Music Unit Cover Practice

Media Language:

• Masthead
• Main Image
• Colour Pallet
• Lexis
• Layout

Explain How Media Language Has Been Used Differently To Represent / Attract The Target Audience...

The first magazine uses a masthead which perfectly portrays the targeted audience, the is due to it being pink and reading "Top of The Pops", in a sparkly font. This will attract it's target audience due to the masthead's word choice itself, due to "Top of The Pops" showing that it is focused on pop music which is commonly listened to by younger people, with the pink, glittering font showing them that this particular magazine is aimed primarily at

News Revision

Newspapers:

• Newspapers make money through purchases, adverts and subscription based purchases.

Practice Question:

Explain two ways that newspapers are funded:

Newspapers source most of their revenue through the money they earn by selling units to the public, they also generate a lot of money through selling space on their newspapers to other advertisers.

Observer and Guardian Values and Beliefs:

• These two newspapers support labour and do not want to leave the EU.
• They are both very anti-sensationalist and dislike clickbait.
• They care about people and not businesses.
• They hold the powerful to account and value liberal views.
• Value a multicultural society.
• Value art and other forms of high culture.

'The representations featured in the online Observer reflect its values and beliefs'. Discuss how far you agree with this statement in relation to Extract 3, the online Observer homepage.

Lego Movie Advertising

The Lego Movie was a movie released in 2014, and became the most popular movie in the UK that year. It is considered that this movie became incredibly popular due to the fact it had a very unique, very entertaining ad campaign in the Uk which involved:

• The Lego Movie itself was aimed at 3 different types of audience; these being children, teens and adults who also used to play with lego.
• In order to achieve a way of interesting all targeted audiences, Warner Brothers worked with ad companies in order to recreate 4 well know, rather new adverts.
• It aired on ITV at 7:27 on Sunday the 9th of February during a Dancing On Ice ad-break.
• The recreated adverts included BT Infinity, Premier Inn, The British Heart Foundation and Confused.com.
• It had 6 million viewers initially, with a further 1.1 million looking for it online and with 1 million of them fully watching the ad on YouTube.
• It had aired 5 days before the release of the Lego Movie.
• It was due to release just before the February half-term.
• BT Infinity and Confused.com were aimed at teenage and young adult audiences whilst Premier Inn and the British Heart Foundation ads were aimed at adults.

Uses and Gratifications - A theory by Blumer and Katz, stating that anyone who uses media does so for at least 1 of 4 reasons. These reasons are:

• P - personal identity
• I - information
• E - entertainment (diversion / escapism)
• S - social interaction

Music Unit - Radio 1

Explain how and why producers of radio programmes target different audiences. Refer to the Radio 1 Live Lounge to support your answer:

The reason producers attempt to reach out to a multitude of different audiences is in order to try to and achieve the highest amount of listeners and maintain those figures, as very few people now listen to radio. So by having something that targets and appeals to a large audience will attract a large number of listeners.

They decided to do this by having Harry Styles, a British born singer, winner of 2010's X Factor and former member of One Direction covers a song sung by Fleetwood Mac who are a British/American band formed in the late 1960's meaning they have a large adult fanbase, mainly 35+, and international ties due to being a band of joint nationalities. Now with Harry Styles providing a cover of the song it will attract a new audience, mainly consisting of younger girls who were fans of the boy band he was a part of. Another key audience that are being attracted are fans of Marvel, as "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac was featured in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", so knowing that a song featured in a movie renowned for having an excellent soundtrack of songs from the 70's and 80's would definitely attract people who know of that fact.

Paper 2 Revision

How to analyse music magazines:

Check Out:

• Masthead
• Main Image
• Minor Images
• Colour Pallet
• Lexis
• Layout

Example:

Firstly, the most prominent features of both of the magazines are their mastheads. Mastheads are key in showing people what your entire magazine is about, as well as identify the target audience. For example, the first magazine is called "Top of the Pops", and its masthead being bright pink can show us that it's a magazine aimed at young females, presumably around the ages of 12 to 16. This is easy to understand due to the main image being of Jessie J who happens to be an idol for young girls. In comparison with this, the second magazine, "Mojo" has very large masthead in a plain white colour scheme. It is dignified and sensible, showing that is aimed at people who are older and more mature, around the age of 30+. This is further reinforced by it's main image of the group Fleetwood Mac, a band formed in 1967 and thus a band more popular with adults. Then there's also the colour pallet to be concerned with, the "Top of The Pops" colour scheme is very vibrant with its pinks and the colour photo. The typography is also very bright being a mix of red and pink colours. This shows how the magazine is very casual and laid back with very little care for appearing upper class and sophisticated. The same applies for "Mojo", but it does still have more class than "Top of the Pops" with it's black and white colour scheme showing it is in fact dignified.

The Observer - Context and History

History and Context of The Observer:

Origins:

The first issue, published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, was the world's first Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editorial content. As a result, the paper soon took a strong line against radicals such as Thomas Paine, Francis Burdett and Joseph Priestley.

Political Alignment - Centre Left:

Having a political alignment of centre left means that they would usually have ideologies similar to, or the same as social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, democratic socialism and green politics:

• Social Democracy refers to a social, political and economic ideology that culminates into a socialist system and style of government attained through democratic means
• Social Liberalism refers to a variety of liberalism that endorses a regulated free market economy as well as the expansion of civil and political rights.
• Progressivism refers to the support or advocacy for improvement of society via reform. As a philosophy, it is based on the idea of progress. This asserts that advancement is science, technology, economic development and social organisation are vital to the improvement of the human condition.
• Democratic Socialism refers to a political philosophy that advocates political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production, with an emphasis on self-management and democratic management.
• Green Politics refers to a political ideology that aims to create an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy.

Case Study Revision: Media

Set Texts That Must Be Revised:

PAPER 1:

TV DRAMA:

Characters, Setting, Camera, Sound

• Episode 1 Season 1 Cuffs
• Episode 1 Season 4 The Avengers

THE LEGO MOVIE:

Intertextuality, Narrative, Characters, Marketing

• Characters
• Narrative
• Marketing Campaign Material

PAPER 2:

NEWS:

• 3x 1960's Covers
• 2x Modern Covers
• 1x Website

MUSIC:

• Mojo Cover Grohl
• Content Page
• Feature Spread
• Mojo Cover of choice
• 1 Radio
• Set 2x Music Videos

News 1960's

Tabloids vs Broadsheets:

Mock DIRT

Question 1:

The sound within cuffs is used to create meaning, this meaning being action and suspense. As a police drama it is expected to have some adventurous  and action packed moments, and the scenes and sounds are used to aid that. This can be seen within the extract when the forklift ploughs into the front of the store causing a large diegetic crashing noise, which pulls everyone's attention to it. This aids in creating an atmosphere of suspense and terror as the crashing shows how destructive the criminals are, which we can use to denote that the criminals are incredibly violent, spreading terror throughout the audience. What also aids this is the non-diegetic beat which accompanies this, further adding to the terror and creating an atmosphere of action due to it's intensity. Thus causing a build up of adrenaline within the audience, and expecting to see something thrilling. Another way the music is used to create an atmosphere of action is through the use of diegetic speech, this is clear to see when at the restaurant when PC Draper exclaims "Jake come on!" showing that there is urgency and importance to the task which we can use to denote that Draper as a classic alpha-male character ready for action. One last way that depicts the meaning to be action fuelled is the the sounds of cars in the background, and screeching tires which shows us that Draper is driving at extreme speeds, such is common within action movies.

Question 2:

The extract primarily focuses upon the POV of the police, as we tend to see what the police see, and share bonding moments with them as well as key plot developments, such as when the group of 4 officers, including Ryan Draper, Jake Vickers, Lino Moretti and Donna Prager spend time in a restaurant in order to get lunch. Most of the time we see close-up's of the characters which lets us see them closer and bond with them and gain a liking for them.

History of the News Industry

Progression of News:

• The Printing Press - Made in 1440 and could be used to mass produce leaflets and pamphlets to the public and spread propaganda and news.
• The Typewriter - Created in 1874, and would push ink into a piece of paper in a certain shape, placing letters and characters onto the page. This could be used to easily write up stories or documents. 
• Telegraph Sounder - Invented in 1850, and would send messages over long distances.
• Camera - Would capture photographs of people and events, allowing them to spread widely. It was made in 1685.
• Radio - Would be used to spread news, which could be listened to freely at home to have all information sent straight into your room.
• Television - Would broadcast all news for free straight into any room in the house.

History of News:

What challenges have different forms of technology posed to newspapers and their survival? [10 marks]:

News was originally printed in large printing presses, being produced on mass and distributed for a significant amount. However, 240 years after the production of the printing press, telegraphs were introduced. These allowed news and information to be sent over long distances. This meant that not just national, but international news could be shared and then published in newspapers. This acted as more of an aide than a hindrance as this would then be put into newspapers, where it could be read by consumers. A few years after this the typewriter was produced for public consumers, this would then let those who made news be bale too easily type out their stories, and then retype it when making edits. This too was an aide not a hindrance. The camera would then have been able to produce photos, depicting the latest events and any person of significance, these could then be circulated but it wouldn't have been that good at depicting anything important that could threaten a detailed description by the news. So if paired with the news it would've been very good at outlining any story and adding extra detail to it. The biggest threats were produced later in the life time of the printing press and news, these mainly being the radio which could directly spread news to the masses in their very own homes, meaning they didn't have to go out and buy the latest edition of the news. Another threat was television, which would keep people up to date with the news. However it also had scheduled programming so people may be more interested in something else or be busy by the time the news came on. The biggest threat which is slowly killing the news today is the internet, letting anyone immediately have access to and read the news from any news source such as The Daily Mail, The Mirror or any other such source. This was all absolutely free as well.

How has technology shaped our access to news? [4 marks]:

Before what we have today we had to pay everyday in order to access the day's news, well we still have to in order to purchase the paper, however with one lump see purchase you could gain access to a radio or television, both providing immediate access to news and with the TV visuals are provided and it is easier to follow what is going on due to the video footage. Ho

News - The Purpose of News

What is the purpose of news?:

• Entertain
• Profit
• Influence/Persuade
• Educate
• Inform

Facts:

• Newspapers are NOT PSB (like the BBC) they are in fact commercial publications. Over three quarters (77.8%) of the British press is owned by a handful of billionaires. Over a quarter (27.3%) of the press is owned by Lord Rothmere and 24.9% is owned by Rupert Murdoch - between them the two of these men have over 50% of the printed press.
• Newspapers and their online publications (example of synergy/convergence) are not legally obligated to provide and un-biased public information service. There are ethical and moral codes of press conduct but the printed press is self regulatory industry.

The History of News:

• News used to be something that was only to be watched and witnessed, but now people can engage far much more. People can not only read news, they can also share news or create news.
• 150 years ago the French Revolution occurred, and they wanted freedom of the press so that the views and opinions of the common public could be spread freely without bias. England later adopted this.

Cuffs - Exam Question Practice 2 - Sound

How has sound been used to create meaning?

In the beginning a long non-diegetic beat is played signifying that the show will be exciting and new however it is then interrupted by a diegetic ambient sound of a radio and siren showing that the show will be a police crime drama. Over this plays diegetic speech informing the public that the police are an important part of the community that will protect and serve the public whilst being respectful, to contrast this an officer (PC Ryan Draper) is on a beach where a dispute is happening and then the victim says "Seriously! What is the point of you?" showing that the characters in this may be flawed and have to deal with several different issues.

Cuffs - Exam Question Practice 1 - Opening Scene Analysis

What do the opening scene and credits suggest/tell us about the genre, narrative and characters? What would the audience expect from this series?

The opening scene depicts a variety of graffiti being sprayed onto walls and in alleyways, something that is a petty crime and is most common among younger generations, showing that this crime drama wants to appeal to younger people, this breaks most common conventions established by crime dramas as they are most commonly depicted as being serious and aimed at elders. The opening also has very bright colours along with the font colour being yellow, yellow being linked to happiness which juxtaposes the concept that Cuffs will be about murders and deaths but is being opened with something about happiness. This could be due to the setting being Brighton, a wonderful holiday location, which is commonly referred to as the 'gay' capital of the England hinting to the appearance of gay characters.

Crime Drama Conventions

Conventions of Crime Dramas:

• Murders, suicides, robberies and mainly any theme that is involved in the narrative arc that falls under good vs evil.
• Characters tend to be strong and powerful, or veterans in their field. 
• Locations include the police station, crime scenes and other places that may be key to the plot e.g. a large warehouse if set in a city or a farm if set in the countryside.
• Any now who watches a crime drama 

Social Values

Exam Style Questions:

Why was the pre-watershed scheduling of 8pm significant in terms of representations they could offer? [3 marks]

Showing this series prior to the watershed is quite significant as the series itself deals with issues and subjects that are considered quite mature. Such subjects featured are the inclusion of homosexuality, suicide and nudity. Normally these would be considered shocking but when you think about it the nation is rather desensitised to such extremes. Gay marriage would've been legalised rather recently prior to the the release of the series, so it would've been commonplace in the news and people obviously wanted to appeal to all members of their audience by including a broad range of characters with different ethnicities and backgrounds. Suicide is also a prevalent subject within the first episode as two characters attempt it, this may upset most people, but it is important for people to understand that some people are incredibly upset and may want to hurt themselves. Nudity also appears in the beginning as a man's behind is exposed to everyone in the first few moments, which is not necessary at all but is used to reflect what Brighton is, a very liberated place.

How were the following areas represented in the episode?;

• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexuality

                                                                                          [10 marks]

Within the show Cuffs, many things previously seen as negatives are in fact portrayed as positives as well as things that have been improved thoroughly over time, but were formerly seen as being terrible.
Such subjects include ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Ethnicity is shown to be something positive, after all one of the leading characters within the series is black, in the form of Ryan Draper, and this contradicts what prior shows have attempted to establish which have shown that all black people are criminals. However, the show does also depict a racial attack which almost ends in the death of a young indian boy. This shows that racial tensions are still high within Britain, despite society being more tolerant and accepting of people with different backgrounds.
Another subject which is covered happens to be gender. There are many female police officers depicted in the series, such as Donna Prager who appear to be very strong and powerful, after all Donna is a licensed taser officer showing that women are also strong. But on the other hand women are still presented as gossiping nitwits that can't do anything for themselves as at one point two women are discussing whether the new guy is hot and are helpless when a crime takes place.
One other subject that is depicted within the series is sexuality and features two homosexual main characters, Jake Vickers and Donna Prager. It is portrayed in a positive light as both characters are out and proud of it, in fact Jake Vickers tried to pick up a man he had never met before and was not entirely sure if they were gay in the first place. However homosexual's are still presented as being rather helpless and weak as jake Vickers did nothing helpful throughout the series apart from knocking out a racist. Albeit he did manage to help a bit more near the end.
In the end this series tries to show that people are far more tolerant than what Britain used to be, however there are still some ignorant people who are racist, sexist and homophobic.

Cuffs Review

Shackled in the slammer! New BBC One Police Drama is a raving success!

The BBC have created a brand new drama focused on police life in Brighton, which has recently aired on BBC One.

The series follows the exploits of new recruit PC Jake Vickers and veteran of policing Ryan Draper. Their interactions start off very tense as Draper only believes that Vickers got onto the force because of his father, due to him being the Chief Superintendent of the force. This creates a rift between the two characters which is resolved through the episode when Jake knocks-out a racist criminal. This causes their rickety relationship to be healed over and they go training together with the other members of the force, but Jake quickly fails the exercise and gets the lawyer's number because they are both gay.

Cuffs Case Study

Cuffs Series 1 Episode 1

Main Characters:

• PC Ryan Draper (played by Ashley Walters) is Jake's tutor constable, he is also a widower with a son and daughter. He is black.
• PC Jake Vickers (played by Jacob Ifan) is the son of the Chief Superintendent and is struggling as a new recruit. He is also gay.
• DS Jo Moffat (played byAmanda Abbington) is an investigator having an affair with Chief Superintendent Vickers. She is divorced and lives alone with her ageing German Shepherd.
• Chief Superintendent Robert Vickers (played by Peter Sullivan) is Jake's father and his wife is suffering from cancer.
• DC Carl Hawkins (played by Shaun Dooley) is from Yorkshire, has a wife and a child and wants to try for another one.
• DI Felix Kane (played by Paul Ready) is a mysterious and stoic senior investigator with a troubled personal life.
• PC Donna Prager (played by Eleanor Matsuura) is Lino's partner, and an authorised taser officer. She is also a lesbian, and has a wife.
• PC Lino Moretti (played by Alex Carter) is an out-of-shape cop who is proud of his Italian heritage. He is also Donna's partner.

Storylines:

• Jake Vickers is new on the force and must be inducted and trained on his first day. He is monitored by Ryan Draper, someone who is skeptical of how he got onto the force in the first place because his father is Robert Vickers, chief superintendent.
• The Brighton police must deal with a racist who stabbed a young Indian boy which leads to Jake's first successful arrest.
• The force must also locate a father whop kidnapped his daughter because he wanted to spend more time with her, the father is dealing with mental issues and was successfully talked out of killing himself.

Setting:

• Brighton, the "gay capital" of England.

Overall Tone:

• Realistic

Television in the 2010s

Society in 2015:

• David Cameron legalised gay marriage.
• Immigration levels increased.
• UKIP gained a lot traction because they promised to get rid of immigrants.
• Terrorist attacks in Paris.
• Post 911 Islamophobia.
• Wars in Syria.
• Conservative government.
• 3 protests - Austerity (the conservatives increased their pay by 11%), Global Warming
• Trumps election campaign.
• BREXIT.
• Third Wave Feminism
• blacklivesmatter
• oscarssowhite

These events are overwhelmingly negative as it is full of violence and dumb decisions. This means when people look back at this decade they will consider it as being very idiotic.