FILM MARKETING 1: Mainstream film- Straight outta Compton

Summarise the companies and brands responsible for the funding, production and marketing of the film and any links to media industries that would help maximise income and audience.

Straight Outta Compton was produced by the mass media production company of Legendary Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures which is part of the global conglomerate of Comcast who own many other media companies. Legendary Pictures is part of a Chinese conglomerate which are also quite international

. Due to the large scale of influence that these to companies have within the media industry this benefits the marketing of the film as they have the power to reach a worldwide audience. Additionally, this means they can gain access to acquiring the rights to NWA's music, the funding for the project would be a lot greater compared to that of  an independent film (the budget for this film was $28 million- 50 million). Furthermore, the members of the band (Ice Cube and Dr Dre) were executive producers of the film therefore meaning that the worked alongside the companies to narrate their stories within the film. This is an effective way of production as the intended audience, likely to be urban black people, would be interested in how Dre and Ice Cube portray themselves within the film. With the support of Legendary and Universal the film would be able to seen all over the world thus attracting people who may not necessarily relate to the film such as upper/middle class white people, or younger generations who may not be familiar with NWA but would still be interested for educational reasons such as discovering how a small rap group from a notoriously crime ridden area rose to stardom.

Analyse how the film marketing trailer has targeted its audience.

The official trailer for Straight Outta Compton has many fast paced shots which increases the exhilaration and hype around the film as it was quite highly anticipated film. Instantly, this attracts all types of audiences regardless of social background as many people are attracted to excitement and mystery. Furthermore, there were different marketing techniques used to target different types of audiences. For example Universal released the green band trailer with less explicit language and content for a mainstream worldwide audience who may not be familiar with the urban film genre. They also released a red band trailer aimed at adult audiences which would appeal to perhaps young hip hop fans and older NWA fans who are interested in the raw background.

Historical Key Text: Kiss of the Vampire

Overview

Hammer Film Productions is a British film production company and they are best known for creating a series of gothic films from the 1950s-1970s.


Explain how the film poster for Kiss of the Vampire (1963) creates meaning about the following elements for its audience.

The poster

Paper 1- Print Section B: Tide

Representation

Initially, the main image of the glamorous woman is located in the middle third/ second third of the page which is instantly where the eye is drawn too.
The main character's hair is tied back with a headscarf which would have been a typical style in the 1950s. She has a full face of make up and her hair is quite pleasant indicating that appearance was quite important for women during that time. For the tide print advert the creators intend to create an aspirational image for their consumers. Representation would have reflected the typical 1950s fashion    and trends to help create an aspirational image for women as practical and resourceful. As the advert is post world war II and the beginning of the consumer boom the creators would have used the stereotypical convention to capture the audiences attention and allowing them to create their own identity as Gauntlett explained in his identity theory that the audiences to build a sense of their own identity which links to the central image of the woman being an ideal wife who is pleased with her new tide product in a patriarchal society. However this representation of a typical housewife is challenged due to the intertextual reference of the world war II women's land army.

Surrealist Advert: Rihanna Reb'l Fleur

Surrealism is when the creative part of the unconscious mind is released.

Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behaviour. Used to construct possible meaning from a text.

A signifier- The form in which the sign takes (e.g the green man)
The signified- The concept it represents. (you can walk across the road)
The sign is the combination of the signifier and the signified.

Exam Question Paper 1 Section A Q1

Compare how audiences are positioned by the representations in this save the children advert and the water aid advert. (30 marks)

Both adverts require their audiences to feel a sense of empathy for those who are suffering in order for money to be donated to their cause. In the Water Aid advert the establishing shot is of a  dreary, wet windowsill with the visual code connotations of cold and blueish lighting. Similarly, the Save the Children advert has an establishing shot of a young girl who is about to blow out her birthday candles. As it is a stereotypical representation of western culture it links back to Stuart Hall's theory as it is celebration the intended audience can relate too. Initially, the audience would build some sort of connection to the young girl. However, In the Water Aid commercial the camera cuts to an unfamiliar scene to a landscape shot of a wheat field in Africa. The lighting of this shot is warmer than the previous one. Afterwards, the main character, Claudia, begins to sing a well known western pop song by the international British Pop singer Zoe. Creators of Adverts often use inter textual references such as to engage the audience whilst keeping it relevant to the contemporary audience allowing them to respond positively or negatively depending on what emotions the creators are trying to provoke. This also links back to the Save the Children advert as the dark lighting that begins to emerge in the background with the chaotic and disturbing camera shots as the advert progresses could evoke a sense of guilt.

Advert creators often use intertextual references such as Claudia singing the Pop song to engage the audience whilst allowing it to be relevant for the contemporary audience therefore evoking positive or negative emotions depending on what the creator intended them to feel. This also links back to the Save the Children advert as the dark lighting begins to emerge in the background around forty seconds into the Advert. Traditionally within media dark lighting is associated with chaos and disturbance. As the fast cuts of the camera progress the advert could provoke a sense of guilt as the young girl begins to look a bit paler inferring to the audience that the conflict going on has effected her physically. In the Save the Children advert the earlier mis en scene is from a wealthy western country with the establishing camera shots displaying scenes such as the young girl going to school and getting into the car. Around forty seconds into the advert the scenery begins to shift from the familiar everyday to war torn imagery as the lighting becomes low-key. This paticular shift in tone would be when the audience recognises that something is wrong and begin to question if everything they saw in the previous shots is a potential facade as the reality of war is slowly being revealed. In these shots the young girl's facial expressions suggest fear as she appears to be afraid but aware of eerything that is going on in the background. The audience would be familiar with this representation as it links back to George Gerbner's representation theory as it tis a repreated representation of victimizing people who are struggling in society that has been used in a countless number of charity adverts. Furthermore, the shift in tone that the advert took would also resonate with the audience as it is also a genreand repeated convention audiences would be used to which links to Steve Neale's genre theory.

Unlike the Save the Children advert in the Water Aid commercial the main character, Claudia, is given a name to personalise her character allowing the audiece to feel some sort of connection to her. In the visual footage we witness brighter colours than the dull and dreary Save the Children Advert however she is walking a long distance to reach the water well. Due to this the audince may feel pity as it is unfortunate prompting them to donate to the cause. On the other hand, the save the children advert does not give the girl a name indicating that conflict could occur anywhere in the world which links to the last scene 

Dizzee Rascal Research

Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18th September 1984) is a British rapper and record producer. He was born in Bow, East London. `Additionally, he is known as the pioneer of the UK grime scene and paved the way for many UK rappers. His number one hits include "Dance wiv me", "Bonkers", "

Key Text: Wateraid Charity Ad

Analyse how the wateraid charity advert uses its technical codes to provoke responses, emotions and connections with its target audience.

The WaterAid advert uses many technical codes such as camera shots of a community in Africa to illustrate the positive impacts of donating money to their cause. The Advert begins with a landscape close up of a radio, windowsill with raindrops in the background and plant pot at the edge of the frame. Initially, from the scenry it is clear that the target audience is middle class. It then cuts another landscape shot of a wheat field in Africa. Instantly, the lighting goes from the cold, blueish tint from the rainy scene to a warm, yellowish lighting from the bright sun on the wheat fields in Africa. These contrasting visual codes represent the binary opposition of Africa and the UK. It then cuts to a extreme close up of Claudia.  She appears to be happy as she is singing a song while walking with a bucket on her head. Even though she is walking a long way to reach the water tap she is singing an upbeat song. The song connects with the western audience as it is a well known pop song by the British pop singer Zoe. This clever inter textual reference contradicts with many typical charity adverts which often have many negative representations of African people in poverty.              

Key Text:Riptide

Indie Music Genre

Indie is short for independent and there are two interpretations of the word in the music industry. It can refer to an independent artist or the music genre which is guitar based or alternative rock. The genre was created in the 1960s -1970s in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Riptide

Vance Joy's Riptide does not have a clear narrative instead the video is more of an interpretative style where the images are directly linked to the lyrics. An example would be whenever the artist sings the lyric "running down to the Riptide" the audience witnesses a cuts to a long shot of the water. Although there is a darker undertone of female abuse in the video which also links back to the lyric "taken away to the dark side". Furthermore this is an intertextual reference to the 1986 David Lynch movie Blue Velvet which is based around a nightclub singer whose husband gets kidnapped. Many Indie artists allude to David Lynch and Wes Anderson as they re seen as the film equivalent to Indie. As the video is postmodern the audience can choose how they interpret the darker scenes of the woman in the nightclub.

Advertising 8 questions

Write down five slogans for products recently advertised.

"Washing machines live longer with Calgon."- Calgon
"Lelli Kelly the cutest shoes."- Lelli Kelly
"Because its you, Stronger with you"- Emporio Armani fragrance
"Maybe it's Maybelline."- Maybelline advert
"Have a break...Have a KitKat."- KitKat
"La vie est belle"-Lancôme

Maslow's Hierarchy- Lancôme Ad 2016

Maslow's Hierarchy is a motivational theory that summarises the five main needs of humanity in the form a pyramid. From the bottom of the pyramid upwards the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, self esteem and self actualisation. Advertisers such as designer brands trying to sell new types of perfumes or make up brands often use this concept to persuade their particular audience that their product could help them to feel better about themselves. For example L'oreal's main slogan is "because you're worth it" emphasising the idea that women are beautiful and valuable which is why they should consider investing in a L'oreal product.

The establishing shot of the advert is Julia Roberts emerging on a party like scene. The audience then witnesses a close up of Julia in which she appears to be very confident and full of self esteem. However this is a contrast to her surroundings which look quite dull as is portrayed by the blue lighting. Often blue lighting has a connotation of cold or alienation that also matches the attitudes of the other guests at the event. Within the first ten seconds the camera does a pan shot to show all the other characters in the scene. None of them look particularly pleased and they are all wearing black making Julia stand out even more as she looks graceful and elegant in her white dress. As the advert progresses and the camera gives a few individual close ups of some of the party attendees it finally comes back to Julia who has a huge smile on her face as she feels a few drops of water on her legs and is about to step into a fountain. The imagery behind this shot is positive and could be referencing self love or love in general which is also featured in Maslow's Hierarchy.  When she then steps into the water the everything around her comes into sharp focus as a shower of petite crystal like objects descend  from the sky. Julia then looks to the moon with a sense of satisfaction as if she belongs to be with the stars.

Stereotypes in Advertising

It is quite common for stereotypes to be used in all forms of advertising to present a sort of imagery that the audience is familiar and can identify with. An example of this would be in Pampas adverts in which the mother is shown to be caring for the baby linking to the stereotype of females looking after children. Another common stereotype portrayed in advertising is of young girls liking dolls which is evident in adverts for toys.

Key Text Paper 1 Section A: Dream Music Video

Analyse  the content of the music video for Dream , using the technical codes ( use of camera, lighting, props , costume, iconography etc )

The establishing shot of the Dream music video by Dizzee Rascal is an intertextual reference to Muffin the Mule playing the piano who is a character from a 1950's children show. Already, this is quite unconventional for a grime video as it would usually be a black male.  Less than 30 seconds into the video this media text has already subverted Steve Neale's genre theory as the audience of grime (which is predominantly the youth) would not be familiar with this white middle class woman. However Dizzee emerges from a box on top of the piano suggesting that he is insignificant which connects to the cultivation theory by George Gerbner as this links to a repeated representation of black people playing minor, irrelevant roles in the media and film industry such as a servant. However the camera does give the audience a close up of Dizzee  when he comes out of the box indicating he is important to this video. He looks like a typical urban man in a tracksuit and a hoodie although he is puppet sized which is quite small compared to the woman playing the piano. The hoodie could be an intentional reference to what was going on at the time of the video's release as in the early 2000s there was a widespread debate as to whether young people should be allowed to wear hoodies in public places such as town centres.  Some venues even banned the item of clothing so to have an artist wear one in his video initiates his perspective on the argument as he suggests that he doesn't agree with the ban. Initially both characters are binary opposites as they are from two completely different backgrounds and they represent different things. Dizzee is a product of his urban environment which is evident in his speech as he has an East London accent with some slang talk (i.e 'gonna' and 'reppin') whereas the middle class woman represents old, traditional Britain. Additionally, she speaks with received pronunciation which contrasts with Dizzee's slang. Another binary opposite that is portrayed in this videois the youth vs the elderly. Clearly there is an age gap between Dizzee and the woman which would be a logical explanation as to why she is presented as human size in the video. It also has connotations of the older generation looking down on the youth as she does several times in the video. On the other hand this could also symbolise society in the 1950s as the white middle and upper classes looked down working class and ethic minorities. By making the woman the first character that the audience sees implies that she has the power of allowing Dizzee to come out of his box entertain us for a bit and go back in. Likewise during the slavery era in the Americas (1619-1865) the colonial masters had the power to allow the black slaves to be seen whenever they wanted to. Another intertextual reference in the video is at one minute and thirty seven seconds with a brief image of two gollywogs before it cuts back to Dizzee. Gollywogs are a racial

Although this video in many ways does conform to that of a typical grime video allowing it to align with Stuart Hall's representation theory to some extent. For example the group of black men standing outside the off license store. Or the scene of the policeman beating the young black men. Along with the lyrics of Dizzee explaining his come up from the streets (i.e 'we used to hang around...reckless with no shame', 'I started doing hotspots'). These are all affiliated with the genre of grime therefore conforming with George Gerbner's cultivation theory as it is a repeated representation of black males in all forms of media. The policeman beating up the black males could symbolise institutionalised racism which has become quite a prominent debate in today's society. The puppets indicate that young black people lack independence and freedom. From a sociological perspective you could argue that they are trapped in their own mindset as they are working class and they value being in a group rather than succeeding as an individual also known as collectivism. Unlike his counterparts Dizzee challenges this stereotype as even though he did follow the crowd at some point he did change his life around which is demonstrated towards the end of the video when he raps about his success and the female character nods towards him suggesting she approves of his success. The last scene of everyone dancing connotes the idea that music overcomes all barriers of race, age and class.

Independent Assignment

Macmillan Cancer Support TV Advert


Who is the target audience?
People who are suffering from Cancer, their friends and family.

What is the message being conveyed?
The main message of this advert is to encourage people with cancer that its not the end and no matter what they will always have someone to talk to. This is portrayed through the advert displaying a couple of clips of cancer patients who look particularly worried being reassured by family, their GP etc.

Is the message convincing if yes/no please explain?
Yes this is a convincing message as many people in that position feel like it is the end of the world so through this TV campaign they may open their eyes to the help they can receive.

Induction Report Task

Explore how gender and/or ethnicity is represented  in at least three examples from  the media.


In media, the representation of gender and ethnicity is often repeated in different forms of media to the extent of the audiences perspectives being altered over time. This is also known as the cultivation theory which was developed by George Gerbner. A prime example of this would be the constant images of females being presented as manipulative and sexually available in television, film, magazines and etc. Due to the reiteration of women displaying sexual prowess in many types of media some members of the audience begin to stereotype all women believing that is their behaviour.

Furthermore, ethnicity is also stereotyped to a large extent which is highly evident in the film and media industry. For example there are numerous roles for white males of any age group however black, Asian, Hispanic, and Indigenous roles are particularly marginalised. Additionally, not only are there not many roles for ethnic minorities over 70% of them are very stereotypical of that race. For example an African American playing a thug or a Hispanic male portraying a drug lord. Although this isn't positive stereotyping is a form of representation as said by Stuart Hall as it is the main way that we as the audience instantly recognise different social groups. On the other hand many people from these backgrounds have attempted to change their representation in the media. An excellent example of this would be the black female rapper Lil Kim. Obviously, it is quite well known that Hip Hop does not have the best reputation in the media. As an audience we see newspaper articles of rappers being incarcerated, arguing amongst themselves, mistreating women and etc. From the 90s to present day Hip Hop has been integrated into the mainstream although it has always been predominantly male artists who gain international success through their explicative lyrics and equally provocative music videos.

When Lil Kim came onto the scene there were not many successful female rappers. Her lyrics expanded the range of acceptable behaviour for women in hip hop and supposedly made women feel better about themselves. Instead of the usual seduction of women that we as an audience witness in urban music she took the misogynistic sexuality of male rappers and used it to empower other women. From a feminist perspective she really paved the way for future female rappers and challenged the way women are represented in Hip Hop. Some media critics could argue that she opposes van Zoonen's feminist theory as Kim attempted to equal the male representation in Hip Hop. One her most iconic music vidoes for her song The Jump Off is a great example of how she did this. Firstly, the establishing shot of the video is a party scene. As an audience we get an overall view of people enjoying themselves which at the time would have been typical of hip hop videos at the time yet the camera cuts to a medium shot which introduces Kim as some what the "life of the party" or the main  subject. Initially, this is already going against the stereotypes of women in all music videos as at the time they were never the primary focus. Within the first ten seconds we get multiple close ups of Kim. In the video she is wearing an oversized pink fur coat which could symbolise wealth as fur clothing is considered a luxury. Having established that it could also demonstrate that women do not need to display their whole bodies for attention. Forty seconds into the video we see Kim walk on the stage of the party and rap along to the song then the scene is cut to Kim as the only woman with a group of men as she says the lyric "keep it gangsta look out for her people" (also known as continuity editing). This insinuates that being a "gangsta" is not just about guns and violence the media so often chooses to present it. In fact some of these people who are involved in that lifestyle would interpret there fellow gang members as family. The first minute of the video involves the camera cutting back and forth from the party scene to Kim in a Range Rover and her once again with the same group of men. Kim subverts the typical representation of a rapper surrounded by women to having her around men as she asserts her power as a woman who can also be a rapper. The narrative around "The Jump Off" was very common with Hip Hop songs at the time as this song does not mention Kim's background which would have been different especially with the genre of Hip Hop. Instead the overall song was quite positive. In addition to this the song was received very well with the audience and peaked at number 6 on the UK R&B charts. Due to the age group of the men and the flashy lifestyle portrayed in the video it's highly possible that the video was aimed at young people and Hip Hop lovers although it was adored by many different types music fans.

As of today, the representation of gender and ethnicity is still the same as we can still recognise a stereotypical role in all forms of media. Christmas adverts reinforce the ideas of family and spending time together which links to genre and representation as most people are familiar with that kind of scenery around that time of the year. Another outstanding example of a media product that does not conform to normal media representation to some extent would be The Greatest Gift advert by Sainsburys in 2016. The establishing shot is an overview of a family home in the sunlight which connotates comfort and warmth.  The next shot is a close up of the main character who is a white man in cartoon then the camera cuts to a kitchen scene with cartoon characters of ethnic minority making breakfast while the man is getting ready for work. This is most likely to be his family. Then the camera cuts to a wide shot of the man on a packed train on his way to work. The lyrics of the song that narrates this advert exclaim "now its December so much to remember before Christmas Eve". That is a lyric that many people can relate to as it is well known that Christmas is one of the busiest and arguably most stressful times of the year. Through the usage of the minor characters and the memorable narration of music it is fair to say that this advert was aimed at everyone. Perhaps the message that Sainsburys was trying to get across was that all people are welcome to the store as they cater for everyone. This advert is a step forward in the increase of representation of ethnic minority in the media industry. If this type of representation continues where ethnic minorities are displayed from a positive viewpoint then ethnocentrism could cease to exist as it involves judging people based on your own preconceptions which links to the Cultivation Theory.

Despite the fact that there are a couple of media products that challenge the representation of gender and ethnicity there are also many forms of media that do not. This does allow the audiences that relate to these certain products to get a sense of identity based on the media that they consume. On top of that it makes it a lot easier to acknowledge the particular representation. For example Hip Hop music as a genre is instantly recognisable and is often associated with the black race and has negative related to gang violence in the UK and the US.  Interestingly enough as an audience we instantly think negatively of this genre through the backlash that it receives in the media which is further evidence that the media recapitulates stereotypes about ethnicity. On the other hand, Drill and Hip Hop artists are attempting to change the representation of young black males by having their lyrics focus more on positive aspects such as leaving their criminal lifestyles behind and making money. An example of this would be the music video for Lick by Cardi  B ft Offset. Initially, the establishing shot of the video is a casino. Already this is quite distinct from other Hip Hop videos. Afterwards, the camera cuts to Cardi who is dressed like a 20s flapper girl. This also goes against the typical representation of females in Hip Hop as it is quite Eurocentric. The lyrics also encourage the idea of earning money as she says "looking like I caught a lick" which otherwise means she has made a lot of money.

In conclusion, Gender and Ethnicity can sometimes be portrayed in a negative way by the media however as an audience it helps us to identify situations. Due to these representations we as the audience are able to identify with the media we tune into. Equally, we are aware of these inadequate depictions of gender and ethnicity however it is necessary. Without these characterizations it would not be easy to pinpoint typical behaviours of people of these social groups.