Wednesday 30 January 2013

Weekly Progress Report - 23/01/13

I have ..


  • completed the shot list for our production and divided each scene to make it more clear for everybody. The picture below is the first page of the shot list. (completed on a word document) The shot list is useful in knowing which camera shots we will be using in each scene, therefore we can tick the shot if we have used it. 

  • kept up to date with the schedule outlining each of our contribution and keeping track of what we have done each day. 
Overall, as a group we worked really well together in being organised, meeting deadlines, and asking each other for help if needed ect. 

Sunday 20 January 2013

Plan B Collage.


Progress Weekly Report: 19/1/13

Mis-en-scene Task.

In the double media lesson we separated the tasks to make it easier for all of us to complete everything by Thursday.

  • I have completed explaining each of the locations we took as a group on a word document. (Print out three copies for each of us)
  • I have been keeping up to date with the scheduling. 
  • Next week I have to begin the shot list for our production. 

Thursday 17 January 2013

Progress Weekly Report - Thursday 17th January ( Pre- Production: Mis-en-scene Task)

In the double media lesson today, on a word document we uploaded the pictures of the characters in our production and the locations. As a group, we decided to sort out the pictures under the headings of 'Characters' and 'Location' which makes it more presentable therefore, we can write a description next to each picture. As it took both double lesson to upload the pictures and laying it out clearly, we decided to separated the work. This is because, it would be easier for all of us as we will be able to complete this task on time therefore, we can move on to the next pre-production task.
This means, Gagan will complete the character profile and  I  will complete the location (type up a brief explanation of what we will be filming in that location). Where as, Anita started the storyboard for our production during the lesson and as she did not finish it she will be completing it during the weekend.

We all decided that the date due to complete the mis-en-scene task/storyboard is by Tuesday 22nd January.




Progress Weekly Report - Tuesday 15th January 2013


Mis-en-scene Task.
After school as a group, we decided to scout for locations in Northolt and to take pictures of different locations we want to use in our production. This was helpful because, it allowed us to see if the locations would be good for our production and which location would be best suited. Also, Gagan contacted different people last week who decided to be part of our production which was very helpful therefore; after scouting for locations we took pictures of the people who will be included in our title sequence and in our scenes.

In Thursday double lesson, we will upload all of the pictures on to a word document and sort each picture under the heading of 'Character' and 'Location'. This would be useful because, as a group we will analyse each character and what their role is in our production. Where as, for the setting we will be analysing each location. Moreover, after we have completing this task as a group we will print out three copies each.

Progress Weekly Report - Tuesday 8th January


Tuesday 8th January
Over the Christmas holiday I was completing all five tasks, which was set for homework in preparation for when we start filming. I found all of the tasks beneficial especially, Task 5 which was to write up the focus group discussion and Task 1 which was to read AQA guideline/advice/specification. This is because, listening to the focus group discussion over again made me think about our TV program which we are going to produce and how to make it better so it would appeal to our target audience. Where as, Task 1 was very useful in helping me know what the examiners are looking for/ how to get a top grade/ things you should include in both exam and coursework ect. In today lesson, I was completing Task 4 which was to research media institutions and channels such as Ch4, E4 and BBC. This task was useful as I researched different types of programs which are broadcasted on each of these channels therefore, when I begin producing my TV program it would be useful for our group to know which channel our program would be suitable on. 

Progress Report Week - Thursday 10th January 2012

In our double media lesson today as a class we went through the pre-production tasks, discussing each one and making notes. This was helpful for everybody to know what the tasks required and how we should approach each one. After the discussion, we all went into the groups we are working with in our production and allocated the roles. In our group, we organised each of the roles between us based on what we will be good at: 

  • Gagan - producing the script
  • Anita - producing the storyboard
  • Myself - producing the shot list 
As a group, we decided to complete the mis-en-scene and the scheduling task together as it would be easier for all of us. This would mean, as a group we will be going out scouting for location together and taking pictures of characters involved in our production. Where as, the scheduling will require us all to make the decisions together about what we will be doing each day. Also, the contribution I made was after school I produced a schedule table on Edexcel which outlines what we have done each week and the day. Even though, we are completing the scheduling task as a group I will be keeping a record of what each person has done by typing it on the scheduling table on Edexcel. 

The deadline for the pre-production task is on the Thursday 24th January.


Sunday 13 January 2013

Learner Response: Ill Manors: TEDx Lecture

Tutorial Targets

1) Reconsider the pychographics.

Firstly, the target audience of the TEDx lecture are people who read the guardian news paper as there were journalist from the news paper in the lecture. The social economic classification for this group would me A/B, because they are known as having professional jobs with good pay.  Also, the psychographic group which is defiantly associated with this lecture would be Reformers. This is because, reformers are people who want freedom from restriction and as Ben Drew is challenging the dominate ideologies in society; reformers would agree with him as they want more equality as well.

2) Find more examples across platforms especially E-Media


1)E-MEDIA


Social Networking

On the Ill Manors website, the viewers are able to tweet or follow the film on Facebook and Twitter which highlights the concept of synergy. This is because, the film is being promoted through both of the successful social media's which is effective, as more people across the world would be aware of this film. Also, this follows the idea of a cross promotion as the website is promoting another form of media which is both of these social networks; where as the e-media, Facebook and Twitter is promoting the film as well. This is beneficial as it would allow fans to keep up to date with news, interview's  latest gossip and even interact with the actress and actors in the film.

The picture above is a screen shot of Ill Manors Face Book page which highlights, that the film is a massive hit across people as the page received 22,971 likes and 240 "people are talking about this". The Facebook page is beneficial because, people can read more about the film, comment on it, watch Plan B Ill Manors song ect. Also, the DVD for Ill Manors is promoted as well on the Facebook which is effective, for people who want to watch the film or want to watch it again. Moreover, on the Facebook page they have put up the same print advert image of Ill Manors, to make the viewers more aware of the film.  The first thing people would look at straight away is the long shot of a male character, holding a guy, wearing a black jacket and jeans with a grey gap and looking worried. The fact that the print advert only shows this male character could connote that he is the main protagonist for Ill Manors. The prop used is of him holding a gun which would suggest he is danger due to his facial expressions looking worried or it could connote he is about to do something dangerous. This is because, a gun has mostly negative connotations such as death, blood; however, in some extent there could be positive connotation such as safety. Additionally, from his facial expressions as the audience we acknowledge that something is wrong as his focus is one something else due to his head being tilted side-ways and not looking directly to the camera; and the fact that he is not smiling/looking emotional less could suggest he is not happy. Additionally, his emotions which are conveyed through his facial expressions could link to his clothing as he is just wearing all  black apart from the cap. This could connote, that the narrative of the film is going to mostly contain violence as the colour black is associated with death and evil. Furthermore, the male character has been represented as being dangerous due to the prop and from his clothing. This is because, stereotypically if older people see adults similar looking to the male character in the print advert and holding a gun straight away they are going to think he is dangerous and a threat to society therefore, they are going to stay away. Furthermore, a important code and convention which is shown on the image is the name of the director "A Ben Drew Film". This is effective because, it makes viewers aware that Plan B a successful singer/rapper  has directed this film.

Fan Video 


The fan video above is of a girl who has posted up a video of herself on YouTube singing to Plan B song Ill Manors in front of her webcam. The fact that she posted up this video herself a year after the film was broadcasted highlights, the idea of free publicity which would be beneficial for the film company. This is because, it shows how much the film has had an impact on the audience and  if the video gets a lot of views across YouTube then more people may make their own version video for the song Ill Manors. Also, the media platform this is associated with is E-Media which would be successful for younger adults such as teenagers.
2) BROADCAST
The clip above is of MistaJam interviewing Plan B about his project  'Ill Manors' and his inspiration behind his music. The interview is part of the BBC Radio 1Xtra which is part of the broadcasting platform as it is being broadcasting through the radio. Also, BBC Radio 1 is aimed at 15-29 year olds although the average age of the audience is 33. It is a national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and specialises in current popular music and chart hits through the day. This is effective, in promoting the film and Plan B music because, as it is a national radio station majority of people across the UK are likely to tune in and listen to it therefore, they would have an insight of his music and film. Moreover, at the beginning of the interview Ben Drew, highlights that making the film was a delicate process as they were attacking a serious issue therefore, they had to get everything right. He revealed, that the riots "sickened/disgusted" him and made him sad more than anything as, those kids involved in the issue made their own life much harder for themselves. Furthermore, from this interview as the viewers we can acknowledge how passionate he is of changing society/ helping those in needs as he states, the word "CHAV" (Council House and Violent) is used to represent younger children who are unfortunate and it is only used very publicly in the press. Followed from this, he wants to make people aware, that just because some individual are lucky to be born into a family which can afford things and give their kids a good education does not make them better then anyone it just makes them lucky. Ben Drew, made a important point he states "when you attack someone because of the way they talk, dress, music they listen to or their lack of education and you do it publicly makes it acceptable to do that" which is significant because, it makes those individuals who are being targeted feel unwanted/alienated from society. This is would make some teenagers begin to act in a delinquent/deviant way as in their perspective they see that society does not care about them. As the interview progresses, Ben Drew conveys that as a singer he wants to send a message to people and get "under their skins" as he feels that the subject or riots/ how working class people are treated is not "swept under the carpet". Plan B strongly believes, that this issue is really important and he wants to know how society is going to prevent it from happening again. This links to his music video, song, and the film of Ill Manors, because, he an artist want to send out a message to society as he genuinely want to change things and make a point. Additionally, Ben Drew has been brought up from a deprived area when we was young therefore, he understands what teenagers like him is going though and what to improve their life. He reveals, "a lot of these kids come from family/environment where, they are told that they are not good and so when they walk out the front door, society tells them the same thing, even when they read the newspaper or hear the word CHAV". This is effective, in making the viewers aware of the problems people are facing and how unfortunate kids are being treated as they feel unwanted. The film Ill Manors tackles varies of subjects which is described as being "horrific" by some of the audience which is Ben Drew agrees as it is suppose to be horrific because "that's life".

3) PRINT
The print above is a newspaper article for the film Ill Manors which is written by Luke Brainbridge from The Observer however; published on The Guardian website. Luke BrainBridge, explains that the film is "an unapologetic, and at times unnerving and uncomfortable drama" suggesting, that the film highlights a vary of serious subjects which could make the audience feel shocked. Also, in the article there is a statement from Ben Drew about the film he quotes "A lot of people outside this environment don't believe it exists," he continues. "So in the film, rather than glamorise it, I'm trying to say to people this is the true, dark reality. This is what happens. It's not cool. No drug dealer really has the last laugh". This is effective because, it shows how passionate he is about making a change and Ill Manors is a true relfection of how society is therefore, showing people what things people go through and how hard it is for them. In some extent, the riots which took place in London inspired Ben Drew in making this film as The Guardian stated "the first great mainstream protest song in years" which clearly shows that the song Ill Manors is a anti-government protest song. Drew said in a statement: "If you're born into a family that's had enough money to educate you properly, you're privileged. You're not better than anyone else, you're just lucky. Certain sectors of middle England, not all of them, but the ignorant ones, need to wake up and realise that and stop ridiculing the poor and the less fortunate." The main image on the article, is of a group of girls wearing track suit bottoms, hat, long chains around their necks. The clothing is effective, because it could be a stereotype of how people think "CHAV" dress making them seem harmful. 








Wednesday 9 January 2013

Progress Report: Tuesday 18th December - Focus Group.

Tuesday 18th December 2011 - Focus Group
In this media lesson our group pitched the idea for our program and briefly introduced the narrative, genre, USP, characters and target audience. Personally, I think that the focus group was really beneficial for me because it made me realise that our narrative has to be unique and more appealing to our target audience. As a group we got good feed-back on how to make our final product much better and everybody contribution was really helpful. For instance, we have to  think about the target audience carefully, the scheduling (timing/channel it is going to be broadcasting on) including male characters as well so it does not only appeal to just one gender. 
www - we all took it in turns to present one idea for our program. For example, Gagan explained the narrative of your program and the four programs which influences us in creating the idea. Anita explained that target audience, where as,  I talked about the genre of our program and the scheduling therefore, the timing/channel it was going to be broadcasted on.
ebi - I made a mistake on the scheduling timing as I said the program was going to show between 9-pm-10pm however, on the brief it specifically says must be "suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting" also, as a group we could thought more about the target audience and what we could of changed to make it appeal to males as well. The contribution I made for this focus group lesson is the day before (Monday) I made notes on our program 'Dilema' outlining the narrative, the existing programs which influenced us in creating the idea for out TV programs, the target audience, genre and schedule ect therefore, on Tuesday lesson (day we presented) the notes I made were useful as it made us all feel prepared.




Media Institutions & Channels.

The three institution's/channels I will be researching for my MEST2 coursework are: E4, CH4 and BBC3. This would be useful in deciding which program my group would want to broadcast our program on.


  1. Channel E4
The channel E4 is a British television channel and 'E' stands for entertainment and the channel is mainly targets the age group 15-35 year old. The successful U.S programs which are broadcasted on E4 are: 
  • The Cleveland Show
  • Desperate Housewives
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • 90210
  • One Tree Hill
  • Ugly Betty
  • Friends
  • The Big Band Theory
 However, the successful British shows which are also broadcasted on E4 are:
  • Made In Chelsea
  • Hollyoaks
  • Misfits
  • The Inbetweeners
  • Skins
  • Shameless
 E4 most successful broadcast was on the 11th of October 2010 when an episode of The Inbetweeners has over 3.7 million viewers. Furthermore, E4 is one of the most original digital channels as it is successful in launching mega hits like Skins, The Inbetweeners and Misfits. Moreover, on the E4 website is is stated "through research we know E4 viewers are predominately young  but they're also fashion conscious, sociable, connected, heavy internet users, they love going out and tend to use advertising as one of their many information sources. They are also likely to be opinion formers and more likely to talk about brands and convince them to try them out"
The channel is owned by Channel Four Television Corporation and below is data which was uploaded from BARB on the 9th of December which shows the top 10 programs on E4 that viewers have been watching. According to the data the most poplar show on E4 is Hollyoaks which could suggest that the program had an interesting narrative which made more viewers tune in to watch it.

The creative director of E4 Neil Gorringe stated "We wanted something that reflected E4's personality - beautifully random, joyously daft and generally not taking things too seriously" This shows that E4 has it own USP as the programs which are broadcasted on the channel are different to other shows which broadcast on other channels. The target audience is 15-35 year olds, which shows the E4 targets teenagers and adults. This means that some of their shows would have aspects of sex/violence/amount of swear words ect which would be associated for adults suggesting that the programs at 9pm and after would include this. According to the audience rating on a article online highlight that the program Misfits debuted with an audience of  1.1million just on their second series. This clearly shows the Misfits is a massive hit to E4 target audience. (Link below to the article)
http://www.brandrepublic.com/go/news/article/1040823/misfits-series-debuts-11-million-e4/
In May 2005, E4 introduced 'First Look' in showing episodes of popular programs such as Come Dine With Me, Hollyoaks, and drama series such as Lost and Invasion in advance of transmission on Channel 4.

2) BBC3 
BBC3 is a television network from the BBC broadcasting and the channel target audience is 16-34 year olds and the program focuses on younger audience, new talent and new technology. The controller of BBC3 Zai Bennett highlighted that BBC3 have three priorities and the channel is a mixed genre for young audience. The three priorities that he stated are:


  • "The channel needs to be disciplined about focusing on the young - its centre of gravity will be 16-34 year-olds: people who are young in spirit and mindset"
  • "BBC Three is ‘Never Afraid to Try new Stuff’ and that’s why we will continue to innovate with breakthrough comedy, stand-out entertainment, brave documentary and intelligent factual formats. Our content needs to have potential to innovate across platforms."
  • BBC Three should provide an environment for the development of new ideas and talent and for existing talent to take risks, becoming a genuine laboratory for BBC One and BBC Two.
 Furthermore, as the channel is targeting 16-34 year olds,  BBC3 programmes has to complete heavily with rivals including ITV2 and E4 for an audience that the BBC is has found difficult to attract. For example, in 2008 it reached 263% of 16-34 year olds in digital homes which has been BBC3 highest result for the channel. Additionally, the important fact is that BBC3 has aired documentaries aimed at challenging beliefs of young people. This includes programmes which bring topics such as addictions and childcare into an entertainment and educational context for instance; 'Freaky Eaters' and 'Spendaholics' . Also, BBC3 has also broadcasted shows which is based around beauty such as 'Snog, Marry, Avoid?' which is one of the channel top show and broadcasts sports primarily for the male audience such as 'Match of the Day'.


3) Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began transmission on 2nd November 1982. The channel transmit across the whole of the UK, excepts some parts of Wales which are covered by the Welsh. Also, channel 4 does not produce its own programmes but commissions them from more than 300 independent production companies across the UK. The programs which are popular on channel 4 are:

  • Come Dine With Me
  • Alan Carr: Chatty Man
  • Hollyoaks
  • Big Brother
  • Big Fat Gypsy Wedding



Focus Group Evaluation.

(The pitch for our program has completely changed, however below I am evaluating the old idea from the focus group lesson)
Gagan, Anita and I are working together for our MEST2 coursework and in our media lesson we had to pitch the idea for our program. The fact that each group voices were being recorded whilst they were pitching their idea is really useful. This is because, when each group listen back on their recording they will be able to hear everybody else's feedback on their idea if it is good or not, therefore each group can improve their idea in making it even more better. 

Firstly, our focus group involved a brief introduction to our narrative, who the target audience would be, our unique selling point (USP) genre, and what channel/time the program will broadcasted on. The name we decided for our program is called Dilema, which related to our concept and the narrative of a group of best friends who each have their own problems. The narrative of our program and timing has completely changed from hearing everybody feedback during the focus group lesson as we wanted it to make it better and unique. In this focus group recording our previous narrative idea was briefly about a group of female best friends who deal will different problems in their life, so it will be focusing on them. However, our idea for episode one was going to begin with a dramatic scene between a female and male character, followed by a flashback which would then show the audience the narrative which has led to this dramatic moment; non-linear narrative. Moreover, I decided that the program would be broadcasted every Mondays on E4 at 9-10pm (however, that is wrong as the coursework brief said that the program has to be suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting therefore,before 9pm) and will come on repeat every Sundays at 3pm, therefore people can catch up if they have missed any episode. Additionally  the genre for Dilema is a teen drama and the USP was going to be flashbacks. Furthermore, the four programs which we mentioned in the recording that influenced us in creating the idea for out TV program are:
  • Friends - related to our concept of a group of best friends, focusing on their lives and problems.
  • Misfits - we as a group, really liked their opening sequence for every episodes (the flashbacks) therefore, we wanted to produce something similar.
  • 90210 - broadcasted on E4 the channel we want to broadcast our program too. The narrative for each episode are interesting therefore, it hooks the audience. Also, in 90210 their all best friends as well so our idea is pretty similar; however a key difference is 90210 include male best friends as well.
  • Hollyoaks - the dramatic narrative used in some episodes are really good because it keeps the audience engaged and appealed in wanting to watch the next episode.
Key Quotes from other people in our media class who were listening to our pitch.
  • Harpal "I wouldn't watch it because it is not aimed at me" 
  • Vinisha "I would watch it but only if it was abit more original because I don't know if the storyline should of been break up and then a argument, I have seen it  been done before"
  • Mr Halsey "Even a show primarily aimed at one gender you do want to at least acknowledge the other gender/ "there has to be some male characters somewhere"/ "Can't have a show between 9-10pm and then be repeated at 3pm on a Sunday as the brief specifically said it is pre-watershed so before 9:00, need to think about scheduling"
  • Samuel "Getting some more male characters, get like a gay best friend" 
  • Harvey "There are too many character therefore, it is hard for the audience to keep track"
Secondly, I think the whole idea of a focus group is brilliant because you hear other people opinions about your pitch if it is good or not and how you can change it to make your final  product better. The whole discussion is really beneficial for me personally and for our group as well because, of the good critical feedback from everybody else which made us re-think our idea. After the discussion, I learnt that it would be good to include some male characters because then it might appeal to the male audience as well. This is because, if our program just featured all female characters then clearly the audience would be female dominated and would not appeal to any males and that is not what we want to happen; we want our program to aim for both genders not just one specific dominate gender. Also, a important change would be our narrative as it is not original and unique because, it is a typical soap storyline; therefore as a group we have to think of something different which has a strong USP and would appeal to our target audience. Furthermore, one thing I learnt which is important is the scheduling as it must follow the brief "suitbale for pre-watershed broadcasting" therefore it must show before 9pm. All of this feedback impacts us as a group in a positive and effective way as it made us all re-think about changing our whole concept. This is because, the feedback was useful for me especially in making me aware of the things we should include and change to make our final product brilliant therefore, it would appeal to our target audience really well.

Thirdly, the target audience for this idea was aimed towards females from the age of 16-25 year old as the narrative would mostly appeal to females compared to males. This is because, the narrative would of included an element of romance, gossip, bitchiness ect which is likely to appeal to females; where as a  male audience are more into programs which violence, comedy, action, banter ect. The psychographic group which is associated to our idea was aspirers as some of the audience might like one of the female character in our program in terms of what they wear and buy, therefore the audience might aspire to be like that specific character; therefore the audience would want to seek to improve themselves. Furthermore, I researched the characteristics of an 'aspire' and one point it made was,"individuals who pay attention to their appearance and are fashionable/trendy". This is significant, as our whole idea is based on four female girly best friends therefore the audience might what what to look like one of the female character based on her appearance. Furthermore, in term of the demographics the gender associated with our program is clearly female dominated because all of the characters are females, therefore it hardly appeal to males (something we have to change). Also, the ethnicity of the female characters are Asian's therefore that could suggest that our program would as well appeal to the race group. Moreover, the social economic classification would be group D/ C1-B because, as the program is targeting the age group between 16-26, the class D would appeal to teenagers from class D as some students are work around the age of 16; where as C1-C2 would appeal to older females from 20+ as they work and some go to university. Additionally, according to theorist Blulmer and Katz the uses and gratifications associated with our program would be:
  • Entertainment audience would be able to feel relaxed, shed a tear, laugh whilst watching the program.
  • Escapism this would allow the audience to escape from their daily routines or problems, which would make feel relaxed whilst watching the program.  
  • Personal Identity the audience would be able to the relate to one of the characters personal problems. This would make the audience feel connected to them and feel as if they are in that character position.

MEST2 Task List. (Task One)

Task 1 - Read through the documents and write at least one thing you learned or found useful from each one.

(Below I have picked out useful information from each one, which would help me prepare the final product)

1)The Coursework Brief 

  • Target audience has to be similar to E4's demographics (15-35)
  • Has to be suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting. 
  • Produce the opening few scenes of your TV Programme establishing narrative themescharacters and location. (Can include title sequences) must be two minutes long. 

2)MEST2 General Advice & Guidance

  • Media Language & Form: Make specific media language/choices and should be to able to show how these choices influence meaning/reception of the products being created. Students, need to consider genre and demonstrate their knowledge in selecting appropriate media language. 
  • Audience: Should consider how best to identify their target audience and the creation of products that attract them, appeal to them and address them appropriately.
 Research & Planning
  • Good AS work is judged by good research and planning. 
  • Each Brief and tasks provide 'clues' to the type of research that would be helpful.
Brief One (we are producing)
  • Research successful viral campaigns to look at what may encourage an audience to 'pass the message one'
  • Look at websites to see what can be used to encourage audience interactivity.
Evidence of Research & Planning in Productions
  • Form & genre codes should be recognised
  • Provide work that has been influenced by the existing products that have evaluated
  • Target audience must be clear.
  • Work should show the needs/expectations of the TA.
  • 5-6 pages only.

3)The Specific Guidance for 2013 Briefs 
Helpful research questions:
  • Could a narrower audience group be identified within the 15-35 age group?
  • How should the audience be addressed? What do they respond to?
  • What type of texts does E4 typically broadcast before the watershed (what rules 
  • must they work within)?
  • Is there a gap in the market?
  • Is there a format/genre that could be developed further for this broadcast slot?
BRIEF ONE
The research could include:  How themes, characters and locations are identified early in a broadcast.
  • Production should carefully consider mis-en-scene, lighting, costume and location as part of the planning process.
  • Use a variety of camera shot in the production makes it more interesting
  • In the evaluation we should talk about the reasoning behind the media language choices.
  • Should show codes and conventions therefore the form and genre will be easy to recognise.
Print - Teaser Campaign
  • Research what is meant by a teaser campaign and the existing campaigns that have proved to be successful.
  • Any good campaign has a clear focus on appealing to the TA and creating products that will attract/engage them.
  • Consider a range of options: posters, display ads, flyers, leaflets.
  • Might be good to state where or how the adverts would be published or placed.
Print - Souvenir Magazine
  1. General research analysing magazine front pages - help to identify codes which would appeal to the TA
  2. Should choose the content of the two inner pages and this may be influenced by the format of the programme itself and/or the target audience.
  3. Should look to real magazines to identify design and layout codes and conventions.
  4. Higher level work tends to be accurate in the use of fonts and columns and shows visual awareness and creativity in the use of images
  5. Photography in print work is a good way for students to demonstrate their creativity.

Sunday 6 January 2013

ILL Manors: TEDx, Lecture, Website.


1)What are Plan B's beliefs/politics? What are his values/ideologies? Explain.
Plan B's beliefs is he is passionate about helping children who are less fortunate therefore, he wants to make them feel motivated in order for them to become successful in their future. Also, from watching the TEDx lecture I learnt that he wants to be a father figure to  children who have lost a parent or those who are not motivated to learn; this shows he is a good role model to look up to because, he believes in teenagers from deprived areas in becoming successful just like him. As the audience, we learn he got kicked out of school at the age of ten and the things he had common with other children at that age was they all did not have any respect for the authority and did not feel accepted by society. Furthermore, he understood why children behaved in a deviant way because, they were brought up by broken families and their parents made them feel that they were not good enough. Moreover, his politics views is he is against the government values as Plan B believes that they taken people taxes and do not use it for the right reasons and he wants more equality in society. One of his ideology is that he wants there to be more activity clubs for teenagers where they can go to and meet other children. This is effective approach as it would make them feel motivated which would get them of the streets. Also, he shows the audience that we should think again about how we judge ans treat the working class youth as it is not fair; alternative ideology.

2)Who is the target audience of the TEDx lecture? Demographics? Psychographics? How do you know? How does this compare to the audience for his music/films?

The target audience of the TEDx lecture are people who read the guardian news paper as there were journalist from the news paper in the lecture. The social economic classification for this group would me A/B, because they are known as having professional jobs with good pay. Also, the pyschographics group related to this would be aspirers  because they are people who have more money or status compared to other people. Moreover, the demographics for this target audience would be white middle class people because, majority of people who work for the guardian newspaper are white and wealthy. This target audience is completely different to Plan B's music as film, because for this film he is targeting mostly teenagers/adults from the starting age of 18-27 year old due to the sexual content, heavy amount violence and drug taking; the certificate for the film was an 18. Where as, for his music I think Plan B targets teenagers from 15-18, because some of this songs promoting the bad things about what we should not do in society, e.g: smoking, taking drugs, violence ect therefore through some his music he shows the harmful effects of it.

3)What does Plan B say about the media? Explain how this can be linked to Cohen's media theory of moral panics

Plan B quotes "media demonises the youth" which conveys that the media leaves out the good things children from deprived areas does. He stated, people are too naive in believing everything that the media says is true. Also, he reveals to the audience that the word "CHAV" represents council housing and violence to him and Plan B highlighted that the word is unacceptable as people use it to label teenagers coming from deprived areas and who are from a working class youth; the word pushes teenagers out of society. This negative label is attached to this "demonising group" therefore it allows the rest of society to carry on treating then in this negative way. As a result, because the rest of society targets the working class youth always the demonised group accepts the negative label and behave in a deviant way, which is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy. This shows a dominant ideology as older people believe that majority of young teenagers from council estates are harmful because of the news they have heard on TV or in the newspapers. However, in this TEDx lecture Plan B is promoting a alternative ideology in telling the audience that we should think again about the working class youth. Moreover, this links to sociologist Stanley Cohen approach as he said deviant groups were known a being the Folks Devils. He based his theory on the media reporting conflicts between two teenager groups known as the Mods and Rockers. According to Cohen the media amplifies the trouble happen in society. This is because, when an event occurs the media decides to it is worth following this dramatic event. This leads to, connections made from one person to another therefore the whole of society knows about it; thus the public attention is focused on this result. Lastly, the media exaggerated the event/news making people in society worry even more causing a moral panic. An example of this would be the London Riots. 

B. Look at the Ill Manors website. Spend some time exploring it, watching clips, reading etc. Then, on your blog, write a description/summary of all the features it includes, explaining how each one might engage/interest the potential target audience. 
Firstly, the strap line "ON BLUE-RAY, DVD, DOWNLOAD AND ON-DEMAND NOW" is in a bold, clear and hard fitting font which is effective as it makes the audience aware that if you did not watch the film in cinema you would be able to watch it on DVD. This promotion is good as it is available to watch on the internet now as well as on DVD, which would make more people watch the film therefore the sales would rise. Also the colour white is used for the font which is good because it goes really well with the back ground colour, making the strap line stand out. Additionally, the tabs on the side of the website gives people/fans the opportunity to find out the latest information, watch the trailer, find out  more about the film. For instance, the tab "Synopsis" allows people to find out about the narrative before they watch the film if they are interested in it or not. Where as, the tab "Album" is effective as people who are interested in the film or want to hear Plan B songs they would be able to listen to some of his songs and download them/buy the album from this website. This is an example of a synergy (a form of cross promotion) because, the website if also promoting Plan B album as well; shows they are using one form of media to promote another form of media
Secondly, the tab of "Ben Drew" is effective for people because it gives a brief summary about Plan B. People would be able to find out important information such as, the realise date, when the single as out and his background information and what aspired him to make the film. The fact that he quoted what his vision was for the film and what he wanted to get out of it (meaning what he wanted the audience to see) is beneficial as it highlights he is passionate in making a change in society, especially to the working class youth. This would engage the audience because it might make them want to watch Ill Manors to see if it really reflects how society is like now which is what Ben Drew wanted to produce. Moreover, the website allows the audience to access pictures from the film which is under the tab "Still", this is good because it shows the audience the main characters in the film, so they are more aware. The fact that there is more that one character picture shown could suggest that the film is a multi-strand narrative; therefore it would have more than one narrative. Personally, I think the most effective feature of this website which would engage the audience would be the videos they can access to. This is because, they would be able to see the interviews with the characters of the film and what they think of the character they play and their perspective of the film. The last video is one of Plan B music video, which is good for the audience to listen to some of the music he produces and he also includes footage from the film in the music video which could engage the audience more. 

Broadcast, Print and E-Media - ILL MANORS.
1) PRINT
Above is the print advert for Ill Manors. The first thing people would look at straight away is the long shot of a male character, holding a guy, wearing a black jacket and jeans with a grey gap and looking worried. The fact that the print advert only shows this male character could connote that he is the main protagonist for Ill Manors. The propp used is of him holding a gun which would suggest he is danger due to his facial expressions looking worried or it could connote he is about to do something dangerous. This is because, a gun has mostly negative connotations such as death, blood; however, in some extent there could be positive connotation such as safety. Additionally, from his facial expressions as the audience we acknowledge that something is wrong as his focus is one something else due to his head being tilted side-ways and not looking directly to the camera; and the fact that he is not smiling/looking emotional less could suggest he is not happy. Additionally, his emotions which are conveyed through his facial expressions could link to his clothing as he is just wearing all  black apart from the cap. This could connote, that the narrative of the film is going to mostly contain violence as the colour black is associated with death and evil. Furthermore, the male character has been represented as being dangerous due to the prop and from his clothing. This is because, stereotypically if older people see adults similar looking to the male character in the print advert and holding a gun straight away they are going to think he is dangerous and a threat to society therefore, they are going to stay away. 
The typography used in this print advert is in a bold hard hitting, clear font which would clearly target a male audience. This is because, some print adverts which are targeted to females mostly use a girly font which would appeal to them and this print advert would not. Also, from the background colour which is dull and and the setting in council estate area clearly conveys that the film is mostly male dominated. Where as, a print advert targeting to female usually uses bright colours which would attract them and the print advert would defiantly not include a gun as that is known as being stereotypically a "guys thing". Furthermore, a very important code and convention is the information about the film which is always shown on every print advert. This is because, it allows the audience be aware of who the director is "A Ben Drew Film" the realise date, website (if they want to take an insight of the film website) ect. Also, the reviews include on the print advert is effective and beneficial as well in attracting more people to watch the film. This is because, it would show the audience that the film is worth watching as the reviews are from well known people or news paper companies therefore they might be engaged in watching it. 

2)E-MEDIA (Website)

Firstly, the strap line "ON BLUE-RAY, DVD, DOWNLOAD AND ON-DEMAND NOW" is in a bold, clear and hard fitting font which is effective as it makes the audience aware that if you did not watch the film in cinema you would be able to watch it on DVD. This promotion is good as it is available to watch on the internet now as well as on DVD, which would make more people watch the film therefore the sales would rise. Also the colour white is used for the font which is good because it goes really well with the back ground colour, making the strap line stand out. Additionally, the tabs on the side of the website gives people/fans the opportunity to find out the latest information, watch the trailer, find out  more about the film. For instance, the tab "Synopsis" allows people to find out about the narrative before they watch the film if they are interested in it or not. Where as, the tab "Album" is effective as people who are interested in the film or want to hear Plan B songs they would be able to listen to some of his songs and download them/buy the album from this website. This is an example of a synergy (a form of cross promotion) because, the website if also promoting Plan B album as well; shows they are using one form of media to promote another form of media. The institution company logos are shown at the bottom of the web page which is beneficial as it shows the audience the production companies which helped in making the film. The trailer is a important feature of Ill Manors, because by showing it on the web page straight away when people access the website it allows them audience to see if the film is worth watching or not. The main codes and conventions of a webpage would be: strap line, tabs, pictures, institution company logos, trailer, tabs on the side of the webpage or above (allows people to access different things such as interview, cast list, extra information ect)

3) BROADCAST
The screen text of the name of the film is very important as it makes the audience aware of what the film is called. The typography 'Ill Manors' is in a bold and hard hitting font which reflects the nature of the film and the genre. The fact that the title of the film is shown at the end of the trailer is effective as it keeps the audience engaged and appealed with all the chaotic elements being shown they would ant to know what the film is called. Additionallyimportant information such as the realise date is also shown at the end as well after the title of the film, this would make the audience aware of when the film will be coming out in cinemas. Moreover, reviewers quotes are part of the screen text which is effective in promoting the film to the audience if it is worth watching or not. In this case, 'Ill Manors' reviewers quotes are shown in the trailer  emphasise that the film is worth watching and this is made evident through 'Simone Baired, Time Out' at 0:15, as he stated "A film for our times". This could suggest that this film, would be suitable for the youths (teenagers) however, it may portray that the film gives a true picture in reflecting how society is like today. Additionally  the director/producer name is stated at the middle of the trailer "From Visionary artist Plan B" which clearly conveys to the audience that Plan B made this film. This is effective, in making the audience aware who the director of the film is and if people are fans of his music they are likely to watch the film.
Non- digetic sound is used throughout the entire trailer of a voice over of Plan B. The voice over of Plan B highlights he is the narrative of the film which is a original approach. The fact that he raps his music anchors the image as it makes it clear for the audience, therefore it is a preferred reading. Furthermore, montage editing is used through out this trailer which shows it is a non linear narrative in terms of the shots and fast pace and it is a multi-strand narrative as there is more than one narrative; effective in generating excitement for the audience. 

Furthermore, the music used in the trailer is urban and up-beat which would appeal to the youths as they are mostly into rap/urban music, also the sound track is featured in the film which would appeal to the audience. This is known as synergy as Plan B is used his music to promote the film, also he promoted the film through his concerts and the album; effective promotion in getting more people in wanting to watch the film. Relating to theorist such as Medhurts the film includes many stereotypes such as, representing/stereotyping teenagers from deprived areas as being "criminals" or "deviant". This is a stereotype as many people in society assume or believe that, people from a working class background, who live in a council estate are going to be harmful to society, especially young adults. I think the film is targeting young adults from the starting age of 18-34, however it could appeal much more to the male audience. This is because, the film contains a lot of violence, sexual content, drug-taking ect which would appeal more to a male audience rather than females; even from the trailer as audience, we can tell that the film are going to include those three main things as it is a 18 certificate.