NARRATIVE

1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. 

Black Panther uses the narrative structure of equilibrium as we see peace in the village of Wakanda but this soon ends when a villain challenges the reign of Black Panther over Wakanda. Black Panther is beaten but soon makes a return in an all-out war to regain control. He successfully regains control of Wakanda but has to deal with the aftermath of the war 

2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a clip on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.


We see the 4 boys playing a game of dungeons and dragons which seems quite normal for boys they're age but this all changes when the game ends and they leave to go to there own households. As they leave the boys split up and one of them named Will encounters something paranormal ultimately making him go missing. The setting is clearly 1980s as technology was established to not be a big thing in this series. The setting was in the suburbs of America.

3) Provide three different examples from film or television of characters that fit Propp's hero character role.

Batman
Superman
James Bond


4) Give an example of a binary opposition.

Superhero movies tend to usually have binary opposition with the Hero and villain.

5) What example is provided in the Factsheet for the way narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values?

The cop catching the criminal is used to show how you must conform to the law or there will be consequences.

6) Why do enigma and action codes (Barthes) offer gratifications for audiences?

They offer gratifications because enigma and action codes build up tension making the audience feel on edge as they constantly want to know what happens to certain characters. Also, it makes them assume different things making the movie more ambiguous and interesting for the audience as many outcomes are possible.

7) Write a one-sentence summary of the four different types of TV narrative:

• Episodic narrative (the series) A narrative which is solved within one episode.
• Overarching narrative (the serial) A narrative spanning over the whole series.
• Mixed narrative Combination of overarching narrative and Episodic.
• Multi-strand overlapping narrative (soap narrative) Multiple narratives going on inside the main narrative

8) How does the Factsheet suggest adverts use narrative?  

The factsheet suggests that adverts use narratives of a certain issue someone may have and how they're product can overcome the problem.

GENRE

1) What example is provided of why visual iconography is so important?

 Visual iconography is extremely important as they are the codes and conventions which can help us recognise different types of genres. Sci-fi was used as an example as star wars and stark trek shares the same conventions however they are two different franchises.

2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre?

Visual and aural iconography, also a story line can also tell you what genre a film is by looking at what happens in the film.

3) What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies?

The main difference is that in action movies the main character/hero is usually seen approaching a problem or conflict by themselves. Whereas in disaster movies the main character approaches an issue with a group of people who have also been affected by the same thing.

4) What are the different ways films can be categorised according to Bordwell? 

• Period or Country, e.g. US films of the 1930s
• Director / Star, e.g. Ben Stiller Films
• Technical Process, e.g. Animation
• Style, e.g. German Expressionism;
• Series, e.g. Bond;

• Audience, e.g. Family Films

5) List three ways genre is used by audiences.

They use their prior knowledge of the genre to anticipate whether or not they are likely to enjoy a text.

They are able to compare a text through its shared characteristics with another.

They also use their knowledge of a genre to reject a text.

6) List three ways genre is used by institutions or producers.

Production

Genres are paradigms or templates media producers can follow.

Attracting an Audience
Some genres have loyal fan-bases. People will try out a new sit-com simply because it’s a new sit-com and this can help media producers minimise the potential for failure.

Marketing Texts
Good examples of this are film trailers which usually attempt to clearly define the genre of the film and then show as many of the codes and conventions in the trailer. This acts to attract fans of the genre and set up the expectations of the film.

7) What film genre is used as an example of how genres evolve? What films and conventions are mentioned?

The gangster theme has been used as an example of how genre evolves, New gangster films share codes with the traditional ones but create more modern approaches to the subject matter to stay up to date with modern audience’s interests and changes in culture.

One code of the traditional gangster movie was to have a Tommy Gun hidden in a violin case

The first time an audience member saw this is would be a surprise,after that it would be pleasurable when the expectation of a gun being hidden this way was met. Eventually, the idea of using the violin case would be seen as unimaginative – it had become a cliché All

Read Media Factsheet 126 - Superheroes: A Genre Case Study and answer the following questions

1) List five films the factsheet discusses with regards to the Superhero genre.

X-Men franchise

Superman

Watchmen

Kick-Ass

Guardians of the Galaxy

2) What examples are provided of how the Superhero genre has reflected the changing values, ideologies and world events of the last 70 years?

X-Men(2000)
Batman Forever(1995)
superman(1978)
spiderman 3(2007)

3) How can Schatz's theory of genre cycles be applied to the Superhero genre?

innovation: visual codes were established via comic books. 
People could recognize the iconography of a superhero film when characters from comic books were used in superhero movies

classical: In the 1950s the superhero genre was relevant and the codes and conventions
were easily identified.

parody: Batman (1966) was intentionally funny and camp and
wouldn’t let its audience take the superhero too seriously.

Deconstruction: Superman (1978) started a new cycle in the superhero genre
 with technology leading the innovation with special effects creating more realistic visual ‘miracles’.


Finally, carry out your own genre analysis using the model provided by media theorist Daniel Chandler. 
Choose a film or TV text and answer the following questions:

Blow(2001)

General
1) Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

I chose the film Blow because it was actually based on a true story and
I was very drawn to the biographical aspects of the film, making it almost seem like a crime documentary, it also is very realistic meaning a small minority could relate to certain aspects of the film.

2) In what context did you encounter it?

I encountered this film when I finished watching the movie "Good fellas" because
after watching Goodfellas I searched the internet for movies similar to it
which made me come across Blow.

3) What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?

It made me think it had similarities to many neo-noir crime films which it did.

4) To what genre did you initially assign the text?

Crime

5) What is your experience of this genre?

I genuinely enjoy crime films a lot but I do not like the overly cliched crime
films as they all seem similar making the experience boring.

6) What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with?

Crime, drug dealing, criminal empires, Effects of money

7) How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content?

It has a lot of typical conventions of a crime movie, however, the way the film
is told is a lot different as usually in a crime film we don't always get a
realistic movie. What I mean by this is that in many crime films we usually
see the character subvert from crime to proceed with life in a positive way,
whereas blow shows us the harsh realities and consequences of the criminal
lifestyle. Furthermore, it is based on a true story.

8) What expectations do you have about texts in this genre?

I usually expect a lot of killing, drugs and sex.

9) Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)

A generic label is that there is generally a lot of sex in crime films.

10) What generic labels have others given the same text?

People may think of blow to be the generic drug dealer "rising up the ranks"
of the criminal underworld movie.

11) Which conventions of the genre do you recognise in the text?

Drug-dealing to make money character, the main character meets crime boss and builds
a criminal relationship, The protagonist becomes richer the more he delves into the
criminal underworld.

12) To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

Blow does stretch the conventions because of the nihilistic ending, we see the
harsh realities of living a life of crime.

13) Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

In Blow, it could be argued that the protagonist reaches his high point during
the beginning part of the movie and we see him go down-hill from there which is
uncommon in a crime film.

14) Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))?

We see a relationship between the protagonist and his wife and daughter
and how money affects people in the film, these conventions are generally
associated with drama films.

15) What familiar motifs or images are used?

Mode of address
1) What sort of audience did you feel that the text was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)?

I believe this text was aimed at people in the ages between 18-26, with a mixed racial demographics

2) How does the text address you?

The text does not really address me as I have not been through what the characters
in this film have been through.

3) What sort of person does it assume you are?

It assumes you are a person who may be facing issues such as being in the
middle of a normal life and a life of doing illegal activities making you
re-evaluate your decisions in life.

4) What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?

lower/working class, males, 18-25, mixed ethnicity.

5) What interests does it assume you have?

Smoking weed, partying and doing drugs.

Relationship to other texts
1) What intertextual references are there in the text you are analysing (and to what other texts)?

The movie gets inspiration from a real life story and person named
George Jung who was an American drug trafficker and smuggler.

2) Generically, which other texts does the text you are analysing resemble most closely?

Goodfellas, both texts are based on a true story with the same
criminal aspects.

3) What key features are shared by these texts?

Drug trade, Protagonist goes from being wealthy to having nothing,
both show effects of money and living a criminal life.

4) What major differences do you notice between them?

The major difference was that Good-fellas had a larger focus on the mafia and
gangster theme, whereas Blow showed more involvement with the cartel.

Semiotics: icon, index, symbol blog task

icon:

index:

symbol:

2) Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?

Because they can indicate to an audience the meaning of a sign without having to ask someone

e.g facebook sign is an F but everyone will automatically know what the sign means 

3) Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing?

They will avoid symbols, because symbols will generalise the brand instead of representing they're own brand furthermore, people may mistake the brand for something else leading to misconceptions

4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwvAgDCOdU4

5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmrWtTZpr8U

MIGRAIN: Reading an image

Denotation: We can see 50 cent wearing a camouflaged cap and a tank-top with jewellery. He also has a serious facial expression. "i am what i am" is a quote displayed and half of the screen is full with fingerprints. lastly, there is is a quote by 50 cent in the top right.

Connotation: I can connote that the half 50 cent half crime scene fingerprint picture is trying to say that despite living a life of crime, 50 cent was still successful. This was potentially used to motivate people from a lower class upbringing, showing them anything is possible. He is slightly rotated to the side which could show that he is determined.

Denotation: We can quite clearly see a guy turned to the side with an Adidas shoe on his forearm. He is wearing a white t-shirt. He has a neutral facial expression. We can see the Adidas logo in the bottom right corner and a tagline at the top saying; "my Adidas makes me happy" 

connotation: I can infer from the tagline "my Adidas makes me happy" that the brand Adidas wants people to think that you'll have an elevated self-worth by owning Adidas clothing or it may broadly mean that having an Adidas clothing item will make you "happy." The person in the advert is shown to be wearing glasses, this may give off connotations of being a typical "cool" teenager supporting the fact that you'll be ahead of everyone else if you own an Adidas item.

Introduction to Media: media consumption audit

Newspapers

• Which daily newspapers (if any) do you read?  I do not usually read any specific newspapers but if i see one laying around I may give it a read.
• What sections of newspapers do you turn to first, and why? I definitely turn to the sport section first as it is the topic which interests me the most. 
• What sections do you never read, and why? I never read the politics section as i find it boring
• What kinds of stories do you usually read and why? I usually would read the celebrity stories as I find they're lives intriguing .
• Do you, or someone else, buy the newspaper you read? Someone else.
• Do you look at the online versions of any newspapers? Which newspapers? Why do you visit their website and not others? I have never read an online newspaper.

Magazines

• What magazines (if any) do you buy regularly? why? 'match' was a football magazine for younger people which I bought regularly as a youngster.
• What sections of the magazines do you read and not read, and why? I usually read the transfer section. I usually read the transfer section and i skipped the prize winning section as i found it very unnecessary. 

Television

• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend watching television? 10 hours.
• What times of day do you usually watch television? 6pm-9pm.
• What programmes do you like best and why? Game of thrones.
• Do you watch alone or with others? If you watch with others, who decides what you will watch? I watch alone because I feel other people will spoil things
• Do you watch 'live' TV or on-demand/catch-up? Do you use any other devices to watch TV (such as laptop or tablet?)I mostly watch catch-up but i will watch live if I really enjoy a programme

Radio

• Do you listen to the radio? Only when i'm in the car
• If yes, what stations do you like best and why? Capital FM as i only listen to the music.
• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend listening to the radio? roughly 10 minutes.
• What times of the day do you usually listen to the radio? usually morning.
• Where do you listen to the radio? in car.
• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst listening to the radio? using social media.
• Does anyone else in your house listen to the radio? If so, when do they listen? my dad listens to the radio when driving to work.

Cinema

• What films have you seen in the cinema in the last month? the nun.
• What films have you seen in other places – for example, through Netflix, Amazon Prime, satellite/cable film channels (free or otherwise) or streaming? Game of thrones, breaking bad, 13 reasons why and many more.
• Who else watched the films with you? my 3 friends
• Who decided what films to watch? We all agreed on it.
• What devices do you typically use to watch films: TV, laptop, tablet, phone etc.? tablet,computer.

Online

• How often do you access the internet? every single day.
• Where do you access the internet?  At home, at college or school, or at work? At home and school or outside.
• What are the main sites that you access? Netflix,YouTube.
• What are the main reasons for accessing these sites – for example, for information, to make purchases, communicate with friends or for entertainment? For entertainment.
• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst accessing the internet? I may use google docs for school work.
• What different devices do you use to access the internet? What is your primary device for accessing the internet? my phone is used a lot but i also use tablet and computer.
• What social networks do you use regularly (e.g. Twitter, Instagram)? Why do you belong to these networks in particular? Instagram and snap-chat is what i use a lot to socialise with friends.

Reflection

• How can you develop the amount and variety of media you consume? I could purchase more newspapers and magazines.
• What will you change in your media consumption habits this year as a result of studying A Level Media? I will increase my media consumption by a lot and follow the media departments twitter.
• List three sources of media (websites/newspapers/apps/TV programmes etc.) that you will start to access this year that you haven't engaged with previously. schools twitter,the guardian UK and i will watch the news.

first blog task

1) Why did you choose A Level Media Studies?
 I chose A level media studies as I had taken the subject at gcse level and I deeply enjoyed it as a subject leading to me picking it for A level

2) Did you take GCSE Media Studies (either here at Greenford or a different school)?
I took gcse media here at greenford highschool.

3) If you answered yes to Q2, what grade did you achieve in GCSE Media? What coursework tasks did you complete? What would you say your strengths and weaknesses were in GCSE Media?
I achieved a B in GCSE media and I completed every task in gcse media.
I personally do not think i have any weaknesses when it comes to the media course however I may get complacent at times with my work.

4) What grade do you hope to achieve in A Level Media?
I am hoping to achieve an A* in media.

5) What are your current thoughts about your next steps after A Levels - university, apprenticeship, work?
I do want to attend university and potentially do something business related when it comes to work.

6) What do you think the biggest media story of 2018 has been and why?
Anything that Trump tweets.

7) What media sources do you use to find out about news and current affairs?
I don't use any specific source but I do tend to look on googles news affairs from time to time.

8) What was the last film you watched?
Silence of the lambs

9) What is your favourite ever TV series?
Game of thrones/ breaking bad

10) How many hours do you spend online in an average day? Is this too little, too much or about right? Why?
6 hours, i believe in our day and age this is average

reception theory

Dominant, Preferred or Hegemonic Reading: The preferred reading for this is that Reebok is accepting of your past despite your background and empowers you to become whatever you want. I can see this because you can see the clear split between a successful 50 cent and a police finger print picture which gives connotations that 50 cent has committed many crimes in his past.

Negotiated Reading: The negotiated reading may be that this picture is empowering as the quote "i am what i am" shows pure confidence. However, people may think that this picture glorifies crime as the finger print pictures may be considered "showing off".

Oppositional or ‘Counter-Hegemonic’ Reading: Some people may that Reebok is being racist as the picture essentially uses the stereotype of a black male. e.g they commit crimes hence the finger print picture which is put next to 50 Cent.

Dominant, Preferred or Hegemonic Reading: The dominant reading would be that with your dedication to your craft you can be ahead of your opposition or rivals, i can see this because of the tag lines, show them heaven implying skill and give them hell, which implies that you should overcome your rivals or obstacles in your life.

Negotiated Reading: People may also believe that this advert is rather anti social as from the word "hell" you can get dark connotations also the cricket ball on the right seems to be covered in fire which can imply that there is a devilish vibe, this adds to the stereotype of teens being rebellious.

Oppositional or ‘Counter-Hegemonic’ Reading: An oppositional reading may be that the reference to "hell" and "Heaven" shows blasphemy which is considered highly disrespectful.