Alton Towers
Previously, I was asked, by a friend, if I would like 2 FREE Alton Towers tickets that she had received from The Sun newspaper, thinking that she might be able to use them. Of course, as any 18 year old would do, I jumped at this chance and took them. As I have only been to Alton Towers once, in 2007, with my friends on a school trip (yes, I do have a photograph of us on my bedroom wall, wet and cold on Congo River Rapids time No7/8), I knew that I had to be prepared for the day.
So, on Tuesday I printed a map to get from home to Alton Towers and another one of the Resort itself. I then circled every ride I wanted to go on including; the 'new' Sonic Spinball (which isn't really new, as I went on it last time, it's just become more Sonic), Enterprice, Oblivion, Hex, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which Mum- note I would have gone with my friends but they'd buggered off to Wales for the week and we're busy climbing Snowdonia- really wanted to go on), Rita, the new Th13teen (this one was new), Air, Nemesis, Duel, Runaway Mine Train, Congo River Rapids and The Flume. After circling these rides I then, like every organised person would do, drew a little route that we could take so that we wouldn't miss anything out, and it also saved time when we got there!
Wednesday morning we woke up nice and early to set off (checking we had tickets, money, etc) from home at 9:00am to reach Alton Towers for 10:00am (yes, I had looked up when the park opened, 10:00am, and the amount of time it would take, 47 minutes, and given enough time for getting lost a little). So off we went, heading down to Leek, then it turned out it was sign posted from there and we didn't really need a map (although we used it a little on the way back).
On arrival what I didn't know was you had to pay either £15 or £5 to park in the car park -I'd love to know how much money Alton Towers gets in one day!- thus we chose to pay £5 and walk to the monorail (which was great fun). If you'd like to note we got there 2 minutes late, 10:02pm (I didn't have a watch, I just looked at the time for the £5 ticket for the car). I had also previously decided that due to having to leave your bag at the owners risk at the start of most rides that I'd leave mine at home, leaving my phone at it's own risk in the car! Mum took her bag with us, of course, and we took water proof coats with us (also leaving a change of clothing in the car just in case, Mum decided she was too scared she'd wee her pants).
At the entrance, we were given a bracelet that had some sort of sensor in it that... I don't know what it did, all I know is we got a DVD with us on all the rides that we'd been on and even walking around the resort itself (a bit perverted if you ask me).
Please note for most, if not all, of these rides I had to remove my glasses. They might not be that stronge lense wise but things still seem blurred at a distance. This did not help one bit!!
First stop, Sonic Spinball. This was the firs ever Alton Towers ride that I'd been on, back in 2007, Jon, my so-called 'friend', told me 'it was the best first ride that I could go on' or of something to that affect. That day we cued for about an hour, and went on one of the 'balls' with the lovely Pippa. This time we cued for about 10-15 minutes and sat with a woman and her son, and once again, as I did the previous time, I hated EVERY MINUTE OF IT! I think it's more the fact that it spins you round as you move then the ride itself. After, I felt really dizzy because it span round that much. The ride isn't scary as such, it's just really annoying disorientating due to the spinning.
My last experience of Oblivion was a bad one. I am scared of heights, and was 'forced'- in ''s because my friends will say otherwise- to go on it and even hit Jon when it tipped. If you have never been on this ride, it is one of the worse things to go on if, like me, you are scared of heights. I am not sure of the exact detailes of the height but it's VERY high. The whole ride consists of a shear drop, you are crancked up to the height, then go across on a falt part (where you are able to see the lovely view of trees and other rides), until it tips you so you have no other chose but to look down, into the black pit of hell (yes, those are my own words). About 2 of the longest seconds later you fall from the height, get blasted with some water and then go back to the start. I closed my eyes when we were tipped and opened them again when we were at the bottom. I have done worse things, including last years reverse bungee jump, but this is the only thing that I would probably do twice. As for the water at the end- which Mum complained about- I have been told, via Jon last time we were there, that they have to spray you with water, because you're going that fast the water in your eyes dry's out (I know it's not true, but Mum doesn't).
With Hex being on one of my favorite shows, Most Haunted on Living (ironic I know), due to it being haunted I had to go and check it out! At first I wasn't very impressed due to the fact you have to walk around rooms with about 30+ other people and stand watching the TV screen, where we were told of a story about a guy who lived in the mansion before it became the Alton Towers we know and love today. He was stopped by an old woman asking for money and as he didn't give her a dime she cast a curise on him and his family, whenever a branch fell from the old oak tree a member of his family would die. Thus a branch fell and someone died. We were then taken to a room where we had to sit on either side of the room, with the branch in question strapped to the middle of the room. Then it seems as though you are being spun upside down (which we weren't). I still don't know how it worked, as the doors to entry and exit didn't seem to move, although they could have been moving too. This physiological part made this 'ride' better and I still don't understand how they did it, I should have checked the floor and doors as I left.
Mum kept moaning about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so that had to be the next ride to stop her. She expected far too much from this ride, it's a children's ride, I'd been told it was rubbish (for adults). You're told the story of Charlie and the Chololate Factory in sort whilst you go round on a boat, in water, and at the end of this you go into the glass elevator. This then went to different rooms, the floor moved and the walls were TVs with images on them, as though you were actually moving. That was it... Then Mum was moaning that she didn't get any chocolate at the end, and that it wasn't a real chocolate river.
Alton Towers newest ride Th13teen was amazing! Well that's what I thought of it as soon as I got off (I can't remember much of what happened on it due to short term memory). I do however remember the entrance. We'd cued for about 30-40 minutes for this ride, and it was worth it. The entrance was very scary, with the words from the advert 'If you go down to the woods today, you'd better not go alone' in child like writing in chalk on the walls (a bit like the writing from the 2009 film Hide and Seek). It takes you around the wooded area at high speeds and then just as soon as you think it's all over and want to get up, the floor cracks and you drop.
On the approach of Air I was already rather worried, due to the fact you are placed in a 'Super man' pose. Just as we'd got to next in line, the people going on before us had just got on the ride and been 'tipped up' into their 'Super man' poses. About 2 minutes later they were still there, there had been a technical fault on the ride. People were already on the ride and stranded out there somewhere, they could have even been upside down! A few minutes later it was sorted and they were off. I can assure you it was fine to get on, because the one of the people checking the safety of the riders had to assure Mum it was safe to get on. This ride has to be one of my favorite's of all time, I love pretending to fly, even though again I don't remember anything from it.
Nemesis, the one with the blood river, is also one of my favorite's. Again I can't remember what happens on it, only that you go upside down lots and that it's very fast!
Duel, a ride Mum liked, isn't really a ride as such. You shoot with laser guns light targets around rooms that you are transported into. Of course I won, with 38,400 points and Mum with 28,500. I even beat other people!
I have to applaud the people who work on the Runaway Mine Train due to their enthusiasm, having to sit there all day and say the same thing 'All aboard...', 'One more time...', 'Choo Choo, oh yeah!'. You sit on a train and go round at fast speeds, speeding up when in the dark and even meeting people on the Congo River Rapids. It's a great ride for children about the height of 1.1 meters.
Next we went on the water rides. The Congo River Rapids was my 8th/9th time on them, and they seem a lot less fun without friends. I didn't get wet that much, although everyone else, Mum and the two other people we went on with, did get wet a fair bit, the woman sat across from me looked as though she'd wet herself. The thing that made my day from this ride was, a few people in front of us a woman had won a HUGH Meerkat. As most Alton Towers fans should know, there is nowhere to place your bags or anything on the water rides. She had to take the Meerkat on with her. Although this is a good why not to get wet, do you really want a Meerkat with you on a ride?
The next and last ride of the day was The Flume. Here you sit in a bath tub go up and down, getting splash along the way. For part of the ride you go inside a hut where you can't see anything and get very wet along the way. At the end you go down a steep bit getting the most soaked I've been since we had a water fight down the road!
Before we left to head back home, we bought one of the DVD's which they're recorded of us,, got some things from the shop, including two pens and a thimble. At the entrance/exit we went to the toilets. This moment made my day. Each of the toilet doors had something different on them, including a Post Box, the front door of the Prime Minister's house and last but not least a TARDIS. For those of you who do not know me that well, I am a HUGE Doctor Who fan. I had to pee in the TARDIS! It was disappointing that it wasn't bigger on the inside but all the same, I peed in the TARDIS. I might even ask if I can paint the bathroom door one day, or for that matter my door, so that it too looks like a TARDIS, I could even paint the walls too, having a control center in the middle of the room, with circular windows... I'm going off on one a bit now, aren't I?
So anyway, we headed back towards Leek and then followed the signs for home. I didn't have time to get changed in the car. It was 17:07pm and we needed to be back for 18:30pm and then we needed to eat food between the time we got in and the time we departed once more. We got back, I had a quick change of clothes whilst Mum put some potatoes in the microwave and heated up the Chill I'd made on Tuesday (with real chilli's in it, that I burnt myself with!).
Circus
Then we were off again at 18:30pm but this time to the Circus that was in the park. Again these were FREE tickets, but we had 4 so we invited Charlotte, from down the road, and her friend Millie (who we found out my Mum used to look after at Nursery).
The show was good, with acrobats, a motor bike, trampolines with the Blues Brothers, two clowns etc. the normal things you might find at the circus. Charlotte and Millie couldn't resist the Candy Floss and Popcorn and Mum couldn't once again resist buying a raffle ticket, it was for Charity though (The East Cheshire Hospice).
The prize was a Teddy Bear, wearing a hoody with T embroderied on it. She bought 2 rows of tickets, Charlotte's was something like 101-110 and Millie's was 111-120. And guess what? Yes, we won the Teddy, otherwise this whole story would be pointless. 115 was called out over the speaker. I hope Millie's parent's aren't going to black mail us into taking it back, because I don't want it due to it being the same size, if not a tiny bit smaller than me.
Doesn't it make your day when you win a giant Teddy Bear in a Hoody? And then make it even more by giving it someone else?
That's about it from this amazing day that I HAD to blog about! Apart from one thing, Derren Brown was also on the TV that night. I had recorded it, due to not knowing when the circus would end and the fact that I can now watch it again and again! It was an amazing show!
29 days 00 hours 50 minutes
(If you didn't see it you wont get that)
Cheerio!!
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Media Studies A2
This is what I've got so far, I will be adding more as the day goes on!
To help me to revise for my Media Studies exam, I thought about how I could write a blog explaining the exam and what I should be wrote on it (in other words I’m going to tell you what I’m going to write in the exam).
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of production, question a. could be on one or more of the following topics; Digital technology, Research and Planning, Post-Production, Using conventions form real media texts and Creativity. In this we have to discus both our AS and A2 coursework’s, for AS we created a music magazine cover, contents, and a double page article, and for A2 we made a teaser trailer for a film, the film poster and a cover of a film magazine advertising the film. For this question we have been told to use 30 minutes, of our overall 120 minutes, to answer it.
Digital Technologies
In reference to digital technologies, there is a vast amount that can be spoken about in both AS and A2. For both AS and A2 I used the internet before I started to plan anything, to gain inspiration from real media texts, which helped me see what were the positive and negatives for each of the texts. Also in both AS and A2 we used several Microsoft applications, including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. This helped to analyse real media texts and helped us research and plan what we were going to create.
As we were asked to create a music magazine cover, content and double page article at AS we (I was working in a group with another student) used digital stills camera’s to take photographs for the main image on the cover and smaller images used on both the cover and inside of the magazine. For this we also had to edit the images in Adobe Photoshop. As I was already used to Photoshop it was very easy to edit, crop, colour etc the images, also while doing so I used my Uncles Tablet to help me cut the background from the wanted image, more accurately. To blog our progress, research and planning and evaluation we used eportfolio, uniservity blog. This was an interesting experience, as I’d never used any other source of blogs (other than blogger.com) and it was proved to be more difficult to use, due to the way it was set out (having to create folder after folder, for separate blogs, whereas on blogger.com you just post a new blog).
At A2 we used a lot more digital technologies, as you would presume to the fact we created both visual and advertising media. To film the footage for my (I worked alone for this coursework) trailer I used a HDV camera (which I think stands for High Definition Video). I had never used a video camera before, so I found it very exciting and interesting to work with one. As I am quite good with technological equipment it didn’t take long for me to get used to all the buttons which I needed to use. The only issue that I had with the camera was its size and weight, in proportion to my height I found it very hard to manoeuvre around locations. To edit the footage we used Adobe Premiere Pro, which again I had never used before. This also came natural to me, as it is set out in a similar style to Photoshop, and I was able to cut the footage, stopping it when I wanted, and then add fades and special effects to it. Another program I used in editing the footage was Adobe After Effects, where I was able to create animated titles for the teaser trailer and drag them back over to Premiere Pro, where I could place and edit them further with fades etc. For the film poster and film magazine cover, again I used Adobe Photoshop to edit the photographs and images, this time though I changed the gradient of some of the images to make it more ‘spooky’ (thus I made a horror trailer, so it would fit with the style). In reference to blogs at A2, we started by using eportfolio, uniservity blog, but then found that we were unable to place video’s on here. So we then used blogger.com, as any form of media can be placed on to the site. During this I found out even blogger.com had some issues I was unaware of. Firstly you are unable to copy and paste text from a Microsoft Word document without being in the HTML part of the blog. Also, as was the case with my blog, the text size seemed to change all the time, even though it said it was the same (although this was due to the fact I was pasting documents from both a Windows computer and an Apple Mac).
Overall, I believe I have gained much knowledge in using different types of digital technologies in the past two years, ranging from simple, everyday programs such as Microsoft Word and the internet, to editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. Thus enabling me to complete my coursework’s to the best possible standards.
Research and Planning
Post-Production
Using conventions from real media texts
In both AS and A2 my media coursework has been highly influenced by conventions of ‘real media texts’. By looking and researching into these I have been able to create more effective and realistic pieces of coursework.
At AS we (I worked in a group with another student) were asked to create a music magazine cover, content and double page article. For this we were mainly influenced by teenage music magazines, such as ‘NEM’ and ‘Q’ magazine’s because we felt these had a good target audience which would also fit well with my written style and young adults commonly engage with music magazines, thus having a larger target audience. From this research we found several key conventions which helped to create the cover for our magazine. The masthead, ‘Download’ in the case of our magazine, is largely located at the top right side of the page, following the ‘Z’ pattern. This ‘Z’ pattern and placing of the masthead was portrayed in our magazine, due to the way the audience pragmatically knows where the masthead is, from other magazines, and when a magazine is placed on a shelf it can then be seen over other magazines. The hierarchy of texts was found to be very important, as it helps make main points come across, such as the main cover line, other cover lines and more importantly the masthead. Also along with the main cover line, ‘Music Music Music Exclusive interview with John Barrowman’, there is a main image, usually a medium close up of a person which anchors the text, a medium close up with ‘John Barrowman’. We also named it ‘Download’ due to the gap in the market, as we found there was a lack of music magazines that offered the chance to download music on the computer, thus keeping to the time of technology.
At A2 I (I worked as an individual) made a promotional package for a teaser trailer, were I created a teaser trailer, film poster and a film magazine cover. Before I started to create each of these media’s I researched into ‘real’ media texts, to see the key conventions of film trailers etc. Whilst doing so I realised that there was a given type face shown in both the trailer and the film poster, I therefore took note of this and used it when creating my promotional package. This shows a house style and brand identity between the two media’s. Also while I was looking at the type face, I realised the colours of the fonts have some meaning for each genre. As my chosen genre was horror, I decided to stick to the conventional red colour, as it is an iconographical colour portraying blood, pain, anger, love etc. I also used antiquated text to create a sense of mystery and because my film also included some historical factures, thus showing the generic conventions. In the storyline I used the influence of ‘real’ media texts such has Hannibal and Orphan, as both films show a single threat to society, coursing a dilemma and then the problem is solved by an ‘outsider’. This is shown in the synopsis of my film, a plague Doctor is forced into the modern day, in the confusion he spreads the plague and a scientist has to stop this.
In conclusion, I feel that I have greatly used conventions of ‘real’ media texts to inspire me whilst creating my own. Such conventions have helped to understand how ‘real’ media texts work and why they are so successful in what they do, thus allowing me to do this with my own.
Creativity
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of production, question b. could be on one or more of the following topics; Genre, Narrative, Representation, Audience and Media Language. In this we have to discus either our AS and A2 coursework’s, for the sake of the argument our A2 coursework has more in relation to these issues to talk about, thus I will be discussing my teaser trailer. For this question we have been told to use 30 minutes, of our overall 120 minutes (which is now 90 minutes, due to the first question), to answer it.
Genere
Narrative
Representation
In my teaser trailer
Audience
Media Language
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues, contains a choose of two questions (although there are six topic areas; Contemporary Media Regulation, Global Media, Media and Collective Identity and Media in the Online Age, we were only taught to answer Media and Collective Identity). We do not know what these questions are on, but we have been told to use 60 minutes, of our overall 120 minutes (which is now only 60 minutes, due to the last two questions), to answer it.
Media and Collective Identity
The ways in which the media represent teenagers and young people are interesting to analyse. This group of people’s representation through the media is highly complex, and the way this is viewed by the audience varies. I intend to explore how film and television construct the representation of youth.
There is a stereotypical representation portrayed by articles in the newspapers. This forces a negative light upon young people. In tabloid newspaper 1/3 of their articles on young people were negative, suggesting that 98% are antisocial. This has been challenged through charities such as ‘www.youthnet.org.uk’ (1995), created by Martyn Lewis. In 2005 this organisation launched a ‘Respect?’ campaign in response to research by BYC which showed an increasing concern about the negative portrayal of young people in the media.
This negative portrayal is shown in the film ‘Kidulthood’ (2006) by Noel Clarke. Although this is aimed to show a realistic representation of teenage life, as Clarke based the story on new events, it does shed a negative light on the subject. This realism is shown through mese-en-scene, showing the typical house of teenagers, and the use of language, some of which was added at the time of filming by the actors. As this film challenges behaviour with the dominant views in society, there were mixed reactions to it. Looking at responses on an ‘imdb’ forum some say it represents the West of London well, with the amount of violence, whilst others are shocked at the film, hoping that it is not a true representation. The moral compass of the film suggest that meaning is made their social positioning, leading to Stuart Halls’ theory of encoding and decoding texts.
However, this portrayal is conflicting with the recent ‘An Education’ (2009) based in 1960, on the memoir of journalist Lynn Barber. This shows a very realistic historical perspective of the 60’s, revealing society and showing how morals, values and norms have shifted throughout time. Jenny has aspirations for something more than education, whereas her father wants her to continue. The stereotypical representation of Graham, a ‘teddy boy’, and David, a 20+ year old who wishes to marry Jenny (even though he is already married), allows a shear contrast between the characters. This establishes the audience identification leading to Tessa Perkins point of ‘rethinking stereotypes’/ Although this shows the rebellious side to young people, due to Jenny leaving school to be with David, I feel it portrays a realistic representation on life in 1960, thus showing the shift of the views of youth.
In TV, channels such as BBC3 and E4 use young people as their target audience, therefore showing programmes such as ‘Skins’. ‘Skins’ shows the outrage and moral panic caused by the young people creating an explicit context to the shows. As this is written by young people it is easy to relate to the characters and issues, so that the audience can identify with the show. In the party scene (Season one, episode one?), Tony, the outgoing teenager, countertypes with Syd, who is more held back. There is also an exaggeration used in the character of Cassie, the anorexic, used for entertainment purposes. There is also the stereotypical upper class of the other people at the party and also the girl who owns the house where it is being held. Along with this, there is a contrast between the upper class people and the others when they are dancing, the upper class dancing alone and the others dancing together, in a somewhat ‘sexual’ manner.
It seems to me that young people are mainly portrayed in a negative light, although in some cases this is untrue. They are seen negatively in tabloids, ‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Skins’ whereas in local newspapers and, to some extent, in ‘An Education’ they are deemed as positive. I think their representation depends on the issues at hand and the media text which it is found in.
To help me to revise for my Media Studies exam, I thought about how I could write a blog explaining the exam and what I should be wrote on it (in other words I’m going to tell you what I’m going to write in the exam).
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of production, question a. could be on one or more of the following topics; Digital technology, Research and Planning, Post-Production, Using conventions form real media texts and Creativity. In this we have to discus both our AS and A2 coursework’s, for AS we created a music magazine cover, contents, and a double page article, and for A2 we made a teaser trailer for a film, the film poster and a cover of a film magazine advertising the film. For this question we have been told to use 30 minutes, of our overall 120 minutes, to answer it.
Digital Technologies
In reference to digital technologies, there is a vast amount that can be spoken about in both AS and A2. For both AS and A2 I used the internet before I started to plan anything, to gain inspiration from real media texts, which helped me see what were the positive and negatives for each of the texts. Also in both AS and A2 we used several Microsoft applications, including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. This helped to analyse real media texts and helped us research and plan what we were going to create.
As we were asked to create a music magazine cover, content and double page article at AS we (I was working in a group with another student) used digital stills camera’s to take photographs for the main image on the cover and smaller images used on both the cover and inside of the magazine. For this we also had to edit the images in Adobe Photoshop. As I was already used to Photoshop it was very easy to edit, crop, colour etc the images, also while doing so I used my Uncles Tablet to help me cut the background from the wanted image, more accurately. To blog our progress, research and planning and evaluation we used eportfolio, uniservity blog. This was an interesting experience, as I’d never used any other source of blogs (other than blogger.com) and it was proved to be more difficult to use, due to the way it was set out (having to create folder after folder, for separate blogs, whereas on blogger.com you just post a new blog).
At A2 we used a lot more digital technologies, as you would presume to the fact we created both visual and advertising media. To film the footage for my (I worked alone for this coursework) trailer I used a HDV camera (which I think stands for High Definition Video). I had never used a video camera before, so I found it very exciting and interesting to work with one. As I am quite good with technological equipment it didn’t take long for me to get used to all the buttons which I needed to use. The only issue that I had with the camera was its size and weight, in proportion to my height I found it very hard to manoeuvre around locations. To edit the footage we used Adobe Premiere Pro, which again I had never used before. This also came natural to me, as it is set out in a similar style to Photoshop, and I was able to cut the footage, stopping it when I wanted, and then add fades and special effects to it. Another program I used in editing the footage was Adobe After Effects, where I was able to create animated titles for the teaser trailer and drag them back over to Premiere Pro, where I could place and edit them further with fades etc. For the film poster and film magazine cover, again I used Adobe Photoshop to edit the photographs and images, this time though I changed the gradient of some of the images to make it more ‘spooky’ (thus I made a horror trailer, so it would fit with the style). In reference to blogs at A2, we started by using eportfolio, uniservity blog, but then found that we were unable to place video’s on here. So we then used blogger.com, as any form of media can be placed on to the site. During this I found out even blogger.com had some issues I was unaware of. Firstly you are unable to copy and paste text from a Microsoft Word document without being in the HTML part of the blog. Also, as was the case with my blog, the text size seemed to change all the time, even though it said it was the same (although this was due to the fact I was pasting documents from both a Windows computer and an Apple Mac).
Overall, I believe I have gained much knowledge in using different types of digital technologies in the past two years, ranging from simple, everyday programs such as Microsoft Word and the internet, to editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. Thus enabling me to complete my coursework’s to the best possible standards.
Research and Planning
Post-Production
Using conventions from real media texts
In both AS and A2 my media coursework has been highly influenced by conventions of ‘real media texts’. By looking and researching into these I have been able to create more effective and realistic pieces of coursework.
At AS we (I worked in a group with another student) were asked to create a music magazine cover, content and double page article. For this we were mainly influenced by teenage music magazines, such as ‘NEM’ and ‘Q’ magazine’s because we felt these had a good target audience which would also fit well with my written style and young adults commonly engage with music magazines, thus having a larger target audience. From this research we found several key conventions which helped to create the cover for our magazine. The masthead, ‘Download’ in the case of our magazine, is largely located at the top right side of the page, following the ‘Z’ pattern. This ‘Z’ pattern and placing of the masthead was portrayed in our magazine, due to the way the audience pragmatically knows where the masthead is, from other magazines, and when a magazine is placed on a shelf it can then be seen over other magazines. The hierarchy of texts was found to be very important, as it helps make main points come across, such as the main cover line, other cover lines and more importantly the masthead. Also along with the main cover line, ‘Music Music Music Exclusive interview with John Barrowman’, there is a main image, usually a medium close up of a person which anchors the text, a medium close up with ‘John Barrowman’. We also named it ‘Download’ due to the gap in the market, as we found there was a lack of music magazines that offered the chance to download music on the computer, thus keeping to the time of technology.
At A2 I (I worked as an individual) made a promotional package for a teaser trailer, were I created a teaser trailer, film poster and a film magazine cover. Before I started to create each of these media’s I researched into ‘real’ media texts, to see the key conventions of film trailers etc. Whilst doing so I realised that there was a given type face shown in both the trailer and the film poster, I therefore took note of this and used it when creating my promotional package. This shows a house style and brand identity between the two media’s. Also while I was looking at the type face, I realised the colours of the fonts have some meaning for each genre. As my chosen genre was horror, I decided to stick to the conventional red colour, as it is an iconographical colour portraying blood, pain, anger, love etc. I also used antiquated text to create a sense of mystery and because my film also included some historical factures, thus showing the generic conventions. In the storyline I used the influence of ‘real’ media texts such has Hannibal and Orphan, as both films show a single threat to society, coursing a dilemma and then the problem is solved by an ‘outsider’. This is shown in the synopsis of my film, a plague Doctor is forced into the modern day, in the confusion he spreads the plague and a scientist has to stop this.
In conclusion, I feel that I have greatly used conventions of ‘real’ media texts to inspire me whilst creating my own. Such conventions have helped to understand how ‘real’ media texts work and why they are so successful in what they do, thus allowing me to do this with my own.
Creativity
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of production, question b. could be on one or more of the following topics; Genre, Narrative, Representation, Audience and Media Language. In this we have to discus either our AS and A2 coursework’s, for the sake of the argument our A2 coursework has more in relation to these issues to talk about, thus I will be discussing my teaser trailer. For this question we have been told to use 30 minutes, of our overall 120 minutes (which is now 90 minutes, due to the first question), to answer it.
Genere
Narrative
Representation
In my teaser trailer
Audience
Media Language
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues, contains a choose of two questions (although there are six topic areas; Contemporary Media Regulation, Global Media, Media and Collective Identity and Media in the Online Age, we were only taught to answer Media and Collective Identity). We do not know what these questions are on, but we have been told to use 60 minutes, of our overall 120 minutes (which is now only 60 minutes, due to the last two questions), to answer it.
Media and Collective Identity
The ways in which the media represent teenagers and young people are interesting to analyse. This group of people’s representation through the media is highly complex, and the way this is viewed by the audience varies. I intend to explore how film and television construct the representation of youth.
There is a stereotypical representation portrayed by articles in the newspapers. This forces a negative light upon young people. In tabloid newspaper 1/3 of their articles on young people were negative, suggesting that 98% are antisocial. This has been challenged through charities such as ‘www.youthnet.org.uk’ (1995), created by Martyn Lewis. In 2005 this organisation launched a ‘Respect?’ campaign in response to research by BYC which showed an increasing concern about the negative portrayal of young people in the media.
This negative portrayal is shown in the film ‘Kidulthood’ (2006) by Noel Clarke. Although this is aimed to show a realistic representation of teenage life, as Clarke based the story on new events, it does shed a negative light on the subject. This realism is shown through mese-en-scene, showing the typical house of teenagers, and the use of language, some of which was added at the time of filming by the actors. As this film challenges behaviour with the dominant views in society, there were mixed reactions to it. Looking at responses on an ‘imdb’ forum some say it represents the West of London well, with the amount of violence, whilst others are shocked at the film, hoping that it is not a true representation. The moral compass of the film suggest that meaning is made their social positioning, leading to Stuart Halls’ theory of encoding and decoding texts.
However, this portrayal is conflicting with the recent ‘An Education’ (2009) based in 1960, on the memoir of journalist Lynn Barber. This shows a very realistic historical perspective of the 60’s, revealing society and showing how morals, values and norms have shifted throughout time. Jenny has aspirations for something more than education, whereas her father wants her to continue. The stereotypical representation of Graham, a ‘teddy boy’, and David, a 20+ year old who wishes to marry Jenny (even though he is already married), allows a shear contrast between the characters. This establishes the audience identification leading to Tessa Perkins point of ‘rethinking stereotypes’/ Although this shows the rebellious side to young people, due to Jenny leaving school to be with David, I feel it portrays a realistic representation on life in 1960, thus showing the shift of the views of youth.
In TV, channels such as BBC3 and E4 use young people as their target audience, therefore showing programmes such as ‘Skins’. ‘Skins’ shows the outrage and moral panic caused by the young people creating an explicit context to the shows. As this is written by young people it is easy to relate to the characters and issues, so that the audience can identify with the show. In the party scene (Season one, episode one?), Tony, the outgoing teenager, countertypes with Syd, who is more held back. There is also an exaggeration used in the character of Cassie, the anorexic, used for entertainment purposes. There is also the stereotypical upper class of the other people at the party and also the girl who owns the house where it is being held. Along with this, there is a contrast between the upper class people and the others when they are dancing, the upper class dancing alone and the others dancing together, in a somewhat ‘sexual’ manner.
It seems to me that young people are mainly portrayed in a negative light, although in some cases this is untrue. They are seen negatively in tabloids, ‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Skins’ whereas in local newspapers and, to some extent, in ‘An Education’ they are deemed as positive. I think their representation depends on the issues at hand and the media text which it is found in.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Derren Brown Enigma Buxton Opera House
On Monday 1st March, my mother, Jon, Lucy, Sheryl, Garry and myself attended Derren Brown's 2009-2010 tour, Enigma. Some of you might know this would be the second time that I was to see him live in the flesh. As I incepted it was an egg-traordinary show which pushed Derren's powers to the maximum. The needle point was that Jon and myself had earlier (on the way to the show) wrote a Birthday message for Derren, in a card which I had made the previous day. When we got the Buxton I was rather upset and annoyed that the ice cream van was not sat outside the Opera House which is always normally there every time I've ever been. Once we got into the Opera House there was no time to buy one of Derren's amazing programs but there was time to hand over the card to the woman on the door. We were in row J, Jon on 28, myself on 27, mother on 26, Goose-y on 25, Garry 24 and Sheryl 23. For obvious reasons I am not allowed to reveal any of the show itself, as I feel Derren just m
ight take my mind and feed it to a moose. When mother and myself returned we had some apple juice and then went straight to bed, as it was a late night, and disused it more in the morning. I can however say it was McFudgeing Brilliant and if you ever get the chance to go see him live grasp the opportunity with two hands... and some foil!
ight take my mind and feed it to a moose. When mother and myself returned we had some apple juice and then went straight to bed, as it was a late night, and disused it more in the morning. I can however say it was McFudgeing Brilliant and if you ever get the chance to go see him live grasp the opportunity with two hands... and some foil!The image to the right was taken by Derren Brown himself, of the S&M Supplies store in Macclesfield, my hometown, "Excited by the yellow sign in the middle of the pic. Sadly no time to stop." Oh don't be so naughty, it's just a DIY store! Macclesfield isn't that exciting.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
New Doctor Who logo
Photograph curtsy of http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwhoTo be honest I don't really understand what was wrong with the old logo and I don't really like the new one. It nice that they've done the DW in the shape of the TARDIS but I feel that the Doctor Who by the side of it is a little too much!
Friday, August 07, 2009
Crikey
In this book mother of two, Terri Irwin, tells a few of the stories of what can only be described as the best years of her life, so far. Until reading this book I didn't truly believe that 'the hero of crocs' I had treasured so much as a child had really died. Terri Irwin shares the joys of life with Steve, how she met him by chance and destiny, and how this then changed her life. She shares some stories of Steve and the crocodiles, but also the loses along the way including Lyn, Steve's mother, both Steve and Terri's two dogs, Harriet, the oldest turtle in the world and Steve himself. My favorite story though had to be at Bindis, their daughter, birth were Steve was that proud of his new baby daughter he ran off with her showing her to everyone in the hospital and the midwife asking Terri if he's going to come back. After Robert's, their son, birth came the Baby Bob incident were the media had interpreted Steve showing baby Robert the crocodiles that same way as they did with Michael Jackson, but in fact it was a father bringing his son up the same way as his father did to him. During the last two chapters, I have to say I cried. Reading about all the fun Steve, Terri, Bindi and Robert had together and then reading about how he died is heartbreaking, to say the least. After all the near misses he had with crocodiles and how many other ways he could have gone it was the least expected way as most people thought it would be by croc. It must have been so hard for Terri to know that the rest of her life wouldn't be the same again and she couldn't do anything about it. I applauder her on her bravery and how terrible she must feel that she wasn't there with him as they were stronger together.
My heart goes out to the Irwin family.
And Steve, where ever you are, Crocs Rule!
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