1) Burton, Neale, Metz, Altman, Chandler
2) Female victim, final girl, setting; graveyard, abandoned house etc, lighting; dark to no lighting, protagonist, antagonist, camera; canted angles and close ups, props/iconography; knives, masks, use of the colours red and black, costume; dark, ripped,
3) Conventions are used by audiences in order for them to recognise the horror genre easily, as they are seen throughout the (sub)genre, for example, a zombie film would have makeup effects, ripped/torn clothing and the actors would be walking slowly.
4) Conventions are use by the producers to make their films easily recognisable to the audience, as well as using them to be able to develop on, to create a new idea for the target audience.
5) A sub genre is a division of a certain genre.
6) Slasher, zombie, j-horror, supernatural, psychological
7) A hybrid genre is when two different genres are spliced together.e.g horror and comedy.
8) Shawn Of The Dead (comedy/horror)
Metz- own trailer- aimed for classical stage in order to help the audience easily recognise the genre e.g iconography (red blood), however, became revisionist as we used the conventions already created and were able to embellish them. Applies to an extent, as our trailer does not conform to a certain stage,
Altman- visceral/emotional/intellectual- our trailer would come under the visceral category as we aimed to produce a gut reaction to the horror, creating fear in the audience(e.g jump cuts and the use of blood). However, this theory does not apply fully to our trailer as our research showed that although the audience recognised it as horror, there was a lack of gut fear in relation to the editing and content.
Monday, 18 April 2016
Friday, 15 April 2016
Friday, 26 February 2016
Question 3
A target audience is a group of people that a product is aimed/created for. We are recovering audience research in order to see whether or not we have reached our traget audience and created a product that has appealed to them. Our target audience was a unisex one between the ages of 15 and 25. Each of us conducted a survey for each of the products to see how well they have been received by our target audience.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Media regulator Ofcom received nearly 700 complaints about TV news coverage of the Woolwich attack.
Ofcom has been investigating whether the broadcast of the footage before the 9pm watershed is in breach of the UK broadcasting code.
It is understood that Ofcom has cleared all the broadcasters on the basis that showing the footage was in the public interest.
According to Ofcom's code, broadcasters must apply "generally accepted standards" meaning that any material they air which might be offensive or explicit must be able to be justified by context, such as whether children are likely to see it.
In May an ITV News spokesman defended the decision to air the footage as "editorially justified", saying that it was done on a "public interest basis as the material is integral to understanding the horrific incident".
The bulk of the complaints – 500 – were directly to ITV, with Ofcom receiving about 100 separate complaints about the channel's decision to air the film.
ITV News declined to confirm or deny whether it paid the man for his footage.
"It was editorially justified to show such footage in the aftermath of such a shocking attack, and we prefaced it on ITV News at 6.30pm and News at Ten with appropriate warnings to make viewers aware in advance of the graphic images about to be shown."
After midnight on Wednesday, ITV edited the video on its website to obscure the body of the soldier and the face of the second suspect. It is understood that this was after editors decided there was less public interest justification in showing the unedited footage to a Thursday lunchtime audience.
Ofcom has been investigating whether the broadcast of the footage before the 9pm watershed is in breach of the UK broadcasting code.
It is understood that Ofcom has cleared all the broadcasters on the basis that showing the footage was in the public interest.
According to Ofcom's code, broadcasters must apply "generally accepted standards" meaning that any material they air which might be offensive or explicit must be able to be justified by context, such as whether children are likely to see it.
In May an ITV News spokesman defended the decision to air the footage as "editorially justified", saying that it was done on a "public interest basis as the material is integral to understanding the horrific incident".
The bulk of the complaints – 500 – were directly to ITV, with Ofcom receiving about 100 separate complaints about the channel's decision to air the film.
ITV News declined to confirm or deny whether it paid the man for his footage.
"It was editorially justified to show such footage in the aftermath of such a shocking attack, and we prefaced it on ITV News at 6.30pm and News at Ten with appropriate warnings to make viewers aware in advance of the graphic images about to be shown."
After midnight on Wednesday, ITV edited the video on its website to obscure the body of the soldier and the face of the second suspect. It is understood that this was after editors decided there was less public interest justification in showing the unedited footage to a Thursday lunchtime audience.
Benefit Street 02/03/16
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Essay Question (Half Term)
How well does contemporary media regulation protect the public?
BBFC and PEGI are both regulatory organisations who are in control of certifying and rating media products in the UK.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) was set up in 1912, to protect the general public from viewing material that could be seen as harmful or offensive. They were originally in charge of classifying cinema released films and later went on to rate videos and DVDs, as well as video games in 1984. However, a new regulator was formed in 2003, called PEGI (Pan European Game Information). They took over the classifying of video games in the UK, along with the rest of Europe. However, the BBFC still has some say in video games, in relation to heavier sexual content.
The BBFC are a proactive, non-government, self regulating organisation that classify films that have been submitted to them by the creators. They then place an age rating on these films, in order to protect certain age groups from harmful and offensive content. The age ratings allow the public to choose what they view with an easier decision, as the rating defines what will be shown within the film. Each age rating has a list of factors as to why a film has been justified at that particular rating.
PEGI, similarly to the BBFC, also place age ratings on video games, for similar reasons. The content of a video game is what the rating is judged by, like films, and is there in order to prevent certain age groups from accessing certain material that could be deemed harmful.
There are problems, however, with both regulators. Although they are in place to provide protection, in modern day media, there are other means of access.
For example, the Internet has become a beacon of unregulated material in that anyone of any age group can access it, through websites like YouTube and illegal film streaming websites. Demo prototypes of video games can also be found on the Internet, stopping the regulators from being able to protect like they aim to.
As an audience, we rely on these regulators to make the decision of what we should and shouldn't be able to access and piracy such as this, defies these organisations the ability to that.
One film that was controversial was The Hunger Games. The film itself was rated a 12A in the UK. However, there were complaints that it was too intense and 'gory' for children that young, with scenes including blood and death. As none of the scenes showed graphic deaths, it was allowed to be passed as a 12A, but managed to stir up doubts as to whether films were being regulated properly for children.
Hatred is an unreleased game that has not yet been rated in the UK. However, it has gained controversy due to the high content of sexual and violent imagery shown in the trailer. PEGI have not yet rated this game and therefore, it is difficult to see whether or not this will protect the public and show it as an effective regulator.
Due to the desensitisation of the public over the years, film and video game regulators continue to push the boundaries, as ratings seem to change due to the content becoming 'normal' in today's society. The regulators classify for the 'standard, normal' person, which leaves it open to criticism on whether this is effective. Overall, regulators will not always be able to regulate effectively, due to the content being available on other media platforms and this is down to viewer discretion only.
BBFC and PEGI are both regulatory organisations who are in control of certifying and rating media products in the UK.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) was set up in 1912, to protect the general public from viewing material that could be seen as harmful or offensive. They were originally in charge of classifying cinema released films and later went on to rate videos and DVDs, as well as video games in 1984. However, a new regulator was formed in 2003, called PEGI (Pan European Game Information). They took over the classifying of video games in the UK, along with the rest of Europe. However, the BBFC still has some say in video games, in relation to heavier sexual content.
The BBFC are a proactive, non-government, self regulating organisation that classify films that have been submitted to them by the creators. They then place an age rating on these films, in order to protect certain age groups from harmful and offensive content. The age ratings allow the public to choose what they view with an easier decision, as the rating defines what will be shown within the film. Each age rating has a list of factors as to why a film has been justified at that particular rating.
PEGI, similarly to the BBFC, also place age ratings on video games, for similar reasons. The content of a video game is what the rating is judged by, like films, and is there in order to prevent certain age groups from accessing certain material that could be deemed harmful.
There are problems, however, with both regulators. Although they are in place to provide protection, in modern day media, there are other means of access.
For example, the Internet has become a beacon of unregulated material in that anyone of any age group can access it, through websites like YouTube and illegal film streaming websites. Demo prototypes of video games can also be found on the Internet, stopping the regulators from being able to protect like they aim to.
As an audience, we rely on these regulators to make the decision of what we should and shouldn't be able to access and piracy such as this, defies these organisations the ability to that.
One film that was controversial was The Hunger Games. The film itself was rated a 12A in the UK. However, there were complaints that it was too intense and 'gory' for children that young, with scenes including blood and death. As none of the scenes showed graphic deaths, it was allowed to be passed as a 12A, but managed to stir up doubts as to whether films were being regulated properly for children.
Hatred is an unreleased game that has not yet been rated in the UK. However, it has gained controversy due to the high content of sexual and violent imagery shown in the trailer. PEGI have not yet rated this game and therefore, it is difficult to see whether or not this will protect the public and show it as an effective regulator.
Due to the desensitisation of the public over the years, film and video game regulators continue to push the boundaries, as ratings seem to change due to the content becoming 'normal' in today's society. The regulators classify for the 'standard, normal' person, which leaves it open to criticism on whether this is effective. Overall, regulators will not always be able to regulate effectively, due to the content being available on other media platforms and this is down to viewer discretion only.
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Question 4
Research and planning was used in order to prepare ourselves for the products we were about to make. Research involved looking at including existing products to see what was used a s a convention in them.Then, we planned out what we were going to take from these and the programmes we would need in order to recreate them, such as Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. In order to present our findings from our research and planning, we used the website Blogger and Weebly. These websites are blogging websites and allowed us to post text, images and link to videos that we had researched during this period, in an organised and productive way.
Both sites have default background settings, and so we changed these to reflect our supernatural sub genre. We then created drop down tabs on our weebly to make it easier to find all of our work. This was useful as it allowed us to have everything in a certain place so we could find it and edit it easily. We also used the image attachment options in order to support our text with visual evidence.
YouTube was also a key part of our research and planning. We used it in order to view existing trailers and products that have been made by previous students. We then also linked these videos to our weebly page to support our textual research with examples. We then also created our own Youtube page in order to post our own trailer on eventually.
We used Google and IMDB as well in order to carry out secondary research that allowed us to understand the different conventions of our sub genre as well, by looking at the existing products that were available to us.
We used Microsoft Powerpoint when we were presenting our pitches and our research that we had done over the summer. This was helpful, as it allowed us to present the work we had done in a creative way that had images and videos to support it. It also allowed us to show it on a big screen to our entire class with a simple click through process, which made it useful to our research and planning.
(Cont.)
Both sites have default background settings, and so we changed these to reflect our supernatural sub genre. We then created drop down tabs on our weebly to make it easier to find all of our work. This was useful as it allowed us to have everything in a certain place so we could find it and edit it easily. We also used the image attachment options in order to support our text with visual evidence.
YouTube was also a key part of our research and planning. We used it in order to view existing trailers and products that have been made by previous students. We then also linked these videos to our weebly page to support our textual research with examples. We then also created our own Youtube page in order to post our own trailer on eventually.
We used Google and IMDB as well in order to carry out secondary research that allowed us to understand the different conventions of our sub genre as well, by looking at the existing products that were available to us.
We used Microsoft Powerpoint when we were presenting our pitches and our research that we had done over the summer. This was helpful, as it allowed us to present the work we had done in a creative way that had images and videos to support it. It also allowed us to show it on a big screen to our entire class with a simple click through process, which made it useful to our research and planning.
(Cont.)
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Question 2
Keeping a consistent theme, or synergy, throughout a a brand, is one of the most important things in advertising and marketing. Making sure all products have the a similar feel includes colour schemes, lighting, main images, logos and fonts. In media, synergy is used to create an easily recognisable brand by the audience, that is eye catching and relates to the brand itself. This is done using cross promotion and cross media convergence, advertising the brand across all different platforms of media, in order to reach as much if the target audience as possible.
The three products that we have produced as a group, all boiled down to having a synergistic feel across the board. We did extensive research into the supernatural sub genre, as that is what our film was about. The three final products had to have a 'look' that was appealing to an audience of the sub genre, and this is what we were concentrating on.
We then thought about the most appropriate ways in which we would be able to approach our audience, using all different platforms. As our target audience range between 15-24, we decided that social media and internet platforms would be the foremost place in which we would reach them. Therefore, YouTube was our first port of call. It is a free to use video uploader, which gains millions of views everyday, and is mostly used by this generation of people. We thought that this would be the best place to upload our trailer. We then considered the different ways we could promote the trailer and decided that social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, were the best choice in reaching the audience.
Cross media promotion is the method used in media to promote a product across different media platforms. This way, our audience would not only be able to give us feedback, but also share the trailer with their friends, helping us reach an even wider audience. These means of promotion are also available on portable devices, such as phones and tablets, therefore, making it even easier for our target audience to access.
(Photoshop images to follow, getting help from Mr French.)
The three products that we have produced as a group, all boiled down to having a synergistic feel across the board. We did extensive research into the supernatural sub genre, as that is what our film was about. The three final products had to have a 'look' that was appealing to an audience of the sub genre, and this is what we were concentrating on.
We then thought about the most appropriate ways in which we would be able to approach our audience, using all different platforms. As our target audience range between 15-24, we decided that social media and internet platforms would be the foremost place in which we would reach them. Therefore, YouTube was our first port of call. It is a free to use video uploader, which gains millions of views everyday, and is mostly used by this generation of people. We thought that this would be the best place to upload our trailer. We then considered the different ways we could promote the trailer and decided that social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, were the best choice in reaching the audience.
Cross media promotion is the method used in media to promote a product across different media platforms. This way, our audience would not only be able to give us feedback, but also share the trailer with their friends, helping us reach an even wider audience. These means of promotion are also available on portable devices, such as phones and tablets, therefore, making it even easier for our target audience to access.
(Photoshop images to follow, getting help from Mr French.)
Monday, 11 January 2016
Question 1
Magazine conventions
MASTHEAD- A magazine has a masthead that allows the audience to know what it is thy are reading. The masthead is often what catches initial attention of the reader and so should be distinct and recognizable, preferably to the genre of the magazine. It is found at the top of the page.
SELLING LINE- The selling line is also found at the top of the page and advertises the quality of the magazine and why the reader should pick it up.
MAIN COVERLINE- This shows the main article within the magazine and is often what attracts a reader.
COVERLINES-Show the articles and features that will be available inside the magazine.
BARCODE AND PRICING- This allows the reader to know how much they are paying for the magazine, as well as making it easy to scan to find in more than one shop, such as on the internet.
MAIN IMAGE- The main image is the first thing a reader sees on the front of the magazine. It should be bold and domineering. as well as making the magazine look interesting.
DATE/ISSUE- The date and issue tag let the audience know how old the magazine is and how many issues have been produced before.
WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA-This allows the audience to find the magazines updates that they make via he internet and keep up to date between each issuing.
Masthead
Our magazine
Our magazine uses a curled font in black and white. The colours connote contrast between light and dark, with the grey background behind. These are all very neutral colours and yet denote horror through the simplistic use of them against a mix of both in the background. The font itself conveys horror as it is bold and brash and similar to that of an old religious font, using sans serif.
The real media text
The real media text uses a bold font, with similarly, black and white as the main colours. However, it is presented against a red background which does connote imagery such as blood and gore. The font is large and abrasive and stands out, like our own magazine, as well as the name itself linking back to the horror genre to make it more clear to audiences.
Therefore, our magazine follows the convention of the masthead as it is similar to those of existing horror magazines.
Selling Line
Real media text
The selling line is a white font which matches the masthead that it is presented under. The font is the same as that of the masthead and it presented at the top of the page, just underneath the masthead itself. It is also smaller than the masthead.
Our magazine
Our magazine's selling line is just above the masthead on the top of the page. It is a different colour and font to the masthead, unlike the real media text's and therefore, has developed the convention to some extent. However, it is smaller than the masthead itself and is placed strategically at the top of the page. Therefore, it mostly follows the conventions of a horror magazine.
Cover lines
Real media text
The real media text coverlines are short and snappy; to the point. The fonts change between each coverline and are heavily supported by images in this influence. The colours of yellow, red and black all connote danger and fear. There are few cover lines on this magazine as they have all been supported by a medium sized image. They are placed on the left third of the magazine.
Our magazine
Our magazine also uses an image to support one of the cover lines, conforming with what is seen on the real media text. However, it uses one font throughout and differs between blue and white. This is to connote the innocence of the main image as the film itself is about the loss of, which makes the colours ironic. The cover lines are also short and snappy and are placed on the left third, conforming to most of the conventions of a horror magazine, as shown in the real media text example.
Barcode and pricing
Real media text
The magazine that we use as influence uses a large barcode on the bottom left han side of the page. It enables the reader to see the publisher of this magazine, as well as the website they have provided to find further information. It is very simplistic and does not take up too much room on the cover.
Our magazine
Our magazine uses a thin barcode that stretches up the right hand side of the page. This does not follow the conventions as most magazines have this displaye on the bottom left hand corner. However, it does include the price of the magazine, which follows conventions that our influence chose not to. Therefore, our magazine follows some of the conventions but only to an extent.
Main Image
Real media text
The real media text uses a graphic image of a masked figure, hooded and holding a knife. This submits to the imagery of horror and follows the horror conventions as it is typical of what would be seen in a horror.
Our magazine
Our magazine uses a washed out image of smoke over the image of our main actress in our horror campaign. Her NVC is threatening and dark, which submits to the conventions of a horror magazine main image.
MASTHEAD- A magazine has a masthead that allows the audience to know what it is thy are reading. The masthead is often what catches initial attention of the reader and so should be distinct and recognizable, preferably to the genre of the magazine. It is found at the top of the page.
SELLING LINE- The selling line is also found at the top of the page and advertises the quality of the magazine and why the reader should pick it up.
MAIN COVERLINE- This shows the main article within the magazine and is often what attracts a reader.
COVERLINES-Show the articles and features that will be available inside the magazine.
BARCODE AND PRICING- This allows the reader to know how much they are paying for the magazine, as well as making it easy to scan to find in more than one shop, such as on the internet.
MAIN IMAGE- The main image is the first thing a reader sees on the front of the magazine. It should be bold and domineering. as well as making the magazine look interesting.
DATE/ISSUE- The date and issue tag let the audience know how old the magazine is and how many issues have been produced before.
WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA-This allows the audience to find the magazines updates that they make via he internet and keep up to date between each issuing.
Masthead
Our magazine
Our magazine uses a curled font in black and white. The colours connote contrast between light and dark, with the grey background behind. These are all very neutral colours and yet denote horror through the simplistic use of them against a mix of both in the background. The font itself conveys horror as it is bold and brash and similar to that of an old religious font, using sans serif.
The real media text
The real media text uses a bold font, with similarly, black and white as the main colours. However, it is presented against a red background which does connote imagery such as blood and gore. The font is large and abrasive and stands out, like our own magazine, as well as the name itself linking back to the horror genre to make it more clear to audiences.
Therefore, our magazine follows the convention of the masthead as it is similar to those of existing horror magazines.
Selling Line
Real media text
The selling line is a white font which matches the masthead that it is presented under. The font is the same as that of the masthead and it presented at the top of the page, just underneath the masthead itself. It is also smaller than the masthead.
Our magazine
Our magazine's selling line is just above the masthead on the top of the page. It is a different colour and font to the masthead, unlike the real media text's and therefore, has developed the convention to some extent. However, it is smaller than the masthead itself and is placed strategically at the top of the page. Therefore, it mostly follows the conventions of a horror magazine.
Cover lines
Real media text
The real media text coverlines are short and snappy; to the point. The fonts change between each coverline and are heavily supported by images in this influence. The colours of yellow, red and black all connote danger and fear. There are few cover lines on this magazine as they have all been supported by a medium sized image. They are placed on the left third of the magazine.
Our magazine
Our magazine also uses an image to support one of the cover lines, conforming with what is seen on the real media text. However, it uses one font throughout and differs between blue and white. This is to connote the innocence of the main image as the film itself is about the loss of, which makes the colours ironic. The cover lines are also short and snappy and are placed on the left third, conforming to most of the conventions of a horror magazine, as shown in the real media text example.
Barcode and pricing
Real media text
The magazine that we use as influence uses a large barcode on the bottom left han side of the page. It enables the reader to see the publisher of this magazine, as well as the website they have provided to find further information. It is very simplistic and does not take up too much room on the cover.
Our magazine
Our magazine uses a thin barcode that stretches up the right hand side of the page. This does not follow the conventions as most magazines have this displaye on the bottom left hand corner. However, it does include the price of the magazine, which follows conventions that our influence chose not to. Therefore, our magazine follows some of the conventions but only to an extent.
Main Image
Real media text
The real media text uses a graphic image of a masked figure, hooded and holding a knife. This submits to the imagery of horror and follows the horror conventions as it is typical of what would be seen in a horror.
Our magazine
Our magazine uses a washed out image of smoke over the image of our main actress in our horror campaign. Her NVC is threatening and dark, which submits to the conventions of a horror magazine main image.
Contemporary Media
Regulation- the control or guidance of mass media by governments and other bodies- films/music/videos and games are examples, regulated to not cause psychological harm
Regulatory practices-
BBFC- British board of film classification- THG, originally rated a 15 and reduced to a 12A due to the violence and gore
Pegi- pan European game information-GTA V, controversial due to intense violence, rated 18
Ofcom- UK communications regulator, serves the radio, ofcom receive complaints for controversial programmes
Desensitisation- becoming immune to the effects of certain factors that could be considered disturbing e.g video games that depict violence
Moral panic- public anxiety in relation to a problem regarded as threatening the moral standards of society e.g 9/11 panics shown in the media
Media effects theory/hypodermic needle- the ideas of the media are injected into a passive audience
Scapegoat- someone blamed for the wrongdoings or faults of others unjustly
Uses and gratifications and catharsis- the act of being pleased by being able to get daily frustrations out in a virtual act of anger or violence
Adorno- the idea that in today's society, we inhabit a media culture that is driven by product consumption
Whitehouse- an activist against liberalism and blamed the media for a decline I social morality
Petley- professor of journalism and screen media and the chair of the campaign for press and broadcasting freedom- argues against censorship and says is a class based issue
Byron report- 2007 review on the safety of children in a digital world- says that BBFC should play larger part on classifying video games
Pre emptive- censorship undertaken to deter an anticipated outrage
Direct- reacts in defence of the law (Obscene Publications Act 1959)
Indirect- filmmaker decides to censor their film on the advice of institution as it will be cut on submission
Proactive reg- organisations set up to regulate the media before public access
Reactive- to regulate situations that are already made public
Statutory- set up by act of Parliament in the interests of the public
Self- industry that doesn't want the gov to interfere with the way it operates and sets up a system where people in industry regulate each other
Why?
* (CoD/GTA) Violence-protect the vulnerable
*Bad Language Prevent immoral being shown positively
Sexual Content- protecting the vulnerable
* Fear/Horror- horror movies
Uphold the law
* Take into account the message of the work in its entirety
* Protect against harmful messages
* Avoid perpetrating real life criminal acts
BBFC- hunger games
-intense threat/moderate violence/ gory moments/use of weapons
-glamorised violence and realistic scenes
-adult themes with teens
-was a 15 but cuts made for 12A
blue is the warmest colour
-sex scenes that are graphic
-intimidated actresses by the director
-very realistic
PEGI- hatred
-genocide crusade killer
-violence within the trailer for game is intense and excessive
-PEGI have remained silent about the game
-will not however outright ban the game and will leave it to local govs to ban the game
GTA V
-violence and depiction of women
-18 very as well as warnings
-predecessors have created controversy so audience know what the game will be like
-added first person perspective
-31st December 2014, sold 45 million copies
Effective?
Why we should regulate- protecting the vulnerable- children find it hard to make their own decisions and therefore need regulations in order to help provide some semblance of control
Protecting society- soxiety easilt influenced by the media and so need regulations in order to keep harsher content from certain audiences
Negative shown as positives- regulation is there to stop negatives in society becoming norms and positive- desentisation
Against
Internet access- due to the Internet, it is difficult to enforce regulations as sites such as YouTube and illegal movie streaming sites do not need age clarification to access content
Monday, 4 January 2016
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