Describe the ways in which your production work was informed by research into real media texts and how your ability to use such research for production developed over time.
My production was informed and influenced by research that I conducted during the planning stages at the beginning and also throughout the creativity of my production. I researched numerous things in order to create my music video such as previous music videos made by the artist William Control as well as other music videos of the same genre. This enabled me to find out more about the conventions of a music video, but especially ones within the genre I am focusing on which is electric. I also used a number of aspects in order to conduct my research starting from using the Internet to gaining audience feedback on social networking sites. My research carried out and how this developed over time to help create my music video will be discussed throughout this essay.
Firstly, I used the internet to research previous music videos other A Level students have made in order to see the standard and quality needed to create one. I used Youtube to do this and by using this form of research it developed my ideas over time. This is because my ideas for the music video kept changing and once we finally came up with an idea we kept adding new things to it. For example, at first I chose to have the video in colour, however, after watching the video through I decided to change it into black and white. I chose to have it in this way because after researching the conventions of electric music videos I noticed a lot of dark colouring was used. This made the video look more effective and it fitted well with the genre as it is quite eerie, using colour did not give it the effect I wanted it to have. I used iMovie to edit the colour of the footage, using this programme was useful as I had already became familiar with it during my AS course. Therefore, I did not need to worry about learning to use a new programme I was not confident with.
Monday 22 April 2013
Tuesday 9 April 2013
Essay practice
With reference to any group of people you have studied discuss how their identity has been mediated.
Cultural identity is the identity of a group, culture or of an individual. I explored this topic further by looking at British youth and how they have been mediated through a number of representations. For example, the dominant representation of British youth's and the absent representations of them. This term mediated is when something in the media is exaggerated, changed, distorted or misrepresented which then influences the audiences views and perceptions. The shot choices made, the editing and sound bridges has an effect on what it is that is being represented, in effect mediating it. In this essay I will be focusing on the representation of British youth's and their identity has been mediated through Films, Newspapers and Social networks.
The Marxist theory fits well with this idea as they believe that the ruling class control much of our behaviour and views. The ruling classes values and beliefs are put across in the media and they are the ones who own and control the content. For example, the editors and owners of the media are mainly from a ruling class background called the Bourgeoisie. They control what is put into the media and what gets left out. Therefore, their views and opinions will be the ones that are represented and shown in the media which reflect the ruling classes ideologies. This manipulates the way audiences think and changes and alters their views. An example of this is, in newspaper articles they always portray British Youth's in a negative way such as 'troublemakers' and 'scroungers'. The main articles in the telegraph and many other newspapers during August 2011 focused on the London Riots and the British youth's involvement in this. This is a dominant representation of British youth's and it mediates their identity and makes the audience believe that all British youngsters are the same and behave in this way. This is a typical stereotype of British youth's in the media and as Cohen states they are used as scapegoats to whip up a moral panic against them. As a result, all young people may then get labelled as a anti-social 'problem group' in society. Owners of the media create these moral panics in order to attract a wider audience and to gain more money and profit.
In the media, there are very little articles and stories published about the positive representations of British youth such as the number of students who now attend University and go onto higher education. This is referred to as absent representations, which means that certain groups and cultures are not represented at all in the media. Survival is another absent representation of British youth's in films and documentaries due to them mostly being murdered. For example, the drama 'My Murder' displays a teenage boy being led to his death by his girlfriend, this ends up being a set up and he ends up losing his life. However, in the film 'Fish tank' the Patriarchal ideology is challenged through the narrative outcome as Mia escapes and survives by herself. This is an alternative representation as she comes out at the other end and the film shows a positive representation of the teenager; that she is strong.
Another form of media which relates to the Marxist's theory is social networks. This is because on Facebook it asks 'What's on your mind?" this gives the audience the power to share with people what's on their mind. But Marxist's would argue that people's ideas and thoughts are already likely to be formed by major powers with capitalism being the main culprit. Another example is Twitter as it has many functions which back up these ideas. For example, the 'retweet' function is essentially the opportunity to affirm yourself to someone else's ideas and you are basically confirming that you agree and think the same as that person. However, ideas and opinions people hold should be their own as it is these opinions and beliefs that add up to make their identity. Therefore, if someone was to hold other peoples ideas most of the time them it can be questioned whether their identity is really theirs or not? Or is it through mediation that they have become a person that they are unsure of?
This view that identity in the media has been mediated also ties in with the hypodermic syringe model. This is because it explains that our behaviour is influenced by the media in the terms of what we hear, see and read about. For example, Bandura conducted an experiment called the bobo doll and he found that the violent films which the little girl had watched on television influenced her behaviour. This is because she copied the behaviour from the character in the film and became violent towards her doll. Therefore, this theory explains that the audience is more likely to copy and display the behaviour seen in the media. If this is the case, television programmes such as 'Underage and Pregnant' which follows the lives of British teenage girls who have fallen pregnant at a young age must lead to the rise in teenage pregnancy in British teenage girls in society today. This is because it has become the 'norm' to see teenage girls pregnant as around 8,196 girls under 16 in England and Wales are estimated to have become pregnant in 2007, which represents just under 1% of all conceptions. Thirty years ago teenage pregnancy was a rare occurrence and would have been frowned upon by people in society. However, this is no longer the case as it is more acceptable and this maybe due to the fact that it is shown more in the media through programmes such as 'Underage and Pregnant'. However, other theorists would challenge this view that the audience is passive and would argue that they are now more active. This is because they do not consume and believe everything they read and hear about; they have their own opinions and are not influenced by every representation put across in the media.
There are many things associated with the identity of British youth's in the media such as their costume. For example, in films such as 'Kidulthood' the teenage boys tend to wear hoodies and play certain characters and roles such as the 'thug' and 'gangster'. This role includes violence, swearing and having a rude attitude. This is a form of mediation and is another dominant representation of British youth's in the media which is always included and spoken about. Their costume and attitude make them come across as dangerous and intimidating, this is because of the way that they are portrayed in the media. Another example, is the costume of the teenage girls in the film 'Fish Tank'. Mia is the main protagonist and she wears a track suit and a t-shirt and is represented as a 'chav'. She is also portrayed as having a bad attitude as she uses inappropriate language and swears a lot throughout the film. These characters are mediated in the media and this has a negative effect on their identity. This is because it influences what the audience think about them and what label they get given to them.
On the other hand, there are other representations of British youth's in the media which are based on humour. One example, is the programme 'Inbetweeners' this is about four teenage boys and their daily life events in which they usually have a comical journey. This representation of British youth's as opposed to the others show them in a way that makes them look less threatening to society. The programme has a beneficial effect as it weakens the stereotype of them being violent and aggressive. However, certain aspects have to be considered such as the show is based on four white boys. Other programmes which include black teenage boys tend to include more criminal and anti-social behaviour. This means that their identity is more mediated in films than white boys identities. Another factor which needs to be considered is the fact that the boys are all from a working class background except one. He is from a middle class background and is portrayed as more smarter than the other boys and has more common sense. Therefore, he is represented as the one that is always getting them out of trouble. This could be argued that the programme reinforces the ruling classes ideology, that working class males are more dumber than the middle class man as they tend rely on them for help.
In conclusion, the identity of British youth's is mediated greatly as they are represented in a negative way, both females and males. This could be for entertainment purposes as the audience tends to enjoy more negative portrayals as opposed to more positive ones. However, this negative portrayal has only been shown through working class youth's, it has not been shown through middle class youth's. This influences and has an impact on the audiences thoughts and views about them. The British youth are then stereotyped and labelled which makes the audience think that they are all the same and that they do not have their own identity and are not their own person. However, the representations do not influence us as much as the hyperdemic needle suggests.
Cultural identity is the identity of a group, culture or of an individual. I explored this topic further by looking at British youth and how they have been mediated through a number of representations. For example, the dominant representation of British youth's and the absent representations of them. This term mediated is when something in the media is exaggerated, changed, distorted or misrepresented which then influences the audiences views and perceptions. The shot choices made, the editing and sound bridges has an effect on what it is that is being represented, in effect mediating it. In this essay I will be focusing on the representation of British youth's and their identity has been mediated through Films, Newspapers and Social networks.
The Marxist theory fits well with this idea as they believe that the ruling class control much of our behaviour and views. The ruling classes values and beliefs are put across in the media and they are the ones who own and control the content. For example, the editors and owners of the media are mainly from a ruling class background called the Bourgeoisie. They control what is put into the media and what gets left out. Therefore, their views and opinions will be the ones that are represented and shown in the media which reflect the ruling classes ideologies. This manipulates the way audiences think and changes and alters their views. An example of this is, in newspaper articles they always portray British Youth's in a negative way such as 'troublemakers' and 'scroungers'. The main articles in the telegraph and many other newspapers during August 2011 focused on the London Riots and the British youth's involvement in this. This is a dominant representation of British youth's and it mediates their identity and makes the audience believe that all British youngsters are the same and behave in this way. This is a typical stereotype of British youth's in the media and as Cohen states they are used as scapegoats to whip up a moral panic against them. As a result, all young people may then get labelled as a anti-social 'problem group' in society. Owners of the media create these moral panics in order to attract a wider audience and to gain more money and profit.
In the media, there are very little articles and stories published about the positive representations of British youth such as the number of students who now attend University and go onto higher education. This is referred to as absent representations, which means that certain groups and cultures are not represented at all in the media. Survival is another absent representation of British youth's in films and documentaries due to them mostly being murdered. For example, the drama 'My Murder' displays a teenage boy being led to his death by his girlfriend, this ends up being a set up and he ends up losing his life. However, in the film 'Fish tank' the Patriarchal ideology is challenged through the narrative outcome as Mia escapes and survives by herself. This is an alternative representation as she comes out at the other end and the film shows a positive representation of the teenager; that she is strong.
Another form of media which relates to the Marxist's theory is social networks. This is because on Facebook it asks 'What's on your mind?" this gives the audience the power to share with people what's on their mind. But Marxist's would argue that people's ideas and thoughts are already likely to be formed by major powers with capitalism being the main culprit. Another example is Twitter as it has many functions which back up these ideas. For example, the 'retweet' function is essentially the opportunity to affirm yourself to someone else's ideas and you are basically confirming that you agree and think the same as that person. However, ideas and opinions people hold should be their own as it is these opinions and beliefs that add up to make their identity. Therefore, if someone was to hold other peoples ideas most of the time them it can be questioned whether their identity is really theirs or not? Or is it through mediation that they have become a person that they are unsure of?
This view that identity in the media has been mediated also ties in with the hypodermic syringe model. This is because it explains that our behaviour is influenced by the media in the terms of what we hear, see and read about. For example, Bandura conducted an experiment called the bobo doll and he found that the violent films which the little girl had watched on television influenced her behaviour. This is because she copied the behaviour from the character in the film and became violent towards her doll. Therefore, this theory explains that the audience is more likely to copy and display the behaviour seen in the media. If this is the case, television programmes such as 'Underage and Pregnant' which follows the lives of British teenage girls who have fallen pregnant at a young age must lead to the rise in teenage pregnancy in British teenage girls in society today. This is because it has become the 'norm' to see teenage girls pregnant as around 8,196 girls under 16 in England and Wales are estimated to have become pregnant in 2007, which represents just under 1% of all conceptions. Thirty years ago teenage pregnancy was a rare occurrence and would have been frowned upon by people in society. However, this is no longer the case as it is more acceptable and this maybe due to the fact that it is shown more in the media through programmes such as 'Underage and Pregnant'. However, other theorists would challenge this view that the audience is passive and would argue that they are now more active. This is because they do not consume and believe everything they read and hear about; they have their own opinions and are not influenced by every representation put across in the media.
There are many things associated with the identity of British youth's in the media such as their costume. For example, in films such as 'Kidulthood' the teenage boys tend to wear hoodies and play certain characters and roles such as the 'thug' and 'gangster'. This role includes violence, swearing and having a rude attitude. This is a form of mediation and is another dominant representation of British youth's in the media which is always included and spoken about. Their costume and attitude make them come across as dangerous and intimidating, this is because of the way that they are portrayed in the media. Another example, is the costume of the teenage girls in the film 'Fish Tank'. Mia is the main protagonist and she wears a track suit and a t-shirt and is represented as a 'chav'. She is also portrayed as having a bad attitude as she uses inappropriate language and swears a lot throughout the film. These characters are mediated in the media and this has a negative effect on their identity. This is because it influences what the audience think about them and what label they get given to them.
On the other hand, there are other representations of British youth's in the media which are based on humour. One example, is the programme 'Inbetweeners' this is about four teenage boys and their daily life events in which they usually have a comical journey. This representation of British youth's as opposed to the others show them in a way that makes them look less threatening to society. The programme has a beneficial effect as it weakens the stereotype of them being violent and aggressive. However, certain aspects have to be considered such as the show is based on four white boys. Other programmes which include black teenage boys tend to include more criminal and anti-social behaviour. This means that their identity is more mediated in films than white boys identities. Another factor which needs to be considered is the fact that the boys are all from a working class background except one. He is from a middle class background and is portrayed as more smarter than the other boys and has more common sense. Therefore, he is represented as the one that is always getting them out of trouble. This could be argued that the programme reinforces the ruling classes ideology, that working class males are more dumber than the middle class man as they tend rely on them for help.
In conclusion, the identity of British youth's is mediated greatly as they are represented in a negative way, both females and males. This could be for entertainment purposes as the audience tends to enjoy more negative portrayals as opposed to more positive ones. However, this negative portrayal has only been shown through working class youth's, it has not been shown through middle class youth's. This influences and has an impact on the audiences thoughts and views about them. The British youth are then stereotyped and labelled which makes the audience think that they are all the same and that they do not have their own identity and are not their own person. However, the representations do not influence us as much as the hyperdemic needle suggests.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)