MediaMag Conference

      1) Chewing gum for the brain: Why do people talk such rubbish about Media Studies?

Why Media Studies is worth studying.

During the conference, Professor David Buckingham spoke about how the Simpsons being shown in English classes. It was said that parents and other education institutes wants schools to chance “the Simpsons” to Shakespeare. A quote given was “angry parents accuse schools for ‘dumbing down’ English by showing the Simpsons in class”- Daily Mail.

Michael Grove, education mister, says independent schools shunning subjects like media. And media gives ‘false hope’ to pupils.

Media is seen as a Mickey Mouse subject and will not get a job. Media is a misleading subject, graduates finished as clerks and cooks.

Media literacy- saving the innocent children from sex, violence, tobacco, alcohol and obesity

Is it a soft option? It is hard to say however, it is more to what people think to the actual facts.

2) Online media, Cleggmania, and the Cowell Factor.

How do online media and convergence impact on the ways audiences and producers use and create media?

Dr Julian McDougall:

Convergence, Books and newspapers will die eventually.

How to pass: read all the different ideas

Pick your example

Apply the reading to the examples

Weigh up the debate

Develop an informed academic view.

3) Perfecting your production work.

How to get the most out of your practical projects

Pete Fraser:

Keywords: research and planning

Blogging and audience

Ideas and feedback

Logistic, equipment and production

Research: every angle

Keep evidence

Real examples; everything about them

Conventions, audience and institutions

Planning: Plan for all eventualities- what could go wrong

 Record all planning visually

Show the process of your ‘journey’

Blogging- record of everything- link to examples

Evidence- storyboards, animatics

Ideas- simple- realistic plans (workable)

25 word pitch

Get feedback- teachers and peers

Record the feedback

Make not to response

Logistics- people, place, props and costumes

Get it done early- rehearse and prepare

Share contact details for all involved

Equipment- practice and prepare

Productions- extra coverage

Organise all your material before editing

Start with a big picture

Fine the details later

Dominant and Alternative (:

Lynx

The lynx advert is about a man that is doing something for money, the lady in the advert is like a sectary, the subordinate group, that starts to laugh about the man, dominant group, not getting the money, he man then pulls out a bottle of lynx and sprays it on himself, which then gets the women to loosen her hair and go after him. This connotes how powerful the spray is, and it will help you get what you want. 

Lynx produced this advert to show that men are very dominant or sexually dominant. The groups involved are: women and male, all shown in high class status. Whereas, the guy has no status at the beginning where we see him surrounded by rats connoting that he was no one and when he sprays the lynx on him he has a status. 
 

The particular representation was selected is show any man could be attractive. In the advert, the protagonist is a young man, aged around twenty. His lifestyle presented does not seem to be a high class or a working class; the way he dresses was casual to show he does not any status. The first lady seen on screen is dressed smartly, which suggests that she has a higher class/status compared to the man. Her hair is tied back to show dominance and sophistication. These aspects helps the audience respond to these things because many women have a higher status and stereotypically ladies run after good looking man that have a higher status. But in this advert it has shown to be different. The man has no status but because of the spray, it has drawn the ladies in. therefore, women are seen as weak. The old man that is offering the money to the other man is seen as a high class with a lot of power because he had money, this connotes that the money is the reason why the lady had stuck by him, but when the man sprayed lynx on himself and walked away, it attracted her to him because the spray made him sophisticated and powerful to attract all those ladies to him.

 The advert connotes that you do not need to be a higher working class to be dominant in a males view.

Alternative

Gucci Guilty; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K2GAoBTuc4
 

Gucci Guilty promotion is perfume. The advert starts off with showing that actual perfume and then goes in to showing a lady driving an expensive and high classes car. As she starts to speed fie emerges from her back tyres, she then shows her skills and drifts with the wind blowing her hair. she gets out her car and embraces the smell, then a man introduced he walks over to the bar and sits there, she walks and a stares at him, he turns around and walks towards her and then they make sexual contact. 

A lady driving a high class, expensive car shows an alternative view because you do not usually see someone in the subordinate group to be driving a good car. Another alternative view was by the look she has control of the man and made sexual contact with him without her walking over to him. This connotes the power you gain if you get this perfume. 

During their intimate scene, usually the dominant, male, is usually taking control however, in this scene the women is taking control by taking his clothes off and she is on top taking lead. This connotes the power and control you gain; it will also give you confidence to do things that never usually happen.

Reebok Analysis- Ms Wigley

In the Reebok advert, they use mis-en-scéne, which are aspects such as clothing, props, gestures, facial expressions etc. The type of clothing 5O cent is wearing is informal/ everyday wear, which connotes who he is and what type of background he is from- a criminal or violent background. The facial expressions made my 5O cent are serious as the voiceover, which is 5O cent, explains what has happened; he got “shot nine times”. Stereotypically, people that wear baggy clothes and are brought up and a violence area they tend to be associated with violence.

The sound included in this advert is non-diegetic, which are added sounds that were not in the scene when recorded such as, a gun shot, voice over and the radio. This works together with the different scenes in the advert because the start the radio sounds of the news outside a building, which connotes where the shooting happened. These scenes relate to criminal backgrounds and violence, and that is how it is portrayed in the advert. There is only a seconds worth of diegetic sound, when he laughs which shows that he does not take the matter as serious as expected.

The background 5O cent is in connotes imprisoned as the room is empty but only a box that he is sitting on. This connotes the background that he is from has restrictions because they are seen as negative when crime is involved.

Colours used are dark and earthy colours with some red, which connotes death or blood, due to the context. The use of colours shows how serious the situation is and how that area is perceived.  The type of shots uses are; low angle and close ups. A low angle shot connotes how superior 5O cent thinks he is compared to everyone else and a close up allows the audience to see his facial expressions and he is still looking down at the audience. A close-up of dripping water appeared to flash red before the voice said "shot nine times" and 50 Cent slowly counted from one to nine. Another voice then asked: "Who do you plan to massacre next?

Reebok was criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority for glorifying gun violence in a television advert featuring the hip hop star 50 Cent.  5O cent had just signed up to Reebok last year to appear in advertising campaigns and design trainers for the firm. In this advert it was expressing his experience on a notorious drive-by incident when he was shot nine times.

Other commercial companies such as Broadcasting Advertising Clearance Centre, vets television commercials said this advert should be shown after nine pm. However, ASA said they should not advertise this advert at all. They described 5O cent to have the "potential to encourage or condone violence, particularly among vulnerable or younger viewers", which is in section 6, 6.2 in “the broadcast committee of advertising practising, the standard code.

Reebok had argued that the adverts did not glorify violence but rather that "you can achieve by believing in yourself" and that they were part of a wider global campaign tagged "I am what I am". The question about a massacre referred not to violence but to 50 Cent's new album of that name, it argued. Both qualifications were rejected by the ASA, which also said the ads were likely to be more attractive to younger viewers because of the brand. Reebok said “We want the world to know that 'I am what I am' is more than an advertising campaign, rather it speaks to who Reebok truly is as a brand and it is an invitation for today's youth to join in” they said to the Guardian.
Therefore, in respect to Reebok they did not attempt to glorify violence but there campaign “I am who I am”. Their target audience is teenage males. This advertisement should be banned because of the ‘57 complaints from viewers’ because they contained violence and could encourage children to follow the steps of 5O cent as he is an artist and well recognized.

Banned Adverts- Ms Wigley

Anti-Bullying Advert
This advertisement was banned from being shown on national television, because the imagery, which consisted of a twelve year old/ teenage girl sewing her mouth closed. This was deemed to be too brutal for a young audience to watch. This connotes how victims feel silenced from bullies. By a teenage girl sewing her mouth together encouraged little girls and may encourage boys to result to self harm.

However, the disturbing imagery allows awareness to adults of the devastating effects that bullying can have. This goes against one of the standard codes which is: section seven -children, 7.4- physical harm; 

"advertisements must not contain material which would lead to physical harm to children"

Also, section six, 6.2 violence and cruelty:

"advertisements must not encourage or condone violence or cruelty"

They say advertisements must not appear to condone people using violence or aggression to get their way in everyday life.

Personally, the advert has negative and positive values, it teaches parents/ young adults about how serious bullying can go, self harming. On the other hand, the negative values are: children that watch this advert may want to copy her because they have no one to talk to. Some children may find it "cool" and try doing it to themselves just to see how it looks on them. This advert shows the reality of bullying and peoples emotions about it, but the imagery is far too brutal for any age group to watch.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wklre2_18

Nike Advert

This Advert was also banned from being shown on national television, because the content  is not appropriate for young children to watch. they have images that would frighten them and also this could connote that if you brought products from this company, life threatening situations may occur (which obviously would not happened however people may assume things)

This could go against the standard code ;section seven, 7.2 unrealistic expectations

"Advertisements for products of interest to children must take account of the level of experience in those in the relevant age groups so as to avoid arousing unrealistic expectations"

I am in favour with banning this advertisement because it is not suitable for many age groups and it also does not express any positive values besides you live longer if you wear their products, which does not relate to the actual advert itself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_UOVFqjay0

Mercedes

Finally, this advert is advertising a car brand, and was banned for being insulting to a certain group of people. this would have been 'blondes', they quote "beauty is nothing without brains". the advert is about a blonde lady walking in to a library and ordering food, she then told that it is a library and she takes note of that whilst she looks around and then starts to whisper her order to the librarian. People that are blonde may take offence to this because they are seen as "dumb blondes" and not all are that dumb.
This goes against the standard codes: section six, 6.6 harmful and or negative stereotypes:

"advertisements must not prejudice respect human dignity or humiliate, stagmatise or undermine the standings of identifiable groups of people"

They say some stereotypes can be harmful and deeply insulting to groups of people.
 
I question why this advert was banned, due to the saying "dumb blondes" not may poeple take offence to that so why should they take offence. However, by quoting "beauty is nothing without brains", i believe to be offensive because they are suggesting people that are not clever are not beautiful and people that are blonde are not intelligent. Therefore, i believe that advert should not be banned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l38blGqVeHc&NR=1

Trailer Analysis- Mr Bush

Two trailers that I found effective are chainmail and screwed.

Screwed and Chainmail promotes a trailer, the genre presented is a comedy. The reason I found Screwed effective are: the narrative was non-linear because they use flashbacks and some enigma codes because at the end she is with a guy that was with another girl at the beginning of the trailer.

Another reason is that has positive values because it teaches girls and guys about personal stuff about each other, as they mention in the movie, when you have sex and then miss your period it means you are pregnant. The primary audience was clear, and there targeted audience which was girl teenagers because of the type of comedy presented.

The protagonist was a female, which shows that their targeted audience was girls; also because it is about relationships and a type of musical, there secondary audience could be guys. The type of editing the use is continuously use is jump cut, which helps in the scenes jump into different scenes in the movie. This stereotypes the girls that have sex without thinking twice about.

The second trailer i found most effective was chainmail. The reasons for this is that the genre was horror but also had positive values  because they present positive values, as they teach the teenage audience that stuff on the internet happen and could lead to negative impacts to their life’s.

The editing used is dissolve and fade out. The target audience for this trailer could be for teenagers as well, because that is when you tend to use facebook and social sites. The trailer is a flashback because the start of with a girl talking about the protagonist and they are explaining what happened to her and then they show how it happened in school and on the social site.

Analysis of Dear John- Mr Bush

Dear John

‘Dear John’ directed by Lasse Hallstorm and its genre is drama, romantic. The basic storyline is about a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis, the idealistic college student he falls in love with her during her spring break. Over the next seven years, the couple are separated by john’s increasingly dangerous job. While meeting only intermittently, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas. However, they eventually trigger fateful consequences. The protagonists are Channing Tatum for plays John Tyree and Amanda Seyfried who plays Savannah Curtis.

Using Vladimir Propp character theory, which are roles of:  the villain: creates a complication in the narrative. The Donor; gives the hero something that will help in resolution. The Helper; helps the hero in restoring the resolution. The Princess: saved by the hero. The Dispatcher: sends the hero on a task. The Hero: Central protagonist, save the day and restore the equilibrium and finally the false hero: rare character that appears to be good but is revealed to have been bad all along.

‘Dear John’ includes the princess (savannah), the hero (john). However, the story has a twist which does result the hero restoring the equilibrium.  The Dispatcher could be seen as Johns Dad. The Donor/ false hero could be seen as Henry Thomas (Tim Wheddon). The reason he is the false hero is because he ends up taking the hero at the end of the movie but he pretends to be a close family friend being her ‘father figure’.

The narrative pattern is in a linear pattern, which is a film that goes in the order starting with the beginning, middle and end.

Using Tzetan Todorov who believes in the three stages in a move, the equilibrium: the harmony in the story, the disequilibrium: the unfortunate event that ruins the harmony and the new equilibrium, which is the resort of the equilibrium.

 In ‘Dear John’, the equilibrium is when John and Savannah meet during her spring break, when they become a couple and the continuous love letters been sent when john goes away. The disequilibrium is when savannah stops writing letters to him and her last letter after two month is how she had moved on and got engaged. When he receives this letter, he burns all the letters and everything that she gave him. This shows an enigma code because we as the audience are seeing things in the same light as John; it is ambiguous to us as well. She only marries Tim because his son Alan needs a mother figure, as Tim was ill and was going to die but she truly loved john. Also, John’s dad had passed away as well. The new equilibrium is that Savannah and John become close friends again and the relationship starts to build again.

To conclude, narrative and narrative patterns are informant to the audience. When a non-linear pattern is involved it allows the audience to create their own story of what they believe is going to happen and connect with what may happen later on in the text. Secondly, a multi-strand narrative is involved it would not weary the audience because there are more than one story happening. This is usually used in soaps. Narrative, overall, helps construct the story of the text which gives the audience a guidance on the story being told or what is happening next.

Internet 4.O Ms Wigley

Considering that the internet is an easy access to the world’s news and latest updates, there are also the dangers that could occur.  One of the dangers are cyber bullying, which take various forms including; sending hateful messages or even death threats to children, spreading lies about them online, making nasty comments on their social networking profiles, or creating a website to bash their looks or reputation. Most recently, cyber bullying has increased to posting videos to embarrass one another. Secondly, there are sexual predators; the online world opens the door for trusting young people to interact with virtual strangers - even people they would normally avoid in real life. Finally, Privacy Violation; Sites, commercial organizations and harassers of various kinds try to extract personal information from children surfing the web, usually wanting information like– name, age, address, telephone number, and the schools they attend. This type of information is often used for commercial purposes and, in more serious cases, for enticing and exploiting children. People could also take credit card details and use that information to access others account. There are much more dangers that can occur on the internet and some have not been revealed.
 
The main person/persons that should be in charge of the regulations should be the government and the internet service such as BT. However; it is a difficult thing to continue to check everything on the internet, illegal or illegal, because there are millions of sites and some sites are on the internet for limited time so they do not get caught if any illegal stuff on that site.

There are many restrictions available already, such as parents and legal documents before you send information off or allow other people to view your personal information on social sites such as Facebook, MySpace etc. Many of the documents you press “I agree” before continuing are not read by teenagers or adults and the “parental block”, many children have learnt to unblock them site because they are taught from friends or just their broad knowledge of the internet allows them to go on sites that they are not meant to be on.

Regulating the internet would need a new organisation because the internet is widely spread throughout the world it would be hard for a small number of groups to regulate it. More people would mean faster and more productive checks on the internet as a whole. Regulation could be monitored by separating the internet in different genres and checked daily or hourly because on the internet updates occur every few seconds.

The drawbacks to having internet regulations are that it goes against the free will of people expressing themselves through the internet. The restrictions would stop people from allowing them to express their knowledge with other people. For example,  on Wikipedia if you was unable to ‘edit’ the information there and add more relevant information it would not allow the readerships to expand on their knowledge.