News Task

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1. Explain your role/responsibility within the team and the task. What were you required to do?
I worked in the group working on the paper's front page with Cherish and Oliver. I had to plan the layout of the cover and  and helped with the choice of articles, deciding on the language we choose to use on the front cover, correctly sizing our images before printing and assembling the final piece.

2. For one media form, describe the codes and conventions you chose to follow and explain their intended impact.

On the front page, we created a headline in a large, clear font reading 'diabolical Davis agrees Shoddy Brexit deal', which will immediately catch the reader's eye. The use of alliteration in this headline as well as in secondary story on the 'frozen finger fiasco', is catchy and intriguing and in the second article comedic, which will appeal to the target audiences as it gratifies their need to both be informed and entertained, as well as reflecting their own views on Brexit. The puff showing the availability of a half price voucher for a Christmas pudding from supermarket Tesco, will tempt the reader to buy the paper as they will also benefit from the purchase and will save money, which may be useful to the readers, the majority of whom are of a lower socioeconomic grade. the choice of the article on Meghan and Harry's wedding will appeal to the women of the paper's target audience, due to the focus of celebrity. Appealing to this group is important as the number of women reading is lower than the number of men reading. The language in the caption of the main story 'confused' will appeal to the reader's as it reflects their confusion and their distrust of the politicians handling Brexit.

3. Explain how your choices reflect the real newspaper's values and target audience.

The choice of the Brexit deal as our main story highlights the desire of the target audience to discover more about Brexit as it is very important to their lives. The choice of the image of a confused looking Davis as the splash and alliterative language in 'diabolical Davis' reflects the angle taken by The Daily Mirror as they are very anti-Brexit, as are the majority of their readers. The secondary story on the 'frozen finger fiasco' is relevant to the target audience who are mostly from lower socioeconomic grades and will therefore find an article on supermarket frozen food relevant in their lives.

4. Explain how your team adapted the news across the three different media forms and the reasons behind your decisions. 

Our team adapted the news across the media forms by changing the main story to reflect the users of each platform and allow them to view the stories that would interest them. The main headline of the front page was on Brexit which would appeal to the anti-Brexit readers who read the print, who are often 35+. However, on the website and Facebook the main story was on the terrorist attack in Iraq, which would be a breaking story and would interest the younger readership. On Twitter, the main story was on Trump, who is a very high profile figure on twitter and is also story that can be easily put across using twitter character limit. On Instagram, the main story was Megan and Harry's wedding, which would appeal to the audience who would prefer news of a less serious nature. This topic also allows for plenty of comments and interactivity, engaging the viewer.

5. In hindsight, is there anything about your team's outcomes that you would adapt or improve?

In hindsight, I would ensure that the same font was used across the different platforms to make them more uniform and give a sense of brand identity. I would also try to give articles similar headlines across the platforms to achieve this. I would also be change the sizing slightly to ensure they properly fit within the template on the website and Facebook page.

Minecraft Pocket Edition Gameplay video for Youtube

1. How you did it (for example, what videos did you look at, what technology did you use and how)?

For inspiration for my video, I watched videos by DanTDM and Captain Sparklez, two popular gaming YouTubers, to decide the layout and features of my gameplay video. I also researched the game's terminology to make my video as accurate as possible. I loosely scripted my video, to allow myself to sound natural and as if i was reacting to the events in real time and then filmed myself whilst watching the video with an iPad. I then used iMovie to place myself into the corner of the video and adjust the sound.

2. How your video might attract the attention of Mojang and/or Microsoft, and how it might influence them.

The popularity of gaming videos on YouTube like mine may attract the attention of Mojang and/or Microsoft. It may influence them as it could be used as another platform with which to advertise the game, with the use of links in description beneath the video. It also allows them to create a strong sense of community between Minecraft fans that they are strongly involved in, if they create a bond with the YouTuber. They could also give the companies feedback on how they could improve the game for users.

Celebrity Magazine Cover

1   1. Summarise the music celebrity you have created.  Include name, music genre, personality and how they are being used to comment on contemporary celebrity.

     

      The celebrity I have created is a pop singer called Alice Casey. She is a stylish and innovative character with a love of creating music. She is honest and open and this is being used to comment of the intrusion into contemporary celebrities lives and how this can damage or further an artists career, while also distracting audiences from the artists talents. 

      

     2. Evaluate how you have constructed the representation of your celebrity through your cover image and cover headline/text.

      The direct address of the audience achieved by the model looking directly into the camera creates a sense of intimacy between the artist and the audience, making the artist appear as though they want to be open and direct with the audience. The choice of a MLS shows the artists pose and costume, which represent the artist as a star, highlighting their celebrity status that the audience wish to hear about. The cover title represents the star as a celebrity with a high status, while also highlighting the scrutiny the contemporary celebrity undergoes. The editorial summary represents the artist as a creator who cares very much about her music, even with many people focusing more on her life as a celebrity. 

      3. Analyse how far you have used and/or challenged stereotypes of gender/race/age/sexuality in your cover.  
    
      I have used stereotypes of gender to show the artist as stylish, feminine and surrounded and concerned by the media and people's attention through the use of costume, pose and cover title, giving the audience what they expect. However, I have also slightly broken away from the gender and age stereotypes of a thirst and care for fame and people's attention, to show the artist as being more concerned with their own creative output, through the use of the editorial summary.

     4. Reflect on the production/editing process.  Are you pleased with the end result?

Identify what is successful about your shot?  What would you have done differently in hindsight?

I am pleased with the end result of my celebrity magazine cover. The successful parts of my shot are the effective use of make up and costume to create the character and the effective high key lighting to highlight the characters face. i feel that the colour schemes is cool but striking and that I have use the text to clearly highlight my message on the contemporary celebrity. In hindsight, I would have experimented with more interesting poses during the shot, which may have allowed me to convey my message more effectively and allowed me to position my text in a more effective way. 

Video Games and Me

I play video games at home on my own, occasionally on weekends and in the evening, however I play very often in the holidays. I mostly use a Nintendo 3DS, playing games like Supermario, MarioKart, Pokemon and the Lego Games (currently The Lord of the Rings). I occasionally play MarioKart on the Wii if I am with friends. In the past I have played similar games on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 64. I play if I am bored and need something to do, as it is fun and engaging.

Minecraft Mission

Minecraft Pocket Edition is an interesting game to play and it is clear why it is so popular, even though I am not a fan myself. The game, which is made to be played alone is engaging and entertaining due to the users ability to create what they want with the resources given, in different randomly generated landscapes. It gives more control to the user as it follows no specific structure.

My Breakfast Show Segment

1. Did you fulfil all the content requirements; both in terms of including all the correct features and as well as the actual choices made.
We fulfilled all the content requirements, by including all of the details involved in the breakfast show, with the Celebrity Gamble being the main focus. We included jingles, talk between the host and phone-in guest and news reporter, the involvement of social media and musical tracks. Our choice of tracks, Taylor Swift- 'Look What You Made Me Do' and Sia- 'Cheap Thrills', reflects the music enjoyed by Radio One listeners.

2. Have you nailed the conventions and style of Nick Grimshaw and the Radio One Breakfast Show?
I believe we have come close to capturing the Breakfast Show's fast-paced and upbeat style. We have done this through our choice of tracks and our creation of piercing jingles, as well as our interactions between the host and phone-in contestant, which had a fun and conversational tone. There was the inclusions of light-hearted banter between the news reporter and the host often seen on the Breakfast Show and the reading of social media responses from the public, an important part of Radio One's Breakfast Show.

3. How well did you manage your running order/timings?
We managed our running order well, due to the use of a clear script, which we created in advance so everyone knew their cues. We also practiced our segment  before recording our final piece to ensure that we all knew what we were doing and how it would work best. We used iPads so that all our songs and jingles were ready before we began recording, which made it easier to record these in our segment.

Current Music Video Analysis

Conventional Techniques in Music Videos 

'Good Grief' by Bastille

1)Use of CUs

    27 seconds into the video, a CU of the lead singers face is shown. This is a familiar face to the audience and highlights the involvement of the band with both the song and the video, which is very appealing to the fans of the band who expect to see the members in the video. 

2)Extreme Contrast in Shot Type

  Three minutes into the video the shot type changes form an ELS of a location to an MCU of a woman screaming. The effect of this jumpy cut allows the video to establish a fast pace and also supports the seemingly random message of the video, highlighting the ideas of the characters jumping between different locations. This appeals to the TA who enjoy the strange videos often accompanying Bastille's music, and wish to hunt for a meaning behind it.

3)Multiple Set-Ups

   The music video features a selection of different characters from different locations, who then begin to enter each others lives. For example there is a woman winning a game show introduced 17 seconds into the video a MS, with high-key lighting and some roller skaters introduced 33 seconds into the video. these seemingly random characters and their interactions, make little sense, which will encourage the viewer to watch the video agin in order to make sense of the video and find meaning. 

4)Costume

   One of the characters shown 11 seconds into the video is wearing a bright red jacket. this distinguishes him from the other characters and allows him to quickly change locations, whilst allowing the viewer to keep up with what is going on. it is away of helping the audience to keep up with the very fast pace, common in music videos.

5)Extreme Contrast in Camera Angle

9 seconds into the video there is a HA ELS zooming in on a man running through a field. This shot then cuts to a MS with no drastic angle, showing the man running towards the camera. this sudden change is common in mooch video and this particular change zooms the audience into the action and makes the feel more involved in the events of the video. 

Trailer Analysis

La La Land 
Audience Appeal
The trailer would appeal to the audience due to the cast. Fans would be excited to see Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, if they had seen their previous films. The trailer also features John Legend, who plays a smaller character in the film, but who will greatly appeal to fans of his music. He is shown playing a guitar in a MS, which highlights to the audience that his musical skills will feature in the film, encouraging them to watch it. The trailer also mentions that the film was directed by the director of Whiplash, which will encourage audience members who have seen that film to watch La La Land. The romance and musical genres of the film will appeal to fans of these genres. The trailer also shows the many 5 star ratings the films has received, to highlight to the audience the popularity of the film, encouraging them to see it.

Genre Signifiers
The film La La Land combines the romance and musical genres. The romance genre is hown through the many shots of the main characters dancing together. The first interaction between the characters shown in the trailer, show the characters kiss in a restaurant in a MS, clearly highlighting the romance genre to the audience, and encouraging fans of this to see the film. This is also done with the musical genre, showing a large ensemble dance and a review claiming that the film is 'a musical masterpiece'.

Character and Representation
The lead characters played by Gosling and Stone are shown to be artists, who are struggling to find success. Stone's character is struggling to get an acting job, while Gosling's character has just been fired from his job. This creates a clear motivation from the characters, the audience know that they will be chasing both their dreams and each other. This situation will appeal to audience members who are struggling to achieve their dreams or secure a good job, leading them to sympathise with the characters and encourage them to see the film.

Branding
The brand the film is trying to create is that of a unusual new film, with a classic Hollywood musical feel. This is done through the upbeat, fast-paced music used throughout the trailer as well as the font used. this is further emphasised through the jobs of the characters and a review claiming that 'they don't make films like this anymore'. this will appeal to audience who want to see a different kind of film to what they usually see in the cinema, or to those who wish to recapture a sense of old Hollywood glamour.

Continuity task evaluation

1. Explain the story of your video.
In our video, two characters who are walking along two corridors collide at a corner when not paying attention to their surroundings. One of the character's phones is broken causing him to become angry at the other.

2. How did you attempt to create 'narrative flow' (continuity)?
In order to create continuity we attempted to begin each of our new shots from exactly where the last left off, attempting to get a match on action, despite the change in camera position. We also ensured that the characters' appearance and the set remained consistent.

3. Did you achieve full continuity? If not, why not?
Overall we were able to achieve this with our video, creating a continuous narrative flow. The use of a storyboard made it easier to achieve this. Other things that helped us tell the story in our video was a strong ELS establishing shot where our first character walks into frame. We then used cross-cutting to show a MS of the second character and following their movement with the use of tracking. A clear sense of motivation is shown as one character is reading notes and the other is on his phone. A master shot is then shown of the characters walking towards each other, which allows the audience to predict what will happen next. This LS two shot then moves into a MCU, taking the audience into the action. The matched cut and logical shot order used here allowed us to achieve continuity. The cut into the phone shows a clear result, which is further emphasised through the reaction of the character, shown in an OTS shot.

4. In hindsight, what would you do differently to improve the narrative flow of your video and tell your story more effectively?
There are several things we could have done to improve the narrative flow of our video and tell the story more effectively. In the first shot the character could have moved from left to right, in order to allow the audience to predict the next event and to improve continuity as there would be more chance of an impact. In the second shot, the camera could be mounted on a trolley for a steadier track. The fourth and final shots would tell the story better if the acting was improved. There needed to be more believable reactions both during the collision and when one character is angry at the other. There needed to be more anger in the delivery of the dialogue.

Reflections on Shots

1. Analyse your chosen shot and identify in what way it could be described as signifying your chosen TV Drama genre/subgenre.

Our chosen shot was a still from a mystery TV drama. It shows the character looking nervous as he peers around a corner. He appears to be looking intently at something and his expression connotes that he is observing an event at which he is not comfortable with or not welcome at. The fact that the audience is unable to see what it is that character is looking at is a genre convention of mystery dramas, as the audience has to try and find out what is going on from the character and his reaction. The character appears as though he is trying not to be seen through the way his body is partly hidden behind a wall and the way he seems as though he has just appeared from a darkened corridor.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

The mystery drama genre is further signified through the shot type and lighting. The LA MS makes the character appear slightly imposing and clearly shows both his facial expression and body language, which allows the audience to connote that he is hiding and viewing something that he finds shocking. It leaves the audience to question what it is the characters is hiding from and what he has seen, which is a signifier of the mystery drama genre. The low-key lighting is used to create shadows on the character, especially around his hands and face, which further heightens the characters fear and emphasizes the idea of him emerging from the shadows. This connotes that he is trying to find information about something which is a common plot-line in mystery dramas.

3. Identify what what is successful about your shot?

The things that I believe make the shot successful are the use of lighting to create shadows and the choice of MS to show the right amount of the character needed to allow the audience to find the meaning the shot is trying to convey. They audience can interpret both the meaning of the show and the genre from these two things.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

In hindsight I would make the character more central in the shot so that more attention can be focused on the expression of the character. I would also ensure that the face of the character is focused rather than the wall in the shot for the same reason. I believe this focus would allow the audience to interpret more from the shot.