WWW: You have displayed some great understanding of design and print publishing with your preliminary task. In particular your choice of cover image is incredibly vivid and strong, placing a good amount of focus on the subject whilst allowing enough of the setting to be visible to appreciate the visuals of it. The same can be said for your inner page with the layout of your photos being clear and specific, directing my focus to the rightmost image whilst still leaving the rest visible. Your choice of the classic large first letter works with the rest of the letter and the quality of the writing itself is great.
Next Steps: Consider the colour choices on the front cover as some of your cover lines fade into the setting given how active of a setting it is. The second cover line in particular unfortunately aligns the black writing with the darker parts of the mountain, making it less clear. Perhaps consider a drop-shadow, an outline, or a translucent box behind this writing to add clarity. I’d also like you to consider the voice of the journalist in your written section. Whilst the quotes help to push the narrative of the novel that is being sold, you are allowed to express opinions and a voice as the journalist revealing this story, pushing the narrative that the magazine wants to tell.
2) Using a combination of your own reflection on the preliminary exercise and the feedback you were given, write two WWW bullet points (What Went Well) and two Next Step bullet points for your preliminary exercise.
WWW:
Choice and layout of photos
Quality of writing
Next Steps:
Consider colour choice in order to make text clear
Express opinions in order to push the narrative of the magazine
3) What have you learned from the preliminary exercise that will help you in the actual coursework project? List three things you have learned or will do differently as a result of this exercise. You may want to comment on organisation, actors, filming, editing or something else entirely but be specific.
Be more expressive and opinionated with writing to imitate how magazines attempt to create enticing narratives for their audiences.
Make text as clear as possible through drop shadow, colour choice, outline, etc.
Spend more time on editing to see if anything can be made clearer, laid out better, etc.
Q2: Consider how contrast is used for emphasis, analyse technical codes
Q3: Consider what these narrative features imply about the 'Galaxy' brand
Q4: Consider design (colour, layout, typography), and link comments back to how they alter the perception of Tatler
2) Look at the mark scheme for this assessment. For Question 2 (12 mark unseen) use the indicative content in the mark scheme to identify three points that you could have referred to in your answer.
Athletic body connotes that the subject is in condition and well prepared for the ‘battle’.
The brand name ‘Under armour’ has connotations of battle and war being connected to sport.
Darkness has connotations of dangers to be faced and makes it more dramatic.
> Also: Contrast between darkness and brightness of logos connotes Under Armour is something to look forward to through technical code of lighting.
3) For Question 3 (Galaxy - narrative features) use the mark scheme to write down the main narrative theories and how we can link them to the Galaxy advert CSP.
The clear function of the narrative: to persuade people of the superior quality and sophistication of the Galaxy product.
The use of locations in the narrative suggests a version of reality for the audience: Italian Riviera has connotations of romance, upper class and the old Hollywood era is evoked, suggesting the luxurious nature of the chocolate and reinforcing the ‘silk, not cotton’ message.
Message of the narrative: Galaxy is a more sophisticated, classier product than other chocolate bars and, as such, needs time and relaxation for it to be enjoyed properly. The audience can also experience this luxury and a happier time (nostalgia) if they buy the product.
> Focus on effects of described comments.
4) Now look at Question 4 - Tatler and social/cultural contexts. Use the mark scheme to identify three points you could have made in your answer here.
Serif font for title connotes formality, high class and how well established the magazine is (Britain’s oldest magazine).
Use of green colour scheme (fresh and new) with white text (style, class, sophistication).
Cover image reflects British culture’s interest in stately homes and high society events with Weymouth dressed in a ballgown in the gardens of her Longleat house.
> Analyse effects on perception of Tatler
5) On Section B, focus on Question 7 - film industry and Black Widow. Use the mark scheme to identify three ways Black Widow was marketed to its audience.
Marketing Black Widow was a challenge due to the Covid pandemic and it therefore did not make as much money at the box office as other Marvel films despite this marketing and promotion.
Section of the Marvel website with gallery, story synopsis, character posters and opportunities to buy or stream the movie.
6) Finally, write down three things you are going to work on before your next mock exam in December (e.g. time management; revising CSPs etc.)
Revise exam technique and common question structures to ensure each question is answered properly (e.g. an 'analyse' question not only means describe but also explain)
Time management: ensure an apt amount of time is spent on each question by doing past papers in timed conditions
The title for my magazine will be 'Focus,' and it will be a left-leaning gossip magazine that discusses social issues and current events. The cover lines will mention popular celebrities and their predicaments to target a working-class demographic. For the masthead, I will use a serif font to make the magazine appear more informed, and for the cover lines, I will use a sans serif font to make the magazine more approachable for a working-class audience. The colour scheme will be mostly red and yellow due to their connotations of passion and danger, which will dramatise the stories mentioned.
The celebrity in the cover image will be a British Filipino man (BAME), and the image will use direct address to communicate them as powerful, and therefore highlight the Southeast Asian demographic as having power in British society. This will attract a Southeast Asian audience through a sense of personal identity (Blumler and Katz) from the celebrity influencer, and also 'the reformer' (Young and Rubicam) as they are socially aware and tolerant. By featuring a Filipino celebrity, the magazine will bring light to the lack of Southeast Asian representation in Britain when it comes to being in public, influential positions.
This celebrity will also be featured in the double page spread in multiple low-angle images to empower them, alongside their book. The article will reference the celebrity's book about how people can break free from online, toxic influences that cause them to be socially intolerant and spread hate, further targeting 'the reformer.' It will be written in a conversational tone to target a younger, C2DE demographic through its aspect of approachable information/education (Blumler and Katz).
1) Write a 100 word statement of intent explaining what you are going to make for your preliminary exercise.
I plan to produce a two-page spread for a magazine discussing an author's recent book, about power and rediscovering yourself in order to improve lifestyle. To accompany the main image, I will use a series of photos of the author in order to allow readers to connect with them. I will use a clean, sans serif font for the text to give the company a modern, fresh feel.
The body of the second page will discuss how readers can improve their self-confidence and be proud of themselves, to improve the way they live and carry themselves. The tone of the text will be encouraging and heavily informative.
2) Write an outline for your preliminary exercise on your blog. This needs to include talking points and photo lists. To see how a magazine is presented, and to look at professional examples, check out the following link which gives lot of tips and tricks on how to layout and plan your magazine.
Talking points for the text:
Experiences the author had that made them doubt, and how they overcame them
Lessons the author has learned over the course of their life
How these lessons can be applied to the life of other people
3) Casting: Who will be in your magazine?
I will feature two or three of my friends in my magazine depending on availability.
4) Plan your locations: Where you will shoot your preliminary exercise? (You can take photos off-site if you wish to do this for homework - this is what we would strongly recommend). Important note: You CANNOT take any students out of any other lessons OR disturb any other lessons in the school. If you wish to take shots in-school then you will need to shoot with Mr Ray supervising or after school with a Media teacher present.
I will shoot the photos for the preliminary exercise in and around Greenford/Northolt.
5) Write your shot list: every shot you plan to film. This needs to be far MORE shots than you will actually use in the final edited version - plan extra angles, close-ups, long shots and more. You can find an example shot list here. This is for a narrative film but the layout will be the same.
> Medium close-up shot for the main image on the front cover
> Multiple images at different angles and distances for the single-page spread
Watch the following music videos and analyse an aspect of media language for each one:
-> Music video 1: Marshmello x YUNGBLUD x blackbear - Tongue Tied
> How is narrative used in this music video to engage the audience?
The music video begins by creating a narrative through dialogue, introducing a "militarised police force" known as "Silencers", utilising Propp's character theory to frame this group as the Villain of the story. Todorov's theory of equilibrium is also used to establish a disruption to peace, which is the fact that the Silencers are "muting all those who cross their path." After the introduction, we see multiple scenes of regular people battling against the oppression of the Silencers: people pushing against the door, the woman, likely the Helper/Sidekick in Propp's character theory, running with a machine, the main character (YUNGBLUD), the Hero, wrestling two officers, people hiding in fear, etc. Then, we see that the main character and the woman have an important relationship, as she cries over him being arrested. This allows the audience to empathise with her, being drawn into the narrative (engaged in the music video) by seeing her as the hero and the Silencers as the villain. She is then arrested similarly, followed by a large-scale battle sequence of a group of people fighting against a group of officers. This woman is then saved by another character, likely the Donor, who then gives her back the machine she was seen running with earlier. This is revealed to be a holographic message from the Hero, which, in turn, inspires an uprising, signalling an attempt to resolve the disequilibrium. The battle sequence ends with the Silencers losing, signalling the return to a new equilibrium, bringing the narrative to a close and satisfying the audience.
-> Music video 2: Years & Years - I Wish I Knew
> How is camerawork and mise-en-scene used in this video? Use CLAMPS to remember the different aspects of mise-en-scene.
The video begins with an eye-level, close-up shot, creating a sense of realism and allowing the audience to see his emotions. From this, the audience can see that he's feeling sad, as it looks like he has been crying. The shot lasts quite a long time before the first cut, emphasising the feeling of realism and giving the audience more time to connect with the singer. The mise-en-scene of the bunting/flag decorations in the setting imply that a celebration is taking place, creating an enigma by making the audience wonder why the singer is crying during a party. The extremely bright sunlight in the background also adds to the idea that the singer should be happy, but isn't, for some reason. The movement of the camera speeds up momentarily to align with the beat of the song, then the camera begins to zoom out to a medium/long shot as more members of the band are introduced, and the singer's mood seems to flip entirely. The setting becomes more cluttered as more party decorations come into view: balloons, streamers, a disco ball, etc., alongside the instruments used by the band. At the height of the song, the camerawork comes from multiple different angles, alongside bursts of confetti, aiding the audience in 'feeling' the energy of the music. At the end of the song, a slow-motion shot is used, paralleling the slow-down of the music.
-> Music video 3: Foals - Hummer
> How is editing used in this music video to engage the audience?
The editing of the music video begins at an immediate fast pace, cutting to each note or beat an instrument plays. Then, the camera quickly zooms in to the singer, switching between still and handheld shots at different angles. This is then interrupted by a particularly long, still scene of the singer dancing, followed by a scene of the band members walking in front of a spotlight. This constant switching from extremely fast-paced cuts to long, almost 20 second shots engages the audience by keeping the music video different at all times. There is then another long scene of the band members standing still, which then cuts to a more hectic scene of the band playing, back and forth, creating opposition that engages audiences. This then continues for the remainder of the music video, with the pace of editing swapping to keep audiences engaged in the video.
-> Music video 4: Your choice (Manchild - Sabrina Carpenter) (Explicit)
Select a music video of your choice and analyse an element of it: e.g. narrative, camerawork, editing, visual effects etc.
> How is narrative used in this music video to engage the audience?
In 'Manchild', the music video continually uses cars as symbolism for men to communicate the message of the song. While there are many cars present in the video, many of them are quite odd: the car in the beginning is seemingly cut in half; one car is a chair with wheels; one car has a trolley; etc., and these 'odd' cars are the ones that the singer, Sabrina Carpenter, is seen with. This allows the audience to discern that she, as she picks the 'odd' cars, willingly picks the "stupid" and "incompetent" men (as said in the song), engaging audiences by allowing them to empathise with her previous experiences. Furthermore, there are many short, almost ridiculous scenes that draw in audiences by subverting expectations: the opening scene with a bird on a turtle (this is a metaphor for her past experiences with men, where she, as the bird, could fly far and wide, yet chooses to stay with the turtle, who only moves slowly along the ground); the scene with a vending machine full of rotting food; the short scene of her throwing toilet paper that shatters like ceramic unexpectedly; etc. This similarly acts as a metaphor, supporting the message of the song and drawing in audiences.
2) Music Video Planning (Part of Summer Project - doing the other option for coursework)
Plan out the basic details for your music video. What song do you plan to use? Will your video be performance or narrative based (or both)? Complete the following on your blog:
Artist and song you have chosen:
KATSEYE - Mean Girls
Plan for music video (narrative/performance etc.):
Performance-based style of video during verses (lip-syncing, direct address, etc), narrative-based video during chorus - simple narrative of a friend group of girls having a falling out, being petty and arguing over small things, then maturing and resolving the issue through forgiveness and communication.
Link to brief (one small step to improving your community):
Narrative will link to improving community through a message about forgiving those around you who have wronged you in the past, allowing your community to be closer together by attempting to erase tension over petty/trivial matters.
Rectory Park, Northala Fields, in and around Greenford
Costume/make-up/props required:
Regular, day-to-day costumes with limited or no makeup. Phones will be used as props.
3) Statement of Intent
On the same Summer Project blogpost, write the rough first draft of your 300-word Statement of Intent for the two-minute music video you plan to create. The final draft of this document will be submitted to the exam board alongside your music video production and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.
-> Doing Statement of Intent for the celebrity gossip magazine instead (practice for coursework)
I plan to produce a celebrity gossip magazine targeted towards a working-class audience with a wide age range of 20 - 30 years old, using a conversational writing style alongside dramatic cover lines to engage audiences. The front cover will feature a paparazzi-like, impromptu picture of a celebrity in a simple outfit, to emphasise them being caught doing something wrong behind-the-scenes. For the front cover, I'll use a sans font to give the magazine an approachable feel for a working-class audience. The double-page spread will feature a celebrity author and their book on improving lifestyle, specifically through the Danish and Norwegian concept of 'hygge'. The text will be an interview of the author that focuses mainly on their ideas on how to improve life, appealing to a working-class target audience, who are likely to be part of the Struggler psychographic. The tone will be hopeful in order to connect with this audience. I will use a large, high-quality photo of the author for the main image, using direct address to engage readers. This will be accompanied by a series of smaller images of the author, to further this engagement.
