Media Coursework- Article (300 words)

 

“They doubted me because they were afraid of what I could achieve.”- Narissa Johansson

Here at the Rising Star we love to review upcoming TV shows, movies, music anything entertainment related really. Within today’s society, the entertainment related really. There’s a new series on Netflix almost every day! It is getting harder to keep up by the hour. Luckily, we are currently with Narissa Johansson who is the lead protagonist of the upcoming crime drama “Anonymous” on Channel 4. In this exclusive interview she details what it was like to work on set alongside her co-stars, self-esteem issues and the unseen pressures of the film industry.  I must say I really enjoyed interviewing her as she has a bubbly personality and is also very intellectual. One thing she said that particularly stood out for me was “They doubted me… because they were of what I could achieve.”

Key Text Paper 1: Section B - Newspapers The Times and The Mirror Ownership and Political Bias

 Tabloid 

Tabloid's are image based and usually have red mastheads, which are in large font at the top of the newspaper. They often feature celebrity gossip columns and use simple language and shorter articles compared to that of a broadsheet. Most of the time the front cover would feature a prominent story while the rest of the paper would be gossip. 

The Mirror- Ownership 

The list includes titles owned by the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), and those owned by both M.E.N Media and S&B Media, after both companies were purchased by Trinity Mirror as GMG Regional Media from the Guardian Media Group in 2010.

Paper 1 Exam Section B: Practice Exam Questions

 What is meant by a mainstream film? (2 marks)

A mainstream film is often a high budget film which is distributed by global conglomerate companies such as Disney.

Briefly explain what a media conglomerate is? (2 marks)

A media institution that owns multiple mass media enterprises such as TV, Radio etc. For example Disney own Marvel which is a smaller company within the larger conglomerate.

Explain two features of an independent film production. Briefly to I, Daniel Blake to support your points.

One feature of an independent film is that they are not funded by global conglomerate companies such as Paramount but by smaller art councils or local television stations. This is exemplified in I, Daniel Blake as it was produced by the BFI and BBC films. The reason for the low finance of independent films is that they are often targeted towards a smaller, niche audience which means a large budget is unnecessary as it will not be viewed by as many people. Furthermore, compared to that of mainstream films, independent films tend to focus around the social realism genre which reflects Steve Neale's genre theory as the audience of niche films are usually of a more educated demographic and are likely to be middle class so they understand the conventions related to it. Likewise, Ken Loach, the director of I, Daniel Blake, is  a social realist filmmaker who focuses on capturing the hardships of ordinary people.

Another feature of an independent film production is that they are marketed on a small scale. This is evident in I, Daniel Blake as regional marketing officers set up free screenings of the film in UK cities such as Newcastle and Manchester to help spread awareness and the message behind the film. Additionally, the small scale marketing is often a reflection of the films budget.

Explain how economic contexts shape mainstream films. Refer to Black Panther in your answer.

Economic contexts such as funding and distribution greatly shape the marketing of mainstream films as they are often produced by global conglomerate companies such as Paramount and Disney. This usually means that more is invested into the production compared to that of an independent film. This is evident in Black Panther as Marvel, which is owned by Disney, initially had a $200 million dollar budget. Mainstream films are often the highest grossing in terms of box office as they are advertised on worldwide platforms such as YouTube or in the case of Black Panther during the Super bowl advert break the trailer was watched by thirty two million people in the same venue. Black Panther is also one of the highest grossing films of all time, earning over $1 billion in the box office . This proves that the large scale marketing was profitable. 

Additionally, vertical integration also has an impact on economic contexts in the production of mainstream films. For example, Marvel Studios is owned by Disney who also own many other media outlets which has a positive impact on film marketing. Due to Disney's influence and Black Panther being part of a very successful franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe this helped to shape the profit gained from the film.

Media Coursework Research

 Which product have you chosen to analyse?

I have chosen to analyse the TV Satellite magazine’s crime drama edition from the 14th July 2018  

What are the codes and conventions?

Their is a close up picture of the two main characters (Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar)  in the centre of the front cover. The background is a cold, blue colour which often has connotations of cold, alienation which reflects the genre of the drama which is crime. Additionally, this also links to Steve Neale's genre theory as the audience is primarily familiar with harsh colours being associated with crime. The main text/ headline of the magazine is a single word in enlarged, bold letters of "Unforgotten". The adjective "unforgotten" means it hasn't been forgotten. In the context of this television drama it infers to whatever happened prior to the next episode will be investigated by the two main actors on the cover. Those who are familiar with the series may have an instant understanding or theory of what will occur next.

What is the primary group of  people represented?

The demographic group of the actors on the front cover is likely to be middle aged mainstreamers who live ordinary lives (e.g work a 9-5 job etc). 

Is it a positive or negative representation?

It is a uncertain representation as the caption states that the characters will “investigate” yet it does not specify what may happen . The creator purposely left out what will happen to create an effect of suspense and influence the reader to watch the next episode to find out. 

How is this representation constructed? 

This representation is constructed through the codes and conventions of the magazine such as the close up of the characters .

Statement of Aims

 My magazine is targeted at the age demographic of 18-34 year olds so therefore a lot of my content will be targeted towards that social group. Initially, my magazine will be called “The Rising Lead.”

The word "Lead" reflects the magazines background as it is focused around television and visual entertainment. Furthermore, I intend to use colours such as cream, green or white etc that the chosen socio-economic group are attracted to colours with a shorter wavelength. This also reinforces Hall’s representation theory as stereotyping a people group is a form of representation. It will also feature an exclusive interview with the main protagonist of my chosen TV Drama in which I will be making a trailer for my audio visual.

Additionally, for my audio-visual I have decided to film a trailer for a new Crime television drama which is targeted towards the mainstream audience. I would like to have a close of main character within the establishing shot with background dialogue. My aim is to have two locations. One with slightly dark lighting to create an atmosphere of suspicion, mystery and potentially danger.

My 

Ideas for DVD

Paper 1 B- Film Marketing: Black Panther Exam Question

Explain two features of a mainstream film. Refer to Black Panther in your answer. (6 marks)

One feature of a mainstream film is that they are often produced on a high budget by large worldwide media companies such as Paramount . This is exemplified in Black Panther which had a budget of around $200 million and was produced by the famous Marvel Studios as the seventeenth film instalment to their cinematic universe. Furthermore, Marvel is owned by the global conglomerate Disney. Furthermore as the budget is quite high this means that well known Hollywood actors are more likely to be featured compared to that of an independent film , such as I, Daniel Blake. In Black Panther,  A list stars such as Chadwick Boseman and Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong'o were featured.

Another feature of a mainstream film is the genre that the audience have a preference or liking too. Most of the highest grossing mainstream films have been Sci-Fi such as Avatar and Black Panther (both passing the $1 billion milestone respectively). Neale's genre theory identifies this is partly because surrealist genres such as Sci-Fi captivate people from multiple demographics regardless of how old or young they are. Additionally, Black Panther was released in almost 500 cinemas across the USA which also increases the audience.