Music Magazines

 Look carefully at the front covers of MOJO and RNR magazines. 

QUESTION: How far do MOJO and RNR use different media language to create different connotations? (CONNOTATION meaning: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning.)

Answer on your blog. This is a high-value question and should take all lesson to answer. You can use the class blog search engine for more examples of how to analyse music magazines.

In your answer you should have 2 paragraphs:

• analyse the media language in MOJO and RNR magazine. 'Media language' includes the placement of the main image, the type of photography, lighting, colours, fonts, how busy or restrained the cover is, the layout (such as alignment to the margins), how serious or playful 

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the media language is used differently in both extracts to create different connotations. Are there similarities in both covers? What sorts of audiences are they targeting? You could think about MOJO's rock aesthetic of living loud and dangerously compared to RNR's folk, rock, blues vibe. 

In MOJO, you can see that it is a very chaotic magazine cover, with lots of text all over the place, and a man in a very aggressive way, with his arms out and showing his teeth. However, in RNR it is all very organized, with the man on the cover in a very comforting and warming position, like he is trying to invite you into the cover. On MOJO you have lots of very bright colours that make it stand out and really pop, like red, white, blue and green. All of these colours contrast, and compliment the eyes, as they are trying to get readers to want to buy it. RNR is very different to this, as they use a fairly plain browny beige colour, to show that they focus on more earthy, and calming songs and artists, like folk music or the blues. This helps their target audience understand what kind of music this magazine focuses on, and the text above the title only further confirms it.

RNR is most likely trying to go for an older audience than MOJO, and are less willing to take risks with their covers, so they stick to beige, which is a colour that older people generally like. Unlike MOJO, RNR covers less rock music and more country or folk songs. The cover of RNR also has much more tame headlines. For example, where RNR has "These days it's yoga, camomile tea and three Our Fathers", MOJO has "We've been to funerals, We've been to jail...", showing the contrast and different topics these two magazines covers. The CDs that come with the magazines are also incredibly diverse, as while MOJO has a bright green one with a skeleton playing the guitar, saying "This is a call!", RNR has a more calming, plain one, which is beige and has nothing but a Zebra in the frame. The only other thing in this CD is the list of songs, all in very small white text. This is also different to MOJO, as on its CD, it has the songs written in a large font, with a black border and a big red number 15 above it.

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MAGAZINE COVER

 

MOJO: REPRESENTATION

 TASK:  Copy this MOJO 2019 cover into a new blog post entitled  MOJO: REPRESENTATION. Then write 4 points, one each about about the following.

How the producers have chosen to construct a version of reality that represents events, social groups and ideas to fit their purposes:

MOJO represents their front-cover musicians as heroic figures, as they try to draw in their target audience by presenting them this way.

• MOJO wishes to attract a target audience that shares its reverence for ‘classic rock’ so constructs a version of reality that represents musicians as authentic heroes, striving for excellence

The messages and values conveyed and issues addressed:

• MOJO’s front cover associates musicians with quest, danger and struggle, celebrating the values associated with rock music of ‘living fast and dying young’
  

How and why (e.g. to enable quick interpretation) stereotypes have been used, including anti-stereotyping / counter-stereotyping:

• MOJO’s selection of a cover photograph of a white male may be to fit the stereotype of rock musicians – this will enable instant recognition by audiences
  

• MOJO’s anti-stereotypical positive representation of older people as popular musicians. This may reflect the anti-ageism of an older audience

Which social groups are under-represented or misrepresented:

Many of the MOJO magazine covers heavily portray a white-male musician on the cover, with a very rare female, usually in a small box in the corner, as seen with DEBBIE HARRY in the MOJO cover beneath. It also doesn't represent musicians of colour, as many of their central figures on the cover are white, under-representing the coloured community

• MOJO’s front cover represents predominantly white male musicians in photographs, under- representing female musicians and musicians of colour

WHAT IS A TWO-SHOT AND HOW CAN IT BE USED (POPCORN PREP)

A two-shot is used in media to show the relationship between two characters, by using the reaction of these characters. A two-shot requires two characters to be in the frame, however, they do not have to be next to each other, as one character could be in the foreground, while another could be in the background.

Yr 10: LEGO MOVIE POSTER CAMPAIGN

PREP You all have a handout with the individual character posters and the ensemble poster.

Analyse how gender has been represented in The Lego Movie poster campaign. Use the written handout to help you answer this exam question (10 marks). 

The Lego Movie poster for Emmet is seen with him screaming and running away. This shows that he is not the typical male lead hero, as they are typically depicted as brave men, with hench arms, running towards danger. This is trying to break down gender stereotypes with this showing of Emmets vulnerability.

Wildstyle is seen as the polar opposite of Emmet, as she is smiling, not looking afraid of the danger. While she is seen as a atypical female side-character, she also has lipstick and long eyelashes, showing how she is still portrayed to have some amount of femininity in her character.

Vitruvious is seen as a wise old man, as he has a long flowing beard, and has white hair. He also has glowing eyes, showing some mystery with his character, as it makes the audience wonder as to why his eyes are glowing

Lord Buisness is shown as very sinister, and is supposed to be able to strike fear into people that see him. We can tell this as he is shouting, showing that he is an authoritative figure, and that he is an important character. We also know that he is supposed to be feared, as he is showing teeth, not only in his mouth, but also of his helmet, which is a red, making him seem evil and unforgiving.

All of these posters show the differences in the characters, as you have the scared, but suposedly heroic Emmet, and then the evil and petrifying Lord Business. There is also a strong female character, as shown in the character of Wildstyle. All of these things create a very diverse ensemble of characters.

LEGO REGULATION

 Task 3: Go to the BBFC site and research age ratings. Why was The Lego Movie (2014) given a U rating? You need to click on the Ratings info

The reason it was given the a U was due to there being fight scenes and violence, however, there was no blood or direct murder, thus resulting in it being family friendly. The Lego Movie does however have "very mild bad language", such as butt darn or heck.

 
  

Go to the PEGI site and research what age ratings are about. Why is The Lego Movie video game classification 7+?

 

The reason for it's 7+ classification is not due to the difficulty of the game, but instead to the age you should be to play. This is most likely due to minor fight scenes and mild bad language, such as butt or heck.

LEGO INDUSTRY

• synergy - The promotion of linked products across different areas of media. For Example The Lego Movie uses synergy through linked products like - the superhero cast from DC comics, minifigures
• tent-pole production - A film that can make large profits to support funding of other projects
• ensemble cast - A cast made up of multiple important characters
• conglomerate -  A company that owns multiple companies involved in mass media enterprises
• vertical integration - When a single, or merged, company controls both the production and supply of a product
• Franchise - A collection of media products all based on one original work. For Instance Star Wars

LEGO MOVIE TRAILER

 Task 1: how does Emmet come across? How effective would this trailer be in promoting the film?

Emmet is presented as an ordinary person who just happened to be given the 'Piece of Resistance' by chance, but is forced into situations that will eventually turn into a hero. He is a pushover who is willing to pay £27 for a coffee. He shows that even the most ordinary can become heroes, as he is a regular man who just happens to get into these situations. He is not a traditional hero, as heroes tend to be much stronger, mentally and physically, and they also tend to have a higher IQ. He is not a traditional leader, and is often being told what to do, even though he is the supposed 'Chosen One Of Prophecy', and is supposed to be a leader. Even when put into a leadership position, everyone he is supposed to lead, leaves, and doesn't believe he can do it.

This trailer would be extremely useful in promoting the film, as it shows the comedic side of entertainment, and makes the audience wonder what happens, and it makes the audience laugh, causing them to want to see the movie. It also makes Children get excited as it involves many different famous characters, like Batman or Wonder Woman.

TV

 PREP Write out these terms under the class post and define them:

SCHEDULING

The order and time in which a show will take place on TV

LIVE TELEVISION

When a show is live, and has never been seen anywhere else

'SECOND SCREENING' 

When a  show that was live is shown at a later date, for a second time

AUDIENCE INTERACTIVITY

When the audience interacts with the show

THE WATERSHED 

Currently 9pm for UK. This is when shows can show violence, swearing, and non-family friendly content

PEAK VIEWING TIME

Between 6-10:30. When most people are watching TV

HIGH PRODUCTION VALUES 

When a show has a high budget, and is given lots of money for a show to be made

Film Making

 

PREP Write about the film making that you have done over the last two weeks. Add photos to support and illustrate your post.

Paragraph 1: Your production company logo

Write about how you made it, explaining the process and referring to the equipment - the Hue camera, the Mac,  the name of your Production Company, the sound effects.

We used a HUE camera to make a short stop motion video, using a paper boat and a map. We then imported that into iMovie, and added the name of our company on the map. We added a boat horn, over the top of the shot of the boat parking, as to make it seem like the boat was making the noise

Paragraph 2: Your table top filming

Write about the filming. Explain some of the items that you had on the table and how you handled the camera. Explain what you wanted the audience to focus on (if you paused to make them look at anything in particular).

When we filmed for the table top, we made it seem as though it was a detective scene, and that they had left in a rush. We ended the shot on a candle being blown out, with text saying, "The Ace of Spades", appearing, as though its coming from the smoke. This is to make it seem as though it is mysterious, and like a thriller-type movie. We wanted the audience to focus on the candle, and to focus on all of the photos the camera panned over.

Paragraph 3: Your 'live action' filming

Explain what you filmed here and how you wanted the film opening to develop in this bit.

We filmed behind the mansion, and had a chase scene, between one of the detectives, and a robber. We wanted to make it seem as though the robber had robbed a bank, and that the detective was on a different case, and had accidently ended up being there.

Paragraph 4: Editing

• What sound effects did you add to the Production Company logo?
• What track did you put down under the rest of the film?
• What was your FILM TITLE?
• What credits did you add (like actor names)?

We added a boat horn to the logo, as it was based on a boat travelling around a map, so we thought this made the most sense. We added eerie music over the table top filming, as this linked to the thriller genre we were aiming for. We called our film, "The Ace Of Spades", as this seems like a 1960's type of name, and could relate to out movie, as the main antagonist, could have a certain calling card. We added the name of our director, Jacob, we added Charlies name, and also mine.

Paragraph 5: Your views

How did you think that your production went? Were there any challenges, disasters or triumphs?

We could have done the live-action better, however i think the rest of it went quite well, as the music and SFX matched very well

TABLETOP FILM OPENING

 PREP Write up an account of what you did in the lesson. Start your post by copying the information from the PREP post (about the research that you did). Then describe your filming. Add a photo if you wish.

In the lesson, we placed a black tablecloth over a 4-row of tables, and strategically laid out props over it, so that it would seem like detectives were working a case, but had to quickly run out, and left in a mess, presumably to catch the criminal. We also blew out the fire, to give it an eerie vibe. This could make the movie seem like a thriller, police-procedural, possibly set in the mid 1900s, around 1960, as there were bolars, and lots of old money lying around.

During our second lesson my group decided to add some music to our short opening credits. We also went outside and filmed a short, live action scene that we can add to our video. We had Jacob coming out of a bank, and being chased by detectives

FILM OPENING CONVENTIONS

 

PREP To prepare for tomorrow's practical work of filming an opening sequence, please watch the following two title sequences which are filmed in in a similar 'table top' style. 

• Delicatessen (dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1991)
• To Kill A Mockingbird ( dir. Robert Mulligan,1962)
• Extension work: there are many other opening sequences on the website Art of the Title

For each title sequence, write three sentences about how the conventions of film openings are used. 

The title of your prep blog post is FILM OPENING CONVENTIONS

Copy /paste the lines above and add the two images below : 

• what titles and credits appear on screen?
• how is the film's genre conveyed? 
• what use is made of sound?
• what hooks the audience and makes us want to carry on watching?

 

 Delicastessen:

At the very beginning, it has a man, holding a clever, about to chop someone, or something, in a bucket. This conveys that the genre is most likely a thriller or horror movie. The credits are shown in a strange way, as instead of having the usual cut away, to very CGI credits, in this it is almost like the credits are part of the scene, as the camera moves up from a hand, onto a peice of paper, with the Production Company one it. All of the credits are part of the scene, as though a character could just walk up to them and touch them. All of the credits also have something to do with the object they are on. FOr example, the directing photographer is written on a camer, and the main composer is on an old record.

All of the music is quite quiet, and like old carnival music, which makes us quite uneasy, as lots of horror movies use old abandoned carnivals as their main sets. The music is also suprisingly upbeat, and the lighting is very warm, even though the camera is panning over ol, abandoned items, which makes the audience feel uneasy, as we dont know what the tone for the movie will be. This hooks the audience in as we want to find out what all the abandoned items are for

To Kill A Mockingbird

The music at the start is sang by a very young child, no older than 10 years old. It also has him opening a toy box, and getting out a crayon. The fact that it is silent, except from the child singing, makes the audience very uneasy, as music makes people relaxed, and therefore the lack of it does the opposite.

The child then uses the crayon to scribble over writing, leaving only the title remaining. The credits is just the camera going over lots of different objects, which we can assume are going to be important, because of Chekhov's gun. Slowly music starts fading in, however the boy is still singing over. This hooks the audience as they want to find out what the boy is doing

CUFFS

 

• Who do we start to empathise with?

During the episode we begin to empathise with many characters. Firstly, during the scene where Ryan has to shout at his son for not being in school, we feel bad for both him, and his son. We feel bad for Ryan as clearly he doesn't want to be shouting at his son and clearly he is quite embarrassed, however, that feeling is mutual between both of them, as Ryan's son is not only surrounded by strangers, but also by his friends.

We also feel bad for Jake when he is trying to make his first arrest, however he is being felt--up, and is trying to be framed for sexual assault. We feel bad as he is trying his best, but is being filmed and doesn't know what to do. It is also shot from Jakes perspective, only further emphasising our embarrassment for him. This makes the reader empathise, as he is clearly confused, and has to be saved by Ryan.

The Avengers: Sound

PREP Watch the first 10 minutes (after the title sequence is over) of The Avengers on Clickview. Analyse how sound is used in the extract to create meaning. You can use any part of the opening scenes - both the opening scene at the seaside at Little Bazeley or the scene in Emma Peel's flat

• first identify an example - use terminology such as diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, dialogue.
• then give the example - " Little Bazeley is constructed as a seaside village through realistic sound codes such as..."
• "One example of how sound is used is when Steed makes conversation with Emma Peel..."
• then explain what meaning is created - "In the exchange of dialogue between the fisherman and the undercover agent who arrives from the sea they talk about...... which creates suspicion and comedy because....."
• "Steed's dialogue reveals his accent and shows that he is..." "What Steed says to Emma Peel suggests that he feels in charge because...." /  "Emma's comment about the coffee and cream show that..." / "Emma's throwaway comment about having just finished a scientific article shows that..."

The Scene where Mr Steed and Miss Peel are introduced:

The episode begins with very cheerful music, which is ambient sound, or non-diegetic sound, and the sound of an umbrella pressing a doorbell, which is known as diegetic sound, as it is happening in the world this TV show is trying to portray. It is also very quiet for a while, as in not having any dialogue for around 5-10 seconds, before panning up to one of our main characters, and then we get our first lines. This is most likely because it is the start of a new series for this show, and most programmes like to introduce the characters as late as possible, to build suspense.

The reason such cheery music is played at the beginning, is because it tells the reader that there is nothing to fear, and that these are trustworthy people and places. If the music was less cheery, and more dark, it would be like saying that these characters are dark.

The first 2 lines of dialogue in this episode is "Good morning Miss Peel," and "Good morning Mr Steed", therefore it introduces the characters right from the start. These two people clearly know each other well enough for Steed to show up at her door, but it makes the audience question how they know each other, and creates a hook for them to keep watching. These two lines also show that these two are very formal, and are in a place of importance, as they address each other as Miss and Mr. They also both have formal accents, telling the audience that they are quite proper, and are from London. All of this tells the audience so much about Miss Peel, before even showing the character on-screen.

MUSIC: SK8R BOI

  Avril Lavigne Sk8R Boi is our second music video. We study:

• how the genre of her music comes across in the music video's media language 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avril_Lavigne#Musical_style_and_songwriting
• this means the style of editing, the pace, the way she uses the camera to engage her audience, the lighting and colours
• representation in the video - of LA, of Lavigne, of her gang, in particular, the mise-en-scène - Themes in her music include messages of self-empowerment from a female or an adolescent view.
• Avril Lavigne Sk8ter Boi

POLICE PROCEDURAL GENRE CONVENTIONS

 We discussed police procedural genre conventions and compared those of Endeavour with Cuffs.  

We identified several mise-en-scene codes such as clothing codes, locations, uniforms, weapons, ranks. There was more evidence of violent crime, whereas Cuffs is pre-watershed and has to be family-friendly.

We noticed differences: Cuffs is set in the 2020s so there are representations of different ethnicities, of gay people, of women.

We then watched the opening title sequence to Strike. This TV programme is about a disillusioned private detective (rather than a police force). The colours are low-key and dirty. The title sequence uses strong contrast lighting - chiaroscuro. 

We then experimented with setting up photos to achieve a similar effect.

Props included a fedora, cape, mackintosh and guns.

Here are some photos of me as a 1950's police officer. I tried to look like how old fashioned detectives would have with their fedora and trench coat.

MY MEDIA WORLD

A few weeks ago I saw a film that I enjoyed. Here is the poster and the trailer.