown species, most likely aliens create a sense of strong conflict against the humans. This implies the conflict between different countries today, for example the war in Afghanistan and once was in Iraq. Consumers with weapons hold a lot of power, as shown in the trailer, the unknown species seemingly outrun the humans because they are just not strong enough to fight back on the same level. This again reflects how various countries for example America use power in order to benefit their people and the government. The trailer also dates back to 1965 conveying that conflict has been around for ages, it is just now, or later, it has continues to develop over time. It has also utilised the displaying of news channels for example CNN where viewers gain and take in the most amount of information and news of the world. The trailer has used that method in their advantage for pinpointing and emphasising the amount of destruction that is taking place not just in the trailer but externally, in the real world.

The website

2 Explore the view that the entertainment media feeds upon moral panic in the west as a result of terrorism post 9/11.

You may refer to other media products to support your answer. (12 marks)


3. What are the advantages and disadvantages for the military as an institution using the internet as a marketing tool?

You should refer to other media products to support your answer. (12 marks)

Battle: Los Angeles

1. How do the two media products represent men and women?

2. Analyse and compare how effective the marketing strategy is of both of these media products (Advantages and disadvantages)

3. Why is the internet effective in reaching to a wider audience?

Social Networking

15 Major trends...

1. SNS goes mobile. SNS ( Social Networking Sites) is shifting from the traditional desktop market to the mobile market.

2. Not only is SNS a venue for individual exchanges, it is a marketing platform for companies.

3. SNS will become an ideal advertising medium for companies to target their potential clients.

4. SNS is a threat to the traditional e-mail services.

5. SNS allows advertisers to communicate with their potential customers.

6. The SNS market will be further segmented and new websites will be created to target sub-groups and niche demographics.

7. Companies must discover the "leaders," a handful of influential members on SNS websites who can influence others' purchase decisions.

8. "Crowd-sourcing" means mobilizing the masses. It refers to recruiting an unspecific number of people at low wages or for free to develop products and services.

9. SNS creates more SNS entrepreneurs, and provides more business opportunities.

10. Social networks are connecting to each other, and more sites will begin to integrate their services with one another.

11. SNS may take a cue from computer manufacturer Apple, which introduced a feature in its iTunes software that recommends songs based on music library history. SNS websites may provide similar services for online retailers.

12. Twitter will be sold to Google.

13. Online, money can buy you friendship. Australia's SNS and marketing firm, uSocial, launched a commercial service targeting Twitter users early this month. Twitter users can increase 1,000 followers by spending 87 USD.

14. Don't forget the spectators. There are many spectators who will stay away from social networks or simply watch from the sidelines. Businesses must know and cater for these users even if they are not actively part of any social networks. Yet sometimes they may participate in SNS websites via Google searches.

15. Defend corporate reputation. As companies' presence online grows, they need to protect their online images.

How does the audience use social networking technology?

The audience uses social networking technology for various purposes. Some use it to find 'love'. 18 million people in the United Kingdom use social networking websites to find their partner. This conveys that people have started having a lot of trust in these social networking websites because choosing a partner is something which requires a lot of time and effort. Another reason as to why people social networking sites is for entertainment. It is important to understand WHY people use these websites, as there is a broad demographic on these sites. Some people use them for business purposes, to network and find new deals. Then there are others who use social networking sites for purely personal reasons and are totally oblivious to the fact that there is a business presence in the social networking environment at all.

http://www.blogussion.com/social-media/uses-social-networking/

1) There are five main reasons as to why people might use social networking sites. These five reasons include, purely personal reasons for example interacting with family and friends. Some may use it to be updated with photos of their friends, to update their own photo album and status and to comment on other statuses or leave comments on their wall. sSome also use it to connect with people they have newly met, potential girlfriend or boyfriend or just people that share the same interests, hobbies and likes and dislikes as them. One of the great advantages of using social networking sites such as Facebook is to keep in touch with significant others who live in different countries for free. it lets you leave remarks on photos or statuses and also allows you to have small conversations with people which avoids phone calls if their not needed.

2) Business - connecting with customers

Because of the rise of Internet marketing social media is developing into an internet marketing tool as well. This is one of the ways that businesses can connect directly with their consumers and target audience. Companies are beginning to feel that the best way to manage their business is getting to know the needs and requirements and comments about their company through social networking sites. Twitter is good for finding out the reviews of companies from their consumers. When organisations are linked with a social networking site, consumers find it easier to convey their views and opinions because they are more comfortable.

3) Business - Networking

Businesses can also network and expand their business. Social networking sites does for businesses what it does for students, teenagers and people, it connects people. It could find a business a new business deal or even a new job!

4) Marketing

Businesses can market their company on these social networking sites. All the members of the SNS for instance Twitter, Facebook recognise different business because of their marketing. Sometimes it's difficult to figure out if Twitter or Facebook or any other social networking site is right for such marketing. How effectively are these companies reaching out to their audience?

5) Entertainment

Some people purely go on for entertainment purposes. Myspace is a prime example of this, there are many upcoming or established artists who promote their music or talent through Myspace. For example there are an ample amount of games on Facebook, one game in particular called Farmville has managed to acquire 72.9 million users per month!

How do institutions exploit social networks?

AQA Checklist

http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2570-W-TRB-U04CHECK.PDF

MEST4 Checklist

Research Essay:
- Does it allow candidates to explore the 5 Key Concepts? (Represenation, audience, narrative, media language/ideology-technical codes, Institution)

- Does it negotiate an issue and/or debate? Is it contemporary? Is there a list of text(s)? (Bibliography)
- Does it go beyond MEST3 topic areas? (Reps and new media) Is it synoptic?

- Does it answer the question ‘why’ rather than ‘how’?

- Does it encourage independent research and critical autonomy? Is it truly individual?

- Does it avoid the cliché – (women in the media etc) Would it end up just being a list of facts?

-Critical debates, theories etc

Practical Production:
- What are the links between the essay and the practical?

- Will the practical exemplify issues raised in the essay?

- Does it go beyond the MEST2 artefacts? Is it independent of the MEST2 artefact?
- Have we even been given info about the practical?

- Is it substantial enough for an A2 exercise?

- Does it seem to be more than just an ‘add-on’?

CI title - An investigation into how and why humour is used in three contrasting viral advertisements which are, Mac vs Pc, Old spice *your man can smell like me" and Volkswagon "small but tough"

What needs to be done -

SHEP needs to be added in more detail

Critical debates and theories...

The key concepts have been relatively done however more detail is required.

Exam Questions - Estelle

1.How do the two media products represent women in the music industry? (8 mark)

Women are generally shown to be attractive, sexy and feminine in the music industry unless there are certain exceptions where their character requires them to act in a non feminine manner. But the common view of females involved in this sort of a career tends to lean towards them being desirable because of their high sex appeal. The appearance matters. The appearance of Estelle, her clothes, accessories, make-up and hair styling at the Mobos conveyed exactly that. The new media, her website design reflected femininity too with a big close up of her hair and one eye image almost anticipating to capture the full attention span of the website browsers. Also at the Mobos, Estelle stated “...it took me a while to get here...” in her award winning speech. This expresses the hardship that women have to go through to be successful in the music industry because it may not be too obvious but it is run by male singers. ‘Glass ceiling’ – Marxist theory

2.How and why do programme such as the MOBO awards appeal to niche audiences? You may also refer to the other media product to support your answer. (12 mark)

Niche audience means a selective minority audience. The Mobo awards reaches and appeals to a lot more audiences than the niche audience. But it also works well in appealing to the niche audiences as well. This is because the awards were broadcasted on BBC3 which is a terrestrial channel but it is not the main channel. This means the audience demographic of channel BBC3 is evidently more interested in entertaining programmes, this goes on to justify the age group of this particular channel which is 16-34, ideal for the Mobo awards . BBC3 is a terrestrial channel as noted earlier, meaning it’s free, this attracts a lot more audiences than a subscribed channel would.

3.What are the advantages and disadvantages for performers of using the internet as marketing tool? You should also refer to other media products to support you answer. (12 marks)

New Media/web 0.2
Advantages are, that the information reaches mass population, things can be passed around from one person to another because of the occurrence of social networking websites , the internet is also affordable to use, furthermore the artist can express themselves in any manner they want and can also gain feedback from the audience.
The disadvantages are that the originality and creativity of artists may be stolen which will affect the popularity of the real artist and the financial department of the production. Also certain personal information may be leaked on to the internet which may result in violating the artist’s image and character created in front of the consumers.

Representation of Disability in the Media

Media is a term defined by Wikipedia as “a means of carrying or communicating information”. Media serves many purposes and has several jobs. It generalises, creates stereotypes and at times disguises and twists current affairs. Over time media has developed into something which everyone consumes and are involved with. It has expanded significantly, including different platforms to inform, educate and entertain the viewers. Some of these platforms include radio, television and the occurrence of new media, the Internet. In relation to the representations of disability within the media, it is fair to state that many stereotypes have formed throughout time.
There have been certain stereotypes made about disabled people by the media. In some cases the media has continuously added to the discrimination of disabled people through ridiculing and resorting to narratives which convey the disability in a humorous way. Examples include programmes like Little Britain. Little Britain was broadcasted on BBC 1 which is a terrestrial channel. Little Britain disabled characters conform to the ‘laughable’ stereotype quite evidently. There were situations set up in every single series to ridicule the disabled characters in one way or the other. These events in the programme reinforced this image of disabled people as something to ‘joke about’ or laugh at. Made them look dumb and daft, a stereotype most people carry about disabled people. This sort of a programme has immediately let to the society disrespecting disabled people and not recognising the seriousness of it.
My left foot is a movie which was made in the late 1980s by a director by an Irish Director. It is based on a true story of a guy with cerebral palsy named Christie Brown. Only his left foot is shown in working order hence that name of the movie was chosen. In this movie, there have been certain stereotypes that the character of Christie Brown has conformed to. For example, there is a scene in the movie where Christie Brown comes up with a clever plan to get coal for everyone’s house because the neighbourhood is relatively poor. All the guys followed his plan and ended up obtaining coal. This conveys his super cripple/intelligent side. Christie Brown’s mind thinks and acts faster than a lot of other people clearly demonstrating his different mentality. Christie Brown is also shown as a burden which is a negative stereotype. For instance there is a scene in the movie where the women in the neighbourhood feel as if he is a burden on his parents. They think that an incident went wrong because of him when in actual fact he was helping the incident. Their women’s prominent negative views in the movie signify the views and feelings towards disability in that period of time which still continues today.
It’s evident from the movie My Left Foot that there has been some work in the media towards showing disability in a positive manner, however more work is required for the disabled community and the media to work together and learn from each other. In particular mainstream media learning from disabled media and arts sub culture.

Sutherland in 1993 stated:

"That the very fact that previous representations of disability have been narrow, confused and unimaginative leaves the way open for disabled writers and film makers. What we can produce can blow the past away."

My Left Foot - notes

-Made in late 1980s
-Based on a true story of Christie Brown
-Movie won two oscars
-Daniel Day Lewis won the best actor award
-Brenda Fricka won an award
-Irish Director - worldwide success
-It's a biographical picture - historical

-Beginning starts with a foot - conveying the title- dark - some light- Christie Brown shown on a wheel chair - straight away illustrating a disabled person, wheel chair is a universal symbol for disability - heavy breathing - opera music turns on -straight after that the outside world is shown
-Belonged from a family not as caring except his mother who was very fond of him - he feels neglected by the other members of his family
-Shot goes to the present day -his carer starts reading a book - Christie appreciates originality
-At home - close with mum -feels safe and secure with only her -although he was very close with his mum, still shows family life was not ideal
-Fully disabled, mum carries him upstairs - shows care, love and affection
-Really fond of the mother - helps her virtually sliding down the stairs when she falls but the neighbourhood verbally abuses him and accuses him of making her fall - heartless, callous feelings towards him
-Father underestimates him all the time - thinks hes not intelligent just because he's 'cripple'
-People take advantage of him, kids in the neighbourhood hide a porn magazine under him when hes on the wheel barrow
-The prist comes over, biblical allusions - "you can never get out of hell" priest preaching to him - seems as if he's responsible for having the magazine when really it is the other children and in fact he gets wrongly accused because he is innocent.
-The priest coming over - shows strong faith in Christianity of the mother -Belief in heaven and hell - belief in life after death
-Mum:"Even if we can't understand you, God can" - strong belief in higher power - makes him feel that he's not alone, that someone is always watching over him and knowing what he is going through
-Father does not have a healthy relationship with children or family
-Christie keeps wanting to prove himself, this shows his determination of proving everything wrong - that he is not dumb and daft - that he does know things that other children know
-Christie chalks out 'MOTHER' on the ground - this shows that he is intelligent - also shows the love and affection he has for his mother because the first thing he writes all by himself, with his left foot is MOTHER - there is undoubtedly a strong bond between him and her - this is because out of everyone in the house she is the only one who really takes care of him
-When Christie shows his ability in just writing MOTHER - his father proudly takes him out for the first time and announces that he is his son - shows pride and honour - fatherly son love but also that he's achieved something
-Back to present day - even though he has independence as an adult but also significantly he is disabled - skill only using foot to do certain things around him- beginning scene -immediately tells us something is wrong
-Conclusion that Christie is suffering from Cerebral Palsy
-Attitude back in history towards disabled people - physically disabled and mentally disabled were, super cripple, laughable, burden and pity and sympathetic
-Medieval attitudes - priest almost things he is evil or sinister
-Back to present day - adult - he can speak
-Past - the boys in the neighbourhood feel protective over him - show a sense of friendship and brotherhood -let him take the ball- he shoots a goal- shows he's got skill and talent and the boys appreciate that
-Christie socialises so likes to be around people -conveys a feeling of trying to fit in
-"We had porridge for breakfast" -shows the family is not wealthy- living in bad conditions - poverty- therefore the father does not have the money to buy Christie's wheelchair either
-Christie gives the idea to other of how to get the coal - shows his level of poverty that they have to steal coal to warm the house in winter - fact that Christie comes up with a plan to obtain the coal shows he is super cripple, intelligent, mind thinks fast
-Disabled people are often seen as non sexual -but Christie does want to have a sexual life - society conveys and rejects the idea of a disabled person having or is able to have a sexual life
-"It is a sin to steal" - his mother is strict on biblical notions and shows anger to Christie, the fact that she says 'sin' and not a 'crime' shows what she values more, which is obviously religion and not so much of the law
-"£28" conveys the importance of Christie having a wheelchair - mother really values him
-Christie feels angry -gets out of control "I'll f*ckin kill him" shows his protectiveness over his sister when he sees her with a guy - he wishes to do a lot but evidently can't
-Christie reads -Dr Coleman wants to help him for free -specialises in cereable palsy
-19years of age -gets taken to the hospital for special treatment

Representation of Disibility

You and yours on disibility - radio 4 owned by BBC (British Broadcast Cooperation)

The coronation street actor, William Roache speaks to Peter White about the effect going deaf has had on his life.

Peter White states, "Now for some reason hearing loss is a disability which doesn’t seem to attract much public sympathy, for a start its invisible and many still tend to think that in some defined way it’s okay to joke about it or assume that if you are deaf, you must be daft"

This statement states that the society has labelled disabled people as ones who should 'appear' physically disabled. The disability needs to evident for people to be understanding and sympathetic towards the condition of the disabled people. Sympathy is a feeling that naturally seems to generate when witnessing a certain type disability, this conveys that the majority of the population have a certain moral conduct they work by. However, hearing loss is a disability which does not gain much public sympathy simple because its invisible. The fact that people tend to think that 'in some defined way it's okay to joke about it or assume that if you are deaf, you must be daft' rises the question that whether there is actually genuine and sincere sympathy shown to disabled people. There is also a stereotype created of the deaf people usually being daft.

Linked Production - Rouge

- A make up advertisement that includes humour. Advertising a make up brand with various different models. In particular, we're going to include a woman behind a veil, 'niqaab', and convey the fact that the make up brand not only makes you 'look' good, it also makes you 'feel' good! To be continued...

To make the advertisement funny, it would need some of these features:

Wit

Pun

Bon mot - clever remark

Satire

Joke

Comic

Irony

Nonsense

Tease

Practical joke - fun

The particular features used should have one or two of these effects:

Incongruity resolution theory:

This incongrous feeling is created through the use of unpredictable events occuring such as a sudden fall. However in order for this to be humorous, the situational context must be safe and non threatening. This incrongruity often appears in a combination of pun or a metaphore. This type of humour is also known as the 'ah-ha humour' as the enjoyment emerges in with intellectual pleasure having solved a small change

Superiority/Disparagment theory:

This theory aims at more effective elements of humour. Humour is often 'evil' focusing on humiliating elements to ridicule people, organisations or groups of people. If humour deals with disliked people, it tends to be more funny than humour that ridicules 'friendly' people. Disparagment is also called 'ha-ha humour' meaning that someone is just laughing at something with the laughter having a main affective background.

Release theories:

Realease theories convey that humour releases a lot of negative energy such as tension, stress and pressure.

Excitation transfer theory:

This theory illustrates that high levels of excitment experienced in one programme may be transferred to another programme. In order to take effect both the programme and advertisments ought to be mood congruent. Highly amusing advertisements with a solemn serious programme completely lose their intended affect.

Links to different websites

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=audience - Audience theory

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre1.html

- Genre theory